Car sharing plan launched for Tesla and other EVs

Australia's first company specialising in electric vehicle rentals and hire cars is now branching out into a new business – EV car sharing – where the owners of Tesla and other EVs rent out their cars.

Slava Kozlovskii, the director of Sydney-based Eveeh has so far signed up 15 owners of Tesla Model S vehicles and Nissan Leafs, and is looking for at leat another 10 to launch the car-sharing service at the end of the month.

Kozlovskii says the EV owners are motivated by the need to help pay for their vehicles – the Model S starting price is around $120,000 – or simply to "share the love" of driving an EV.

EV's have a high up-front cost, but much lower running costs. That provides a greater incentive to use the car more often rather than leaving it in the garage. The idea behind car-sharing – and many predict that this is the future model of car ownership – is to maximise the use of the asset.

The other attraction, Kozlovskii says, is that EVs much have fewer moving parts and so less wear and tear, so the idea of renting out the vehicle is not so forbidding. "Wear and tear does not affect an EV as much as a petrol car," he says.

The biggest challenge was insurance – a standard comprehensive plan won't cover an EV owner renting out his car, but Kozlovskii has negotiated a deal with insurers that provides that cover – as long as it happens through his company.

Eveeh already has two Tesla Model S and one Nissan Leaf in its fleet in Sydney and Melbourne, and its clients are mostly wedding parties or people wanting to experience or enjoy driving an EV for a day.

This is the same principle that he will take to the car-sharing model, only that he will be pooling cars owned by individuals in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, and elsewhere if they are interested.

"The idea is for renters to go to the website, search for location and vehicles, and the availability of people's cars, and if happy with the options, request a booking.

"The owners will create a profile, choose when they want to make their EVs available, and while we will provide guidance on pricing, it the actual fee is their choice."

So far 15 EV owners have been signed up, a roughly equal mixture of Teslas and Nissan Leafs. His pre-launch target is 25 and – with investor backing, he can scale that up quickly – and he would like to sign up some owners of BMW i3 EVs, just to complete the mix of attractive vehicles.

"This is another early step in the sharing economy. These plans exist, but only with standard vehicles. We don't want petrol engines, we believe the transition should happen much faster," Kozlovskii says.

"The EV niche is small but it poised to grow quickly. There are only around 3,500 EVs in the whole country, but the growth rates will be stunning."

And once people drive an EV, he says, they find it hard to go back to the internal combustion engine. "All the reviews we had, all of them have been five stars, we haven't had a single four star rating. People love the experience.  

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Source: Car sharing plan launched for Tesla and other EVs

NextEV's crazy electric supercar just went 160 mph without a driver

Unveiled late last year, NextEV's ambitious NIO EP9 electric supercar has been setting some impressive laptimes. The manufacturer says the EP9 is the fastest electric car in the world, with a 7:05.12 Nürburgring Nordschleife lap and a 1:52.78 Circuit Paul Ricard lap under its belt. And just days ago, the EP9 left the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin with some new records to frame on the office wall.

On February 23, the EP9 set a COTA production car lap record with a 2.11.30 time. Or, 'production car' is what NextEV calls it. In actuality, there have been six units made, each costing $1.2 million and all of them sold only to NextEV investors. Perhaps stretching the limits of what constitutes a production car is what the company wants to do, in addition of breaking lap records.

In any case, the COTA lap in the hands of a driver wasn't enough, as the supercar also completed a very quick lap autonomously, "without any intervention". The autonomous lap was timed at two minutes and 40.33 seconds, so a good driver is still half a minute quicker than the EP9 let loose on its own.

The megawatt-producing, 1,342-horsepower EP9 accelerates to 124 mph in 7.1 seconds and it can go all the way to 194 mph. Its COTA top speeds were 170 mph with a driver and 160 mph autonomously. The manufacturer will introduce the supercar for the United States market next month in Austin.

Related Video:

Source: NextEV's crazy electric supercar just went 160 mph without a driver

China to Relax Quotas for German E-Cars

New Chinese rules on e-car sales threatened to hit a lucrative market for German carmakers, but after high-level talks, both sides have reached a compromise: a sure sign that Berlin and Beijing are keen to strengthen ties in the face of protectionist rhetoric in the United Staes.

Published on 27. February 2017, 02:52

Why it matters

The deal to lessen the impact of Chinese e-car quotas on German manufacturing will boost German companies at a time they are worried about the possibility of losing business in the United States.

Facts

According to a Chinese government plan, 40 percent of all Chinese cars should be electric by 2030.

This will require 15 million new electric cars to be sold annually.

China published planned new rules in September, stipulating that a percentage of carmakers' sales would have to be of electric cars but these targets have now been postponed, and softened.

Pdf

Germany and China seem to have solved to a key dispute in trade relations. Beijing wanted to impose quotas to force carmakers to sell more electric cars. However, the new rules are now to be eased after German diplomatic and political interventions, Handelsblatt has learned from sources in Beijing and Berlin. They confirm that the introduction of quotas will be delayed by a year and made less strict.

German carmakers are well placed in the Chinese market, especially its premium segment, dominated by Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. So the new rules, announced in September, hit German automakers particularly hard: existing state premiums paid to electric car buyers were to be scrapped, and manufacturers were to be given quotas for selling locally-made electric cars: 8 percent of volume in 2018, 10 percent in 2019, and 12 percent in 2020.

That level of e-car sales would be impossible for German manufacturers, who have so far sold only small numbers of Chinese e-cars. The rules set penalty payments for companies failing to meet quotas. There was alarm among German carmakers, with some predicting shuttered production in some factories.

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Article options

Why it matters

The deal to lessen the impact of Chinese e-car quotas on German manufacturing will boost German companies at a time they are worried about the possibility of losing business in the United States.

Facts

According to a Chinese government plan, 40 percent of all Chinese cars should be electric by 2030.

This will require 15 million new electric cars to be sold annually.

China published planned new rules in September, stipulating that a percentage of carmakers' sales would have to be of electric cars but these targets have now been postponed, and softened.

Pdf

Source: China to Relax Quotas for German E-Cars

China Electric Car Sales Dip In January With Incentives Transition, BYD Production Pause?

Cars

Published on February 25th, 2017 | by Jose Pontes

February 25th, 2017 by Jose Pontes 

The Chinese market had 6,260 new EVs registered in January, far from the 15,275 units of January 2016, dragging down the plug-in market share (of new cars sold) to just 0.25% — far below the 1.45% of 2016.

Considering the seasonality of the Chinese PEV market, where the first quarter is always the slowest selling (due to the December sales rush and New Year holidays), a considerable month-over-month drop was already expected — for example, December 2015 electric car sales reached 35,000 before dropping to 15,000 in the following month. What surprised experts was the size of the fall — 6,260 units is setting back the market two years. The reasons for this unexpected drop will be explained below. For now, let's focus on last month's registrations by model.

In January, SAIC and BAIC took over the top positions. Tesla also moved up, benefitting from the local sales drought to post a best ever #5 position.

Here are last month's top 5 best selling EV models:

#1 – SAIC Roewe e550: Shangai-based SAIC won its first monthly best seller trophy last month, thanks to 956 registrations of its e550, the plug-in hybrid version of Roewe's Audi A4-sized 550 ICE model. This plug-in hybrid packs an 11.8 kWh LiFePO4 battery, delivering an all-electric range of 58 km (36 mi), for a price of CNY 249,000, or ~$36,200. Despite winning the yellow jersey in the first stage of the race, don't expect this model to stay on top for long. Once the incentives effect wanes and BYD gets its act together, the e550 should be easily displaced from the podium, a bit like Mark Cavendish in last year's Tour de France.

#2 – BAIC EU260: In the midst of the incentives drop, the BAIC EU260 got off to a good start, with 812 cars being delivered, winning a precious advantage over the BYD champs, something that could prove crucial in the final stages of 2017 (when racing for the yellow jersey). With a generous 41.4 kWh battery, 260 kilometers of range, and 136 horsepower pulling it to a 0–100 km/h acceleration of 9 seconds, it doesn't have the sports sedan aspirations of the BYD Qin EV300, but it's no slouch. Undercutting the aforementioned Qin EV300 by some 5,000 Yuan (CNY 255,000), this is one of the most serious candidates for the "2017 Best Seller" title.

