The Tesla Model 3 is set to overtake the Nissan LEAF as the best selling electric car of all time this quarter and likely to hit 500,000 sales too.
The best-selling electric car of all time is the Nissan LEAF. That’s been the case almost since the LEAF first went on sale in 2010. But not for much longer.
Tesla Model3 (Image: Wikimedia/Carlquinn)
To date, the Nissan LEAF has amassed sales of around 450,000, but the Tesla Model 3 – which only went on sale in the UK last year – looks set to overtake the LEAF this quarter as Tesla defies all the odds to produce and deliver big Model 3 numbers to the market.
As far as we can tell, the Tesla Model 3’s sales are just a notch below the LEAF’s cumulative sales at the end of 2019 – around 445,000 – and with the current rate of deliveries and production the Model 3 will take the title, probably by the end of January.
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We try out the top-of-the-range all-electric Skoda Citigo-e iV city car on British roads
Verdict 4 stars
If you’re in the market for an urban tool with minuscule running costs, and you don’t regularly need to carry more than a couple of small passengers, then the Citigo-e iV might just be the perfect choice. We’d urge you, though, to check your own usage profile first to see not only if an EV is right for you at all but also if you’re going to need much charging beyond what you can do on your own driveway. If you’re not then the cheaper version of the Skoda, without rapid charging, looks an even more appealing proposition.
There’s no shortage of electric offerings on the way – including three plug-in city cars from across the VW Group. We’ve already tried the VW e-up!, SEAT Mii Electric and Skoda Citigo-e iV abroad, but now we’ve had a chance to drive the Czech model on British roads – in the murky chill of a UK winter – to see how it stacks up.
Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)
To recap, the three models are as similar in electric form as they have been for the past eight years fitted with a petrol engine. There’s a single mechanical set-up: an 82bhp electric motor with a 36.8kWh battery that can deliver around 161 miles of range on a single charge. Even the pricing isn’t too different, with spec-for-spec models all costing between £19,315 and around £20,000 after the government plug-in car grant.
However, Skoda has gone its own way by offering a second, cheaper edition of the Citigo-e iV with a few fewer toys and, significantly for some, only conventional charging instead of the rapid DC CCS configuration that’s standard on all the other models. It’ll save you almost £2,500 over the regular model that we’re testing here, and for some people, who intend to drive their car around town with only domestic plug-ins most of the time, that will make it an astonishingly effective urban option.
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This fall for only the second time in my life, I bought a new car.
It’s an emission-free Nissan Leaf. I named it “Greta.” Last night, I ran into a friend who has a Tesla all-electric vehicle (AEV) also named “Greta.” I’m now wondering how many AEVs there are in the world bearing the name of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.
I’m comfortable saying it was the extraordinary courage of this young woman who could be my granddaughter that drove my decision to go all-electric. “OK boomer,” I said to myself, “it’s your turn to help leave a habitable world for the next generation.
Nissan Leaf (Image: Qurren/Wikipedia)
When Green Mountain Power held a get-acquainted session on AEVs for its customers, my wife and I drove up. They had most current models available there for customers to test drive and dealers to answer questions. I chose the Leaf and, thrilled that I fit in it, took it for a spin. It was a distinctly different experience … silence, no auto-shifting clunks. I learned that by using the eco-pedal, I didn’t need the brake pedal and could extend Greta’s range. I was hooked!
I’ve traveled 1,200 miles with Greta and my early experience with the car sent me searching for the encyclopedic instruction manual in the glove compartment. Like most consumers, I had read the FAQs and thought I knew it all. At the time of purchase, my key question was driving range between charges, a deciding factor for most potential buyers. The range is nominally 150 miles. My benchmark was the 88-mile round trip between my home in Hinesburg and Montpelier.
I set out on my first excursion with a full 152 miles on the meter. When I got to Montpelier, I expected to find it down 44 miles, but it was, in fact, down twice that — about 66 miles left to go before I needed a charge. This didn’t register, so before heading home, I pulled out the manual and read what I’d neglected to read before committing to the AEV.
Like all living things, her capacity is temperature-dependent. It was 10 above zero when I left the house and I had turned on the heat to make it worse as both heat and lights reduce Greta’s range. I risked the straight shot home and made it with 12 miles to go by turning off the heat and arrived home in a near cadaverous chill, scraping my frozen breath from the inside of the windshield with a credit card. Did this mean driving at night with no lights and no heat? Should I buy a flashlight and a wool blanket?
I also learned Greta’s batteries can be severely damaged by exposure to temperatures below minus 13. I’ve lived in Vermont for 70 years and have yet to experience a winter where it didn’t get colder than that. I remember a sunny, dry winter day in Lincoln at 38 below. Could the car even survive here, much less provide frigid transportation beyond a few miles from home? I began to worry.
