18 Apr 2019 | Mercedes EQC Appears Highly Efficient, Tesla Launches Battery Recycling and Sion Builds EV At Former SAAB Factory

Mercedes-Benz EQC Special Edition 1886 | World Car Awards Gives Jaguar I-PACE Three Honors | Lotus Announces ‘World’s First Full Electric British Hypercar’ | Battery-Powered Toyota C-HR | All-Electric Genesis Mint Concept Revealed | Tesla Launches Battery Recycling At Nevada Gigafactory | Fastned Opens Its First 350kW Charging Station In The UK | VW Of America To Gauge Us Appetite For MQB-Based Tarok Pickup Concept At Ny Show | Sono Motors To Build Sion EV At Saab’s Former Factory In Sweden

Show #447

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 16th April 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I’ve been through every EV story I could find today, and picked out the best ones to save you time.

 

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MERCEDES-BENZ EQC EDITION 1886 ADDS EXCLUSIVITY TO THE ELECTRIC SUV

• A limited special edition EQC Edition 1886 has been announced at the New York Auto Show as a tribute to the first motor car, and looking forward at a new era for Daimler. "As for the name, it’s obviously a callback to the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen – the vehicle widely recognized as the first production car. Mechanically speaking, everything about the EQC Edition 1886 is just as you’ll find it on the standard model. A pair of electric motors drive all four wheels with a combined output of 402 horsepower (300 kilowatts), drawing power from an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Mercedes estimates the EQC’s range between 277 and 293 miles, with the capability for fast charging at 110 kW when such high-output stations are available" writes Chris Smith for motor1.com: "The standard EQC is expected to arrive in June for the European market, with U.S. sales beginning next year. The Edition 1886 is also slated to go on sale in the U.S. next year. Pricing for either model hasn’t been announced yet."
• I think that points towards Mercedes engineers having done a great job on efficiency, because 80kWh is less than others are using for the same size vehicle, if you look at the 95kWh Audi e-tron which just scrapes over 200 miles on the EPA range.

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/345040/mercedes-benz-eqc-edition-1886/

 

WORLD CAR AWARDS GIVES JAGUAR I-PACE THREE HONORS

• "The Jaguar I-Pace was a critical darling of the World Car of the Year Awards, announced Wednesday at the New York Auto Show. It nabbed the World Car of the Year Award, as well as honors for Green Car and Design." says Zac for InsideEVs.com: "The other two finalists for the World Car of the Year award, announced last month at the Geneva Motor Show, were the Audi E-Tron and the Volvo S60/V60. The I-Pace shared its World Green Car award with the Audi, while the hydrogen fuel cell Hyundai Nexo was also nominated for that honor. Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum, was in New York to receive the awards. Underscoring the significance of the awards, he said that “going green” was going to happen to the whole industry and that cars like the I-Pace are the start of the journey."

 

https://insideevs.com/2019-ny-auto-show-jaguar-world-car/

 

LOTUS ANNOUNCES ‘WORLD’S FIRST FULL ELECTRIC BRITISH HYPERCAR’, UNVEILS TEASER

• "Lotus confirmed that it is working on what they describe as the “world’s first full electric British hypercar” and it unveiled a teaser image for the electric vehicle." writes Fred for Electrek today: "There have been rumors about Lotus going electric with a $2.5 million 1,000 hp hypercar ever since Geely took a majority stake in the British automaker. At the Shanghai International Auto Show, Lotus has now confirmed that an all-electric hypercar called Type 130 is in “advanced stages of development.”

 

https://electrek.co/2019/04/16/lotus-type-130-full-electric-british-hypercar-teaser/

 

BATTERY-POWERED TOYOTA C-HR HIGHLIGHTS ELECTRIC DEBUTS IN CHINA

• Toyota love to promote their cars with the phrase "we choose not to plug in". Which is awkward because we know all cars are going electric and will have to have a plug. But how quickly will that happen? How about now. "Toyota has just jumped into the battery-powered pool, revealing a small collection of all-electrics at the Auto Shanghai 2019. The most notable was its compact crossover, the C-HR EV. It’s the first completely electrified vehicle from the Japanese brand to come to China. Curiously, the other main EV is also the C-HR, but wears a badge proclaiming itself to be the Izoa EV. It, according to Autocar, will be built by the state-owned outfit FAW. Toyota says the twins should be offered to consumers in 2020." reports InsideEVs.com: "The appearance of the all-electric C-HR sparks the inevitable questions, “Will it come to other markets?” While we have no definitive answer, the automaker reminds us that it plans to introduce more than 10 battery-electric vehicles before 2025. While we would hope it makes its way outside of China, the automaker has yet to release technical specifications for the vehicle, so it’s difficult to judge how well suited it might be for Western markets."

