Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Martyn1981

Ectophile said:

shinytop said:

Martyn1981 said:

The pro's and con's of PHEV's can be controversial on a BEV thread, since most reading would use a PHEV 'correctly' maximising the electrical use and minimising the ICE use ...... but ..... of course most PHEV's aren't used that way and have benefitted from support and company purchases with little to no intention to use them 'correctly'.

But I thought I'd post this simply because of one comment that really made me think:

I said this already: just limit PHEV ICE power to 75 HP and be done with it.

Sounds interesting, as you'd still have all that EV power, but if you run the battery down, then you have a less enjoyable car, but one that would still cruise at motorway speeds (eventually) for longer trips. Just thought it was a fun and possibly reasonable compromise?

I suppose this is another way of describing a BEV Rx, where the small engine will only generate enough leccy to run the car at lower power levels when the battery has discharged. It might even be a simpler powertrain setup than a PHEV.

New EU Emissions Rules Could Limit PHEV Market

Policy makers in Brussels are busy working on the next set of exhaust emissions standards for the European market. Plug-in hybrid vehicles have enjoyed certain advantages under the current rules, which has made it possible for manufacturers to claim credits for selling PHEVs as well as battery electric vehicles. But after Transport & Environment revealed last year that many plug-in hybrid cars currently offered in Europe actually pollute more than conventional cars, the blush is off the PHEV rose.

The new regulations may prohibit car makers from labeling them as “sustainable investments” and tighten nitrogen oxide rules. Together, the new rules, if enacted, would remove most of the incentives that currently favor PHEV sales. The problem is, many automakers have invested billions in PHEV, technology thinking those cars would form a bridge to the battery electric future. If the plug-in era is curtailed, those investments may never be recouped.

This would definitely reduce PHEV ICE miles because nobody would buy them.  75 bhp in a 1.5 tonne car would be really, really slow, almost dangerously so. Most PHEVs are that sort of weight ot more. I don't think the economics of PHEVs would work for smaller cars. 

Just go straight to BEVs.

But it would work fine configued as a range extender.  the engine drives a generator to re-charge the battery.  the BMW i3 REX can run on something the size of a moped engine, until the little petrol tank runs out.

Yes, it was more about the idea/principle than the exact figure given in the comment. The new London taxi's have a 1.5lt 3cyl range extender engine. I'm sure it works fine and safe in petrol mode, but not nearly as well as when it's been charged.

EricMears

Martyn1981 said:
Yes, it was more about the idea/principle than the exact figure given in the comment. The new London taxi's have a 1.5lt 3cyl range extender engine. I'm sure it works fine and safe in petrol mode, but not nearly as well as when it's been charged.

Should act as an extra incentive to keep it fully charged !  Hopefully, drivers won't decide to sit around with RX running (though if it charges faster and cheaper from mains rather than ICE there shouldn't be any temptation to do that)

michaels

EricMears said:

Martyn1981 said:
Yes, it was more about the idea/principle than the exact figure given in the comment. The new London taxi's have a 1.5lt 3cyl range extender engine. I'm sure it works fine and safe in petrol mode, but not nearly as well as when it's been charged.

Should act as an extra incentive to keep it fully charged !  Hopefully, drivers won't decide to sit around with RX running (though if it charges faster and cheaper from mains rather than ICE there shouldn't be any temptation to do that)

Electric miles are cheaper than ice miles in a phev but that doesn't seem to have worried anyone....

Martyn1981

EricMears said:

Martyn1981 said:
Yes, it was more about the idea/principle than the exact figure given in the comment. The new London taxi's have a 1.5lt 3cyl range extender engine. I'm sure it works fine and safe in petrol mode, but not nearly as well as when it's been charged.

Should act as an extra incentive to keep it fully charged !  Hopefully, drivers won't decide to sit around with RX running (though if it charges faster and cheaper from mains rather than ICE there shouldn't be any temptation to do that)

Yep, cheaper to run on leccy. Just repeating a post that a lady posted on the old EV thread on the motoring forum perhaps 3yrs(?) back. She does about 50k miles pa for work, and going back a couple of BEV's she had a BMW i3Rx. She used to do her paperwork whilst the car charged, and after a couple of years when her car was to be replaced, she went for just a regular BMW i3 as she'd used the Rx so little.

That really opened my eyes to what is possible, if you are happy to work around what a BEV offers, rather than focus on how it differs from an ICE.

I recently watched a Fully Charged episode on another London Taxi offering, this one BEV only and based on a Nissan e-NV200 Evalia.

