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EVIOS acquires Andersen EV to bolster chargepoint business

November 8, 2022Andersen, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

EV chargepoint manufacturer EVIOS has confirmed the acquisition of Andersen EV, a home charging company.

Under the agreement, the two brands will co-exist, serving different parts of the EV market and benefit from shared investment in technology, installation personnel and customer support.

EVIOS was founded by former founder and CEO of Chargemaster, David Martell. In April, Martell said EVIOS had designed its charger to meet six key criteria; to be hassle free, suitable for shared parking, to automatically link to off-peak electricity tariffs, integrate with solar installations, present information in understandable terms and to be affordable.

Securing Andersen will see production of the company’s A2 product recommence immediately with all associated customer support services to be merged with the existing operation at EVIOS’s Bedfordshire-based headquarters.

“Andersen’s design-led positioning complements our leadership in technology and functionality and running both brands in parallel will help us to serve an even broader range of customers,” said David Martell, chief executive of EVIOS.

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Electric cars to solar panels: tax breaks in Biden’s climate law for Americans

August 30, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar Power, UncategorizedRepost

The giant $369bn bill signed by the president on Monday promises to bring big savings by offering tax rebates for green investments

The giant climate bill signed by Joe Biden on Tuesday is set to touch upon myriad aspects of Americans’ lives, helping shape everything from the cars they drive to the stovetops in their kitchens.

Biden has lauded the $369bn of climate spending in the Inflation Reduction Act as the “largest investment ever in combatting the existential crisis of climate change” and predicted it will save people hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs. This claim is based upon a series of investments aimed at shifting buying habits away from a polluting status quo towards cleaner, electrified vehicles and appliances.

A US household could save $1,800 on their energy costs each year, according to a recent estimate, although this would require the installation of electric heat pumps for hot water and air conditioning, replacing a gasoline-powered car with an electric vehicle and installing solar panels on the roof.

But even without these modifications, the climate bill is expected to lower costs by funneling support to renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar, that will provide a less price volatile source of electricity than gas, coal and oil.

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Charge Of The “LEAF Brigade” Kept Small Towns In The Philippines Connected After Super Typhoon Rai

August 25, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, UncategorizedRepost

In December of 2021, super typhoon “Odette” (international codename Rai) battered many provinces in the Visayas, the second largest cluster of islands in the Philippines, as it made landfall on and first ravaged the tourist town of Siargao, known for its pristine beaches and surfing. Rai devastated many other provinces in the region including the province of Tacloban, Leyte, still recovering 7 years after the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan (local codename “Yolanda”), and the chocolate capital of the Philippines, Bohol.

As Odette rumbled through the Visayas, it took particular interest in Bohol and Cebu. And as it intensified into the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of some 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour) sweeping across an area some 600 miles on both sides. By the time it exited the Philippines a day later, it had destroyed over 80,000 homes and displaced some 481,000 people in Cebu alone. In total, some 992,000 homes were damaged and 368,000 completely destroyed in the whole region, according to the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).

The most immediate requirement was shelter, power, and water. For power, the most immediate solution was solar power kits which could run one household each. Big business and several non-government organizations and church groups chipped in for most of the needs.

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Range anxiety: here’s what happens when an electric car runs out

August 24, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

What is range anxiety? Here’s what happens when an electric car’s battery runs out – and what you should do if it happens

You’re sure to have heard of the term ‘range anxiety’ – this refers to the stress of running out of electricity in a car powered solely by batteries. Since it’s not possible to nip to the petrol station and fill a can of electricity like you can with conventional cars, it’s more worrying to think about running out of power in an electric car.

It was a major worry in the early days of electric cars. Early models like the Peugeot iOn and the first Nissan Leaf had small batteries and limited range, and public chargers were few and far between. Not every station was compatible with your car, either, while charging took a long time.