 

https://insideevs.com/toyota-c-hr-ev-china-rhombus-izoa-video/

 

ALL-ELECTRIC GENESIS MINT CONCEPT REVEALED IN NEW YORK

• Genesis revealed the Mint Concept at Hudson Yards, ahead of the opening of the 2019 New York International Auto Show. The Mint Concept introduces the all-electric, luxury car for the city, a new vehicle typology, featuring organic design and an innovative interior user experience.
• The versatility of the Mint Concept extends to the design and engineering of its high- density, battery-electric powertrain, which is capable of an estimated 200 miles per full charge and 350-KW fast recharging.

 

TESLA LAUNCHES BATTERY RECYCLING AT NEVADA GIGAFACTORY

• "In its latest environmental impact statement, Tesla announced that it will open its own battery recycling facility. Tesla has been recycling batteries made at the factory using third-party recyclers. Now, as the earliest Model S's reach 7 years old, and the company is starting to receive some batteries back after use in those early cars, it's setting up its own battery recycling facility." says Eric for Green Car Reports: "The new processing center at the company's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada to process both old batteries used in customers' Teslas as well as those from its own research and development. The company says lithium, cobalt, aluminum, copper, and steel will be recovered from the batteries in a closed-loop system that optimizes the materials for new battery production. "

 

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1122631_tesla-launches-battery-recycling-at-nevada-gigafactory

 

FASTNED OPENS ITS FIRST 350 KW CHARGING STATION IN THE UK

• "Fastned just expanded to the United Kingdom, opening not only its first fast-charging station there, but also the first in the UK ready for 350 kW of charging power. It’s located on West Wear Street, which is one of Sunderland’s busiest central routes. Sunderland is also known for its Nissan manufacturing plant, which produces the LEAF for the European market." reports InsideEVs.com;
• Fastned say: "“Initially, charging at the station in Sunderland will be free. The free charging will end during 2019 as soon as the payment system is activated, from that moment an introductory price will be charged. Charging and paying will then be possible with a EV charge card, debit/credit card, Apple Pay and Android Pay. Later in the year it will also be possible to charge with the Fastned App, making automatic charging (Autocharge) possible in the United Kingdom for the first time.”

 

https://insideevs.com/fastned-opens-first-350-kw-charging-station/

 

VW OF AMERICA TO GAUGE US APPETITE FOR MQB-BASED TAROK PICKUP CONCEPT AT NY SHOW

• "Volkswagen of America (VoA) plans to show the Tarok pickup concept for the first time in the US at the New York International Auto Show. Although there are no plans to produce the vehicle for the US market, VoA is showing the Tarok concept to gauge market reaction for a versatile and compact entry-level pickup. The US is the largest global market for pickups."
• To me this says one thing - it's not about selling diesel trucks, it's VW looking at their electric vehicle offering and Tesla Truck, the Rivian and others, and seeing a lucrative market possibly being closed off to them.'

 

SONO MOTORS TO BUILD SION EV AT SAAB’S FORMER FACTORY IN SWEDEN

• The first series production solar electric vehicle (SEV) developed by the German mobility provider Sono Motors is to be manufactured in Sweden. As Sono Motors officially announced today, the first generation of the Sion will be produced in Trollhättan by National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). The plant located there was home to the production lines of the long-standing and innovative automobile manufacturer SAAB. In total, an initial 260,000 vehicles will roll off the production line in Trollhättan over an eight-year period. Production will commence in the second half of 2020. After the ramp-up period, approximately 43,000 Sion a year will be manufactured in two-shift operations. Production will be carried out using one hundred percent renewable energy.
• A bidirectional charging function enables the Sion to both receive and supply electricity, power electrical devices independently, and feed energy to other vehicles or into the electricity grid. Thanks to full-surface solar integration, the vehicle battery can be charged with pure and free solar energy worth up to 34 kilometers’ range per day in addition to its regular WLTP range of 255 kilometers.
• For its market launch, the Sion will be rolled out in one single variant version costing 25,500 euros. There are plans afoot to develop other vehicle models based on the vehicle’s platform.

 

VOLKSWAGEN ID. R USES DRS FORMULA 1 TECHNOLOGY FOR NÜRBURGRING RUN

• "Volkswagen has set itself a new challenge with the ID. R this year – the Nürburgring-Nordschleife instead of Pikes Peak. A race track instead of a hill climb. Full-throttle sections instead of hair-pins. Because of this, the fully electric-powered ID. R has been continuously developed with respect to its aerodynamics." says Electric Vehicle News: "As well as an adapted floor and a new spoiler at the front of the vehicle, the ID. R will also sport a newly designed rear wing. It will be much lower than the variant used at Pikes Peak, in order to provide less surface resistance to the flow of air. The new multi-wing rear of the ID. R will nevertheless produce high downforce in the medium-fast turns of the 73-corner Nordschleife. To further reduce the drag in certain sections, the rear wing will deploy technology known from its use in Formula 1 – the so-called Drag Reduction System (DRS). In the pinnacle class of motorsport, DRS is used in order to facilitate overtaking by allowing for higher speeds. During the ID. R’s solo-drive, however, the opening element of the rear wing will be used exclusively to preserve the remaining energy reserves."

 

http://www.electric-vehiclenews.com/2019/04/volkswagen-id-r-uses-drs-formula-1.html

 

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