Daily Archives: May 26, 2017

Nissan launches British-made home battery to rival Tesla’s Powerwall

Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment

Batteries that have powered electric cars around the UK will get a second life providing energy storage for households, with the launch this week of a British-made home battery to rival the one made by Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Nissan has partnered with US power firm Eaton to produce home energy storage systems.

The cells will be made by the Japanese car-maker Nissan in Sunderland, where its popular Leaf electric car is built, and sold in partnership with the US power firm Eaton. Buyers will be able to choose cheaper, used batteries that are no longer fit for electric car use, or pricier new ones.

They are believed to be the first British-made household batteries pitched to the embryonic UK home storage market.

The batteries inside the Tesla Powerwall were previously made in Japan by Panasonic, but since January have been produced at its vast Gigafactory in Nevada. Sonnen, a German storage company, builds its European and Australian home batteries in Wildpoldsried, Germany.

With falling costs, home storage is seen as increasingly attractive in the UK, particularly to early adopters and the 850,000 homes with solar panels.

Solar owners can make the electricity they generate more valuable by storing it in the battery and using it later instead of exporting it to the grid – Eaton and Nissan estimate such customers will be about £43 better off each month.

Batteries also make it easier for people to take advantage of “time of day” energy deals, which charge consumers less if they avoid periods when energy demand peaks, for example at 4-7pm on weekdays. Such tariffs are expected to proliferate as every UK home is fitted with a smart meter by the end of 2020.

Nissan has partnered with Eaton, a US power management company with revenues of $20bn (£15.5bn), to sell the XStorage Home systems, which are about the size of a conventional boiler.

The lithium-ion batteries will be priced from £5,000 and up, depending on the home, with installations carried out by a nationwide network of electricians beginning in July.

Read more: The Guardian

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric: how ‘Unlimited’ subscription really works

Electric Cars, Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, News, Reviews and Comment

To dig its teeth into California’s crowded electric vehicle market, its Korean maker has rolled out an “Unlimited+” lease program for the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric.

The plan mimics a subscription service, and adds unlimited mileage allowance, vehicle-charging reimbursement, and a cohesive maintenance plan to the standard lease terms, according to CarsDirect.

While most of the program is pretty cut and dried, there are a few catches that potential lessees should be aware of.

Unlimited+ could be considered a “lease with benefits,” but in fact the program really is a subscription.

Monthly payments are based on the Ioniq Electric’s trim levels: $275 for the Base, $305 for the Limited, and $365 for the Limited Ultimate.

The program does require $2,500 down, but that’s neatly offset by the California Clean Vehicle Rebate, which is $2,500 for most buyers.

Still, as the article notes, interested lessees will have to come up with the $2,500 at first before the rebate is received.

A few taxes and fees are built into the payment as well: initial taxes, title, license, and fees.

These are all covered by the dealer and then reimbursed by Hyundai, but California sales tax is the responsibility of the lessee.

What about the mileage factor of Unlimited+?

This portion truly has no catch: Hyundai will let drivers clock as many miles as they want during the 36-month term. No overage charges—nothing.

The same can’t be said for the charging benefit, though, which doesn’t offer Ioniq Electric drivers unlimited charging.

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric (European spec), 2016 Geneva Motor Show

Instead, drivers will be issued a credit on their account each month for three years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Monthly use will then be calculated by monthly mileage, the vehicle kilowatt-hour-to-mile rating, and the cost per kwh in California.

It’s better, but certainly not entirely “unlimited” as the program proclaims.

Finally, the maintenance benefit covers more items than you might imagine, but also isn’t “unlimited” in the most expansive sense.

Drivers can rest assured that brake pads, wiper blades, headlamps, belts and hoses, fuses, and bulbs are all covered for three years or 50,000 miles.

There’s also coverage for one 12-volt battery replacement during the term of the lease, if required.

While the program isn’t entirely unlimited in all facets, Unlimited+ does provide a few exceptional benefits electric-vehicle owners will likely take advantage of.

How it will work for drivers depends in part on how much driving is anticipated; those who clock high mileage will benefit the most from the program’s benefits.

With a 124-mile EPA-rated range, the Ioniq Electric is among the highest-range mass-priced electric cars that aren’t the Chevy Bolt EV.

Source: Green Car Reports

Diesel drivers will be paid to scrap their cars to improve air quality

Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution

Diesel drivers will receive compensation to encourage them to scrap or “retrofit” highly polluting vehicles under Conservative plans to reduce emissions to be unveiled later this week.

The Government will on Friday publish its new air quality strategy which will include plans for a “targeted” diesel scrappage scheme, The Telegraph has learned.

Ministers will also consult on plans to give people help with “retrofitting” older, more polluting diesel vehicles to reduce the levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide that they emit.

The Conservatives will warn local authorities against imposing pollution taxes on motorists amid concerns that doing so would “punish” motorists and become an election issue.

It comes after Theresa May, the Prime Minister, said last month that she was “very conscious” that motorists were encouraged to buy diesel cars under Labour more than a decade ago because of concerns about carbon emissions.

A Conservative source said:

“We will help drivers on modest incomes who bought their diesel vehicles in good faith, having been badly advised by the last Labour Government. We are cleaning up Labour’s mess.”

The Government has been forced to come up with tougher measures to target diesel drivers after losing a case against environmental campaigners ClientEarth over breaches of EU emissions standards.

Last week a High Court judge rejected an application by the Government to delay publication of its strategy until after the General Election. Ministers have decided against making an appeal.

Read more: The Telegraph