13 July 2020 | Sales of VW ID.3 Start Next Week
Electric car maker Fisker to go public through SPAC deal at $2.9 billion valuation | Sales of ID.3 start on July 20 | VW reportedly replacing head of software division over ID.3 struggles | Tesla Model Y price cut as Elon confirms new version in testing | Test-driving this obscure 1997 sports car convinced Elon Musk to make electric cars and invest in Tesla | Former Tesla VP Says 'Nimbleness' Is Their Secret Sauce | Cadillac explains origins of Lyriq EV name
Show #838
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 11th June 2020. 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.
VW's new EV (ID.3) on sale on 7/20
Nissan's new EV (Ariya) launch on 7/15
BMW's new EV (iX3) launch
Daimler to ramp sales of its EQC to 7.9K/month
ELECTRIC CAR MAKER FISKER TO GO PUBLIC THROUGH SPAC DEAL AT $2.9 BILLION VALUATION
"Electric car maker Fisker will go public through a merger with a blank-check company backed by alternative investment manager Apollo Global Management Inc at a valuation of $2.9 billion, the companies said on Monday." according to Reuters: "Reuters reported last week that the special-purpose acquisition company, Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp (SPAQ_u.N), was leading a bidding war among blank-check companies for Fisker. A blank-check company is a shell company that raises money through an IPO to buy an operating company, typically within two years. The Fisker deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, will provide Fisker with $1 billion in gross proceeds, including $500 million of funds from existing and new investors such as AllianceBernstein and BlackRock Inc. The proceeds will be used to bring the company’s Fisker Ocean SUV to market in late 2022. Fisker said the startup is in talks with other companies, including Magna International, about building the SUV. Magna declined to comment. "
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spartan-energey-m-a-fisker-idUSKCN24E1FB
SALES OF ID.3 START ON JULY 20
Four weeks after the start of ordering for the limited ID.3 1ST for pre-bookers, Volkswagen is opening the ordering system to the public on July 20, 2020. Customers in many European countries will be able to choose from seven pre-configured ID.3 models at dealerships and to order the appropriate charging equipment at the same time.
All seven ID.3 models will be eligible for the maximum state subsidy of €9,480 granted as an environmental bonus in Germany. Subsidies will also be available for the ID.3 in many other European countries.
Life - Style – Business – Family– Tech – Max
These are six out of seven models which customers can order starting on July 20, available for delivery from October. They are based on the basic model ID.3 Pro Performance with a 58-kWh battery (net battery energy content) for a range of up to 420 km (WLTP2) with the 150 kW Performance rear-wheel-drive system.
With delivery in October, customers will receive a free-of-charge update for the two outstanding digital functions AppConnect und and the distance feature of the augmented reality head-up display for the “Tech” and “Max” models in the first quarter of 2021. All models delivered in the first quarter of 2021 will already be equipped with all functions.
Without optional equipment, the ID.3 ProPerformance costs €35,574.95
The 7th preconfigured model “Tour” can also be ordered starting on July 20. It is based on the four-seat ProS model that allows for a bigger battery (77 kWh net battery energy content) with a range of up to 550 km (WLTP) and 125kW DC charging, starting at €40,936.31.
The ID.3 “Tour”, available for €45,917.48, is already equipped with all the features you would like to have on long journeys: Head-up Display and Sound package, matrix LED headlamps, comfort package, 12-way massage seat and assistant package with all driver assistance systems are all included, together with 19-inch aluminum wheels.
VW REPORTEDLY REPLACING HEAD OF SOFTWARE DIVISION OVER ID.3 STRUGGLES
"Volkswagen is replacing its head of software development, newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Sunday, as the German carmaker wrestles with the transition to electric vehicles." says Autoblog today: "The newspaper said Christian Senger, a former BMW manager who runs the recently founded Car.Software.Org unit, was to be replaced after clashes with the company and concern at software problems with the recent ID.3 and Golf 8 vehicles. Senger was part of a network of external managers Chief Executive Herbert Diess had brought in to reform the company. Senger, after working on BMW’s i3 electric car, helped Volkswagen make its MEB electric car platform, a key pillar of its revival in the wake of a 2015 diesel cheating scandal."
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/07/13/vw-replacing-head-of-software-division/
TESLA MODEL Y PRICE CUT AS ELON CONFIRMS NEW VERSION IN TESTING
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that these price adjustments aren’t the only tweaking the Model Y is going to see. For a start, the Model Y Standard Range that was originally promised at the crossover’s debut is now no longer going to be built, Musk said. That version was intended to come in at $39,000, and launch in spring 2021." says Slashgear: "According to Musk, range for the car would be under 250 miles by the EPA’s measure, something he described as “unacceptably low.” Instead, he explained, there will be a Model Y Long Range Single Motor arriving “in a few months.” That should be more affordable, Musk argued, “while still keeping the product excellent. As to what exact range drivers might be able to expect from that version of the crossover, Tesla is still doing the testing. “Numbers will be significantly higher than 300,” Musk suggested.”
https://www.slashgear.com/tesla-model-y-price-cut-as-elon-confirms-new-version-in-testing-13628635/
Originally:
Standard Range RWD – $39,000 (or $40,000?) (Spring 2021)
estimated EPA range – 230 miles (370 km)
0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 5.9 seconds
top speed of 120 mph (193 km/h)
18″ wheels (19’’ Sport Wheels for $1,500)
So will we ever see the base version of the Cybertruck?
