BMW Wants to Sell Half a Million Hybrids and Electric Cars by 2019

German carmaker BMW (bmwyy) aims to more than double the number of electric and hybrid vehicles it has sold to 500,000 by the end of 2019, Chief Executive Harald Krüger told German weekly WirtschaftsWoche.

In 2018 alone, deliveries of electrified vehicles are to rise by a "medium double-digit percentage," he said.

Read: Uber Selects Partner for Electric Cars in India

A pioneer in electric cars, BMW launched the i3 hatchback in 2013 but sales have been relatively low and management has wrestled with whether to go all-out for electrification.

But that changed in September when the Munich-based group said it would gear up for mass production of electric cars and aimed to have 12 fully electric models by 2025 with a range of up to 700 km.

The group said on Monday it had hit its target of selling 100,000 fully electric cars this year around the world, benefiting from strong demand in western Europe and the U.S. for models such as the i3 and the 2-series plug-in hybrid Active Tourer.

He said the carmaker would nonetheless keep making and selling cars with combustion engines to help finance a gradual shift to electrified cars.

Read: If You Think Electric Cars Will Save the Planet, Think Again

Unlike his peer Matthias Mueller, the CEO of Volkswagen, he rejected the idea of doing away with tax subsidies for diesel.

"Bearing customers in mind who bought diesels, that is unjustifiable," Krueger said.

Mueller earlier this month called for subsidies for diesel vehicles to be shifted gradually to incentives for green cars, such as electric vehicles.

Acting Transport Minister Christian Schmidt had shot down the idea, though, saying that diesel was still needed during the transition to greener vehicles and that there was therefore no reason to change tax rules.

Source: BMW Wants to Sell Half a Million Hybrids and Electric Cars by 2019

Faraday Future expats spin off a new electric car startup

Over the past few months, things appeared to be out of control at the high-profile electric car startup Faraday Future. The new leadership brought in by billionaire founder Jia Yueting, including Stefan Krause, former BMW and Deutsche Bank CFO, and BMW's head of EVs, Ulrich Kranz, along with several other high-profile employees, left in masses.

Now, sources have told Electrek that those same Faraday Future expats are launching their own electric car startup.

The circumstance surrounding this new startup is apparently directly linked to Krause's departure from FF.

As we previously reported, the longtime financial exec was brought on board to straighten up the company's finances, but sources say that he faced important roadblocks from FF founder Jia Yueting, also known as YT.

YT was better known as the founder of LeEco, a Chinese tech giant, but as the company's financial troubles got out of control over the last year, YT had to resign from his leading role at the company and instead moved to California to focus on Faraday Future, which is still under his control.

Earlier this month, YT's profile in China was hit even harder when the government placed him on a debt blacklist, which is a way to shame affluent Chinese business people and block them from engaging in reckless spending.

With his position in China growing weaker, it looked like YT turned to his US EV startup to build his empire back up.

That's while Krause was trying to raise money for the company in order to bring its first vehicle, the FF91, to production.

But sources say that while Krause made some progress to raise capital, deals fell through because they were contingent on YT resigning or giving up a controlling part in the company, which is something he refused to do.

Last month, FF sent out a press release announcing that they terminated Krause's employment and they were looking into legal actions against him:

"Stefan Krause's possible violation of law and lack of contribution to FF's goals over the course of his leadership since March has led to severe damages to the interests of FF and its investors. FF is currently taking legal actions as a result of Stefan Krause's malfeasance and dereliction of duty."

At the time, Krause responded by stating that his employment wasn't terminated and that he had instead quit a month earlier.

Now, sources have told Electrek that he launched his own electric car startup called 'EVELOZCITY'.

The startup has now a very simple website online with the following "vision":

"Design, develop and deliver the most competitive, capable, connected and clean mobility device for the next generation."

Sources say that he was able to raise funds using the groundwork that he had done on the previous deals that he tried to close for FF, but that ended up failing due to disagreements with YT.

With a reportedly significant financial backing and preferring Krause's leadership over YT's, sources say that several high-profile Faraday Future executives and employees are following Krause to EVELOZCITY and that more could come.

We are told that Richard Kim, FF's former head designer, Bill Strickland, a former Ford executive who joined FF last year to lead its vehicle line, and Sohel Merchant, a former Tesla engineer who led vehicle engineering at FF, all joined the new startup.

