18 Jan 2019 | Ford ‘Electrifying’ Truck Business, Tesla Referral Program To End and Hyundai KONA Deliveries For Canada
What Does Mean By "Electrifying The F-150" | Tesla Referral Program To End Soon | Hyundai Kona Electric Deliveries Now Underway In Canada | Tesla Semi Test Drive Event | AFC Energy Unveils Mobile Hydrogen Fuel Cell System | NEVS The Company That Took Over Saab, Gets New Majority Owner | EVs Cleaner Than Petrol Or Diesel Cars | Hainan Province To Ban Sales Of Diesel, Petrol Cars From Mar 1
Can You Help Me Fight The Fossils? Read More About Patreon here EVne.ws/patreon
Read today’s show notes on https://www.evnewsdaily.com
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 18th January 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I’ve been through every EV story I can find today, and picked out the ones I think you need to know about.
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.
Welcome new Patreon members!
DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BARD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
LARS HOFFMANN (PRODUCER)
CRAIG ROGERS (PRODUCER)
WHAT DOES MEAN BY "ELECTRIFYING THE F-150"
- "Ford Motor Co. confirmed plans to build a fully electric F-Series pickup, which industry observers called an unexpected move that protects the truck franchise against Tesla and other competitors." claims the Detroit Free Press.
- They have a quote from Jim Farley, Ford President of Global Markets: "“We’re going to be electrifying the F-Series — battery electric and hybrid."
- "Farley said a move toward all-electric and hybrid would “futureproof” the billion-dollar F-Series franchise, which he called a “global juggernaut.” An all-electric strategy is a big part of plans outlined by Volkswagen this week during the North American International Auto Show. In discussions about a commercial truck and medium size pickup alliance, Ford and VW said talks continue on collaboration involving electric and driverless vehicles."
- Just to show you the size of the business, Farley continues; "Ninety-percent of our capital now is allocated toward trucks and utilities,” Farley said. “We have the F-Series, the world and America’s best-selling truck. More than a million units were sold last year. F-Series core strength at the end of the day is: There’s a truck for every customer and we know those customers really, really well. From the F-150 all the way to the F-750. They all matter to us. The best is going to get even better. We’re going to be launching a new Super Duty later this year and showing it to everyone in a few weeks.”
https://eu.freep.com/story/money/cars/2019/01/16/ford-f-150-electric-pickup-truck/2595515002/
TESLA REFERRAL PROGRAM TO END SOON
- "Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced via Twitter, that the infamous (or famed depending on your interests and situation) Tesla Referral Program will come to an abrupt end. This is not to say that there won’t be some re-initiation and/or adaption of the program down the road, but for now, it will completely disappear." according to Steven Loveday at InsideEVs.com "Let’s continue to keep in mind that as of the time of this writing, Tesla hasn’t officially announced this. Musk has been known to tweet official details that are then later changed. However, generally, his tweets are most often a precursor to an official announcement from the company."
- As for Elon's tweet he said: "The Tesla customer referral program will end on Feb 1. If you want to refer a friend to buy a Tesla & give them 6 months of free Supercharging, please do so before then."
- It’s also worth saying that those YouTubers out there who got 105 referrals got TWO free Roadsters. They effectively got a half a million dollar prize. That’s 20 people who get two roadsters, and another 60 people who get one Roadster.
- I must admit, one of the reasons I’ve never used someone elses, I always felt a bit grubby hearing those people flog their code. It was like they became salesmen for Tesla, and it affects impartiality. They say that they sold X many cars for Tesla but really, those buyers would have bought a car anyway wouldn’t they? So I’m a little pleased its over.
- So why now? Elon says it makes the Model 3 more expensive.
https://insideevs.com/tesa-referal-program-end-base-model-3-comes/
HYUNDAI KONA ELECTRIC DELIVERIES NOW UNDERWAY IN CANADA
- And staying with InsideEVs: "Deliveries of Hyundai Kona Electric in Canada kicked off the other day. The first unit was sold by Hyundai Valleyfield in Quebec on January 15, 2019. The Kona Electric went to a couple, who turn out to be loyal customers for the brand for the past 25 years."
- The Kona, as all EVs, are supply constrained. That is, they could sell more but they can't make enough. And although I can't recall an official Hyundai comment on this, I'll stick my neck out and say it's because of battery supply as opposed to them not having the will to make them.
https://insideevs.com/hyundai-kona-electric-deliveries-now-underway-in-canada-video/amp/
TESLA SEMI TEST DRIVE EVENT
- The Semi has been the quietest part of Tesla recently. We've recently heard more about the solar tiles and the Powerwall from official channels than the Semi. But now a test drive event for reservation holders shows that work is progressing and Teslas are keen for people to experience it.
