New Renault Mégane eVision and Dacia Spring | 15 Oct 2020

Wanna split £100? You get £50 free AND save money on 100% green electricity by moving to Octopus Energy. Plus I get £50 to support this podcast but ONLY if you do it by using my unique referral code. I moved to Octopus recently and had been putting it off for ages,  but I kicked myself for not doing it sooner, as it’s literally a 5 minute job to give them your details.

Click here: https://share.octopus.energy/free-puma-452

 

 

On today’s podcast:

• Elon Keeps Promise To Lower Model S Price
• New Renault Mégane eVision and Dacia Spring
• France plans €1,000 used electric vehicle premium
• Magna taking a stake in Fisker
• VW's Robot-built ID.4 and ID.BUZZ
• Tesla China’s base Model Y to start at $41K
• Electrify America Transitions To kWh-Based Pricing In Florida And Virginia
• EVgo Triples Fast Charging Network Through The Drive Electric Virginia Program
• Audi & Volkswagen Amp Up Their Plug-In Hybrid Offerings

 

Show #908

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Thursday 15th October. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

 

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.

 

ELON KEEPS PROMISE TO LOWER MODEL S PRICE

When Elon Musk tweeted that he was lowering the price of the Model S to $69,420, which also beats the new entry level Lucid Air by $500, i did wonder if he was half joking. But checking the design studio this morning i notice the change has happened on the US store. UK is still the same. What about Europe?

There is now a $22,570 difference from Long Range to Performance. How much do you want an extra 8 mph  top speed, and going down from 3.7 seconds 0-60 to 2.3 seconds? Is it worth Ludicrious Mode and  Carbon Fibre spoiler?

And Model X is unchanged - it's either $79,990 or $99,990.

 

NEW RENAULT MÉGANE EVISION AND DACIA SPRING

Today Renault unveiled two new EVs - the Renault Mégane eVision and the Dacia Spring Electric . THey said: "Renault Mégane eVision: a dynamic compact hatchback for a new generation of electric vehicles." Launched next year.

 

Motor: 160 kW (217 hp) and 300 N.m of torque

Charge: AC up to 22 kW, DC up to 130 kW

Battery: 60 kWh  – 400 V

WLTP range: 450 km

Seats: 5

Platform: CMF-EV (same as Nissan ARIYA)

 

As for the  Dacia Spring, Renault say: "With its disruptive SUV look, it is equipped with 4 real seats, a record habitability, a simple and reliable electric powertrain and a reassuring range. Light and compact, the Spring Electric can run 225 km in mixed WLTP cycle and 295 km in WLTP City, guaranteeing a high versatility of urban but also peri-urban use."

 

Motor: 33 kW (equivalent to 44 hp) and 125 N.m of torque, limited to 23 kW in ECO mode

Top speed: 125 km/h, limited to 100 km/h in ECO mode (62MPH)

Charge: AC up to 6,6 kW, DC up to 30 kW (optional)

Battery: 26,8 kWh

WLTP combined range: 225 km (140 miles)

 

The charge port is at the front like the Zoe or MGZS. It's bigger than the VW e-UP but the high sides make it look bigger than it really is. The boot is 300 litres so it's usable. The touchscreen is 7 inches, and you can connect Apple CarPlay and Android. Extras? Air con. Leccy door mirros? Extra.  15,000 Euros?

 

Made in China, not on sale in RHD - no UK, Ireland, Aussie, NZ, India, Japan, Singapore.

 

FRANCE PLANS €1,000 USED ELECTRIC VEHICLE PREMIUM

"France is planning a new premium for older electric cars. The new subsidy of 1,000 euros, which Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari announced, is intended specifically for the purchase of second-hand battery-electric cars." says electrive: "So far, the French government’s subsidy program only includes grants for new electric cars. The subsidies, which were increased in the course of the Corona crisis are to be reduced again from next year. A premium for used electric cars was first discussed in France in September as part of the large-scale package of measures to revive the economy."