Dynamo Taxi - 100% Electric Cabs | SUBSCRIBE to Fully Charged PLUS

In this new product showcase Robert found out all about the 100% electric Dynamo Taxi.
This might look like an ordinary black cab, but this impressive Dynamo taxi is 100% electric!
Based on the Nissan e-NV200 Evalia, this is the only fully electric black cab that has been built with the driver in mind. The cheaper running costs, coupled with exemptions from London ULEZ and congestion charges, make this the most cost effective taxi currently available.
It delivers up to 187 miles range, can rapid charge in an hour and looks the business. Expect to see more and more of these in cities across the UK very soon!

Martyn1981

I know we've mentioned BEV ferries a few times before, and this article points to what looks like a potential acceleration in their rollout. I guess the 'pudding has proved', and interest is now growing fast.

Lisbon Orders 10 Electric Ferries

Electric ferries have been available for years, but you don’t have see large orders for them (or any orders for them). Lisbon is shaking things up, though. It will be getting 10 electric ferries, with the internal muscle and brains coming from ABB.

Public ferry company Transtejo is putting these electric ferries into service between 2022 and 2024 as it retires non-electric ferries used to transport people (up to 540 at a time) across Lisbon’s Tagus River. In particular, the ferries cover three routes — from Lisbon to Cacilhas, from Lisbon to Seixal, and from Lisbon to Montijo (and back).

The electric ferries headed to Lisbon are expected to cut CO2 emissions by 6,500 tons a year, similar to taking 1,400 gas-powered cars off the road.

Martyn1981

Good news for the US, and a great way to 'sell' the idea of BEV's. Also that first pic put a massive smile on my face.

UC-Berkeley Report Claims Electric Cars Will Save Americans $2.7 Trillion, Create 2 Million Jobs

A new report by the University of California at Berkeley makes several bold claims. First, it says all new cars and trucks sold in the US can be electric by 2035. Second, making the transition to electric vehicles will save American households $1000 a year on average between now and 2050, for total savings of $2.7 trillion. Third, the transition to electric cars and trucks will create a net gain of 2 million jobs. Fourth, the changeover will prevent 150,000 premature deaths and avoid $1.3 trillion in environmental and health costs through 2050.

In summary, the EV revolution will net the US economy 2 million new jobs and allow the nation to reap direct and indirect savings of $4 trillion in the next 30 years. How is all that possible? Check out the report for yourself.

Martyn1981

Good news from China where BEV's are closing in on 10% of sales with a mighty 9.2% in Mch.

11% Plugin Vehicle Share In China!

Plugin electric vehicles are a hot item in China right now, and they scored a near-record 211,000 registrations last month. That was a 244% jump compared to the same month last year, making it the second best month ever, only behind last December.

Last month’s plugin vehicle share actually reached the two-digit mark for the first time ever, hitting 11% (9.2% BEV). That record performance pulled the 2021 share to 10% (8% BEV). When you consider that January and February are China’s weakest months, we can safely assume that plugin market share will end north of the two-digit mark this year and the total tally of the year will exceed 2 million deliveries!

NigeWick

Martyn1981 said:

Good news from China where BEV's are closing in on 10% of sales with a mighty 9.2% in Mch.

If legacy makers here don't get a grip, a lot of people will be buying Chinese BEVs in the near future.

Martyn1981

I'm looking forward to seeing these:

36 Electric Buses for Cardiff Bus

Cardiff Bus has confirmed it has placed an order for 36 of the latest battery-electric buses, believed to be the biggest single order placed outside of London to date. 

The 36 Yutong E12 zero-emission buses will be on the roads in the city from the end of 2021 and will lead to a transformation of how Cardiff’s bus network is delivered.

Martyn1981

Big news from Toyota, they've announced they're to launch a BEV. Apparently, investors have given them a hard time over their attitude to BEV's, promotion of HFCEV's, adverts knocking plug in vehicles, etc. etc..

The vehicle looks nice, in fact 'normal' for a concept car, almost ready to go?

Toyota is also to stop, or scale back its campaigning against BEV's, and I assume that means their opposition to the higher fleet fuel standards in the US too - wrong side of history their Mr Toyoda!

I'm thinking they may have acted just in time, since Elon suggested yesterday that the TMY might become the top selling car in the World in 2022 or possibly 2023. Maybe he knows what he's talking about, or maybe he didn't realise that the Corolla sells ~1.3m models pa. Could the TMY ramp up to 1m by 2023, whilst the Corolla falls to 1m as sales move to BEV's ...... I don't know?

Toyota announces new BEV series Toyota bZ

Toyota Motor Corporation announced Toyota bZ, its newly established series of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), in establishment of a full line-up of electrified vehicles. At Auto Shanghai, Toyota unveiled a concept version of the Toyota bZ4X, which will be the first model in the bZ series. In establishment a full line-up of electrified vehicles, Toyota will introduce 15 BEVs, including seven new Toyota bZ BEV models by 2025.