We reached out to the company for a comment on the founding of their new startup. We will update if we get an answer.

On the other hand, now YT claims to have managed to raise $1 billion for FF despite his financial troubles – though it's still unconfirmed at this point.

Electrek's Take

The world of EV startups is starting to get crazy and FF was its poster child for a while. Not so much anymore.

As we reported last month when FF seemed close to its last breath, even though the company has been in financial trouble for the better part of the last 2 years, its 1,000+ employees haven't been sitting on their hands during that time and have developed some interesting EV technologies showcased in the FF91.

While the company might never deliver anything, hopefully, their work on the FF91 leads to something.

But there's also one other thing that we always admired about FF: the company's ability to attract top talent.

Now, it looks like EVELOZCITY is going to be where some of that talent is going to end up. Stay tuned to Electrek as we follow their progress.

Source: Faraday Future expats spin off a new electric car startup

3 Ways Electric Vehicles Are Changing Everything

Part 1 of 3 on the Future of Transportation and the Internet of Things

The world is moving away from cars based on the internal combustion engine (ICEs). The future is electric. With Tesla leading the way on what's possible with electric vehicles, more traditional auto manufacturers are following suit.

Volvo has announced that all of its cars will have electric motors by 2019. Aston Martin is planning the same by 2025. General Motors plans to have at least 20 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2023. The list goes on.

Much of the pressure is coming from countries banning ICE sales in the not-too-distant future. China is now the world's largest market for automobiles and China has announced that any car manufacturer wanting to sell into the Chinese market will need to have 10% of their offerings come from NEV's (New Energy Vehicles) by 2019, rising to 12% by 2020. Other countries are banning outright the sales of ICE vehicles. The Netherlands by 2025; China, India and Germany by 2030; France and the UK by 2040. Industry and consumers, want electric as well.

When everybody wants something, it tends to happen. The question is, what will be the ramifications? One safe bet is that the market for your ICE -based car will be drying up quickly – so think about selling yours now. Particularly if it is diesel. But beyond concerns for personal finance, we can also expect EVs to have a dramatic impact in a number of areas including climate conditions in cities, the automotive industry in general, and energy distribution worldwide.

Lower emissions

The obvious benefit of electric cars – the reason countries, industries, and individuals everywhere are pushing for them – is lower emissions. One of the cities most concerned about emissions is Beijing. Back in 2015, the notoriously thick smog of the city disappeared quickly when authorities banned driving  for two weeks in preparation for a World War II commemoration parade. The day after driving resumed, the smog returned.

Today, Beijing is planning to replace the city's nearly 70,000 taxis with EVs. Doubtless, this is a step in the right direction. Yet, while Beijing tends to get the lion's share of press coverage when it comes to smog, other cities face similar challenges. From Paris to Mexico City and all around the world, lower emissions from electric vehicles will help to improve health for citizens locally and fight climate change globally. Not forgetting the reduction also in noise pollution.

Industry change

The automotive industry is not just General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota and the rest. It's also made up of countless suppliers of parts and components. But when you move from a traditional ICE to the electric engine, you lose about 90% of the parts. Electric engines are just simpler. Manufacturers of spark plugs, gear boxes, exhaust pipes, etc. are about to see their market shrink dramatically.

This means that for companies in the automotive supplier ecosystem, much of the market is going away soon. The simplicity of electric engines will also be felt further down the value chain. Service centers, for example, will feel the hit.  Many of these centers – particularly the large chains – use the inexpensive 3,000-mile oil change as a loss-leader to upsell customers on needed maintenance. But without oil in the electric engine – and without as much need for maintenance – many of these chains will have to rethink their business models to survive.

New energy horizons

One of the most significant impacts of EVs will be on the way energy is distributed – because in addition to being modes of transportation, EVs will also act as energy sources that can plug directly into the grid.

This will help address the challenge of "demand response". The problem to solve here is one of grid stability in the era of renewable energy. Traditionally, large centrally located energy generation plants –  coal, gas, and nuclear – have churned out a steady supply of energy that results in a fairly stable grid.

However, the renewable energy paradigm – based mostly on solar and wind – is neither centralized nor steady. Rather it is distributed across rooftops, solar farms, and mountain tops. And it is variable according to weather conditions.

