21 Mar 2020 | How Much Does Cold Weather Reduce Range?
Panasonic To Suspend Battery Production At Tesla Gigafactory | Skoda, Bentley, Volvo And Rivian Factory Closures | Ford Takes Go Electric Campaign On The Road In UK | Here’s How 20 Popular EVs Fared In Cold-Weather Testing | Mercedes-Benz To Launch 10 EVs In India In The Next Two Years | Tesla’s “Touchless” Deliveries Will Help Get Model Y Out To Customers | Tesla Makes Thousands Of Electric Cars Available In Inventory
Show #724
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Saturday 21st March 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story to save you time.
PANASONIC TO SUSPEND BATTERY PRODUCTION AT TESLA GIGAFACTORY
"Panasonic announced that it will scale down operations and temporarily suspend lithium-ion battery cell production at the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada (for 14 days) due to the coronavirus outbreak." reports InsideEVs: "The news follows Tesla's announcement about closing the Fremont factory and New York factory on March 24, but is quite surprising, as Tesla did not give any sign - on March 19th - that the Gigafactory will also be closed. At the moment there is also no official comment from Tesla."
Here is the statement: Panasonic is committed to safeguarding the health and well-being of every employee. The Panasonic factory in Sparks, Nevada will begin ramping down operations early next week and will then close for 14 days. Employees impacted by the closure will receive full pay and benefits for the 14-day period. In the meantime, Panasonic has enacted several measures to enhance the cleanliness of the facility, encourage social distancing, and enable simple, safe and effective behaviors. During the 14-day period, the facility will undergo intensive cleaning."
https://insideevs.com/news/405426/panasonic-stop-battery-production-tesla-gigafactory/
ŠKODA AUTO has closed Czech plants due to coronavirus pandemic for initial period of minimal two weeks
Bentley Motors will suspend production from today at its Crewe, UK, factory headquarters for four weeks.
Volvo cars to temporarily close plants in U.S. and Sweden due to coronavirus. Volvo's Swedish factories in Torslanda, Skovde, Olofstrom, and its U.S. plant in South Carolina will close between March 26 and April 14, the company said. Its plant in Ghent, Belgium has already been temporarily shut down.
@Rivian
Update: To keep our teams safe and slow the spread of COVID-19, we have shut down all Rivian facilities. We are committed to everyone on our team. Both our salaried and hourly workforce will continue to be paid during this shutdown. Stay safe everyone.
FORD TAKES GO ELECTRIC CAMPAIGN ON THE ROAD IN UK
"It has become fashionable to lambaste legacy automakers for being quick to promise electrification of their product lineups but slow to actually do so. But some are actually starting to put their money where their mouth is." reports Steve Hanley at CleanTechnica: "In the UK, Ford has created a Go Electric campaign that will tour the country, bringing the word about electric cars to every city and village in the country between now and the end of the year before moving on to several European countries. Ford calls it “a unique, immersive, and interactive experience designed to help consumers make an informed choice on electrified vehicles. Hands-on, engaging activities will help de-mystify electrification and inspire confidence in consumers who often remain confused about the different types of electrified powertrains available and their benefits.”
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/03/22/ford-takes-go-electric-campaign-on-the-road-in-uk/
HERE’S HOW 20 POPULAR EVS FARED IN COLD-WEATHER TESTING
"Electric vehicles are known to suffer diminished performance in cold weather, but some do a better job than others hanging onto their range capacity while cabin heaters and frigid outdoor temperatures sap power from their batteries. Recently, the Norwegian Automobile Federation put the 20 of the best-selling battery-electric vehicles in the country to the test, to see not only how winter weather affected their range but also their charging times." says Autoblog: "On average, electric vehicles lost 18.5% of their official driving range as determined by the European WLTP cycle. Electric vehicles also charge more slowly in cold temperatures. Hyundai Kona, which lost only 9% of its official range, which the WTLP rated at 449 kilometers, or 279 miles, compared to its EPA-rated range of 258 miles on a full charge. It delivered 405 km, just enough to nudge it ahead of the Tesla Model 3, which returned 404 km."