 

https://www.electrive.com/2020/10/13/france-plans-e1000-subsidy-for-used-bevs/

 

MAGNA TAKING A STAKE IN FISKER

"Fisker Inc, which is going public through a merger with a so-called blank check company, said on Thursday auto supplier Magna International will supply the vehicle platform and build the electric carmaker's Ocean SUV." says Autoblog: "As part of the deal, Magna will receive warrants to purchase a stake of up to 6% in Fisker. The company is worth about $3 billion, Fisker Chief Executive Henrik Fisker told Reuters. Magna's stake in Fisker is subject to hitting three engineering and production milestones through the planned start of production of the Ocean in November 2022, Henrik Fisker said. Fisker Inc said in August it had a tentative deal for Magna to build the SUV at its Graz, Austria, plant. The vehicle will have a starting price of $37,499."

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/10/15/fisker-magna-financial-stake-will-build-ocean-suv/#slide-endcap

 

VW'S ROBOT-BUILT ID.4 AND ID.BUZZ

"Volkswagen has confirmed that it placed a massive order for robots to build the ID.4 electric SUV and ID.BUZZ electric minibus. Today, it reaffirmed that by announcing it placed a massive order of 2,200 industrial robots to be deployed at three different factories." says electrek: "VW launched the ID.4 last month, and it is already being produced in Germany, but VW is currently expanding its factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee to build the electric SUV starting in 2022."

 

VW Says: "The Volkswagen brand has now ordered more than 1,400 robots from Japanese manufacturer FANUC for its production facilities at Chattanooga (USA) and Emden. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has ordered a further 800 robots for its Hanover plant from ABB of Switzerland. The robots are to be mainly used for body production and battery assembly. The three plants are currently being prepared for the production of electric cars using highly advanced facilities. From 2022, the ID.4 is to be produced at Chattanooga (USA) and Emden, while the model known under the show car name of ID. BUZZ is to roll off the production line at Hanover.”

 

https://electrek.co/2020/10/15/vw-massive-robots-build-id4-suv-idbuzz-electric-minibus/

 

TESLA CHINA’S BASE MODEL Y TO START AT $41K

"Recent estimates from securities firm Tianfeng Securities are pointing at something quite remarkable for Tesla’s ongoing ramp in China. As noted by the firm in a recently-released research report, Tesla’s strategy of passing its cost savings to customers could result in the Made-in-China Model Y starting at a very reasonable price of CN¥275,000 (about $41,000)." reports Teslarati: " the Made-in-China Model Y would be priced just about 9% higher than the locally-produced Model 3, whose Standard Range Plus variant now starts at CN¥249,900 (about $36,800). Apart from its insights about the Made-in-China Model Y’s starting price, the securities firm further estimated that the production rate of the all-electric crossover at Gigafactory Shanghai could be as high as 360,000 units per year, or about 30,000 per month."

 

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-y-china-price-output-report/

 

ELECTRIFY AMERICA TRANSITIONS TO KWH-BASED PRICING IN FLORIDA AND VIRGINIA

"Electrify America announced today that customers in Florida and Virginia will now pay by the amount of energy used to charge their vehicle, instead of paying by the amount of time they use the charging equipment." writes Tom Moloughney: "By adding Florida and Virginia to the list of states where the network utilizes its new kWh-based pricing, Electrify America has now moved 25 states, plus the District of Columbia, off of its original time-based pricing system. "

 

https://insideevs.com/news/449138/electrify-america-kwh-pricing-virginia-florida/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-all-articles

 

EVGO TRIPLES FAST CHARGING NETWORK THROUGH THE DRIVE ELECTRIC VIRGINIA PROGRAM

"Since September 2019, EVgo has deployed five new chargers each month in Virginia, totaling 24 fast charging site locations and 76 chargers, built under contract with the Department of Environmental Quality. EVgo’s fast charging network now covers the state’s key regions"

This growth in public fast chargers builds on the success of EVgo’s existing portfolio of more than 800 station locations across the United States, the most of any U.S. public fast charging network.

