Electric Jeep Is Cheaper Than Piston Version | 25 May 2021

Show #1093.

 

Today’s big EV stories:

·       Chevy Bolt EV Sales Jump 54 Percent During Q1 2021

·       Tesla is reportedly testing Luminar’s laser sensors

·       Tesla has over 1 million Cybertruck reservations

·       VW Could Move To Online Car Sales

·       Ofgem invests £300m into EV charge points

·       PEUGEOT e-Boxer priced from £49,335 in the UK

·       Largest Order Of Electric School Buses In North America

·       Jeep Wrangler 4xe PHEV Cheaper To Lease Than Gas-Only Model

·       Hybrid-electric motorcycle uses a supercapacitor to boost its range

·       F-150 Pro Extended Range Price

 

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 25th May. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

 

Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.

 

"Chevy Bolt EV sales increased in the United States, Canada, and Mexico while decreasing in South Korea and Brazil during the first quarter of 2021. In the United States, Chevrolet Bolt EV deliveries totaled 9,025 units in Q1 2021, an increase of about 54 percent compared to 5,873 units sold in Q1 2020." reports GM Authority: "Low Chevy Bolt EV sales volume has typically been an area of concern given GM’s EV-focused strategy, which calls for launching 30 electric vehicles by the year 2025. As a result, the vehicle’s overly positive sales performance during Q1 2021 represents a glimmer of hope that sales will continue to rise not just for the Bolt, but for EVs as a whole.  The Bolt EV will receive a thorough refresh that will launch mid-2021 as a 2022 model year vehicle. Updates to the model include new front and rear fascias, along with various improvements to the interior.  At the same time, it be joined by a new sibling model called Bolt EUV."

 

 

"A Tesla Model Y was photographed in Florida sporting rooftop lidar sensors made by buzzy sensor manufacturer Luminar. The sighting caused a bit of a stir among Tesla watchers, given Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s well-established disdain for the laser sensors commonly used by autonomous vehicle companies to create 3D maps of their environment." says The Verge: "Tesla has reportedly entered a partnership with Luminar to use lidar for “testing and developing,” according to Bloomberg. What exactly this partnership entails we don’t know for sure — neither company is commenting. But it could point to some shortcomings in the technology Tesla is using to power its “Full Self-Driving” driver assist feature.  the Model Y was sporting a manufacturer’s license plate that is registered to Tesla in California. The same plate has been spotted on other Tesla vehicles, including a prototype of the Cybertruck."

 

Or...it could be for validation of their vision-based system?

 

 

"Tesla has already accumulated over 1 million Cybertruck reservations, according to the latest tally. The tally also keeps track of the different trims, and the mix has stayed consistent with 48% for the Dual Motor, 44.5% for the Tri Motor, and only 7.5% of reservation holders are ordering the base single-motor version." according to a crowdsourced tracker of VIN numbers says electrek:" Musk also warned that delays are possible as Tesla is still working on building Gigafactory Texas, where the Cybertruck is going to be produced, and the company would face challenges since the electric pickup truck is designed with an exoskeleton."

 

 

"VW Group boss Alex Smith has written to car dealers to tell them an agency sales model is being considered. Affecting dealers across the group’s brands – which include Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda – the letter says the group is planning to introduce an agency sales model for electric vehicles. This is thought to be a precursor to a wider roll out of agency sales across the VW Group on its other models." says Car Dealer MAgazine: "Agency models see car dealers paid a handling fee for dealing with new car sales.  The manufacturer sells the cars directly to consumers via its main website. In a leaked letter marked ‘highly confidential’, the manufacturer told its ‘investors’ that a retail agency model for battery electric vehicles (BEV) is being planned. It says the model will be introduced for VW, Skoda, Cupra, Seat VW Commercial and Audi."

 

 

"The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, also known as Ofgem, has invested £300m into expanding the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network today, to push the pedal on the country’s low carbon future." according to CityAM: " 1,800 new charge points across motorway service areas and key trunk road spots. The investment will triple the current network, Ofgem said. Meanwhile, a further 1,750 charge points will be backed in towns and cities. Delivered by Britain’s electricity networks, the network investment marks a firm bid in the UK’s climate commitments ahead of hosting the UN’s flagship climate conference, COP26."

 

 

PEUGEOT has opened reservations for the new e-Boxer van, the brand’s largest full electric Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV). Available to order now, the PEUGEOT e-Boxer is available with two battery options and comes in three lengths to suit a variety of needs for both business and private users. Prices for the new PEUGEOT e-Boxer start from £49,335 (excluding VAT, after PiVG).

The L2 length comes with a 37kWh unit, while L3 and L4 versions feature a larger, 70kWh battery. Both lithium-ion batteries are connected to a 90kW electric motor.

73 miles or 139 miles.

 

"The largest student transportation provider in North America, First Student, recently placed the largest order of electric school buses with Lion Electric Company. " says Clean Technica: "Lion manufactures both all-electric medium- and heavy-duty urban vehicles, and together the two companies announced the order. First Student is ordering 260 all-electric LionC school buses. This is a huge win for fleet electrification and especially for the local kids since these new buses will not pollute the air students breathe as they board, deboard, and ride the buses like fossil fuel buses do."

 

 

"Lease deals can be tricky and misleading. You have to read the fine print carefully. However, in the case of Jeep's current leasing incentive on the all-new Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid, it seems the deal is real, and it works out to be a much better value than the traditional gas-only Wrangler." writes InsideEVs: "Jeep is leasing the 2021 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4xe for just $249 per month for 36 months with $3,999 due at signing. This rate is for California, but the deal is similar in other areas. For comparison, the gas-only Wrangler starts at less than $30,000. However, the cheapest lease deal on a Wrangler without a plug comes in at over $300 per month with about $4,000 down. This is for a Wrangler with an MSRP that's $11,000 less than the 4xe."

 

 

"French company Nawa plans to manufacture a prototype of its Racer hybrid motorcycle that uses a supercapacitor to bolster its range. The company says using a 9 kWh lithium battery could provide about 110 miles of range, but adding a proposed 0.1 kWh ultracapacitor would increase that to 180 miles as well as boost peak power output" says Inputmag.com: "Supercapacitors are batteries with high voltage limits that can fill and drain electricity quickly, faster than lithium-ion batteries found in electric vehicles. They’re large and expensive though.  Supercapacitors could act as a cushion, capturing more regenerative energy and also reducing stress on the main battery when the driver hits on the throttle."

 

 

ArsTechnica picked up something I missed which was the price jump from 230 miles to 300 miles for the fleet-based F-150 Pro: "What we didn't know was how much of a premium Ford would charge for the extended-range version. This model is capable of about 300 miles on a single charge and will be supplied with a 240 V, 80 A charger (called the Charge Station Pro) that can fill the battery to 100 percent in eight hours. As it turns out, the electric pickup with the bigger battery will go on sale at $49,974 before incentives and tax credits."

 

 

 

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