Volkswagen ID Buzz Spied With Production Body | 29 June 2021

Episode 1128,   Jun 29, 2021, 11:00 AM

Today’s big EV stories:
• CATL Extends Battery Supply Deal with Tesla
• Pikes Peak Winners Include Tesla Model S Plaid
• Electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 Roasts the Quarter-Mile
• Volkswagen ID Buzz Spied With Production Body
• BMW i3 era comes to an end in the U.S.
• Australia’s cheapest EV set to fall under $40k mark
• LEVC e-camper is an electric campervan based on a London Taxi
• Tesla offers free Supercharging for Fourth of July holiday
• Veloretti’s first electric bikes are automatic and gorgeous
• Volvo's South Carolina factory will exclusively build electric cars
• New homes in Tucson now required to include electric vehicle outlets

Show #1128.
 
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 29th June. 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.
 
CATL EXTENDS BATTERY SUPPLY DEAL WITH TESLA
 
- Sourcing locally has helped Tesla cut the prices of its Shanghai-made Model 3 sedans, which have been trimmed down by more than 25% since they were first delivered to the public in January 2020. More than 90% of the parts used in Tesla's Shanghai factory are from Chinese suppliers, Tesla China told a local media last month. Tesla also uses LG Chem batteries in its Shanghai plant, where it also is making Model Y sport-utility vehicles. It isn't clear whether CATL's batteries are used in Model Ys.
 
 
CHINA’S LARGEST BATTERY MAKER CATL EXTENDS AGREEMENT WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLE GIANT TESLA TO 2025
 
- Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the Shenzhen-listed electric-car battery maker, said it has reached an agreement with Tesla to provide lithium batteries to the US electric vehicle maker’s China production plants for an additional 30 months
 
- China’s largest producer of automobile battery packs said in a stock exchange filing on Monday evening that it reached an agreement last Friday with Tesla to provide battery packs for the US electric vehicle’s subsidiary in Shanghai up until December 2025.
 
- “The agreement signifies further acknowledgement by Tesla of the product quality and production capability of [our company], and will help strengthen the long-term cooperation relationship between the company and Tesla,” CATL said.
 
 
PIKES PEAK WINNERS INCLUDE TESLA MODEL S PLAID
 
- The 99th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) was crazy, exhausting, dangerous, and one of the greatest motorsports event you can see. Fifty-two drivers and their crew had spent close to a month preparing for the annual time-attack hill climb near Colorado Springs.
 
- Spectators roam past fences for a better view, and even the blades of the low-flying camera helicopter mostly drowned out the siren required for electric vehicles competing here.
 
- The true king of Pikes Peak Mountain was back this year: Romain Dumas, the crazy Frenchman who set an unbeaten record of seven minutes, 57 seconds in Volkswagen's all-electric ID. R Pikes Peak racer in 2018.
 
- Randy Pobst was back too. After sending a Tesla Model 3 flying into a wall at Bottomless Pit, he came back for more. This time winning the Exhibition division with his new Model S Plaid from Unplugged Performance, but still finishing 10 seconds behind a 1996 BMW M3
 
 
ALL-ELECTRIC MUSTANG COBRA JET 1400 ROASTS THE QUARTER-MILE
 
- Bob Tasca III got behind the wheel of the all-electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 at NHRA Nationals yesterday and set a new world record. The veteran ran the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 for a quarter mile in 8.128 seconds at 171.97 mph, crushing the 8.27 seconds at 168 mph recorded in September of last year.
 
- The name of Ford’s all-electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 may be somewhat misleading, since it’s throwing 1500+ hp to the rear wheels instead of 1400. Ford says that’s the equivalent to three 2021 Mustang GT V8 powerplants combined
 
- According to Ford Performance, this car was built in a collaboration with Cascadia Motion for the inverter and motors and Watson Engineering for the chassis support and development as well as the roll cage. This is Ford’s first factory fully electric dragster prototype, launched in April of last year.
 
- It's nice to watch a race without having to bring ear protection, but does it feel as exciting?
 
 
VOLKSWAGEN ID BUZZ SPIED WITH PRODUCTION BODY FOR FIRST TIME
 
- photographers have managed to capture the all-electric van using its own body. Eschewing the Transporter skin used by the test mules, the Microbus for the EV era has been caught wearing the production bodywork
 
- the prototype hides its final look underneath clever camo. It would appear that VW is going for a Renault van look with the disguise applied onto the ID Buzz's front fascia, featuring stickers on the headlights to conceal the actual clusters.
 
- The fully covered rear side glass suggests we are dealing with the cargo version of the ID Buzz, unless it's simply body-colored camo to hide the interior.
 
