Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

Grumpy_chap said:

I thought the £50k EV car with 350 miles range and fast charge was already here.
Am I mistaken?

Edit:. I am not sure that £50k is the purchase price benchmark for higher mileage driver, given the propensity of Superbs, 3- series, A4. 
I acknowledge overall cost may be lower for a £50k EV than £35k ICE.

The Skoda Enyaq 80 and Polestar LR are close but I suspect that once you are doing motorway speeds, as reps do, the range will ebb away. Congestion is your friend in an EV. 

gefnew

But could this be the way forward without the hassle of stopping on a  long drive to charge up.

Will swapping out electric car batteries catch on? - BBC News

orrery

gefnew said:

But could this be the way forward without the hassle of stopping on a  long drive to charge up.

Will swapping out electric car batteries catch on? - BBC News

It's a shameless puff piece. Full of silly marketing notions such as "There's no battery degradation. You always get a healthy battery. So, you can keep the cars longer."  and "You're always going to have the newest battery technology."

QrizB

orrery said:

gefnew said:

But could this be the way forward without the hassle of stopping on a  long drive to charge up.

Will swapping out electric car batteries catch on? - BBC News

It's a shameless puff piece. Full of silly marketing notions such as "There's no battery degradation. You always get a healthy battery. So, you can keep the cars longer."  and "You're always going to have the newest battery technology."

I thought the same. Also, battery leasing makes no sense at the prices they quote; save £7700 but then pay £125 - £215/month? If a battery is good for 10 years, £7700 is about £2/day not £4 - £7.

Martyn1981

I've always found the idea interesting, especially for two wheelers, and perhaps HGV's. But for cars it seems to have as many pro's as con's. I suspect the availability of longer ranges and ultra fast chargers solves the issue, especially for those able to charge at home, or when parked locally.

But a thought that keeps bugging me, is the size of the unit, be it Nio or Geely. They seem to take up the space for about 4 to 6 cars / chargers, which if multiplied by 5mins, is equivalent to charging for 20 to 30 mins, which is probably enough at 150-350kW chargers for most users.

And of course additional battery packs are needed which must impact sales, and be reflected in the cost of the car.

No idea if this will catch on outside of China to a large degree. I think Tesla half-heartedly tried something a decade ago at one location in the US (model S I think), but dropped it fast.

Talking of 'the latest battery tech', that too has confused me (not hard). If you have an older car, then the replacement may be a newer battery, but presumably if you have a new car, there's a chance the battery will be an older one, after all, I assume that they don't take older packs out of service until they have degraded to a certain level, certainly not just because newer tech arrives ..... but maybe?

Martyn1981

Quite incredible how fast things are shifting in Europe. I do hope the EU sets 2035 as an end date for ICE (including PHEV's). And for once it's nice to see the UK ahead already with an ICE ban of 2030 and PHEV's 2035.

Ford, Volvo Cars, & Broad Industry Coalition Appeals To EU To Ensure All New Cars & Vans Are 0 Emissions From 2035

A broad cross-industry coalition including Ford of Europe and Volvo Cars are appealing to the EU to ensure all new cars and vans in Europe are zero emission from 2035 and to establish mandatory charging infrastructure targets.

They say the deadline for new fossil fuel engines is needed to ensure the last cars and vans powered by internal combustion engines are off the road by 2050 — when Europe is required to reach net zero emissions. The vehicle manufacturers, which together sold around 800,000 cars in Europe last year, appealed to EU lawmakers in a joint letter today signed with 26 other companies which represent a wide range of industries [1].

While 15 car brands have voluntarily pledged to only sell electric cars in Europe in the next decade [2], the signatories say it’s down to EU decision makers to mirror this in firm vehicle regulation to provide planning certainty for industry but also for infrastructure providers and customers in the transition to electric vehicles. The letter is addressed to MEPs and EU governments as they decide on new clean car rules including a proposal by the EU Commission that only zero-emission new cars and vans — and not hybrids — can be sold EU-wide from 2035. The signatories explicitly support this EU Commission proposal.

Combustion engine cars are also responsible for about a third of all oil imports into Europe. Switching to fossil free road transport would enhance the continent’s energy security and cut the billions of euros it sends abroad for oil every year.

The European Parliament and EU governments will decide their positions on the 2035 zero-emissions vehicles target in June. Following negotiations, the final law is expected to be adopted in autumn.