But I’ve learned that by monitoring the temperature and my energy usage as I drive, using the eco-pedal to recharge as I drive, charging every night at home during off-peak hours, I can manage quite well and I haven’t eaten in a gas station in two months. I’m finding more and more charging stations, all searchable on my cellphone. Besides if it’s freezing cold and I have a round trip to Montpelier, a stop at Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex for a quick charge, a latte and a croissant isn’t much of a price to pay for doing my part. Sometimes, slowing life down enhances it.
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With the exception of Brexit, hanging over the market like a malevolent storm-cloud, the biggest issue facing the UK car industry in 2019 has been electrification.
The issue of climate change has shot up the political agenda, and the question of electric vehicles has shifted from “if?” to “when?”.
Looking at the market data, it would seem that the flood of EVs is still some way off, but we are now seeing the first cracks in the dam. Market share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) increased by 125% YTD (see table, right), although a cynic might say that 125% of nothing is still not very much. Hybrid sales are also increasing steadily, but plug-in hybrid sales have temporarily faltered since the Government decided too many of them were being bought as a tax-dodge, and were not actually being plugged in.
The first issue to address with hybrids is to establish what sort of hybrids we are talking about. There are broadly five types: micro, mild, full, plug-in and range-extender. Over the next 10 years, all petrol and diesel engines will move to some form of electrification – micro at the very least, but most will have mild hybridisation at a minimum. From 2021, virtually all new petrol and diesel premium models will be mild hybrids, and the technology will steadily move down to the rest of the market.
Most independent forecasters (e.g. Ricardo Consulting) expect that, by 2025, of the three main types of electric drive, battery electric vehicles (e.g. Nissan Leaf) will account for about 60% of the total, plug-in hybrids about 30% and full hybrids only about 10%. That would seem logical – as the cost of batteries falls, one would expect cars to use larger batteries. It seems unlikely manufacturers will go to all the cost of engineering a hybrid drive system in 2025 and then use a small, non-plug-in battery to power it, when larger batteries cost very little more.
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With almost 30,000 electric vehicles (EVs) registered in the UK so far this year, it’s clear that the number of EVs is climbing and many businesses are already taking steps to introduce them into their fleet.
Furthermore, as environmental targets become more stringent, many will be exploring how more carbon-friendly transport technology can make a difference to their firm and help reduce carbon emissions.
As the cost of going electric continues to fall, more firms are planning to, or already have, started transitioning their fleets. Indeed, our own research suggests that businesses are making inroads towards a greener future, with three quarters of firms telling us they plan to adopt EVs in the next five years.
Many of us will know about the well-publicised benefits of EVs over and above their environmental credentials – they are cheaper to maintain, run and tax and give unrestricted access to low emissions areas, such as the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) in central London.
But there is a surprising benefit that firms may not have considered. Electric fleets can do more for a business than lowering costs and reducing carbon emissions, they can actually become a source of revenue. The key to unlocking this? Coupling EV charging points with modern energy technology.
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, together with London Councils and TfL, has announced a £4 million investment into electric vehicle (EV) charging points as part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ (OLEV) Go Ultra Low City Scheme.
The investment will see 1,000 new charge points installed across the 29 boroughs, in residential areas. This will build on the 1,500 charge points already installed across the capital.
The scheme is a nationwide program to tackle climate change and improve air quality using EVs. London has received £13 million from the scheme, which will aid the city in reaching Khan’s goal of 80% of journeys using public transport, cycling or walking as opposed to petrol and diesel vehicles.
Charge point (Image: T. Larkum)
Christina Calderato, TfL’s head of transport strategy and planning, said:
“We know that a comprehensive network of charging points is essential if we are to persuade drivers to ditch polluting diesel vehicles and swap them for electric alternatives. Installing a 1,000 more residential charging points across the capital means more Londoners can plug their vehicle in while at home, even if they don’t have a driveway.
“For those that need to charge up in 20-30 minutes, London is one of the leading world cities for rapid charge points. The addition of the east hub in Stratford is the first super charging facility, allowing drivers easy access and convenient methods of payment.”
As part of the wider announcement, Engenie has unveiled a rapid EV charging hub at Stratford International Station car park, which it claims is the first in London.
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New Park Royal Supercharger station marks 500th in Europe
TESLA has launched its first ‘V3’ Superchargers in the UK, offering British owners of its electric cars the ability to recharge their vehicles at up to 250kW — equal to 75 miles of range added every five minutes, or a rate of 1,000 miles per hour.
The batch of eight V3 points are located at Tesla’s new Park Royal charging station in London, and sit next to a further eight V2 Superchargers, which, with a peak output of 150kW, are still pretty quick as public charging points go.
