Monthly Archives: January 2016

Ford increases focus on electric vehicles

January 16, 2016Electric Cars, Ford, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

A global electric vehicle outlook report published in 2013 suggested that the goal of 15 countries that are part of the Electric Vehicles Initiative is to have 20 million electric vehicles on the road by 2020.

The report states that, as countries seek to address future energy requirements, achieving sustainable transport has emerged as an important mission. Electric Vehicles have emerged as one of the most promising solutions to increase energy security and reduce emission of pollutants.

Ford Motors‘ announced on December 10th that it will invest an additional $4.5 billion in electrified vehicle solutions by 2020 to answer the increasing global trends calling for cleaner and more efficient vehicles. Although the cars segment in North America along with Lincoln cars and SUVs accounts for less than 10% of Ford?s valuation, as per our estimates, focusing on trends which will drive the industry in future will ensure that Ford maintains its market share in this segment.

Renault ZOE R240, VAB Family Car of the Year 2016

January 15, 2016Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOETrevor Larkum

In the 29th Family Car of the Year Awards run by the Belgian automobile association VAB, journalist and family juries voted Renault ZOE R240 top in the electric vehicles category.

For the 2016 edition of its Family Car of the Year Awards, the Belgian automobile association VAB specified a 30-kilometre increase in the minimum “electric power” range required for vehicles in the “electric” category.

As well as running against other all-electric vehicles, Renault ZOE R240 was also competing with plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles with range extender.
With both juries (25 motoring journalists and 78 families) giving the car top ranking, ZOE R240 finished with 159 points in all, ahead of the Mercedes B250e (with 154 points) and Kia’s Soul (with 147).

The professional jury of motoring journalists praised ZOE’s “roomy interior, bold design and unbeatable price”, noting that “affordable pricing and long range are making Renault electric vehicles an attractive proposition for more and more people”. The family jury expected “a real breakthrough for ZOE R240, a truly affordable vehicle” and saw it as “an eminently practical choice of second vehicle, with its extensive equipment and large boot”.

The unofficial children’s jury appreciated “the neat bodywork, the smooth ride, the comfortable rear seats, and the pretty lights”.

Renault ZOE R240

Powered by the R240 unit, Renault ZOE boasts a range unparalleled in the all-electric segment: 240 km (NEDC standard), which is 30 km more than with the Q210 power unit. Renault engineers have improved the motor efficiency by optimizing the electronic control system. Higher efficiency means lower electricity consumption with no performance penalty.

The R240 power unit also brings a 10% reduction in ZOE’s charge time under most usage conditions. As well as extending the ZOE range, Renault engineers also upgraded the Caméléon charger to reduce the low-power charge time. The new Caméléon charger is especially efficient on charging stations from 3 to 22 kW, which account for more than 95% of the vehicle charging infrastructures currently in operation.

Source: Automotive World

Don’t tell anyone the 2016 Leaf is out!

January 14, 2016Electric Cars, Leaf, Nissan, OpinionTrevor Larkum

Back in September, I got on Nissan’s mailing list to be the “first to know” when the 2016 LEAF was released. I also asked a local Nissan dealer to contact me when it was available. Neither one contacted me.

One would think that the biggest update to the LEAF in 5 years would warrant a media fanfare. Yet, so far, Nissan has kept the 2016 LEAF release pretty much a secret.

When the new LEAF with 107 miles of range was announced, I was super excited. I’ve wanted an EV for 12 years, and the 2016 LEAF finally had the range for most of our trips at a price I could afford. Over on mynissanleaf.com, an owner in my area said Fontana Nissan had been great with his LEAF purchase back in 2011, so I emailed Fontana asking when the 2016 might be available. Their response? A form letter asking me to come down for a test drive.

I tried again, being as clear as possible that I was only interested in the date the 2016 would be released to market. This time I got a voicemail asking me to come down for a test drive. I had progressed to voicemail! Hurray.

