All posts by Jo

Smart electric range launched in the UK

July 7, 2017Electric Cars, ForFour, ForTwo Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, SmartJo

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

Queen’s Speech introduces an Electric Vehicles Bill

July 6, 2017Autonomous Driving, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionJo

New Bill unveiled in Queen’s Speech to require charging points to be fitted at services and fuel stations, support driverless cars and keep insurance claims simple

Motorway services and petrol stations may be forced to install electric charging points as part of Government plans to ensure the UK

“remains a world leader in new industries”.

An Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill will be introduced to encourage the use of electric and self-driving cars, the Government announced in the Queen’s Speech.

The first all-electric car to be built in the UK rolled off of the production line in 2013, and the Government wants

“almost every car and van to be zero-emission by 2050”.

Of more than 36.7 million licensed vehicles in the UK, just over 100,000 have been purchased with help from a government plug-in car grant.

Registrations of electric vehicles are increasing, with 13,800 being registered in the first quarter of 2017, a 17% rise on the same period the year before.

Plans to fund the additional electric charging points have not yet been announced, although the Government said it was committed to spending £600m during this Parliament to support the ultra-low emissions market.

The new law also aims to support British manufacturing and innovation by allowing self-driving cars to operate in the country.

Source: Platts Garages

VW to launch electric minivan as part of its planned EV range

July 6, 2017Electric Cars, Electric Vans, I.D Buzz, News, Reviews and Comment, VolkswagenJo

Volkswagen (VW) is to send its microbus-styled minivan, previewed at the Detroit Auto Show early in 2017 as a concept named the I.D Buzz, into production as an electric vehicle (EV).

The news comes as part of the German manufacturer’s push to market a wide range of EVs under the I.D electric car sub-brand.

The concept is based around an update of the classic VW Transporter, and VW brand chief Herbert Diess told UK magazine Auto Express:

‘Emotional cars are very important for the brand. We are selling loads of Beetles still, particularly in US markets. But we will also have the Microbus that we showed, which we have recently decided we will build.’

The production version will be based on the company’s Modular Electric Drive (known as MEB) platform, which was first shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2016, where the I.D branding was launched with a compact car. The Buzz concept features an electric motor at each axle, which produced around 369bhp total, with a claimed range of 372 miles and an 80% recharge time of 30 minutes. It is unknown how these figures will hold up in the production version.

The concept version also featured extensive autonomous technology, which is currently not ready for use on roads in Europe, but is under development. The model is expected to arrive in showrooms by 2022, with multiple versions likely to be offered, and could include a camper and pickup truck version to tie in with the original Bus model of the 1960s. It will join the I.D CROZZ, an electric SUV planned for launch in 2020.

Ridesharing may not replace personal vehicle sales, but supplement them, says report

July 6, 2017Economy, News, Reviews and CommentJo

OEMs have been concerned for some time that the rapid rise of mobility services such as Uber and Lyft will lead to a fall in the number of vehicles purchased by consumers. However, a new report has found that, for current vehicle owners, this assumption may simply not be true.

Strategy Analytics’ new report ‘Impact of Ride Sharing Frequency on Vehicle Purchase Intention’ discovered that, for current vehicle owners, increasing ridesharing usage actually raises the likelihood they will purchase another vehicle within the next five years. This is in part because current frequent rideshare users, who also own their own vehicle, have greater transportation needs than those that do not.

The ridesharing service therefore fills a niche of convenience, but does not supplant the user’s need for their own personal vehicle. This may be due to mindset – for example, with a user used to the comfort of cars preferring to use a service like Uber rather than public transport in situations when using their own car is not possible (such as due to a lack of parking or when intoxicated).

However, the report does follow consensus evidence that desire for car ownership is weakening at the lower, younger end of the market, with millennials with no children that use ridesharing at least once a week being much less likely to purchase another vehicle within the next five years, compared to all respondents that had children.

Report author and director of syndicated research at Strategy Analytics’ UXIP (User Experience Innovation Practice) Chris Schreiner said:

‘The question of how emerging transportation options like ridesharing and car-sharing will impact vehicle sales is a very complex one to answer. Issues of cost, convenience, usability, privacy, type of journey, and length of journey all impact transportation choices.
‘Frequent ridesharing users do not seem likely to delay their next vehicle purchase, but it is still possible that they might choose a less expensive or lower class vehicle.’