#3 – BAIC EC180: After being shown last November, this little city car got off to a great start in December, seeing 4,128 sales. It registered another 724 registrations last month. The EC180 has the advantage of offering a faux-crossover look, okay interiors, and a usable 180 kms range thanks to a 20.3 kWh battery. BAIC has great ambitions for this car and is promising more models from the same platform. Now, about those subsidies…

#4 – JMC E100: If the Chinese government has its way, this is car representative of a dying breed, but the bargain-basement JMC E100 city car still managed to deliver 701 units in January, so these little buggers will probably keep on zooming around for quite some time.

#5 – Tesla Model X: Y'all know this one, right? With a number of logistical issues arising for Tesla in December, a sizeable number of Model Xs weren't delivered until January. We estimate that the Tesla Model X had some 624 registrations in China last month, which together with the current incentives standoff helped the Californian SUV to reach the #5 spot in the Chinese PEV ranking, a best-ever position for a foreign model. Now, don't you worry, Tesla shorts, this is most certainly a freak event and doesn't mean that Tesla has finally broken the Chinese market.

Looking elsewhere, both SAIC and JMC placed a second model in the top 10, with Shanghai Auto pulling its e950 large sedan — a 289,000 Yuan ($42,000) PHEV based on the 2010 Buick Lacrosse(!) — to 7th Place.

But the real news are the low, low numbers of BYD models, with the #8 BYD Tang being the best of them. With only 278 deliveries, one has to go back 4 years to find such low numbers for the manufacturer. Rumors say that the Chinese manufacturer is preparing new batteries with a different chemistry (NMC?). Considering that BAIC and SAIC weren't so affected by the incentives delay, it seems BYD took this waiting period to make big changes and pause manufacturing. We have to wait and see what the cause for this slump was, but we are contacting BYD about the matter to try to get more insight.

Looking at the January manufacturer ranking, the surprise leader is BAIC — 26% market share — followed by SAIC Roewe (23%) and JMC (18%).

Interestingly, Tesla (4th, 12%) ended the month ahead of BYD (5th, 9%), which says a lot about the strangeness of the current Chinese ranking. Then again, these are strange times…

Looking forward, the Chinese government set a goal of 2 million "New Energy Vehicles" (NEV = BEV + PHEV + FCEV) in 2020. Considering 2016 ended with a 1 million NEV fleet already, one would only need some 300,000 per year to reach the desired objective, an easy task.

But with subsidies set to be cut off by 20% each year and more demanding conditions applied (they must be safer cars, have larger range, and be more highway capable), a large portion of the market (e.g., ultra-cheap city cars) will suffer. They will struggle to have access to subsidies, but they are not completely alone, since regular EVs will also lose part of the price advantage given to NEVs by generous incentives.

The solution to offset the incentives cut will be dropping costs through scale, and that game can only be played by a number of OEMs — like BYD, BAIC, SAIC, and Geely.

Ultimately, the Chinese EV industry will benefit, because it will have fewer but stronger players, more ready to take on foreign manufacturers head on. But they will be sacrificing certain players on the way. What January showed us is that:

A) The market will become more concentrated, with the top manufacturers distancing themselves from the others.

B) Volume numbers will suffer, especially in the first quarter, with the remaining quarters probably recovering the lost time, but don't expect the ludicrous growth rates of 100% or so of the past 3 years to be repeated in the short term.

EV Model January SAIC Roewe e550 956 BAIC EU260 / D50 EV 812 BAIC EC180 712 JMC E100 701 Tesla Model X 624 JMC E200 424 SAIC Roewe e950 350 BYD Tang 278 BYD Qin 208 Changan Benni EV 202 Others 993 TOTAL 6,260

Related:

China 100% Electric Bus Sales Grew To ~115,700 In 2016

China Electric Car Sales — BYD Wins 2016, Geely Emgrand EV Wins December

US January Electric Car Sales

Europe Electric Car Sales — Renault Zoe Starts The Year In Full Swing

Europe 2016 Electric Car Sales

Also published on our EV sales page, CleanTechnica, and the EV Sales blogspot.

Also published on our EV sales page, EV Obsession, and the EV Sales blogspot.

Buy a cool T-shirt or mug in the CleanTechnica store! Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech daily newsletter or weekly newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: BAIC, BAIC D50 EV, BAIC EC180, BAIC EU260, BYD, BYD Qin, BYD Tang, changan, Changan Benni EV, China, China EV sales, EV sales, geely, JMC, JMC E100, JMC E200, SAIC, SAIC Roewe e550, SAIC Roewe e950, Tesla, Tesla Model X

About the Author

Jose Pontes Always interested in the auto industry, particularly in electric cars, Jose has been overviewing the sales evolution of plug-ins through the EV Sales blog since 2012, allowing him to gain an expert view on where EVs are right now and where they are headed in the future. The EV Sales blog has become a go-to source for people interested in electric car sales around the world. Extending that work and expertise, Jose is now a partner in EV-Volumes and works with the European Alternative Fuels Observatory on EV sales matters.

Source: China Electric Car Sales Dip In January With Incentives Transition, BYD Production Pause?

Massachusetts eyes lofty electric car goals, Danvers officials check out legislation

THE ISSUE: Danvers officials are starting to map out plans for the inclusion of electric vehicles in the community.

WHY IT MATTERS: Massachusetts recently passed legislation that gives communities more authority in the implementation of parking spaces, charging stations and changes to building codes to allow more electric vehicles on roadways over the next eight years.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

A new piece of state legislation will support Massachusetts energy officials' hope to see the number of electric vehicles on Bay State roads swell from 8,000 to 300,000 over the next eight years.

The bill, which the Legislature passed on the last day of its 2016 session and Gov. Charlie Baker signed on Jan. 13, is designed to bolster electric vehicle parking and charging options.

"Our administration is committed to improving the Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure and this legislation will give electric vehicle owners the confidence they need to travel our state roadways with access to charging stations," Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said in a statement. "We look forward to working with our state and municipal partners to find increased opportunities to integrate more electric and fuel efficient vehicles into their fleets to save taxpayer dollars and reduce emissions."

The legislation prohibits vehicle-charging stations from imposing subscription fees on drivers and allows for an update to the state building code that would require new homes and businesses to be pre-wired for electric vehicle charging.

It also gives communities the authority to establish electric-vehicle-only parking spaces and authorizes electric utilities to submit proposals to build publicly accessible charging stations.

Massachusetts lawmakers passed the legislation weeks after Baker's administration committed $12 million in new funding to an electric vehicle rebate program.

"By making electric vehicle charging and parking more convenient for Massachusetts residents, this bill is a key stop on the roadmap to clean transportation," said Emily Norton, Massachusetts director for the Sierra Club. "With oil from the transportation sector responsible for nearly 40 percent of the Commonwealth's climate-disrupting pollution, it is imperative that we speed up the transition to clean electric vehicles."

Danvers officials say they are just beginning to map out electric vehicle plans for the town and have no concrete steps laid out so far, but look forward to working with the new legislation.

"It's great that the legislation provides us with the opportunity to have a clear path," said Assistant Town Manager Robin Stein.

The town government hopes to get a couple of electric cars through a grant program, which would allow officials to see how they worked out in the town, according to Stein.

Officials are reviewing the new legislation to determine what it means for Danvers.

Stein explained she was initially concerned about the possible state building code modification that would require new businesses and homes to have the wiring in place for electric vehicles, but after speaking with the building inspector, learned that including such wiring wouldn't be too significant a change.

The town has not surveyed the Danvers community about its opinions on electric cars, but officials predict the community will be enthusiastic about increasing its adoption of electric vehicles.

"We take very seriously anything that's good for the earth," said Board of Selectman Chairman Diane Langlais. "We're usually ahead of the cycle, we've always been extremely aggressive in what is ecologically smart and efficient."

 

Purchasing cars

The state has a number of programs in place to encourage people to purchase electric vehicles. Massachusetts runs a rebate program, MOR-EV, which provides rebates of up to $2,500 to people who purchase or lease an electric vehicle. That's in addition to federal tax rebates of up to $7,500.

Prices on electric vehicles vary widely depending on the model, with many available for between $30,000 and $35,000. Luxury electric vehicles may cost more than $80,000.

Since its launch in June 2014, MOR-EV has provided a combined $6.6 million in rebates to more than 3,100 customers. The rebates are financed by carbon allowance auction proceeds from the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

In 2015, Massachusetts launched Mass Drive Clean, a pilot program that offers electric vehicle test drives at employer-sponsored and public events. The goal of the program is to increase people's exposure to electric vehicles.

