16 Mar 2022 | World Car Of The Year Finalists ALL EVs!

Episode 1406,   Mar 16, 2022, 05:00 PM

On the podcast today:
• Tesla halts work at Shanghai factory for two days amid China COVID curbs
• Tesla fired employee who reviewed its driver assist features on YouTube
• 2022 World Car Of The Year's Three Finalists Are All Electric Crossovers
• 43-mile EV range for all-new Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid
• BMW aims to sell over 2 million electric vehicles by the end of 2025
• BMW i7 EV, with 600 hp, will be most powerful variant of new 7 Series flagship
• The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE is now available to buy in Europe
• Cadillac to start production, orders for Lyriq; parts shortage lingers
• UK's plug-in van and truck grant schemes extended amid fuel price hikes
• Chinese EV maker BYD raises prices on higher cost of raw material
• Gogoro Introduces New Ssmartcore EV Platform And SuperSport Scooter

Show #1406

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of information. It’s Wednesday 16th March, it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

TESLA HALTS WORK AT SHANGHAI FACTORY FOR TWO DAYS AMID CHINA COVID CURBS

- Tesla (TSLA.O) is suspending production at its Shanghai factory for two days, according to a notice sent internally and to suppliers, as China tightens COVID restrictions to curb the country's latest outbreak.

- The Shanghai factory runs around the clock, and suppliers and Tesla staff were told on Wednesday in the notice, reviewed by Reuters, that production would be suspended for Wednesday and Thursday.

- Many cities across China, including Shanghai, have been rolling out strict movement controls to stem the country's largest COVID-19 outbreak in two years. The measures have also caused factory shutdowns in parts of the country, putting pressure on supply chains.


- "We are actively cooperating with the government's requirements for nucleic acid testing and other epidemic prevention requirements, and at the same time are doing our best to ensure production, overcoming difficulties together," the company said in a statement sent to Reuters.


TESLA HACKER INDICATES MODEL Y STANDARD RANGE+ VARIANT COULD ROLLOUT FROM GIGA TEXAS FIRST

- A Tesla hacker has discovered language in Software Update 2022.8.2 that seems to indicate a Model Y Standard Range+ variant will be rolling out from Gigafactory Texas initially, as deliveries are set to begin soon.

- Last week, it was confirmed that a new Model Y variant packing just 279 miles of range was added to the EPA’s FuelEconomy.gov website, confirming the vehicle was approved by the agency to enter the stream of commerce. Teslarati confirmed this by recovering several documents from the EPA, which confirmed that Tesla had applied for certification of the new Model Y variant on February 2, receiving a Certificate of Conformity from the EPA on February 16

- the new Model Y’s range rating had Tesla enthusiasts stumped at whether the vehicle would equip the 4680 cells that Tesla confirmed would be in Austin-made vehicles. The low range rating seemed to indicate that Tesla could be rolling out a Standard Range vehicle using LFP cells

- While the range ratings and batteries used in the Model Y are not present in the internal reference, green said the model name, Standard Range+, and location of manufacture, Gigafactory Texas, are included.


TESLA FIRED EMPLOYEE WHO REVIEWED ITS DRIVER ASSIST FEATURES ON YOUTUBE

- Tesla has a complicated relationship with customers who pay to test the beta version of its “Full Sell Driving” software. Often, these people are diehard fans, keen to promote the company’s prowess and show off its new driver assist features. Sometimes, though, they overshare — posting videos that show exactly when and how Tesla’s software gets it wrong.

- John Bernal, a former Tesla employee who reviewed the company’s FSD Beta software on his YouTube channel AI Addict says he was fired by the company last month after posting a video that showed his Tesla hitting a bollard.

- Bernal says that prior to his dismissal he was told verbally by his managers that he “broke Tesla policy” and that his YouTube channel was a “conflict of interest” (though his written separation notice did not specify a reason for his dismissal). Bernal said he’d previously been approached by managers after posting a video in March 2021 that showed a number of close calls with pedestrians and cyclists while using the FSD beta software.

