Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

silverwhistle

I did my first long trip out of range from coastal Hampshire to northern Yorkshire and back at the weekend. No charging issues although road closure on the M1 and the traffic was a pain. But my comment here is just to say that in one southbound traffic queue I was stuck behing an artic carrying a brand new shiny Scania tractor unit declaring itself fully electric. I haven't seen any other UK news regarding these so wondering if they were fresh off the boat and who will be using them eventually?

shinytop

silverwhistle said:

I did my first long trip out of range from coastal Hampshire to northern Yorkshire and back at the weekend. No charging issues although road closure on the M1 and the traffic was a pain. But my comment here is just to say that in one southbound traffic queue I was stuck behing an artic carrying a brand new shiny Scania tractor unit declaring itself fully electric. I haven't seen any other UK news regarding these so wondering if they were fresh off the boat and who will be using them eventually?

Maybe too soon for this but gives an idea of who'll be using them.  100 BEV trucks as well as a few ICE ones.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scania-secures-significant-truck-order-in-the-uk-301883793.html

JKenH

Encouraging news for used BEV sales

UK used electric cars sales grew by 81% in second quarter of 2023

According to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) used battery electric vehicle (BEVs) sales grew by 81.8% in the second quarter of 2023, with a total of 30,645 vehicles changing hands. 

This figure only represents  1.7% of the market although that in itself is a new high, up from 1.0% last year.

Sales of used plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were up 11.4%  (18,437 sold) while hybrid sales (HEVs) grew 29.5% (53,634 sold) respectively.

Overall, the UK’s used car market rose by 4.1% between May and July  with 1,832,267 vehicles sold. The increase equates to an additional 72,583 transactions compared with the same period in 2022

The combined growth of electric vehicles meant that market share for conventionally powered cars fell to 94.3% from 95.7% last year, even though volumes of petrol and diesel cars saw growth of 2.5% and 2.8% respectively. 

https://airqualitynews.com/cars-freight-transport/used-electric-cars-sales-leap-by-81-in-last-three-months/

More data here from SMMT.

https://www.smmt.co.uk/2023/08/used-car-market-electrifying-as-ev-sales-soar-in-second-quarter/

Exiled_Tyke

I know Martin has been talking about electrification of transport using battery swap schemes for a while but I never realised it was already successfully happening.   More investment and creative solutions to the challenges of the EV world and perhaps, just perhaps we really can get rid of the ICE once and for all. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-66470327

Magnitio

Exiled_Tyke said:

I know Martin has been talking about electrification of transport using battery swap schemes for a while but I never realised it was already successfully happening.   More investment and creative solutions to the challenges of the EV world and perhaps, just perhaps we really can get rid of the ICE once and for all. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-66470327

There are quite a few examples, with Nio being particularly successful in China and have at least 16 battery swap stations in Europe.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/nios-uk-swap-stations-will-change-ev-batteries-under-five-minutes

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/technology/iveco-battery-swaps-could-be-key-electric-vans

JKenH

Good news from the US; EV prices are falling.

Tesla's Average Transaction Price Was $54,660 In July, Down 20% YOY

Electric vehicle average transaction prices (ATP) were down nearly 18 percent year over year in July 2023 to $53,469 from $65,108 one year ago, led by price cuts at market leader Tesla. 

Despite the big reduction in EV ATPs, the ATP for a new vehicle in the US – all vehicle types combined – was virtually flat (up 0.4 percent) compared to July 2022 at $48,334, the smallest increase in a decade.

https://insideevs.com/news/681850/tesla-average-transaction-price-was-54660-usd-july-down-20-percent-yoy/

Martyn1981

Often forget that many (most) people aren't that aware nor interested in BEV's and BEV news, but it's still funny to find out that CHP (California Highway Patrol), were somewhat mystified by the sight of 3 Cybertrucks.

I usually get the same level of bewilderment whenever I mention BYD when chatting .... B Y what?

Fun to see the world changing, as the RE, BEV, HP and storage revolution(s) roll along.

