Audi e-tron GT RS is Taycan Copy/Rival | 8 Oct 2020
Audi e-tron GT RS is Taycan Copy/Rival | Germany’s largest fast charging hub | Nissan Leafs are still the most popular used electric car | Mazda confirms MX-30 will get a rotary engine as a range extender | Tesla Gigafactory Texas to include battery cell production | 2 contractors chosen for Tesla's $1.1B Texas factory project | DPD launches green delivery service across the UK | SEAT begins construction on battery lab in Spain | Lime adds Wheels shared e-bikes to its app
You get £100 free AND save money on 100% green electricity by moving to Octopus Energy. Until October 15th you get double bonus and I get £50 to support this podcast but ONLY if you do it by using my unique referral code.
I moved to Octopus recently and had been putting it off for ages, but I kicked myself for not doing it sooner, as it’s literally a 5 minute job to give them your details.
Click here: https://share.octopus.energy/free-puma-452
On today’s podcast:
- Audi e-tron GT RS is Taycan Copy/Rival
- Germany’s largest fast charging hub
- Nissan Leafs are still the most popular used electric car
- Mazda confirms MX-30 will get a rotary engine as a range extender
- Tesla Gigafactory Texas to include battery cell production
- 2 contractors chosen for Tesla's $1.1B Texas factory project
- DPD launches green delivery service across the UK
- SEAT begins construction on battery lab in Spain
- Lime adds Wheels shared e-bikes to its app
Show #902
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Thursday 8th October. 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.
AUDI E-TRON GT RS IS TAYCAN COPY/RIVAL
"The Audi e-tron GT and e-tron GT RS will be revealed simultaneously next year to rival the Porsche Taycan Turbo. Audi has let more info slip about what to expect when that time does eventually arrive. First, there will be a two-pronged approach to the new e-tron GT’s reveal, with both ‘standard’ and e-tron GT RS models due to be shown off simultaneously in a similar fashion to Porsche’s Taycan Turbo and Turbo S. As has already been established, the two will share more than just a launch strategy with the Taycan, as underneath the two cars are very similar, sharing a fundamental J1 platform" writes evo.co.uk: "The car is being developed by Audi Sport, and an engineer told evo that, just like Porsche, it was ‘focusing on the reproducibility of performance’. Double wishbone suspension, electric torque vectoring, rear-wheel steering and a very low centre of gravity (especially for a four-seater), the GT should handle as well as the Porsche Taycan it’s based on. Another aspect Audi is keen to reinforce is substantial progress in combating range anxiety: the e-tron GT will have a range of nearly 250 miles from its 90kWh battery pack, the minimum range the firm believes is acceptable to its customers. Moreover, if you can find a charging point compatible with its 800v charging system it’s possible to reach 80 per cent charge (200 miles) in around 20 minutes. There will also be a wireless charging setup that works with an inductive pad installed in an owner’s garage."
GERMANY’S LARGEST FAST CHARGING HUB
Today, fast charging company Fastned, Tesla and Seed & Greet open Ladepark Kreuz Hilden, Germany’s largest fast charging hub. On site there is a café, a large Tesla Supercharger station and a large Fastned charging station. At the Fastned station 8 cars can charge simultaneously with up to 300 kW, allowing electric cars to add up to 300 km of range in just 15 minutes. The Fastned station is powered by energy from the sun and wind, generated partly by the station’s large solar roof. Ladepark Kreuz Hilden is right off the intersection between the motorways A3 and A46, close to Düsseldorf, Germany.
Fastned has 8 fast charging stalls and Tesla’s Supercharger station has 20 Supercharging stalls, bringing the current total for the hub to 28 stalls. The Fastned station in Kreuz Hilden can easily be expanded with more fast chargers, so that in the future 22 cars can charge simultaneously at the station.
Fastned has 125 fast charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
https://fastnedcharging.com/hq/fastned-and-tesla-open-germanys-largest-fast-charging-hub/
NISSAN LEAFS ARE STILL THE MOST POPULAR USED ELECTRIC CAR
"In 2020, the bargain-basement Leaf ($13,054 for the average used model) kept 28% of the US used EV market. Even in Tesla’s home state of California, the Leaf is outselling Tesla’s lineup." says Quartz: "Price is most people’s first consideration. The automotive research company iSeeCars analyzed over 54,000 used EV sales from 2019 to 2020. The Nissan Leaf remains the most popular used EV in 18 of the 25 states with the highest share of EV sales. That’s a function of both price and availability. Yet the volume of Tesla models now entering the market is likely to change the equation. It’s not much of an exaggeration to say America’s EV market belongs to Tesla. Nearly half of EVs sold in American since 2012 bear the Tesla logo."
https://qz.com/1913991/used-nissan-leafs-are-selling-better-than-tesla/
MAZDA CONFIRMS MX-30 WILL GET A ROTARY ENGINE AS A RANGE EXTENDER
"CEO Akira Marumoto confirmed that Mazda will use a rotary engine in the MX-30. Mazda plans to use the rotary as a range extender on the otherwise all-electric version of the MX-30. Marumoto said that it will begin testing with a small batch of prototypes next year. The goal is to have a production version of the MX-30 with a rotary engine on Japanese roads in 2022." says Autoblog: "Mazda says it’s going to be compact, have a high power output and be a smooth operator. Of course, those are all things we expect out of a rotary engine. An all-electric version of the MX-30 has been on sale in Europe for about a month now, too. There are still no official plans for Mazda to unleash the MX-30 on the American public, and even if it did, there’s no guarantee that we’d get one with a rotary range extender."
