Category Archives: Tesla

News and reviews of Tesla electric cars (including plug-in hybrids).

Help middle-class drivers make the switch to used EVs, says Auto Trader

February 14, 2023Buying/Leasing, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, I-PACE, Jaguar Land Rover, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Middle-class households will need incentives to buy used EVs in order to meet climate targets.

That’s according to Auto Trader, which says the government is falling short on making the uptake of used cars, particularly used ones, attractive, unlike abroad.

Used EV demand is said to be dropping thanks to increasing electricity prices, and the cost of used EVs, especially luxury ones, has dropped, with The Times reporting the average price of a used Jaguar I-Pace, pictured, to have decreased by 14.6 per cent in a year, while the Tesla Model X is down by 12.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, the price of a used Nissan Leaf has gone down by 1.6 per cent, while the cost of a Smart ForTwo has dropped by 1.3 per cent.

Jaguar I-PACE at Fully Charged Live show (Image: T. Larkum)

A working group has been set up by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles to look at the used EV market, including how to stimulate demand, and Auto Trader warns in a report that ‘with supply ahead of demand, the used electric vehicle market needs urgent attention to address the imbalance’.

Auto Trader brand director Marc Palmer was quoted by The Times as saying: ‘What we really need is more mainstream demand.

‘We need middle-income households to be able to access electric cars and to be reassured electricity is OK.

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Hyundai Ioniq 6 UK first drive

February 8, 2023Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, TeslaRepost

Sleek Ioniq 5 sibling finally reaches the UK to take on the Tesla Model 3

Last year, the Toyota GR86 famously sold out in just 90 minutes, giving Glastonbury a run for its money in the popularity stakes. But there was another fast-selling in-demandcar that slipped under most people’s radar: the Hyundai Ioniq 6 First Edition, which was all gone in just 24 hours.

Granted, that’s not quite Billie Eilish fast, but for an electric car, and a Hyundai at that, it’s still some statement. As a result of its global popularity and the (yawn) ongoing supply problems, we’re only just getting into a first review of the car in the UK, despite it being available in Korea back in October. The proper dealer allocation won’t even come through until March, with UK prices for the Ioniq 6 starting at £46,745

What can people expect when it does finally arrive? Certainly one of the more individually styled cars on the road. I was in the design preview briefing for the Ioniq 5 with Hyundai chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke and thought at the time that car was punchy, but on the road the 6 is arguably even more distinctive, with its streamliner profile and twin-deck rear.

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Sales of new electric cars in the UK overtakes diesel vehicles for the first time

January 27, 2023Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Tesla, VauxhallRepost

The month of December 2022 saw battery electric vehicles claim their largest ever monthly market share

Sales of electric cars in the UK are growing so fast that they have now overtaken diesel vehicles to become the second most popular type of new vehicle, behind petrol.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported that greening of the British car market continues, with a record low overall level of emissions recorded in 2022 – 111g of carbon dioxide emitted per km travelled on average, a fraction of the level of only a few years ago.

Vauxhall Corsa-e (Image: Vauxhall.co.uk)

The month of December 2022 saw battery electric vehicles (BEVs) claim their largest ever monthly market share, of 32.9 per cent while for 2022 as a whole, they comprised 16.6 per cent of registrations.

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling electric car in Britain, and the third best selling car overall, behind the Nissan Qashqai and Vauxhall Corsa (both now with electrified versions).

The growth in electric sales is largely due to fleet and business users – the private car buyer remains more sceptical, fearful of range and difficulties in finding public charging stations.

The government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy forecasts that the UK would require between 300,000 and 720,000 chargepoints by 2030.

Meeting just the lower number would still require more than 100 new chargers to be installed every single day: the current rate is around 23 per day.

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Britons buy more electric cars in March than in whole of 2019

April 15, 2022Buying/Leasing, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla, UncategorizedRepost

Overall new car sales slump as petrol and diesel prices soar in Ukraine crisis

British drivers bought more electric cars in March alone than in the whole of 2019 even as the broader market slumped, according to figures that underline the accelerating pace of the UK’s transition away from internal combustion engines.

There were 39,315 new battery electric vehicle registrations during the month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. In 2019 there were 37,850 electric sales.

Evidence of soaring demand for battery electric cars – which will become the most popular fuel type as soon as 2025 according to some analysts – has provided a bright spot for the car industry at a time when it has struggled for more than a year with computer chip supply bottlenecks.

Across electric and fossil fuel cars in total, the number of sales in the UK in March was the lowest for the month in 24 years.

March is an important month for the UK car industry, when buyers queue up for the latest number plates – a status symbol that can also help sustain secondhand values for a few months longer.

