Monthly Archives: July 2019

£37 million in government funding earmarked for EV charging innovation

July 21, 2019Char.gy, Charging, Electric CarsRepost

Twelve electric vehicle (EV) charging projects, including wireless charging and solar powered forecourts, are set to receive a share of government funding totalling £37 million.

Over £2.3 million has been awarded to Char.gy for the development and deployment of wireless charging on residential streets in Milton Keynes, the London Borough of Redbridge and Buckinghamshire County.

The project is in collaboration with the Open University and The University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group. Char.gy has previously worked with Southwark Council to install a network of 50 lamppost chargers.

Richard Stobart, Char.gy CEO, said the company is “excited” to help accelerate the uptake of EVs through its ability to retrofit to existing vehicles and enable several parking bays per lamp column “without the need for cables”.

Over £3 million has been awarded to a project for the roll out of ‘pop up’ chargers built into pavements in Plymouth and Dundee, with the aim to provide a solution for drivers without access to off-street parking. Urban Electric, along with partners Urban Foresight, Co-wheels, Duku and Appy parking, is to conduct the project.

Octopus Energy and Ohme launch smart EV charging cable

July 20, 2019Charging, Electric Cars, OctopusRepost

Octopus Energy and Ohme have collaborated to offer smart EV charging to customers, with the energy company’s time-of-use tariff and the new Ohme cable reducing charging costs.

The cable will manage a customer’s charging depending on requirements, and optimising the process to make the most of the Agile Octopus tariff. Customer’s open Octopus’ app, set their requirements – such as ‘On weekdays, charge my car battery to 100% by 7am’ – and Ohme then uses the energy company’s API to automatically draw the right amount of electricity when it is cheapest.

Estimated cost savings could see those using the Ohme cable and Agile Octopus tariff reduced by £300 per year, compared to charging on a typical standard energy tariff. This not only reduces costs for customers on the smart time-of-use tariff, but also reduces load on the grid.

The cable manages to turn any home or public untethered EV charge point effectively into a smart unit, and costs £399. The first 1,000 Octopus Energy customers will get a special launch price of £199.

The cable can feed back a Green Score to drivers, calculating CO2 consumption per mile, and also a cost per mile summary. It can manage an EV driver’s energy usage and sets charging preferences such as daily commutes or regular trips.

Redefining Geopolitics in the Age of Electric Vehicles

July 19, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil, Peak Oil, SalesRepost

Oil has played a pivotal role in shaping geopolitics for more than a century. But the rise of electric vehicles and shift toward cleaner fuels means that the world’s dependence on oil could begin to shrink, with both expected and unexpected consequences.

Most countries are not prepared for the consequences of this transition, according to E3G’s new report Rules of the Road: The Geopolitics of Electric Vehicles in Eurasia. The biggest sources of conflict will not come from the places security and foreign policy analysts instinctively look, like the struggle to control valuable mineral resources. Rather they will emerge from the need to navigate the social impacts of the energy transition, including supply chain disruption, employment impacts, and trade disputes.

Fast-growing Electric Vehicle Market

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales have been growing at a rapid pace—between 40 percent and 50 percent per year, according to McKinsey. Even conservative forecasts show significant growth in EV adoption over the next several decades, with some projections showing EV penetration rising high enough to flatten oil demand from 2020 to 2030. Oil demand could fall steadily thereafter.

This shift could occur much faster than mid-range forecasts predict. The world’s largest independent energy trader has predicted peak oil demand in 15 years and signaled it intends to focus on clean fuels and power trading. Many of the international oil companies (IOCs) now are getting involved in EV markets or supply chains. Several of the world’s largest economies, including France and the UK, have set phase-out targets for internal combustion engine vehicles, and car companies collectively have announced that they are investing more than US$100 billion new EV models. It’s also worth noting that most forecasts have consistently underestimated EV deployment and other clean energy technology adoption rates.

Sales of EVs soar by 61% amidst charging expansions

July 18, 2019Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in the UK have soared by 61%, according to new figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Last month 2,461 BEVs were registered, going up from the 1,522 registered in the June of 2018.

Overall sale of vehicles dropped by 4.9%, with the worst hit being plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), which fell by 50.4%. This places BEVs and PHEVs almost level, with BEVs now making up 1.1% of the market, up on the 0.6% of 2018, and PHEVs making up 1.0%, falling from 1.9%.

This comes at a time when EV charging in the UK is undergoing rapid expansion, with the number of charging sites overtaking petrol stations in May. Ultra-rapid 150kW chargers are also finding their way onto the market, with Shell claiming the first UK install of a 150kW charger and BP Chargemaster revealing plans to install 150kW chargers across its Polar network.

Renault Zoe Autonomous Review: First Drive

July 17, 2019Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOERepost

How far is your car from driving itself?

Typically, when I review a new car, in addition to telling you how it looks, who its competitors are, and how much tech it holds, the main value that I bring to the table (or so I hope) is letting you know how it drives – basically what it feels like from the driver’s seat.

Well, I was rendered largely redundant on this occasion because all I can tell you is what it felt like to be driven around in this vehicle. You see, the car that you see here is Renault’s autonomous Zoe prototype. And I mean fully autonomous – well, sort of. After all, the autonomous Renault Zoe isn’t exactly ready for the chaotic traffic at the Arc de Triomphe roundabout in the heart of Paris as yet. For the moment, it’s restricted to the campus of the University of Paris-Saclay on the outskirts of the French capital. This is part of a pilot project being run by automaker Renault, a public transport multinational, the Transdev Group, technology companies IRT SystemX & VEDECOM and, of course, the University of Paris-Saclay.

