12 May 2018 | Ludicrous Mode Comes To Model 3, Two Rave Reviews For Hyundai Kona and China EV Sales Double
Episode 117, May 11, 2018, 11:01 PM
Tesla will enable orders for Dual Motor and Performance Model 3 versions next week | China EV sales double | Tesla files 3,661 Model 3 VINs | Two More Hyundai Kona Reviews | Kia Electrified Car Sales In Europe Increase | Tesla gets shut down in Connecticut
Saturday 12th May 2018.
TESLA WILL ENABLE ORDERS FOR NEW MODEL 3 VERSIONS NEXT WEEK
- I love it when Elon tweets because you never know what he's promising but, despite critics saying he lives on Elon time (which reminds me of Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field) it always happens. Sometimes not on the timescale Elon says, but it always happens. Well mostly, he has made predictions in the past with things like EV's having 600 mile ranges, was that 2018 he said that would happen? We'll forgive him the odd moonshot.
- However he has said within a week Tesla will open orders for the dual motor and performance versions. As you may know, things like photographs were seen with a Model 3 on a test track recently which sported red brake calipers, a giveaway it was testing a performance version. But then again, I'm aware that 2+2 can equal 5, and then i look stupid. And frankly I don't need Tesla's help to make me look stupid, i can do that on my own thanks.
- Musk has hinted that that version will come with Tesla's Ludicrous mode option, which can significantly boost the vehicle's acceleration.
- Production of those options is due to start in July. And we still don't know the exact specs.
- However my favourite part of this is that the answer came via a question from DMC Ryan. He hosts his weekly Ride The Lightning Tesla podcast, which i'm a huge fan on. And for a while now he's been talking about how to get this question answered. So, Ryan's strategy has been this: wait until Elon tweets because that means he's online and then BAM hit him with dual motor/performance/air suspension question. I seen Elon tweet and then BAM there goes Ryan with his question, but thus far, no luck. That has happened a few times now but this time, Elon saw it and BAM...he replied. Ryan, I salute you. Persistence pays off.
- Oh and talking air suspension, that's next year says Elon. Along with the white seats and interior.
CHINA EV SALES DOUBLE
- "Monthly figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released Friday show that passenger cars sales in April rose 11 percent over a year earlier to 1.9 million vehicles, outpacing a 3.5 percent growth rate in March" reports ABC: "Sales of "new-energy vehicles" such as electric cars and gasoline-electric hybrids more than doubled to 82,000."
TESLA FILES 3,661 MODEL 3 VINS
- Earlier this week we heard Tesla had registered 5,000 new VINs and now they're back to grab over 3,500 more. All for the Model 3 by the way, which brings the total to a total of 42,942 VINs. That's almost one tenth of the total reservations they had. That's 8,000 registered in the last week and, although not a foolproof system, does point towards a production rate of 4,000 per week. Perhaps slightly less.
- Remember Elon recently promised another shutdown to upgrade equipment which unlocks 5-6,000 per week.
- That starts to make sense because Elon also said the dual motor option would only come once that rate was achieved, and which most people expected to be July.
TWO MORE HYUNDAI KONA REVIEWS
- Another embargo must have been lifted because two reviews of the Hyundai Kona were published at the same time. Auto Express highlights include: "Neither the new Nissan Leaf or the VW e-Golf can get anywhere close. DC charging at up to 100kW is standard. Hyundai UK is being coy on pricing and range details, beyond confirming that both battery sizes will be available to British buyers. The electric powertrain is smooth and quiet, and despite the car’s weight (this edition weighs almost 1.7 tonnes), there’s all the performance you could really need up to around 65mph. The car offers four levels of energy recuperation, selected via paddles behind the steering wheel. Hyundai said our vehicle’s software needed more tuning...And learn to rely on levels three and four of recuperation to bring your speed down the majority of the time. And here’s a bit of even more significant news: the claimed range of 482km, under the forthcoming, supposedly more realistic WLTP test regime, seems very achievable, based on our time with the car. Under a mixture of hard acceleration for cornering pictures, urban crawl and 65mph motorway cruising, we saw energy consumption of around 12kWh per 100km"
- So that's one review, and onto AutoCar who also had great words to say about it "The Kona Electric’s performance level feels strong – although, due to its weight, perhaps not as strong as its headline power and torque lead you to expect. Hyundai quotes a 0-62mph showing of 7.6sec — which beats any comparable rival save for BMW’s i3. And for those primarily interested in whether the car’s battery range is really as good as Hyundai claims, there’s encouraging news. Our test route included town, motorway and mountain roads, and intensive driving as well as touring. While the car’s indicated average energy efficiency, tested over extended distances, was as high as 7.0kWh per 100km and as low as 16kWh at times, our overall experience suggested that you could easily average the 12kWh per 100km necessary to make good on Hyundai’s 300-mile real-world range on a mix of urban and extra-urban roads. At times, you could even improve on it."
KIA ELECTRIFIED CAR SALES IN EUROPE INCREASED TO 10% (4% PLUG-INS) IN Q1
- Onto Hyundai's South Korean sister company Kia in Europe. They say: "“Kia’s registrations of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles rose 36.2% to 13,070 units. In Q1 2018, 10% of all Kia cars sold in Europe were powered by an electrified powertrain, compared to 7.7% over the same period in 2017. Kia recently announced plans to introduce 16 new advanced powertrain vehicles by 2025 – the first of these new alternatively-fuelled vehicles will be unveiled later in 2018"
TESLA GETS SHUT DOWN IN CONNECTICUT
- This story i find baffling, like all stories about whether Tesla is allowed to sell cars. You see, from here in the UK, we view the USA as the home of capitalism in all it's glory and horror. If you really do buy into the American dream whereby you can start from nothing and make yourself, this is one piece of protectionism the Chinese would be proud of. Fred at Electrek says: "For four years in a row now, Tesla has been trying to enter Connecticut, one of the few states that still prevent Tesla from selling its vehicles directly to consumers."
I’d love to spread the word about electric cars so, if you can, share this somebody who might be interested.
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