Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Martyn1981

Great start for Ford and their Mustang Mach-E. If they can maintain good sales each month, this should help to persuade them that BEV's are the future, and to keep pushing in that direction. If they really are serious about BEV's, then I think they've leapfrogged GM who's Bolt turned out to just be a compliance car ........ but GM is back now with the new Bolt, and Bolt EUV ..... ding ding ... round 2!

Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Nearly 4,000 Sales In 1st Full Month! 70% Conquest Sales!!

Ford has just reported February sales (it’s one of the only automakers that still reports monthly sales in the USA), and the headline news is that the Mustang Mach-E had nearly 4,000 sales in its first full month on the market. Score!

My first-take review of the Mustang Mach-E (which Ford CEO Jim Farley surprisingly retweeted) didn’t focus on specs like range and acceleration, because I realized such a focus would miss the point. The Mustang Mach-E has all that it really needs in terms of range and acceleration, the basic requirements of an acceptable EV. However, the real selling point is its style. It is a vehicle that people can fall in love with — many people. An automobile is about much more than getting from A to B, and about much more than driving range between charges or 0–60 mph times. An automobile is about identity, culture, and style. The Mustang Mach-E offers so much in those regards that I honestly have trouble imagining that it won’t be a big hit.

Another hot metric from Ford’s press release is this one: “Nearly 70 percent of Mach-E orders are from competitive brands.” That’s BIG. One of the most important things an automaker targets is “conquest sales” (pulling buyers from other brands). Many buyers are very brand loyal, so conquest sales are tough. And conquest sales are what offer the opportunity to grow your sales and become a bigger player in the market. Nearly 70% conquest sales is a stunning metric, and a great sign for Ford.

EVandPV

https://youtu.be/mk-LnUYEXuM

Solarchaser

JKenH said:

Big boost for EV drivers as UK’s largest public rapid charge hubs opens on M6 in Midlands

Eight northbound and seven southbound at Corley on the M6 will help but we still need to be thinking bigger. At least they are Instavolt. (Ok, they’re expensive, but generally reliable and easy to use without an app.)

https://www.retailtimes.co.uk/big-boost-for-ev-drivers-as-uks-largest-public-rapid-charge-hubs-opens-on-m6-in-midlands/

I liked the post but I have to say I'm not a great fan of Instavolt. 
You are absolutely right they don't need an app, but in my experience are very fussy about card usage. 
I tried to use one a year or so ago and it rejected all 3 of my contact less cards which could have left me stranded, thankfully the wife was with me and it accepted hers.
Then about 5 months ago on a different Instavolt I was alone, again it rejected all three, but as I had no option but to persevere, eventually it did accept one of the cards after several tries. 

JKenH

Solarchaser said:

JKenH said:

Big boost for EV drivers as UK’s largest public rapid charge hubs opens on M6 in Midlands

Eight northbound and seven southbound at Corley on the M6 will help but we still need to be thinking bigger. At least they are Instavolt. (Ok, they’re expensive, but generally reliable and easy to use without an app.)

https://www.retailtimes.co.uk/big-boost-for-ev-drivers-as-uks-largest-public-rapid-charge-hubs-opens-on-m6-in-midlands/

I liked the post but I have to say I'm not a great fan of Instavolt. 
You are absolutely right they don't need an app, but in my experience are very fussy about card usage. 
I tried to use one a year or so ago and it rejected all 3 of my contact less cards which could have left me stranded, thankfully the wife was with me and it accepted hers.
Then about 5 months ago on a different Instavolt I was alone, again it rejected all three, but as I had no option but to persevere, eventually it did accept one of the cards after several tries. 

I have used a couple of Instavolt chargers and IIRC the first one took my contactless card ok but the next one didn’t like it and I think I ended up using a ChargePoint card, if that makes sense. It does show there is still a way to go before us non-Tesla owners are guaranteed a seamless charging experience. 

JKenH

EVandPV said:

https://youtu.be/mk-LnUYEXuM

12.04 “Going solar is now cheaper than buying electricity from the grid”
 I suspect Project Solar sponsored this video😉

JKenH

Electric Vehicle and Alternatively Fuelled Vehicle Registrations

BEVs and PHEVs up to 13% last month.

http://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/

Martyn1981

Interesting article, bringing together the issues of growing BEV demand and disruption as we head towards 2030, with the forecasted shortage in battery supply, plus the Osborne effect, which could (where possible) put off new vehicle sales, rather than accept an 'unwanted' ICE.

I suspect that demand side PV, especially in sunny countries, but (as Silverwhistle pointed out) pretty much everywhere, will also start to influence the BEV adoption disruption curve (that's a mouthful), as PV encourages BEV's, and BEV's encourage PV, and each get cheaper. Being able to fuel your own vehicle so cheap should encourage PV and BEV's, even in cheap FF countries like the US.

It's all going to get messy, but should continue to be a fascinating transition / disruption / revolution.

Volvo CEO: Totally Convinced No One Will Want A Gas Car In 2030

When Volvo Cars revealed the fully electric Volvo C40 Recharge the other day, one of the most notable parts of the announcement was Volvo’s strong commitment to 100% fully electric vehicle sales by 2030 (and 50% by 2025). In fact, Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson made such a strong statement that it warranted a whole extra article.

NigeWick

Solarchaser said:

I liked the post but I have to say I'm not a great fan of Instavolt. 

You are absolutely right they don't need an app, but in my experience are very fussy about card usage. 
I tried to use one a year or so ago and it rejected all 3 of my contact less cards which could have left me stranded, thankfully the wife was with me and it accepted hers.
Then about 5 months ago on a different Instavolt I was alone, again it rejected all three, but as I had no option but to persevere, eventually it did accept one of the cards after several tries. 

Did you let them know about the trouble you had?

JKenH

Claims too many electric car points have defects with 58% of users considering switching back to petrol/diesel

https://www.derryjournal.com/business/claims-too-many-electric-car-points-have-defects-with-58-of-users-considering-switching-back-to-petroldiesel-3156466

Solarchaser

NigeWick said:

Solarchaser said:

I liked the post but I have to say I'm not a great fan of Instavolt. 

You are absolutely right they don't need an app, but in my experience are very fussy about card usage. 
I tried to use one a year or so ago and it rejected all 3 of my contact less cards which could have left me stranded, thankfully the wife was with me and it accepted hers.
Then about 5 months ago on a different Instavolt I was alone, again it rejected all three, but as I had no option but to persevere, eventually it did accept one of the cards after several tries. 

Did you let them know about the trouble you had?

Nope, just moaned on this forum, and decided not to use if at all possible