Monthly Archives: April 2017

TRO to launch UK’s first Electric Vehicle Experience Centre

April 4, 2017BP Chargemaster, Electric Cars, EVEC, Milton Keynes, News, Reviews and CommentJo

TRO has been appointed to launch the UK’s first ever Electric Vehicle Experience Centre in partnership with Chargemaster.

Opening in Milton Keynes, the EV Experience Centre is aimed at educating consumers by demonstrating the value of electric vehicles.
TRO’s retail division is responsible for the design and production of the EV Experience Centre, which will feature a number of engaging technologies to enrich shoppers’ showroom experience.

Pictured: TRO has designed the first of its kind Electric Vehicle Experience Centre, launching in Milton Keynes in spring

Ben Taylor, retail director at TRO, said:

“We are thrilled to be spearheading this innovative initiative in partnership with Chargemaster. The new store reflects the automotive industry landscape and the dramatic increase of consumer interest in electric cars – plug in power models are appealing not just to dedicated environmentalists but a much more mainstream audience. The project embodies several areas of TRO’s capabilities – melding our expertise in retail, automotive and digital spheres.”

Chargemaster is responsible for the running and management of the store for its five-year duration.

The EV Experience Centre is to be delivered as part of Milton Keynes’ £9 million ‘Go Ultra Low’ Cities programme, which encourages the uptake of low emission vehicles – with a target of 23 per cent of all car sales being electric or plug-in by 2021.

Source: meetpie.com

ELECTRIC RALLY CAR SPARKS SUCCESS

April 4, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE Z.E. 40Jo

Fife-based eRally Motorsport have built the first electric rally car, a Renault Zoe which is charging into Formula 1000 in 2018.

The prototype car will be used in junior rallying, for 14 to 17-year-olds, after being tested in the senior division this year.

Thanks to help from Business Gateway Fife, eRally, which is based just outside Rosyth, has created a sponsorship package that has already attracted Aberdeen’s EC-OG. Further deals are currently being sought which would help the company reduce the car’s price tag from £15k to under £10k.

The sponsorship deals, alongside a commitment from RCI Financial Services to supply a number of donor vehicles to the team over the next 12 months, will also help keep them on course to launch the eRally Championship in Scotland within the next three years.

Jean Hay, co-driver and project coordinator at eRally Motorsport Ltd, said:

“We now have a complete package – a rally ready car and sponsorship deals on offer. Although the number of cars RCI Financial Services Ltd’s will supply to us at a discounted or subsidised rate has yet to be decided, having them on board will help us showcase electric car rally driving to the nation.”

Fraser McKee, Business Gateway Fife, said:

“We’ve provided eRally with information on how to run a rally team as a business. Getting the pricing structure for sponsorship correct was crucial and with our help they now have packages that will attract the right companies”

eRally’s electric rally car is the brainchild of former British Rally Championship and current Scottish Rally Championship driver Ellya Gold and Tristan Dodd, Chairman of Formula 1000.

Although the original idea for the car arose in 2006, it wasn’t until Tristan approach the Motorsport Association with the idea of producing an electric car for youngsters to drive last year that approval was given.

The prototype eRally car is powered by a 65kw motor which provides a maximum torque of 220Nm – double the torque currently used in the junior section. The 20kWh lithium ion battery gives the car a competitive range, when driven flat out, of around 25 miles.

Renault has recently launched a new 41kWh battery pack that will effectively double the range of further eRally cars built for customers.

How I’m saving a small fortune on my commute with an Electric Car

April 3, 2017Blog, BP Chargemaster, Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, Milton Keynes, Parking, Renault, ZOEJo

Receiving my monthly bill from Chargemaster makes me happy. Let me explain….

Chargemaster Plc is the company that provides the majority of Milton Keynes electric car charging points and since I only charge publicly I am billed by them for all of my ‘fuel’ consumption.

Working in Central Milton Keynes, I am lucky to have a vast network of charging points available to me, I charge mostly during my working day, as and when I need to. I also benefit from free parking under the Green Permit Scheme which covers all standard bays (purple) and some premium bays (red), both can be found across the city centre area.

