Volkswagen ID.4 Beats EPA Range By 15% | 11 Apr 2021
ID.4 Beats EPA Range By 15% | Spanish Plan for EV Incentives | Hyundai IONIQ 5 charging | Ford Mustang Mach-E Can’t Wake Up | Xpeng to build factory in Wuhan | Kona Now Longest Range Of Any Grant-Eligible Vehicle | Tesla has increased the price of Model 3 and Model Y again | 93 Miles Tesla Model 3 | Tesla Offers Electricity Tariffs to Powerwall Owners in Germany | Question Of The Week Answers
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On today’s podcast:
- 8 Min Read - Once 'green' plug-in hybrid cars suddenly look like dinosaurs in Europe
- Volkswagen ID.4 Beats EPA Range By 15%
- Spanish Plan for EV Incentives
- Hyundai IONIQ 5 charging
- Ford Mustang Mach-E Can’t Wake Up
- Xpeng to build factory in Wuhan
- Kona Now Longest Range Of Any Grant-Eligible Vehicle
- Tesla has increased the price of Model 3 and Model Y again
- 93 Miles Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Offers Electricity Tariffs to Powerwall Owners in Germany
- Question Of The Week Answers
Show #1049i
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 11th April. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.
8 MIN READ - ONCE 'GREEN' PLUG-IN HYBRID CARS SUDDENLY LOOK LIKE DINOSAURS IN EUROPE
"Remember when plug-in hybrid cars were the go-to technology for the climate-conscious driver? Turns out, they’re not good for the environment, according to some experts, and they could be phased out by carmakers in the face of tougher European rules." reports Reuters: "Draft green finance regulations would ban manufacturers from labelling them as “sustainable investments” beyond 2025, potentially deterring investors. Meanwhile planned rules on emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides could increase the cost of producing these cars"
VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 BEATS EPA RANGE ESTIMATE BY 15%
"In its most recent test, it put a Volkswagen ID.4 First Edition through its paces. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, the car managed to travel 287 miles — about 15% more than the EPA’s 250 mile range estimate. Keep in mind that the Edmunds test leaves approximately 10 miles of range available at the end, since no one in their right mind would drive an electric car until it stopped running completely." says Clean TEchnica and yet my buddy Kyle Conner from Out Of Spec Motoring reguarly does exactly that: "our ID.4 used about 18% less energy than the EPA projected. This also means our ID.4 was slightly more efficient than the Tesla Model Y Performance, which recorded 29.6 kWh/100 miles in our testing versus its EPA estimate of 30 kWh/100 miles. That makes more sense considering the level of performance we’ve experienced in the Model Y, which most often comes with a trade-off in efficiency,” Edmunds reports."
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/04/09/volkswagen-id-4-beats-epa-range-estimate-by-15-in-edmonds-test/
SPANISH PLAN FOR EV INCENTIVES
"The Spanish government has approved a plan to spend up to 800 million euros ($950 million) until 2023 to encourage electric car sales, the Energy Ministry said on Friday." according to a Reuters report: "Private buyers would be entitled to subsidies of up to 7,000 euros per car, while authorities in small towns and companies buying fleets to use as taxis could get more. Buyers of electric vans would get up to 9,000."
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-electric-subsidy-idUSKBN2BW25Y
HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 CHARGING
From Reddit: "just found this video, can't read anything except 219 kW charging speed at 51% SOC which is insane :) (191 kW at 37%, 185 kW at 36%)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrPOJnyxs-0
FORD MUSTANG MACH-E GOES TO SLEEP
"Early models of the all-electric 2021 Mustang Mach-E have a battery issue that may leave owners struggling to start their vehicles despite its being fully charged, according to a technical service bulletin that Ford sent to federal regulators." reports Detroit Free Press: "When this happens, Mach-E customers get notified by their FordPass app that the Mach-E is in "deep sleep" mode, TheVerge noted. The March 25 technical service bulletin filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration describes the situation in more technical terms: "12-Volt Battery Becomes Discharged While The Vehicle Is Plugged In During The High Voltage Charging Process." The issue affects vehicles built on or before Feb. 3, Ford said. While the company has touted the potential for over-the-air updates, this fix requires a dealer visit"
XPENG TO BUILD FACTORY IN WUHAN
"Chinese electric vehicle (EV) start-up Xpeng Motors, which counts Alibaba Group Holding and Xiaomi among its backers, is building a factory less than a year after its first assembly facility went online." says the South China Morning Post; "The New York Stock Exchange-listed carmaker will build a 7.89 million sq ft factory in Wuhan, it said on Thursday. The facility will have the capacity to assemble 100,000 EVs a year."
The big Chinese EV makers like NIO, Li Auto, WM Motor - they are the ones with the EX5 and the EX6 6-seater - all viewed as a potential rivals to Tesla.