Tesla Supercharging Station at Westfield, London (Image: Tesla)
However, the V3 posts have all-new architecture that is not only capable of delivering more kilowatts to the battery packs per second, but also won’t split the power supply between vehicles charging nearby, allowing owners to charge at the maximum power their battery can take.
New software in the cars will also pre-warm the batteries while en route to a Supercharger, which is claimed to reduce average charge times by 25% by ensure they are already at the optimal temperature to receive an ultra-fast charge on arrival.
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The extreme wind over the weekend (December 14) meant that individuals were paid to charge their electric vehicles in order to relieve pressure on the electric grid.
The weather conditions meant that the UK’s wind farms generated a record 16GW, this was 45% of the UK’s total electricity supply.
At times, this was more electricity supply than the grid needed.
Drivers who have an Ohme charger and are signed up to the supplier Octopus Energy’s time-of-use tariff were actually paid to charge their vehicles in order to relieve the electric grid.
Blades Being Installed on Turbine 5, Yelvertoft Wind Farm (Image: T. Larkum)
The Ohme app alerted customers of the opportunity in advance in order to encourage them to charge their vehicles.
Customers who benefited received 5.6p for every kilowatt-hour of electricity used, which equates to 1.8p per mile.
Using an electric car currently costs 8p less per mile than most petrol or diesel cars, this generates savings of up to 75%.
If individuals can continue to be paid to charge their car in the future then the economic benefits of driving an electric car will become even greater.
CEO of Ohme, David Watson said: ‘This is a landmark moment. For the first time, drivers using our smart technology on Octopus Energy’s Agile tariff have been paid to charge their vehicles – something that will happen with increasing regularity as the UK becomes more dependent on wind power.
‘The windy weather has clearly demonstrated the value of our smart chargers as we not only help electric vehicle drivers get cash for filling up with 100% renewable energy but also ease pressure on the electricity system.’
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The Nissan Leaf has been named the ‘Best Used Electric Car’ in the Driving Electric 2020 Awards which celebrate the best hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars on sale.
Since Nissan launched the first-generation Leaf in 2010, creating the first mass-market electric vehicle, EV technology has continually improved, with the latest models both affordable and practical for the vast majority of car buyers.
Nissan Leaf 3.Zero e+ (Image: Nissan)
The second-generation Leaf, launched in 2018, is the icon of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility strategy; featuring driving assistance technologies such as ProPILOT and ProPILOT Park, and the unique e-Pedal which allows drivers to start, accelerate and decelerate to a complete stop simply through the operation of one pedal.
Customers also benefit from Nissan’s new NissanConnect infotainment system, with larger 8” touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto. An upgraded navigation system features TomTom LIVE premium traffic and route optimisation, as well as the inbuilt Online Map Update facility and Chargers Location functionality.
“As you might expect from the world’s best-selling electric car, there’s no shortage of examples on the used market” said Vicky Parrott, associate editor, DrivingElectric. “They represent superb value for money, and buyers will enjoy a spacious and comfortable car that’s easy to live with. It’s the perfect affordable entry into the world of electric cars.”
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Mini, Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat 5oo will join rapidly expanding European EV market
Europe’s carmakers are gearing up to make 2020 the year of the electric car, according to automotive analysts, with a wave of new models launching as the world’s biggest manufacturers scramble to lower the carbon dioxide emissions of their products.
Previous electric models have mostly been targeted at niche markets, but 2020 will see the launch of flagship electric models with familiar names, such as the Mini, the Vauxhall Corsa and the Fiat 500.
Vauxhall Corsa-e (Image: Vauxhall.co.uk)
The number of electric vehicle (EV) models available to European buyers will jump from fewer than 100 to 175 by the end of 2020, according to data firm IHS Markit. By 2025 there will be more than 330, based on an analysis of company announcements.
The new supply will cater to a rapidly expanding market as demand for petrol-powered vehicles gradually recedes. UK EV sales will rise from 3.4% of all vehicles sold in 2019 to 5.5% in 2020 – or from 80,000 this year to 131,000 in 2020 – according to forecasts from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. By 2026 electric vehicle sales will account for a fifth of sales in the UK, the forecasts show. Similar predictions from LMC Automotive suggest 540,000 electric cars will be sold across the EU in 2020, up from 319,000 over the course of 2019.
New European Union rules come into force on 1 January that will heavily penalise carmakers if average carbon dioxide emissions from the cars they sell rise above 95g per kilometre. If carmakers exceed that limit, they will have to pay a fine of €95 (£79) for every gram over the target, multiplied by the total number of cars they sell.
The excess emissions bill would have been £28.6bn on 2018 sales figures, according to analysis by the automotive consultancy Jato Dynamics, illustrating the extent of the change required by carmakers over a short period of time. Jato analyst Felipe Muñoz said there will still be large fines, as companies keep selling profitable internal combustion engine cars and struggle to bring down EV prices to parity with their fossil-fuel peers.
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