2015 has been so much warmer than any year recorded

January 13, 2016Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

This year will go down in history as the warmest year on record, beating out 2014 for the dubious distinction. That fact alone is striking, considering the sped-up pace of global warming in recent years. However, it’s the margin by which this year is beating out all others that is most impressive.

On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a chart that illustrates how far ahead 2015 is compared to the six other warmest years on record. The chart essentially shows that there’s no contest — 2015 is running away with the title, propelled by a one-two punch of manmade global warming and a strong El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean:

Global average surface temperatures for the year-to-date compared to the six other warmest years-to-date (Image: NOAA/NCEI)

The new chart was released at the same time as data showing that November was the warmest such month in NOAA’s database, which extends back to 1880. The November global average temperature, averaged over the land and ocean using a variety of temperature sensors, from buoys to climate sites scattered around the world, was an astonishing 1.75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0.97 degrees Celsius, above the 20th century average. This beat November 2013 by 0.27 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0.15 degrees Celsius.

November 2015 also became the seventh straight warmest month on record. The amount by which the monthly average temperature exceeded the typical reading was the second-highest temperature departure from average of any month on record.

Tesla Drivetrain Engineer Explains Why Electric Motors Are Inherently Superior To Gas Engines

January 12, 2016Electric Cars, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaTrevor Larkum

Fortune interviewed Dustin Grace, who for nine years was working on drivetrains at Tesla Motors, and earlier this year switched to electric bus maker Proterra by becoming their director of battery engineering.

Grace shared his opinion about the advantages of electric motors over internal combustion engines.

We listed some of the main topics, but full details can be found directly in the source Fortune article:

Electric motors generate motion, not heat (high efficiency)
They’re more powerful (high torque from zero rpm for great acceleration)
They’re simpler (not many parts, no transmission needed in most cases)
They’re (vastly) easier to service (less parts, smaller and lighter, fewer subsystems around the motor)
They feed themselves (regenerative braking capability)
They’re smarter (ultimate controlling accuracy, especially useful in AWD with two or even four motors controlled independently)

Source: Inside EVs

The great train wreck of 2016

January 12, 2016Economy, Energy and Climate Change, OpinionTrevor Larkum

Today we are going to review irrefutable evidence that a slow motion train wreck is already well underway across global markets, that will end with the last wagons on the train, the S&P500 index and the Dow Jones Industrials, disappearing into the abyss right after their immediate predecessors.

There are still a remarkable number of investors out there, and an even more remarkable percentage of mainstream financial journalists, who seem to think that everything is alright just because the flagship indices like the Dow Jones Industrials and the S&P500 haven’t caved in yet, but as we will now see they are probably just about to.

New plug-in grant will treble number of greener cars on Britain’s roads

January 12, 2016Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanTrevor Larkum

More than 100,000 motorists to benefit from £400 million fund focused on greenest vehicles.

The government has today (17 December 2015) announced a long-term extension to the plug-in car grant, backed by a £400 million package to treble the number of ultra low emission vehicles on Britain’s roads.

The grant will continue well beyond the latest guarantee of February 2016 until at least the end of March 2018 and will mean more than 100,000 people will benefit over the coming years — double the number who have already claimed the grant since 2011.

It means from next March, buyers of the greenest cars can save up to £4,500 off the overall purchase price.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:

“The UK is a world leader in the uptake of low emission vehicles and the plug-in car grant has been key to that success. Extending the grant in a sustainable way ensures more than 100,000 people will benefit from financial support when purchasing these cheap-to-run and green cars. We are determined to keep Britain at the forefront of the technology, increasing our support for plug-in vehicles to £600 million over the next 5 years to cut emissions, create jobs and support our cutting-edge industries.”

