15 September 2018 | LEAF 2019 Prices Announced, ElectricGT Series Get Pushed Back and Rivian Build Electric Truck On A Ford F-150

Nissan Leaf 2019 USA Prices Announced | ElectricGT Series Get Pushed Back | Electric DS Revealed | Rivian Electric Truck Spied: On Sale Late 2019 | Tesla Tweets Gigafactory Solar

Can YOU help me spread the word about how awesome electric cars are? Click 👉 EVne.ws/patreon

 

Read today’s show notes on https://www.evnewsdaily.com

 

Well good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you are in the world, hello and welcome to the Saturday 15th September edition of EV News Daily. It’s Martyn Lee here with the news you need to know about electric cars and the move towards sustainable transport.

 

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.

 

NISSAN LEAF 2019 USA PRICES ANNOUNCED

• Nissan sent us all into the weekend with some news about the 2019 Model Year for the Nissan LEAF - the world’s bestselling electric car.
• They revealed the pricing which...drumroll please...stays exactly the same.
• But there was news on the specs which...drumroll please...stay exactly the same.
• So this press release really was Nissan saying 'hey you know that car we sell? it's still going to be for sale'. Despite leaked pics on Twitter showing a LEAF charging at a higher speed which indicated a larger battery being tested, they are still reluctant to tell us more about it. And that makes sense, because why cannibalise sales of the current model with jam tomorrow.
• What we know, it will be at least 60kWh version from LGChem and that means active thermal management. There are cars out there now like the Hyundai KONA and Kia Niro EV which have large packs and are very efficient, the Bolt, and of course the Model 3 isn't on sale yet for $35k but will be in the first half of 2019. All they would use is the phrase "in the future" which isn't even as vague as 2019, it's about as open ended as saying in the future there will be more cars.
• The 2019 Nissan LEAF features a starting MSRP of $29,990 for the LEAF S – with pricing for all three trim levels unchanged from 2018. The Nissan LEAF is the best-selling electric vehicle in the world with more than 348,000 global sales and over 123,000 U.S. sales since its 2010 debut. The 2019 LEAF features a 150-mile driving range, attractive exterior design, roomy high- tech interior and advanced technologies including ProPILOT Assist and e-Pedal. For 2019, Nissan LEAF adds standard Rear Door Alert (RDA) (late availability). A longer-range version will be available in the future.
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) for the 2019 Nissan LEAF are:
• LEAF S $29,990 USD - LEAF SV $32,490 USD - LEAF SL $36,200 USD

 

ELECTRIC GT SERIES GET PUSHED BACK

• With the I-PACE eTrophy starting soon to support the new look Formula E, and even Rally Cross going all electric from 2020, we have plenty of electric motorsport to soak up soon. Sadly ElectricGT championship racing Teslas will be a little further away than we thought.
• "Accelerating development in both electric mobility and sustainable energy means 'The Age of Light' will fast be with us," EGT CEO Mark Gemmell said in a statement shared with Motorsport.com. The Age of Light is a vision that has driven us for over three years to build an Electric Production Car Series that excites and inspires, and it is now close to final launch. Almost everything is ready: we've developed three fantastic race categories, received FIA approval and welcomed new technical and broadcast partners. The final ingredient is confirming a great lead investor who shares our vision of clean energy and transport, which is fundamental to launching the championship at the highest level possible. The championship start date will be set once this lead investor has been confirmed."

 

https://www.motorsport.com/egt/news/electric-gt-delays-tesla-based-series-launch/3176497/

 

