Show #407.
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Wednesday 6th March 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I’ve been through every EV story I could find today, and picked out the best ones to save you time.
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.
CONGRATULATIONS NISSAN
- The Nissan LEAF today became the first electric car in history to surpass 400,000 sales, solidifying the model’s leading role in the global shift toward more sustainable mobility.
- Introduced in 2010 as the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF has led the way in making the excitement and convenience of electric driving accessible to non-luxury buyers. Less than a decade ago, electric cars were seen as a niche product, and LEAF customers were mostly “early adopters.”
“AN ELECTRIC PORSCHE DRIVES JUST AS SPORTY AS ANY OTHER PORSCHE”
- Electromobility is the dominant theme of the Geneva Motor Show. At the Volkswagen Group Night, Porsche presented the Panamera Sport Turismo with hybrid drive and charging station for example.
- Simon Vogt (E-Services – Sales & Operations) said: “Anyone who buys an electric or hybrid model from Porsche is offered a seamless and reliable charging experience and does not have to worry about charging. Everything is prepared. As soon as the customer wants it, the navigation system reliably guides them to a suitable charging station. There he simply inserts the plug and charges the desired range. Thanks to Plug and Charge, tiresome authentication processes are a thing of the past. Payment is also made automatically via the Porsche Charging Service. Put simply: car and charging station recognize each other as soon as the charging plug is inserted. The electricity price is also fixed, so that the amount due is simply debited from the customer’s personal account. In principle, all drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles can charge via the Porsche Charging Service.”
- And on the subject of performance he says: “With optimum drive technology and the right vehicle concept, the Porsche characteristics can be exploited even further through its electric models. For example, the center of gravity of the Taycan is lower than that of the 911, thanks to the underbody battery. Therefore, an electric Porsche is at least as sporty as a combustion engine.”
$35,000 TESLA MODEL 3 LEADING TO PRICE CUTS ON CHEVY BOLT
- “Regardless of our previous reports that high demand is pushing up the price of the Hyundai Kona Electric at some dealerships, it appears Chevrolet dealers are taking the $35,000 Tesla Model 3 seriously and adjusting prices according.”writes Steven Loveday for InsideEVs.com: “The Chevrolet Bolt is seeing discounts as high as $7,000. One of our avid readers from the state of Oregon has been tracking 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV pricing at local dealerships.” The headline price is $37,000 and of course there are federal and state level incentives too.
https://insideevs.com/35000-tesla-model-3-leading-price-cuts-chevy-bolt/
TESLA MODEL S CALLED AMERICA’S “GREATEST MUSCLE CAR”
- “Former Top Gear host and current The Grand Tour presenter James May recently experienced the joys and exhilaration of Ludicrous Mode, courtesy of the Tesla Model S P100D.” Reports Simon for Teslarati: ” May mentioned several of the vehicle’s merits in his review, such as its power, technology, and its quiet, comfortable ride. The former Top Gear host even acknowledged the vehicle as America’s next-generation muscle car. “The Tesla Model S P100D is the greatest muscle car America has ever produced — which means, it’s the greatest muscle car the world has ever produced,” May commented. May did mention that the vehicle is unique in the way that Tesla is unique, even if some of the cars’ basic characteristics such as its panels have not reached the level of refinement as entries from veteran automakers. Pointing out some of the P100D’s quirky features that are based on Elon Musk’s sense of humor such as Fart Mode, May notes that there is simply no other car like the Model S on the road today, and from an automaker that is unlike anyone else in the industry.”
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-s-p100d-james-may-review/
BOB LUTZ SAYS TESLA SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T HAVE RETAILS STORES
- Mark Kane at InsideEVs reports: “Bob Lutz, former GM Chairman, was interviewed a few days ago by CNBC about Tesla and he doesn’t believe that Tesla will be able to shift sales entirely online, by the way of the introduction of $35,000 Model 3 Standard battery option.”
