All posts by Jo

Hyundai Motor Company Increases Production Capacity of IONIQ Electric by 50%

June 30, 2017Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Hyundai, IONIQ ElectricJo

Hyundai Motor Company is planning to increase production capacity of ‘IONIQ Electric’, which is its main electric vehicle, by 50% as number of potential buyers has greatly increased compared to its original prediction on demands in South Korean market. It is expected that this will resolve inconvenience of customers who have to wait 4 to 5 months to purchase IONIQ Electric.

According to electric vehicle industries on the 6th, Hyundai Motor Company is planning to increase an output of IONIQ Electric, which is produced from its production plant in Ulsan, from 1,200 (based on per month) to 1,800. Half of this output is supply for South Korean market and the other half is for foreign markets such as the U.S., and Europe. Quota for South Korean market will also increase from 600 per month initially to 900 per month. It is expected that delivery of IONIQ Electric will be pushed forward when people have to wait between 4 to 5 months to purchase one. Increased output will first be applied to IONIQ Electrics that need to be delivered between July and August.

Hyundai Motor Company has increased production facilities when contractors including Ministry of Environment (ME), which is in charge of supply of electric vehicles, started complaining due to recent rapid increase in number of buyers of IONIQ Electric and it has also set its yearly sales goal high. It has increased yearly sales goal in South Korean market from 6,000 initially to 8,000.

But even this won’t help Hyundai Motor Company to make another upward revision as 5,581 IONIQ Electrics were already sold by end of April and the number of IONIQ Electric owners will rise to about 7,000 by end of May if people who already paid deposits are included.

Stylish Andersen A1 Home Charge Point Launched

June 29, 2017Andersen, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

Andersen has launched its first charge point – the A1 – offering EV drivers a premium option for home charging. The Andersen A1 is inspired by Scandinavian minimalist design, and hides away the cables within the unit.

As part of a second wave of new charge points coming to the UK market, Andersen is aiming their product at those who want a sleeker, more stylish design. Although existing options perform well and offer a reliable home charge option, there are few on the market that look stylish.

Now though, charge point manufacturers are opening up the options available to buyers with a more expensive, but also more aesthetically pleasing product. There is a choice of five colours on offer too.

David Simpson, Technical Director at Andersen, said:

“The whole idea came from my own frustration with the home charge points that were available. I’d just bought an EV and I was looking for a charge point. I wanted one that didn’t have messy cables or flashing blue lights – just something that would sit happily on the side of my house.”

Jerome Faissat, Managing Director at Andersen, said: “A home charge point is something an electric car owner uses on daily basis and they’re often mounted in very visible places on the front of your house.

“The A1 is designed to complement the style of your home and work perfectly for you all the time. You can choose the colour you want and tidy the cables away if they bother you. It was important for us to create something that looked timeless and functional to last for many years.”

Andersen A1 Charge Point, Various Colours

Priced from £1,499 excluding OLEV grant and installation, Andersen has partnered with Just Energy Solutions as its OLEV accredited installer.

Source: ZapMap

Product: Andersen

Honda looks to future with EV and autonomous strategy

June 29, 2017Autonomous Driving, Electric Cars, Honda, News, Reviews and CommentJo

Japanese manufacturer Honda has spelled out its plans for the future as it unveiled its mid-term Vision 2030 strategy plan. The company wants to develop level 4 autonomous cars for sale by 2025 and plans two new electric vehicles (EVs) by 2018.

The company has been investing in its research and development of future mobility, spending 750 billion yen (€6.1 billion) for the year to March 2017.

Speaking at the launch of its new strategy, Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo said:

‘We strive to electrify two-thirds of our global automobile unit sales in 2030. This development will put a central focus on hybrid-based models utilizing a high-efficiency plug-in hybrid system unique to Honda. As for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV), we will strengthen the development of electric vehicles as well as fuel cell vehicles (FCV), in addition to a China-exclusive model scheduled to go on sale in 2018, a dedicated EV model for other regions is also currently under development.’

Developing new driving technologies, robotics- and artificial intelligence-driven services and new energy solutions also would be key priorities for Honda in the years ahead, the company said.