With renewables, in other words, utilities have less control over the supply side of the equation – meaning how and when energy is generated. This has the potential to lead to instability on the electricity grid. If you can't manage the supply, then you have to manage the demand - demand side management, also known as demand response. This can be done using incentives, and the technology is advancing such that increasingly the process is becoming automated.

By providing a storage mechanism that can both take energy in when their is an excess, and sell it back to the grid in times of high demand, car batteries on EVs can act as frequency regulators for the grid. This is a big deal that has the potential to change energy distribution forever.

At night, say, when the wind is blowing, a car battery can store energy generated by wind turbines. Or, in the middle of the afternoon when everybody wants air conditioning on a hot day, the same batteries can distribute some of their energy. This leads to improved grid stability, which allows for a higher percentage of variable generators (renewables) on the grid.

Industry convergence

Interestingly, the entities with the closest relationships to the owners of the batteries so critical to grid stability would not be the utilities but EV manufacturers. What's stopping Elon Musk from enticing Tesla customers from sharing their batteries? Tesla could enable its customers provide energy from their batteries – and then sell it on the grid for a profit. Customers make money. Tesla makes money. Utility companies make money. The grid is more stable, and everybody is happy.

This transforms the automobile industry into an energy industry. At SAP we talk a lot about digital transformation as a response to digital disruption. This is disruption at its most dramatic.

Elon Musk has stated aims to make 500,000 Tesla's in 2018. Let's say he falls disastrously short and only hits half his target. Let's also assume an average 80 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery size in the EVs – (Tesla cars today have battery sizes ranging from 60 -110 kWh). 250,000 cars x 80 kWh – and you'll see that this fleet would have the capacity of 20 gigawatt hours of storage. For comparison, a gigawatt is roughly the output of a nuclear power plant. So, Tesla will be producing the equivalent of 20 nuclear power plants worth of storage, at least. Per year.

Electric vehicle manufacturers will be able to aggregate the energy from all the EVs on their networks, and sell access to these "virtual power plants". It is a whole new world.

Stay tuned for more on how the transportation industry is changing forever.

An earlier version of this article was first published on The Digitalist.

Source: 3 Ways Electric Vehicles Are Changing Everything

The Electric Smart ForTwo Is The Answer To People Who Say Cars Aren't Weird Anymore

Where have all the weird cars gone? I feel such lament every time I see that Jason drives some odd plastic French thing, my mom talks about her Isetta or I have to explain what my 411 is. But fear not: the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive Smart ForTwo Cabrio is here to keep wackiness on wheels.

[Full disclosure: Mercedes-Benz and Smart wanted me to drive the new ForTwo Cabrio so much that the company flew me to San Diego, put me in a fancy hotel and fed me for the weekend. I was next to the ocean. I had so much fish. All the fish. RIP fish.]

Weep at the plain silver cars, for they are not as cool. The big grey boat rules, though. Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

When I mentioned that I would be driving this car, I was slightly disappointed by how many people asked, "Why would anyone buy a Smart car?" Come on, people. Have we all bought into Big Beige to the point where we can't imagine a car existing for fun?

Sure, the ForTwo Cabrio barely has room for two humans and a relatively small trunk, so it's only really practical for basic in-town errands and commutes. Yet a Smart ForTwo is not just another bland car you buy because it ticks the boxes. Asking "why?" is missing the point if you don't already look at it and chuckle. The very idea of this funny little road-legal golf cart is inherently silly and that's what makes it wonderful.

I'm not sure I'd ever own a Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabrio myself, but I certainly appreciate that it exists, and that it's here to fill someone's needs.

Bonus points if your name is Ed! Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart What Is It?

The 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabrio is the closest thing to a modern "fun car" that's not explicitly made for speed or adventure that I've encountered, with easily removable roof rails that make it feel hilariously open inside despite its incredibly compact size.

All Smart cars in the United States and Canada will be electric from here on out, hence, "Electric Drive" in the name and the plug-graphic on the body.

The car's electric motor sits brilliantly between the De Dion rear suspension—down low, for better handling. That's the same weird bent "dead axle" suspension setup that Caterhams use to good effect, and in the ForTwo, it allows enough room inside the tube's bends to house the engine.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

Smart boasts the tiniest turning radius—just 22.8 feet—of any car on sale today, which is its best feature. Park it anywhere! Who cares? It's not in anyone's way. It's also the only all-electric convertible on sale at the moment.

