17 Sep 2019 | 370 Miles For Ford’s Mustang-Inspired EV, Tesla Offers Discounts and VW’s Software Push
Tesla Allows Discounts And Offers 2 Years Of Free Supercharging | Ford's Mustang-Inspired Suv Boasts 300-Plus Mile Range | Volkswagen Planning To Create One Operating System For All Of Its Brands | GM Considers Launching Their Own Battery Production | Spy Shots Show Vw Id.4 Electric Suv We'll Get In The U.S.| CATL Considers Us Plant, Targets 45 Percent Energy-Density Boost In 5 Years| On The Road To Normal | Tested: Renault Zoe Can Grid-Balance
Show #583
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 17th September 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story to save you time.
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.
TESLA ALLOWS DISCOUNTS AND OFFERS 2 YEARS OF FREE SUPERCHARGING
"Tesla is pulling out the big guns for its end-of-the-quarter push. Electrek has learned that Tesla is authorizing its sales staff to give two years of free Supercharging, and it is discounting inventory vehicles by matching them with cheaper orders." reports Fred today: "While Tesla claims it has been trying to move away from it, the automaker often ends up making massive sales and delivery pushes at the end of each quarter. Last quarter, Tesla pushed hard and offered bonuses to employees in order to achieve record deliveries, and they were successful. Sources familiar with the matter told Electrek that Tesla has authorized its sales staff to offer two years of free Supercharging for new Model 3 orders that get delivered by the end of the month, which coincides with the end of the quarter. Furthermore, they are also authorizing sales staff to waive the fees of up to two features to match orders with inventory vehicles, which can result in important discounts. The features are limited to paint colors, interior, and wheels. For example, you could be ordering a Model 3 Standard Plus in white with 18-inch wheels for $38,990 and if Tesla happens to have the same Model 3 in red with 19-inch wheels, Tesla’s sales staff can approve the sale of the vehicle for the same price"
https://electrek.co/2019/09/13/tesla-discounts-free-supercharging-end-of-the-quarter-push/
FORD'S MUSTANG-INSPIRED SUV BOASTS 300-PLUS MILE RANGE
"Ford seems prepared to bring all the ammunition it can for its first electric vehicle, the unnamed Mustang-inspired SUV. This Thursday, the automaker launched a new website for electric vehicles in Europe and quoted a 370-mile range for the electric SUV, based on WLTP estimates." says CNET: "WLTP figures are far more liberal than our EPA estimates. Some quick math for a conversion pegs an EPA estimate to land somewhere around 330 miles of range on the high side. If Ford does nail that figure, it will be the only other electric car to rival Tesla's Model S Long Range, which packs an estimated 335-mile range. A Ford representative underscored the 370-mile range figure will not mimic an EPA estimate and said the target is still at least 300 miles for the US market. It's important to note the website also says "up to 370 miles." The phrasing indicates this figure will definitely correspond to a range-topping model with other models beneath it boasting shorter ranges, but likely less expensive price points."
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-mustang-suv-electric-range-specs-features/
VOLKSWAGEN PLANNING TO CREATE ONE OPERATING SYSTEM FOR ALL OF ITS BRANDS
"Christian Senger, head of the Digital Car and Services division for Volkswagen Group, tells Ars Technica, “Software is extremely complex nowadays. Each function is connected with everything — in the car, in the cloud, with the dealers — and we see that too many projects are in too much trouble. The process chain is not stable anymore; there’s so much inefficiency to this process. Today, we build more than 10 million cars a year. But they are running on roughly eight different electronic architectures." reports CleanTechnica: "Senger points out that the Android operating system is capable of running perfectly well on smartphones that cost as little as $60 to those selling for $1000 or more. [VW] will consolidate all of its software development into one new division that will employ up to 10,000 people within the next 5 years. The objective is to create a single unified automotive operating system that will run everything from a VW Polo to an Audi A8. Senger says Volkswagen has decided to use Android as the basis of its new software architecture, particularly because of the robust third party app ecosystem that is based on Android."