And what of Elon saying 230 miles is not acceptable? They've raising for tide of other EV makers, changing perceptions.
TEST-DRIVING THIS OBSCURE 1997 SPORTS CAR CONVINCED ELON MUSK TO MAKE ELECTRIC CARS AND INVEST IN TESLA
"In 2003, Musk, long interested in sustainability and electric cars, test drove a model car called the Tzero. [The first Tzero model] literally didn’t have doors or a roof, or any airbags or an effective cooling system. It was not safe or reliable,” according to CNBC: "The electric sports car built in 1997 by a small California company called AC Propulsion, was essentially a version of “the prototypical Tesla Roadster,” according to Wired. But while AC Propulsion founder Alan Cocconi and then-CEO Tom Gage were “technology visionaries,” according to Wired, they didn’t have “the entrepreneurial vision to see just how big an idea it could become” or “the means to achieve it.” Musk did. He was inspired and saw an opportunity to bring the electric car to market. Although Musk didn’t want to take on another start-up (he had just founded aerospace company SpaceX), he asked Cocconi and Gage if he could commercialize the Tzero. They agreed, according to Musk, and Gage suggested Musk speak with electric car start-up Tesla Motors and its founders, engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who were also looking to commercialize the Tzero. With money Musk earned as a co-founder of PayPal, which eBay bought for $1.5 billion in 2002, he invested $6.3 million in start-up Tesla Motors in 2004""
FORMER TESLA VP SAYS 'NIMBLENESS' IS THEIR SECRET SAUCE
"Philippe Chain, Tesla’s former VP of Quality, gave some interesting insight into this aspect of Tesla’s business in a new article. As an example of Tesla’s nimbleness, Chain explained how Tesla managed to modify a part within 5 days of having it failed in an NHTSA test.Chain, who worked at Renault prior to Tesla and at Audi after, wrote:
“What took a single meeting and five days at Tesla would have required a six-month-long process at Renault or Audi. It would have started with a thorough investigation going back to the source of the error, looking for the person to blame internally, investigating a possible blunder of the supplier, etc. Then, a politically delicate sequence would have unfolded to set up a series of meetings and workshops. Multiple hierarchical strata would have been involved, going up probably to the very top of the organization.”"
And also: "“Another good example is the long-term durability evaluation of a car. When I discussed it with Elon, I told him our engineers’ calculations led to at least a million equivalent miles of driving required before launching the car — a six-month phase required to discover potential weaknesses and fix them. My request was actually very limited in regards to the industry practices: German manufacturers don’t release a car that has not clocked 10 million kilometers and two winters. Elon, in his customary laconic way, answered: “OK, do it. But we are not delaying the launch date for it… — But we might encounter issues that will require some modifications of the production models… — Yeah, I know, but we will make the changes afterward if we have to… — Even if it involves recalling some cars? — Yes. And for the rest, we will adjust by pushing some OTA upgrades"
https://electrek.co/2020/07/13/tesla-former-vp-quality-explains-issues/
CADILLAC EXPLAINS ORIGINS OF LYRIQ EV NAME
"GM Authority asked Cadillac about the origin of the Lyriq name for the coming battery-electric crossover. Global head of brand strategy Phil Dauchy explained three threads that went into the new moniker. In no particular order, one thread is that "Cadillac," according to Dauchy, gets more mentions in song lyrics than any other brand, including non-automotive brands. The second thread is rolled up with Cadillac's move to proper names instead of alphanumerics for the sedan and crossover lines, all of those names to end in "iq," as well as the push into electric vehicles. Dauchy told GMA the nomenclature overhaul and the two-letter suffix "[signal] that Cadillac is bringing a different type of vehicle to market, one that works in concert with man, nature, and machine." He's bullish on swaying the public with the product, adding, "When you see [the Cadillac Celestiq], its size, presence and scale all connote the emotion associated with the name."
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/07/13/cadillac-lyriq-ev-name-explanation/
[mention for Premium Partners]
You can listen to all 837 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)
BRIGHTSMITHGROUP.COM – FOR CLEANTECH TALENT (PREMIUM PARTNER)
PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER)
AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)
VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)
NEW! NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM (PREMIUM PARTNER)
OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER)
PAUL O’CONNOR (PARTNER)
TRYEV.COM (PARTNER)
GARETH HAMER
eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/ (PARTNER)
BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (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 KINGSFORD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BRIAN THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BRUCE BOHANNAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CHARLES HALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CRAIG COLES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CRAIG ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DARREN BYRD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DARREN FEATCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DARREN SANT FROM YORKSHIRE EV CLUB (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID BARKMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID MOORE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)