It’s becoming less of an issue with each new generation of electric cars – these days, even the affordable Renault ZOE can manage 245 miles, while high-end models like the latest Teslas can exceed 350 miles (check out our list of the longest-range electric cars for more). The MINI Electric, meanwhile, has a small range but an accurate range estimate – so it won’t surprise you by dropping suddenly.

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The MG 4 EV will start at just under £26k in the UK

August 23, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Maker of affordable EVs unveils tempting prices for its new 281-mile electric hatch

It’s been a busy week for the new-age MG. After releasing an extremely low-resolution teaser video of its upcoming flagship electric sports car, it has now confirmed pricing for the 4 EV hatchback…

And it’s good news for all those interested in genuinely affordable electric cars, because prices will apparently start at £25,995 for the base-spec SE Standard Range, rising to £28,495 for the SE Long Range and £31,495 for the all-you-can-eat Trophy Long Range.

The former of those three gets a 51kWh battery and a decent 218 miles of range, while the SE Long Range and Trophy Long Range make use of a bigger 64kWh unit that can rapid-charge at speeds of up to 135kW. MG says range for those two specs is 281 miles and 270 miles respectively.

Like what you’re hearing? It’s worth remembering now the Government’s Plug-in Car Grant has been ditched, a boggo Nissan Leaf starts at £28,995 and comes with a 39kWh battery for just 168 miles of range.

As with the 5 EV electric estate, MG will throw in a load of kit on the 4 including a 10.25-inch central infotainment screen and a 7.0-inch driver display. You’ll get a seven-year warranty too, plus a choice of six different exterior colours from launch. Our advice? Spec the Volcano Orange you see above.

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Renault ZOE hatchback review

August 22, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Uncategorized, ZOERepost

“The Renault ZOE is a stylish electric supermini that’s affordable and has a decent range, making it very convincing”

Renault prides itself on being at the forefront of electric car development and the ZOE is the first electric car to offer a real zero-emissions alternative to regular family superminis. This is thanks to its relatively low purchase price and packaging that broadly matches the Renault Clio for practicality.

The introduction of the latest ZOE in 2019 brought a welcome increase in power, along with styling changes, a simplified range structure and updated infotainment system, improving what was already a quite appealing electric-car proposition. Its low-mounted battery pack has the dual advantages of increasing interior space and lowering the ZOE’s centre of gravity; the car is rewarding to drive around town as a result.

2020 Renault Zoe (Image: Renault) — The improved Renault Zoe has a longer range and posher interior (Image: Renault)

ZOE line-up was revised with the battery leasing option being discontinued. Now every ZOE comes with the battery pack included, putting it on a level playing field with new rivals like the Peugeot e-208, Vauxhall Corsa-e, Honda e and MINI Electric.

Its 52kWh battery offers a claimed range of up to 239 miles of range on a charge and can be charged from 0-80% in around an hour and ten minutes using a 50kW charger – although this is only feasible on version with the R135 Rapid Charge powertrain that have the CCS fast-charging capability. The quoted range is more likely in good conditions, and this new model shouldn’t drop as much range in winter as the old version.

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Renault e-trucks to pick up dirty linen in a move to decarbonise

August 19, 2022Electric Vans, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Renault, UncategorizedRepost

French company Elis has acquired eleven electric trucks from Renault Trucks. The textile service will use the new EVs for night-time delivery and collection of linen from Elis customers in the hotel and catering sector in Paris and Clermont-Ferrand.

Elis reasons that low-emission zones in Paris and Clermont-Ferrand have made this a necessary step in line with its CSR commitments. The eleven electric trucks of type E-Tech DE will travel more than 100 km daily and serve around 700 customers weekly. Elis has installed AC charging infrastructure at its laundry centres.

The company committed to decarbonising by 2025. Accordingly, the new Renault EVs follow purchases Ellis made for another three sites in France, where they acquired ten new light electric vehicles. The company would not disclose details but added that another eight Renault Zoe cars were also in operation.

