All posts by Repost

Charging infrastructure affected by coronavirus

April 6, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, POD Point, UbitricityRepost

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, not only are the production lines in most electric car plants at a standstill but now first effects on charging infrastructure are becoming apparent.

This concerns both the production of charging points and the maintenance and distribution of the pillars.

Ubitricity and Pod Point, for example, are postponing charging point installations in the UK that are currently not necessary. The responsible Ubitricity manager announced that the installation of new lantern charging points in London would be suspended as the work was not considered “essential”. However, the existing charging points will continue to be maintained.

The same applies to Pod Point, but in some “critical” cases the company announced exceptions in a statement. For example, home chargers ordered will continue to be installed at homes of people who were classified as “key workers” in the coronavirus crisis or if the household only has battery-electric cars and no more ICEs. Orders are still possible for all customers, but installation will take place at a later date.

The same applies to commercial installations; here too, companies that rely exclusively on electric cars and charging points installed at the workplace for “key workers” will continue to be served. Maintenance work at Homecharge customers and the public Pod Point network will continue. However, for the time being, maintenance work on charging points at the workplace will only be carried out for those working in the health or logistics sector.

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MG to supply NHS with 100 electric vehicles

April 4, 2020Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and Comment, ZS EVRepost

MG Motor UK will supply up to 100 electric MG ZS cars to NHS agencies across the UK during the coronavirus pandemic.

The carmaker will supply the vehicles via MG’s nationwide dealer network for up to six months, completely free of charge, to support the national effort to overcome Covid-19.

By providing additional transport capacity with low running costs to the NHS, MG and its dealers hope to support the national effort in these unprecedented times.

The first six cars have already been supplied to Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust by MG dealer Chorley Group.

Daniel Gregorious, head of sales & marketing at MG Motor UK, said: ‘As a proud British brand, MG is more than just a car manufacturer. Together with our dealer network, we want to do our bit to help the country to come through this uncertain time.

‘By providing 100 electric cars to our NHS heroes, we hope that we will help to keep healthcare moving so that as many people as possible can receive the support they need. It’s also our way of saying thank you to those selfless people who work so hard to keep us all safe.’

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Keep your parked electric car and its battery healthy with these simple tips

April 3, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Many EV commuters are suddenly affected by orders to stay at home and, if possible, to work from home.

With the electric car parked for extended times, what’s the best strategy for not damaging the battery?

The general advice hasn’t changed much over the years, and it just requires knowing a few key pieces of information about your car.

Both internal-combustion and electric cars are designed to be driven regularly, which is why leaving them stationary for long periods of time can cause problems.

Electric car owners need to keep track of the state of charge of the main battery pack and understand that there’s probably a clunky 12-volt accessory battery, too—yes, even if you get a Tesla Model Y.

While the battery pack provides power to drive the car, the 12-volt battery often powers other electrical components, including battery-management systems and telematics, Transport Evolved notes. That means it’s very likely to get drained if a car is parked for too long.

The lithium-ion cells in the battery packs of most modern electric cars don’t like to be kept at a full state of charge or a very low state of charge for long periods of time.

So if your car allows for preset charging to a specific state of charge, it’s best to set that to roughly half battery capacity, rather than a full recharge—and limit any charging sessions to an 80% ceiling if your car permits that. Some cars may also have “sleep” or “transport” modes for long periods of inactivity.

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Car tax changes 2020: What updates are coming into effect? How will new rules affect me?

April 2, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

CAR TAX changes for 2020 are set to come into effect in April and will introduce a widespread package of updates to all vehicle owners.

Those with an electric car are set for further tax breaks which will remove all car tax charges for owners of zero-emissions vehicles. However, costs are set to rise for other vehicle owners as the government attempts to push drivers to take up electric vehicles.

Are car tax rates changing for petrol and diesel cars?

The chancellor’s budget confirmed car tax rates for non-electric vehicles will be increasing under the new updates.

VED costs will increase from 1 April although heavy goods vehicles will be exempt from rises to support the sector.

The budget statement says: “The government will uprate VED rates for cars, vans and motorcycles in line with RPI from 1 April 2020.”

Vehicle emissions will be calculated using the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) for the first time in 2020.

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Climate change: ‘Gob-smacking’ vision for future UK transport

April 1, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

People in the UK need to shift from cars to public transport to address the challenge of climate change, the government says.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Public transport and active travel will be the natural first choice for our daily activities.

“We will use our cars less and be able to rely on a convenient, cost-effective and coherent public transport network.”

Transport campaigners have been astonished by his comments.

They are made in the foreword to the government’s De-Carbonising Transport consultation.

The document has been quietly published without notifying the media, and the veteran cycling campaigner Roger Geffen told BBC News:

“It’s absolutely amazing.

“This makes Grant Shapps the first government minister in the UK to talk about traffic reduction since John Prescott tried (and failed) to achieve this aim in the late 1990s.

“There are some holes in the document, but it suggests that the government really does seem to be taking climate change seriously.”

