7 May 2018 | Exposed: Audi Beta Website For etron, Norway Gives Up EV Crown and Cayenne E-Hybrid Critical For Porsche
Norway Is No Longer The Best European Market For Electrified Cars | Nissan Job Fears As Car Maker Puts Brakes On Diesel Sales In Europe | Audi’s ‘Beta’ Website Reveals More | The Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Is More Important Than The Gas Models | Why Plug-In Hybrids Are Better Than All-Electric Cars
Monday 7th May 2018.
NORWAY IS NO LONGER THE BEST EUROPEAN MARKET FOR ELECTRIFIED CARS
- You may know that in March Norway reported that 56% of all new car sales were EV's, and then on yesterday’s show, that was down to below 50% but it's still very respectable.
- However one consequence is that Norway is no longer Europe's number one for EV sales. So who is? That honour goes to the home of diesel makers, Germany.
- CarBuzz reports: "EV sales increased 70 percent in the first quarter of this year, for a total of 17,574 vehicles sold. It’s important to note, however, this figure not only includes pure electric vehicles, but also plug-in hybrids as well. Two of the most popular EVs in Germany include the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf, while the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer plug-in hybrid, which isn’t sold in the US, is also a very common sight. Norway remains Tesla’s third-biggest market after the US and China"
NISSAN JOB FEARS AS CAR MAKER PUTS BRAKES ON DIESEL SALES IN EUROPE
- Whilst I always want this show to be about how you and I are interested in electrifying transport, and sometimes about the industry around the cars, EV's don't exist in a vacuum which means when they're on the rise, you have to ask about what's going down.
- And the answer is diesel. Whilst it was never big deal in the USA, many European countries quickly rose to 50% market share as governments saw it as a way to reduce CO2, whilst ignoring NOx. Some countries like France, Italy and Germany has far larger market shares. Now that's all changing.
- Now a report in the Telegraph says Nissan: "will not put diesel engines in future models of its car as it adapts to a sharp decline in diesel vehicle sales. Japan’s national public broadcaster NHK reported that Nissan would stop selling diesel in Europe as part of its aim to sell one million electric vehicles a year by 2022. A Nissan spokesman could not be reached for comment. Car industry figures have blamed the Government for “demonising” diesel, which has resulted in sales of the cars in the UK nosediving. While UK new car sales rebounded in April after a year-long slump, diesel sales continued to plunge, suffering a 25pc year-on-year drop. Diesel’s market share of sales last month fell to 31pc from 45pc a year ago."
AUDI’S ‘BETA’ WEBSITE REVEALS MORE
- One of the behind the Fully Charged YouTube channel, who goes by @FullyChargedDan on Twitter, found the Beta site for the new Audi e-tron Quattro was live. And he spotted: Arrives early 2019, • 370 kW / 310 mile range from 95kWh battery, • Integrated solar cells in roof that generate electricity for the air conditioning and heated seats, • 80% charge in 30 minutes, “THRILLING EXPERIENCE IF YOU’RE ONLY USED TO COMBUSTION POWER.”
THE PORSCHE CAYENNE E-HYBRID IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE GAS MODELS
- The Verge has a very interesting article you should read about the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid pointing out how important it is the future of the brand; "In addition to all of the weight savings introduced on the third-generation car, the Cayenne E-Hybrid will also boast the newly introduced technology, such as a trio of digital displays in the dashboard for driving information, navigation, and a new off-road app. Energy and efficiency displays are also included as part of the E-Hybrid package. Starting from $79,990, the 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid may not sound like an important car for the masses. There are other, less expensive plug-in hybrid SUVs already on the market. But for Porsche’s reputation as an electric vehicle manufacturer, it’s the way most of its customers will experience technology in the near future."
WHY PLUG-IN HYBRIDS ARE BETTER THAN ALL-ELECTRIC CARS
- Finally, Douglas May at Torque News really nails the use case for a PHEV: "for those of us who actually own electric cars, we quickly realize that long electric ranges are not necessary because your home is the "gas station" where you plug it in each night to charge the battery. In fact, all you really need is a battery just big enough to cover your daily commute and no more! For most people, that means an electric range of 20-50 miles will do just fine. The best way to describe a Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) is "Electricity for your daily commute and gasoline for your long weekend getaways".
- “This combination makes sense for two reasons. 1) Lithium-Ion batteries are very heavy. A Tesla battery weighs 1,200 lbs in which you are only using 10-15% of it on a daily commute basis. That means you are lugging around 1,000 lbs of unused batteries which is the equivalent of hauling three full size refrigerators in your everyday commute!
- 2) And when you are making those infrequent weekend getaways, filling up at a gas station is still far more convenient than waiting 1-4 hours at a charging station assuming it's even available. When those Tesla Model 3s become popular, line-ups at freeway charging stations will invariably become common. With a PHEV, you can switch back to gasoline mode for those infrequent weekend getaways and don't have to worry about long lineups or non-existent charging stations. Read more here:
https://www.torquenews.com/5005/why-plug-hybrids-are-better-all-electric-cars
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