In addition to the new low emission strategy, by 2025, Honda plans to come up with cars with level 4 standard automated driving functions, meaning they can drive themselves on highways and city roads under most situations. Achieving this will require artificial intelligence to detect traffic movements, along with a battery of cameras and sensors to help avoid accidents.

Hachigo adds:

‘By featuring smooth and natural driving characteristics, our automated driving vehicle will realise occupant comfort that gives the driver complete trust and provides a fun mobility that makes people naturally want to go driving. We are going to realise automated driving technologies for use on highways in 2020. Then, we will make them usable in a broader area including regular roads, by 2025.’

Renault-Nissan to build energy storage plant from EV batteries to rival power stations

June 29, 2017Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and CommentJo

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is planning to build a 100MW energy storage plant big enough to power 120,000 homes, which can replace a gas or coal-fired power station, sources told Reuters. It is widely seen as a pilot project that could lead to a major new business opportunity for OEMs.

Following trialling using electric vehicle (EV) batteries for home energy storage, this is a further sign the Alliance is planning to establish an energy storage division. The energy storage plant intentions highlight the Alliance’s growing confidence in the powerful position OEMs will find themselves in following the upcoming electric vehicle revolution.

Energy storage plants – essentially gigantic batteries – help save costs and emissions by charging up in times of cheap excess electricity supply. This is when, for example, wind farms generate too much electricity than needed on a windy day. The storage plants then sell the electricity back to the grid at peak times, when the high demand means the electricity commands a higher price.

This helps solve two key problems holding back efficiency in the energy sector: the need to smooth out the variable energy generated from wind and solar, and the desire to remove the need for gas- or coal-fired power plants to be idling on standby for most of the day, and switched on ad hoc in order to meet times of peak electricity demand.

The Renault-Nissan project both aims to cultivate this demand for a second-hand battery market, as well as encouraging the development of energy infrastructure (which can have 10-year lead times) that will synergise with booming EV sales over the next decade. If successful, the expected high demand for these second hand EV batteries would help drive down the costs of electric vehicles (and raise residual values), and also provide an attractive mechanism for recycling the power cells which contain environment-harming heavy metals.

Electric Car Sales Are Surging, IEA Reports

June 29, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

International Energy Agency says EV market grew 60% in 2016
Plug in automobiles may reach 30% market penetration by 2030

The number of electric vehicles on the road rocketed to 2 million in 2016 after being virtually non-existent just five years ago, according to the International Energy Agency.

Registered plug-in and battery-powered vehicles on roads worldwide rose 60 percent from the year before, according to the Global EV Outlook 2017 report from the Paris-based IEA. Despite the rapid growth, electric vehicles still represent just 0.2 percent of total light-duty vehicles.

“China was by far the largest electric car market, accounting for more than 40 percent of the electric cars sold in the world and more than double the amount sold in the United States,”

the IEA wrote in the report published Wednesday.

“It is undeniable that the current electric car market uptake is largely influenced by the policy environment.”

BMW i3 Diary: How Easy Is It To Own An Electric Car?

June 28, 2017BMW, Electric Cars, i3 94Ah, News, Reviews and CommentJo

Range anxiety? What range anxiety…

Is owning an electric car a statement or simply good financial sense?

In the beginning it was most definitely the former. Electric cars were expensive, limited in range and thanks to a complete lack of infrastructure impossible to make long journeys in.

To find out if these cars are now living up to our expectations we spent two weeks with BMW’s i3. We drove to work, did the weekly shop and generally found every possible excuse to use it over our own two legs.

To begin with we’ll run though the model we tested. This was a BMW i3 94ah with range extender. That meant that if we drove it in BMW’s COMFORT mode we could, just about, squeeze out a top range of 205 miles.

The first few days…

Getting into the car for the first time you’re struck at just how pleasant everything is. It’s BMW alright, but if BMW lived in California and went to yoga four times a week.

It’s all very minimalist and the cabin itself feels incredibly spacious, despite the small dimensions of the car.

