BMW Exec: We’ll Cap EV Range At 373 Miles (600Km) | 24 Sep 2021
Episode 1221, Sep 24, 2021, 12:40 PM
Today’s big EV stories:
• Ford partners with Tesla Founder on battery recycling & supply chain
• Foxconn says Thailand EV factory will begin producing 50,000 units by 2023
• Lucid Will Build 520 AIr Dream Editions
• BMW Exec Says Automaker Is Capping EV Range At 373 Miles (600Km)
• BMW i3 Edition Unique Forever
• New Battery Management for iX3
• Rivian's App Looks To Be Awesome
• BYD ships its 1000th BYD Tang SUV to Norway
• NIO Presents a Hybrid 75-kWh Battery Pack With LFP and Ternary Cells
• E.ON and Volkswagen launch fast charger with storage battery
• Read more: Volkswagen Group China builds battery system factory in Anhui
• Foreign auto group's ad campaign opposes EV tax credits that favor union shops
• Mercedes Van dealer to supply Hermes with 168 fully electric eSprinters
• Gold miner looks to ditch diesel in W.A.
• German election: Why the next government wants to overhaul transport
Show #1221
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 24th September. 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.
Saturday Special – listen this weekend for Ian Johnston from Osprey Charging talking about the future of fueling up, and the innovative load-sharing solutions he’s bringing to the UK.
A couple of listener comments from yesterday’s podcast...Chris in Texas says that I didn't mention the effective price of the Audio Q4 e-tron yesterday. Whilst it has a competitive price of $43,900 for the Q4 40, I forgot to mention the federal tax credit, which means I should be saying $36,400 after incentives. That's a good price for a 82kWh car, with 201hp and sub-8 second 0-60mph. EPA range possibly around 250 miles.
And Michelle in Sacramento made a point about the Mercedes-Benz EQS. I talked about the starting price of $102,310 for the EQS 450+. That has a 107.8kWh pack with 487 miles of range on the WLTP. She pointed out the entry-level S Class is $109,800, so the EQS is almost 10 grand cheaper than the equivalent petrol.
FORD PARTNERS WITH TESLA FOUNDER ON BATTERY RECYCLING & SUPPLY CHAIN
"Ford Motor Co. announced on Wednesday plans to team up with a co-founder of Tesla Inc. on battery recycling in an effort to improve Ford's domestic battery supply chain for electric vehicles." reports the Detroit Free Press: "This new partnership with Redwood Materials, run by CEO J.B. Straubel, the first chief technology officer at Tesla, focuses on "localizing the complex supply chain network, creating recycling options for end-of-life vehicles, ramping lithium-ion recycling and increasing U.S. battery production," Ford said in a news release. Straubel, who worked at Tesla from 2004 to 2019, has built a reputation for creating a circular supply chain for batteries and helping partners in the electric-vehicle and clean-energy industries by providing technologies to remanufacture lithium-ion batteries. As part of this new collaboration, Ford also announced it has invested $50 million in Redwood."
They add: "Ford announced in May plans to manufacture battery cells and arrays, which store energy for later use, through multiple BlueOvalSK battery plants in North America starting around 2025. BlueOvalSK is the U.S. joint venture between Ford and SK Innovation."
"With Ford, Redwood Materials is looking to be more deeply integrated than just a recycling partner. Straubel’s startup is working with the Detroit automaker to figure out plans for everything from helping to process scrap material, to finding new life for worn-down batteries with ample capacity remaining, to helping Ford create new batteries out of salvaged lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper." says The Verge: "the overarching goal is one that Straubel has talked about frequently since founding Redwood Materials. The idea is to create a “circular” or “closed loop” system where the stuff that makes up lithium-ion batteries gets recycled and reused, which could theoretically drive down the cost of an EV’s battery while reducing the automaker’s reliance on imported materials and (one day) mining."
JB was employee #5 at Tesla, he is as central to their success story as anyone else, and it's not surprising Ford want to invest.