ALL ELECTRIC DS REVEALED

• Groupe PSA, which includes the French brand DS, just showed us a new EV which is on their roadmap and i think it looks great. it's called the DS 3 CROSSBACK and it's aimed slightly more upmarket being from DS. There are different ways of making EVs for manufacturers, VW are building custom platforms whereas Mercedes for instance have their future cars equipped to drop in different drivetrains. And that seems to be the DS model, because we'll get fossils first.
• Then in 2019 we'll get an all-electric version called the E-TENSE.
• They're aiming to hit 186 miles on the new WLTP test cycle with some lovely fast charging to get back to 80% and back on the road in half an hour, from a 100kW charger.
• It looks like they're doing a skateboard design, like a Tesla/I-PACE/Renault Zoe because the batteries are under the floor, 50kWh's worth of batteries. They boast about the regen system but frankly that's a given these days. Saying an EV has regen is like saying it will come with wheels.
• So this small SUV / CUV segment just keeps growing in Europe and it's a good move for them. I would love to actually see the car in Paris in October at the motor show, or Geneva early next week.
• Is it just me, or are we all growing weary of announcements? Please do show us something pre-production or even a prototype on the road. PSA of course will be able to take the platform and make one into a Peugeot, one into a Citroen, one into an Opel/Vauxhall.

 

RIVIAN ELECTRIC TRUCK SPIED: ON SALE LATE 2019

• Eric Loveday at InsideEVs has news on a truck, what USA calls a truck is what we'd call a pickup. Here a truck is a semi. Confused? I'll carry on.
• So it LOOKS like a Ford F-150 but Rivian are using the body as a disguise, as they're making their own ground-up pure electric truck. So they're probably testing the technology hoping they wouldn't be rumbled, and then they plugged in.
• Eric says: "With a range of up to 400 miles, this Rivian electric truck could be a smashing success, provided it comes in at a decent price point. The pickup truck is expected to cost somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000. Yes, that’s a wide spread, but trucks are sold with such numerous options and packages that it’s to be expected. It should go on sale in late 2019 as a Model Year 2020 offering. Range is expected to be up to 400 miles, though we suspect a couple battery options may be offered, with perhaps a lower-range version coming at a later date and cheaper price."
• InsideEVs say their photographer adds: "This early mule version of their proposed pickup truck uses a stand-in Ford F-150 body over Rivian’s skateboard-like electric propulsion system. Only a charging cable from the front gives it away as an EV. R&D is currently being conducted in Plymouth Michigan, while battery technology is being developed in Irvine California."

 

https://insideevs.com/rivian-electric-truck-spied/

 

TESLA TWEETS GIGAFACTORY SOLAR

• If you have a PV system on your roof at home, there's every chance the next story might give you Solar envy!
• I love that the official Tesla Twitter seems to have been given a kick lately with more announcements coming out from it. They have released a picture of the solar roof array on Gigafactory in Nevada.
• Their plan has always been to make the plant run on purely renewables - so that Nevada sun in the day and Powerpacks for when the sun doesn't shine. They can probably lay their hands on a battery or two ;-)
• When complete it will be a 70MW system but there's a long way to go, that's not to do a disservice to the incredible work already done.

 

An update on my hunt for a city EV!

 

COMMUNITY

And thanks to MYEV.com they’ve set us another Question Of The Week. Keep your comments coming in on email and YouTube…

 

Where do you go for information when considering buying an EV, or researching a specific make and model. Is there one trusted source you use, or do you use everything from news sites like InsideEVs, to YouTube vlogs to auto makers official website pages. What about when you want to know about things like charging or incentives?

 

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the 78 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

CESAR TRUJILLO

DAVID ALLEN

SASCHA PALLENBERG

DAMIEN

LOUIS HOPKIN

ASHLEY HILL

BÃ¥RD FJUKSTAD

CHRIS BENSON

DAVID PARTINGTON

DAVID PRESCOTT

JOHN BAILEY

JOHN H MEYER III

JON TIMMIS

MARCEL LOHMANN

MARCEL WARD

MARTIN CROFT

MATTHEW ELLIS

MATTHEW GROOBY

NEIL E ROBERTS

PAUL SEAGER-SMITH

PHILIPPE CALVE

ROD JAMES

SCOTT CALLAHAN

THE LIMOUSINE LINE SYDNEY

 

You can listen to all previous 235 episodes of this podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, TuneIn, Stitcher, and 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, and I'll catch you tomorrow.

 

CONNECT WITH ME!

EVne.ws/itunes

EVne.ws/tunein

EVne.ws/googleplay

EVne.ws/stitcher

EVne.ws/youtube

EVne.ws/iheart

EVne.ws/blog

EVne.ws/patreon

 

Check out MYev.com for more details: