Monthly Archives: August 2017

Electric Vehicle Market sparks into life as ICE age comes to end?

August 12, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

It seems that electric vehicles (EVs) are finally coming of age as barriers to take up start to fall, costs decline, and range and performance improves.

Last December Morgan Stanley upped its forecast for EV penetration to potentially 10 to 15 per cent by 2025, as car makers accelerate plans to build EVs (think of the Jaguar E-Pace) and as tightening rules on traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) cars make them uncompetitive more quickly than expected.

One indication of the latter might be seen in the huge shift away from diesels underway across Europe, where its market share has fallen by 3.6% over the last year – more on that in my next blog.

Now, a research report by the from Dutch investment bank ING says that the European car market could be fully electric by 2035. It states that battery electric vehicles are on the way to a “breakthrough” by 2024 as barriers to their adoption – think charging infrastructure, range anxiety and pricing – fall, especially as electric batteries become cheaper and better.

The authors of the report believe that current developments in technology could set EVs on a growth path to a 100% share of new passenger car sales in Europe by 2035, posing a “threat to the automotive industry as we know it”.

Not surprisingly, though, the report highlights barriers to take up of EVs (something I’ve been researching with colleagues at Coventry University): limits to charging infrastructure (20%), limits to range on one charge (28%) and the high price of electric cars (40%) all being reasons cited by consumers in the report for not buying EVs.

Nevertheless, the report suggests that by 2024, the cost of ownership of a long-range EV is expected to match that of a similar ICE car in Europe’s largest market, Germany.

Renault Zoe still dominates Europe electric-car sales; longer range boosts sales

August 12, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE Z.E. 40Jo

Ask a North American driver to name companies that make electric cars, and you’ll probably hear Tesla, maybe Nissan, and perhaps Chevy or BMW or Toyota.

Longer-range Renault Zoe electric car, introduced at 2016 Paris Motor Show

Chinese drivers may be more likely to say BYD (and perhaps Tesla), but Europeans will likely name Renault. (And Tesla.)

The Renault Zoe, now in its fifth year but entirely unknown to U.S. and Canadian buyers, continues to be the best-selling battery-electric car in Europe.

Its maker is part of the longstanding Renault Nissan Alliance, which recently added Mitsubishi to become the fourth largest automaker in the world collectively.

The French maker just released its first-half global sales figures, and the Zoe continues to dominate the sales charts within Europe.

In Europe, as Renault notes, overall the carmaker had 26.8 percent of the market for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

Its first-half sales volumes grew 34 percent, and registrations of the subcompact hatchback Zoe rose 44 percent.

That meant the Zoe remains Europe’s top-selling electric vehicle.

One factor that may keep the Zoe, which went on sale in late 2012, at the top of the charts is this year’s substantial upgrade in battery capacity.

Electric Car Benefits in Milton Keynes

August 11, 2017Blog, Charging, Electric Cars, Milton Keynes, ParkingTrevor Larkum

Following the success of our first eBook we have decided to do another one. The first one was a guide to charging your electric car at home. This one is specific to the Milton Keynes area, where we are based (though of course we deliver nationwide). Milton Keynes is the best city in the world for giving incentives to electric car drivers.

If you are considering an electric car and you live near, work in or visit Milton Keynes, then this is the guide for you.

Red Tesla Model S in the new MK showroom (Image: T. Larkum) — Red Tesla Model S in the new Milton Keynes showroom (Image: T. Larkum)

This eBook tells you all you need to know about the benefits of an electric car in Milton Keynes:

Charging in and around Milton Keynes
How to get free parking in Central Milton Keynes
How to get free parking at MK railway station
The Experience Centre, with free test drives and lessons
Planned future benefits, e.g driving in bus lanes

Click on the image, enter your name and email, and download your free guide.

If it leaves any questions unanswered, just get in touch (contact details here and in the eBook).

Dr Trevor Larkum
FuelIncluded.com
MyRenaultZOE.com

A Brighter Future for Electric Cars and the Planet

August 11, 2017Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, OpinionJo

There is simply no credible way to address climate change without changing the way we get from here to there, meaning cars, trucks, planes and any other gas-guzzling forms of transportation.

That is why it is so heartening to see electric cars, considered curios for the rich or eccentric or both not that long ago, now entering the mainstream.

