Millions of people could miss out on the environmental and financial benefits of electric vehicles (EVs), according to a new report.
The report by the think tank Localis warns poorer parts of the country could get left behind unless local authorities are given to power to draw up their own ‘smart city’ plans and energy policies.
In addition, it argues local authorities should be able to form their own consortiums using existing knowledge of their local areas, and also be empowered to work with private energy network providers to deliver the infrastructure they need for the future.
The report also emphasised that families across the UK are at risk of sharing the cost for necessary new energy infrastructure, but not being able to access for themselves the benefits of EVs and other ‘smart’ technologies – driving further inequality between richer and poorer parts of the country.
‘Without a change in regulation, behaviour and a wholesale transfer of powers for local energy policies, we risk a tale of two cities in our major urban centres – deepening levels of inequality between the prosperous and more deprived parts of town,’ said Localis chief executive, Jonathan Werran.
‘A ‘devolution revolution’ in locally-regulated energy markets has the potential to accelerate the nation’s switch to clean growth, turn UK cities into powerhouses for sustainable and inclusive prosperity and improve livelihoods in towns and cities across the UK.’
SWARCO eVolt, the award-winning Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging business, has reported a record year in which it has continued to innovate, deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction, and increase its market share through the strength and reliability of its technology and engineering teams.
The company, which began installing its first charging points more than eight years ago, has now grown to become one of the largest providers of single, dual and multiple commercial charging points across the UK.
It currently has more than 6,250 of its eVolt-branded charging points installed throughout the country, in addition to a further 343 Rapid Charging stations to meet the needs of an expanding customer base that includes more than 88 Local Authorities and a large number of private businesses. It also launched SWARCO E.Connect, a highly sophisticated EV recharging network for eVolt and third party-manufactured charging stations across the UK and Europe.
Charging Hub with eVolt Rapid Chargers (Image: SWARCO eVolt)
It ended 2018 with news of a major new contract to deploy several hundred of its DC Rapid Charging stations for Engenie over the next 12-18 months, as well as being named Charging and Refuelling Infrastructure Provider of the Year at the 2018 Green Fleet Awards.
It has also announced plans to recruit a further nine front-line engineers and call centre staff, a new Head of Sales, Anne Buckingham, the former Head of Electromobility at Siemens, and launch new 100KW and 150KW versions of its proven Raption Rapid Charger.
Justin Meyer, General Manager at SWARCO eVolt, says the key to its success has been the reliability of its products: “In 2018 we recorded a network uptime of 99.38% which is exceptional,” he says, “and of course leads to exceptionally high levels of customer satisfaction. Our investment in EVs for our service engineers also contributes to the highest level of first-time fixes for any issues that do occur.”
Justin believes the company’s growth and increased market share also reflect the growing popularity of EVs, as more local authorities and private businesses look to meet their ‘green’ responsibilities and realise the benefits that EVs can deliver. Fleets of electric buses, taxis and council vehicles are all increasing, leading to an increased demand for charging points, and the opening of the first ever EV Rapid Charging ‘hub’ in Scotland. Two more ‘hubs’ have been installed by SWARCO eVolt since.
“We have an established reputation as the ‘go to’ supplier for commercial EV charging infrastructure solutions, respected for the range and reliability of our systems and a strong support network right across the country,” Justin continues. “But we realise that to stay on top we need to continue to innovate.
“To that end we will be launching a series of new e-mobility products and services in 2019, with a particular focus on further integration with intelligent traffic technologies inherent within the SWARCO Group.”
Limited edition of Nissan’s popular electric car gains bigger batteries and produces 214bhp
Nissan has launched a new range-topping version of the Leaf EV, which features a boost in power and a longer range.
The Leaf 3.Zero e+ Limited Edition, launched at CES in Las Vegas, replaces the electric car’s standard 40kWh battery with a 62kWh unit. Nissan says it can achieve 239 miles on the WLTP test cycle, a 62-mile increase on the standard model.
Nissan Leaf 3.Zero e+ (Image: Nissan)
The special edition, of which 5000 units will be offered in Europe, has also had its power increased to 214bhp, compared with 148bhp for the standard model. The car also features 250lb ft of torque and an increased top speed of 97mph.
The new 62kWh battery features 288 cells, compared with 192 in the standard unit. Nissan says it offers an increase of 25% in energy density and 55% in energy storage capacity but is a similar size to the 40kWh battery. The car sits 5mm higher on 16in wheels to account for the underfloor battery, but all other dimensions are unchanged.
Leasing costs of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have fallen throughout 2018 according to data experts at Cap HPI.