But most of all, it's fun. Everything from the candy-colored two-tone paint jobs that are available to its wacky folding roof make it a solid contender for the 420th season of Human Interface Replication Bot 9000 Drives several centuries from now.

"The humans of the late 2010s had a sense of humor after all," Jason's robot doppelgänger will beep—correctly, I might add.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Specs That Make It Tick

The new ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet is four inches wider than the previous model, and comes with an Eco mode and Android Auto integration for the first time. (They don't mention Apple CarPlay, by the way.) The battery is all-new for this generation, and it's more efficient and lighter than ever.

It has a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery that powers a 60 kWh three-phase synchronous electric motor, which is mated to a single-speed automatic transmission. The tiny electric drop-top makes a claimed 80 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque—23 percent more torque than the last electric ForTwo. Smart says that it takes about three hours to fully charge the car using its 7.2 kW, 240-volt onboard charger, or 16.5 hours to fully charge with a 120-volt standard home wall socket. It goes from 0 to 60 in 11.7 seconds.

Estimated range on a single charge is about 57 miles for the Cabrio, which we didn't come close to using all of in our brief test drive. When we asked why the Smart didn't come with more range to combat newer, longer-range EVs like the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt, they claimed that most commutes were around 27 miles per day, and with charging stations available at many businesses during the day, that's fine.

Its dimensions are appropriately tiny, as you'd expect: about 106 inches long, about 5.45 feet wide, and with a wheelbase of just 73.3 inches. If you're getting one as a gift, it's probably small enough that you could one-up the cheesy December to Remember-style giant bow and get an entire minicar-sized gift box for it.

Yo dawg, I heard you like open roofs. Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart A Love-Hate Relationship With This Roof That's Mostly Love

If you're going to get a Smart ForTwo, the Cabrio is the one to have. The multiple-configuration roof is delightfully silly and easy to use. Merely having the roof peeled back like a can of sardines is enough to make you want to stand up out of it and survey the sidewalk for wildlife.

You can leave the roof rails in to peel back the overhead space of the roof, or with another press of the button, drop the roof down all the way. Once it's entirely retracted, though, you can pop loose the two side rails to make the already tall and airy cabin feel even more open.

The rails' latch is simple to pop up, each rail is hilariously lightweight, and both sides' rails fit neatly and securely into the rear tailgate. You can't put the roof back on with those rails out, so be forewarned if bad weather is en route.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

For the most part, it's not a bad place to sit with the roof down—even for me, Jalopnik's foremost convertible-hater. My hair barely blew around with the side windows up, as there's a ton of head room in this thing.

That being said, the ForTwo's urban safari adventure roof system isn't perfect. The roof rails take up a considerable amount of trunk space when they're fitted into the tailgate. The tailgate also takes a considerable amount of force to shut all the way—even without the rails inside.

Worst of all, though, is the lack of rear visibility with the roof folded down. It's not good, especially for short drivers. Visibility is great with the roof up, but the folded roof occupies much of where the back window would go, which is annoying.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Hits

The Smart ForTwo is one of those weird TARDIS-esque cars that feels more spacious inside than it looks. It's by no means a luxury interior, but the seats are supportive and well-bolstered, and everything is nicely within reach. The magnifying glass effect over the temperature dial was particularly clever.

The roof can fold up to aid with trunk access, too. Trunk view with the rails stowed. Photo credit: Stef Schrader

Ample bins and nets also helped make the Smart's small space more usable. The trunk space can also be configured to haul more stuff than you'd think. The front passenger seat can fold flat, and you can remove the rear subwoofer and charger to free up more space.

It also doesn't feel as awkward to drive as you might think. The ForTwo's miniscule turning radius means you can stick it almost anywhere, and its steering is quick and direct. Its low center of gravity meant that I only really felt that it was weirdly tall for its wheelbase in faster turns.

