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Volkswagen already sold out of electric cars for 2022

May 13, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Uncategorized, VolkswagenRepost

Volkswagen is “basically sold out” of electric cars for this year in Europe and the USA, according to Group CEO Herbert Diess, as persistent bottlenecks in the supply chain are affecting global production.

In the first quarter, the Wolfsburg-based group handed over 99,100 BEVs to customers worldwide across all brands. In Western Europe alone, the order backlog for the electric vehicle models stands at 300,000 vehicles, Diess now stated in the context of the announcement of the business figures for the first quarter of 2022. Customers who now place orders for electric cars in Europe and the USA would not receive their vehicles before 2023.

VW’s 99,100 BEVs made it the world’s second-largest EV manufacturer in Q1 in terms of volume – but market leader Tesla delivered more than three times as many vehicles to customers, with over 300,000 units.

VW is targeting a total of around 700,000 electric vehicle sales for 2022 as a whole. However, production has been hampered, especially in China, where only 28,800 electric cars were sold in the first quarter due to pandemic-related lockdowns.

Volkswagen ID 4 (Image: Volkswagen.co.uk)

Despite the restrictions in China and the shortfalls in Europe due to a lack of Ukrainian-made wiring harnesses, Diess said demand had remained robust. “We have very high order books and […] order intake on electric vehicles,” Diess added. “That accounts for all of our models from ID.3, ID.4, the Audi models — [all] are extremely well received in the markets, Škoda models are also very well received in Europe.”

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Oil has long been used as a geopolitical weapon. Could electrified transport change that?

May 11, 2022News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Petroleum industry associated with wild price swings and armed conflict

Climate scientists have been clear that if we want to reduce carbon emissions and slow the pace of global warming, one crucial step is moving from a transportation system run on fossil fuels to one powered by electricity.

But it’s possible that doing so might neutralize other toxic aspects of the petroleum industry, such as volatile prices and armed conflict.

The sun sets on drilling (Image: Pexels)

“The ability to electrify transportation and get off combusting fossil fuels, and oil specifically, means we would solve massive geopolitical problems, which have been just a plague for the last 100 years,” said Adam Scott, executive director of Shift, a Toronto-based charity that advocates for sustainable investing.

Oil has always been an impetuous commodity, susceptible to wild price swings owing to a variety of economic and political factors. But between the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the last couple of years have been especially nervy.

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Electric vehicles: separating the fact from the fiction and scaremongering

May 10, 2022Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

The transport industry is currently on the precipice of a revolution. 27% of all emissions in the UK come from transport, meaning it is a race against time to decarbonise. This revolution is most apparent with the fast roll-out of electric passenger vehicles. Data from New AutoMotive shows that over 190,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in the UK last year, making up 11.65% of the new car market, just nudging past the diesel share. 2022 looks set to be another record-breaking year for EV sales, but it could be even higher with the right government policies. Despite the fact that EVs are a hugely popular practical solution to the climate crisis, considerable misinformation is stalling progress.

Common anti-EV myths

The term ‘technology agnostic policy’, for the most part, is the strategy the UK government is implementing in order to reach the Net Zero by 2050 target. They are not choosing a certain technology to get us there but simply pushing the market to reach the target in the most viable way possible. However, a common criticism levelled at the transition to electric is that the market is being artificially pushed by the government and neither the market nor consumers want this change. The reality is that these things are not mutually exclusive and in order for a fairly distributed transition to occur some government intervention is necessary. Over 40 countries have signed up to gasoline and diesel phase-outs and many major OEMs have pledged to transition to an all-electric fleet. And the customers have followed in increasing numbers—an estimated 4.2 million EVs were sold worldwide last year.

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Electric car cost advantage over petrol grows amid energy market turmoil

May 9, 2022News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Exclusive: Research finds fuel price surge due to war in Ukraine means it now costs £600 less to drive an electric car for a year

Driving an electric car for a year costs almost £600 less than its petrol equivalent after fuel prices surged more than electricity costs, research by the comparison website Compare the Market has found.