To date, it's reached more than 1,000 Massachusetts drivers. More than 80 percent of participating drivers said their opinions of electric vehicles improved after a test drive, and 68 percent said they were more likely to purchase an electric vehicle after getting to drive one.

Environmental advocates say electric cars represent a way to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

"We must be mindful of our greenhouse gas emissions, especially those emitted by our transportation sector," said state Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, a co-sponsor of the recent electric vehicle bill. "We need to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and make it easier for owners of electric cars to use their vehicles while incentivizing the transition to zero-emission transportation."

Widespread electric vehicle adoption would create new demands on the power grid, since the vehicles would need to be plugged in to charge.

But Judith Judson, commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources, said she's confident the system will be able to handle emerging technologies. Electric vehicles, she added, also hold the potential to expand energy storage capabilities.

"Our goal and our mission at DOER is to create a clean, resilient energy future in the Commonwealth," Judson said. "We're planning for a future and ensuring the grid can handle new additions to our system, such as the installation of more solar projects and an increase in the number of electric vehicles."

Source: Massachusetts eyes lofty electric car goals, Danvers officials check out legislation

Actress Margot Robbie Named As New Face Of Nissan Electric Cars

Suicide Squad's Margot Robbie will now sell you Nissan's electric cars

5 hours ago by Mark Kane

Actor Margot Robbie has been revealed as Nissan's new electric vehicle (EV) ambassador by racing the carmaker's radical all-electric BladeGlider sports car around the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix circuit, at midnight

Since unveiling the Nissan BladeGlider concept in 2013, Nissan has come a long way, building a working prototype that is now being used in a new marketing campaign. Two BladeGliders were used in a mini-movie alongside Nissan's new electric vehicle ambassador Margot Robbie.

Clip includes "a midnight spin around Monaco as company moves to attract new audience to the electric revolution".

"Margot Robbie put the radical three-seater through its paces around the closed Monaco street circuit before racing another BladeGlider. The pair of 272PS performance cars raced through the iconic Tunnel and diced with each other along Massenet before finishing in the glamour of Casino Square.

In the film, the Suicide Squad and The Wolf of Wall Street star is also seen demonstrating the drifting prowess of Nissan BladeGlider around one of the most famous corners in the world of motorsport – the iconic Fairmont Hairpin."

Another chance to see BladeGlider will be at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show from March 7 to 19, 2017.

Margot Robbie said in a statement:

"It's a really exciting time for electric vehicles. More people are choosing to go electric, leading the way to a more sustainable future and the Nissan BladeGlider hints at the future of smarter performance cars."

Gareth Dunsmore, director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe said:

"The electric revolution is happening. As the global leader in electric vehicles, and with mass adoption just around the corner, it is more important than ever that we showcase all of the benefits of driving an electric car – from energy efficiency, to sustainability, from handling to performance. Having Margot on board will support us in spreading news of the personal and societal benefits of electric vehicles to more people than ever before. Nissan's Electrify the World movement recognizes the importance of us all working together to achieve positive change in our communities. We want to inspire people to take meaningful steps towards cleaner, safer cities."

Nissan BladeGlider specs:

190 km/h (115 mph) top speed

0-100 km/h (62 mph) in less than five seconds

two 130 kW electric motors for the rear wheels (total system power stands at 200 kW)

Tags: electric vehicles, Margot Robbie, Nissan, nissan bladeglider

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Source: Actress Margot Robbie Named As New Face Of Nissan Electric Cars

Nissan Signs Margot Robbie As Its First Electric Vehicle Ambassador

Actor Margot Robbie has been revealed as Nissan's new electric vehicle ambassador by racing the carmaker's radical all-electric BladeGlider sports car around the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix circuit, at midnight.

The prototype 190km/h (118 mph) Nissan BladeGlider, which hits 100km/h (62 mph) in less than five seconds, challenges the conventional thinking of what an all-electric sports car could look like in the future. Showcasing all the fun and excitement of pure electric vehicles, the prototype is part of Nissan's Intelligent Mobility vision of how cars should be driven, powered and integrated into society.

Margot Robbie put the radical three-seater through its paces around the closed Monaco street circuit before racing another BladeGlider. The pair of 272PS performance cars raced through the iconic Tunnel and diced with each other along Massenet before finishing in the glamour of Casino Square.

In the film, the Suicide Squad and The Wolf of Wall Street star is also seen demonstrating the drifting prowess of Nissan BladeGlider around one of the most famous corners in the world of motorsport – the iconic Fairmont Hairpin.

Margot Robbie said: "It's a really exciting time for electric vehicles. More people are choosing to go electric, leading the way to a more sustainable future and the Nissan BladeGlider hints at the future of smarter performance cars."

As the manufacturer of the world's best-selling electric vehicle, the LEAF, Nissan is also revolutionising the way energy is generated and utilised with products like its intelligent xStorage Home unit and vehicle-to-grid technology, which harness the power of battery technology from electric vehicles.

Gareth Dunsmore, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe:"The electric revolution is happening. As the global leader in electric vehicles, and with mass adoption just around the corner, it is more important than ever that we showcase all of the benefits of driving an electric car – from energy efficiency, to sustainability, from handling to performance. Having Margot on board will support us in spreading news of the personal and societal benefits of electric vehicles to more people than ever before.

The Nissan BladeGlider will be on display at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Developed from a concept car first debuted in 2013, the all-electric sportscar is a precursor to a suite of future technologies that will combine Intelligent Mobility, environmentally friendly impact and sports-car driving capabilities.

Monte Carlo provided the perfect location for Nissan to reveal its exciting new partnership with Margot Robbie. Monaco has a rich heritage in street racing and an ambitious sustainable strategy to decrease carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030.

Feb 22, 2017Editorial Staff

Source: Nissan Signs Margot Robbie As Its First Electric Vehicle Ambassador

Watch in Wonder as Margot Robbie Makes Electric Cars Look Sexy as Hell

Margot Robbie drifting around Monaco in Nissan's BladeGlider concept car is a recipe for success. Simply put, she's just as electric as Nissan's 100% battery-operated concept car. We think we're adjusting to the zero emissions future just fine. Strap in tight. 

Source: Watch in Wonder as Margot Robbie Makes Electric Cars Look Sexy as Hell

New Oxford charging up for electric tourists

Electric car drivers can now get charged up in New Oxford at an outlet in the center of town.

The new electric car charging station officially opened Saturday at Redbud House, 14 Center Square, in an offstreet parking area behind the kitchenwares shop owned by John and Rose Lansing. A small crowd, along with some local officials, welcomed five electric car owners from out of town who were traveling along the Lincoln Highway, their destination the Lincoln Highway Museum in Latrobe.

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Source: New Oxford charging up for electric tourists

Porsche joins race for electric vehicles

Porsche's 911 Turbo S attracts fans at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2016. (Photo provided to China Daily)

German luxury carmaker Porsche AG announced it will launch its first purely electric sports car within two years in response to the increasing global appetite for new energy vehicles.

Franz Jung, president and CEO of Porsche China, said the Mission E model will be launched in 2019 and will be available in China from around 2020.

Jung said the car, which will meet customers' high expectations for typical Porsche performance, will be competitive in the electric car segment and provide customers with yet another choice. He said he believes that the company's serious rivals will not be models originating from internet-based companies.

Several of these, such as LeEco-backed Faraday Future, have unveiled their concept cars, announcing that their models will hit the market in about two years.

Jung said that one or two startups, including Tesla, might develop into serious players, but it is not so easy to start car production from scratch.

"They look nice and exciting on stage, but producing a car with the quality a serious car should have is a completely different story." Jung said that the market needs to wait to see if these players are able to turn being impressive on paper or on stage into success in production.

Porsche is now selling two plug-in hybrid models in China－the Cayenne S E-Hybrid and the new Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive. New energy vehicles accounted for around 5 percent of the carmaker's total China sales last year.

Of Cayenne-branded sales in China in 2016, some 11 percent were plug-in vehicles.

Largest market

China has been Porsche's largest market since 2015. Last year, it delivered 65,246 cars to customers on the mainland, in Hong Kong and in Macao, an increase of 12 percent year-on-year, double its worldwide growth.

Porsche said its entry-level Macan SUV accounted for more than half of its China sales and its other SUV Cayenne models also perform well.

"We were very early with our offers and that's why we have been so successful," said Jung. Porsche introduced its Macan to China in 2014 and its Cayenne several years earlier.

