Category Archives: Electric Cars

News and reviews of the latest electric cars (full electrics and plug-in hybrids).

The world needs cheap electric cars. That spells trouble for big carmakers

In 1913, Henry Ford’s moving assembly line transformed carmaking. Ford’s groundbreaking innovation drastically reduced the time it took to assemble a car, enabling mass production and slashing vehicle prices.

More than a century later, carmaking is undergoing a similarly seismic shift. Only this time, Ford Motor Company (F) is scrambling to catch up, rather than leading the charge.

Electric vehicles represent a fundamental shift in the technologies and manufacturing processes that have turned Ford and rivals such as Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen into the biggest car companies on the planet.

Established automakers have been racing to adapt at an enormous financial cost, but are still miles behind Tesla (TSLA) and a crop of new Chinese competitors, including BYD and Xpeng (XPEV).

The world needs affordable EVs more than ever as electric cars will play a big role in hcelping countries cut planet-heating pollution. But can automakers in Europe and the United States — where governments are already planning to ban or limit the sale of new gas and diesel cars — deliver them?

“Ultimately, some of these car companies that have been the cornerstone of how we’ve thought about cars for the last 100 years will be a fraction of their size in future,” said Gene Munster, a managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management.

Read more: CNN

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New AutoMotive: Why we’re refusing to throw in the towel and get the UK back on track to 2030

Last week, Rishi Sunak confirmed that he will reverse certain green targets. Amongst several policies that Sunak was willing to cut or delay, the phase out of petrol and diesel cars was put on the chopping block, with a confirmed five-year delay despite the [Conservative] government’s original target.

This move is not only unpopular with motorists, industry, and the wider public – it also raises economic concerns and threatens vital aspects of Britain’s industrial strategy moving forward.

 

From January 2018, no more new diesel taxis will be licensed in London

Electric vehicles are undeniably cheaper to run, contribute to improved air quality due to their lack of tailpipe emissions, and are increasingly preferred by drivers over their combustion counterparts. Our data at New AutoMotive shows that the UK could achieve an 85% electric vehicle (EV) market share by 2028 and is making consistent progress toward the goal of 300,000 public charge points. The UK is also the fifth best prepared nation for the EV transition, thanks to sensible and fact-driven policies implemented by Sunak’s predecessors.

Reacting to the news, the UK motor industry has criticised plans to water down policies. Kate Brankin, the chair of Ford UK, noted that the industry has already made considerable investments to meet the 2030 deadline, with a $50 billion commitment from Ford alone.

We were clear in our response that delaying the 2030 deadline would pull the rug out from under motorists and industry, and would deal a hammer blow to the UK’s leadership on climate change.

Read more: Current+

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A tyre company has been shortlisted for the £1m Earthshot prize

Enso Tyres’ ultra-durable compound for EVs – which helps reduce tyre emissions – recognised in climate solutions competition

The automotive industry rarely makes environmental headlines for positive reasons. But here comes a rare ray of sunshine: a tyre company has been listed for the 2023 Earthshot Prize.

Enso, a start-up company specialising in tyres for electric cars, has been recognised in the ‘Clean Our Air’ category for its work in trying to reduce particulate emissions from tyres. Enso’s approach is simple – increase tyre durability to decrease emissions (presumably at the expense of grip, although the tyres are A-rated for wet grip, so maybe something truly innovative is afoot).

Already in use in some electric taxis and delivery vehicles, trials by Transport for London suggest vehicles using Enso tyres have 35 per cent less particulate matter emissions and travel 10 per cent further.

TopGear.com has already seen them in action, helping a Renault Zoe to set a hypermiling world record back in 2021. Drive an LEVC taxi? You can buy a set of Enso tyres for £299. The rest of us will have to wait longer: Enso is hoping to be in a position to manufacture a million tyres a year by 2026.

Figures from Imperial College London suggest tyres “emit six million tonnes of pollution each year and more airborne particulate matter than all tailpipes combined”.

