24 May 2020 | Lordstown Could Produce 600,000 Electric Vehicles A Year

Show #788

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 24th May 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

 

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LORDSTOWN MOTORS CHIEF SAYS NEW FACTORY COULD PRODUCE 600,000 ELECTRIC VEHICLES A YEAR

"Lordstown Motors is using the manufacturing delay caused by the coronavirus to reconfigure the Lordstown assembly plant it bought from General Motors last year to build its Endurance electric pickups trucks. It expects to manufacture 30 pre-production trucks before the end of this year." writes Steve Hanley for CleanTechnica: "CEO Steve Burns, who previously founded Workhorse, says he expects to build 20,000 electric trucks in 2021 and will hire 600 workers to make that possible, but that is just the tip of his ambitions. The Lordstown factory could build 400,000 cars a year at its peak, but Burns tells the Detroit Free Press that because electric vehicles have many fewer parts and components, it should be possible to build 600,000 electric trucks and SUVs there a year. Burns likes to say the Endurance has only four moving parts — the wheels. They will have the truck’s electric motors embedded into them, the first production vehicle to use in-wheel motors pioneered by Elaphe. Starting at $52,500, the Endurance will have 600 horsepower on tap, a range of 250 miles, a towing capacity of 7,500 lbs, room for 5, AC outlets for power tools at remote locations, and the ability to recharge its battery to 95% in 30 minutes using a Level 3 DC fast charger."

 

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/25/lordstown-motors-chief-says-new-factory-could-600000-electric-vehicles-a-year/

 

BRITAIN'S LARGEST SOLAR FARM POISED TO BEGIN DEVELOPMENT IN KENT

"Britain’s largest solar farm, capable of generating enough clean electricity to power 91,000 homes, is poised to receive the greenlight from ministers this week." according to The Guardian: "The subsidy-free renewables park is expected to reach a capacity of 350MW by installing 880,000 solar panels – some as tall as buses – across 364 hectares (900 acres) of farmland in the Kent countryside. The UK’s growing fleet of solar panels has produced record levels of clean electricity in recent weeks, reaching fresh highs of 9.68GW last month and helping the UK energy system to its longest stretch without coal-fired power since the Industrial Revolution. The renewables industry believes the UK’s solar power capacity could rise to 27GW by 2030 after the UK government dropped a block which prevented solar farms and onshore wind projects from competing in subsidy contract auctions."

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/24/britains-largest-solar-farm-poised-to-begin-development-in-kent

 

UK CHARGING PARTNERSHIP LIBERTY CHARGE MAKES DEBUT

"The UK-based Liberty Global Ventures and Zouk Capital have announced a joint venture partnership named Liberty Charge. The partnership will roll out on-street charging points for electric vehicles in residential areas across the UK." reports electrive: "A partnerhship with Virgin Media supports Liberty Global’s efforts in the space of charging infrastructure, as the Virgin Media Park and Charge (VPACH) project aims to deploy 1,200 charging sockets across the country by early 2021."

 

https://www.electrive.com/2020/05/23/uk-charging-partnership-liberty-charge-makes-debut/

 

BUYING A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED EV MAKES A LOT OF SENSE

"Choosing a certified pre-owned (CPO) car is one way to mitigate the risk of buying a used vehicle. The CPO system can also be a good way to buy used electric vehicles. Automaker-sponsored, dealership-administered CPO programs offer extended warranties for the electric powertrain components, which could provide some peace of mind for owners who are spending big money on an unfamiliar technology. Everything we say here about EVs applies to hybrids as well." says Car & Driver: "Most companies that build and sell electrified vehicles have a separate warranty to cover the battery and electric motor. The industry has mostly coalesced around an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for new vehicles with EV powertrains, though of course there are overachievers: Hyundai offers a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty for its new hybrids and EVs.Nissan said in 2018 that Leaf batteries would last an estimated 10-12 years longer than the cars they power, and Tesla says it is working on a battery that will last a million miles. When’s the last time you saw a passenger car with that many miles on the clock?"

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/a32583041/buy-cpo-hybrid-ev/

 

TESLA LAUNCHES FALLOUT SHELTER IN-CAR VIDEO GAME AND MORE WITH NEW UPDATE

"Tesla is starting to push a new software update that includes the video game Fallout Shelter, Tesla Theater improvements, and more." reports electrek: "Now we learn that Tesla is starting to deploy the video game in its vehicles as part of a new 2020.20 software update currently being pushed to early access owners. Last year, Tesla added Xbox controller support for its arcade game. You are going to need an Xbox controller with a USB cable. Update: Tesla just told us that Fallout Shelter currently doesn’t support an Xbox controller. Unlike Tesla’s racing game, which works with a controller, you can only use the touchscreen for Fallout Shelter."

 

Tesla say: "Fallout Shelter puts you in control of a state-of-the-art underground Vault from Vault-Tec. Build the perfect Vault, keep your Dwellers happy, and protect them from the dangers of the Wasteland. With this release, you can now play, pause, and skip video playback with your steering wheel controls while using Theater Mode. As usual, Theater Mode is only available while your vehicle is in ‘PARK.’"