GM CONSIDERS LAUNCHING THEIR OWN BATTERY PRODUCTION
"General Motors apparently intends to produce their own battery cells in the future. This is the result of statements GM has made to the US car union United Auto Workers (UAW) in current talks to settle a strike." says electrive: "Within the framework of contract negotiations, General Motors has promised the union investments in the USA totalling 7 billion dollars over the next four years – among other things for the production of an electrically driven pickup in Detroit as well as for the aforementioned production of battery cells in Lordstown in the US state of Ohio. According to Reuters, GM’s electric pickup is scheduled for 2022 and could roll off the production line at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. There is no further information on the apparently planned production of battery cells."
https://www.electrive.com/2019/09/17/gm-considers-launching-their-own-battery-production/
SPY SHOTS SHOW VW ID.4 ELECTRIC SUV WE'LL GET IN THE U.S.
"The model we're expecting to launch the German giant's new line of electric vehicles on this side of the Atlantic is the ID.4 – the production version of the ID. Crozz concepts showcased in Shanghai and Frankfurt two years ago. And these latest spy shots, captured in the Austrian Alps, give us our best look yet at how it'll appear in production guise." reports Motor1.com: "the ID.4 will be taller than most, offering a more commanding driving position and increased interior space – somewhere in between that of the short-wheelbase, five-seat Tiguan offered overseas and the elongated, seven-seat version (known elsewhere as the Tiguan Allspace) that we get here in America.The ID.4's larger form will necessitate a more potent electric powertrain than the smaller ID.3's. So in conjunction with the 200-horsepower electric motor driving the rear wheels on the hatchback, we're anticipating Volkswagen will install a 100-horsepower motor on the front axle to deliver a combined 300 hp and through-the-road all-wheel drive."
https://www.motor1.com/news/371167/volkswagen-id4-spy-shots/
CATL CONSIDERS US PLANT, TARGETS 45 PERCENT ENERGY-DENSITY BOOST IN 5 YEARS
"China’s Contemporary Amerex Technology Co., better known as CATL, has in the past several years become a global battery giant.
Last week one of its senior executives revealed to Reuters that the company is considering a manufacturing expansion into North America, even though the market for EVs will lag that of China and Europe. " says Green Car Reports: "The company is already planning a battery “gigafactory” of its own in Erfurt, Germany—a facility that will start production in 2021 and be one of the largest battery plants in Europe. CATL announced firm numbers for the improvements. It can now accomplish more than 200 watt-hours per kilogram with its automotive lithium-ion batteries for EVS (up from 180 wh/kg). Energy density with its current chemistries has reached 240 watt-hours per kilogram, and it’s targeting 350 wh/kg—a 45 percent improvement—by 2024."
ON THE ROAD TO NORMAL
New research conducted by Go Ultra Low, the joint government and industry campaign to promote the uptake of electric vehicles, has found that two thirds (69%) of people expect “electric cars” to be referred to simply as “cars” by the year 2030.
The research, which looked at the normalisation process of new technology, found people seeing their family and friends driving them (33%), as well more being visible on the road (49%), as the two main factors driving a change in the way we perceive EVs. This comes as registrations for battery electric vehicles hit a record high, with a 93.1% increase in year-to-date registrations compared with the same timeframe last year.
When asked what factors would improve the likelihood of purchasing an EV, close to half (45%) of respondents cited improved charging infrastructure.
TESTED: RENAULT ZOE CAN GRID-BALANCE
"Dutch smart charging specialist Jedlix and the Elaad Competence Centre have concluded that Renault Zoe can be used in a balancing capacity of TenneT in the Netherlands." reports Electrive: "To use Renault Zoe for network balancing, the car’s charging process had to be able to react to real-time signals. At Elaad’s test centre in Arnhem, in the Netherlands, the two partners conclusively proved that the Zoe is able to respond to TenneT signals within seconds. According to Jedlix, this kind of suitability is further proof that electric vehicle batteries can be efficient and competitive resources that contribute to increasing the flexibility requirements of national grids.
Renault already has two smart grid projects underway: on the French Island of Belle-Île-en-Mer where the system on the island will combine a car-sharing service with EVs, local solar energy storage and an intelligent charging system. Renault is converting used batteries to power the largest holiday resort on the island.
Similarly, on the Portuguese island of Porto Santo, several Renault Zoe is being used as part of a smart grid project to be part of an intelligent power grid. There, Zoe models are retrofitted prototypes that allow bidirectional charging.
https://www.electrive.com/2019/09/12/renault-zoe-can-grid-balance/
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