Jim Wright, Nissan GB Managing Director, said:

“Today’s decision by government has reaffirmed their commitment to the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles. With government support and Nissan’s investment of over £420 million into electric vehicles in the UK, our British made Nissan LEAF has increased in popularity with many UK customers already enjoying the benefits of zero emission and low cost driving. This announcement, together with ongoing infrastructure developments, should see the growth and wider deployment of this technology continue.”

The grant was created in 2011 to encourage sales of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) and has been instrumental in the UK becoming the biggest ULEV market in the EU, and the fourth largest in the world. Some 50,000 people have already benefited from the grant.

From 1 March 2016, 2 grant rates will be available to ensure the funding is sustainable and focus financial support on the greenest vehicles. ‘Category 1’ vehicles with a zero emission range of over 70 miles will benefit from a grant of £4500. ‘Category 2 and 3’ vehicles with a shorter zero emission range — such as plug-in hybrid vehicles with a petrol or diesel engine — will receive £2500.

The new grant levels reflect strong growth in the sector with sales of ULEVs doubling over the past year. Motorists also have a wider choice of 29 ULEVs on the market — 5 times as many as when the plug-in car grant was launched. The UK is also at the forefront of the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which are also eligible for the £4500 grant thanks to their zero tailpipe emissions.

The government has also today announced it will continue to provide a grant to help ULEV owners have a dedicated charge point installed at their home. From 1 March 2016, the electric vehicle homecharge scheme (EVHS) will offer £500 per installation, which on average will cover around half of the cost of getting a charge point.

The plug-in car grant is just one element of a comprehensive £600 million package of measures from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles over the course of this parliament which also includes funding for chargepoints, grants encouraging low emission buses and taxis and R&D funding for innovative technology such as lighter vehicles and longer-lasting car batteries.

To encourage zero emission vehicles and maximise the number of everyday motorists who can benefit from government support, a price cap will also be introduced from 1 March 2016. Category 2 and 3 models with a list price of over £60,000 will not be eligible for the grant, but all category 1 vehicles with a zero emission range of over 70 miles will be eligible for the full £4,500 grant.

The government has committed to make nearly all cars and vans in the UK zero emission by 2050, and announced in the Spending Review to increase funding to £600 million between 2015 and 2020 to support the development, manufacture and uptake of ULEVs.

This commitment was reinforced when the UK was one of 14 international members of the Zero Emission Vehicle Alliance to sign a pledge promoting the uptake of electric cars at the recent Paris climate conference.

Source: Gov.uk

Electric vehicle charging points to be installed at Novotel and Ibis hotels

January 12, 2016BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Chargemaster is to install EV charging points at AccorHotels Ibis and Novotel hotels across the UK.

The first phase, in 2016, will see 60 hotels receive EV charging points as part of Chargemaster’s Polar network. The charging points will be free to use for Ibis and Novotel visitors to charge their electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The charging points will be 22kW or 7kW fast chargers, enabling electric cars to be charged in 60 minutes.

However, residents are likely to take full advantage of the facility for charging their EVs overnight.

Chargemaster CEO David Martell said:

“This is a major step forward in the provision of destination charging in the UK. Hotels are one of the obvious locations where EV drivers have a fundamental need for charging facilities and we are delighted to work with AccorHotels to achieve this.”

He added: “We expect hotels to adopt electric vehicle charging as a customer service in the same way that they have provided wifi across the board.”

Thomas Dubaere, managing director of AccorHotels UK and Ireland said:

“As a leading operators of hotels across the UK, we are always looking at ways to enhance and improve facilities for our guests.

“We recognise that many of our customers are adopting low-emission vehicles and we need to provide charging points at our hotels to accommodate them.

“In providing a national rollout of this service, AccorHotels continues to lead the field in customer service and our commitment to sustainable development.”

AccorHotels is the first major hotel chain to recognise the increasing need to install charging points to accommodate the growing population of business and leisure motorists using low-emission vehicles to visit their hotels.

Source: Fleet News

New Renault ZOE from £153 per month fuel included

January 11, 2016BlogTrevor Larkum

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