26 May 2020 | Mercedes-Benz launches its electric EQV minivan

Show #790

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 26th May 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

 

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MERCEDES-BENZ LAUNCHES ITS ELECTRIC EQV MINIVAN FOR ~$64,000

"Mercedes-Benz is launching its electric EQV minivan in Europe for €71,388.10 (incl. 19% VAT), which is the equivalent of a sticker price of about ~$64,000 USD." says Electrek: "The electric EQV MPV was first unveiled last year when we learned that it is equipped with a 100 kWh battery pack, but the company is limiting the usable capacity to 90 kWh. They believe it’s going to result in 405 km (250 miles) of range on a single charge. To charge the battery pack, the EQV is equipped with an 11 kW on-board charger and it can DC fast-charge at up to 110 kW, which Mercedes claims can charge the battery pack from 10 to 80% in less than 45 min. The electric van will be available as part of its V-Class lineup in Europe, but no availability has been confirmed for the North American market."

 

https://electrek.co/2020/05/26/mercedes-benz-eqv-electric-minivan-price/

 

CarBuzz said: "Like the EQC SUV, the EQV features a similar sealed-off grille design. Riding on 18-inch wheels, it’s certainly one of the smarter vans around. Although still unconfirmed for the local market, the EQV will be offered elsewhere with two wheelbase lengths, the longer one stretching to 135 inches. It can seat up to eight passengers and accommodate 36.4 cubic feet of their luggage. Pretty nifty for a zero-emissions vehicle."

 

https://carbuzz.com/cars/mercedes-benz/eqv

 

And Green Car Reports says: "A new feature offers a particularly efficient and comfortable driving style: recuperation level DAUTO. According to the maxim “drive ahead and save energy” information from the security assistants, the navigation system and the camera get connected and adjust the strength of the recuperation situation—specifically and in real time. In addition, four driving programs help the customer to choose individually between the maximum of comfort and the maximum of range while driving."

 

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/05/20200526-eqv.html

 

KIA IS CONSIDERING AN ULTRA-SMALL ELECTRIC CAR

"Kia is examining plans to build a purely electric miniature car in the style of the Citroën Ami. Although the South Korean company has not revealed a timetable for these plans, it seems that Kia is already considering a new distribution model for the electric microcar." says Carrie from Electrive: "In a candid interview with AutoExpress Emilio Herrera, COO of Kia in Europe confirmed the company’s considerations. The mini electric car for urban areas – if it is realized – will be offered for rent globally via a subscription model. “The idea is to have a dedicated platform from Kia that we could possibly share with Hyundai,” Herrera said. The Kia manager did not name a timetable for a possible market launch of the small electric car. AutoExpress is expecting a corresponding production model in 2022. Citroën introduced the Ami at the end of February. The small two-seater in a strongly stylised design is to be available at prices starting at 6,000 euros or a monthly leasing rate of 19.99 euros (four years, 10,000 kilometres per year) in France. Pricing models for other European markets have not yet been revealed. Since Herrera spoke of a “dedicated platform” for the very small electric car, it does not seem likely to be the skateboard platform from Canoo. "

 

https://www.electrive.com/2020/05/26/kia-is-considering-an-ultra-small-electric-car/

 

RUMOR: IN APRIL TESLA RECEIVED ABOUT 15,000 ORDERS FOR MIC MODEL 3 LR

"According to the Chinese media (via Moneyball), Tesla has received in April close to 15,000 orders for the new Long Range Made-in-China (MIC) Model 3. It's an unofficial number." reports InsideEVs: "t's great news that the demand for the upcoming LR (rear-wheel drive) is high because Tesla intends to produce in China some 4,000 Model 3 per week as early as in June. The last month was weaker than expected, as Model 3 registrations amounted to 4,312, up to 3-4 times less than anticipated production output (at 3,000 per week). It's explained that consumers were delaying orders of the Standard Range Model 3 to get a more attractive price (after changes in subsidies). Only time will tell whether sales in China will really stabilize at 4,000 per week (or 12,000 per month) for all versions (SR and LR)."

 

https://insideevs.com/news/425337/tesla-15000-orders-model-3-lr/

 

AUDI E-TRON IS THE NEW KING OF NORWAY

"Norway remains one of the most fascinating auto markets in the world. With a 70% plug-in vehicle market share in the first 4 months of 2020, there is nothing that comes close to it. That isn’t an overnight figure either — the country has been far ahead of any other market in terms of plug-in vehicle market share for several years."That said, the market leader is now a vehicle that would typically be outside the price range of a working class family in other countries, but Norway is a rich country (very rich country) with adventurous terrain, so it makes a bit of sense. The Audi e-tron isn’t just first — it’s far ahead in the #1 spot so far this year." says CleanTechnica: "A German model that was in the #1 spot for many, many months, the Volkswagen e-Golf, is solidly in second at 6% market share. After that, you’ve got the Nissan LEAF, Hyundai Kona EV, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Tesla Model 3, Renault Zoe, BMW i3, and then a long tail of remaining PEVs. You also have a handful of plug-less vehicles scattered into the overall sales rankings (see charts below)."