Other than that, this is one of the most stable tiny cars I've driven on the freeway, thanks in part to its brilliant Crosswind Assist system, which comes standard on these cars as part of the car's stability control system. It very gently applies the brakes on the opposite side of a gust to keep the car straight. The technology was first developed for the Sprinter, and gradually made its way to the little ForTwo.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

While you really have to floor the throttle pedal to get the Smart ForTwo to get going relatively quickly, its battery-miser Eco mode was a pleasant surprise. In the Smart, Eco mode forces it to recuperate as much energy as possible, reduces heating and cooling output, uses a flatter acceleration curve and reduces the top speed. Unlike other cars I've driven with similar modes, this one didn't kill the performance of the car so dramatically. It could still get out of its own way.

It's also very clever with how it manages its energy recuperation by default, using radar to judge how much traffic is ahead and tweak how much energy it should recuperate under braking as a result. As soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, it starts recuperating energy to extend its own range. Neat.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Misses

The seats were just fine, however, the driver's seating position was a tad awkward for me. The dead pedal sat up way too high compared to the location of the regular pedals. The pump-style manual "raise" function for the seat pushes the seat up and forwards simultaneously, with the front of the seat awkwardly dipping slightly downward with every pump upwards.

The steering column also looks like it should adjust, but doesn't. Currently that option is only available in Europe.

The ride is a little harsh for a car that's clearly not built for performance, and the brake pedal felt spongey and numb. While the power is probably adequate for the car's purposes, I was left wanting for more.

As many cars do now, the infotainment system's more detailed functions were disabled while the car was in motion. I get that this is for safety, but it's highly annoying as a passenger who wants to tweak something or tinker with features out of curiosity or boredom. The navigation unit also didn't attempt to pronounce street names, which led to me taking a few wrong turns when I was trying to navigate some of San Diego's narrow city blocks.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

We're also going to need to pay extra close to what happens to the electric vehicle tax credit for this one. The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet is priced at a premium—starting at $28,100 before tax credits. Some items that are standard on other small cars, like the center armrest ($100) and the rear park assist ($250), were listed as add-ons on our tester's monroney. As tested with destination and delivery fees, ours added up to $32,180 before tax credits—which is just around $2,000 shy of the price of a BMW 3 Series.

In other words, that $7,500 federal tax credit is needed just to bring the sticker price of these tiny cars down to a price that's almost palatable for the masses. Some states offer even more incentives that drive the price down even further (down to $17,650 in California, for example) so the ForTwo Cabrio is comparable in price to a well-optioned Yaris. Even if you're all-in on the ultra-small weirdo car life, you're still going to be paying extra over larger gas-powered cars to get it.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart What To Watch For

My drive with the Smart ForTwo was too short for me to get any real read as to whether the consumption specs were accurate. We also never charged the car at all, so I couldn't get a read on how fast it takes to charge, or use the function in the car's navigation system that helps you find an open charger.

It can also pre-heat or pre-cool the car while it's still hooked up to a charger so as not to eat into the vehicle's range once it's off, which we also couldn't test. After all, it's hard to really test out how an HVAC system works when it's mild, sunny and the top is off.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Early Verdict

I had to ask the question: who buys a Smart ForTwo? Smart's representatives said the car was wide open for appeal—everyone from young city-dwelling singles, empty-nesters they described as "young at heart," the environmentally-conscious to number crunchers who see that it's one of the most affordable electric cars for sale.

That's a lot of marketing-speak, but the length of that list speaks to something interesting: the ForTwo doesn't feel like it's engineered to a focus group like too many other new cars do. Smart built something cool, and the buyers came. The automotive world should try that more often, if for no other reason than to buck the trend of too many boring copycat crossovers.

It's hard not to sort of like this silly little happy thing, despite its flaws. I wish it came with a more performance-oriented drive mode or a more powerful drivetrain option, as it always felt a bit more sluggish than it should be for its size, especially when compared to slightly larger small cars like the Yaris iA. More power would make the ForTwo Electric Drive Cabrio deeply enjoyable to drive, and not just because it's a wacky novelty of a car.

There is something it does far better than any other mass-produced car on sale right now, though: squeeze into tight spaces. If you want to one-up everyone's parking and turning abilities, just get the Smart car, and giggle all the way into the tiniest corner of the parking lot.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart
Source: The Electric Smart ForTwo Is The Answer To People Who Say Cars Aren't Weird Anymore

Tesla motor, Shelby Cobra body, Kia battery: watch electric Cobra stun a race crowd

In 1962, a 39-year-old Carroll Shelby stuffed a Ford V-8 into an AC Ace to create one of the most sought after performance cars ever made, the AC Cobra.

