23 May 2018 | ‘Fix’ For Model 3 Brakes Via Firmware, More Battery Investment By Oil Companies and Rivian To Debut 800hp Truck
Study Predicts Increase In Electric Motorcycles | Rivian To Debut 800-HP Electric Truck At LA Autoshow | Advanced E-Buses Hit Roads Quicker Than EVs | China Cuts Car Tariffs | Model 3 Performance Could End Up Being Even Quicker | Citroen Electric DS3 Destined For Paris Motor Show | Model 3 Brake Issues Will Be Sorted Soon | BP Invests $20 Million In Solid State Batteries | Nissan: Vehicle To Grid Services Will Not Drain EV Batteries
Wednesday 23rd May 2018.
First a word for any EV groups meeting up soon. Like the group organised by Mark Goudie (Pron: Gordy) who organises regular EV meet ups with other EV owners here in the UK, so hello to the Northwest England Owners group on Facebook, and all the information you share and conversation you have. Any other groups listening? Let me know I’ll give you a shout.
Mark also opened up the Tezla / Tessla debate – I think I just say what comes naturally BUT apologies to those who insist of Tessla, if I ever say Tezla I’m sorry. From now on I promise to try harder at Tessla.
STUDY PREDICTS INCREASE IN ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES
- Starting with a study by Statista, reported by RideApart.com and then ono InsideEVs, which is like a russian nested doll of credit I'm giving there, they are forecasting global e-bike sales will reach approximately 40 million units sometime in 2023.
- That's a huge number, and it starts to make more sense when you realise 35million of the 40million will be in China. But even so, 5 million electric bikes is a big number for North America and Europe.
- They say: "Unsurprisingly, one of the strongest forces in the entire e-market equation is urban (and suburban) areas. An increasing amount of electric two-wheeler sales are coming from scoot-sharing services like BMW’s DriveNow program, or the San Francisco-based Scoot Network e-scooter sharing offering. Both of these services, in addition to buying large fleets of bikes, also serve as a sort of motorized, two-wheeled test-drive, introducing the non-riding public to life on two-wheels. The number of EV startups risen sharply for the last couple years as well, and signs point to that trend only intensifying."
RIVIAN TO DEBUT 800-HP ELECTRIC TRUCK AT LA AUTOSHOW
- Detriot-based electric car startup Rivian Automotive is getting ready to take the stage later this year at the Los Angeles Autoshow and debut the company’s first electric truck. “according to Christian Prenzler for Teslarati. "Rivian is also creating an 800-HP version of the vehicle capable of more than 450 miles of range, making it an SUV having the longest all-electric range on the market"
- These will serve the popular American consumer truck segment which we don't have in the UK or Europe to such a large extent. It's easy to quote numbers on something not yet made, but they say 0-60 in 2.8 seconds.
- “It’s stiffer than a supercar,” said CEO RJ Scaringe in speaking with Engadget. “There are only a few cars in the world that are going to be as fast as ours, and we have a large five-passenger truck.”
- The price they say is in the $50K to $90K region which seems way too cheap for all that performance.
- Rivian have their factory, the old Mitsubishi plant in Illinois, which they bought in January 2017.
https://www.teslarati.com/rivian-800-hp-electric-truck-la-autoshow/
ADVANCED E-BUSES HIT ROADS QUICKER THAN EVS
- The latest long-term forecast from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) shows sales of electric vehicles (EVs), increasing from a record 1.1 million worldwide last year to 11 million in 2025, and then surging 30million by 2030 which cost-parity with combustion is achieved.
- China will lead this transition, with sales there accounting for almost 50% of the global EV market in 2025 and 39% in 2030.
- The advance of e-buses will be even more rapid than for electric cars, according to BNEF’s analysis. It shows electric buses in almost all charging configurations having a lower total cost of ownership than conventional municipal buses by 2019. There are already over 300,000 e-buses on the road in China.