The study looked at five of the best-selling models in the UK and discovered that monthly lease costs had fallen by 9.5% on average.
The UK’s best-selling electric car, the Nissan Leaf saw monthly lease values fall by 6.6% between January and November 2018. Monthly lease prices for the Renault Zoe fell by 16% between June and November.
Between in the 12 months up to November 2018, the BMW i3 saw lease prices drop by 9.2%. The Volkswagen e-Golf saw prices drop 14% over the same period.
The Jaguar I-Pace saw the smallest price drop with a fall of only 1.7% since April 2018.
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
Mark Turnbull, global head of consulting at Cap HPI, said: “Over the next few years the new price of BEVs will come down as more affordable ‘mainstream’ model ranges are introduced by many manufacturers.
“Used buyer perception will continue to improve as battery ranges are extended and charging times are reduced, and electric car technology proves to be robust and reliable. So subject to adequate investment in charging infrastructure, and positive government legislation, I believe their residual values will be stronger.
“A pincer movement of lower new prices and improved RVs will mean less depreciation in pound terms, and cheaper lease rates will speed up the adoption of this technology.”
Want to pay nothing in VED road tax? You’ll have to buy an EV. Here are out top 10 tax-free cars under the latest rules
The UK VED road tax system can be full of pitfalls, especially for the unacquainted. If you’re buying a new car, you’ll want to know how much that vehicle is going to cost you on a month-by-month basis, and that can vary wildly depending on which of the car tax bands your new wheels fall into. More often than not, a car’s on-the-road price will include its first year of tax, but after that it’s down to you to pay up every year.
From 1 April 2017, the government introduced new rules which completely shook up the system. Cars which previously cost pennies to tax now face significant annual bills and if you want a vehicle that’s free to tax for the foreseeable future you’ll now need an electric car.
That’s right, gone are the days when you could buy a tax-free car running on conventional fuel. Only zero-emissions vehicles will qualify for that particular privilege, and even then there’ll be something to pay annually on models costing over £40,000, so even hydrogen fuel cell cars pay the taxman for the first few years.
Hyundai Kona Electric 150kW Premium SE 64kWh 204PS Auto review
P11D value: £36,240
BIK: £36,240/13%
5-door small SUV
201bhp / 395Nm Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor electric battery
Performance: 7.6s / 104mph
CO2 emissions/economy: 0g/km / 248 miles
What is it?
THE standard Kona is a well liked compact SUV that takes the usual benefits and packages them up in a distinctive design that is covered in sharp edges, converging crease, multiple light units and contrasting plastics and paints. It sounds a mess but works well.
Hyundai Kona Electric (Image: Hyundai)
Now Hyundai has taken the petrol and diesel engines out and replaced them with a pure electric drivetrain. There are two power outputs available from two battery capacities – the smaller 39kWh battery provides 134bhp, while the higher capacity 64kWh battery can deliver 201bhp. The increased capacity also increases range, with a WLTP rated range of 279 miles.
The entry model seems designed intentionally to upset Nissan, offering marginally more range in an on-trend SUV bodystyle, and all but matching it on price. Prices rise to just under £32,000 (including the government OLEV grant) for the fully-specced, big battery, Premium SE model.
Why would you want to drive a Hyundai Kona EV?
We got to drive the 64kWh version on the launch event, which means it was the more rapid of the two options. We all know about the instant acceleration offered by electric cars, but the Kona still surprises; 62mph comes along in just 7.6 seconds, despite the car weighing just under 1.7 tonnes. However, while it’s quick off the line, thrust fades away once you start reaching low motorway speeds, and it’s gone entirely at three figures.
It also does a good job at matching its official range, although the caveat there is that the first test was done on perfect, near empty, Norwegian roads – we’ll be testing the car on the flawed UK network soon. Still, despite a bit of ‘performance testing’ and a fair slog of motorway miles, the Kona’s on board computer suggested we’d get pretty close to that near 300 mile range. With rapid charging taking just 75 minutes to reach 80% charge (or about 260 miles of range) the days of range anxiety should be mostly just a memory.
While charging at 50kW at motorway services or the like can top the car up quickly, most will charge at home. Leaving it plugged in overnight will see a full charge in around nine and a half hours, assuming you’ve had a 7kW charger installed. These are subsidised up to £500 by the government, and even those with the heaviest of right foots will find that electricity is far cheaper than petrol.
Electric power means zero emissions, and that, in turn, means lower company car tax. With a BIK burden of just 13% (based on the full price, not the price after the government OLEV subsidy) that translates to a 20% taxpayer bill of less than £80 a month.
