Daily Archives: July 7, 2017

First electric vehicle charge point set up in Brent as council looks to tackle poor air quality

Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Source London

The first of 33 electric vehicle charge points has gone up as the council looks to have them placed in 24 different locations throughout Brent

Brent’s first Electric Vehicle Charge Point is up and running on Dudley Road (Photo: Brent Council)

Brent council has erected its first electric vehicle charge point in the borough as it looks to tackle poor air quality.

Dudley Road is the home to the first of 33 charge points for electric cars in the area as the council aims to set them up in 24 locations.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Councilor Eleanor Southwood, said:

“This is a really proactive step forward in the move towards greener energy sources in the borough.

“We want to make it easier and more convenient for existing owners of electric vehicles in the borough and create the infrastructure so that more people are able to switch to electric vehicles in the future.

“Poor air quality is one of the biggest issues facing London and we will work hard to find innovative ways to improve air quality in Brent.

“Everyone has a part to play when it comes to reducing air pollution and we will continue to work with residents, schools and businesses to improve things in all parts of the borough.”

Source: GetWestLondon

Polestar becomes fully standalone brand alongside Volvo to take on Tesla

Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Volvo

Volvo is to turn its Polestar unit into a global standalone brand for higher-performance electric vehicles (EVs) as it sets its sights on creating a Tesla rival.

With its product and commercial plans to be revealed in the autumn, Polestar’s brand will now be placed at the same level as that of Volvo, and its cars will no longer bear the Volvo logo. This places the brand alongside high performance, high-margin EV brands such as Tesla, and could therefore give it a marketing edge over EV sub-brands such as BMW’s i and VW’s ID. Its motorsport credentials will also likely gain new momentum, which will probably see it entering Formula E.

The brand previously was a sub-brand for Volvo’s high-performance models, acting in a similar way to sub-brands such as Mercedes’ AMG and BMW’s M. Establishing Polestar as a full brand alongside Volvo forms part of Chinese Volvo parent Geely Automotive’s ambitions to create a vast portfolio of brands to rival that of global sales leader Volkswagen Group.

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said:

‘With Polestar, we are able to offer electrified cars to the world’s most demanding, progressive drivers in all market segments.

Polestar will be a credible competitor in the emerging global market for high-performance electrified cars.’

Volvo veteran design chief Thomas Ingenlath, who helped realise Volvo’s sales renaissance through leading the design of models including the XC90, will be the new CEO of Polestar.

Samuelsson said:

‘Thomas heading up the Polestar organization shows our commitment to establishing a truly differentiated stand-alone brand within the Volvo Car Group.’

Ingenlath added:

‘I am really excited to take up the challenge of establishing this exciting brand, developing a fabulous portfolio of bespoke products and channelling the passion we have throughout the Polestar team.

‘The next chapter in Polestar’s history is just beginning.’

Read more: Autovista Group

Smart electric range launched in the UK

Electric Cars, ForFour, ForTwo Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, Smart

Smart has announced UK prices for its electric drive range, with the EV model line-up starting from £16,420 including OLEV’s Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG).

The smart fortwo, forfour, and fortwo cabrio are all available to order as EVs

The smart fortwo electric drive is the entry point to the range, with the larger forfour electric drive starting at £16,915, and the fortwo cabriolet electric drive starting at £18,650 – both including PiCG.

On sale now, smart is the only brand that has an entire portfolio with a choice of internal combustion or fully electric drivetrains. Powering the rear wheels, a 60kW (81hp) electric motor is used in all three models, with an official range of 99 miles for the fortwo electric drive and 96 miles for the other two models.

All versions have a top speed of 81mph, and complete the 0-62mph sprint in 11.5 seconds. A standard 7 kW on-board charger will be able to charge the 17.6 kWh battery used in all three models in around two and a half hours, or six hours from a three-pin plug.

Standard kit includes heated front seats, cruise control, leather seats, 15-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, and sat-nav with infotainment system. EV specific elements include a sound generator for pedestrian safety at low speeds, cables for home and public charging, and use of the smart control app for pre-conditioning and charging use through a smartphone.

The smart electric drive range is on sale now, with deliveries expected from July.

Source: Next Green Car