A slew of recent announcements by researchers, auto companies and world leaders offer real promise. First up, a forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance said that electric cars would become cheaper than conventional cars without government subsidies between 2025 and 2030.

At the same time, auto companies like Tesla, General Motors and Volvo are planning a slate of new models that they say will be not only more affordable but also more practical than earlier versions. And officials in such countries as France, India and Norway have set aggressive targets for putting these vehicles to use and phasing out emission-spewing gasoline and diesel cars.

Skeptics may see these announcements as wishful thinking. After all, just 1.1 percent of all cars sold globally in 2016 were electrics or plug-in hybrids. And many popular models still cost much more than comparable fossil-fuel cars.
The skeptics, however, have consistently been overly pessimistic about this technology. Electric cars face challenges, yet they have caught on much faster than was thought likely just a few years ago. There were two million of them on the world’s roads last year, up 60 percent from 2015, according to the International Energy Agency.

The cost of batteries, the single most expensive component of the cars, fell by more than half between 2012 and 2016, according to the Department of Energy. Tesla has indicated that it can produce batteries for about $125 per kilowatt-hour. Researchers say the cost of electric cars will be at parity with conventional vehicles when battery prices reach $100 per kilowatt-hour, which experts say is just a few years away. Electric cars are more efficient, of course, but they also require less maintenance, which should make them cheaper to own over time.

Plug-in BMW sales soar

August 11, 2017BMW, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

BMW has announced its latest sales results, with the German giant reporting that electrified models have increased 80% in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period last year.

Group sales of BMW i, BMW iPerformance, and Mini electric have seen dramatic growth

Part of this increase is because of new models arriving and coming into production. However, it shows that demand is strong, and the BMW Group’s line-up is continuing to expand so sales will only continue to shoot up for the foreseeable future.

A total of 42,573 BMW i, BMW iPerformance, and Mini Electric vehicles were sold in the first six months of 2017, with production totalling almost 52,000 cars. BMW says that it is on target to sell more than 100,000 electrified vehicles in 2017, with the delivery of the 200,000th plug-in car expected later this year.

These sales include the new Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4, which only arrived in showrooms in June, so wasn’t able to make much of an impact on the half year sales. This new plug-in Mini joined the likes of the BMW’s i3, i8, 225xe, 330e, 530e, 740e and Le, and X5 xDrive 40e to form one of the most comprehensive plug-in car line-ups on the market.

Further models are already in the pipeline too, with the new i8 Roadster due next year, along with a new X3 PHEV, and all-electric X3 and Mini.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, said: “Sales of the new Mini Countryman are particularly pleasing and I’m delighted that with the launch in June of the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4, electric mobility is now available on a large scale from the Mini brand.

“Customer interest in this car has been extremely high and I’m confident we will see continued growth across the brand in the second half of the year.”

Source: Next Green Car

Combustion engines: high emissions from short commutes a huge challenge

August 11, 2017Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionJo

Drivers in the U.S. have longer commutes than those in Europe and Asia, on average.

In the U.K., short commutes in vehicles with combustion engines—whether gasoline or diesel—pose particularly tough emission problems.

That’s because the exhaust aftertreatment systems have to warm up fully before they cut emissions to the levels required under EU regulations.

The problem has been highlighted by the British consultancy Emission Analytics, which routinely analyzes the data from its various EQUA Index sectors to highlight different emission statistics and challenges.

The company’s trenchant analyses of real-world emission and fuel-consumption data has gotten considerable attention, and it has now expanded into the U.S. as well.

This week, it noted that according to British government data, the average distance of a car journey in inner London was just 1.5 miles.

Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) on a Peugeot 308

The implications of that figure, as well as the fact that more than half of all vehicle trips in the U.K. are under 5 miles, are dire for limiting emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). As the company wrote:

The average daily distance driven in [U.K.] passenger cars is not sufficient for a vehicle’s pollution control system to warm up and become fully functional.

The resultant high levels of cold start NOx emissions, from both gasoline and diesel engines, could provide an additional challenge for urban air quality initiatives such as the proposed Clean Air Zones in the UK.

Electric Car Heaven 4: Future Benefits

August 10, 2017Blog, BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, EVEC, Milton KeynesTrevor Larkum

In January 2016, Milton Keynes was awarded Go Ultra Low City status alongside Bristol, London and Nottingham and secured multi-million pound investment from the UK Government. The cities and regions each received a share of £40 million funding by proposing innovative ideas to encourage drivers to choose an electric car.

