27 Feb 2022 | Tesla Opens Superchargers To Help Escape Warzone

Episode 1388,   Feb 27, 2022, 05:00 PM

On the podcast today:
• Teslas Top Worldwide EV Google Searches Followed By The VW Group
• Free Charging To Tesla, Other EV Owners Fleeing Ukraine
• Registration of electric cars continues to grow in Ukraine
• Man converts his Rolls-Royce into an EV and his passion into a Richmond business
• bp to exit its 19.75% shareholding in Rosneft - Green Car Congress
• BYD Receives US' Largest Electric Truck Order From Einride
• Google Maps is helping battle electric vehicle range anxiety
• This EV-Converted Porsche 912 Future-Proofs a 1960s Classic
• Plug in your car … but only Britain’s richer motorists can charge up cheaply
• Patreon Thanks

Show #1388

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 27th February. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

Welcome to a new PATREON EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ANDREW LUOMA. If you get any value from this podcast please consider supporting my work on Patreon. Plus all Patreon supporters get their own unique ad-free podcast feed.

TESLAS TOP WORLDWIDE EV GOOGLE SEARCHES FOLLOWED BY THE VW GROUP

- Based on the amount of news coverage it receives and the fervor of its fans, it’s not surprising that Tesla tops the charts in terms of global Google searches for electric vehicles. Its four models are also the four most searched electric vehicles on Earth.

- The Tesla Model 3 is the most-Googled electric vehicle on Earth, appearing in searches 2,240,000 times per month, followed by the Model S, Model Y and Model X.

- The most-searched non-Tesla model is the Audi e-tron, which was Googled more than a million times per month in 2021, as was the Porsche Taycan, and they were followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 (823,000), which must please the Volkswagen Group.

- In the U.S., meanwhile, the cars with the fastest-growing interest are the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which received 221,900 percent more searches in 2021 than it did in 2020; the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which got 12,442 percent more; and the Volkswagen ID.4, whose searches increased by 5,483 percent.


FREE CHARGING TO TESLA, OTHER EV OWNERS FLEEING UKRAINE

- Electric vehicle owners from Ukraine can use a Tesla Supercharger for free in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. The move by Tesla covers those who own Tesla vehicles and also other electric vehicle brands.

- “Beginning Monday, we are temporarily enabling free Supercharging for both Tesla and non-Tesla vehicles at sites in areas impacted by the recent situation in Ukraine,” an email from the electric vehicle company said. “We hope that this helps give you the peace of mind to get to a safe location.”

- Tesla has previously offered free electric vehicle charging for areas affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes in the U.S. This marks the first case of Tesla providing free charging due to a war or political crisis.

- This is also the first time that Tesla has offered free charging at its Supercharger locations for non-Tesla vehicle owners. The move coincides with Tesla opening up its Supercharger locations for non-Tesla owners across several European countries.


REGISTRATION OF ELECTRIC CARS CONTINUES TO GROW IN UKRAINE

- A total of 8,541 new and used electric vehicles were registered in 2021, an almost 20% increase compared to 2020, according to the Federation of Automotive Employers. Used vehicles outnumbered new ones seven to one.

- Ukraine now has about 30,000 electric vehicles on the roads. The number of newly-registered ones has been growing each year since 2016.

- Still, electric cars occupy a very modest share of the Ukrainian market. A total of 104,000 new cars were registered in the country in 2021. Only 1% of those were electric.

- Every fourth electric car registered in the country in 2021 was a Leaf.

- Used car prices for Nissan’s bestseller ranged from $9,500 for 2014 models to $28,000 for 2020 models. New Leafs, which start at $32,000, are beyond the price range for many Ukrainians, whose average monthly salary was $530 in December 2021.

- Ukrainians’ other top choices in 2021 included the Tesla Model 3 (827 registered) and Chevrolet Bolt (762 registered). The above three models are responsible for almost 55% of the country’s electric car market.


MAN CONVERTS HIS ROLLS-ROYCE INTO AN EV AND HIS PASSION INTO A RICHMOND BUSINESS

- Richmond business owner Vincent Yu spent the past four years converting his Rolls-Royce into an electric vehicle. It required not just endless hours in the garage/basement but almost as many flying to the U.S., Japan and Germany to purchase specialized car parts.

- Not only does Yu have an electric Rolls-Royce, he also has a brand new business.

Yu said he decided to use what he learned over the past four years to open a shop, Mars Power, in north Richmond where he plans to convert other vehicles from gasoline to electric.

- To convert his RR, he had to sell his house to help pay for the project. That didn’t sit well with his wife, who got so fed up with his project she left him, Yu explained.