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/10/08/mazda-mx-30-rotary-range-extender-confirmed/
TESLA GIGAFACTORY TEXAS TO INCLUDE BATTERY CELL PRODUCTION
"Recent filings to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ) have hinted at something quite interesting about Tesla’s plans for Gigafactory Texas. Based on the documents, Tesla will not only be producing electric vehicles in the massive complex; it will also be operating a “cell-manufacturing unit” that will build battery packs for the company’s industry-leading EVs. " according to Teslarati: "As noted in a report from the Austin Business Journal, the filing itself did not specify if Tesla will be manufacturing its battery cells at the original 2,100-acre Gigafactory Texas complex, or at the nearby 381-acre site that the company recently acquired. That said, the Journal’s sources have pointed to Tesla mining lithium at an Austin site, despite the activity not being mentioned in the TECQ filings. Gigafactory Texas is Tesla’s most ambitious vehicle production facility yet, with the factory being tasked to build key products like the Cybertruck and the Semi."
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-gigafcatory-texas-battery-cell-production-filings/
First Tesla Megapacks deployed at world’s largest battery project with PG&E
"The first Tesla Megapacks have been deployed at what should become the world’s largest battery project with PG&E in California. In February, the project was officially approved and they started construction on the first phase of the project in July. Now PG&E confirmed that the first Megapacks have been deployed" says electrek: "The project will consists of 256 Tesla Megapack battery units.The energy capacity is going to be used to replace peaker plants and it is expected to save the electric utility over $100 million".
https://electrek.co/2020/10/08/tesla-megapacks-worlds-largest-battery-project-pge/
2 CONTRACTORS CHOSEN FOR TESLA'S $1.1B TEXAS FACTORY PROJECT
"Accelerating its plans for a $1.1 billion Cybertruck plant, Tesla recently purchased an additional 381 acres in Austin, Texas, next to its 2,100-acre site to expand the manufacturing project’s footprint, according to the Austin American-Statesman." writes Construction Dive: "While no contractors have been officially announced for the project, Tesla procurement manager Jessica Munoz told the Community Impact Newspaper that two general contractors have been selected but not yet named. The firm also is looking for subcontractors for various jobs including site logistics, painting, flooring, fireproofing, interior finishing, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical projects. Tesla reportedly wants to open the plant by May 1, 2021 and is believed to be pursuing additional land purchases in Southeast Austin, according to the American-Statesman."
DPD LAUNCHES GREEN DELIVERY SERVICE ACROSS THE UK
"The parcel delivery firm, DPD, has announced its plan to deliver to 25 towns and cities across the UK with zero and low-emission delivery means by 2025. The move is part of a Europe-wide drive by the DPD Group involving 225 urban areas in 20 countries and is based on a delivery model trialled in many cities, including London."
https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/dpd-launches-green-delivery-service-across-the-uk/2020100651253
SEAT BEGINS CONSTRUCTION ON BATTERY LAB IN SPAIN
"SEAT has begun work on its future Test Center Energy (TCE), the new automotive battery lab that will be located at the SEAT plant in Martorell. With an investment of more than €7 million, the new center will develop and test various energy systems for electric and hybrid vehicles." says Green Car COngress: "The future building, the construction of which will be completed in April 2021, will have an area of around 1,500 square meters and include different test spaces for the evaluation of cell modules with lithium-ion technology, medium- and high-voltage batteries, as well as different chargers used in the entire range of electrified vehicles."
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/10/20201008-seat.html
LIME ADDS WHEELS SHARED E-BIKES TO ITS APP
"The next time you open Lime’s smartphone app, you may see a new type of vehicle that isn’t an electric scooter. The San Francisco-based company announced today that it is integrating Wheels, a shared electric bike startup, into its app so customers can rent an e-bike from Wheels as easily as they would a scooter from Lime." says The Verge: "Lime plans to add more shared mobility services to its app in the coming months as it seeks to become both a provider and platform for all two-wheeled electric transport. The “ultimate goal,” a spokesperson said, is to own “all light electric vehicle trips under 5 miles.” Wheels’ e-bikes will be available in Lime’s app starting this winter in four cities: Austin, Miami, Seattle, and Berlin. To rent a Wheels bike, Lime customers will scan the QR code on the handlebar, just as they would a scooter. Nearby vehicles will appear on the map along with pricing information automatically."
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/8/21506805/lime-wheels-app-integrate-scooter-bike-mobility
You can listen to all 902 previous episodes of this this for free, where you get your podcasts from, plus the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically.
It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.
And if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.
Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.
PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER)
BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER)
AVID TECHNOLOGY (PREMIUM PARTNER)
PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER)
AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)
VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)
NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM (PREMIUM PARTNER)
DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (PREMIUM PARTNER)
RICHARD AT RSYMONS.CO.UK – THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SPECIALIST (PREMIUM PARTNER)
DAVID AND LISA ALLEN (PARTNER)
OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER)
GARETH HAMER
eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/ (PARTNER)
BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (PARTNER)
DARIN MCLESKEY FROM DENOVO REAL ESTATE (PARTNER)
JUKKA KUKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM
RAJEEV NARAYAN (PARTNER)
ALAN ROBSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ALAN SHEDD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ALEX BANAHENE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42
ANDERS HOVE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ANDREA JEFFERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ASEER KHALID (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BRENT...