Milton Keynes Council received £9 million funding to further its work developing modern vehicles to tackle harmful emissions, reduce its carbon footprint, and continue to make Milton Keynes one of the most sustainable cities in Europe.

The Green Parking Permit scheme was the first proposal from any winning bid to be delivered using Go Ultra Low Cities funding. The Electric Vehicle Experience Centre is the latest proposal to be delivered.

Future plans for the funding in Milton Keynes include:

Charging Hubs, where electric vehicles can be fully recharged in around 30min: EV Rapid Charging Hubs are being established at the Coachway at M1 J14 and in the City Centre
Charging posts close to residential areas: Milton Keynes will commit to providing a charging point to any resident of the City who buys an EV, either at home or on a nearby street if the buyer does not have off-street parking
Priority for EVs in bus lanes
Destination charging at popular locations including supermarkets, hotels and leisure facilities
Trialling the latest developments in technology such as inductive charging
Information and signage: Signage will be provided giving motorists clear information on facilities for EVs.

With regard to the Charging Hubs, this project will see Chargemaster supply its latest charging infrastructure to set up two filling-station-style EV rapid charging hubs and 50 destination chargers across the town.

U.K. Law Would Require EV Charging at Gas Stations

August 10, 2017Charging, News, Reviews and CommentJo

The legislation will allow the government to require the installation of charge points for electric and hydrogen vehicles at motorway service areas and large fuel retailers, and to establish common technical and operational standards.

The U.K. government introduces legislation requiring that every gas station and motorway service center install electric charging points.

The Queen’s Speech, marking the start of the post-election Parliamentary session, included the introduction of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill.

Government briefing papers say the legislation will ensure the U.K. remains at the forefront of developing new technology in electric and automated vehicles.

The legislation is designed to make the regulatory framework keep pace with the fast-evolving technology for EVs; extend compulsory motor-vehicle insurance to cover automated vehicles; and to ensure compensation claims continue to be paid quickly and easily.

It is intended to allow innovation to flourish and ensure the next wave of self-driving technology is invented, designed and operated safely in the U.K.

The government says the aim is to

“ensure a world-class infrastructure which supports the rapid adoption and use of electric vehicles by consumers as more mass-market models become available, helping improve air quality.”

This supports government ambitions for the U.K. to

“lead the world in EV technology and use,”

with almost every car and van to be zero-emissions by 2050.

Electric Car Heaven 3: Free Electric Car Driving Lessons

August 10, 2017Blog, BP Chargemaster, Electric Cars, EVEC, Milton KeynesTrevor Larkum

We have written at length about the new Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (EVEC) that has just been opened in Milton Keynes by Chargemaster. It provides help and advice on electric cars, and provides the opportunity to test drive a range of vehicles.

In association with the EVEC, the AA has launched an electric car driving course. In an AA-Populus Survey of 16,000 drivers, one third said they want to start learning to drive again – but in an electric car.

AA Driving School and Drive Tech trainers have developed the Drive Electric experience in conjunction with Chargemaster. It provides a free one-hour electric driving lesson and it is aimed at showing people how to get the best out of an electric car.

It may eventually go nationwide but is being trialled initially in the Milton Keynes area. More information is available here: AA Trust Launches Drive Electric.

All New Vehicles Sold In Europe Will Be Electric From 2035

August 10, 2017Electric Cars, SalesJo

By 2035 all vehicles sold in Europe will be electric, at least that’s the prediction made by the major Dutch bank ING.

The report predicts a huge increase in the adoption of electric vehicles, potentially overtaking many country’s own regulations which promise to cut out the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

While this is fantastic news for the environment, ING’s report points out that it could potentially have a major impact on the European car industry.

According to ING, America and Japan are well ahead of Europe when it comes to electric car technologies including the development of batteries.

With companies like Tesla already leading the way, the Dutch bank warns that unless European manufacturers pick up the pace of their R&D into the technology they could be left behind.

It goes on to warn about the potential effects on manufacturing as well. Electric cars require a lot of advanced materials, but constructing an electric motor is actually far less complicated than building a conventional combustion engine.

The main catalyst for the rise in popularity though will be a huge reduction in price.