…

Where does it operate?

For the moment, the autonomous Zoe will operate within the campus of the University of Paris-Saclay. It’s meant to provide an autonomous shuttle service within the campus for a select group of students and faculty who opt into the program and allow their fate to be determined by this vehicle that has a mind of its own – literally! At present, French law prohibits companies from charging patrons for a service such as this, so it’s voluntary and free of cost.

Volkswagen ID.R breaks 20-year-old Goodwood hillclimb record set by V10 F1 car

Volkswagen has been racking up EV records with its ID.R all-electric racecar, and today the VW ID.R piloted by Romain Dumas managed to beat a record which has been held for 20 years — Nick Heidfeld’s record run of the Goodwood hillclimb in the 10-cylinder McLaren MP4/13 which dominated the 1998 Formula 1 season.

Nico Rosberg Formula E Gen2 car at 2018 Berlin E-Prix (Image: Wikimedia/KAgamemnon

The previous record was 41.6 seconds for the 1.86km (1.16mi) hillclimb course. Volkswagen managed to bring that record down to 41.18. They have more runs to go this weekend, so it’s entirely possible that the record might be lowered again.

VW brought their ID.R to the hillclimb last year in an attempt to set the record, and they managed to set an EV record with a 43.05-second run but fell short of the overall record. This year, after taking the ID.R to Nurburgring and setting an EV record there, VW modified their package a little and managed to make the car quicker. In the last year VW also managed to set an all-time record at Pikes Peak with the ID.R.

Electric cars exempt from company car tax next year

July 15, 2019Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

UK’s million or so company car users will escape Benefit-in-Kind tax if they have an electric car in the 2020/21 financial year

Company car users who drive an electric car will not have to pay any Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax during the next financial year, after the Treasury reviewed tax rules.

The change follows the introduction of the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) emissions regulations, which are more stringent than the NEDC regime they replaced. Because BiK rates are based on CO2 outputs, and WLTP sees higher on-paper emissions recorded, company car users faced a potentially significant hike in the BiK rates they faced.

To offset that rise, the Treasury has replaced previously published BiK rates for the 2020/21 financial year with new tables that see most BiK percentage bands reduced by two points.

Electric cars were due to get a two per cent BiK rate in 2020/21, so the changes will mean drivers choosing an EV as their company car will pay no Benefit-in-Kind rate whatsoever for that financial year. The tax exemption applies to EVs registered from 6 April 2020, and those registered before that date.

Shell claims UK first with 150kW EV charging forecourt install

July 14, 2019Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, ShellRepost

Shell has claimed a UK first by installing a 150kW ultra-rapid electric vehicle charger on a petrol station forecourt in London.

The charger, which forms part of the energy giant’s Shell Recharge service, is now available for public use at Shell’s Battersea Service Station in Battersea, south London.

The 150kW charger, provided by European EV charging supplier Allego, has been installed alongside the station’s existing 50kW rapid chargers, bolstering the station’s options for EV drivers.

Allego will continue to manage the operation of both the 50kW and 150kW chargers which make up Shell Recharge, and Allego’s chief executive Anja van Niersen said the firm highly valued Shell’s initiative of integrating high-powered charging services at its portfolio of forecourts.

“We know that electric vehicle drivers want the right charging solution at the right place, to be always available and combined with excellent services. Shell Recharge shows how these wishes can be met,” she said.

Renault Captur E-Tech Plug-in hybrid announced

July 13, 2019Captur E-TECH Plug-in, Electric Cars, RenaultRepost

A plug-in hybrid version of the new Renault Captur SUV will be available when the car goes on sale next year

Details of the all-new Renault Captur plug-in hybrid have been released, with the company confirming a pure-electric range of up to 28 miles.

Due to go on sale in early 2020, the Captur E-Tech Plug-in will use a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors, complete with a 9.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

It will be capable of doing 83mph in pure-electric mode, and also features advanced brake regeneration that the company says “always retains enough charge to move away and run at low speeds in electric mode”.

The Captur will also have a single-pedal driving mode – similar to the Nissan Leaf’s e-Pedal system – for low-speed traffic, which is designed to maximise efficiency and ease of driving.

Jaguar Land Rover announces range of EVs to be built in West Midlands plant

July 12, 2019Electric Cars, I-PACE, Jaguar Land Rover, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

The announcement is seen as a major thumbs up for the UK car industry

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced it is set to build a new range of electric vehicles at its manufacturing plant in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.

Honouring its commitment to deliver electrified options for all new Jaguar and Land Rover models by next year, a next-generation all-electric Jaguar XJ will be the first vehicle in the range to enter production.

Crafted by the team behind the Jaguar I-PACE – the brand’s first all-electric car – the new saloon promises to deliver in design, performance and luxury, although the company has given no indication as to when it might take to the road.

“The future of mobility is electric and, as a visionary British company, we are committed to making our next generation of zero-emission vehicles in the UK,” JLR CEO. Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth said.

“We are co-locating our electric vehicle manufacture, Electronic Drive Units and battery assembly to create a powerhouse of electrification in the Midlands.”