He said he believes that it would be "way too late" for rival brands, including Italian luxury carmaker Maserati, to design and deliver SUVs for the market now.

Aside from SUVs, China has risen to become Porsche's fourth-largest market for its sports cars, including the 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman and Panamera. Porsche expects its growth in 2017 to stay in line with the Chinese industry's average growth rate.

However, Jung said sales growth is not Porsche's sole goal. "We have many other goals as well. We want to be profitable, we want our dealers to be profitable and we want our customers to be happy."

Porsche's sales network now extends to 96 dealers across China. David Xiao, vice-president of Porsche China for sales, said a dozen more will join this year, with some of them in smaller cities.

　　

Source: Porsche joins race for electric vehicles

Peugeot Debuts New Partner Tepee Electric But Only Equipped With 22.5 kWh Battery

PEUGEOT Partner Tepee Electric

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric unites the advantages of the Partner Tepee leisure activity vehicle, which have made it such a success since its launch, and the pleasure of driving an electric vehicle. It offers comfort for five passengers with a generous, modulable interior. Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric has been developed for the growing clientele that wants to reconcile electric mobility with a multiplicity of everyday activities, whether just personal or both personal and professional. Its certified range of 170 km matches the driving practices of the great majority of European motorists who drive a daily average of fewer than 60 km. Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric thus opens up electric vehicles to new possible uses: carpooling with five people or leisure activities for the family, for example, are now compatible with electric mobility.

The first worldwide launch of the Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric will be at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show. It will go on the market in September.

The freedom of driving 100% electric The best kind of liveability and modularity

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric features the liveability and practicality for which the Peugeot Partner Tepee leisure activity vehicle is known. With its modulability, five passengers fit comfortably inside, and transporting large objects is easy:

– 5 seats, with the possibility of removing the three seats in the second row to free up a flat floor;

– Boot volume among the best in the category, with up to 1,350 litres with five passengers and 3,000 litres with two passengers and the seats in the second row removed;

– Exclusive on the segment, the large tailgate and rear window can be opened to make it easy to load the boot in any conditions.

This remarkable modularity can be adapted to all kinds of activities. Taking children to school, carpooling to work, and transporting bicycles for a ride with family or friends are now all possible with this 100%-electric leisure vehicle.

Everyday practicality

For even more peace of mind and comfort during your trips, the new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric offers features remotely controlled from a smartphone or tablet:

Programme the heat or air conditioning in the passenger compartment;

See the battery charge;

Estimate the duration of the recharge.

The remote control of heat and air conditioning makes it possible to preset the temperature in the passenger compartment before getting in the vehicle. If it is programmed at least 30 minutes in advance, the driver will enjoy optimal thermal comfort. This exclusive feature will work whether the vehicle is charging or not:

When the vehicle is charging, the temperature preset does not affect the range;

When it is not charging, the driver can simply indicate the battery charge level to preserve for the next trip.

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric offers a wide range of useful and effective equipment to guarantee safety and make both driving and life easier every day.

Comfortable and ergonomic, the passenger compartment provides 78 litres of open or closed storage space.

The cruise control, the direct tyre pressure monitor, the electronic stability control (ESC) paired with the hill-start assist, the manual climate control, the radio and CD and MP3 players, the two sliding side doors, and the height-adjustable driver's seat are available as standard.

The reversing camera, available as an option, uses the large colour screen to simplify parking every day. To make low-speed manoeuvring even easier, the rear parking assistance available as standard on the second level can be complemented by front parking assistance.

In touch with the present day, the new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric features a perfectly integrated large, seven-inch colour touch screen in the middle of the dashboard, always within view and arm's reach. Available as standard for the second level, it allows the drive to access various features: the on-board computer, AM/FM radio, digital DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) as an option, reading of music files on mobile devices, hands-free telephone, and navigation.

It also includes the best of on-board connectivity: Bluetooth®, USB port, jack plug, and the MirrorScreen function. From a smartphone compatible with Mirrorlink® or Apple Carplay®, the MirrorScreen lets users duplicate the best of their mobile applications on the large touch screen in the vehicle, so they can safely and fully enjoy them.

Navigation, available as an option, includes speed limit and traffic information display.

Advantages of zero-emissions mobility

In addition to all its modularity and practicality, the new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric offers specific advantages related to its electric power chain.

With this power chain, users can drive in regulated-emissions zones and during restricted-traffic times, without compromising practicality of use or the pleasure of driving.

More and more municipalities are encouraging the development of electric vehicles with advantages just for them, like free or discounted parking or reserved lanes. For professionals, electric vehicles are exempt from certain taxes, such as the Company Vehicle Tax (TVS) in France.

Its rapid recharge mode to 80% in 30 minutes, available as an option, provides drivers with more daily trips.

The new, 100%-electric version reduces environmental impact while offering a perfect solution for multiple everyday activities.

Less costly to run

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric also provides worry-free maintenance at about 30% less than an internal combustion vehicle:

Its traction battery is guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 km, and its electric power chain is guaranteed for five years or 50,000 km, whichever comes first;

Maintenance, every two years or 40,000 km after the first year, does not require oil, a belt, or liquid coolant.

With no gearbox or clutch, there are fewer components to inspect.

With the double energy recovery through deceleration and braking, the brakes are used less, and wear out less easily.

Furthermore, the energy cost per kilometre of electric recharging is about four times less than that of fuel for an internal combustion vehicle[1].

100% electric driving pleasure

Designed based on the Peugeot Partner Tepee leisure activity vehicle with an internal combustion engine, the new Partner Tepee Electric borrows the electric power chain from the Peugeot Partner Electric van, tried and tested since 2013.

The electric motor—high-performing, compact, synchronous with permanent magnets, 49 kW (67 hp)/200 Nm—is located under the bonnet.

The two lithium-ion battery packs, with high energy density and a 22.5-kWh capacity, are located in the underframe at either side of the rear suspension. This location lowers the centre of gravity for dynamic driving and good manoeuvrability in the new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric. It also preserves the liveability of the Partner Tepee, as well as its reference boot volume.

The electric motor, with instantly available torque, is paired with single speed constant ratio transmission. It offers dynamic, flexible driving as soon as it starts, all the way through every phase of acceleration. All without changing gears—or an automatic gearbox can be added.

As soon as the wheels begin to turn, the vehicle provides a peaceful driving experience free of noise and vibration from the electric power chain. In the quiet atmosphere of the new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric, trips become less tiring and conversations easier.

To adapt to everyday needs, the Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric offers to battery charging modes:

a standard charge on a traditional domestic outlet (8-A or 10-A, depending on the country) or the secured Green Up charge (14-A). That means a full recharge (from an empty battery) takes eight and a half, 12 or 15 hours depending on outlet amperage.

a rapid charge that meets the CHAdeMO[2] (95-A) standard recovers 80% of battery capacity in 30 minutes.

The regular charging flap is located on the right front fender, while the rapid-charge outlet takes the place of the gas tank flap on the left rear fender.

Recommended service providers in the Peugeot network offer solutions for installing an outlet at an individual home or collective building, such as a business.

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric has a 170-km range on the New European Driving Cycle, and brings together a set of features to optimize the range during real-life usage:

– The highly visible, combined energy consumption/regeneration indicator helps the driver constantly work to adopt low-energy driving;

– An auxiliary consumption gauge (heat and air-conditioning) fills out the driver information display. The on-board computer displays remaining range and mean consumption in kWh;

– The double energy recovery in the deceleration phase and the active braking phase converts kinetic energy into electric energy. Vehicle range in the driving phase is thus better preserved;

– 100% electric-origin heating offers fast heating in the passenger compartment. It also features an "Eco" setting to prevent overconsumption of electricity through the ventilation system to promote vehicle range.

Peugeot and the sustainable model

Peugeot is the only brand in the world to market a comprehensive sustainable mobility offering: electric-assist scooters and bikes and an electric motor-scooter, in addition to personal and utility cars.

With the Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric leisure activity vehicle the brand is further filling out its range of electric mobility products, which includes:

the Peugeot iOn urban saloon;

the Peugeot Partner Electric van;

the new Peugeot GenZe (Generation Zero emission)[3] electric motor-scooter;

a range of electric-assist bicycles for every condition: road, hybrid, and mountain bikes, with new products including the 2017 eF01, the first electric-assist folding bike from Peugeot, and the Eu01, for riding at 45 km/h;

the Peugeot e-Kick electric-assist scooter, from a partnership with MICRO.

