Tesla Nudges Owners Off-Peak with Discounted Charging| 06 Apr 2021
EV-Battery Rivals Race the Clock to Sway Biden on Import Ban| Tesla introduces 50% Supercharging discount | Toyota BZ badge revealed | Audi Q4 E-Tron Reveal On April 14 | Chinese-Market NIO ES6 Spotted Without Camouflage In California | Car Park With Dozens Of Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Dacia Spring vs Competition | The next electric car battery champion could be European | Stellantis plans to triple electric vehicle sales
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On today’s podcast:
- EV-Battery Rivals Race the Clock to Sway Biden on Import Ban
- Tesla introduces 50% Supercharging discount
- Toyota BZ badge revealed
- Audi Q4 E-Tron Reveal On April 14
- Chinese-Market NIO ES6 Spotted Without Camouflage In California
- Car Park With Dozens Of Hyundai Ioniq 5
- Dacia Spring vs Competition
- The next electric car battery champion could be European
- Stellantis plans to triple electric vehicle sales
Show #1044
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 6th 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.
EV-BATTERY RIVALS RACE THE CLOCK TO SWAY BIDEN ON IMPORT BAN
"Two of the world’s largest electric-vehicle battery makers have hired top Washington insiders to hold near-daily meetings with the Biden administration in a battle that could affect the electrification plans of Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG." says Bloomberg's Hyperdrive: "SK Innovation Co., Ford’s battery supplier for its upcoming electric F-150 pickup truck, faces a 10-year U.S. import ban on its Korean-made batteries and components after April 11. LG Energy Solution Co., which won the order against its rival from the U.S. International Trade Commission for what the agency said was an “extraordinary” effort to destroy evidence in a trade secrets battle, has also brought in hired guns to influence the Biden team. Meetings are being held with at least a dozen agencies, including officials at Labor, Transportation and Energy. Talks, conducted over the internet because of the Covid-19 pandemic, have focused on “climate change, electrification of vehicles, the Ford F-150 and jobs. Biden has until April 11 to intervene. Presidential vetoes, known formally as “disapprovals,” of ITC import bans are rare. Both South Korean battery makers are building plants in the U.S. that would employ thousands of American workers. At the same time, Biden can’t be seen as wavering on intellectual property protection considering the long-standing U.S. dispute with China over the issue."
This affects cells for Ford F-150, VW's ID.4 which is allowed to use them for two years. VW, at least to me, appear to be pulling away from the Korean battery makers regardless of what happens in favour of European and CHinese cells.
TESLA INTRODUCES 50% SUPERCHARGING DISCOUNT
"Tesla is introducing a new 50% discount for Supercharging during the night at Supercharger stations in metro areas in California. It’s the automaker’s latest move to help with network capacity." says electrek: "Several California-based Tesla owners are reporting having received this message in their in-app notifications: "Avoid the rush and save 50% on your charging fees before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m. at all Superchargers in California’s major metro areas. For specific rates and eligible sites, tap the Supercharger map pin on your in-car touchscreen." The focus on urban Supercharger stations appears to aim to incentivize Tesla owners who regularly use Superchargers as their main way of charging, mainly for apartment dwellers who might have difficulty getting home charging, to charge at night in order to reduce daytime usage and wait times"
https://electrek.co/2021/04/05/tesla-isupercharging-discount-night-california-help-capacity/
TOYOTA BZ BADGE REVEALED
"Toyota has revealed a glimpse of the badge and branding its upcoming BZ all-electric SUV will wear in new trademarks filed by the brand. The Japanese company’s new BZ is a mid-sized rival for the Volkswagen ID.4 and Kia e-Niro electric SUVs and is set to be unveiled at this year’s Shanghai Motor Show." says AutoExpress: "Toyota confirmed the EV’s existence last year and, over the past 12 months, it has repeatedly told us that the BZ badge was nothing more than an internal placeholder name. However, this trademark application is the first indication we’ve had on the production car’s nameplate. Although it won’t be Toyota’s first pure-electric car, the BZ marks an important turning point in the company’s electrification strategy which, until now, has prioritised hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. After months of silence, Toyota’s most recent trademark application suggests the finished SUV will indeed carry the BZ nameplate. The brand has also spent much of the past year registering trademarks for a “BZ Series,” claiming everything from BZ1 to BZ5."
