Briefly | 04 Mar 2023

 It’s EV News Briefly for Saturday 4th March. I’ll be back as usual at 5pm UK time, that’s Midday Eastern, for the full podcast.  Patreon supporters get the episodes as soon as they’re ready AND ad free. You can be like them by clicking here. 

Tesla has started deploying its Supercharger V4, an upgrade to its DC fast-charging stations, with a station spotted under construction in the Netherlands featuring much larger stalls and potentially higher charge rates. The new Supercharger V4 also offers a longer cable, a crucial upgrade for accommodating non-Tesla electric vehicles that have different charge port locations. 

Germany's electric vehicle market share has risen to 15.7%, with over one million electric cars now registered. Despite a decline in new plug-in hybrid registrations, the number of electric cars on German roads increased by 63.8% compared to the previous year. 

Norway's plugin electric vehicle market continues to expand, with a 90.1% share of all new auto sales in February 2023, driven by the growth of full electric vehicles (BEVs) such as the Tesla Model Y. 

Electric vehicle sales reached a record high in Australia in February, with a 6.8% share of new car sales, according to data compiled by vFacts on behalf of the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries. Tesla dominated the market, accounting for 60% of electric vehicle sales in the month. 

Tesla sold 74,402 China-made electric vehicles in February 2023, an increase from the previous year's 4,630 cars. The Model Y was the most popular vehicle, with 39,579 units sold, followed by the Model 3 with 33,120 units sold. 

Chinese automaker BYD has reported a 119% increase in sales of its new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2022, selling a total of 589,577 units, due to its continued investment in R&D, partnerships with major tech companies and expansion into global markets. BYD's success in the NEV market is attributed to its commitment to sustainability and expansion into new markets, as demand for environmentally friendly vehicles continues to grow. 

Volkswagen Group has announced plans to build a $2 billion assembly plant in South Carolina to manufacture battery-electric pickups and SUVs for its nascent Scout Motors brand. The plant will bring an estimated 4,000 jobs and have an annual capacity of over 200,000. 

Rivian will release a new variant of its R1S electric SUV, the 2023 R1S with the Max Pack battery and dual-motor AWD powertrain, with an expected driving range of up to 390 miles and an acceleration time of 3.5 seconds from zero to 60 mph. The upcoming R1S will also be fitted with Rivian's new in-house-designed Enduro drive unit. 

Ford is set to triple the production of its electric F-150 Lightning this year, after fixing a battery issue that caused production to pause. 

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale, Kentucky, to highlight the importance of electric vehicle manufacturing jobs in the region. The battery park, a joint venture between Ford Motor and SK On, is expected to create 5,000 new jobs and will be the largest battery park in the world. 

Mercedes-Benz has launched a battery recycling program with two Chinese companies, CATL and GEM, to promote sustainable production and disposal of EV batteries. The program will be carried out in China, where CATL and GEM will recycle Mercedes-Benz EV batteries and extract raw materials such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium for reuse in new batteries. The companies aim to create a closed-loop system that will enable up to 95% of the raw materials from used batteries to be recovered and reused. 

According to a report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States are being driven farther per trip than ever before, nearly equaling the distance traveled by gasoline-powered vehicles. 

Range anxiety is a relic of the past and no longer relevant to today's EVs. Modern EVs offer ranges of 200-300 miles or more on a single charge, which is more than enough for the vast majority of daily driving needs.