This could lower the residual values of more premium vehicles, and raise demand in the volume segment. This is because private consumers tend to buy used cars (with fleets buying new).

Should you join the charge and buy an electric car?

July 5, 2017Buying/Leasing, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

Green motoring is becoming financially attractive thanks to a drop in leasing prices and lower running costs

Is now the time to buy an electric car? Falls in financing costs mean that switching to a zero carbon-emitting vehicle won’t just help the environment, it can be cheaper than buying and running a conventional car.

When Guardian Money last looked at electric cars, the price premium for most models meant they made most financial sense to central London drivers keen to avoid the £11.50-a-day congestion charge – but for other motorists the case for going electric was less obvious. However, a drop in leasing costs, plus much lower running costs, have made the financial package much more attractive.

The popular Nissan Leaf, with a large 30kWh battery, can now be leased for about £240 a month with a deposit of £2,000. This is just £70 a month more than the larger, petrol-engined Nissan Juke and many supermini class vehicles.

When you consider that someone who uses their car to commute each day could easily be spending £70 on petrol a month, the green option is starting to look as good for your wallet as for the environment. The cost of an overnight charge that delivers a typical 100 miles of driving is about £3-£4 depending on your electricity tariff. To go the same distance in a petrol car would typically cost £15 – more if your journeys are all around town. This in part is why there are now 100,000 electric cars on UK roads, and 2m worldwide.

“Once you’ve got used to living with an electric car, most people say they’d never go back to a conventional one. You are driving the future,”

says Melanie Shufflebotham who runs NextGreenCar, a website dedicated to low-carbon vehicles. An enthusiastic Nissan Leaf owner, she says improvements to the charging infrastructure, a greater awareness of the benefits of going electric in cities, and the fact that the technology is now proven have all allowed electric cars to move into the mainstream.

“Range anxiety is largely a thing of the past. The newest Renault Zoe, with its bigger battery, now offers a range of about 180 miles from a single charge – more than enough for most users who drive to and from work or similar,”

Shufflebotham says.

“I wouldn’t necessarily want to drive to Edinburgh, but I regularly drive my Leaf from Bristol to London with one fast 30-minute recharge at one of the Ecotricity charging points on the motorway network. For that I pay £6 – a fraction of the cost of filling a tank with petrol.”

Green energy given the go-ahead with electric vehicle charge point

July 5, 2017Charge Your Car, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

An electric vehicle charge point has been installed in the Tove Short Stay car park in Towcester by South Northamptonshire Council (SNC).

Cllr Dermot Bambridge and Facilities Manager Stephen Wright

The charge point is a type-two floor mounted socket which is part of the Charge Your Car electric vehicle re-charging network.

The charge point can be activated by using the Charge Your Car access card, Charge Your Car mobile phone app or automated pay-as-you-go telephone line and is compatible with most electric vehicles.

There are two parking bays designated for electric vehicle charging only and they are marked in green.
Parking restrictions of three hours maximum stay, with no return within 3 hours Monday to Friday 8am until 6pm still apply.

Cllr Dermot Bambridge, SNC’s portfolio holder for environmental services, said:

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

“As a council it’s important for us to encourage the use of more environmentally friendly travel options, and also pave the way for other councils to follow suit.

“I hope that, as electric vehicles become increasingly accessible and common place, we will see an increase in use and adoption of charge points such as this.”

Electric vehicle owners will need to supply their own cable in order to use the charge point.

Rebecca Roper, Community Manager for Charge Your Car, also said:

“Here at Charge Your Car we want to make it as easy as possible for electric vehicle drivers to charge their cars, so it’s encouraging to see organisations such as SNC taking the initiative and installing charge points in more rural locations.”

Source: AboutMyArea/Northamptonshire

ENGIE joins the drive towards electric vehicles

July 5, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

ENGIE has pledged to invest £600,000 to start switching to a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK.