- A number of FSD Beta testers post reviews of the company’s software on YouTube, and Bernal says he intends to maintain his channel (though he now needs to borrow friends’ cars to test FSD Beta). As Bernal told CNBC: “I still care about Tesla, vehicle safety and finding and fixing bugs.”


2022 WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR'S THREE FINALISTS ARE ALL ELECTRIC CROSSOVERS

- Crossovers of all shapes and sizes are in high demand right now and it seems the very best ones are electric. The three finalists for the World Car of the year competition have been announced and they’re all sporty electric high riders - Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

- The latter has already been crowned (European) Car of the Year for 2022, so its presence among the top three is not surprising. Hyundai Ioniq 5 is equally talented and geared more towards comfort, but its polarizing design is not as unanimously appreciated as the Kia’s.

- The winners in all six categories will be announced live at the 2022 New York Auto Show on April 13.


43-MILE EV RANGE FOR ALL-NEW KIA SPORTAGE PLUG-IN HYBRID

- Kia UK has revealed full details of the all-new Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

- emissions-free driving range of up to 43 miles (WLTP), rising to 48 miles on the WLTP City Cycle – enough to cover most daily commutes and shopping needs. Out on the open road, electric energy consumption is an impressive 3.68 miles/kWh

- 1.6-litre T-GDi engine that works in tandem with a 66.9kW permanent magnet traction electric motor and a 13.8kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. The high-voltage battery sits centrally between the two axles under the body of the SUV

- t on-board charger (OBC) system is rated at 7.2kW, making it the fastest-charging Kia PHEV to-date. The battery can complete a full charge in just 1hr 45m.


BMW AIMS TO SELL OVER 2 MILLION ELECTRIC VEHICLES BY THE END OF 2025

- BMW announced that it is ramping up its e-mobility targets, “confirmed by the success of its all-electric models to date”. Initially, this refers primarily to the growing range of electric vehicle models, but electric sales are expected to increase further “rapidly”.

- As the Group announced in the context of its business figures for 2021, it will already have 15 fully electric models in production this year, covering around 90 per cent of the current segments. However, BMW also included pre-production vehicles in the figure. Presumably, vehicles such as the i4 eDrive 40 and i4 M50 will also count as two models.

- The big technology shift is scheduled for 2025 with the ‘New Class’ debut, but the New Class will play only a minor role in cumulative sales by the end of 2025. “With the BMW iX and BMW i4, we have launched what are probably the best e-cars of the present day – at least the test results and the high demand from our customers speak for themselves,” says BMW CEO Oliver Zipse. “And with the BMW i7, we’re going one better this year.”

- BMW is pinning high hopes on the New Class, on which models from the size of a 1 Series to the 7 Series are to be based in perspective as a “cluster architecture” – and “uncompromisingly” designed for electric drives. A “completely new electric drive” reduces consumption and increases range. BMW does not provide details on this; the current fifth-generation involves current-excited synchronous motors.

- If the new, more optimistic scenario materializes, annual sales of fully electric vehicles by the BMW Group could exceed 1.5 million units as early as 2030.

- Just a few days ago, BMW called for political support in expanding the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

- Instead of a 700-bar refuelling station every 150 kilometres by 2027, BMW called for intervals to be reduced to 100 kilometres to support hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.


BMW I7 EV, WITH 600 HP, WILL BE MOST POWERFUL VARIANT OF NEW 7 SERIES FLAGSHIP


THE 2023 MERCEDES-BENZ EQE IS NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY IN EUROPE


CADILLAC TO START PRODUCTION, ORDERS FOR LYRIQ; PARTS SHORTAGE LINGERS

UK'S PLUG-IN VAN AND TRUCK GRANT SCHEMES EXTENDED AMID FUEL PRICE HIKES


CHINESE EV MAKER BYD RAISES PRICES ON HIGHER COST OF RAW MATERIAL


GOGORO INTRODUCES NEW SSMARTCORE EV PLATFORM AND SUPERSPORT SCOOTER

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