The multimodal e-Kick and eF01 feature ergonomic design from the Peugeot Design Lab, making them easier to use. Their transport, use, and storage have been optimized. They are two complementary mobility solutions for easily covering the last kilometres of your journey once you have parked your vehicle. A docking station lets users store them in the boot of any vehicle equipped with a 12-V outlet, such as the new Peugeot Partner Tepee Electric, and to recharge them whenever the vehicle is in operation. They can also be recharged at a home on a traditional outlet.

Today, Peugeot is responding to new urban mobility challenges at a time of increasingly limited access to city centres.

In line with its commitments for reducing the environmental impact of its end-of-life vehicles, PSA has joined with the SNAM, the European leader in high-voltage battery collection and recycling.

Signed within the framework of the PSA-SNAM partnership in place since 2012 in France, the end-of-2015 agreement guarantees the quality of collection and recycling of batteries from Group electric and hybrid vehicles in end-of-life, across its commercial network and production sites in Europe.

The SNAM obtains performances of 70% efficiency of recycled materials for electric vehicle Li-ion batteries and 84% for hybrid vehicle Ni-MH batteries. These rates lie well above the European regulation threshold of 50% materials recycling.

[1] Furthermore, 25% of electric vehicle users estimate they save up to 60% of monthly transport fees compared to driving a vehicle that uses conventional fuel, according to a European NewMotion study.

[2] *The CHAdeMO protocol is the first standard for rapid charging created in 2009. It belongs to three systems currently approved as international standards for rapid charging. The number of CHAdeMO-compatible rapid charging terminals in Europe rose from 2,755 in 2015 to 4,000 at the end of 2016, an increase of 45%, well above the world average of 35%. This trend is expected to continue in Europe, at a time when European Union member states are establishing objectives for recharging station roll-out, as demanded by the directive on alternative fuels. Source: AVERE (French national association for electric mobility development)

[3] A pioneer in electric mobility, the Peugeot Scooters brand is one of the first to have invested in the segment when it launched Scootelec in 1996, then E-Vivacity in 2011. In 2016, Peugeot Scooters presented the new version of the "Generation Zero Emission" scooter, developed in collaboration with Mahindra-Genze.

Source: Peugeot Debuts New Partner Tepee Electric But Only Equipped With 22.5 kWh Battery

Is This the Electric Car That's Going to Trump Tesla?

Here, in the motor court of a $55 million Newport Beach estate, climbing into the rear of the Lucid Air for test ride, we're already skeptical.

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Beneath the Jackson Pollock-esque camouflage wrap, the California-based marque's prototype has the futuristic lozenge shape we've seen in photos, but it almost lacks an interior entirely. There are just bare metal panels, no soundproofing, and a vinyl bench seat. None of the brand's promised luxury selling point is present, no rear-seat screens, no deeply reclining chrome, leather, wood, and felted wool cocoons meant to give the Air the feel of a first-class jet cabin. 

Lucid Motor's stripped-down and camouflaged driving prototype of the Air.

Photograph: Brett Berk/Bloomberg Pursuits

But we're willing to give much of that a pass when the test driver, a World Rally Championship racer, pounds the throttle.

Yes, this rolling test-bed is stripped of much of the weight that the finished sedan will carry (this temporary body is made of easy-to-produce and -replace carbon fiber panels, not aluminum and steel), but it's also dialed down to half the 1,000 horsepower the production vehicle will sport from the 130 kWh battery pack integrated into the floor. When the driver hits the go pedal (don't say "gas"), we are literally pinned to our seats. Moreover, with an electric motor and active air dampers at each wheel, and all that weight down in the battery lowering the center of gravity, the car feels remarkably planted as we slalom down a steep hill that leads to the ocean. Once we turn around and take off back up the hill, we leave behind the scent of smoking rubber.

Inside the Air driving prototype.

Photograph: Brett Berk/Bloomberg Pursuits

The Lucid Air may not be ready for production just yet, and given the vagaries of the electric vehicle (EV) startup business, it may never make it there. (It costs upwards of $1 billion for an established company such as General Motors to develop a new car. Imagine what it takes if you don't yet have a factory, or workers, or a supply chain, or an existing relation with regulatory agencies, or established technology.) But it has our attention.

If everything goes according to plan and the Air hits the road in 2019 as projected, Lucid claims that the six-figure sedan (previous reports have pegged it up to $160,000) will rocket like a supercar from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, achieve 400 miles of range on a single charge, and sport advanced driving assistance capabilities such as radar, lidar, and cameras that will make it ready for pure autonomous operation—wherein the driver is all but irrelevant. It's the dream that such companies as Tesla and other startups, such as Faraday Future (whose billionaire investor Jia Yueting has also invested in Lucid), are all working toward. 

Rendering of the Lucid Air.

Source: Lucid Motors

We have extreme doubts about the technological, indemnification, infrastructural, regulatory, and consumer preparedness for Level 4 or Level 5 autonomy (pdf) in the next two (or five, or more) years. When challenged on this, Lucid's chief technology officer, Peter Rawlinson, formerly of Tesla, backs away from his claim that full autonomy is imminent in "the near future" and adjusts to say that the brand is simply developing and implementing features that will allow it to "future-proof the car to be ready for that eventuality."

Striking, Unique Profile

There was another, far more polished Air prototype at the estate, as well, a rolling hero version finished in a liquid rhodium color. What's not in doubt is our attraction to the Lucid Air's design.

Exterior rendering of the Lucid Air.

Source: Lucid Motors

The front end is low, with a narrow sneer of micro-lensed LED headlights. The windshield touches down nearly above the centerline of the front axle, pulling the cab way forward and reducing the size of the prow. The sculpted fuselage body, taffied out between the wheels, provides an interior the size of a Mercedes Benz S-Class on a platform the size of a smaller Mercedes Benz E-Class. This gives the rear passenger compartment capacious accommodations; its novel bubble-topped rear, like a glass pergola grafted onto a state limousine, wouldn't look out of place in one of Syd Mead's Space Age illustrations. All that's missing is the metallic jumpsuits.

Rendering of the Lucid Air's luxurious backseat.

Source: Lucid Motors

This is Lucid's gauntlet throw to the only established player in today's luxury EV market: Tesla. While the interior of the six-figure Model S and Model X are minimal and refined, they lack any true sense of indulgence. This may suit Tesla's Early Adopter and Fast Follower psychographic segments, who may prefer to imagine that their $135,000 investment is going purely into advancing technology toward our automotive destiny. But it leaves room for a deeper luxury play, especially for the passengers, whether autonomous driving ever arrives. The folks in the back seat can still indulge in their screens and tray tables and massaging features, using the car as a mobile office, a site for consuming streaming entertainment, a place for unwinding and napping.

The author tries out the backseat of the Lucid Air concept car.

Source: Lucid Motors

This is why the Air's seats coddle the way they do, adjusting in every imaginable dimension, and some oddly unimaginable ones. Climbing into the hero model, we rode the seat like a roller coaster through its full range of motion, and while it was eminently comfortable, it did feel strange to be levitated and splayed out deep into the rear glass canopy where all we could see was sky. Then again, were we to relinquish the steering wheel and link our cars together in a cloud-enabled chain, one can imagine a ride becoming akin to terrestrial flight—looking up might be better for one's mental state with a computer driving, so as not to focus on what might go wrong up ahead.

Interior rendering of the Lucid Air.

Source: Lucid Motors

Coming Competition

The Air will need every differentiation and unique selling proposition it can muster in 2019, not only because it will be competing with the next generation vehicles from category leader Tesla, but because established sporting and luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Jaguar, and Aston Martin will all be bringing out their own similarly priced, pure electric luxury sedans and SUVs at or around the same time. And those companies all have plenty of other revenue streams to fall back on should EVs not immediately find an audience, an indulgence Lucid lacks.

The Lucid Air's front end is low, with a narrow sneer of micro-lensed LED headlights.

Source: Lucid Motors

Rawlinson remains bullish and dismisses the standard narrative that a luxury EV company (and Tesla is currently the only one) bleeds capital on every vehicle it sells in a subsidized quest for market share—and as a former Tesla internal, he seems to have perspective.

"It's a myth that EVs lose money," he says. "It's a very smart play, though. If I dominate that market, wouldn't it benefit me greatly to have my competitors—long-lived brands with decades of experience building cars—believe that this is a money-losing prospect?"

The Lucid Air is expected to make its debut in 2019 at prices north of $100,000.