Some 50 years later, a group of engineers from British Columbia, Canada has brough Shelby's idea—small two-seat sports car, very big power—into a new age.

EPower Racing has been competing with its battery-powered Cobra replica since this summer. And in the style of Shelby, the car finds its motivation in an American-made motor.

DON'T MISS: South's good ol' boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about it

According to Engine Swap Depot, the team built a custom chassis for the car, which contains the motor from a Tesla Model S P85 and the lithium-ion battery pack from a Kia Soul EV.

In a forum thread, the team explained, "We chose the Kia Soul EV as the battery pack donor largely based on DOE test reports which showed it as one of the few ... capable of putting out over 300 kilowatts (400 horsepower) for sustained length of time."

It is also one of the lightest packs available, the team said, weighing just 400 pounds for a usable capacity of 27 kilowatt-hours.

Draining the battery is a Tesla motor capable of 310 kw (416 hp), though the team said it has dialed back the output to 220 kw (295 hp) due to "battery/motor temperature" issues.

Range is also an issue, with the team saying its uses up the battery's full charge "in 20 minutes—which is about 16 laps on a 1.4-mile road race course."

But for those 16 laps, the Tesla-powered Cobra slays its competition with ease.

WATCH THIS: Tesla Model S beats Lamborghini Aventador in 1/4-mile drag race; so does Model X SUV

In a video posted on EPower Racing's YouTube channel, the car picks off rival after rival at Mission Raceway Park.

It also turns a fastest lap time of 1:14.3 in the process.

You can follow the team's progress on the DIY Electric Car forum.

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Source: Tesla motor, Shelby Cobra body, Kia battery: watch electric Cobra stun a race crowd

Honda Clarity, BMW i3 REx driven; battery costs fall; electric car fight; tax credit lives: The Week in Reverse

Which country may wipe the floor with the U.S. in the global race among makers of electric cars?

What car may pose a significant threat to the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, December 15, 2017.

Friday, we learned EV shoppers can breathe a little easier: The reconciled tax bill that will be voted on by the U.S. Congress did not end the tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric car, as one draft initially had.

While a new joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic will develop prismatic cells for future electric cars—despite Toyota's aversion to EVs—Hyundai worries battery prices will stop falling by 2020 due to materials shortages.

(So far, however, the cost of lithium-ion battery packs continues to fall, and much faster than expected even a few years ago.)

2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, 2016 Toyota Mirai at hydrogen fueling station, Fountain Valley, CA

Enlarge Photo

On Thursday, our Twitter poll on which alternate fuels may survive had a somewhat surprising result.

Meanwhile, an old China hand explained why China will dominate the U.S. in electric cars in future years.

Wednesday, we noted Pepsi has added itself to the list of companies that have reserved all-electric Tesla Semi trucks, placing the largest single order to date.

Under the Trump Administration, the EPA has enforced fewer laws and given polluters more leeway.

On Tuesday, we published all the details from our first drive of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid sedan. Our assessment: Watch out, Chevy Volt.

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid drive, Napa Valley, Caifornia, Dec 2017

Enlarge Photo

As we've written before, mass-market buyers don't understand plug-in hybrids. With the Clarity now at dealers, can a new Honda ad break through the confusion?

We kicked off the week on Monday with our thoughts on driving a 2017 BMW i3 range-extended electric car, which we'd been mulling over for a while now.

Six states have the highest rates of electric-car adoption, but can you name them? We've got maps!

Over the weekend, we dove into past history to explain why a possible future electric Volkswagen Thing might be an interesting and popular electric car.

If electric-car buyers struggle with trading luxury and practicality, the brands involved are likely Tesla and Chevrolet. Will the Tesla Model 3 change that?

2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2013 Tesla Model S [photo: David Noland]

Enlarge Photo

With the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal still playing out in Europe, the VW Group's CEO has turned against diesels by suggesting that subsidies for them should end.

Finally, in China, an all-electric cargo ship will haul coal to power plants, reducing their cost to generate electricity. Isn't it ironic?

Those were our main stories this week; we'll see you again next week. Until then, this has been the Green Car Reports Week in Reverse update.

