17 May 2018 | Reviews For Porsche E-Hybrid, Nissan Remove Base LEAF From Configurator and Tesla Shutdown Scheduled For May
Episode 122, May 16, 2018, 11:01 PM
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Review | Tesla Will Use Six-Day Shutdown To Fix Model 3 Assembly Line Problems | Nissan Leaf Now Without Entry-Level Visia Trim | The 'Autopilot Buddy' Is Crazy | Elon Musk Hires Tesla Interns Who Helped Solve Model 3 Production Issues | Nissan’s Solar And Battery Storage System Hits UK Market
Thursday 17th May 2018.
PORSCHE CAYENNE E-HYBRID REVIEW
- The first reviews are in for the Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid, ahead of the move of the legendary 911 to electrified power, so whether purists like it or not, battery power is here to stay.
- EVO has been my go-to magazine for performance car reviews for a long time and they're impressed: "There are now four driving modes to choose from: full electric (E-Power), Hybrid Auto, Sport and Sport Plus, all of which can be selected via the same rotational switch fitted to the steering wheel of Porsche’s range of sports cars. The default mode on start-up is full electric, which offers a range of between 14 to 27 miles on a full charge (up from 22 miles, with a full charge taking around 8 hours on a house hold plug). Switch to Hybrid mode and the Cayenne will adapt its use of the powertrain to suit the individual driving style of whoever is behind the wheel, switching between full electric and petrol-electric as and when it needs to, and with uncanny smoothness, too."
- As for environmental credentials, that's always hard for a gas burning SUV to argue, but: "The Cayenne E-Hybrid will return a theoretical 88mpg on the combined cycle while emitting just 72g/km (putting it 3g/km under the free congestion charge limit)."
TESLA WILL USE SIX-DAY SHUTDOWN TO FIX MODEL 3 ASSEMBLY LINE PROBLEMS
- We know Model 3 production line shut downs are coming, and now we have more details. Tesla will pause production at its California factory for six days at the end of the May to improve the Model 3 assembly line says inside sources who have spoken to Reuters.
- So far we've seen shut down in February and April to upgrade the factory. Musk has said the planned stoppages are intended to give the company time to perform upgrades that will help it reach a goal of building 6,000 vehicles per week by the end of June.
NISSAN LEAF NOW WITHOUT ENTRY-LEVEL VISIA TRIM
- Pedro at Push EVs has noticed something on the European Nissan websites: "At least in Portugal, Spain and France you can no longer order the entry-level Visia of the Nissan Leaf. With fewer trim levels to choose from, production complexity and costs are reduced. No need to waste time and resources to produce a trim level that customers don’t want. Acenta has always been the most popular trim level on the Nissan Leaf and it’s now the entry-level trim. I see this as good news, furthermore Nissan is not only adjusting the trim levels, but also the prices. Let’s see the evolution in Portugal."
- Indeed the UK Nissan site is also reporting the Acenta as the base model now with no sign of the Visia trim. The base model Acenta is from £25,190, the N-Connecta adds around view monitor, heated seats, 17” alloys wheels, privacy glass and electric door mirrors for £26,890. You can go up one more step to Tekna for ProPILOT assist, BOSE premium audio, leather front and rear heated seats, Full LED auto headlights and electronic parking brake from £28,390. They all of course come with e-pedal.
THE 'AUTOPILOT BUDDY' IS CRAZY
- Regardless of whether you think Autopilot is a good name for Teslas driving assist technology, implying it does more than it actually does, they do make it as idiot proof as possible. You are required to keep your hands on the steering wheel when it deems assistance necessary, and if you do not, it gives you a visual warning on the dashboard followed by an audible one. And if you really let it go too long, the car comes to a stop.
- But what if you could avoid all the need for being aware about what a two ton fast moving lump of metal and batteries was doing. That's exactly what one idiot thought when they designed a product for other idiots to buy. Welcome to Autopilot Buddy.
- It will run you $179 and is magnetic plastic that will attach to your wheel to fool the car into thinking your hands are on it.
- Now there's really nothing stopping you swapping seats - yes someone was recently banned from driving for doing that - or making youtube videos off you hanging out of the window at seed - yes someone has done that.
- Their website says: "Tesla owners were searching for ways to hack the autopilot or extend the autopilot features without voiding the warranty. “Autopilot Buddy” allows early adopters to once again enjoy autopilot for longer durations, by reducing or turning off the autopilot check-in warning."
- You would only buy this product to be less attentive at the wheel.
ELON MUSK HIRES TESLA INTERNS WHO HELPED SOLVE MODEL 3 PRODUCTION ISSUES
- Getting a Tesla internship is a dream for many engineering students, but what about when you spot something in the Model 3 process which improves production? In this case, it lands you a job offer from Elon Musk. According to Matthew Lane, one of the interns, speaking on CBC Radio: "“Essentially, it was a gating problem with the Model 3 production ramp. What had happened was we saw an opportunity to solve the problem. We came up with our own idea, and we actually sort of crashed the meeting with Elon himself and presented the idea. And, after speaking with him and one of his VPs, Doug Field, they essentially said ‘This is a good idea, but here’s the problem we are facing right now, so you guys go talk with us.’ And it snowballed from there,” he said.
- Mark Comeau added: "“So about a month and a half after that, we worked on this issue, brought things online. And then, literally at 10 a.m. Monday morning, the week after we’re finished, we received a message saying ‘Hey, head to Nevada to the Gigafactory.’ And, a five-hour car drive later, we arrived in Nevada, with a whole new situation and a whole new set of problems to address. “Elon is the type of CEO that is actually hands-on in the factory floor. He’s not one of those that sits on the ivory tower and just gets reports. He’s actually on the line, seeing the issues himself in person, and seeing what contributions people are making, and what the issues are. He doesn’t like to hear things second-hand. He likes everything first-hand knowledge.
- “So this issue had caused some delays with the production, so of course it was one thing that was always on his radar, and once we had figured it out and got it up and running reliably, he came by, and he had us walk through it. It’s probably one of the most unnerving experiences ever, because he’s the CEO of the company and here we are, just two interns. And, he’s basically like ‘Yep, you’ve got to stay.’”
NISSAN’S SOLAR AND BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM HITS UK MARKET
- "Nissan’s solar and battery storage system is now available to buy for homeowners across the UK" according to Energy Live News: "consumers can choose to buy either new or second life batteries from Nissan EVs – the firm adds these will be used to give increased independence from the national grid and electricity suppliers as well as the ability to generate, store and manage energy for use overnight. The cost of the solar and storage package starts at £3,881."
I’d love to spread the word about electric cars so, if you can, share this somebody who might be interested.
You can listen to every previous episode 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!