Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

Robotaxis Roaming Around Yokohama Are Winning Over Unlikely Fans

Nissan Motor Co. is carrying out Japan’s largest demonstration to date of autonomous vehicles in an area to the south of Tokyo, as the automaker moves toward rolling out a commercial robotaxi service. 

Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/robotaxis-roaming-around-yokohama-are-winning-over-unlikely-fans

Martyn1981

Just to say I've been pondering posting this story since early morning, as it doesn't seem right. The articles refer to the Renault Zoe getting zero stars from NCAP, and that made no sense to me as I seemed to recall them doing much better. So I've read a few articles and finally found one that might explain the drop (from 5 stars) due to some recent changes, and the test standards seem to be rising and include more automated safety functions that the Zoe seems to lack.

Safety is so, so important, and I'm 100% on board with that, so I don't mean to appear dismissive, but can the car really have dropped that much, it seems odd to me, unless it's simply the sum of a number of factors all coming together 'quite badly'?

Perhaps I'm looking for excuses, but is this just a sign that car safety is improving faster than I'd appreciated?

Renault Zoe given zero stars in Euro NCAP safety tests

The Zoe previously held a five-star Euro NCAP rating but was entered into the tests following a substantial facelift last year which ushered in a bigger battery and extra power but also, the safety organisation notes, a new seat-mounted side airbag that protects just the occupant's thorax, rather than the head and thorax as it did previously.

The Zoe is also said to lack active safety technology "commonly fitted as standard", such as lane-departure warning and standard-fit automatic emergency braking (AEB), which vehicle safety research firm Thatcham says can reduce "front-to-rear crashes with injuries by 56%". Therefore it achieved a rating of just 14% in the Safety Assist category, some 61% lower than the 2021 average.

Importantly, however, Renault will make AEB standard to all Zoe models ordered from 1 March 2022. 

EVandPV

Bit more info on the planned Gridserve hubs.

Gridserve announces raft of new motorway electric car charging hubs

Plans have been announced for a series of new electric car charging hubs in what has been described as the UK’s biggest-ever motorway charging network upgrade.

Gridserve, which bought Ecotricity and took over the Electric Highway network of motorway EV chargers in June, has already started construction on 11 new Electric Hubs, with a further nine planned.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/356846/gridserve-announces-raft-new-motorway-electric-car-charging-hubs?amp

JKenH

Tesla Model 3 Is A Competent Police Car, UK Trial Reveals

It's achievable to do over 200 miles of Blue Light advance driving with the Model 3🚨 The average blue light run in the UK is about 7-15 minutes, The longest run in our cars has been over 4 hours on active deployment under advanced driving conditions.

Light bars are like running with a parachute! Integrating lights into the car cabin does not affect our drag coefficientcy and requires no holes to be drilled into the roof which has negative affect on the cars residual values.

https://insideevs.com/news/553120/tesla-model3-uk-policecar-findings/

JKenH

Nissan Leaf review 

Just a shout out for the Leaf which featured in a review today by Auto Express. It’s a great car and only let down by limited range. If you can live with that then it’s still a decent buy. It’s not flashy and the tech is distinctly dated but it is pleasant to drive, comfortable and reliable.

Auto Express: 

Closer to home, the new VW ID.3 hatchback ramps the pressure up a notch by bringing a new level of sophistication and perceived build quality, but the Leaf still stands out as a great all-rounder. Like the roster of rivals above, the Leaf is an electric model that you can seriously consider as an only car.

The main highlight is Nissan's e-Pedal system. This boosts the resistance from the electric motor and allows you to drive just using the accelerator, without the need to press the brake unless in an emergency. 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/leaf

JKenH

Yorkshire company's major breakthrough to find new source of lithium used in electric vehicle batteries

Aqualithium, based on the Nostell Estate near Wakefield, in partnership with the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath, has succeeded in extracting lithium from seawater in a laboratory environment. 