 

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/25/audi-e-tron-is-the-new-king-of-norway/

 

MACRON DEMANDS CARMAKERS TURN TO ‘MADE IN FRANCE’ FOR €8BN VIRUS AID

"French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled on Tuesday (26 May) an €8 billion aid package for the auto industry, which includes increased subsidies for electric car purchases" says Euractiv.com: "Negotiations with the likes of Citroën, Peugeot and Renault have been ongoing for weeks and the €8 billion support package does not come without strings, as Macron has made it clear they are expected to do more domestically. It was not immediately unclear if the support plan has specific conditions in terms of moving production back to France, although Renault will reportedly build electric motors at a plant in Normandy rather than in Asia, as previously planned, in order to access state aid. Renault will also lend its weight to the Battery Alliance, a pan-European industrial push to boost battery production and increase supply in check with growing demand for electric vehicles. Macron’s €8bn scheme is also aimed at consumers, who will be able to benefit from new and improved subsidy schemes worth around €1bn. For electric cars, the current premium of €6,000 for private citizens will increase to €7,000, while plug-in hybrids will be worth €2,000."

 

https://www.euractiv.com/section/electric-cars/news/macron-demands-carmakers-turn-to-made-in-france-for-e8bn-virus-aid/

 

RECORD €60BN INVESTMENT IN ELECTRIC CARS AND BATTERIES IN EUROPE SECURED LAST YEAR

Europe secured €60 billion in investments to produce electric vehicles and batteries last year – 19 times more than in 2018, new analysis shows.

Driven by EU car CO2 targets, industry and governments committed 3.5 times more into EV and battery production in Europe than they did in China, according to T&E’s report.

Germany got the biggest chunk, €40 billion, coming mainly from the Volkswagen Group, and Tesla which announced a plant in Berlin. The Czech Republic received €6.6 billion, also thanks to VW, which plans to produce 75 all-electric models worldwide by 2029. Italy secured €1.75 billion in EV investments last year from Fiat, while France, Sweden and the UK each got around €1 billion from car manufacturers. Spain received close to €300 million from Opel, and Croatia got €80 million from Hyundai and Kia.

 

BYD BLADE PRISMATIC BATTERY CELL SPECS AND POSSIBILITIES

"Simpler battery packs made with fewer and larger battery cells weren’t possible with compromised platforms like MQB, however in skateboard platforms like MEB – specially made for electric cars -, they are not only possible, they are what makes sense. Only in late 2016, high energy density battery cells started to be available in pouch format, like the LGX E63 made by LG Chem." says PushEVs: "In 2020, assembling big battery packs with tiny cells doesn’t make sense and I wouldn’t be surprised if Tesla announces a battery pack made with cobalt-free prismatic battery cells in “battery day”. This would be great, not only for Tesla, but also for electric bicycle manufacturers who would benefit from an immediate increase of cylindrical cells available on the market.  BYD Blade Battery is a module-less CTP (cell-to-pack) battery pack. Without modules, the long prismatic battery cells connected in series are put in an array and then inserted into a battery pack, making it as simple as possible. The simplicity of the CTP technology helps to achieve a good energy density at the battery pack level, even if the energy density of the cells isn’t amazing."

 

https://pushevs.com/2020/05/26/byd-blade-prismatic-battery-cell-specs-possibilities/

 

RENAULT CAPTUR PLUG-IN HYBRID SPEC REVEALED

Renault UK has confirmed full specifications of new E-TECH version of the two all-new Renault Captur Plug-in Hybrid.

The All-New Captur Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) benefits from a new petrol-electric powertrain, making it the most efficient and economical in the range as well as the most powerful.

The Captur Plug-in Hybrid uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine alongside a 9.8kWh battery driving two electric motors, enabling an all-electric driving range of 30 miles (WLTP) and total power output of 160hp.

To help owners make the most of their All-New Captur Plug-in Hybrid, a free 7kW wallbox home charger, supplied and fitted by BP Chargemaster is included as standard for retail customers.

Scheduled heating, ventilation and charging times can be controlled via the standard 9.3-inch Easy Link portrait touchscreen or via the new MY Renault APP.

In S Edition trim (available from £30,495), the Captur Plug-in benefits from the generous standard equipment list including:

17-inch Bahamas diamond cut alloys wheels

3-inch Easy Link touchscreen with sat-nav, WiFi and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

 

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

 

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