Both the Renault ZOE and the Kangoo Z.E. sell like hot cakes
Renault noted a very strong electric car sales results in June 2019, delivering some 6,418 cars (excluding Twizy), which is 45% more than a year ago.
After six months, sales amounted to 30,659 YTD (up 43%):
Renault ZOE (passenger and commercial versions) – 5,309 (up 49%) and 25,686 YTD (up 44%)
Renault Kangoo Z.E. – 1,036 (up 22%) and 4,759 YTD (up 31%)
Renault Master Z.E. – 73 (up 3,550%) and 214 YTD (up 1,845%)
A great June (the third-best month ever) means that the unveiling of the all-new Renault ZOE Z.E. 50 in mid-June didn’t decrease demand for the outgoing generation of ZOE – at least not immediately.
Renault lineup – from left Twizy, ZOE, Kangoo Z.E., Master Z.E.
This past month BEVs accounted for close to 2.4% of all cars sold by Renault globally and 3.9% in Europe (where almost all Renault EVs are sold).
Can MG’s ZS EV match the established players in the compact electric SUV class?
Verdict 4 stars The MG ZS EV isn’t about to set new benchmarks on dynamics. But as an overall proposition, with that aggressive pricing, the practicality and low running costs factored in, it is by far the best effort yet from the ‘reborn’ MG brand. And one that deserves to find its place as a real alternative to the likes of the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf – particularly amongst electric car customers, second-car families and company car choosers, who tend to be more focused on ease of use and battery ranges than they are the badge on the nose.
The MG ZS has garnered a reputation for being one of the more practical small SUVs on the market – a vehicle that sits between the likes of the Nissan Juke and Qashqai on size, while competing hard on price. Now, though, the range is being bolstered by the ZS EV – a pure-electric version that has the potential to radically shift MG’s brand perception with British buyers.
MG ZS EV (Image: Auto Express)
In fact, if the stories about pent-up demand for small EVs are indeed true, the ZS EV surely has the potential to become MG’s best-selling vehicle in the UK. That’s because the British division has access to decent supply of the vehicle, which is made in China, where MG and sister firm Roewe shifted 140,000 EVs in 2018 alone, and a recently opened battery factory can supply up to 300,000 vehicles per year. When the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric and even the Kia e-Niro are stifled by long waiting lists, there’s a clear opportunity for MG to steal more than a few customers.
The ZS EV can’t compete with those Korean models on range but then, it’s undercutting them both on price anyway (and then some – more of that later). The battery capacity is 44.5kWh – enough, under the tougher WLTP test regime, for an official range of 163 miles – some way short of the e-Niro’s 282 miles, but pretty much on a par with the likes of the current 40kWh Nissan Leaf (168 miles). The WLTP city range, incidentally, is 231 miles – a sign of how much more sympathetic urban driving is to battery life.
Engenie is set to double the number of rapid chargers in the UK, installing over 2,000 by 2024.
The move comes after a £35 million investment commitment from European infrastructure fund Cube Infrastructure Fund II.
In May, data from Zap-Map revealed there were 2,189 rapid chargers across the country. This figure has since increased to 2,296 at 1,573 locations. Engenie’s plans for the installation of over 2,000 chargers will effectively double the number of rapid chargers in the UK.
The rapid charging points are to be installed at accessible public sites, including supermarkets and retail parks. By the end of this year, 100 sites are to have rapid chargers installed.
Engenie’s charge points don’t require a membership of connection fee, operating a contactless payment method. The 50kW chargers are compatible with all EVs currently on the market.
England will be the first country in the world to introduce mandatory electric car charging points for new-build homes
All new homes in England will have to be fitted with charge points for electric vehicles, as the government seeks to facilitate the infrastructure improvements necessary for the planned mass-adoption of electric vehicles.
POD Point installed (Image: T. Heale)
The news comes as Department for Transport has announced a public consultation on the subject. If the planned changes to building regulations go through, it would force homebuilders to install charge points so potential owners could easily charge their plug-in hybrids and electric cars at home. The move would mean buyers of new-build homes would not need to make use of the Government’s home charger subsidy scheme, which has seen almost 100,000 wallboxes installed.
No mention has been made of how new-build houses without off-street parking would be fitted with charge points, but last week the Government invested nearly £40 million into research projects that included wireless charge points, and charge points that rise up from the pavement.
BP Chargemaster is to roll out up to 200 rapid chargers at pubs and restaurants run by Mitchells & Butlers across the UK.
The decision to roll out the chargers comes after trials at several of Mitchells & Butlers’ locations. Up to 50 chargers are expected to be installed by October 2019.
The 50kW Ultracharge chargers are to be installed with investment from BP Chargemaster and will be part of its Polar network. They will be available to be used on a pay-as-you-go or subscription basis.
BP Chargemaster Rapid Charger at Milton Keynes Charging Hub (Image: T. Larkum)
In 2018, Marston’s Inns and Taverns partnered with Engenie to become the first UK pub company to roll out rapid chargers across its sites. This new announcement marks increased interest in rapid charging from UK pub companies.
David Newton, chief operating officer at BP Chargemaster, said the chargers will make driving across the country “even easier” and allow drivers to enjoy a break on a long journey.
