09 Mar 2020 | Batteries Are Coming For The Mercedes G-Class

Show #721

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 9th March 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story to save you time.

 

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50,000 MERCEDES-BENZ EQC TO BE PRODUCED THIS YEAR

"It's not easy to introduce electric cars at a high scale - large OEMs are learning the hard way.

Earlier this year we heard that Mercedes-Benz's troubles with lithium-ion battery supplies threatened the planned production rate of the all-electric EQC model. The company admits that production of the EQC is a "learning curve"." says InsideEVs: "Mercedes-Benz R&D board member Markus Schafer recently said that the company is back on track with EQC production at a rate that should allow it to achieve 50,000 EQC units in 2020. The main problem seems to be battery constraints from LG Chem's plant in Poland - hopefully now solved for good."

 

He said: "It’s definitely a new game, dealing with new platforms, dealing with an EV. The issue was not driven by the factory or production process but rather from the battery factory and battery equipment. The ramping up of the battery plant with €700m investment in LG Chem was definitely a challenge and limiting factor. So far, we have overcome the issues and are planning significant numbers for the EQC - returning to the initial number of 50,000 we expected for this year.”

 

Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 specs:

range of 417 km (259 miles) (WLTP)

80 kWh battery pack (384 cells)

0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds

dual motor all-wheel drive

 

https://insideevs.com/news/402925/50000-mercedes-eqc-production-2020/

 

MERCEDES G-CLASS ELECTRIC VERSION DUE ‘IN A FEW YEARS’

"In terms of pop culture, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has got to be one of the most iconic SUVs, usually shown as the go-to car for bad guys, mobsters, or rich, powerful individuals with a lot of money to burn." says Motor1: Mercedes-Benz has announced that initial sketches and concept work have begun on the EV version of the G-Class. In lieu of the canceled Geneva Motor Show, CarAdvice spoke to Mercedes-Benz Cars CEO and Daimler AG Chairman, Ola Källenius".

 

He said: "Yes, the G is going to go electric, we have kicked off the concept work for this, so in a few years you’ll be able to go electric with the G as well."

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/402878/mercedes-g-class-ev-version/

 

2020 PORSCHE TAYCAN TURBO S INSTRUMENTED RANGE TEST

"when the EPA released battery range numbers for the 2020 Taycan—201 miles for the Turbo and 192 for the Turbo S—it was Porsche's engineering equivalent of the Titanic hitting the iceberg." says Motor Trend: Naturally, the Tesla community gloated. The Taycan appears to be Europe's EV strike three after Jaguar and Audi swung and missed with the I-Pace's (optimistic) 234 miles and the E-Tron's 204. Meanwhile, the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus carries a claimed 390-mile range—nearly double the miles before you start getting nervous about finding a Supercharger.  Porsche commissioned a test by independent testing firm AMCI, which came up with distances 37 percent (275 miles) and 45 percent (278 miles) greater over a mixed city/highway course. "

 

Motor Trend said: "Now it's our turn, with our instrumentation. To save you further suspense, here are our city, highway, and combined ranges for the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S: Normal mode (one loop): 240/274/254 city/highway/combined miles."

 

https://www.motortrend.com/news/longest-range-electric-cars-2020-19-evs-can-go-distance/

 

MEV BEEANYWHERE IS AN AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC CUTY CAR BORN IN THE UK

"Earlier this week Dacia unveiled the Spring Electric concept, which it claimed would be “Europe’s most affordable all-electric vehicle” when it reaches production in early 2021. Some Might Say that’s great news, but Manchester-based startup MeV has claimed its ‘BeeAnywhere’ EV will be significantly cheaper" reports Top Gear: "Apparently, the two-seat ‘urban vehicle’ has been designed from the outset to be affordable, with prices set to be similar to that of an eight-year-old second-hand hatchback. That’s about the only specific detail we’ve been given on the BeeAnywhere so far though, other than the fact that She’s Electric (of course) and will feature an ‘innovative chassis design’ with graphene-based composite body panels to reduce production and component costs."

 

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/mev-beeanywhere-urban-ev-manchester

 

QEV IS THE FIFTH TEAM TO ANNOUNCE TO ENTER THE 2021 EXTREME E

"The Spanish technology firm QEV Technologies will be entering the 2021 Extreme E season, becoming the fifth team to announce their participation in the all-new electric off-road series." writes The Checkered Flag: "The firm is known worldwide for its electric innovations as they design and manufacture electric drivetrains for different motorsport disciplines. They are involved in the ABB Formula E, currently with NIO 333 Formula E team which secured the driver’s title in the first season with Nelson Piquet Jr. Former Fomula 1 driver Pedro de la Rosa will become the Team Principal."

 

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2020/03/qev-is-the-fifth-team-to-announce-to-enter-the-2021-extreme-e/

 

VW WILL BE THE 1ST MASS MARKET ELECTRIC CAR PROFIT MAKER

"Volkswagen will become the first global automaker to make money selling battery-only electric vehicles (BEVs) with profits kicking in from 2022, according to a report from Swiss investment bank UBS." says Forbes: "That might raise eyebrows at General Motors, which last week at its EV day said its electric vehicles will be profitable, but didn’t say when. The prediction for VW will also be welcomed by investors, given that the company plans to spend $36 billion through 2024 on a family of electric cars right across its mass market brands. The UBS report is also bad news for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which will only account for 1.4% globally by 2025."

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2020/03/09/vw-will-be-the-1st-mass-market-electric-car-profit-maker-report/#190da6005415

 

HONDA CLARITY ELECTRIC QUIETLY DISCONTINUED FOR 2020

"Honda has pulled the plug on the Honda Clarity Electric. The pun is totally intended." writes Roadshow by CNET: "the Japanese automaker said it discontinued the Clarity Electric at the end of 2019. Right now, according to the report, there's no plans for the model to return. Honda confirmed the EV's death with Roadshow and said in a statement, "We will be introducing new, highly appealing all-electric vehicles for the U.S. market in the years ahead." The battery-electric version of the Clarity rounded out a diverse lineup of alternative-fuel options housed in the nameplate. Honda still sells a plug-in hybrid version of the Clarity."

 

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/honda-clarity-electric-discontinued-availability/              

 

ERA OF WIRELESS CHARGING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS COMING

"The more electric cars roam around the city, the more will be the demand for wireless charging. The global wireless electric vehicle charging market is expected to reach $1.48 billion by 2025" reports Renewable Energy magazine: "Currently, very limited number of countries are working on wireless charging for electric vehicles. Recently, the director of the Joint Transportation Research Program at Purdue University announced a collaboration with Germany-based Magment Concrete Wireless Power. The partnership aims to fulfill the future needs of electric vehicles including wireless charging."

 

https://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/electric_hybrid_vehicles/era-of-wireless-charging-for-electric-vehicles-20200309

 

NEW QUESTION OF THE WEEK

The MYEV.com Question Of The Week…

 

Why do you think Tesla are quietly delivering the Model Y without the usual fanfare?

 

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