Source: Lucid Motors

Source: Is This the Electric Car That's Going to Trump Tesla?

Hyundai IONIQ Electric Becomes ACEEE’s Greenest Vehicle In U.S.

Hyundai IONIQ Electric

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) presents an annual Greenest list, along with an award for the Greenest vehicle. The Hyundai Ioniq Electric not only took home the award this year, but it is also the best scoring vehicle in the history of the ACEEE list. And it's a bargain in the electric car segment at 124 miles of all-electric range for just $29,500.

A Look Inside the Hyundai IONIQ Electric's cargo area

The scores are tabulated by combining a vehicle's tailpipe emissions, with the emissions resulting from the vehicle's manufacturing process, and factors related to how its fuel source(s) are produced and delivered. The overall figure is referred to as an Environmental Damage Index (EDX).

So, an all-electric car (ex. Tesla) may actually not always score as well, if its build causes excess pollution, and it requires a greater abundance of electricity, which is produced by sources that emit carbon. Likewise, a smaller, economical and fuel-efficient ICE vehicle (ex. Toyota Prius Eco or C) may score decent due to minimal manufacturing costs and less use of gas.

The IONIQ electric is a game changer, however, because it is the first "larger" vehicle to succeed in the last ten years, and did so well that it was the overall winner. Only compact and subcompact cars generally make the list. The BMW i3 (which is considered a compact car) was a close second to the Hyundai. In the 4 through 7 spots were the Fiat 500e, the Nissan LEAF, the Chevrolet Bolt, and the Kia Soul Electric, respectively. The Prius Prime came in 8th and the Ford Focus Electric, number 10.

A rare ACEE win for a "larger" vehicle – Hyundai IONIQ Electric interior

Surprisingly, this is only the second year that plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles dominated the Greenest list. Eric Junga, transportation research analyst at ACEEE said:

Hyundai IONIQ Electric (in Marina Blue)

"For the second year in a row, plug-in electric vehicles—all-electrics and plug-in hybrids–dominate the Greenest List, proving that these vehicles are really coming into their own. Even the all-electrics are associated with significant emissions, however, arising from vehicle production and the electricity used for charging. It's notable that conventional hybrids continue to be environmentally competitive with the plug-ins, taking four of the Greenest slots."

Source: Hybrid Cars

Source: Hyundai IONIQ Electric Becomes ACEEE's Greenest Vehicle In U.S.

Is this the electric car that’s going to kill Tesla?

Here, in the motor court of a $55 million Newport Beach estate, climbing into the rear of the Lucid Air for test ride, we're already skeptical.

Beneath the Jackson Pollack-esque camouflage wrap, the California-based marque's prototype has the futuristic lozenge shape we've seen in photos, but it almost lacks an interior entirely. There are just bare metal panels, no soundproofing, and a vinyl bench seat. None of the brand's promised luxury selling point is present, no rear-seat screens, no deeply reclining chrome, leather, wood, and felted wool cocoons meant to give the Air the feel of a first-class jet cabin.

But we're willing to give much of that a pass when the test driver, a World Rally Championship racer, pounds the throttle.

Yes, this rolling test-bed is stripped of much of the weight that the finished sedan will carry (this temporary body is made of easy-to-produce and -replace carbon fiber panels, not aluminum and steel), but it's also dialed down to half the 1,000 horsepower the production vehicle will sport from the 130 kWh battery pack integrated into the floor. When the driver hits the go pedal (don't say "gas"), we are literally pinned to our seats. Moreover, with an electric motor and active air dampers at each wheel, and all that weight down in the battery lowering the center of gravity, the car feels remarkably planted as we slalom down a steep hill that leads to the ocean. Once we turn around and take off back up the hill, we leave behind the scent of smoking rubber.

The Lucid Air may not be ready for production just yet, and given the vagaries of the electric vehicle (EV) start-up business, it may never make it there. (It costs upwards of $1 billion for an established company such as General Motors to develop a new car. Imagine what it takes if you don't yet have a factory, or workers, or a supply chain, or an existing relation with regulatory agencies, or established technology.) But it has our attention.

If everything goes according to plan and the Air hits the road in 2019 as projected, Lucid claims that the $160,000 sedan will rocket like a supercar from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, achieve 400 miles of range on a single charge, and sport advanced driving assistance capabilities such as radar, lidar, and cameras that will make it ready for pure autonomous operation—wherein the driver is all but irrelevant. It's the dream that such companies as Tesla and other startups, such as Faraday Future (whose billionaire investor Jia Yueting has also invested in Lucid), are all working toward.

We have extreme doubts about the technological, indemnification, infrastructural, regulatory, and consumer preparedness for Level 4 or Level 5 autonomy (pdf) in the next two (or five, or more) years. When challenged on this, Lucid's chief technology officer, Peter Rawlinson, formerly of Tesla, backs away from his claim that full autonomy is imminent in "the near future" and adjusts to say that the brand is simply developing and implementing features that will allow it to "future-proof the car to be ready for that eventuality."

Striking, unique profile

There was another, far more polished Air prototype at the estate, as well, a rolling hero version finished in a liquid rhodium colour. What's not in doubt is our attraction to the Lucid Air's design.

The front end is low, with a narrow sneer of micro-lensed LED headlights. The windshield touches down nearly above the centreline of the front axle, pulling the cab way forward and reducing the size of the prow. The sculpted fuselage body, taffied out between the wheels, provides an interior the size of a Mercedes Benz S-Class on a platform the size of a smaller Mercedes Benz E-Class. This gives the rear passenger compartment capacious accommodations; its novel bubble-topped rear, like a glass pergola grafted onto a state limousine, wouldn't look out of place in one of Syd Mead's Space Age illustrations. All that's missing is the metallic jumpsuits.

This is Lucid's gauntlet throw to the only established player in today's luxury EV market: Tesla. While the interior of the six-figure Model S and Model X are minimal and refined, they lack any true sense of indulgence. This may suit Tesla's Early Adopter and Fast Follower psychographic segments, who may prefer to imagine that their $135,000 investment is going purely into advancing technology toward our automotive destiny. But it leaves room for a deeper luxury play, especially for the passengers, whether autonomous driving ever arrives. The folks in the back seat can still indulge in their screens and tray tables and massaging features, using the car as a mobile office, a site for consuming streaming entertainment, a place for unwinding and napping.

This is why the Air's seats coddle the way they do, adjusting in every imaginable dimension, and some oddly unimaginable ones. Climbing into the hero model, we rode the seat like a roller coaster through its full range of motion, and while it was eminently comfortable, it did feel strange to be levitated and splayed out deep into the rear glass canopy where all we could see was sky. Then again, were we to relinquish the steering wheel and link our cars together in a cloud-enabled chain, one can imagine a ride becoming akin to terrestrial flight—looking up might be better for one's mental state with a computer driving, so as not to focus on what might go wrong up ahead.

Coming competition

The Air will need every differentiation and unique selling proposition it can muster in 2019, not only because it will be competing with the next generation vehicles from category leader Tesla, but because established sporting and luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Jaguar, and Aston Martin will all be bringing out their own similarly priced, pure electric luxury sedans and SUVs at or around the same time. And those companies all have plenty of other revenue streams to fall back on should EVs not immediately find an audience, an indulgence Lucid lacks.

Rawlinson remains bullish and dismisses the standard narrative that a luxury EV company (and Tesla is currently the only one) bleeds capital on every vehicle it sells in a subsidized quest for market share—and as a former Tesla internal, he seems to have perspective.

"It's a myth that EVs lose money," he says. "It's a very smart play, though. If I dominate that market, wouldn't it benefit me greatly to have my competitors—long-lived brands with decades of experience building cars—believe that this is a money-losing prospect?" Bloomberg

First Published: Thu, Feb 16 2017. 08 22 AM IST

Source: Is this the electric car that's going to kill Tesla?

Daily Drive-Thru: The Mitsubishi Eclipse returns, Lexus adds hybrid option to LS 500 flagship, Smart goes electric, and more

Can you feel the love in the air? We certainly can, if by love you mean a bunch of auto news of course.

Oh, you mean Valentine's Day? With like chocolates and flowers and stuff? Sounds lame.

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Our Valentine today happened to be a ton of headlines, ranging from the return of an old nameplate to the addition of a hybrid powertrain to Lexus' flagship sedan. Plus, Smart is going fully electric, and two of the world's biggest automakers are petitioning for looser autonomous car testing rules.

