On the podcast today:
• Why the F-150 Lightning launch is a pivotal moment for Ford and EVs
• Ford Patents Tank Turn, Possibly For F-150 Lightning
• More Americans View Electric Vehicles As A Primary Car
• Kempower to deliver DC chargers "at scale" to Mer in Norway
• Electric vehicles: EV charging network will be 99 percent reliable – new law
• Electric car cost advantage over petrol grows amid energy market turmoil
• Skoda drops entry-level Enyaq 60 model in UK
• Documentary 'Elon Musk's Crash Course' to Take Hard Look at Tesla Safety
• EV Industry: Salaries head north at all levels as EV companies race for talent
Show #1445
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of EV information. It’s Sunday 24th April, it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
WHY THE F-150 LIGHTNING LAUNCH IS A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR FORD AND EVS
- Ford Motor Co. will become the first legacy automaker to launch a mainstream electric pickup — a pivotal moment for the automaker that potentially could accelerate the push to electrify America's vehicle fleet given F-150's profitability and popularity.
- But being early also makes it that much more important for Ford to pull this off without any major hitches, experts say — even as the company attempts to ramp up production volumes amid myriad supply-chain disruptions, an ongoing pandemic, rising commodity costs and geopolitical tensions
- It's difficult to overstate the importance of the F-Series lineup to Ford's business.
- In a typical year, the truck franchise nets sales of roughly 900,000 trucks. It's been the best-selling truck in the U.S. for 45 consecutive years. And it is Ford's cash cow, generating more revenue than the major U.S. sports leagues combined, as well as Fortune 100 companies like Nike Inc. and the Coca-Cola Co., according to a 2020 Boston Consulting Group study commissioned by Ford.
- Ford now is moving to boost annual Lightning production to 150,000 units by next year. Overall, the company is investing $50 billion in electrification through 2026 and eyeing annual production of more than 2 million EVs globally by then.
- The company has said that the majority of Lightning reservations have come from customers who are new to Ford — not the automaker's truck base.
FORD PATENTS TANK TURN, POSSIBLY FOR F-150 LIGHTNING
- Rivian made quite a splash with its viral video portraying one of its R1T electric pickups essentially turning on the spot, like a tank, by driving the wheels on one side forward, while the others are going in reverse. However, the feature is not currently present in its production vehicles, and Ford also patented its own version
- The patent drawing below shows what appears to be an F-150 Lightning but text makes no direct mention of that truck
- unlike the Rivian R1T and R1S, the Ford F-150 Lightning doesn’t come with a quad-motor setup, with one motor driving each individual wheel. So far, Ford has only announced dual-motor versions, and in order for those to be able to perform a tank turn, the manufacturer will need to resort to reversing one side and not the other via gears, or just applying lock to all four wheels.
MORE AMERICANS VIEW ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS A PRIMARY CAR
- A new consumer survey conducted by MINI USA reveals various shifts in American consumers’ sentiment toward electric vehicles (EVs) over the last three years. The survey, which repeated the same set of questions used in a 2019 questionnaire carried out by MINI USA, indicates that more Americans – and particularly younger and female consumers – view electric vehicles as a primary car in the household more than any other use case. This represents a shift from 2019 where more respondents selected “commuting car” and “city car” as preferred uses. Commissioned by Engine’s CARAVAN®, the survey further explores consumers‘ level of knowledge about the EV infrastructure in their regions, as well as personal attitudes toward EV ownership and travel needs.
- A point that has remained consistent from both surveys is daily
travel distance, as 76% of respondents say that 75 miles of battery
range is sufficient for everyday driving. Only a 3% increase over the
course of three years, consumers’ daily driving distances continue to
remain well below the current range of all new electric vehicles on
the market today.
- About 63% of all respondents in 2022 still consider EV owners to
be early adopters, which is only 3% lower over the last three years.
While this pioneering connotation may sound complimentary to some,
it highlights a need for more mainstream awareness of the
accessibility, daily usage, and convenience of electric vehicles today.
- Greater visibility for charging stations is needed, though some
progress has been made. About 35% of consumers now know where their
nearest EV charging port is located, a slight improvement from 26%
in 2019.
KEMPOWER TO DELIVER DC CHARGERS "AT SCALE" TO MER IN NORWAY
- Norwegian charge point operator Mer says it has opted for Kempower from Finland to deliver fast-charging equipment to Mer in Norway. They have signed a framework agreement and say they will roll out the DC infrastructure “at scale.”
- Mer Norway (formerly Grønn Kontakt) was founded in 2009 and has since built over 300 fast-charging stations throughout Norway. Owned by Statkraft, the company also has a foothold in Sweden, Germany, Austria, and the UK.
- Kempower has a range of DC charging stations delivering 40 to 320 kW. The company did not state which type of hardware Mer will use in Norway.
KEMPOWER - S-SERIES CHARGING SATELLITE SYSTEM
- Kempower S-Series charging satellite system is an electric vehicle fast charging system for large and widespread fleets. The system is especially ideal for electric buses and parties offering fast charging for electric passenger cars. The need for simultaneous and frequent fast charging is easily fulfilled with S-Series charging satellite posts.
Due to the modular structure, the standard Kempower charging system offers power from 40 kW to 600 kW.
- The S-Series charging satellite system consists of a C-Series charging power unit and 4 double satellites or 8 single satellites, with a maximum total of 8 charging outputs. Inside the cabinet, there are Kempower power modules that each provide 40 kW of charging power. 1 to 4 modules can be installed in a single C-Series cabinet whereas one charging power unit can have 1 to 3 cabinets. All in all up to 12 modules can be installed in a charging power unit. You can start with one module and acquire more when needed. The charging power can be distributed dynamically into each charging output.
China Electric Car Market Reaches 26% Plugin Market Share In March
ELECTRIC CAR COST ADVANTAGE OVER PETROL GROWS AMID ENERGY MARKET TURMOIL
SKODA DROPS ENTRY-LEVEL ENYAQ 60 MODEL IN UK
DOCUMENTARY 'ELON MUSK'S CRASH COURSE' TO TAKE HARD LOOK AT TESLA SAFETY
EV INDUSTRY: SALARIES HEAD NORTH AT ALL LEVELS AS EV COMPANIES RACE FOR TALENT
What cables should or shouldn’t come with a new or used EV?
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