26 July 2018 | Kona EV Review Fest, Model 3 Delivery Windows Move Back Again and Emergency Services Need EV Training
Variety Of Kona Reviews Offer Positive Verdicts | Ford Forms A New Company To Consolidate Self-Driving And EV Businesses | Model 3 Delivery Windows Moving Back | Roadside Technicians And Emergency Services 'Need' EV Education | Nomads New Wireless Chargers | Chinese EV Start-Up Dearcc Raises $294m Pre-A Round | Enterprise And Greenwich Partner For EV Car Club
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 Thursday 26th July 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.
Firstly, Sergio Marchionne has passed away following complications after shoulder surgery. The 66 year old had been admitted to Zurich University Hospital for a routine procedure but passed away on Wednesday morning. The tribute from EVO: “Marchionne joined Fiat in 2003 when the ailing Italian carmaker was on the verge of bankruptcy after posting a loss of €6 billion. Within two years he had turned the loss into a profit. In 2009 he orchestrated the deal to take control of the Chrysler, saving it from bankruptcy and giving Fiat and Alfa Romeo a foothold in the United States”. All our thoughts are with his family and friends.
VARIETY OF KONA REVIEWS OFFER POSITIVE VERDICTS
- Occasionally you see a handful of publications all release a review of a car at the same time, often literally at midnight, as the press office embargo they agreed to adhere to in order to obtain the review is lifted.
- And so it was today with the Hyundai Kona EV, although in fairness I knew this one was coming, because the awesome Bjorn Nyland (who i love for his haphazard but incredibly in depth reviews) made a video saying it was coming.
- Bjorn posted almost two hours of video today on his YouTube channel. I do wish sometimes he's make a hot take edit, for those in a hurry, but please do have a look. Bjorn's channel is excellent for both its content and frequency of videos he's producing now.
- So after the reviews I'll talk about how to buy one, and some of the confusion we've had recently, with the online sales vs dealer sales. Plus an email from a listener to this show from someone who has one on order.
- Pocket-Lint: "The everyman's EV is a near-perfect crossover. The Kona looks like a future vehicle, just different enough from its petrol/diesel Kona cousins thanks to that closed front grille. It's comfortable too, with cushy seats that are both heated and cooled up front, ensuring temperature matching whatever the weather is outside. Electrically adjustable seats are a wink and a nod to this all-electric car's image, not to mention a feature usually reserved for premium options packs. There's adaptive cruise control with auto-braking, there's lane keep assist, blind spot warning, a reversing camera, and high beam assist. As the car can fully stop without using the brake pedal (the left paddle can be used as the fourth level, to control the brake, if you want), it's like a one pedal driving experience.
- Tom Ford for TopGear: "I drove this car for 200+ miles and it still said it had 125 miles left in it. Probably because we were in EV-charming conditions in Norway, but more likely because this car is tested against the newer Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) - calculated on real driving data. With the current virus-quality proliferation of charge points across the UK, this is starting to be one of those tipping point moments when excuses to dismiss the BEV get thin on the ground. Yes, there will inevitably be some getting used to be done, and horror stories about charge points being unavailable, but in reality this is a relatively cheap, eminently useable EV. My usage pattern consists of regular 200-mile roundtrips to airports (where leaving it on a charge point for a week is probably rude), and this car wouldn’t need a top-up. Eco mode shuts down the aircon, mutes the throttle response and seriously increases potential range, Sport does the opposite.
- This top-spec long range gets a head-up display, 7-inch ‘supervision cluster’, 8-inch LCD nav and cameras, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a bigger Krell audio system, power/heat/cool leather front seats and a heated steering wheel, LED headlamps and smart regenerative braking"
- And onto the subject of how to buy one. Click To Buy is available from 2nd August even though dealers had taken deposits. All orders will be reviewed equally.
https://www.pocket-lint.com/cars/reviews/hyundai/145111-hyundai-kona-electric-review-suv-ev
FORD FORMS A NEW COMPANY TO CONSOLIDATE SELF-DRIVING AND EV BUSINESSES
- Kyle Hyatt for CNET reports: "Ford just created a new subsidiary company called Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC which will house all of its self-driving car efforts including Ford's self-driving systems integration, autonomous vehicle research and advanced engineering, AV transportation-as-a-service network development, user experience, business strategy and business development teams."
- The new company will be helmed by Sherif Marakby, currently vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification for Ford.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-new-autonomous-self-driving-car-mobility-company/
MODEL 3 DELIVERY WINDOWS MOVING BACK
- "Tesla is now pushing back delivery windows on new orders for the Performance version and the rear-wheel-drive version of the new electric vehicle." writes Fred Lambert for Electrek: "Two weeks ago, Tesla cut those delivery windows down to just 1-3 months for the Performance version and the rear-wheel-drive Long Range battery pack version, according to a new update on their website. Now the company has updated its online design studio and Model 3 page with 2-4 months delivery windows for all versions of the vehicle"
- One of the comments from a User called 'Change' sums it up quite succinctly: "We know Tesla prioritise the delivery of their higher gross margin models so if they now despite of that cannot deliver them faster than the other versions of Model 3 I read this as evidence Tesla is selling a ton of the P3Ds which is good news with regard to Tesla getting profitable by Q3 or Q4. Also with 4 months as max delivery date and 20k production per month Tesla could have logged about 80,000 confirmed orders for Model 3."
https://electrek.co/2018/07/24/tesla-model-3-delay-delivery-windows-new-orders/
ROADSIDE TECHNICIANS AND EMERGENCY SERVICES 'NEED' EV EDUCATION
- "The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) says it is vital that training and accreditation is extended to those dealing with electric vehicles (EVs) at the roadside" according to Fleet News: "Recent reports of a Tesla Model X, which caught fire after it had been recovered by emergency services, underline the need for industry-led accreditations and qualifications for roadside technicians and emergency services personnel working on EV and hybrid vehicles, it said. The IMI’s recommendations to implement a ‘Licence to Practise’ for those working on electric and hybrid vehicles now form part of the Government’s ‘Road to Zero’ strategy. The IMI is urging roadside and emergency services to ensure their workforces are equally well prepared."
NOMADS NEW WIRELESS CHARGERS
- "Nomads Tesla Model 3 Wireless Charger is a wireless charging pad that’s been specifically designed to plug into the USB ports beneath the centre console on a Model 3. So instead of dealing with wires and plugs, you’ll be able to place up to two phones down on the pad to charge while on the go." according to The Verge: "The Tesla Model 3 Wireless Charger offers two 7.5W coils (so you can fast wireless charge two iPhones at once). Cleverly, the Wireless Charger also features an integrated 6,000mAh battery that can store power when you’re not actively charging phones and allow the chargers to boost power output from 1A to 2A for speedier power delivery."
CHINESE EV START-UP DEARCC RAISES $294M PRE-A ROUND
- "Chinese electronic vehicle maker Dearcc (or Dianka in Chinese), announced that it has raised a RMB2 billion (US$294 million) pre-A round from undisclosed institutional investors, an automobile industrial fund and companies in the automobile supply chain."
ENTERPRISE AND GREENWICH PARTNER FOR EV CAR CLUB
- "Greenwich council and car rental firm Enterprise have partnered to trial an electric car club in the borough." according to Air Quality News: " Car-sharing provider Enterprise will offer its members in Greenwich access to one of two Nissan Leaf fully electric cars located in the Neighbourhood, and a further five electric vehicles will soon become available at fixed charging bays"
https://www.airqualitynews.com/2018/07/24/enterprise-and-greenwich-partner-for-ev-car-club/
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