Martyn1981

Couple of small BEV's, one with a top speed of 56mph (€12.5k), and the other just 28mph (€6,250). Not sure how they fit into UK legislation, and what they would be categorised at, but certainly cheap city mobility.

Microlino Pioneer Edition Priced At $13,000

The Microlino is faithful to the original, right down to the front-mounted door with steering wheel attached. “This is not a car,” the company says on its website. “It is the ideal mix between a car and a motorbike.” It comes with a 12.5 kW electric motor and a choice of three battery sizes — 6 kWh, 10.5 kWh, and 14 kWh. Driving range is 91 km, 177 km, or 230 km respectively. There is 89 Nm of torque available and the “sprint” to 50 km/h takes a heart-stopping 5 seconds! Recharging the battery takes less than 4 hours using a 240 volt outlet, which is the standard in Europe. Top speed is 90 km/h and the whole car weighs a mere 535 kg with the largest battery.

Squad Mobility Offers A Solar-Powered Electric Car For $6,500

Dutch startup Squad Mobility is now accepting pre-orders for the Squad, a solar-powered electric car priced at a mere $6500. It doesn’t offer the geewizardry of a Tesla; in fact, it looks more like a golf cart than a car. It has a range of 62 miles and a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph). Perhaps one has to live in a crowded urban setting like Amsterdam where parking for full size cars is practically nonexistent to appreciate the need for such a vehicle. In those cities, bicycles and mopeds are the preferred mode of transport. The Squad offers protection from the elements for two people for an affordable price. The company plans to offer monthly leases for as little as €100 a month.

michaels

QrizB said:

orrery said:

gefnew said:

But could this be the way forward without the hassle of stopping on a  long drive to charge up.

Will swapping out electric car batteries catch on? - BBC News

It's a shameless puff piece. Full of silly marketing notions such as "There's no battery degradation. You always get a healthy battery. So, you can keep the cars longer."  and "You're always going to have the newest battery technology."

I thought the same. Also, battery leasing makes no sense at the prices they quote; save £7700 but then pay £125 - £215/month? If a battery is good for 10 years, £7700 is about £2/day not £4 - £7.

Doesn't the swap price include the electricity?  So if you can manage with the small battery but do a lot of swaps per month then you are quids in?

Martyn1981

15 UK Tesla Supercharger sites are now open to non-tesla's.

Tesla opens 15 of the 112 UK Supercharger sites to 3rd Parties

A Tesla Statement Reads:

“Access to an extensive, convenient and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption,” “That’s why, since opening our first Superchargers in 2012, we have been committed to rapid expansion of the network. Today, we have more than 30,000 Superchargers worldwide.

“Tesla drivers can continue to use these stations as they always have, and we will be closely monitoring each site for congestion and listening to customers about their experiences.

“More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”

Martyn1981

I'd love to say this is great news for the US, but California is ahead with regard to BEV's, but hopefully it still shows that demand for BEV's in the US is going to 'explode', soon.

Also worth considering that Tesla has about 60-70% of the BEV market currently, so the demand for other BEV's must be there as GM, Ford and others start to ramp up sales of the F-150 pickup, the Bolt (again), etc, etc..

Also the US is suffering under very high gasoline prices, around $6/USgall, well very high for them.

[I assume, Tesla sales in Europe, especially the UK, will be very, very poor this quarter due to the Covid shutdowns in China during April. It's the early quarter vehicles that typically get exported, so that the revenue comes in during the quarter financials.]

Tesla Model 3 & Model Y Outsell All New Cars In California In Q1 2022 — Even Gas Cars

Tesla Models 3 and Model Y electric vehicles have outsold all new cars in California in the first quarter of 2022, even gas-powered vehicles. This is a major achievement for Tesla and a win for EV advocates. In 2018, California became the world’s 5th-largest economy — even larger than Britain — with an economic output only surpassed by the total GDP of the US, China, Japan, and Germany. As of April 2022, California’s GDP is $3.36 trillion, which places it higher than the UK’s.

Drive Tesla Canada caught the good news, noting that data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) showed that 21,812 new Tesla Model Ys were registered in the state during the first quarter of 2022.

The next best seller was the Tesla Model 3, which had a total of 21,506 registrations for Q1. These numbers placed the Tesla models in the #1 and #2 spots for new car registrations. Following the two Tesla models, the third best-selling vehicle was the Toyota RAV4, with 15,90 registrations — 6,000 less than the Model Y.