Electric vehicles were already cheaper to run, according to figures shared with the Guardian, but the gap has widened significantly amid turmoil in global energy markets caused by the war in Ukraine.

The average annual cost of driving an electric vehicle is £1,264, Compare the Market found, compared with £1,834 for a petrol car.

Running either kind of vehicle is markedly more expensive than a year ago.

Petrol prices hit record highs in March and have dropped only slightly this month, while the new price cap on domestic energy bills, which came in on 1 April, has brought with it higher electricity costs.

Petrol cars registered the biggest cost increase, up by more than £300 from £1,530, while electric car ownership is £137 more expensive than in 2021. The change means the cost advantage of an electric car has widened from £403 to £570.

The figures take into account average costs for insurance, MOT and fuel, as well as vehicle excise duty of £165 for a petrol car, a tax from which electric cars are exempt.

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EVs dominate 2022 World Car Awards

May 6, 2022Electric Cars, Hyundai, Ioniq 5, IONIQ Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

In a nod to the assured arrival of the battery-electric age, electrified vehicles swept the World Car Awards presented at the New York Auto Show this week.

This year marks the first that EVs dominated the annual awards, which are presented at the show every spring. The awards, which are chosen by 102 jurors from 33 countries (including myself), underscore the industry’s acceleration toward electrification.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 took top honors, claiming three of the awards’ six categories: World Car of the Year, World Electric Car and World Car Design. Hyundai’s newest EV bested the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Kia EV6 from its sister brand to earn the top title.

The crossover represents the automaker’s next-generation mobility strategy, with efficient powertrain technology, cutting-edge features and futuristic utilitarian design.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS, the futuristic, electrified version of the automaker’s S-Class executive sedan, was named World Luxury Car for its performance and premium cabin.

As World Performance Car, the Audi e-tron GT couples sporty performance with everyday usability. “Our big goal with the Audi e-tron GT was to reimagine the gran turismo philosophy for the electric age,” says Christiane Zorn, Audi’s head of product marketing.

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The Toyota bZ4X: Solidly middling EV

May 5, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Toyota, UncategorizedRepost

The bZ4X leaves us wondering who Toyota made this for?

Toyota isn’t the first automotive brand that pops to mind when it comes to battery electric vehicles.

Toyota might be the largest automaker in the world — reportedly selling more than 9.5 million vehicles globally and stealing the crown from Volkswagen Group — but the company has been markedly absent from the battery electric vehicle (BEV) space.

That is, until the 2023 Toyota bZ4X came along.

Toyota has shown off 30 different hybrid, battery-electric and alternative powertrain concepts in everything from a pickup to a sports car and has promised to deliver them all by 2030. The company has even committed a whooping $17.6 billion investment in battery technology and announced that it will build a battery plant in North Carolina.

For now, the 2023 Toyota bZ4X is the lone representative of the company’s EV plans — an awkwardly named crossover that raises some questions about what the company really believes to be the future of battery-electric vehicles and just how committed they are to the entire thing.

TechCrunch, along with other media, had a chance to get a first drive of the Toyota bZ4X. Here’s what we found.

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Study breaks down electric cars against their petrol equivalents

May 4, 2022Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

The LV= Electric Car Cost Index, created in partnership with Euan McTurk of Plug Life Consulting, has explored the purchase price, tax, insurance, fuel, and maintenance costs for 13 pure electric cars against their petrol or diesel equivalents to establish the total cost of ownership. It found that the Nissan Leaf, MG5 Long Range Excite, and the Mini Electric Level 1 were three of the best value electric cars for drivers considering going green.

The same three electric cars turned out cheaper whether bought, leased, or financed via PCP agreement.

All 13 electric cars analysed were cheaper than their petrol or diesel equivalent models if bought upfront, saving drivers £3,862 over the average ownership period of seven years. Seven of the 13 were cheaper across a four-year lease term, while four were cheaper on a three-year PCP agreement.