Vgo stations feature fast chargers capable of delivering 50-150kW charge rates to meet the variety of new EV models and battery technology coming in the market.

 

AUDI & VOLKSWAGEN AMP UP THEIR PLUG-IN HYBRID OFFERINGS

"In separate press releases, Audi and Volkswagen have announced two new plug-in hybrid variants for their largest SUV models — the Audi Q8 and Volkswagen Taureg. Make no mistake; both cars looks substantially different on the outside but they are virtually identical under the skin. How do we know that? Because both offer two powertrains — one with 376 total horsepower and the other with 456 horsepower. Both come with a 100 kW (134 hp) permanently excited (like a 17 year old high school junior) synchronous electric motor embedded in the inner workings of an 8 speed dual clutch transmission" says Steve Hanley at CleanTechnica: "Under the luggage compartment is a 17.8 kWh (gross) pouch cell battery that is capable of propelling the vehicles on battery power alone for up to 28 miles (WLTP) at speeds up to 83 mph, which means that for many people their new Audi or Volkswagen PHEV SUV can complete normal daily driving chores on electric power alone."

 

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/10/14/audi-and-volkswagen-amp-up-their-plug-in-hybrid-offerings/

 

 

You can listen to all 907 previous episodes of this this for free, where you get your podcasts from, plus the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically.

 

It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.

 

And  if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.

 

Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.

 

 

PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER)

BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER)

AVID TECHNOLOGY (PREMIUM PARTNER)

PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER)

AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)

VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER)

NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM  (PREMIUM PARTNER)

DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (PREMIUM PARTNER)

RICHARD AT RSYMONS.CO.UK – THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SPECIALIST (PREMIUM PARTNER)

 

DAVID AND LISA ALLEN (PARTNER)

OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER)

GARETH HAMER

eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/  (PARTNER)

BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (PARTNER)

DARIN MCLESKEY FROM DENOVO REAL ESTATE (PARTNER)

JUKKA KUKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM

RAJEEV NARAYAN (PARTNER)

 

ALAN ROBSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ALAN SHEDD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ALEX BANAHENE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42

ANDERS HOVE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ANDREA JEFFERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ASEER KHALID (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

BRIAN THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

BRUCE BOHANNAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

CHARLES HALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

CRAIG COLES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

CRAIG ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DARREN FEATCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DAVID MOORE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DAVID PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ERU KYEYUNE-NYOMBI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

GENE RUBIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

GILBERTO ROSADO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

GEOFF LOWE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

HEDLEY WRIGHT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

IAN GRIFFITHS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

IAN SEAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

JAMES STORR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

JIM MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODICERS)

JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

JON MANCHAK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

JUAN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

KYLE MAHAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

LAURENCE D ALLEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

LEE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

LUKE CULLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

MARCEL WARD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

MARK BOSSERT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

MARTY YOUNG  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

MATT PISCIONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

MIA OPPELSTRUP (PARTNER)

MICHAEL PASTRONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

MIKE WINTER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

NATHAN GORE-BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

NICHOLAS MILLER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

NIGEL MILES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

OHAD ASTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PAUL RIDINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PAUL STEPHENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PETE GLASS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PETE GORTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PETER & DEE ROBERTS FROM OXON EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PHIL MOUCHET (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

PHILIP TRAUTMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

RAJ BADWAL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

RENE KEEMIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

RENÉ SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

RICHARD LUPINSKY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ROB HERMANS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

RUPERT MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

SEIKI PAYNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

STEPHEN PENN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

STEVE JOHN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

THOMAS J. THIAS  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

TODD OAKES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

THE PLUGSEEKER – EV YOUTUBE CHANNEL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

TIM GUTTERIDGE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

WILLIAM LANGHORNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)

 

 

CONNECT WITH ME!

EVne.ws/itunes

EVne.ws/tunein

EVne.ws/googleplay

EVne.ws/stitcher

EVne.ws/youtube

EVne.ws/iheart

EVne.ws/blog

EVne.ws/patreon

 

Check out MYEV.com for more details: https://www.myev.com