22 May 2020 | VW ID Range Only Being Sold Online
VW ID Range Only The Be Sold Online | SVOLT unveiled its new cobalt-free battery cell | Kia design boss hints at an electric version of the Stinger | Work Has Begun at Mirafiori on the FCA-ENGIE EPS Vehicle-to-grid Pilot Project | Tesla China VP: Gigafactory 3 On Track For 4,000 Car Per Week In June | Tesla’s Model 3 includes V2G capability…or does it? | Tesla Model 3 loses its glass roof in convertible conversion you can buy
Show #785
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 22nd May 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
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VW ID RANGE ONLY THE BE SOLD ONLINE
"Volkswagen has announced that 100% of its retail partners have agreed to a new Tesla-like online sales model in Germany for its upcoming electric vehicle line, which starts with the ID.3." says Joey for Teslarati: "customers could buy directly from Volkswagen straight from their computer or smartphone. Meanwhile, dealers will continue to remain involved in the sales process through modes of “personalized customer care and local services.” After ordering their Volkswagen ID electric vehicle through the company’s website, buyers will then choose a preferred dealer that will take care of any needs they may require throughout the life of their car, like inspections, maintenance, or service. Dealers technically assume the role of a traditional vehicle sales representative, Volkswagen said. “They look after acquisition, sales consultation, organizing test drives, transaction processing and vehicle handover in coordination with Volkswagen,” the company added. The inclusion of the new online mode of ordering a VW electric vehicle helps customers save money because the manufacturer assumes responsibility for vehicle financing, residual value risk, and inventory costs. Some of these fees are included when buying a car from a dealership, which can add hundreds of extra dollars simply because the dealership is storing the vehicle on the lot."
https://www.teslarati.com/volkswagen-id3-tesla-inspired-online-sales-model/
SVOLT UNVEILED ITS NEW COBALT-FREE BATTERY CELL
"In an online presentation SVOLT gave us more information about its NMx cobalt-free battery cell that’ll arrive next year. This long cobalt-free battery cell from SVOLT is specially made to be used in battery packs assembled with the CTP (cell-to-pack) technology. With the CTP technology instead of having battery cells inside modules, then modules inside battery packs, we remove modules altogether. We end up with long prismatic battery cells connected in series that are put in an array and then inserted into a battery pack, making it as simple as it can be." Says PushEVs: "This high-voltage battery cell has a nominal voltage around 4,7 V and can be charged at 5 V, which makes possible to assemble simpler battery packs with fewer cells. Only 80 cells in series are needed to reach 400 V, or 160 cells in series to reach 800 V."
In the comments, from Dr Max Holland: "The SVolt presentation made good points around need to minimize cobalt, which industry insiders are already well aware of. However, high grade Nickel also needs to ramp up mineral supply volume in the coming 5 years, and sometimes sees disruptive price spikes. Arguably only LFP is truly free from these kinds of mineral supply constraints, but the overall industry will benefit from having wide variety of chemistries / pathways, and some degree of substitutability between minerals, so that no one mineral can become a bottleneck/pain point. I empathize with SVolt – seeing Tesla, CATL, and BYD getting a large share of the battery headlines recently. If SVolt also have an efficient zero-cobalt approach, and innovative CTP designs, that’s good, and I can understand they want to announce it. They are also emphasizing greater thermal stability, which is sometimes a headlining topic in the China NEV market."
https://pushevs.com/2020/05/21/svolt-unveiled-its-new-cobalt-free-battery-cell/
KIA DESIGN BOSS HINTS AT AN ELECTRIC VERSION OF THE STINGER
"We return to the much-scrutinized Kia Stinger, the critically acclaimed but slow-selling performance sedan whose future is the subject of intense speculation. Thanks to an interview in Top Gear with the head of Kia design, Karim Habib, we now have not only official confirmation that the four-door fastback is getting a mid-cycle refresh, but also some hints about how the model might stick around by evolving." Reports Autoblog: "In the interview, Habib said he hopes that the “spirit of the Stinger” remains as the Kia brand evolves. “As the technology goes toward EVs and as the world and its appetite for these types of cars changes, the concept probably has to evolve as well,” he said."
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/05/21/kia-stinger-electric-car-hinted/
WORK HAS BEGUN AT MIRAFIORI ON THE FCA-ENGIE EPS VEHICLE-TO-GRID PILOT PROJECT
The COVID-19 outbreak has not put a stop to the cooperation between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and ENGIE Eps (Paris:EPS), nor to their commitment to support the deployment of electric mobility. Since the announcement with Terna in September of the intention to jointly experiment with interactions between electric cars and the power grid, based on a “smart” charging infrastructure, FCA has selected ENGIE Eps as the technology partner for the project, to build that infrastructure. Work has therefore begun at the FCA plant in Mirafiori, Turin on the first phase of the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot project. Once fully completed, it will be the largest plant of its kind in the world.
TESLA CHINA VP: GIGAFACTORY 3 ON TRACK FOR 4,000 CAR PER WEEK IN JUNE
"China-based Xinhua News Agency interviewed Tao Lin, Vice President of Tesla China Foreign Affairs. The interview was posted on Xinhuanet in Chinese. We translated it via Google. Lin told reporters that the factory in China is recovering well after the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the situation went so smoothly that Tesla is using it as a model for reopening its U.S. factory in Fremont, CA." According to InsideEVs: "With the first phase of factory construction complete and operational, manufacturing capacity at the plant is estimated at about 150,000 units per year. However, Lin says, in the next few weeks – by June – Model 3 production will hit a target of 4,000 units per week."
https://insideevs.com/news/424555/tesla-china-4000-week-june-model-y-soon/
TESLA’S MODEL 3 INCLUDES V2G CAPABILITY…OR DOES IT?
"In a recent filing with the Texas electric utility commission, Tesla seemed to relegate V2G to the list of future projects, implying that EV adoption had not yet reached the necessary scale, and that vehicle owners might not buy in to the technology. However, Tesla does have a history of building in future-oriented hardware features, and keeping mum about them until it’s ready to implement them. So it sounded plausible when Electrek reported that an electrical engineer had discovered an unannounced bidirectional charging capability in Model 3" reports Charles for Charged EVs: "Phil Sadow (aka Ingineerix), challenged Gaxiola’s conclusions in a video. “I don’t believe that’s the case,” says Sadow. He has identified some components on the circuit board in question as diodes, which of course allow current to flow only in one direction. Electric Revs has spoken with Gaxiola, who now admits that he may have been mistaken."
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/are-teslas-models-3-and-y-already-capable-of-bidirectional-charging/
TESLA MODEL 3 LOSES ITS GLASS ROOF IN CONVERTIBLE CONVERSION YOU CAN BUY
"Newport Convertible Engineering has the Tesla Model 3 convertible conversion for you." Says Autoblog: " takes the company about 2-3 months to complete the conversion. NCE strips the interior, restructures, reinforces and cuts the body, adds the convertible structure and then finally tests it for water leakage. The basic conversion with a manual-folding top is $29,500, according to information obtained by Motor Trend. If you want a power top, it’ll be $39,500. We've since confirmed both figures. From the looks of it, NCE removes the roof, but keeps the B-pillars in place, connecting them with a roll hoop of sorts."
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/05/21/tesla-model-3-convertible-conversion/
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Should Dyson have continued to make a £150,000 EV, or should we only make EVs realistic? What’s wrong with making cars at a high price point?
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MARTIN ...