It aims for 20% of its vehicle fleet to be electric by 2020 and zero diesel vehicles by 2025.

It is part of ENGIE’s plans towards tackling air pollution and helping meet its decarbonisation targets for 2020 and beyond.

The project will start in the second half of this year, with the company switching to 395 EVs in the next three years.

Wilfrid Petrio, CEO of ENGIE in the UK & Ireland said: “This is an exciting programme which looks to position ENGIE as a front runner in green mobility whilst capitalising on our newly acquired EV charging capabilities following ENGIE’s purchase of EV-Box.

“There are many benefits including improved air quality, carbon reduction and operating efficiencies, all of which support our goal of improving the lives of the communities and clients that we serve.”

The company has also launched an air quality app in partnership with King’s College London, which will help employees and customers to walk and cycle using the lowest pollution routes across the capital.

Source: Energy Live News

Porsche changes its mind on electric vehicles, plans 50% of its production to be electric within 6 years

July 5, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Porsche, Taycan / Mission EJo

It wasn’t long ago that Porsche claimed all-electric powertrains didn’t offer enough performance to reach the level that their customers expect from the premium German brand.

As their work on their first all-electric vehicle progresses, they are now changing their view on the technology and CEO Oliver Blume now says that he expects half of Porsche’s production to be electric by 2023.

The Mission E will be Porsche’s first all-electric vehicle and it is planned to enter production in 2019.
Last year, Blume said that they were planning for an annual production of 20,000 units for the new vehicle. It’s a significant volume for the German automaker considering they delivered just over 230,000 vehicles worldwide last year across its entire lineup.

But now they are ready to crank it up with a second all-electric vehicle based on the Macan.
In a surprising move, The CEO now says that between the two vehicles, Porsche is preparing for a capacity of 60,000 cars per year at its Zuffenhausen plant. Blume made the comment to Germany’s business magazine Manager Magazin last week.

The capacity would quickly make electric vehicles an important part of its overall production and it explains why the CEO now sees them reaching 50% of its total production as soon as 2023, which is much sooner than any established automaker.

EV road trip marks 100,000 plug-in car sales

July 4, 2017BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, Milton Keynes, News, Reviews and CommentJo

To celebrate more than 100,000 plug-in cars having been sold in the UK, 25 electric and plug-in hybrid cars drove from London to Milton Keynes [on] Sunday 18th June.

Organised by Chargemaster, the road trip covered around 100,000 meters in cars as diverse as the Nissan Leaf to the Tesla Model X, and BMW’s i3 to the Volvo XC90 T8.

The convoy all safely completed the journey of a little over 60 miles, showcasing the variety of plug-in cars on sale in the UK at the moment.

Coinciding with the sales milestone were two celebrations of Chargemaster’s own – 100,000 home charging sessions have been carried out on a single week, and Chargemaster’s Polar network has seen 100,000 public charging sessions so far in 2017.

David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster, said:

“Today was a pivotal moment for the EV market, to mark a significant milestone in vehicle adoption and to celebrate two 100,000 milestones of our own. Thank you to the team, and everyone that made the day so special – here’s to the next 100,000 EVs.”

Source: ZapMap

Plug-In Vehicles Sales In UK Up 32% In May

July 4, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

While the overall automotive market in UK shrank by 8.5% in May, ahead of June’s general election, the plug-in segment of the market continued to move forward, noting a strong 32% increase year-over-year.

Plug-in Electric Car Registrations in UK – May 2017

Total plug-in electrified sales in May amounted to 3,117 vehicles registered (17,904 YTD), which is one of the best ever results (that is, ex-annual March surges) in terms of market share at 1.67%.

All-electric offerings still only hold a third of the segment, but are now growing faster than their plug-in hybrid counterparts:

926 BEVs (up 79 percent year-over-year)
2,191 PHEVs (up 19 percent year-over-year)

The great result also helps the overall “alt-fuel” vehicle segment set a new record market share of 4.4% (previously 4.2% in January 2017).

We don’t yet know the individual model ranks; however, the new/longer ranged Renault ZOE ZE and reports of more RHD Tesla sales, likely accounted for the bulk of the all-electric sales.

Source: Inside EVs