Read more: TopGear

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UK electric car sales risk falling further behind after Sunak U-turn, analysts say

Country already trails well behind Europe and PM’s backtracking on climate policies could widen the gap

The UK has fallen well behind the rest of Europe in the growth of electric vehicle sales and risks falling further back after Rishi Sunak’s “screeching U-turn” on its climate policies, according to industry analysts.

UK sales of electric vehicles grew by 31% in the 12 months to July, one of the slowest rates of growth in Europe, according to data analysed by Cornwall Insight and the law firm Shoosmiths.

The research revealed the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) growth rate fell well behind the near 61% increase in sales across the 27 EU nations. The report blamed a lack of public charging infrastructure in the UK, and warned that the government’s decision to delay a ban on the sale of new combustion engine vehicles could shake investor confidence.

The prime minister announced plans to push back the ban on new fossil fuel vehicles from 2030 until 2035 as part of a significant watering down of the government’s key climate policies designed to help Britain become net zero by 2050.

The unexpected U-turn has led to confusion among carmakers and electric vehicle infrastructure investors by raising uncertainty over how soon British drivers will make the switch to electric options. This could further delay expansion of charging networks, according to the report.

Read more: TheGuardian

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Most efficient electric cars

We crunch the numbers on the electric cars on sale today to see which come closest to hitting their advertised figures

Plenty of electric cars have impressive claimed range figures but managing to achieve them is another story. With the increasing number of EVs to choose from, buyers are hunting for the most energy-efficient electric cars to really make the most of their batteries between charges.

Electric car efficiency is measured by calculating its miles per kilowatt hour used, shortened to mpkWh. For example, a Volkswagen ID 3 with a 77kWh battery would require an efficiency of 4.5mpkWh to achieve its officially rated 347 miles of range.

Tesla Model 3 Unveil (Image: Tesla)
Tesla Model 3 Unveil (Image: Tesla)

A vehicle’s efficiency is affected in several different ways, with aspects such as weight proving to be a key factor in positively or negatively impacting range.

The Audi Q8 E-tron, for example, is powered by a 106kWh battery, but weighs a staggering 2585kg, meaning it can deliver only around 2.9mpkWh.

Larger, SUV-style electric cars are also usually impacted more by drag, which reduces their range compared with sleeker, more aerodynamic sports cars and hatchbacks.

The range and efficiency of electric cars are also heavily influenced by the weather conditions and outside temperatures. Warmer temperatures mean a battery’s chemical reactions can occur faster and offer higher range, whereas colder weather requires more energy, reducing range.

Read more: Autocar

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Why delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars won’t slow UK’s shift to electric vehicles

The UK has delayed its ban on the sale of new cars which burn petrol or diesel in internal combustion engines (ICE) from 2030 to 2035.

In some ways, this is no surprise: the original plan was to ban them from 2040, a deadline brought forward by the previous prime minister, Boris Johnson, in 2020. The new delay, confirmed this week by Rishi Sunak, had been rumoured in August.

But the decision still sends a confusing message from Sunak’s government, particularly for carmakers who on average take six-to-seven years to develop new vehicles, and need time to invest in new factories and train workers, as well as make the cars themselves.

For these manufacturers, certainty is key to their business. If they gear up to produce an all-electric fleet and suddenly buyers still want ICE vehicles and they haven’t produced enough, they will have stockpiles of unwanted cars which may have to be sold at a loss.

However, the good news is the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is already well under way in the UK. Research suggests it may now be unstoppable – regardless of what the government does.

How new technologies replace old ones

Any new technology follows a cycle of adoption that is difficult for government intervention to interrupt. The exception is for fast-acting bans, which attempt to immediately remove products deemed dangerous or harmful from a market.

Read more: TheConversation

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Electric cars approach ‘tipping point’ as battery prices plummet

‘The death of the internal combustion engine is near,’ says energy analyst

The cost of batteries fell by nearly 10 per cent in August, taking them past a key milestone that is seen by energy analysts as a “tipping point” to supercharge the transition to electric vehicles.

The price of lithium-ion battery cells, which power everything from smartphones to the International Space Station, fell below $100/ kilowatthour (kWh) last month – a 33 per cent drop from March 2022 and an 8.7 per cent month-on-month drop.