- Yu said his newly converted electric Rolls-Royce can run for 500 kilometers on a full charge, adding that it only costs him $8 in electricity to charge the battery compared with $120 to fill his tank with gasoline.

- He found a small team of mechanics and machinists to help him and together they worked on the project almost every day. It’s that team he’s now employed at his new shop.


BP TO EXIT ITS 19.75% SHAREHOLDING IN ROSNEFT - GREEN CAR CONGRESS

- The bp board announced that bp will exit its shareholding in Rosneft, a Russian state-controlled oil and gas company. bp has held a 19.75% shareholding in Rosneft since 2013.

- Additionally, bp chief executive officer Bernard Looney is resigning from the board of Rosneft with immediate effect t. The other Rosneft director nominated by bp, former bp group chief executive Bob Dudley, is similarly resigning from the board.

- Like so many, I have been deeply shocked and saddened by the situation unfolding in Ukraine and my heart goes out to everyone affected. It has caused us to fundamentally rethink bp’s position with Rosneft. I am convinced that the decisions we have taken as a board are not only the right thing to do, but are also in the long-term interests of bp. Our immediate priority is caring for our great people in the region and we will do our utmost to support them. We are also looking at how bp can support the wider humanitarian effort.


BYD RECEIVES US' LARGEST ELECTRIC TRUCK ORDER FROM EINRIDE

- BYD announced so far the largest order for all-electric trucks outside of Asia, placed in the US by a Swedish freight technology company Einride. In total, 200 Class 8 BYD 8TT battery-electric day cab trucks to be deployed over the course of the coming twelve months starting in February.

- BYD 8TT will be equipped with a 563 kWh battery (LFP) and offer a range of up to 200 miles. Fast charging power peaks at 185 kW (CCS1 connector).


GOOGLE MAPS IS HELPING BATTLE ELECTRIC VEHICLE RANGE ANXIETY

- Navigation software, such as Google Maps and infotainment systems in cars, are one of the quickest ways to ease range anxiety felt by drivers. In a recent study conducted by HERE, the navigation experts found that drivers consider such software a must-have tool in their electric vehicle.

- HERE describes how applications that provide charging location information and real-time station data help increase the adoption of electric vehicles, especially as they now offer a more integrated experience.

While HERE itself already offers an advanced pack of solutions aimed specifically at EV drivers, the entire industry is actually investing on this front.

- Taking the experience one step further, vehicles equipped with Android Automotive, such as Volvos and Polestars, run Google Maps as the native navigation app. Now, thanks to deeper integration with the car's battery systems, it can monitor the current range and provide options to reach the destination more conveniently.


THIS EV-CONVERTED PORSCHE 912 FUTURE-PROOFS A 1960S CLASSIC

- Ian James Corlett is a self-described Porsche enthusiast, having owned a string of 911s. It's why he selected a 912 as the basis of his project, figuring a more prosaic four-cylinder Porsche would be a less heretical subject for conversion from internal combustion to electric power.

- A light-switch-reactive 120 pound-feet of electric torque makes Corlett's battery-powered 912 as easy to drive as a modern EV. A blend of 911 and Boxster suspension and brake components improves the performance envelope further. The dogleg five-speed manual transmission is retained

- Power is up to 118 horsepower and is far more accessible than with a combustion engine. Further, the car is still light, with a curb weight equivalent to a fully fueled, six-cylinder 911 of the same period.

- Eventually, Corlett crossed paths with the experts at EV West, who reworked the conversion and polished it for reliability. Corlett refers to this version as his 2.0 build. Its front-mounted 25-kWh battery pack gives slightly more than 100 miles of range, ideal for a Sunday morning cruise.


PLUG IN YOUR CAR … BUT ONLY BRITAIN’S RICHER MOTORISTS CAN CHARGE UP CHEAPLY

- Almost 10 million households in England and Wales risk missing out on savings of £950 a year that come from owning an electric car, according to a study warning that richer households stand to benefit most.

- About a third of households have no access to off-street parking or a personal garage, so will miss out on lower costs from charging the cars using cheaper overnight electricity.

- The findings emerge in a forthcoming study by the Resolution Foundation thinktank examining Britain’s plans for achieving net zero emissions and the impact on living standards. The switch to electric vehicles has the potential to cut fuel costs, but it reveals the barriers that remain in ensuring everyone can access them.

- Even public charging points cost about 25% less than the average cost of filling a petrol car at the pumps. However, the type of home someone has will impact on the costs of charging. “Unless addressed, these stark cost differences risk creating a ‘charging divide’ – with the bulk of savings risk being accrued by richer households, which risks widening inequality,” the report concludes.

- Jonny Marshall, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, called on ministers to prioritise reducing the cost of public charging and encourage the installation of home charging points in rented accommodation.


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