FOXCONN SAYS THAILAND EV FACTORY WILL BEGIN PRODUCING 50,000 UNITS BY 2023
"Taiwan-based smartphone manufacturing giant Foxconn and national Thailand oil supplier PTT PLC are moving forward with an agreement to start an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Thailand. The facility is expected to begin rolling out vehicles by 2023. Foxconn had previously reported plans to begin building factories in both Thailand and the U.S. next year." says The Verge: "The initial production capacity of the Thailand facility will be around 50,000 units, which Foxconn says will increase three-fold by 2030. The Thailand plant officially marks Foxconn as an automaker in its own right, but the company is also working with EV maker Fisker on a U.S. manufacturing plant, which should also start production in 2023. The two companies signed a joint agreement, called Project PEAR,"
LUCID WILL BUILD 520 AIR DREAM EDITIONS
"The EPA recently released its official range figures for the limited Dream Edition and as the company expected, its 520 miles (836 kilometers) is the best range ever tested by the EPA, besting the Tesla Model S Long Range by over 100 miles (160 kilometers)" writes MotorIllustrated: "To commemorate this achievement, the company decided to increase production of the fully reserved Dream Edition up to 520 units, which means a number of customers that were previously on the waiting list will be able to buy the car after all. The Lucid Air Dream Edition can be ordered in two trims, the Dream Edition R, which provides the 520 mile (836 kilometer) range and delivers 933 horsepower, enough to power the large sedan to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.7 seconds."
The P version has 1,111 HP but sacrifices 49 miles of range.
BMW EXEC SAYS AUTOMAKER IS CAPPING EV RANGE AT 373 MILES (600KM)
"According to a recent report from WhichCar? out of Australia, a BMW executive said the automaker has no plans to produce electric vehicles with a range of over 600 kilometers (373 miles). The publication says drivers must rely on charging infrastructure if they plan to drive longer distances." reports InsideEVs: "While nearly 400 miles of range is a pretty solid estimate for an EV produced today, it's interesting that BMW would state that it has no intention of striving for more range. WhichCar writes that BMW i4 project leader David Ferrufino said the automaker won't target a 1,000-kilometer driving range."
He said: "One thousand kilometres of range is not a target we have with our fully-electric cars. We are aiming for 600 kilometres [of driving range] for our fully-electric cars, and 100 kilometres with our plug-in hybrids in everyday driving. For example, we don’t think a range of 600 kilometres will be suitable for a BMW i3 as an urban car, but when it comes to the BMW iX or i4, we think that around 600 kilometres is a very customer-friendly solution."
BMW I3 EDITION UNIQUE FOREVER
"The small car and its offshoot BMW i3s will be offered in a limited edition as Edition Unique Forever from November 2021. The 2,000 planned edition vehicles are to be distinguished by the particularly high-quality and exclusive design and equipment features, such as individualised exterior paintwork and a black insert for the rear bumper." writes electrive.com: "In the interior of the edition vehicles, the Suite equipment line with its leather and fine wood trim and Ambiente lighting will be supplemented by specific design elements: the front headrests will have “Unique Forever” lettering, and the door trim panels in the area of the exterior mirrors will bear the inscription “One of 2 000”."
Read more: https://www.electrive.com/2021/09/22/bmw-announces-battery-management-upgrade-for-the-ix3-and-i3/
NEW BATTERY MANAGEMENT FOR IX3
RIVIAN'S APP LOOKS TO BE AWESOME
BYD SHIPS ITS 1000TH BYD TANG SUV TO NORWAY
NIO PRESENTS A HYBRID 75-KWH BATTERY PACK WITH LFP AND TERNARY CELLS
E.ON AND VOLKSWAGEN LAUNCH FAST CHARGER WITH STORAGE BATTERY
READ MORE: VOLKSWAGEN GROUP CHINA BUILDS BATTERY SYSTEM FACTORY IN ANHUI
FOREIGN AUTO GROUP'S AD CAMPAIGN OPPOSES EV TAX CREDITS THAT FAVOR UNION SHOPS
MERCEDES VAN DEALER TO SUPPLY HERMES WITH 168 FULLY ELECTRIC ESPRINTERS
GOLD MINER LOOKS TO DITCH DIESEL IN W.A.
GERMAN ELECTION: WHY THE NEXT GOVERNMENT WANTS TO OVERHAUL TRANSPORT
https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-why-the-next-government-wants-to-overhaul-transport/a-58753744
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