All that and more in the Valentine's Day Drive-Thru, let's roll up.

NEWS: Mitsubishi Eclipse returns as crossover SUV

Some interesting and unexpected news dropped early this morning from Mitsubishi, which still in fact exists. The Japanese automaker is resurrecting its Eclipse nameplate, but not as its old version. The former 2-door sports coupe will be coming back as a, wait for it ….. crossover?

A new day is dawning indeed, and the Eclipse Cross is set to debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

Read more about the return of the Eclipse here.

Lexus adds hybrid option to LS 500

At last month's North American International Auto Show, Lexus unveiled its first-ever twin-turbo V6-powered LS sedan, making history in Detroit.

It appears the luxury automaker is not done after news broke today that Lexus will add a hybrid powertrain option to its flagship sedan. The 2018 Lexus LS 500h will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Read more about the new hybrid option here.

Smart will transition to electric-only vehicles in U.S. and Canada

Smart, known for its microcars and subcompact cars, will soon be known for another reason. A decade after the German automaker developed its first-ever electric car, the brand has announced that starting in the 2018 model year that it will only produce electric vehicles.

The announcement ties in with Daimler's announcement of the new generation Smart ForTwo electric drive models, which will launch this summer. Production of gas-powered models will cease in April.

Read more about Smart's transition to electric-only cars.

GM, Toyota petition for more lenient safety rules in autonomous testing

Convincing people self-driving cars could one day be the norm is no easy task, and I would imagine it is even harder if automakers aren't able to test their products on public roads. General Motors and Toyota are taking this issue head on and made the case in front of a U.S. House panel today.

The two automakers are petitioning for more lenient safety regulations that allow more self-driving cars to test on public roads in the interest of greater public safety.

Read more about GM and Toyota's case here.

GALLERIES: The 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

13 photos view gallery

Photo Review: 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Earlier I said the cornucopia of auto news was our Valentine today. I misspoke.

The auto news was very nice, don't get us wrong. But there was just one thing we sent our "Will you be mine?" card to today, and that thing is the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

Contributor Michael Harley was lucky enough to do a photo review of this absolute stunner, and eloquently described it as Chevy's mix and match of the Stingray and Z06. He also called it "just about perfect." With 460 horsepower, 465 lb.-ft. of torque, and a top speed of 175 mph, we are prepared to remove the "just about" and just call it "perfect." But other than that, Michael kills it in this review and you should immediately drop what you are doing and go read it.

Tags: daily drive thru

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Source: Daily Drive-Thru: The Mitsubishi Eclipse returns, Lexus adds hybrid option to LS 500 flagship, Smart goes electric, and more

Smart Done With Gas Cars In US, Will Now Only Offer Electric Vehicles!

4 hours ago by Jay Cole

You want a gas version of this? Too darn bad!

According to a new report from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, smart North America (US and Canada) is done selling gas vehicles!  The first automaker (and we hope not the last) to take that stance!

Only All-Electric In Here!

The magazine cites a letter from Mercedes-Benz HQ to local dealers by US boss Dietmar Exler saying that sales of vehicles with combustion engines will be discontinued in September.

The September cut-off basically means that the 2017 lineup will include petrol and electric vehicles, but the 2018s will only be all-electric.

In North America, smart offers just the Fortwo Electric Drive, and the Fortwo Cabrio Electric Drive, the Forfour is not offered in the region.

Last year, Smart sold 6,211 cars, of which just 657 where all-electric – albeit sales were in a limited/inventory constrained fashion as just the last generation 2016s were being sold off ahead of a brand refresh that arrives this month for the electric versions.  Smart ED sales have been as high as 2,594 units (2014).

Besides some exterior and interior design tweaks, that refresh also bumps all-electric range in the US from 68 miles to 75 miles for 2017.

Automotive News

Tags: featured, smart discontinues gas cars, smart no more gas, smart US EV only

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Source: Smart Done With Gas Cars In US, Will Now Only Offer Electric Vehicles!

BMW CEO slams government for ignoring electric vehicles

BMW Australia CEO Marc Werner has slammed the Turnbull Government for failing to provide a framework for electric vehicle consumption in Australia.

Calling out the lack of incentives for EV ownership, including financial incentives and infrastructure, Werner said the "time for talking" was over.

"It's time for some action. We need to break Australia's embarrassing silence on … environmental topics and start doing something," he told a group of motoring journalists.

"No more discussions. I call on Mr Malcolm Turnbull and the Federal Government to finally action robust policy to support the introduction of low emission vehicles to the Australian market. We all know how it could be done and we all know that it's possible and the time has certainly come.

"It's not just BMW that is saying this. The large majority of automotive brands are engaged in this pursuit and it's time for the Australian government to act."

Werner said car manufacturers are investing billions of dollars to bring alternative fuel technology and overseas experience shows consumers are willing to change their behaviour towards a cleaner future.

"But that needs to go hand in hand with some substantial investment on the infrastructure side which can only be provided through some government action".

He pointed out countries such as Norway and New Zealand where EV uptake has improved since their introduced necessary financial incentives, such as tax and fee reductions for low emissions cars.

"We can look at New Zealand as a role model as far as electric mobility is concerned but I would love it to be the other way around to be honest."

He said the end of Australian car manufacturing presented an opportunity to overhaul vehicle taxes as it made the luxury car tax, designed to protect locally produced cars, redundant.

"We would love to see a more intelligent way of incentivising low emissions vehicles.

"But it's not only incentives that play a major role in order to really lift electric mobility, it's also about the necessary infrastructure that needs to come with it."

Werner said BMW was ready to roll out infrastructure but said it couldn't be left to the one automaker to do it alone.

"We need to join forces with the other manufacturers and that needs to go hand-in-hand with some substantial investment on the infrastructure side which can only be provided through some government action."

Werner said despite the lack of government action, BMW isn't holding back with sales of its hybrid and electric vehicles, but won't set targets in line with the company's ambitious international forecasts until there is the necessary government framework.

"We have a really substantial model lineup as far as BMW i and BMW iPerformance vehicles are concerned so that we can take the next step."

Wheels has contacted Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg's office for a response. 

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Source: BMW CEO slams government for ignoring electric vehicles

Cuomo: $3 million available for NY municipalities to buy electric vehicles

New York is offering $3 million for eligible municipalities and cooperatives to purchase electric vehicles, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.

The assistance is available through the New York Power Authority's Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program, which provides zero-interest financing to local governments for the purchase of new, more fuel-efficient vehicles. 

The funding can be used for a variety of vehicles, including cars, off-road specialty vehicles, pickup trucks and utility bucket trucks. 

Electric cooperatives and municipalities that receive hydropower from the New York Power Authority are eligible for the funds, according to Cuomo's office. 

The state previously awarded $5 million to 24 towns and villages for the purchase of 61 new vehicles. 

"This initiative will help communities across New York purchase electric and hybrid vehicles to help reduce their carbon footprint and create a cleaner, greener and more sustainable New York," Cuomo said in a statement. 

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Four villages and two cooperatives in central New York are eligible for the funding. The Municipal Electric Utilities Association, which is based in East Syracuse, and the Oneida-Madison Electric Cooperative may receive assistance through the state's program.

The eligible villages are Hamilton, Marathon, Skaneateles and Solvay. 

The program is part of Cuomo's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. 

"Electric and hybrid electric vehicles are key to helping New Yorkers reduce their carbon imprint," said Gil Quiniones, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority." 

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Source: Cuomo: $3 million available for NY municipalities to buy electric vehicles

Electric Mountain Bikes Are Finally Fun to Ride

Riding uphill or hauling gear has never been easier. Photo: JJAG Media

As part of our bike test this year, we decided to include three electric mountain bikes, fully prepared for the protests and vitriol from our readers. Every time I've written about this growing trend, it becomes clear that a contingent of people detest pedal-assist bikes—some on principle, some because they fear these bikes may lead to trail access issues, and some seemingly out of knee-jerk puritanism. The most common refrain seems to be that e-MTBs are motorized vehicles, not bikes. "Motor + Bike = Motorbike. Duh!" one reader commented on a story I wrote.

This objection, however, misses the finer distinctions: the bikes we tested are all of the pedal-assist variety, meaning there's no throttle and no motor assistance unless you pedal. "The comparison to motorcycles is just wrong," says Sean Estes, global PR manager at Specialized. "The [Specialized Levo eMTB] produces a peak power output of 530 watts, while a KTM 250cc four-stroke motorcycle produces roughly 32,000 watts. Considering power-to-weight ratio, the Levo essentially gives every rider around 6.5 watts per kilo, on par with a Tour de France–level cyclist. That's a big bump but nowhere near the same galaxy as a motorcycle."