HYUNDAI KONA ELECTRIC NOW OFFERS THE LONGEST RANGE OF ANY PLUG-IN CAR GRANT-ELIGIBLE VEHICLE
"Hyundai Motor UK has reduced prices of its electric car range following changes to the government’s Plug-In Car Grant
KONA Electric 64KWh now has the longest electric range – at 300 miles (WLTP) – of any Plug-In Car Grant-eligible vehicle"
Tesla Increases Model 3 & Y Prices...Again
"Tesla Has Increased The Price Of Model 3 And Model Y Again In The Us – The Automaker’s Fourth price change in as many months this year. The price changes also come with a slight interior update." reports electrek: "It also comes as the US government is discussing reforming its EV incentive programs, which are likely going to affect Tesla prices. It’s something to keep an eye on since Tesla did decrease its prices when the EV incentive was taken away after it reached the threshold."
Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus: price went from $37,990 to $38,490
Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD: price went from $46,990 to $47,490
Tesla Model 3 Performance: price went from $55,990. to $56,990
Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD: price went from $49,990 to $50,490
Tesla Model Y Performance: price went from $60,990 and stayed the same
https://electrek.co/2021/04/09/tesla-updates-model-3-interior-increases-prices-again/
93 MILES TESLA MODEL 3
"Tesla looks to take advantage of incentives for buyers of less expensive electric vehicles by offering a lower range Tesla Model 3, available in Canada.In 2019, Canada offered a $5,000 incentive for the purchase of an electric vehicle priced at $45,000 or less. The majority of the most popular-selling EVs in the country fell into the category of the incentive.
Tesla was excluded from the incentive because its Model 3 didn't land at or below the price requirement, which was $53,700." says Yahoo! Finance. Tesla never expected anyone to buy the bad Model 3, nor did it want to even sell the car in the first place. Until this week, you’ve never been able to configure the car on Tesla’s site. If you wanted the bad Model 3 for whatever reason, you had to order it in person or over the phone. That’s now changed, and that checkbox lets you build a 93-mile Model 3 if that’s something you’re interested in. Hell, Tesla’s apparently sold a few of them over the years, according to Electrek. The range on this version is software-locked (by limiting the battery capacity available for use), and you can’t pay to bring it up to 262 miles after the fact."
And electrek notes": This checkbox was not present on the Model 3 configurator until recently, according to Electrek. It indicates that perhaps Tesla is being forced to acknowledge the existence of this model on its website when it hasn’t for the past two years."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/less-expensive-tesla-model-3-200848321.html
TESLA OFFERS ELECTRICITY TARIFFS TO POWERWALL OWNERS IN GERMANY
"Tesla has started offering its own electricity tariffs to some Powerwall owners in Germany. Together with the construction of a car factory, the company is preparing for a large-scale entry into the German electricity market with its hardware and software." says Tesmanian: "Green energy supplier Octopus Energy Germany recently began offering Tesla an electricity tariff. According to the website, it costs €78.95 per month with annual electricity consumption of 3,500 kilowatt-hours. This represents a savings of up to €66.48 per year over the regular Octopus Energy tariff."
QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWERS
JAN AT EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM
For my daily drive, I would have loved to have a new fresh version of the Volvo V60 to be electric. It is the perfect sized car for us. And of course, I need a towbar and the possibility to use a roof box on the car. But we also need to dream from time to time, and then I will take it all the way out and go for the Ferrari F8 Spider.
RAJEEV NARAYAN
At the risk of sounding unoriginal, my vote would have to go to the upcoming Tesla Roadster. It promises to raise the bar in terms of EV performance, range and design. I cannot wait to see one in the wild.
JON MANCHAK
My first thought was the Honda Civic. It’s a iconic car that is also close to my heart. The first car I bought was a 1999 Honda Civic Si. But, the more I thought about it I think we are asking the wrong question. We need new cars that take advantage of the flexibility of a EV platform. Much like packing engines into horse carriages made sense in the eyes of people before the automobile. We need flexibility in our vehicles that cater to our high density urban cities, suburbia and rural communities
ZAC MOSELEY FROM Classic Car Club Manhattan
Mclaren. They’re on their way with the Artura hybrid, but it would be great to see them make a full EV. Beyond that it would be great to see them make a full ev 2+2 coupe, although that’s not likely on their radar! The first time I drove a 12C I thought, “man, if only these guys would make something to compete with an M3”. They’ve brought chassis engineering and suspension to a different level where cars can corner totally flat, but remain totally compliant to cope with the undulations of real world roads. Apply that, with their lightweight chassis to a coupe and make it all electric and you might just have the perfect car. Maybe make it an estate to really tick all the boxes!
LEIF
VW ID.3, and because I live in the U.S., VW will only sell me the useless (for my purposes), bloated, expensive ID.4. I have zero interest in Yet Another Damn $50k Crossover, okay?
The other would be the Tesla Junior (or Model Two or Model T or whatever), the