Last month’s bill really did highlight to me the huge cost savings owning an Electric Car has given me, and why every commuter in Central Milton Keynes should consider getting one.

Check this out…

	Petrol Car	Electric Car
Fuel cost per day	£3 (approx.)*	£0.71**
Parking	£18 (£2 per hr x9)	£0
Total cost per day for parking & fuel	£21	£0.71
Total for the period (11 working days)	£231 Estimated	£17.20 Actual cost billed by Chargemaster PLC (inclusive of Polar subscription fee)
Averaged over a working year (261 days)	£5,481	£408.11

*Based on my 15 mile round trip commute @ 20p per mile.

** Averaged daily cost from bill, includes ALL mileage not just commutable distance.

Hitachi Starts U.K. Project to Mix Clean Power and Electric Cars

April 3, 2017Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentJo

Hitachi Ltd. will work on a smart-grid project in Southwest England that seeks to combine renewable energy, battery storage and electric vehicles to balance power output and usage.

Hitachi’s European unit will develop a so-called Internet-of-things platform for the 10.8 million-pound ($13.13 million) project in the Isles of Scilly, in Cornwall, according to a statement Wednesday. It’s partly funded by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund.

Electric cars can be a very effective way to save you money on motoring (Image: Go Ultra Low) — Electric cars (Image: Go Ultra Low)

PassivSystems Ltd. will supply home energy management systems, and Moixa Energy Holdings Ltd. will contribute systems that allow home and electric vehicle batteries to respond to changing demand.

“This is a key investment area for Hitachi Europe Ltd. and puts us in an ideal position to build IoT engineering capabilities in the U.K. to deploy digital solutions globally,”

Andres Larriera, head of Hitachi’s smart cities energy group, said in the statement.

Source: Bloomberg

Kia launches two new PHEV models at Geneva

April 3, 2017Electric Cars, Kia, News, Reviews and Comment, Niro PHEV, Optima PHEVJo

Kia unveiled two new plug-in hybrid models at the Geneva Motor Show in the shape of the Niro and Optima Sportswagon, further strengthening a green car line-up that has grown dramatically over the past couple of years.

The Niro Plug-in Hybrid uses the same foundations as the hybrid crossover, though has a much larger battery and improved economy figures. Now with an 8.8 kWh battery pack, compared to the Niro hybrid’s 1.56 kWh, the Niro Plug-in Hybrid also uses a more powerful 44.5 kW electric motor to support the 1.6 litre Kappa petrol engine.

Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid_Geneva 2017 (image: Next Green Car)

This will result in official efficiency figures of less than 30 g/km CO2, though the car has yet to be formally tested, and Kia expects an all-electric range in excess of 34 miles.

As an extra incentive to potential buyers, Kia will also offer an optional towing pack. This will allow braked loads of up to 1,300kg to be towed, a very rare option for hybrid cars.

Kia Niro & Optima, Plug-in Hybrid. Geneva 2017 (image: Next Green Car)

Also announced was Kia’s Optima Sportswagon Plug-in Hybrid. Using a similar electric powertrain to the saloon version of the Optima Plug-in Hybrid, but with a larger battery – now 11.26 kWh – and a 50kW electric motor. Kia again hasn’t got official efficiency figures available, but expects 34 g/km CO2 and 188.3 MPG to be achieved, along with an electric range of more than 37 miles.

The two new announcements mean Kia will have five electrified models in its fleet, adding to the Niro, Optima Plug-in Hybrid, and Soul EV. Considering that the Hyundai-Kia group also has the likes of the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell and three car Ioniq range to offer too means that the company quickly become one of the market leaders in electrified fleets.

Source: Next Green Car

Wireless electric cars about to hit the road

April 3, 2017Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Wireless ChargingJo

Imagine charging your electric car as easily as you charge your electric toothbrush.

Or, your car charging itself as it drives down the road.

Those scenarios are not as far-fetched as you may think. Indeed, a group of tech gurus who gathered last month in San Diego discussed how a wireless electric vehicle is about to become a reality.