BZ = Beyond Zero
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/toyota/353801/new-electric-toyota-bz-badge-revealed-patent-drawing
AUDI Q4 E-TRON REVEAL ON APRIL 14
"The Audi Q4 E-Tron is almost upon us, with its debut set on April 14, 2021. We've known for a while that there will be two flavors for the luxurious VW ID.4, confirmed by the Q4 E-Torn Sportback Concept that was introduced last year and the several spy shots that surfaced online. It was believed that the more conventional upright rear will arrive first, while the swoopy Sportback launching later. But Audi's latest teaser on Facebook tells us otherwise as both models are arriving on April 14, 2021." according to Motor1: "As an all-electric model and a luxury model at that, you shouldn't be surprised that the Q4 E-Tron comes with a tech-laden cabin. It comes with Audi's signature Virtual Cockpit with a standard 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen. An 11.6-inch touchscreen will be offered as an option, which will be the largest screen real-estate in an Audi when it's launched."
https://www.motor1.com/news/498653/audi-q4-etron-sportback-april-14/
CHINESE-MARKET NIO ES6 SPOTTED WITHOUT CAMOUFLAGE IN CALIFORNIA
"Right now, NIO is only selling its five-seater ES6 SUV to its home base: China. But it turns out that one has been spotted in South Bay, an area hear San Jose, California, without camouflage. Richard Chen posted the moment a friend captured on Twitter via three photos—and, interestingly, someone in the comments claimed to have seen a gray version on the streets as well." according to Jalopnik: "NIO does have a North American base located in San Jose, California, but it’s a little surprising to see one of its cars actually tooling around on the road because no one has really pegged the company as being close to American distribution. Is the EV company soldiering through its darkest days, spurred on by big dreams of American distribution? Is someone just taking the cars for a last joy ride? Only time will tell."
https://jalopnik.com/chinese-market-nio-es6-spotted-without-camouflage-in-lo-1846615268
CAR PARK WITH DOZENS OF HYUNDAI IONIQ 5
"Despite the components shortage, the production of Hyundai Ioniq 5 has started in Ulsan factory in March and continues into April, at a lower rate than initially planned. Here is a very short video, recorded on April 4 in South Korea, that presents a parking lot with probably dozens of brand new Ioniq 5, ready for shipping." says InsideEVs: "It's great to see that Hyundai is at this stage already and possibly soon will send the first batch of cars to Europe, as well as to South Korean dealers. Those are the first two major markets. In South Korea, the first Ioniq 5 are spotted pretty regularly (the customer deliveries to start this quarter. To support the ro lout, Hyundai Motor Group is building a new network of ultra-fast charging stations in Korea. In Europe the company has simply joined the IONITY network."
https://insideevs.com/news/499059/hyundai-ioniq-5-parking-korea/
DACIA SPRING VS COMPETITION
"The affordable EV now sold in Europe had its range tested by the French magazine L’Automobile against three other competitors: the Renault Twingo Electric, the Volkswagen e-Up!, and the Renault ZOE R110. L’Automobile measured their ranges in the urban, road, and mixed cycles. If it ran only in city streets, the Dacia Spring would achieve an energy efficiency superior to that offered by the Lucid Air or the Mercedes-Benz EQS. The A-segment hatchback gets 5.3 mi/kWh" says INsideEVs: "For its 26.8 kWh battery pack, what helps is the low weight of only 960 kilograms. The Renault Twingo Electric weighs 1,518 kg. The Volkswagen e-Up! did a better job keeping the mass low – 1,160 kg. Although the French magazine tests reveal how disappointing the Dacia Spring performance is, it also demonstrates that it does a fantastic job at spending little energy and getting the most of what its battery pack can offer in the city"
The Zoe weighs 1,468 kg.
https://insideevs.com/features/498558/dacia-spring-less-weight-efficiency/
THE NEXT ELECTRIC CAR BATTERY CHAMPION COULD BE EUROPEAN
"With Europe expected to lead the world in electric car sales for a second straight year, an epic rush to build a battery supply chain from scratch is playing out across the continent." writes the South China Morning Post: "Fuelled by state support of at least 6.1 billion euros (US$7.3 billion) and investment plans totalling 10 times that in just one year, the race is on for a regional champion to emerge. The contestants include start-ups Northvolt in Sweden, Britishvolt and France’s Automotive Cells Co, and powerhouses Tesla and Volkswagen. BloombergNEF estimates the continent could see its share of global battery production rise to 31 per cent by 2030 from just 7 per cent last year. Traditional car-making countries Germany, France, Italy and the UK are especially keen to stay competitive in battery technology and maintain their manufacturing bases."
STELLANTIS PLANS TO TRIPLE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES
"Stellantis is looking at nearly tripling its global sales of electric vehicles this year, the head of holding company Exor, the carmaker’s main shareholder, said on Thursday." to Reuters: "The world’s fourth largest carmaker targets global sales of 400,000 high voltage vehicles this year from 139,000 in 2020 thanks to the launch of 11 additional models, John Elkann, who also serves as Stellantis chairman, said in a letter to Exor shareholders. Stellantis, formed in January by merging Italian-American Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA, wants to exploit its size to take on rivals in the race to produce more electric vehicles."
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