Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Exiled_Tyke

Another example of something we all thought we already knew but now getting (fairly) reported on. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/24/electric-cars-lifespans-reach-those-of-petrol-and-diesel-vehicles-in-uk

Coastalwatch

I know little about Nepal but was surprised to read the headline below imagining that infrastrcture for EV charging there would be very limited especially given the mountainous terrain over a good proportion of it. I can only imagine they are reliant on FF imports so placing a burden on economics that going forward transitioning to EV powered vehicles gives an additional incentive along with the health benefits.

I'd be pleased to learn more from anyone better placed to enlighten me.

Nepal imports more electric vehicles than petrol vehicles

In Nepal, imports of electric vehicles have surpassed those of petrol-powered ones. In the first half of the current financial year, which ended in mid-January, Nepal imported 12,974 four-wheeled vehicles, of which 7,349 were battery-electric.

https://www.electrive.com/2025/01/27/nepal-imports-more-electric-vehicles-than-petrol-vehicles/

Martyn1981

Not quite BEV, but close. I hope the idea is successful.

Sunswap expands production of PV-driven transport refrigeration units

Sunswap brings manufacturing in-house at headquarters in Leatherhead, near London, following a successful fundraising round. Offering solar and battery-powered refrigeration for transport, the UK business has international ambitions.

Endurance is a transport refrigeration unit (TRU) that combines battery storage with solar modules to replace the diesel units typically used to power transport refrigeration. The TRU is fully manufactured by Sunswap, Fielden said, adding that it is designed to be mounted on “any brand of trailer.”

Endurance units can operate for 24 hours on a single charge when hauling frozen goods and up to two months for chilled goods, according to Sunswap, with vehicle-integrated solar acting as a range extender. The company offers a modular battery system with options ranging from 32 kWh to 72 kWh.

Martyn1981

Fun bit of the virtous circle. Electric boats to help transfer crew to work on wind turbines, to generate the leccy perhaps to power the boats .....

Tidal Transit to boost electric CTV fleet

UK crew transfer vessel (CTV) owner Tidal Transit has secured equity financing to expand its fleet with six new electric vessels.

Maritime and logistics investor HICO has provided the financing which will enable Tidal Transit to meet growing demand for zero-emission CTVs for offshore wind operations.

The six new builds, to be delivered from 2026, will complement Tidal Transit’s existing fleet of “electric frontrunner” CTV’s whilst the industry transitions to electric.

To help further accelerate this transition, the company is also spearheading a landmark diesel-to-electric retrofit project, (e-Ginny) funded by Innovate UK and the UK Department of Transport, proving that existing diesel CTVs can be converted to 100% electric power and recharged offshore.

Martyn1981

Bit surprised at this, the BEV figures for Jan are quite good. I thought they might drop back, after an end of year rush to meet the 2024 target. Then again, given this year the target is 28% up from 22%, perhaps 'they' need to start strong to get the final average up.

UK Car Registrations January

QrizB

Good BEV news (as Martyn says above) but not great for Tesla:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/tesla-sales-plummet-in-the-uk-france-and-germany/

Magnitio

QrizB said:

Good BEV news (as Martyn says above) but not great for Tesla:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/tesla-sales-plummet-in-the-uk-france-and-germany/

I can't see the new Model Y (however good the reviews) turning around their fortunes whilst Elon and Trump continue to be so divisive. I thought it was funny that Trump wants the EU to take more US cars; apart from Lucid (which few people can afford) and Rivian, there's not much of interest to Europeans.

shinytop

QrizB said:

Good BEV news (as Martyn says above) but not great for Tesla:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/tesla-sales-plummet-in-the-uk-france-and-germany/

I think this may be the beginning of a terminal decline for Tesla.  EVs have enough of a problem being accepted without the Musk effect.

And the name of the organisation in the link doesn't really work in the UK.     

orrery

QrizB said:

Good BEV news (as Martyn says above) but not great for Tesla:

It always struck me that, once we had the major premium manufacturers each with a range of EVs, then Tesla would find it harder to compete. US cars in general have always had a mediocre reputation for quality and reliability.

Tesla will need to innovate further to get the market - you know, some feature like auto-park, where a giant pair of chopsticks picks up the car and drops it in the parking slot ;-)

Martyn1981

Speaking of innovation, there is a chance that Tesla will be releasing a new model(s) soon. These are to be the 'more affordable models' that they've been promising for some time.

I was quite skeptical, despite the 2024 Q2 & Q3 earnings reports stating the first half of 2025. So waited to see what the Q4 report would say (released 29th Jan), 90% sure that they would remove. revise, or water down the previous statements, but no, they said it again:

Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up.

So, late Jan statement for H1, seems too close, unless they are pretty much on target and confident. But at the same time, the statement is typical Tesla ambiquous, allowing for some interpretation, maybe just one vehicle in H1, and maybe test production, which market(s) .... etc etc.

Also, I'm surprised there have been no leaks, whatsoever, which raises doubts. But Tesla does try to keep things under cover (literally), and if based on existing architecture and hardware, that may explain why no test vehicles have been spotted. Typically, camo vehicles get spotted 3-6 months before launch for drivetrain testing in the real world.

So I remain skeptical for H1, but they may surprise.