 

https://electrek.co/2020/05/21/tesla-fallout-shelter-cars-update/

 

400 MILES IN TESLA MODEL S RAVEN

From the latest Bjorn Myland video:

Model S LR Raven

Dry

16 degrees

Michelin PS4 245/45-19

Speed 90 km/h 144

Capacity 92,7kWh

644 Km / 400 miles

 

TESLA BAKES IN MODEL 3 PERFORMANCE UPGRADE PACKAGE

"Tesla has decided to bake in the Model 3 Performance’s Performance Upgrade Package (PUP) for each order of the premium all-electric sedan. With this, the electric car maker has taken yet another step towards streamlining its vehicle production, while doing away with vehicles that were dubbed by the community as “sleeper” Performance Model 3s. " says Teslarati: "The update to Tesla’s online configurator appears to have happened recently, considering that the order page last Sunday still had options to select the Performance Upgrade Package for every Model 3 Performance order. The PUP is a free option, and it includes 20” performance wheels, performance brakes, a carbon fiber spoiler, lowered suspension, aluminum allow pedals, Track Mode, and increased top speed from 145 mph to 162 mph. While the PUP was free, some buyers of the Model 3 Performance opt to forego the upgrade for the sake of more range"

 

Range up from 299 to 322. 18" Aero wheels.

 

The UK configurator has always been like that.

 

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-performance-upgrade-package-update/

 

 

COULD TESLA REVEAL A 700-MILE MODEL 3?

"With Tesla Battery Day reportedly around the corner now, the focus of late has been on the million-mile battery that Tesla may well reveal. While such a battery would surely be big news, what if Tesla has something else up its sleeve, like a mega energy-dense battery that will extend range significantly while at the same time dropping production costs? This would for certain be even bigger news than a battery that lasts a million miles." says Yahoo News: "Even today, the Model S goes 400 miles on a charge and that's with battery tech that in some ways dates back to 2012, so imagine what would happen with today's breakthrough battery tech in the Model S. One thing is for certain, all eyes will be on what Tesla reveals on Battery Day, which will likely occur as a two-part event with the first coming very soon:"

 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/could-tesla-reveal-700-mile-170000152.html

 

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWERS

JAN from eMOBILITY NORWAY

I think, instead of giving up, Dyson should have invited partners to the project or rewrite the scope. The result was not as first planed, especially the price was much too high for a big market. Probably the most considerable cost was the battery as the range was close to 1000km. That is four times more than needed for most users. That range tells me that they wanted to make a replacement of a fossil car, instead of creating a modern EV. What if Dyson had made the battery smaller to reduce the price? Or they could have made it modular, giving the customers the possibility to choose the size depending on the need and wallet.

 

 

RAJEEV NARAYAN

As great as it would have been to see the Dyson EV released, they probably made the right decision not to. At that price point it would have been a hard sell, as they lack the branding that Porsche or MB has. I hope, however, that they don’t give up. They could license the MEB platform, use existing battery tech from the likes of SKI or LG, that is more than good enough and come out with a compelling EV and acquire experience. Then, someday, if their solid state batteries pan out, who knows what they could bring to market.

 

AJ TARQUINO, OHIO USA

1. I’m sure there are hundreds of customers that would/could afford this vehicle.
2. With improvements that are being made with range and longevity of the battery, shouldn’t this help to drive the cost down on the Dyson automobile and make it affordable for more people ??
3. Couldn’t Dyson spring off their expensive platform, like Tesla has, to make a lower cost production model that would/could draw the interest of the average buyer of EV customers?

 

LEE BROWN, SCOTLAND

Yes Dyson should have continued their research, they are pioneers in battery technology. All the associated costs with EV R&D would have come down in price over time and they could have then produced a smaller, more affordable EV. I’ve read they had quite a lost of grant money given to them by the UK Government - will he have to pay that back now?

 

JOHN FRUHWIRTH

I'm all for Elon's corporate mission statement which goes something like this..

"Accelerate the transition of transportation to renewable energy". As such, it does not make sense to only make EVs as expensive toys for the rich.  If we are to make a significant progress in transitioning to a cleaner, greener planet then it is essential that EVs reach price parity with ICE vehicles. Not only personal vehicles but ALL commercial/industrial vehicles need to be converted to become BEVs.

 

BRENTON POTTS

I am very disappointed that Dyson cancelled their EV. I sure wouldn't be able to afford one but I reason that Tesla's first roadster was exclusively for affluent enthusiasts and look where they are now. I believe that the brains and design knowhow behind Dyson could have brought something really positive to the EV space that would eventually trickle down to something I could afford to dream about. 2 positive takeaways though, they released their progress so other EV makers can be inspired and James Dyson said he is not against other EV makers using his solid state batteries in their cars!

 

JEFF MURRAY

As far as Dyson goes, I think Tesla is a good example where they started out high priced and used that knowledge to be able to lower the prices in later generations. I think that a company just getting into the market is almost going to have to use that strategy, especially if they expect to have any kind of quality. Even if they made a good affordable product first, the low price may very well be seen as “cheap” as opposed to good value. That said, I highly doubt Dyson was in any “danger” of making an affordable product, given their prices on other products.

 

PHILIP TRAUTMAN

I was sad to see that the Dyson effort failed. From the outside it looked great. My wife and I could use an EV with that form factor (at a reasonable price.)

However, at this point in the maturation of the EV market, I think the biggest challenge is perceived price. Most people around here (Southern Oregon) seem to think that only rich people can afford an EV. That needs to change, and more high-profile announcements of high-priced EVs isn’t going to help. Assuming people were paying attention to the Dyson news at all, I’m sure the announcement that they couldn’t build their car at a reasonable price also increased this perception.

I want to see EVs continue to fill all the niches in the automotive world (especially a van with decent range), but at this point some high-profile affordable options would help. We’ll see how the VW rollout goes! One of the things I like about your podcast is that you talk about all the EVs out there from halo cars to compact cars.

 

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

 

What are your desired specs for an electric pick-up truck?

 

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