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the criticisms aren't going to stop the growth of these bikes. In the past few years, all the major brands have introduced e-bikes, which speaks to the market's potential. You can bet that companies like Giant, Scott, Trek, and Specialized aren't dumping money into development and tooling unless they believe e-bikes are here to stay.

The entry of mainstream brands has also been good for the segment, both for the credibility these companies lend and for their engineering and design know-how. Some of the first e-MTBs that I rode had good power trains, but their trail manners were clunky and maladroit. The latest designs, however, have real mountain bike DNA, and they ride like it. This is the crux of why e-MTBs aren't going away: they are an absolute riot to ride.

Before you begin trashing me, I'm no lazy, motor-dependent, entitled American. I rarely drive my car if there's the opportunity to ride a bike. I train five to six days a week, race on road and dirt, and generally prefer endurance endeavors that make most people shake their heads (think: AZT, Dirty Kanza, and Vapor Trail). Still, I've had a hell of a good time on the e-bikes we've been testing.

If you ride a lot, you know it's exhilarating to smash along on dirt as fast as you can go—some extra power just makes it more bracing. The hauling capacity on these bikes is a boon: hooked up to a BOB trailer (courtesy of the awesome Robert Axle Project adapter), the Levo has helped me transport camping gear, rifle, pack, and an entire field-dressed deer some ten miles in one go.

Then there are the days when an e-bike motivates you to ride when you otherwise might not. A few months ago, a friend and I did a five-hour ride on a Saturday with 7,000 feet of climbing. Afterward, he was on the fence for the Sunday ride because he felt it was too much. I lent him an e-MTB, and we pulled off another four-hour epic together, when otherwise I would have ridden alone. We all have those days when we feel too tired or stressed to ride—add a little pedal assist, and the threshold for getting out is lower.

That doesn't even get into these bikes' potential to bridge ability gaps (for instance, my once fit but now ailing 64-year-old father-in-law and I can ride together again), lower the hurdles for new riders (because it can be intimidating to start out), and help those with disabilities enjoy our great sport.

In other words, we decided to test these bikes this year because there are a lot of upsides. Here's a brief rundown of the three we tried.

Haibike XDuro AllMtn 8.0 ($7,000)

Before any of the big brands jumped into the game, Haibike was selling and advocating for e-MTBs, which gives the company market cred. This 150mm 27.5+ machine was the biggest and burliest in the test, with a stout, inverted Magura Boltron fork and, at 52 pounds, the heftiest weight. The bike uses a 350-watt Bosch Performance Drive Unit paired with a 500-watt-hour battery. Our tester came set to European standards, meaning assist maxed out at 14 miles per hour rather than the 20 mph U.S. limit. (The AllMtn is for sale here in the United States with the faster motor.) The bike was sluggish but had plenty of low-speed torque, which made it easy to get up even the steepest, rockiest pitches. Side note: the debate about whether these bikes are allowed on trails may eventually hinge on max assisted speed, with some critics arguing that faster bikes could be dangerous.

The AllMtn has all the specs you'd want: Fox Float fork, SRAM EX1 drivetrain, KS Lev Dropper, 2.8-inch Nobby Nic tires. But it also has the steepest head angle, the tallest stack, and the shortest reach, all of which combined to make it feel upright and a bit awkward on the trail. The suspension worked well enough, and we liked the rigid certainty of the fork, but overall the bike felt the least deft of the three.

Trek Powerfly 8 FS Plus ($5,000)

This bike pairs the same Bosch motor and battery as the Haibike to a more manageable 130mm trail-oriented bike. That might not sound like a lot of suspension, but honestly it's as much as you need for most situations. As on the Haibike, a two-button controller on the left toggles between four power levels, which display on the head unit: Eco (50 percent assist), Tour (120 percent), Sport (210 percent), and Turbo (300 percent). It's a simple system, making it easy to constantly shift between modes, which helps with economizing battery power. Range will always depend on power level and terrain, but on a three-hour ride predominantly in Eco setting, I used only about half the battery power. Compared with the Specialized system, the Bosch motor feels like it has more torque, which is great for steep stuff but also means the bike can surge and feel like it gets away from you a little in the higher power modes.

Despite the 50-pound weight, the Powerfly mostly rides like a capable mountain bike, with Trek's supple rear end and an excellent Shimano XT 1x11 drivetrain. While I sometimes like the 2.8-inch Bontrager Chupacabra tires, here the rounded profile and low-profile tread don't feel meaty enough for the weight and power. The fact that we were parsing details like this speaks to just how capable and refined the ride quality is—it feels like a normal mountain bike with the added benefit of pedal assist. Given that it's the least expensive in the bunch, it's difficult to argue against the Powerfly.

Specialized Turbo Levo FSR Expert 6Fattie ($7,500)

In simplest terms, this bike is an electrified version of the 2016 Gear of the Year–winning Stumpy FSR 6Fattie, so it should come as no surprise that we loved it. The 530-watt Brose-built motor and 504-watt-hour battery are proprietary to Specialized. Though the system doesn't have quite the torque of the Bosch, it still has ample power for getting up anything, and a few testers preferred the way it ramped into the speed rather than gunned it. While cruising on flats and rollers, testers with smooth pedal strokes noted a slight choppiness in the power, almost as if it was cutting in and out.

On the other hand, we loved the low profile, with the on-off switch and power-level indicator placed inconspicuously on the side of the down tube and the battery and motor concealed by the oversize bottom bracket. Power comes in three stages—25 percent for Eco, 50 percent for Trail, and 100 percent for Turbo—which you change with two buttons near the power switch. While we like the clean looks, the lack of a handlebar controller makes it tougher to toggle between levels (though the system is customizable via smartphone and compatible with a Garmin Remote). Like the Trek, max assist speed is 20 mph, making the Levo feel very fast. We also found that fit riders preferred riding mostly in Eco mode, which provides just enough boost to take the edge off (and keeps you ahead of most riders) but still provides a workout. On Eco, four hours of rugged trail riding used 60 percent of the battery.

As with all of these bikes, the longer wheelbase (1.25 inches for the Specialized) made tight handling and steep switchbacks a little trickier. For the most part, though, the Levo feels like a souped-up Stumpy, but the position is slightly more upright, and the 140mm front and rear travel is a bit off as well. (And it weighs 50.5 pounds.) The Specialized feels more capable and forgiving than the Trek in the rough stuff, perhaps because of the longer suspension and the excellent, aggressive three-inch knobby Purgatory Grid tires. The spec is a slight upgrade over the Trek, too, with a RockShox Pike instead of a Yari and a Fox Float factory shock. That said, you pay a hefty premium for those upgrades: for flat-out performance, the 6Fattie was our favorite, but with price factored in, testers leaned toward the Powerfly.

Cost is still an impediment to e-bikes catching on. While most testers liked these bikes, they agreed they'd be hard-pressed to buy one as a secondary ride. As a primary bike, however, the prices are mostly on par with the general mountain bike market, and now that performance has caught up, e-MTBs are a realistic option for everyday riding. Prices should continue to drop as technologies advance and the market grows.

The other big consideration is trail access and legislation. "States and municipalities don't generally have clear definitions of e-bikes. Some allow them, some don't," says Morgan Lomelle of People for Bikes. State parks in a handful of states (including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina) permit e-MTBs anywhere bikes can go. But on federal lands, including those managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, e-MTBs are "considered motorized vehicles," Lomelle says, meaning they have access only to motorized trails. Advocacy efforts are underway to standardize e-MTB designations along similar lines as street-variety e-bikes. There's also a push to get federal trails to include e-bike designations.

These distinctions didn't matter that much a few years ago, when electric mountain bikes weren't that great and few of them were around. With the current crop of excellent new bikes, however, the technology has outgrown the legislation, leaving e-MTB owners to work through a disparate web of rules and police themselves. (People for Bikes has some helpful resources.) All of this uncertainty makes it a fascinating, and potentially tricky, time to own an e-MTB. But one thing is certain: with the advances in e-MTB design and technology, the regulations need to be sorted out forthwith, because these bikes are so entertaining and refined that they are not going away.

Source: Electric Mountain Bikes Are Finally Fun to Ride