“This is definitely coming,”

said Jesse Schneider, chairman of the wireless task force for the Society of Automotive Engineers, or SAE, an international group working to develop common standards to make sure the sector’s competing technologies work together.

Qualcomm Halo, wireless charging (Qualcomm/ TNS)

Car buyers are familiar with plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles, but companies such as Qualcomm seek to jump-start the transition from internal combustion to zero-emission cars with “inductive” charging.

Instead of charging a vehicle with a plug or cable, the driver using a wireless system aligns the car over a charging pad and an electromagnetic field does the rest.

“Customers wait for the green light and then walk away, knowing when they come back they will be more fully charged or fully charged, depending on how long they were away,”

said Schneider.

“You can actually just park over the wireless charging system and everything is done automatically after that.”

The technology has been talked about for years but, starting with the hybrid version of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz S550e, wireless vehicle charging technology will make its debut. The German automaker reached an agreement with Qualcomm to use the San Diego-based company’s Halo technology as a feature on the luxury car.

Renault ZOE battery upgrade conditions

April 2, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, RenaultJo

Later this year you’ll be able to upgrade your old ZOE’s battery to the new ZE 40.

For customers that are currently leasing the battery the upgrade will cost 3.500 € and a new leasing contract with higher monthly fees has to be signed, however for those who already own the battery the upgrade will cost 9.900 €.

While the battery upgrades for current ZOE’s owners will start in the second semester this year, there isn’t an official date yet. This uncertainty can be related to the LG Chem battery plant in Poland that will start production also in the second semester.

Renault has a clear interest of delaying the battery upgrades and prioritize the selling of new ZOEs.

As equally – or even more – important as the battery upgrade would be if Renault allowed its customers to simply outright purchase the batteries and end the lease if they wanted to.

Currently the only way to do it isn’t very straight forward. It consists in stop paying the monthly battery rental when the contract ends and fully pay what Renault Crédit International (RCI) considers to be the battery’s value. In both 22 and 41 kWh batteries, RCI considers the value to be 7.000 € (without VAT) when new, and they lose 10 % of their value per year.

For example if you have been renting the battery for 3 years, you would have to pay 5.103 € (7.000 € x 0,9 x 0,9 x 0,9) plus VAT to terminate the battery lease contract and keep the battery. I just wished that Renault would make this process simpler. However I’m sure that some friendlier Renault dealers already help you in this process if you need to.

While Renault representatives keep saying that people prefer the battery leasing scheme, we know that this isn’t true, as it suggests a poll that toke place at the French Automobile Propre forum, where only 10 % of the inquired said to prefer the battery rental scheme…

In Portugal for example, Renault gives higher discounts for ZOEs sold with battery rental than with battery included.

Source: PushEVs

IEA: 7 out of 10 cars must be electric to limit global warming to 2⁰C by 2050

April 1, 2017Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentJo

With CO2 emissions frequently discussed in the automotive industry, it is useful to view this in a broader context.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that global CO2 emissions held at the same level in 2016 as in the previous two years. But to limit global warming to no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, which is the critical target for global climate policy, ‘would require an energy transition of exceptional scope, depth and speed, including a doubling of annual average energy-related investments from current levels’ according to the IEA.

The IEA attributes the stability in emissions to increased use of renewable energy, a shift from coal to natural gas and improvements in energy efficiency as well as structural changes in the global economy. However, to achieve long-term targets, the IEA also states that

‘emissions need to peak before 2020 and fall by more than 70% below today’s levels by 2050.’

So what does this mean for the automotive industry?

The IEA suggests numerous measures that are required to bring global emissions down to the target level by 2050. These include 95% of electricity being low-carbon, retrofitting building stock and a $3.5 trillion annual investment in the energy sector. The IEA believes that fossil fuels will still be needed but would only account for 40% of demand, half of their share today.

Crucially, to help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, the IEA says

‘7 out of every 10 new cars would need to be electric, compared with 1 in 100 today.’

This relates to the share of electric vehicles in new registration figures globally, which is currently estimated at about 1%. However, the electric share of the parc is naturally significantly lower.