The team at the University of Bath is led by Professor Semali Perera, an expert in the field of adsorption and membrane filtration, whose breakthrough is the first time lithium has been extracted in such a way using new sustainable technology.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/yorkshire-companys-major-breakthrough-to-find-new-source-of-lithium-used-in-electric-vehicle-batteries-3489346

thevilla

JKenH said:

Nissan Leaf review 

Just a shout out for the Leaf which featured in a review today by Auto Express. It’s a great car and only let down by limited range. If you can live with that then it’s still a decent buy. It’s not flashy and the tech is distinctly dated but it is pleasant to drive, comfortable and reliable.

Auto Express: 

Closer to home, the new VW ID.3 hatchback ramps the pressure up a notch by bringing a new level of sophistication and perceived build quality, but the Leaf still stands out as a great all-rounder. Like the roster of rivals above, the Leaf is an electric model that you can seriously consider as an only car.

The main highlight is Nissan's e-Pedal system. This boosts the resistance from the electric motor and allows you to drive just using the accelerator, without the need to press the brake unless in an emergency. 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/leaf

Limited range? 239 miles wltp and mine was 10 grand less than a TM3 when I bought.  Also a lot better deal than the id3 offered in April.  No super charge network though.

Grumpy_chap

Martyn1981 said:

Renault Zoe given zero stars in Euro NCAP safety tests

Whatever the reasons behind this, Renault know what the requirements are to achieve results in each of the "star" criteria - it is, so I understand, similar to the hotel rating system.  To launch any car and achieve a "zero" rating is atrocious and the car deserves to fail.  Unfortunately, the fact this is an EV will only serve to foster FUD.   

On another matter, I saw this article today:
https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/genesis/g70-shooting-brake-2022/ 
It seems like an absolute missed opportunity - for any manufacturer to try to launch a new brand that is ICE-based seems ludicrous.  I can't say whether the outcome will be more Infiniti or more Lexus, but the latter would seem to be more likely if the brand launched as EV-only.

JKenH

Mercedes-Benz DRIVE PILOT captures world’s first approval for hands-free driving

Levels of autonomous driving have been outlined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Level 3 Autonomy does not require humans to perform the act of driving. However, of the three levels that allow hands-free driving, which are Levels 3, 4, and 5, Level 3 is the only category in which the driver must take over if the vehicle requests human intervention. Level 3 is effectively described as a “traffic jam chauffeur,” which would align with the capabilities of the DRIVE PILOT system.

“During the conditionally automated journey, DRIVE PILOT allows the driver to take their mind off the traffic and focus on certain secondary activities, be it communicating with colleagues via In-Car Office, surfing the internet, or relaxing while watching a film. In DRIVE PILOT mode, applications can be enabled on the vehicle’s integrated central display that are otherwise blocked while driving,” 

https://www.teslarati.com/mercedes-benz-drive-pilot-worlds-first-approval-hands-free-driving/

Martyn1981

Excellent news for VW and BEV's, as they increase investment and accelerate programs again. Also an update on the Trinity program which is the next step after the ID's, I think. Looking good.

VW Boosts EV Spending To Catch Tesla, Will Electrify More Plants

In addition to the executive reshuffle, VW Group announced significant updates to its electrification strategy yesterday, pledging to increase capital expenditure and product development costs for e-mobility by almost 50% to €52 billion ($59 billion) through 2026.

Of the total investments of €159 billion ($179 billion) allocated for the next five years, 56% or €89 billion ($100 billion) will be for future-oriented investments, primarily in e-mobility, hybridization, and digitalization. Another big decision from VW Group is to electrify more European plants to achieve its goal of becoming global market leader in electric mobility by 2025.

Volkswagen has also confirmed the electrification of its main plant in Wolfsburg through the next-generation, Level 4-capable VW Project Trinity EV, which will enter production in 2026, possibly at a new plant located outside the current site. Furthermore, there are plans to build a second EV manufacturing facility on the current factory premises by 2030. The carmaker will also build Europe’s most modern research and development center, the Sandkamp Campus, in Wolfsburg.