01 Nov 2019 | Lightyear One Impressive Aerodynamics, VW Promise To Improve ID.3 and Tesla Gigafactory 3 Targets Increase
Solar-Powered Lightyear One Claims To Break New Ground In Aerodynamics | Volkswagen R&D Boss: How We'll Improve The Id 3 | Polestar 1 Won't Be The Brand's Last Halo Model | Citroën Launches An Electric Offensive On Its LCV Range | Mg Electric SUV Video Review: Very Solid, Quirky | Tesla Global VP Surprises With Gigafactory 3’s Initial Model 3 Production Targets | Tesla Increases Range And Price Of The Model 3 Long Range
Show #628
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 1st November 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story to save you time.
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SOLAR-POWERED LIGHTYEAR ONE CLAIMS TO BREAK NEW GROUND IN AERODYNAMICS
"Dutch startup Lightyear also tried to make the car as aerodynamic as possible, further increasing efficiency. Lightyear claims its creation is the most aerodynamic five-seat car to date." says Digital Trends: "Lightyear claims to have achieved a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.20. To put that in perspective, a Tesla Model S has a Cd of 0.23, while a Toyota Prius has a Cd of 0.24 — and those are two of the most aerodynamic conventional cars in production. Getting a lower Cd with four doors and five seats is a major achievement. The Volkswagen XL1 had a lower Cd of 0.19, but that car was a tiny two-seater, with the seats staggered to make the body as narrow as possible. VW ditched practicality in the name of efficiency. The car is driven by four electric motors — one for each wheel. Lightyear doesn’t quote horsepower, but claims the car will do zero to 62 mph in 10 seconds."
VOLKSWAGEN R&D BOSS: HOW WE'LL IMPROVE THE ID 3
"Volkswagen's only recently revealed the production version of its ID 3 but as with any good engineer, VW R&D boss Frank Welsch is already thinking about ways to improve it." according to Rachael Burgess for Autocar: "“People need range,” Welsch said. Despite the top-end ID 3 offering 341 miles of range, Welsch believes people want more."
Quote: “We won’t do this by giving people a bigger battery because it’s more weight and more cost. It’s about battery density improving. It is not enough to change the drivetrain to electric. We have more room and it drives like a GTI right now. We need other USPs you don’t get in other cars. This first step is a good step but we’re going to make speech recognition more intelligent. We can also make much more use of the augmented reality head-up display in the ID 3. We are the first ones to have this, even in higher segment cars. We can improve it by software upgrades because the hardware is in the car. Now, we have a few situations where you can use it: navigation mode, lane keeping, showing snowflakes on the street if the temperature is below four degrees. We have to assess which situations are useful. We don’t want to do video games.”
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/volkswagen-rd-boss-how-well-improve-id-3
POLESTAR 1 WON'T BE THE BRAND'S LAST HALO MODEL
"Polestar opened a sprawling production facility in Chengdu, China this August for its 619-horsepower (462-kilowatt) plug-in hybrid halo car, the Polestar 1. Capped at just 500 units per year, and limited to a production run of three years, only 1,500 examples of the vehicle will roll out of the brand-new facility between now and 2023. But that impressive plant won't sit dormant for long." reports Motor1.com: "While production of the electric Polestar 2 – a mainstream, electric sedan – kicks off at Polestar's Luqia, China manufacturing plant in early 2020, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath promises another range-topping vehicle in the future. It’s more than likely to come from the company's new Chengdu plant, and like all future Polestars, will be fully electric."
https://www.motor1.com/news/379487/polestar-planning-second-halo-model/
CITROËN LAUNCHES AN ELECTRIC OFFENSIVE ON ITS LCV RANGE
LCV plans to extend its electric offering for business customers with a range of 100% electric compact vans by 2021. This range will be suited to professionals since it offers an outstanding level of comfort, controlled cost of use, the freedom to drive in town centres, the ability to make “last mile” deliveries and keep up with the development of e-commerce business. Within two years the Brand will offer the Groupe PSA’s best know-how in terms of a 100% electric offering, by providing a 100% electric version of Jumpy (launch in 2020) and a 100% electric version of New Berlingo Van (by 2021). This electrification will concern the light commercial vehicles but also the passenger vehicles.
https://int-media.citroen.com/en/citro%C3%ABn-launches-electric-offensive-its-lcv-range
TESLA INCREASES RANGE AND PRICE OF THE MODEL 3 LONG RANGE
"On top of the software update for the now discontinued Model 3 Long Range RWD, Tesla has now updated its online configurator to list the Model 3 Long Range all-wheel-drive range at 322 miles" writes Fred at Electrek: "The automaker has also increased the price of the model from $47,990 to $48,490. Tesla also recently increased the range of the Model S and Model X with the new Raven powertrain."
https://electrek.co/2019/11/01/tesla-model-3-long-range-increases-range-price/
MG ELECTRIC SUV VIDEO REVIEW: VERY SOLID, QUIRKY
"The WLTP range is 263 kilometers, which is about 160 miles. In the UK, the price is £21,995 with the plug-in grant incentive. Weighing about 3,300 pounds (1,496 kg) empty, this affordable small SUV can seat five. If acceleration is important to you, the 0 to 62 mph time is 8.5 seconds. The top speed is 87 mph (140 km/h), which is on the slow side, but drivers of such a vehicle won’t be Grand Prix racing, so it probably doesn’t matter." says CleanTechnica: "the factory where this vehicle is made is capable of producing several hundred thousand electric vehicles a year. So, if you want this model, you shouldn’t have to wait, unlike some competing EVs. Another feature is the large trunk and a compartment underneath it for the charging equipment. The back seat also has ample room, according to the reviewer."
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/31/mg-electric-suv-video-review-very-solid-quirky/
TESLA GLOBAL VP SURPRISES WITH GIGAFACTORY 3’S INITIAL MODEL 3 PRODUCTION TARGET
"Tesla Gigafactory 3 is just waiting for its final permits before Model 3 production could begin in the complex’s Phase 1 area. As the wait for the site’s certifications continues, Tesla Global VP Grace Tao shared an incredibly optimistic target for the facility’s production activities. If the Tesla executive’s statements prove true, there is a good chance Gigafactory 3 could end up serving as the electric car maker’s dark horse this Q4 2019. " as per Simon Alvarez at Teslarati: " Tao stated that Gigafactory 3 is aiming to start its production activities at a rate of 3,000 Model 3 per week. That’s around 12,000 vehicles per month provided that the company does not encounter hiccups in its operations. This is notably ambitious, particularly as previous Wall Street listed Gigafactory 3 with an estimated production rate of 1.1k Model 3 per week in 2021. "
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-production-gigafactory-3-3k-per-week
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