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Renault ZOE DC Charging Test Reveals Peak Power Of 46 kW

March 31, 2020Electric Cars, Renault, ZOERepost

But the maximum power is available just up to around 30% state-of-charge (SOC) and then fades slowly to about 25 kW at 80% SOC.

Fastned, one of the most known European fast-charging networks (focused mostly in the Netherlands and surrounding countries), recently checked out the all-new Renault ZOE with CCS Combo DC fast charging capability at one of its stations. Here are the results.

The ZOE is the first Renault with an optional CCS inlet (the previous generation had only AC Type 2 inlet for 1 or 3-phase charging), which allows for the most versatile charging:

1-phase charging up to 7.3 kW
3-phase charging up to 22 kW
DC (within the basic range of 50 kW)

According to Fastned, the ZOE with Z.E. 50 battery pack (52 kWh usable and estimated 55 kWh total), can accept up to 46 kW peak power from an external DC charger.

46 kW is not much, but we would not complain, because the ZOE is a city car after all.

However, as we can see on the chart, once the battery state-of-charge (SOC) hit about 30%, charging power steadily tapers down. It lowers to about 25 kW at 80% SOC.

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Electric car emissions myth ‘busted’

March 30, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Fears that electric cars could actually increase carbon emissions are a damaging myth, new research shows.

Media reports have questioned if electric cars are really “greener” once emissions from manufacture and electricity generation are counted.

The research concludes that in most places electric cars produce fewer emissions overall – even if generation still involves fossil fuels.

Other studies warn that driving overall must be reduced to hit climate targets.

The new research from the universities of Exeter, Nijmegen – in The Netherlands – and Cambridge shows that in 95% of the world, driving an electric car is better for the climate than a petrol car.

The only exceptions are places like Poland, where electricity generation is still mostly based on coal.

Lifetime emissions

The researchers say average “lifetime“ emissions from electric cars are up to 70% lower than petrol cars in countries like Sweden and France (where most electricity comes from renewables and nuclear), and around 30% lower in the UK.

They say the picture for electric cars will become steadily more favourable as nations shift to clean electricity.

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Tesla Model Y seats and cargo shown, range nudged to 316 miles

March 27, 2020Electric Cars, Model Y, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Just before deliveries of the Tesla Model Y began Friday (according to various accounts on Twitter, at least), Tesla showed more views of the interior, and nudged the top EPA range rating up to 316 miles.

That’s a one-mile increase from the 315 miles quoted by Tesla in January. At the time, the automaker said it was raising the top range rating from the previous 280 miles thanks to “continuing engineering progress.”

Published on the Model Y page of Tesla’s website—but not yet confirmed by the EPA—the 316-mile range applies to the Long Range version of the all-wheel drive Model Y. The Performance version is rated at 315 miles.

As the name implies, the Performance is the sportier of the two. It will do 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 145 mph, according to Tesla. Figures for the Long Range variant are 4.8 seconds to 60 mph and a top speed of 135 mph.

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UK’s first ‘electric avenue’ unveiled with electric vehicle chargers in lampposts

March 26, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UbitricityRepost

Sutherland Avenue, in Westminster, has become the first residential street in the UK to successfully convert 24 lampposts into electric vehicle (EV) charge points.

The project – a collaboration between Siemens, ubitricity, and Westminster City Council – has utilised the existing city infrastructure along the half-mile street to create a simple, fast network.

Residents along Sutherland Avenue do not have the luxury of off-road parking, and can now charge their EVs at various locations along the street. Two adjoining roads are also due to be upgraded in the coming weeks.

“Lamppost charging gives people without driveways a very convenient, low cost, renewable, energy-friendly way to charge their EVs.

“Our technology is designed to keep installation and maintenance costs low, which translates to long-term low costs for EV drivers and councils,” said Daniel Bentham, managing director of ubitricity UK.

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Electric vehicle loan scheme in Nottingham provides blueprint for UK cities

March 25, 2020e-NV200, Electric Cars, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, SalesRepost

A new 30-day ‘try before you buy’ electric vehicle loan scheme piloted by the Nottingham ULEV Experience project could act as a blueprint for other UK cities that are considering Clean Air Zones.

The scheme offers businesses and public sector organisations the opportunity of a fully-funded trial of electric cars and vans for 30 days and has been delivered by vehicle leasing firm DriveElectric for the Nottingham ULEV Experience project for the last two years, helped by Nottingham City Council’s Go Ultra Low funding.

And the firm says similar EV loan schemes could be adopted by other cities around the UK that are implementing measures such as Clean Air Zones to improve air quality.

The loans enable fleets to trial vehicles for longer than vehicle dealership loans, and include latest electric vehicles such as the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro and electric vans; positive feedback has been received about the Nissan e-NV200 van in particular.

A total of 52 organisations in Nottingham have enjoyed 72 EV loans over the last 18 months, with 20 EVs being adopted as a result so far.

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