Halfway there…

Electric cars are absolutely perfect for city driving, especially small ones like the i3.

Thanks to the i3 having plenty of punch in the acceleration department we found weaving through the central London chaos to be almost, and we do mean almost, enjoyable.

The silence is also something that becomes really hard to give up. The i3’s cabin has just the right amount of sound isolation to make sure that the only thing you’re going to hear is either the gentle whine of the electric motor or the radio. It’s a blissful oasis in a sea of livid cyclists.

The last stretch…

We’re on to the last week week now and despite having driven over what feels like every road hump in London our love for this plucky little car is growing.

The styling continues to be a real winner for us, especially this two-tone fabric against what looks like a black recycled composite. It looks futuristic and yet acutely homely at the same time, like a Bang & Olufsen speaker.

Another thing that’s really starting to dawn on us is that not once have we worried about range anxiety. The car’s range readout is accurate enough that you never feel like it’s suddenly going to steal 5 miles from you.

While an owner will have a charging point installed in their house we couldn’t and so had to rely on a plug socket. Naturally the plug socket was too far away and so for the last two weeks we’ve actually been solely charging the car using what’s available around the city.

Verdict….

The i3 is a superbly built car. It feels and behaves in every sense like a product that is at the top end of what BMW is capable of. The interior build-quality is second to none while the enormous windscreen at the front gives it perfect visibility for city driving.

Its electric motor is powerful and responsive and while the ride itself is a little hard the seats are incredibly comfortable.

The i3 doesn’t feel like an experiment any more, it is simply a BMW that’s electric. Most of this is down to the car while the rest is absolutely down to the fact that we finally have a substantial charging network here in the UK.

Renault: Plug-in Hybrid and electric versions of Koleos SUV could happen

June 28, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, RenaultJo

The new five-seater SUV is currently offered with two diesel engines, but there is scope for this to change in future

A Renault director has not ruled out the possibility of a plug-in hybrid or pure electric version of its new Koleos SUV making its way into production.

The Koleos will go on sale in the UK in July, and will only be offered with a choice of two diesel engines – a 1.6-litre, 128bhp unit and a larger 2.0-litre 173bhp unit.

When quizzed on whether the recent bad press diesel has received in the UK could see an electric or PHEV version of the Koleos introduced to the market, Renault UK’s managing director Vincent Tourette said it was a possibility.

“It’s technically possible because we’re part of the alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi now, so that’s something we have in the bank between us,”

he explained.

“But at the moment, we are monitoring closely the way the market is going and if at some point we consider it’s a strong customer requirement, we will go for it. But today, it’s not in the plans.

“Today we have made the choice to offer our vehicles with petrol engines, with diesel engines and as pure EVs, which by the way, most manufacturers have decided to invest in too.

“So that’s our positioning and that’s the way our product plans have been formulated. But then we do have within the Renault-Nissan Alliance other possibilities, and if at some point we consider that [an electric/PHEV Koleos] something Renault also needs to bring to the market, we will have the possibility to do it.”

Source: Express and Star

Electric cars accelerate past 2m mark globally

June 28, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentJo

China, US and Europe accounted for more than 90% of electric vehicle sales last year with decreasing costs driving demand

The number of electric cars in the world accelerated past the 2m barrier last year, as prices fell and manufacturers launched new models.

The number of battery-powered vehicles numbered just hundreds globally in 2005 and passed the 1m milestone in 2015, but sales jumped 60% in 2016.

China, the US and Europe accounted for more than 90% of electric vehicle sales last year, with China the single biggest market, according to research by the International Energy Agency.
In some European countries, growth has been so fast that electric cars are taking significant market share from petrol and diesel cars.

Nearly a third of new cars sold in Norway are electric, the highest proportion worldwide, followed by 6.4% in the Netherlands and 3.4% in Sweden.

While the UK lags behind on annual registrations, industry figures this week showed that a record 4.4% of new cars sold in May were hybrid or pure electric models. More than 100,000 electric cars have been sold in the UK under a grant scheme launched in 2011.