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/21/electric-cars-cold-weather-testing/
MERCEDES-BENZ TO LAUNCH 10 EVS IN INDIA IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS
"The largest luxury carmaker in India, Mercedes-Benz, which will start selling its first electric vehicle in the country in April, plans to launch 10 more electric products in the next two years, says MD and CEO Martin Schwenk." says Fortune India: "The Indian customer is different in many aspects. The Indian economy is still very much an investing economy. Indians push for more. With that restlessness, there is also a brand of customers that want to go electric and want more."
TESLA’S “TOUCHLESS” DELIVERIES WILL HELP GET MODEL Y OUT TO CUSTOMERS
"Through the Tesla App, buyers will be able to unlock their vehicle as delivered and do a quick inspection. Then they simply sign any relevant paperwork placed in the car—with their own pen, to stay safe, we presume—and then leave the paperwork in a dropbox." writes Green Car Reports: "If the production ramp of the Model 3 was any indication, and if Tesla follows past patterns of delivering a concentration of vehicles right before the end of each quarter (late this month), it will need a method of delivering thousands of vehicles in the coming weeks and months that will keep customers comfortable in light of health concerns. "
TESLA MAKES THOUSANDS OF ELECTRIC CARS AVAILABLE IN INVENTORY
"With only just over a week left in the quarter, we now see thousands of inventory vehicles across North American markets. In the LA area alone, Tesla has over 150 Model 3 vehicles in inventory for sale" analyses Fred at Electrek: "We can find similar amounts of inventory Tesla vehicles in dozens of other markets in the US. Normally, Tesla would be able to sell most of those utilizing its marketing tools and foot traffic in its stores in malls, but most of those have closed this week. With new vehicles coming to inventory next month, it might be a while before Tesla goes back to its usual low inventory business model."
https://electrek.co/2020/03/20/tesl-electric-cars-available-inventory/
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Returns soon!
I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the 239 patrons of this podcast whose generosity means I get to keep making this show, which aims to entertain and inform thousands of listeners every day about a brighter future. By no means do you have to check out Patreon but if it’s something you’ve been thinking about, by all means look at patreon.com/evnewsdaily
[mention for Premium Partners]
You can listen to all 723 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)
NEW! PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER)
NEW! AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)
DAVID ALLEN (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 (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)
BRIAN WEATHERALL (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 PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DEREK REILLY FROM THE DUBLIN EV OWNERS CLUB
DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ENRICO STEPHAN-SCHILOW (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ERU KYEYUNE-NYOMBI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
FREEJOULE AKA JAMES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
GENE RUBIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
GEOFF LOWE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
HEDLEY WRIGHT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
IAN GRIFFITHS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
IAN SEAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JAMES STORR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JERRY ALLISON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JIM DUGAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JIM MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODICERS)
JOHN BAILEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JOHN C SOLAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JOHN LACEY FROM CLICK CLACK VIDEO NZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JON KNODEL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JUAN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
KYLE MAHAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
LAURENCE D ALLEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
LEE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
LUKE CULLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MARCEL LOHMANN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MARCEL WARD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MARK BOSSERT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MARLIN SCHELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MARTIN CROFT DORSET TRADESMEN
MATT PISCIONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MAZ SHAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MIA OPPELSTRUP (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MICHAEL AND LUKE TURRELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MICHAEL PASTRONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MICHEAEL KYFFIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MIKE ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
MIKE WINTER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
NATHAN GORE-BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
NIGEL MILES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
NORTHERN EXPLORERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
OHAD ASTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PAUL RIDINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PAUL STEPHENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PERRY SIMPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PETE GLASS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PETE GORTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PETER & DEE ROBERTS FROM OXON EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PHIL MOUCHET (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
PONTUS KINDBLAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
RAJ BADWAL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
RAJEEV NARAYAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
RALPH JENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
RENÉ SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ROB COOLING /