“At this stage in the market, we are seeing electric vehicle drivers actively seek out locations that offer convenient charging, so we also expect to deliver additional footfall to sites that host our rapid chargers.”
These are interesting times we live in. Electric cars walk the world, and some even make advances in professional motorsports.
The Renault Zoe has new ice to break in this field, though.
The Andros Trophy is an off-season racing series held in France and so far attended exclusively by traditional, fossil fuel-burning cars. The DA Racing team intends to break from that tradition, however. Their experienced driver, Jean-Baptiste Dubourg, will join the next championship behind the wheel of a modded Renault Zoe.
2020 Renault Zoe (Image: Renault)
Modded how exactly? We don’t have the answers yet, but the production car is obviously looking forward to major tweaks and design alterations, especially since freezing weather is known to have an utterly devastating effect on traction battery capacity and performance. So far, finding a workaround is at the top of the priority list.
The government has unveiled proposals for new build houses to be fitted with chargepoints and pledged to ensure new rapid chargers will provide ‘pay as you go’ payment options.
In a public consultation, the government is proposing that every new residential building with an associated car parking space is fitted with a chargepoint. This would also apply to any buildings undergoing renovation to residential use.
Every residential building undergoing major works with more than 10 parking spaces would also be required to have a chargepoint and the cable routes for a chargepoint for one in five spaces. This would also be true for every non-residential new build and non-residential building undergoing major renovation.
Existing non-residential buildings with over 20 parking spaces will also be required to have a chargepoint, which would be applicable from 2025.
In its second EV announcement, the government revealed plans to ensure all new rapid chargers provide ‘pay as you go’ credit or debit card payment options from spring 2020. It says it is prepared to use powers in the Automated and Electric Vehicles act to ensure ‘a good deal’ for consumers.
How much does it cost to run an electric car? How can I get a charging point when I don’t have a driveway? Are they really better for the environment?
These are just some of the many questions you have been sending us about electric cars, and with more and more manufacturers investing in and developing these vehicles, more questions are being raised.
This week the government announced it is pumping nearly £40m into improving the infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Milton Keynes ‘Mushrooms’ Charging Hub (Image: T. Larkum)
Business correspondent Theo Leggett and transport correspondent Tom Burridge have been answering some of the questions sent to us by BBC News online readers.
Phil: How much does it cost to put an electric charging point in your home?
Tom: The first thing to note is that the government provides a grant of £500. A basic charging unit can cost around the £700 mark so in that case you would have to pay the remaining £200.
However the price of installation can vary depending on how far the charging point is from the mains supply.
Faster charging units can cost around £1,500 (minus the £500 grant).
If you don’t buy a charging unit you can still charge your car from your mains supply using a simple bit of kit provided by the car manufacturer, but it will charge more slowly.
There is “brilliant” potential for vehicle-to-grid charging technologies to sweep the UK, but only if the industry can bring prices down.
That’s the view of Tom Pakenham, director of electric vehicles at OVO and Kaluza, who said that V2G technologies could “unlock the potential of the car in ways smart charging just doesn’t”.
Kaluza parent company OVO is one of a select few energy companies in the UK currently installing domestic V2G chargers in the UK and currently has around 30 installed, forming part of a major government-backed competition to help boost the technology.
OVO Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) charging (Image: T. Larkum/Fuel Included)
Pakenham says that expanding these technologies to a mass market of a million cars had the potential to be brilliant but, on top of ensuring that customers had the “right habits” and the right relationship with their supplier, technology costs would have to come down.
Mini’s first mass-production electric car will start from under £25k and will arrive in UK dealers in early 2020
Mini’s long-awaited first attempt at a mass production electric car has been revealed, mating the brand’s classic three-door hatchback with an electric powertrain offering Cooper S performance in a package claimed to be more affordable than every rival.
It has been dubbed the Mini Cooper S E in markets outside the UK, but the brand has chosen to retain the Mini Electric name in Britain to avoid confusion and clearly differentiate it from the standard range. However, the Cooper S badges will remain (alongside new E badging) to denote the performance level.
The most significant development, however, is the car’s relatively low price point: including the government grant for electric vehicles, it will start from around £24,400 – said to be less than an ‘equivalent spec level’ petrol Cooper S.
MINI Electric
Mini claims development of the Electric involved balancing the car’s ability to travel an acceptable distance on a charge for a car aimed at cities with the desired performance level and aggressive price point.
The compromise that results is a WLTP-certified range of 124-144 miles – about the same as the Honda E, but less than more mainstream rivals such as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e. It achieves this through a powertrain taken from the BMW i3s, making 181bhp and 199lb ft of torque.
That’s mated to a 32.6kWh battery mounted beneath the passenger seat in a T-shape. Unlike the i3, the motor powers the front wheels only. Resulting performance is strong for the class: 0-62mph takes 7.3sec, with the top speed limited to 93mph. Mini says it is also capable of charging from flat to 80% in 35 minutes via a 50kW charge point through a standard public charging cable. Via an 11kW wall box, 0-80% charge can be achieved in 150 minutes, or 210 minutes to full.