The slump in new car registrations, down 14% compared with March 2021, follows two months of year-on-year sales increases. The industry is concerned that it has missed a period of strong demand – buoyed up by household savings during pandemic lockdowns – and will be under pressure as household finances are squeezed by rising prices across the economy.

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UK Plugin EV Share Doubles To 26% As Tesla Model Y Debuts

March 24, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, LEVC, Model Y, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla, UncategorizedRepost

The UK, Europe’s second largest plugin market, saw electric vehicle share almost double year on year to 25.6% in February. Full electrics alone took 17.7% share. Overall auto volume was down some 28% over seasonal norms, to 58,994 units. Debuting in February after a long wait, the Tesla Model Y was the best selling electric, and 4th in the overall market.

February’s combined plugin result of 25.6% comprised 17.7% full battery electrics (BEVs), and 7.9% plugin hybrids (PHEVs). This strong weighting towards BEV is in line with recent months.

Petrol-only powertrain share was down to 40.6%, its second lowest ever (from last December), a significant fall off from the 52.1% of February 2021.

The temporary “quick fix” transition technology of plugless hybrids (both HEV and mild) may have already peaked, seeing 27.2% in February, from over 30% in mid 2021.

UK’s Popular BEV Brands

With Tesla’s international shipping arriving again in February, and after a long wait, the Tesla Model Y saw its UK debut. It took the number one spot for best selling BEVs in the month, and #4 in the overall UK auto market. Its older sibling, the Model 3 was right behind, at #5 overall.

For context, here’s the list for February’s overall auto market leaders (all powertrains):

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Europe: Plug-In Cars Captured 26% Market Share In November 2021

February 9, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Tesla Supercharging Station at Westfield, London (Image: Tesla)

The #1 seller for the year is already decided, but the race for #2 between the Volkswagen ID.3 and Renault ZOE is still on.

November has been the slowest month in terms of new passenger car registrations in Europe for about 30 years, as the volume decreased 18% year-over-year to 864,000.

However, plug-in electric car sales still increase, which combined with ICE’s backpedaling, translates into a significant increase in market share.

According to EV Volumes’ data, in November, some 221,828 new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered, which is 33% more than a year ago.

The market share stands at 26%! As it turns out, the all-electric cars alone took 15%!

See more sales reports for Europe here.

An interesting thing is that the all-electric cars are not only in the majority but also grow quickly (by 59% year-over-year), while plug-in hybrids are up only 7%.

So far this year, over 1.99 million passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in Europe. That’s also 18.4% of the total market (9.6% BEVs). BEVs account for 52% of the plug-ins, which is over 1 million.

The most popular models

The Tesla Model 3 was the most registered EV in November with 10,912 units – good enough to become #12 overall in Europe. The Model 3 is also the #1 EV year-to-date (115,485) with a huge advantage over other models that we can already safely say that it’s the best-selling car of 2021.

The second best last month was the Renault ZOE (8,888), which reduced the year-to-date gap to the Volkswagen ID.3 to a point at which it can become the second best-selling EV of 2021 in Europe. A lot depends on the December result.

The third most registered model happens to be the Dacia Spring (5,161). Then there are crossover/SUVs: Tesla Model Y (5,437), Skoda Enyaq iV (5,249) and Volkswagen ID.4 (4,900).

The Ford Kuga PHEV (Ford Escape PHEV in the U.S.) basically has secured the title of best selling PHEV of 2021.

Among the new models, we can see 3,989 Hyundai Ioniq 5, 2,651 Kia EV6 and 846 Cupra Born (Volkswagen ID.3’s cousin).

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Tesla’s Model 3 is a ‘mind blowing’ cop car

January 24, 2022Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

The UK police’s trial of the electric vehicle is getting rave reviews from officers and the public, it says

Tesla says 9 month UK trial of a Model 3 as a patrol car has had ‘great results’
Fully-electric vehicle can be used for 4 hours in ‘advanced driving conditions’
Officers recharging the car during shifts, taking 20 minutes to boost batteries
If rolled out nationwide by forces, Tesla says it would lose the roof light bars
Says blue-and-twos mounted on the roof act like a parachute and impact range

Tesla police cars could soon be a common sight on our road if reported positive reviews from UK forces are to be believed.

The US firm provided a £60,000 police-liveried Model 3 to be used by forces up and down the country earlier this year, with Tesla claiming it has received ‘mind blowing’ reports from officers as well as public support.

A synopsis of the first nine months of the trial published this week says the electric cars are capable of running for up to four hours of continuous ‘advanced driving conditions’ and says charging during shifts has been working with officers plugging into the brand’s Supercharger network.