CHINA CUTS CAR TARIFFS
- "China will cut tariffs on most imported cars to 15 percent from July 1, the finance ministry said on Tuesday following a thaw in trade tensions with the United States" says the UK's Daily Mail. Whilst Bloomberg say: "For Tesla, a tariff cut will provide a boon until they set up local production. Tesla has been working with Shanghai’s government since last year to explore assembling cars in China. China saying that it will allow foreign new-energy vehicle makers to fully own auto factories as early as this year removed a primary hurdle for Elon Musk."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5756777/China-says-cut-auto-import-tariffs-July-1.html
MODEL 3 PERFORMANCE COULD END UP BEING EVEN QUICKER
- Staying with Tesla and it seems Ryan McCaffrey from Ride The Lightning Tesla Podcast has a direct line to Elon - which some superfans of both would probably compare to that old saying about The Pope having a direct line to God. I'm joking. Mostly. However Ryan said on Twitter: It’s probably not *this* simple with manufacturing, but wouldn’t the robot just reach into the red caliper pile on the assembly line for the cars tagged as Performance? In other words, it’s just a different part (in practice if not technically so), not a different process." So he's talking there about the red brake parts seen on other performance models.
- To which Elon replied: "not promising anything, but we *might* be able to increase Model 3 Performance power output a little"
- However I think many buyers will be happy to stump up $54,000 for a very quick dual motor Model 3, rather than $78,000 (without Autopilot) for a stupidly quick Model 3. There will be those who always want the fastest, but basic dual motor would do me more than fine.
DS3 DESTINED FOR PARIS MOTOR SHOW
- Maybe DS are feeling like they're being left out of the EV party because Rachel Burgess in Autocar point out: "DS will reveal the electric DS3 Crossback compact SUV, a rival to the Audi Q2, at the Paris motor show this October ahead of its launch in 2019. The EV variant of the new car, which will run alongside more traditional powertrains, will be available from launch and will offer a range of more than 124 miles on each charge. The urban-focused car is likely to have a 50kWh battery pack.
- DS product boss Eric Apode told Autocar that "DS has to lead [the electric] innovation" within the PSA Group. "This is also because of pricing. It [electric technology] has to start with premium brands because the prices will be high," he said. "Then, as the pricing decreases, it can go to the other brands."
MODEL 3 BRAKE ISSUES WILL BE SORTED SOON
- Finally on Tesla, Elon Musk has now admitted there was a braking issue with the Model 3. The braking issue was first pointed out by Consumer Reports. He said it can be fixed with a firmware update that the electric car maker will be rolling out in a few days.
- He said in a reply to Electrek: "Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days. With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won’t stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car."
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/teslas-musk-admits-model-3-braking-issue-promises-fix.html
BP INVESTS $20 MILLION IN FLASH BATTERIES
- CNBC report on more oil money flowing into electrons: "BP said its venture capital arm was investing in Tel Aviv-based StoreDot as it looks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its operations. StoreDot develops so-called "flash batteries," lithium-ion batteries that it says can charge electric vehicles in a matter of minutes."
- "Ultra-fast charging is at the heart of BP's electrification strategy," Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP's downstream business, said in a statement on Tuesday. "StoreDot's technology shows real potential for car batteries that can charge in the same time it takes to fill a gas tank."
- The range on their batteries is said to be 300miles but the product won't even start to be commercialised until 2019.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/bp-invests-in-israeli-battery-startup-storedot.html
NISSAN: VEHICLE TO GRID SERVICES WILL NOT DRAIN EV BATTERIES
- Finally Nissan Europe chief Gareth Dunsmore has responded to suggestions that V2G, which is being led in many ways by Nissan because of the CHAdeMO connector, and he says: "“It is not draining the battery, it is using the battery to balance the grid. It uses the battery, but it also puts energy into the battery; it is going up and down rather than draining. Draining the battery is not where the value is for the energy company or the customer.”
- Accoring to The Energyst: Mike Kerslake, UK technical manager for Chinese battery firm BYD, said V2G services for those customers may require a change of service model in terms of battery ownership and management. “Perhaps the vehicle owner doesn’t own the battery, but it is [instead] leased from an energy resources company, who also gets value from the vehicle to grid capability,” said Kerslake. “So there is quite a potential change in the way it works.”
https://theenergyst.com/nissan-vehicle-grid-services-will-not-drain-ev-batteries/
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