Energy analytics firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, who compiled the figures, noted that battery pack prices need to reach $100/kWh for electric vehicles to reach price parity with fossil fuel-burning vehicles.

“Decreasing cell prices could allow [manufacturers] to sell mass market electric vehicles at comparable prices to internal combustion engine vehicles, with the same margin, improving the attractiveness of the EV transition for both consumers and automakers,” said Benchmark analyst Evan Hartley.

“Falling cell prices are of particular concern for companies investing in cell production outside of China, particularly when there is already concern surrounding the profitability of factories in regions such as Europe.”

The drop in price could also have implications for other technologies, the report noted, including for solar and wind installations that need to store excess energy during periods of overproduction.

Read more:

UK EV market entering ‘new phase’, says SMMT

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has said that the UK electric vehicle (EV) market has now left the ‘early adopter’ phase.

The trade association stated that the UK EV market is now “entering a new phase” as it is anticipating the clean mobility solution to reach an almost 18% market share by the end of 2023.

EVs in the UK have been growing in popularity due to a number of incentives and legislation, particularly the 2030 ban on the sale of fossil fuel powered internal combustion engines (ICEs).

The result, according to SMMT, has seen more than 800,000 EVs registered – a staggering 21-fold increase since 2018 when it had a market share of 0.7%.

The electrification of fleets is said to be “leading” the transition, SMMT said, but the end of private consumer incentives is currently undermining mass market demand.

Highlighting this issue, the trade body’s research shows that two thirds of drivers want to go electric but are being held back by lack of incentives and infrastructure. However, when drivers do adopt an EV, nine in 10 state they would “never go back” to a conventionally fuelled vehicle.

One of the biggest issues in the adoption of EVs cited by SMMT is affordability and uncertainty regarding the availability of a nationwide charging network.

Read more: Current+

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Octopus Energy to double the export rate of its EV tariff

Octopus Energy has confirmed that it will almost double the export rate of its electric vehicle (EV) tariff ‘Octopus Go’ to 8p/kWh.

The export rate for Octopus Go, which provides cost-effective overnight charging for EVs, was previously priced at 4.1p/kWh for exported electricity via the company’s Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff.

Copyright: maridav / 123RF Stock Photo

But through the introduction of the new export tariff ‘Outgoing Fixed Lite’, those customers with solar panels and an EV will now receive 8p for each kWh exported back to the grid via vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. Octopus stated that the use of this tariff could see an average household make an additional £66 a year.

“Octopus Energy is the number one EV tariff provider for a reason. Thanks to our customers and their EVs helping balance the grid at night, we’ve continued to unlock savings to pass on to our greenest customers. Octopus Go customers with solar panels will now earn twice as much money for the energy they export back to the grid – it certainly pays to be green,” said Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy.

Last week, Octopus Energy announced a number of initiatives to support EV drivers, including a new 15p per kWh export tariff, and a community energy EV charging partnership with Co Charger.

Read more: Current+

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As prices fall, two thirds of global car sales could be EVs by 2030, study says

LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Spurred by falling battery prices, electric vehicles could hit price parity with fossil-fuel models in Europe in 2024 and the U.S. market in 2026, and account for two thirds of global car sales by 2030, according to new research.

A report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) on Thursday predicts battery costs should halve this decade, from $151 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2022 to between $60 and $90 per kWh, making EVs “for the first time as cheap to buy as petrol cars in every market by 2030 as well as cheaper to run.”

Batteries are expensive and account for around 40% of an EV’s price tag, a cost that has so far made them unaffordable for many consumers.

But those prices are steadily coming down as carmakers invest in new battery chemistries, materials and software to make more efficient EVs, RMI senior principal Kingsmill Bond told Reuters.

According to RMI’s analysis, the rapid growth of electric models in Europe and China “implies that EV sales will increase at least six-fold by 2030, to enjoy a market share of 62% to 86% of sales.”

EV sales in the European Union jumped almost 61% in July versus the same month in 2022, accounting for 13.6% of all car sales.

The European Union aims to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel models from 2035.

Read more: Reuters

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