- Even with all of this makeup, it's fairly obvious the production model will be quite similar to the showcar unveiled four and a half years ago in Detroit.
 
 
BMW I3 ERA COMES TO AN END IN THE U.S. THIS JULY
 
- BMW i3 will soon stop its production for the U.S. market. According to a BMW dealer bulletin, the final production for the electric i3 hatchback is scheduled for July 2021. Over the last 12 months, the i3 inventory for the U.S. was at its lowest point and customers often had difficulties securing a production slot. The latest dealer info suggests that there are only around 180 production slots remaining.
 
- BMW is now heavily invested in the launch of the BMW i4 and iX next-generation electric cars and there is very little incentive to promote or market the heavily discounted and incentivized i3.
 
- When it goes out of production – likely in 2022 for the rest of the markets – the i3 will go down as the first and maybe last BMW built on a full carbon fiber frame. When BMW launched the i3 and i8 in 2013, the two projects were not only considered the most advanced within BMW, but also in the automotive world. The first electric BMW and also the first hybrid sportscar from Munich made use of BMW’s knowledge in carbon fiber construction, but at a much larger scale.
 
 
AUSTRALIA’S CHEAPEST EV SET TO FALL UNDER $40K MARK IN NSW
 
- Thanks to the New South Wales Government’s new electric vehicle subsidy, the cheapest EV on the Aussie market, the MG ZS EV, just got even cheaper. 
Under the new statewide EV scheme, NSW will provide 25,000 eligible buyers with a $3000 rebate and will also ditch stamp duty on electric cars valued up to $68,750. The abolition of stamp duty will also apply to EVs valued at up to $78,000. 
This means buyers in Australia’s most populous state could conceivably pay as little as $39,670 drive-away for MG’s electric SUV, which normally retails for $43,990 drive-away.
 
- The EV subsidy and stamp duty abolition is part of the NSW Government’s recently announced $490 million Electric Vehicle Strategy and will come into effect from September 1 of 2021.
 
 
THE LEVC E-CAMPER IS AN ELECTRIC CAMPERVAN BASED ON A LONDON TAXI
 
- Holidaying at home is a necessary trend, but all the hotels are booked up. A campervan is the solution.
 
- Meet the solution to all your woes, an electric-powered camper effectively based on LEVC’s London taxi. An e-motor provides power for 60 miles of zero-emission range, while a 1.3-litre engine will buzz to life in the background as a range-extender if your campsite’s a little further. Total range is 304 miles, but that engine never drives the wheels, merely a background artist topping up the 31 kWh battery.
 
- Crucially, all your amenities – including the cooker – will run on electricity alone
 
- It’ll sleep four – two up, two down – while the front seats flip round 180 degrees so you can all dine convivially around a table.
 
- Prices start at £62,250 excluding VAT.
 
 
e-Camper | Electric Camper Van
 
- “The campervan market is growing rapidly and, despite these vehicles being used for coastal and countryside adventures which often include national parks and protected areas, they are still powered by petrol or diesel engines. This is a major conflict; we can see a shift in consumer attitudes, with demand for greener mobility solutions to help to protect and improve air quality. Our new electric, zero-emissions capable e-Camper offers the perfect solution and is well-equipped with high quality features that can be tailored to meet a range of customer requirements.”Joerg Hofmann, CEO of LEVC
 
 
TESLA OFFERS FREE SUPERCHARGING AT SELECT LOCATIONS FOR FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY
 
- Tesla owners traveling in California during the upcoming Fourth of July weekend may receive a special perk from the company. As stated by Tesla in a message to some of its California-based customers, the company would be offering free Supercharging in select CA sites between Friday, July 2, and Monday, July 5.
 
- “Avoid the rush this Fourth of July holiday and charge for free before 12 p.m. and after 9 p.m. at select California Superchargers between Friday, July 2 and Monday, July 5. For faster charging anytime, navigate to your destination using Trip Planner to optimize your route and automatically precondition your battery,”
 
- Travel is even expected to exceed pre-Covid levels by 3.8%, despite ongoing concerns about the virus.
 
 
VELORETTI’S FIRST ELECTRIC BIKES ARE AUTOMATIC AND GORGEOUS

 
VOLVO'S SOUTH CAROLINA FACTORY WILL EXCLUSIVELY BUILD ELECTRIC CARS

 
NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION IN TUCSON NOW REQUIRED TO INCLUDE ELECTRIC VEHICLE OUTLETS

 
QUESTION OF THE WEEK WITH EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM
 
If you could only afford one, would you rather - Solar Panels or battery storage? On one hand, energy generation. But then again, being able to store electricity when it’s cheap and use it later to charge your EV. 
 
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Renault’s Electric Plan For Platforms, Batteries and Cars | 30 June 2021
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