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Tesla Model 3 becomes best-selling vehicle (not just electric) in Europe

November 10, 2021Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Sales, TeslaRepost

The Tesla Model 3 has become the first all-electric car to become the best-selling vehicle in Europe.

However, that’s on a monthly basis and Tesla’s deliveries vary widely on a monthly basis.

Last quarter, Tesla delivered a record number of vehicles – getting close to a quarter of million vehicles.

Strong performance in all of Tesla’s major markets contributed to the new record.

We previously reported on China and the US contributing significantly, but now new data from Europe is showing how well Tesla is doing in the market.

JATO Dynamics published a list of the top-selling vehicles in Europe in September based on registration data.

The Tesla Model 3 became the best-selling vehicle on the continent last month:

Tesla Model 3: 24,591
Renault Clio: 18,264
Dacia Sandero: 17,988
Volkswagen Golf: 17,507
Fiat/Abarth 500: 16,349
Opel/Vauxhall Corsa: 15,502
Peugeot 2008: 14,931
Hyundai Tucson: 14,088
Peugeot 208: 13,895
Renault Captur: 13,715
As you can see, there is no other all-electric vehicle in the top 10.

Model 3 is the best-selling electric car in Europe by a wide margin and the Model Y actually comes in second:

Tesla Model 3: 24,419
Tesla Model Y: 8,906
Volkswagen ID.3: 8,263
Renault Zoe: 6,577
Skoda Enyaq: 5,913

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Why Toyota Has Got It Wrong On Electric Cars

November 1, 2021Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla, ToyotaRepost

Over the last few years, a war has been brewing between Toyota and battery electric vehicles, particularly those produced by Tesla.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda (grandson of the company’s founder) has been openly vocal in his criticism of Tesla and its upstart nature compared to the traditional incumbents. Most recently, though, the rhetoric has taken a more desperate tone, and a much more worrying one for the future of the Japanese giant.

Akio Toyoda has now widened his criticism from Tesla to the whole plan surrounding the transition to electric vehicles as a means to reduce carbon emissions. His argument isn’t about the environment, however. It’s about how many jobs will be lost in the Japanese car manufacturing industry from a switch to BEVs. He seems to be basing this on what Toyota in particular manufactures – fossil fuel vehicles made a little greener with hybrid drivetrains. Battery-electric vehicles require fewer laborers to make and have fewer parts, so the third-party supplier ecosystem is smaller too. Also, Toyota hardly makes any of them.

It is a valid concern that the switch to BEVs can have a major impact on employment. German car companies have been having the same concerns. This has been worrying German auto labor unions and this is one reason cited for BMW’s hiccup in its plan towards electrification, which had started so well with the i3. But the growth in BEV sales worldwide, particularly in Europe and China, has convinced vehicle manufacturers in Germany and France that this is a bandwagon they need to be on for existential reasons, whatever the short-term costs. Toyota, in contrast, has only released one BEV so far, the Lexus UX300e, and merely teased further BEVs such as the bZ4X, with no clear launch date.

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Tesla, Powerwalls, Ford Hybrids, Green Energy Save Texans Amid Blackout

March 17, 2021Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

As it turns out, renewable energy is helping to keep some people warm and alive in Texas.

As we reported yesterday, people in Texas are in danger due to extreme winter weather, power outages, and contaminated water. Their houses are dangerously cold, they don’t have the ability to boil water, and some don’t have access to water at all.

While many people don’t have a warm place to sleep, some Tesla owners are camping out in their garages, in their Tesla vehicles. Unlike a gas car, you can run an electric car in the garage without fear of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Tesla Texans have taken to various social media platforms to share just how their electric cars have saved their families.

Some Tesla owners own more than just a Tesla car or SUV, but rather a solar roof and Powerwall battery energy storage unit. People who have solar panels of any kind on their home, especially if they have the means to store energy, are much better off than those relying on the failing Texas grid.

People are concerned that Texas won’t update and winterize the grid appropriately, which means this will happen again. Next time, they need to be better prepared. If their state and its leaders aren’t willing to take care of them, they have to plan ahead to take care of themselves. Interestingly, at least one official in Texas told citizens the problem is not the local government’s responsibility, and they should “fend for themselves.” He resigned shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, people from all over the country have reached out to help. After Ford North America Product Communications manager Mike Levine posted the first tweet below, he took it a step further, with a few more related tweets.

Ford is even requesting that its Texas dealerships loan out any available vehicles that may be able to help people, such as F150s with built-in generators.

Some Tesla Energy owners have been sharing information related to their solar systems and Powerwalls. Despite the winter weather, they’re still able to capture energy during the day and store it for many hours of relief.

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