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World’s Electric Vehicle Fleet Will Soon Surpass 20 Million

May 3, 2022Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, MINI, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

The world is about to pass an important milestone in electric vehicle adoption, which will help combat the rise in worldwide emissions

Pandemic restrictions in 2020 caused the largest absolute drop in carbon-dioxide pollution from energy use since the Second World War. However, lockdowns eventually lifted, and as economic activity picked up, emissions resumed quickly by the year’s end. In December, worldwide emissions were 2% higher than the same month in 2019, according to new data from the International Energy Agency.

On the other hand, electricity generated from the sun and wind reached a record 20% of the mix of global energy sources for the first time, and electric vehicles (EVs) sold in record numbers.

At the moment, the world is about to pass an important milestone in electric vehicle adoption: 20 million plug-in vehicles are on the road globally, according to BNEF estimates. That’s a remarkable growth from only 1 million EVs on roads in 2016.

In the second half of 2022, almost a million EVs a month will be added to the global fleet, according to BNEF estimates. Vehicles eventually get retired from the fleet due to age, wear-and-tear, crashes and battery degradation. But that’s not a big part of the EV story so far, mostly because the majority of EVs in the global fleet were sold in the past 18 months. By the end of 2022, BNEF is expecting over 26 million plug-in vehicles on the road.

China accounts for 46% of the total sales to date, followed by Europe at 34%. North America is at third place with 15%, but policy support should get the EV market moving this year and next. All the remaining countries combined account for 5% of the global EV fleet.

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High-power EV chargers rolled out at all Extra MSA Group motorway sites in IONITY deal

May 2, 2022Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Ionity, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

High-power electric vehicle (EV) charging is now available at all Extra MSA Group motorway service areas (MSAs) across the country.

IONITY has installed 38 charging points with a high-speed charging capacity of up to 30kW across all eight of Extra MSA Group’s MSA locations.

More are to follow at existing and proposed new MSA developments, according to the company, stating that IONITY is on track to deliver six high-powered chargers at each of Extra MSA Group’s sites ahead of the government’s 2023 target.

This government target of installing six high-power chargers at all MSAs by 2023 is being supported by the £950 million Rapid Charging Fund, which was first announced in the 2020 Budget.

The government’s goals extend to enabling the installation of 6,000 high-powered chargers across England’s motorways and major A-roads by 2035.

The new IONITY charging stations are geographically spread from Cullompton in the south to Leeds Skelton Lake in the north. All electricity supplied to the chargers is from 100% renewable sources, while all of Extra MSA Group’s locations have the capacity to increase the number of EV charging points as customer demand increases.

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If 800-Volt Architecture Is the Holy Grail of EVs, Why Do So Few Carmakers Use It?

April 28, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Electric vehicles will take over the world, but before they do this, they need to convince a lot of people they are a viable alternative to ICE cars. One of the biggest issues is range anxiety and EV makers have offered several solutions to the problem. One of them is installing bigger batteries to improve the range, with all the downsides that derive from this. Among them are the high costs, but also the higher weight and the lower efficiency that comes with it.

Another way is to shorten the charging time, which will effectively allow an EV owner to spend less time at the charger. If this time is low enough, an EV could be charged pretty much the same way as an ICE is refueled, in a couple of minutes. This makes the range less important, as long as

Solar EV Charging Hub on Princes Street, Dundee (Image: eVolt)

the density of fast DC charging stations is high enough to not worry about running out of battery. It turns out that most EV makers have chosen this path or a combination of both.

Reducing the charging time is considered the holy grail of EVs and scientists are scrambling to get there using different technologies. The perspective of having your EV topped up in the time it takes the driver to drink one coffee is enticing enough. Scientists have tried lowering the charging time by improving battery technology or by adopting quantum charging. These are still years in the making, so don’t expect an EV to benefit anytime soon.

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