Ignore the EV side of things, and the Kona performs as any other similarly sized SUV. It rides quite nicely thanks to that longer suspension travel, and there’s enough room inside to accommodate four adults in comfort, and five at a squeeze. The boot remains a decent size too, despite losing 29 litres due to the presence of a battery pack under the floor.
It’s also loaded with equipment, at least in Premium or Premium SE spec. It’s positively luxurious, with heated and ventilated leather seats and a heated steering wheel, eight-inch infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, head up display, LED lights front and rear and a Krell audio system with eight speakers and subwoofer.
Hyundai has not overlooked safety, with the Kona EV being equipped with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot protection, lane keeping assist, rear cross traffic alerts and much more.
The Jaguar I-PACE was the best selling vehicle (of any type) in December, while the Tesla Model S was the #1 plug-in vehicle for all of 2018.
December had 6,232 plug-in vehicle registrations in the Netherlands, a four-fold increase compared to the same month last year and the market’s best month since December ’16. The sales total translates into a stratospheric 31% plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) share in December, pulling the 2018 PEV share to 6%, a great result, especially when we realise that BEVs represented 89% of PEV registrations in 2018 and 98% in December alone.
Of course, the higher taxation of expensive BEVs in 2019 is the major reason for this surge, but something tells me (ahem, Tesla Model 3 …) that this exponential growth is set to continue through 2019.
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
This good market performance was the result of three exceptional individual results, starting with the Best Seller of the Month, the Jaguar I-PACE, which delivered 2,621 units, not only a new all-time record for a BEV, but also the first time that a 100% electric vehicle became the best selling model in the mainstream market.
Performance-focused Cooper S E will be first for the brand and the first all-electric hot hatchback on sale
Mini’s first electric car will also be the industry’s first electric hot hatch, engineering sources in Germany have revealed.
Rather than a sole focus on economy and eking out range, Mini is developing its electric car with performance in mind. To that end, the model will be badged Cooper S E when it is unveiled later this year to reflect its performance hierarchy in the Mini range.
MINI Countryman PHEV (Image: T. Larkum)
The Cooper S E will be based on the Mini three-door hatchback. That car’s UKL1 platform wasn’t originally designed with an all-electric model in mind, so has been adapted to accommodate the technology.
The BMW i3 S’s 181bhp electric motor is understood to be the most likely power source for the new Mini, meaning it will give little away to the 189bhp 2.0-litre engine of the Cooper S. The added weight of the batteries will be largely offset by the instant torque and lack of gears, meaning similar acceleration times.
Latest electric cars sales results show we may expect a dramatic rise this year. Lead times should increase too.
In 2018 the electric vehicle segment grew by 10%. If we look at available figures, we’ll see, that one in every 100 cars sold in November 2018 was pure electric. Compared to the same month of 2017, it is almost by 70% more.
Experts have advised customers to make orders for EVs promptly to beat lengthening lead times.
A period from placing an order and its delivery to a customer (lead time) vary from 10 weeks to half a year for new electric cars, depending on a model.
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
For example, the lead time for the Jaguar I-Pace (pictured) is 6 month, for the popular Hyundai Kona Electric – up to 10 months, the Hyundai Ioniq – 4 month, for the Volkswagen e-Golf – 18 weeks.
As for the all-electric Kia Soul, a small number of vehicles left in showrooms, as a newer model will replace the current one this year. Supplies are running low.
Research shows that some 37 per cent of motorists cite a distance of up to 300 miles as the range that would entice them to buy a pure electric vehicle. Their wait is over.
For many years the main barrier to consumer acceptance of electric vehicles has been “range anxiety”. Drivers have often wildly overestimated the length of their journeys, and underestimated the ability of electric vehicles to meet that need.
Now, though, the advances in electric vehicle technology – especially in sheer battery power – are gradually eroding that consumer resistance: electric cars are now within a matter of a few miles of meeting the range demands of more than one in three motorists – 300 miles or so.
Hyundai Kona Electric (Image: Hyundai)
Research by DrivingElectric.com, the independent consumer advice website for electric vehicles, shows that some 37 per cent of motorists cite a distance of up to 300 miles as the range that would entice them to buy a pure electric vehicle (that is, not a hybrid which also has a traditional petrol engine).
So now cars such as the long-range Hyundai Kona Electric – which can cover 292 miles – fall just eight miles short of the most common figure for consumers’ range ambitions.
Improvements in technology are arriving faster than many motorists realise, which means many don’t know their demands for range have already been met.