The growth globally indicated a “rapid market evolution” in electric cars, the IEA said, but it cautioned that they made up only 0.2% of all passenger cars.

Greg Archer, clean vehicles director at the Brussels-based Transport and Environment group, said:

“The rapid rise in electric vehicle sales is a consumer-driven phenomenon rather than being down to the efforts of suppliers.”

The number of electric cars on the road globally hit 2m in 2016

Decreasing costs, longer battery ranges and an increasing number of charging points were driving demand, he said.

‘Spectacular’ drop in renewable energy costs leads to record global boost

June 28, 2017Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar PowerJo

Falling solar and wind prices have led to new power deals across the world despite investment in renewables falling

The Solar Charge Points at Devon Cliffs - and only 2/3 of the cars shouldn't be parked there! (Image: T. Larkum) — Solar Charge Points for electric cars (Image: T. Larkum)

Renewable energy capacity around the world was boosted by a record amount in 2016 and delivered at a markedly lower cost, according to new global data – although the total financial investment in renewables actually fell.

The greater “bang-for-buck” resulted from plummeting prices for solar and wind power and led to new power deals in countries including Denmark, Egypt, India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates all being priced well below fossil fuel or nuclear options.

Analysts warned that the US’s withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement, announced last week by Donald Trump, risked the US being left behind in the fast-moving transition to a low-carbon economy. But they also warned that the green transition was still not happening fast enough to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, especially in the transport and heating sectors.

The new renewable energy capacity installed worldwide in 2016 was 161GW, a 10% rise on 2015 and a new record, according to REN21, a network of public and private sector groups covering 155 nations and 96% of the world’s population.

The new record capacity cost $242bn, a 23% reduction in investment compared to 2015, and renewables investment remained larger than for all fossil fuels. Subsidies for green energy, however, are still much lower than those for coal, oil and gas.

New solar power provided the biggest boost – half of all new capacity – followed by wind power at a third and hydropower at 15%. It is the first year that the new solar capacity added has been greater than any other electricity-producing technology.

“A global energy transition [is] well under way, with record new additions of installed renewable energy capacity, rapidly falling costs and the decoupling of economic growth and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions for the third year running,”

said Arthouros Zervos, chair of REN21.

Nissan Leaf Charges To 20,000 UK Sales

June 27, 2017Electric Cars, Leaf, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanJo

As Nissan LEAF charged past the milestone of 20,000 sales in the UK, owners of the best-selling electric vehicle have heaped praise on the model in the 2017 Driver Power survey.

The Nissan LEAF was awarded Best Green Car overall and also came top in the Best Engine and Gearbox and Best MPG and Running Costs awards categories.

Driver Power is the UK’s biggest and most in-depth car satisfaction survey, with seven surveys covering the different phases of vehicle ownership. There also nine Judging Category awards split into satisfaction categories.

Editor of Auto Express, Graham Hope, commented;

“The Nissan LEAF’s results in the 2017 survey indicates that the hard work that the Nissan team has put in developing the vehicle and educating the market about the benefits of Electric Vehicles (EV) has paid off.”

“Leading the way in EVs is important. People are becoming more conscious of green vehicles (Hybrids and Electric Vehicles) and this year we have seen a 375% increase in the number of green vehicle owners.”

The Driver Power results came as Nissan GB confirmed it had sold its 20,000^th Nissan LEAF in the UK.

The buyers of the milestone model were Diane and Chris Ray of Hollesley in Suffolk, who took home a range-topping 30kWh LEAF Tekna from local dealer Hammond Nissan.

It is the couple’s second Nissan LEAF – replacing a two year-old 24kWh model – and it was the only car on their shopping list when the time came for a replacement.

Diane, who runs a holiday let business, said:

“I love the LEAF. It does everything I want from a car and is beautiful to drive.

“When the time came to replace mine I didn’t look at anything else. I only wanted another LEAF but this time with the bigger battery.”

She added:

“It was a real surprise to find out I was the 20,000th LEAF customer but it’s so encouraging to see more and more people switching to all-electric cars and exciting to know I’m a part of that story.”