Tesla Cybertruck already changing the road, beguiles CHP Buttonwillow

To state that the Cybertruck looks unique is an understatement. The vehicle is technically a pickup truck, and Tesla has maintained that it will be an excellent work vehicle, but it looks nothing like traditional pickups on the road. Its angular design and cold steel exterior make the Cybertruck look like it’s more suited for sci-fi movies than today’s cities. 

In a post on its official Facebook account, the CHP Buttonwillow noted that officers were able to spot something strange while they were on patrol. While patrolling, one of the CHP Buttonwillow’s units sighted a number of car haulers transporting “some strange trucks.” The vehicles were traveling northbound on Interstate 5. “I wonder what they are?” the California Highway Patrol – Buttonwillow wrote in its post. 

Martyn1981

Just a fun story, I feel, at this stage, but an experiment to add electric drive to a diesel fishing boat, to reduce fuel consumption. The idea being that the local fleet (and others) may choose to adopt the idea if it's succesful.

Battery-Electric Fishing Vessel Marks A Sea Change For Small Commercial Fishers

On a brisk morning this fall, a 46-foot commercial fishing boat will cruise into the cold waters of Sitka, Alaska, and cut the diesel engine. In that moment of near silence, an electric motor will whir to life. This moment will mark a sea change for Sitka’s small-boat commercial fishing industry: a transition to energy-efficient commercial fishing, powered by low- and zero-emissions propulsion system.

The boat in question, a small commercial salmon troller named I Gotta, will make history as one of the first low-emissions fishing vessels ever deployed in Alaska. Using a unique parallel hybrid battery-diesel system, the boat can travel at full speed using its diesel engine, then switch to a battery-electric motor when fishing. In this way, I Gotta’s captain, Eric Jordan, will be able to cut the boat’s fuel use by 80%.

Martyn1981

Always nice to see a 'good news' story for BEV's, given the negativity this year in the UK. But not sure I'd have opted for such a tour with a 100 mile range BEV ..... maybe I'm falling for all the negative claims too!

I travelled the UK and Ireland in an electric car, and what a shocker: nothing went wrong

When my son suggested a road trip this summer around the UK and Ireland, I wasn’t sure. He wanted to go from our home in Brighton to Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Dingle on Ireland’s west coast, Rosslare on Ireland’s east coast, and Cardiff. We worked out a route and looked at booking hotels, a treehouse, a campervan and a lighthouse; we’d visit friends and family; and we’d explore the capital cities of four nations – it sounded amazing. The only problem was that we’d be doing it in our electric car – and it holds less than 100 miles’ worth of charge.

You may or may not be ready to go electric. For me, it was a change, but that’s all it was. All I’d like to suggest is: consider how an electric car could work for you – don’t let the petrol lobby make the decision for you. There may not be sufficient chargers yet in your area – or you just may not have noticed them, and many more are appearing all the time. The cars are still too expensive – as is electricity at the moment, but overall it may turn out to be cheaper than you expected. And – just possibly – more fun.

Martyn1981

And another good news story for UK EV's, with an acceleration in the number of charge points being rolled out.

But I'm not sure about the maths on charging speed:

Rapid chargers are capable of delivering between 25 and 100 kilowatts of power to electric cars – with a 50kW connection able to give about an 80% charge to the average car in about 15 minutes.

If that's 0-80% in 15mins, then I calculate that 'average' car to have a 16kWh battery. If the charge is from 20% to 80%, then it has a 21kWh battery. That said, watching the %age rise on our 28kWh BEV on a 50kW charger, is really impressive.

Hundreds more high-speed electric car chargers installed across UK

Charging companies are plugging the gaps in the UK’s high-speed charger network, with hundreds added this year outside London in a shift that will help end the “range anxiety” that holds back some would-be electric car buyers.

The capital and the south-east still have far more chargers of all speeds – ranging from slow to rapid and ultra-rapid – than the rest of the country. But the presence of high-speed chargers, generally used for quick recharging on longer journeys, is increasing in other regions as electric car sales surge.

The overall pace of charger installations has also picked up, with total charger numbers up by 23% in the first seven months of the year. During the first half of 2022 an average of 891 charging devices were installed each month, but that nearly doubled to 1,622 a month in the first six months of 2023, ZapMap found.