- "On Wednesday, truck leasing company TCI Transportation shared a post on its official Twitter account. The company noted that they were visited by the Tesla Semi, and that some of its employees were even given test drives on the vehicle. Images from the event show TCI’s employees inspecting the all-electric long-hauler, and everyone in the event sharing a meal together." reports Simon at Teslarati: "Not long after the vehicle was unveiled, the Semi had been spotted doing cargo runs or running routes across the United States — and it has not really stopped since. Even the matte black Semi prototype, which was recently wrapped in a stunning red color, has been spotted several times testing on America’s roads."
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-gigafactory-3-construction-shanghai-china-drone-footage-video/
AFC ENERGY UNVEILS MOBILE HYDROGEN FUEL CELL SYSTEM
- A story sent to me by Owen Morgan on Facebook. This next story is like a who's who of current buzzwords. EVs, hydrogen, grid management.
- "A new electric vehicle (EV) charging system which enables plug-in vehicles to rapidly power up in around an hour without the need for a power grid connection has been launched today by UK fuel cell specialist AFC Energy." says Business Green: "But by utilising hydrogen fuel cell technology and a battery to generate and store energy, AFC Energy claims the system can charge up EVs off grid and thereby ease pressure on the grid."
- Adam Bond, CEO at AFC Energy told Business Green: "By 2030, it is estimated that there could be nine million electric vehicles on the roads of Britain, up from 90,000 today. For this transition, we need charging stations to be embedded throughout the country, as well as seeking innovative solutions to overcome the severe limitations of centrally generated electricity."
- The persistent question is always: how is that hydrogen made? If it's will fossil fuel, there's little point in doing it. Hydrogen is also currently very costly, in early stages and lacks scale. In its favour is energy density, that doing this at industrial scale and then powering EV's makes more sense, plus using excess renewable power to make the Hydrogen is seen as the holy grail.
NEVS, THE COMPANY THAT TOOK OVER SAAB, GETS NEW MAJORITY OWNER
- "Chinese real estate conglomerate Evergrande Group, a key investor behind troubled electric vehicle startup Faraday Future, has acquired a 51 percent stake in NEVS. That's the Chinese-backed Swedish electric vehicle company that purchased the assets of Saab out of bankruptcy in 2012." reports Autoblog today: "The investment by subsidiary Evergrande Health Industry Group was valued at the equivalent of $930 million and is expected to help NEVS develop new EVs. Evergrande said it paid the first installment of $430 million on Jan. 15, with the remainder due by the end of the month."
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/01/16/nevs-saab-new-majority-owner/
EVS CLEANER THAN PETROL OR DIESEL CARS
- Big props to Autoexpress magazine for putting this story front and center of their website: ""Electric vehicles (EVs) are better for the environment than internal combustion engine (ICE) models even when charged up with electricity generated by coal-fired power stations, according to new research." says AutoExpress: "Data from BloombergNEF (BNEF) shows CO2 emissions from EVs were about 40 per cent lower than those from ICE models in 2018. Furthermore, the UK saw the biggest difference in emissions between the two categories of car due to its large renewable energy industry. Even in countries like China, which are more reliant on coal-fired electricity, EVs were still found to be cleaner than ICE cars from the points of view of CO2 emissions. The research helps clarify some of the details surrounding the lifetime emissions of EVs, which don’t pollute on the road but do consume electricity that’s often generated by fossil fuels."
HAINAN PROVINCE TO BAN SALES OF DIESEL, PETROL CARS FROM MAR 1
- "Hainan province will ban sales of diesel or petrol cars from March 1 when new air pollution measures and laws take effect. Hainan, the smallest province in China, is the first province to implement such a ban." reports Shanghai Metals Market: With hestening the construction of charging facilities, the province would step up its efforts in promoting new-energy vehicles and aims to eliminate diesel or petrol cars by 2030. A low rate of car ownership and the warm climate will support NEV growth. The number of vehicles in Hainan stood at 1 million units as of the end of 2017, compared to 27.23 million units in Guangdong."
COMMUNITY
And thanks to MYEV.com they’ve set us another Question Of The Week. Keep your comments coming in on email and YouTube…
How much should EVs reinvent the car, and how much should they conform to what is expected?
I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the 174 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
PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER)
ELECTRICMOTORING.NET (PREMIUM PARTNER)
BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER)
DAVID ALLEN (PARTNER)
OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER)
SASCHA PALLENBERG (PARTNER)
JON BEARDY MCBEARDFACE (PARTNER)
ALAN ROBSON @SCOTTISHEVOWNER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ARILD GEIR SKAALSVEEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BOB MUIR / GINGERCOMPUTERS.COM IN DUNDEE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BORISLAV BORISOV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BRENT KINGSFORD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BRIAN WEATHERALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
BRYAN YOUNG (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CESAR TRUJILLO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CHRIS BENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DARREN BYRD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DARREN SANT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
GEORGE CLARGO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JASON FAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JEFF ERBES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JERRY ALLISON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JOHN BAILEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JOHN H MEYER III (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JON KNODEL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
JON TIMMIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)
LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)