Show #1267
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Thursday 4th November. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
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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.
TESLA GIGA BERLIN SEES DELAY FOR CONSTRUCTION, ELON MUSK SAYS ITS NOT RIGHT
- The Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is seeing another delay in its construction as the State Environmental Agency and the Brandenburg Administrative Court re-opens the discussion regarding the plant. Here, Elon Musk said that what they are doing is "not right," especially as the operations and processes in the plant also see a hindrance.
- The Tesla CEO has said his side on the issue via his official Twitter page, saying that what the agencies and involved people of authority are doing is "not right."
- the State Environmental Agency and the Brandenburg Administrative Court are delaying Giga Berlin's construction and re-opening the discussion regarding its future. The bodies are concerned with the future of the plant, especially the upcoming lawsuits that it would face once operational.
- the focus of the concerned authorities is on environmental protection, particularly with the supply of water needed by the surrounding population. Also, there are plenty more environmental reasons that were cited by the committee though these are not yet the full reasons why they hinder Tesla Gigafactory Berlin's construction.
BUGATTI AND RIMAC HYPERCAR FIRMS COMPLETE MERGER
- The long-mooted partnership between Bugatti and EV technology specialist Rimac Automobili has come into effect, with the marged Bugatti Rimac LCC company officially being incorporated.
- The new company is 45% owned by Porsche and 55% owned by the newly formed Rimac Group, in which Rimac founder Mate Rimac retains a 37% shareholding, Porsche 24%, Hyundai Motor Group 12% and various other investors the remaining 27%.
- Bugatti Rimac is headquartered in Croatia, with Mate Rimac serving as CEO
- Rimac’s powertrain, battery and components development arm will be separated out into a new, dedicated Rimac Technology division, which is part of the Rimac Group but remains independent and will continue to work with other manufacturers.
- From 2023, the newly formed company will be based at the new Rimac Campus on the outskirts of Zagreb
8,116 NEW ELECTRIC CARS REGISTERED IN NORWAY OVER OCTOBER
- In Norway, 8,116 new electric cars were registered in October. Electric vehicles accounted for 70.1 per cent of all new registrations in the month. The most successful model across all drive types was the VW ID.4 with 913 registrations.
- The fact that October 2021 is significantly lower than September with its 13,946 new electric car registrations is probably mainly due to Tesla’s delivery practices.
- The 8,116 electric cars were joined by 2,226 plug-in hybrids in October, with a market share of 19.2 per cent (down 6.2 per cent from October 2020). In total, 89.3 per cent of all new passenger cars in Norway had an external charging connection in October – in August this figure was 87.7 per cent, in September with the Tesla boost mentioned even 91.2 per cent.
EV VANS WIN WHAT CAR?’S AWARDS 2022
- The fully electric Citroen e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner, Toyota Proace City Electric and Vauxhall Combo-e have taken the top prize at this year’s What Car? Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards, after wowing the judges with their class-leading practicality, low-running costs and impressive driving dynamics.
- 171-mile WLTP range, a maximum payload of more than 800kg and load volumes of 3.3 to 3.9 cubic meters,
- The Vauxhall (from 1 December) will be available in a more affordable specification than its relatives, so is perfect for those looking for a dependable, low-priced electric workhorse
LUCID AIR USER SHOWS DC FAST CHARGING PEAK AT OVER 250 KW
- The first batch of Lucid Air cars is on the roads now and we just came across the first report about DC fast charging results, released by Tesla2Lucid.
- the Air Dream Edition with a 118 kWh battery was able to get up to 251 kW at a Electrify America fast charging station (the value fluctuated between 245 and 251 kW) at about one-fifth state-of-charge (SOC).
- not yet at 300 kW mentioned by Lucid - but we don't know the details - whether 300 kW is possible right away or if there will be a asoftware update, whether it's possible at Electrify America chargers, as the car has a 900 V battery system or whether the battery was preconditioned for maximum charging rate.
PORSCHE: 100-KILOWATT-HOURS IS THE BATTERY-SIZE SWEET SPOT
- What's the optimal size for an electric-vehicle battery pack? Of course, it depends on numerous factors -- and who you ask -- but Porsche engineers believe they've figured it out.
- "At the moment, we think 100-kilowatt-hours is the right battery size," said Benjamin Passenberg, manager of high-voltage system concepts at Porsche, while speaking with press during a media event last month. That sounds like an oddly convenient number, but numerous reasons back up this claim.
- According to Porsche, more than 95% of motorists travel less than 124 miles per day, so why pay for a gigantic battery pack you don't really need and then have to drag it around everywhere you drive? It doesn't make a lot of sense.
- Reinforcing the claim that 100-kWh is just about the right size, in simulated testing, a Porsche Taycan fitted with an 85.1-kWh battery pack lapped the Nürburgring 0.7 second faster than a model fitted with a smaller -- and 240 pound lighter -- 70-kWh battery. Even though the svelter car accelerated a tiny bit quicker, the larger battery provided more sustained performance, which resulted in the slightly faster lap time.
BMW'S ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SURGE, BUT CHIP SHORTAGE POSES CHALLENGE
- The BMW Group’s sales of fully electric vehicles grew by 121.4% in the first nine months of 2021, hitting 59,688 units, with the German carmaker stating Wednesday that electric mobility was “becoming an increasingly vital growth driver and success factor” for the company.
- In total, the Munich-headquartered firm sold 231,575 all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles between January and September, a jump of 98.9%. By comparison, in the third quarter of 2021 alone, Elon Musk’s Tesla says it delivered 241,300 vehicles.
CHEVY BOLT FAMILY SALES DOWN 21 PERCENT DURING Q3 2021
- Chevy Bolt family sales – which include sales of the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV – decreased 20.5 percent in the United States during the third quarter of 2021.
- The segment was dominated by the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, which combined for a lofty 81 percent segment share. The Volkswagen ID.4 and Mustang Mach-E followed with 6 percent each, while the Nissan Leaf, Bolt EUV, and Bolt EV all accounted for 2 percent each.
- Low sales volumes have typically been an area of concern given GM’s EV-focused strategy, which calls for launching 30 electric vehicles by the year 2025. To that end, Chevy Bolt family sales during Q3 2021 isn’t exactly reassuring, though the numbers aren’t too far off from the Volkswagen ID.4 and Ford Mustang Mach-E.
- low Chevy Bolt family sales volume is the result of the ongoing stop sale and recall over battery pack fires. As a result, sales of the Bolt EV and EUV – which both ride on the same GM BEV2 platform and use the same 65 kWh battery pack – have been suspended until the situation is fully resolved, which has not taken place for the third quarter of 2021.
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