Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Martyn1981

Rumour warning - but possibly the really big news for the last day or so, so worth mentioning. Multiple sources suggesting Tesla is aiming to build ~4m of its smaller car pa. Suggestions that it will be a scaled down Y, which makes sense, as small 5doors are very popular all over the world.

This production will (supposedly) be spread across Giga's Shanghai, Austin and Monterrey (Mexico). But again, mostly rumours at this stage.

Tesla prepares to make 4 million units of its cheap electric car, supply chain sources say

Tesla is preparing to make 4 million units of its next vehicle, a ~$25,000 electric car, based on supply chain sources coming out of China.

With a plan to build 20 million vehicles per year by the end of the decade, Tesla is going to need to expand its vehicle lineup quickly. It not only needs new vehicles in the lineup, it needs cheaper vehicles.

Tesla Plans Smaller Version Of Model Y On New Platform: Report

We won't know for sure what Tesla's final plans are until the company makes it all official. However, according to a report that cites several industry insiders who claim to have details on the matter, the next-gen Tesla model will be a small crossover.

It should come as no surprise to those who follow the space that Tesla may be planning a smaller and less expensive crossover to be the first vehicle to ride on its next-gen platform. When the Tesla Model 3 was the best-selling EV in the world, Tesla introduced the Model Y crossover, which is essentially just a larger and more practical crossover version of the Model 3 sedan. Now, the Model Y is Tesla's top seller, so why not offer a more attainable version of the crossover?

JKenH

Some alternative statistics for March BEV sales from New Automotive

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hZefz514kmykFD0vRi6glqmCQpgUXzzMFpXXjF3Tp7A/edit#gid=0

michaels

JKenH said:

Some alternative statistics for March BEV sales from New Automotive

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hZefz514kmykFD0vRi6glqmCQpgUXzzMFpXXjF3Tp7A/edit#gid=0

Certainly looks like we have seen peak Tesla in the UK - as there are more alternatives for the company car low bik buyers not surprising that they are losing share.  With most of this market being via lease the cuts in new prices have little impact as they simply lead to equivalent falls in the 2/3 year old prices and no change in the monthly lease payments.

Tesla can not hope to price at premium levels and sell at mass market volumes so either they will have to accept declining market share or cut prices again - problem being in the UK we are wedded to 'premium car brands so there is no real market for large mid market brand cars (Mondeo, Insignia etc)

JKenH

If only MG could produce the cars faster. These are statistics from Octopus leasing for Q1 2023. I stand to be corrected but suspect this reflects demand from private buyers (SalSac schemes) rather than fleets.

Commenting on these figures, Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said:

“Demand for EVs on salary sacrifice - where cycle-to-work meets EVs - has taken off in the UK. We have more enquiries and orders month-on-month as people wake up to the benefits of going electric. With the tax benefits and low cost charging, EVs are now cheaper to run than their gas guzzling equivalents. 

“The MG 4 has taken the market by storm, so it’s no surprise to see it in pole position with our customers. Its range, size and competitive price makes it the obvious choice for families looking to switch over to green driving.” 

“Audi is potentially the biggest winner we’ve seen this quarter. The newly revamped Q8 is dominating the premium SUV market with real world range (over 300 miles) that is blowing competitors out of the water.”

Martyn1981

And the results from the Norwegian jury are in! Looks like they are bouncing against a temporary limit, trying to get the last ~10%, with PEV's at ~90% for a couple of years now.. Should be fun seeing when that last bit goes, maybe it'll hang on for a few years?

Tesla Model Y Takes Over 38% Of Norway’s Auto Sales In March!

Norway’s plugin electric vehicles took 91.1% share of the auto market in March, down from 91.9% year on year. The slight dent in share came from a drop in plugin hybrid volume, against overall market growth. Overall auto volume was 19,366 units, up some 19% YoY, and the highest March sales since at least 2016 (though compensating from a hangover earlier in Q1).

Grumpy_chap

michaels said:

there is no real market for large mid market brand cars (Mondeo, Insignia etc)

Both were fantastic cars.
I'd buy a Mondeo if they were still for sale.  Very premium product.

Martyn1981

Nice milestone for the UK BEV van market as it reaches 5%.

Battery-Electric Van Sales Continue To Grow In The UK, Up 32.7% For March Compared With Last Year

The good news from the March sales figures was the new that deliveries of battery-electric vans were up by 32.7% compared to March 2022. This was driven by an increasing choice of models, which makes switching to zero emission vehicles more compelling. 2,534 BEV vans were sold in March. The electric van market share for the month was 5.3% of the UK’s LCV market, which is an important number. A 5% market share is seen as a key milestone and tipping point for EV adoption.

JKenH

Martyn1981 said:

Nice milestone for the UK BEV van market as it reaches 5%.

Battery-Electric Van Sales Continue To Grow In The UK, Up 32.7% For March Compared With Last Year

The good news from the March sales figures was the new that deliveries of battery-electric vans were up by 32.7% compared to March 2022. This was driven by an increasing choice of models, which makes switching to zero emission vehicles more compelling. 2,534 BEV vans were sold in March. The electric van market share for the month was 5.3% of the UK’s LCV market, which is an important number. A 5% market share is seen as a key milestone and tipping point for EV adoption.

It’s not a new milestone, though, as BEV share of the van market has actually fallen from the 5.8% in Q1 last year to 5.1% this year

Martyn1981

Many may have seen this news already now that Tesla have released their 'Masterplan Part 3'. Something catching many eyes is the entry in the compact segment. Strange how specific the battery size projection is, when the other entries are a bit more general.

Given the monster month the TMY had in Europe for March, topping BEV (or all car) sales charts in about a dozen countries, it's easy to see how well a smaller cheaper BEV could sell, if produced in high enough numbers. Hopefully competition will bring such models from all, as both Tesla, and a selection of Chinese companies eye up the huge market.

Tesla Teases Three New EVs Including Compact Car With 53-kWh LFP Pack

Perhaps the most newsworthy is the fact Tesla has teased three new vehicles in the "Batteries for Transportation" chapter. More specifically, the automaker has mentioned a vehicle in the compact segment – most likely the so-called $25,000 entry-level car – an entry in the commercial/passenger vans segment, and a bus.

The compact model, rumored to be called Model 2 or even Model Q, will feature a 53-kilowatt-hour battery pack with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry. Tesla says the lower energy density of this battery type makes it the most fitting for standard-range vehicles, while long-range models require higher energy density chemistries (high nickel).

Tesla forecasts that the compact EV, which may or may not be a shrunken version of the Model Y, has potential for 42 million sales, which is almost double the estimated sales of its current best-selling line, the Model 3/Y. The automaker does not provide a timeframe for the projected sales, though.

[Note - The vehicles sales numbers for each segment, are for the whole market when it has transitioned to BEV's. Not Tesla's anticipated sales, as the article suggests.]

Grumpy_chap

Martyn1981 said:

Many may have seen this news already now that Tesla have released their 'Masterplan Part 3'. Something catching many eyes is the entry in the compact segment. Strange how specific the battery size projection is, when the other entries are a bit more general.

Logically, the smaller Tesla would be the "Tesla Model 2" or "TM2".
I'd like to see it launched with a play on words, though, the "Tesla Model Too"
That would allow for marketing along the lines of "It's a Tesla, Too..." and would give Elon the model range "Too S3XY"