As for the new Renault electric trucks, the manufacturer offers lithium-ion batteries from 200 to 400 kWh to enable ranges of up to 400 kilometres. The 16-ton vehicles have a 185 kW electric motor (maximum output), and Renault specifies the continuous line at 130 kW. The maximum torque is 425 Nm. The payload is up to 11 tons.

Renault is also accelerating the decarbonisation of its operations and aims to make electric vehicles the new standard. The company targets realising half of its sales volume electrically by 2030.

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The best used electric cars to buy right now

August 17, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Uncategorized, ZOERepost

Suddenly feeling the urge to go green? It needn’t be as boring as you think…

Up to £15,000 – Renault Zoe

Hard to think that Renault’s electric runabout has been around for well over 15 years, if you count the original Zoe City Car concept. It’s undergone a fair number of changes over the years and yet it still manages to keep up with the ever changing – and ever expanding – EV market.

The Zoe proved that you didn’t need to spend Tesla money, or buy a Reeva G-Wiz, to live the affordable EV life. It launched with a 22kWh lithium-ion battery pack that, admittedly, offered a relatively underwhelming 130 miles of range under the, er, optimistic NEDC standards. This was later updated in 2016 to a 41kWh pack with a far more respectable range of 250 miles. These are now available for under £15,000 and are arguably the sweet spot if you’re hunting for a cheap-yet-dependable EV.

For £14,200, you can grab this 41kWh Zoe Dynamic Nav, which comes loaded with kit such as a 7.0-inch touchscreen, sat nav and climate control (just be careful how you use it). Bear in mind it’s a battery lease vehicle, meaning you’ll have to pay a monthly fee (starting from £49pm) to use the thing, but in the grand scheme of things it’ll work out cheaper for most over those where the battery was bought outright. It’s a similar story with the Nissan Leaf, which can be had for comparable money to the Zoe, but you’ll be looking at one of the older models with a smaller range. For cheap EV ownership, nothing beats a Zoe.

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‘Brilliant’: Electric car owners could charge for free using hack as charging costs rise

August 16, 2022Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

ELECTRIC car owners without off-street parking are paying up to £1,320 a year to charge, but a clever hack could allow them to charge for free.

With inflation at its highest in 30 years and public charging costs rising fast, many drivers across the UK may be concerned about their finances in the future. New data has found that an electric car could cost an average driver without access to off-street parking up to £1,320 per year to “fuel”.

This is more than £1,155 more than those with a driveway, based on average charging costs.

This is still cheaper than the cost of refuelling a petrol car, but owners can top up for free, according to Electrifying.com.

Supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi all offer free charging at many stores across the country, which could help to offset the rising cost of food bills.

The National Trust also has free charging at 36 of its English and Welsh properties.

Many hotels across the UK also offer their customers free charging.

In some instances, car dealerships will have charge points which customers will be able to access.

According to Zap Map, as of June this year, nearly 5,500 of the 35,000 public charge points across the UK were free to use.

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New Research Found That People Who Commute by Car Can Be Subject To Harmful Gases Than Those Who Walk to Work

August 15, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, UncategorizedRepost

Active Commuters Experience Better Air Quality than Car Drivers

The study was carried out by University of Leicester academics in collaboration with Leicester City Council, and it was released in the Journal of Transport & Health, as cited by Phys.org

Researchers discovered that weekday morning commuters commuting by automobile had greater in-cabin levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) than their counterparts going by bike or foot.

NO2 is a major indication of air quality and is detrimental to people when breathed in.

However, it was discovered that drivers had a somewhat lower concentration of small particulate matter (PM2.5).

To evaluate the amounts of NO2 and PM2.5, researchers used backpack-mounted air quality sensors to collect data on four typical routes taken by commuters in Leicester between the suburbs and the city center.

The Nissan Leaf electric car’s cabin also had the same gadgets installed.

To measure driver exposure to contaminants without the car’s exhaust interfering, an electric vehicle was employed.

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