- Bob Lutz said: “I always said it was totally ridiculous to own your own dealership, you own the real estate, you own the people, you own the new car inventory, you own the used car inventory – a massive misallocation of company capital. So now they’re getting out of that, they’re gonna close stores, they’re going to try to do all the sales online. I don’t see how that’s gonna work. Who’s gonna take the trade-in, who’s gonna take the used cars, who’s gonna provide service with no stores there.”
https://insideevs.com/bob-lutz-skeptical-tesla-online-sales-video/
MITSUBISHI ENGELBERG TOURER MAKES GLOBAL PREMIERE AT 2019 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW
- Named after the famous ski resort in central region of Switzerland, best known for its panoramic views, well-groomed runs and challenging off-piste skiing and snowboarding, the Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer is a Twin Motor, 4WD, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) which delivers high levels of performance in the most challenging weather conditions and on all road surfaces. It combines this with the long cruising range inherent to the PHEV, allowing journeys out of town and to places with no charging infrastructure.
- The Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer has an EV cruising range of over 43 miles/70 km (WLTP cycle) and with a fully charged battery and full fuel tank it has a total cruising range of over 434 miles/700 km (WLTP).
NIO SCRAPS FACTORY PLANS, ANNOUNCES $1.4 BILLION NET LOSS, STOCK FALLS
- “Chinese EV startup Nio has announced that it won’t be building its own manufacturing plant in Shanghai after all.” Reports Phil at Electrek: “Nio released its Q4 and full 2018 financial results on Tuesday, and the company said the agreements it reached in 2017 to build its own manufacturing plant in Jia Ding, Shanghai have been terminated. Nio will continue to use its existing plant with state-owned JAC Motors to build its cars. The company says the agreement will “give it capacity and flexibility to support its market penetration and growth plans for the next two to three years.” The company reported $720 million in revenue for 2018, but it also posted a $1.4 billion net loss, nearly doubling its losses from the previous year.”
https://electrek.co/2019/03/06/nio-scraps-factory-plans-announces-1-4-billion-net-loss-stock-falls/
BMW X3 XDRIVE30E HEADLINES A NEW AND OVERHAULED PHEV RANGE
- BMW is touting its new and improved range of plug-in hybrids at the Geneva Motor Show. At the volume end, the BMW X3 xDrive30e goes into production in December this year and puts a plug-in port on BMW’s most popular crossover. It pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo gas engine with an electric motor and eight-speed Steptronic transmission. Combined output comes to 252 horsepower, which can be temporarily upped to 293 hp with a press of the XtraBoost button.” reports Autoblog: “The lithium-ion battery under the rear seat maintains the luggage volume of the conventional X3. The 6.5-second dash to 62 miles and hour puts it about 0.4 seconds behind the regular, 248-hp four-pot X3.” Reports Autoblog: “Next come upgraded, second-gen versions of the electrified 2, 3, 5, X5, and 7 Series ranges. The 330e runs up to 37 miles on electric power, a 50 percent improvement over the first-gen — but BMW didn’t clarify how the 3 Series gained the extra range. As with the X3 PHEV, the 330e harnesses a combined system output of 252 hp and a temporary 41-hp squirt using XtraBoost. The batteries in the 225xe Active Tourer and 530e sedan grow in capacity without growing in size. The 225xe cell is now 9.7 kWh instead of 7.7, extending all-electric range to 29 miles. The 530e battery is rated at 12 kWh, while only taking up the same space as the previous 9-kWh battery. That improves electric range to up to 35 miles. The 530e will also be available with xDrive later this year.
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/03/05/bmw-x3-xdrive30e-phev-geneva-vv833kz9/
MERCEDES EQV ELECTRIC VAN CONCEPT DEBUTS, WILL SPAWN PRODUCTION VERSION
- “Fully electric vans aren’t all the rage yet, but Mercedes is trying to change that with its EQV Concept at the Geneva Motor Show. Mercedes promises this concept is going to spawn an extremely similar production vehicle. The specs on the concept are promising, too.” Reports Autoblog: “The EQV Concept will travel 249 miles on a full charge from its 100 kWh battery pack. It’s capable of charging up to 25 percent in just 15 minutes, providing 62 miles of driving. This van won’t be a speed demon by any measure, as the single electric motor pushes a modest 201 horsepower to the front wheels. Top speed for the big van is 99 mph.”
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/03/05/mercedes-eqv-electric-van-concept-geneva-k43j5ss9/
HONDA TO FULLY ELECTRIFY
- Honda took to the stage at Geneva Motor Show to announce the further acceleration of its electrification ambitions. The company announced its intention to move 100 per cent of its European sales to electrified powertrains by 2025.
- This new ambition builds on the brand’s 2017 aim of two-thirds of its sales to be electrified by 2025, and places it firmly at the forefront of Honda’s global electrification shift announced as part of its 2030 vision.
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