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Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.
Source: Honda Clarity, BMW i3 REx driven; battery costs fall; electric car fight; tax credit lives: The Week in Reverse

Toyota batteries, Hyundai worries, bigger Nissan, electric-car production plants: Today's Car News

Today, we've got two different takes on electric-car batteries, some new oversight for the EU to prevent the next Dieselgate, and a small electric delivery van that got bigger. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

A new joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic will develop prismatic cells for future electric cars, despite Toyota's aversion to them.

While we're talking about batteries for plug-in cars, Hyundai worries their costs will stop falling by 2020 due to materials shortages.

The EU will get new powers to oversee and overrule its members states' vehicle-approval bodies, in hopes of averting the next Dieselgate scandal.

Where electric cars are built in the U.S. seems to be shifting: the top three states are now California, Michigan, and Tennessee, but which one will come out on top?

What do you do if the Nissan e-NV200 small electric delivery van isn't, errrm, big enough? In the U.K., Voltia has stretched it and made it taller, which produces an unusual look.

Tesla clearly won't have the electric semi market all to itself; the latest contender is Thor Trucks, which definitely wins on intimidating looks.

Finally, because it's Friday, we have a new flying sports car, just for you. (Don't hold your breath?)

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Source: Toyota batteries, Hyundai worries, bigger Nissan, electric-car production plants: Today's Car News

Four electrified cars ranked among WardsAuto's 10 best engines for first time

Josh Lefkowitz | Getty Images

The Chevrolet Bolt EV is displayed during the Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

A leading auto industry researcher has for the first time ranked four electrified powertrains among its list of the top 10 engines.

For the first time in its 24 years of existence, WardsAuto's Top Ten Engines List included one fully electric car, a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a hydrogen fuel cell car. That would mean four of the top 10 automotive engines for 2018 are not engines at all.

The fully electric Chevrolet Bolt, the plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica, the hybrid Toyota Camry, and the hydrogen fuel cell Honda Clarity were all included in the list, which evaluates powertrains on cars priced below $50,000 that are for sale in the U.S. by the end of the first quarter in 2018.

The team did not set out to include so many electrified vehicles, WardsAuto senior content director Drew Winter told CNBC. The team focuses on engines or powertrains that add an exceptional degree of value of the car, and factor in practicality and value.

"There were a lot this year just because the industry is coming out with so many alternative powertrains that are really good," Winter said. "We are letting consumers know, you don't have to buy this because you have to or because you feel you should. It is really a part of the value proposition of the car."

Perhaps the least accessible car on the list for buyers is the Honda Clarity fuel cell car, which for now is only available in California. Hydrogen fueling infrastructure is severely limited to just a few regions of the country.

Despite that, it is a pretty strong value for customers who happen to be in an area where they are available, Winter said.

One well-known electrified powertrain missing from the list is the Tesla Model 3, which went into production in July and starts at $35,000. The team did not include the model because they could not get a car for testing. WardsAuto did not evaluate the Chevrolet Bolt in 2016 for a similar reason, Winter said.

One unusual note about this year's list is the total absence of any cars from German manufacturers, particularly the higher-end brands. Also unusual is that there were only two returning winners this year — the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and the Infiniti Q50. This was primarily due to sheer competition.

"Really what that tells us is that engine technology powertrain technology is really advancing fast now. There are just so many new propulsion systems.

Here is the full list of winners:

Chevrolet Bolt EV (150-kW Electric Propulsion System)

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6/PHEV)

Ford F-150 (2.7L Twin Turbo DOHC V-6)

Ford Mustang GT (5.0L DOHC V-8)

Honda Clarity (130-kW Fuel Cell/Electric Propulsion System)

Honda Civic Type R (2.0L VTEC Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl.)

Infiniti Q50 (3.0L Turbocharged DOHC V-6)

Jaguar XF (2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl.)

Kia Stinger (3.3L Turbocharged DOHC V-6)

Toyota Camry Hybrid (2.5L Atkinson DOHC 4-Cyl./HEV)

Source: Four electrified cars ranked among WardsAuto's 10 best engines for first time

Electric vehicle demand leads to skyrocketing number of lithium-ion battery factories around the world

Source: Tesla

An artist's rendering of the Tesla Gigafactory

The number of planned lithium-ion battery factories around the world is skyrocketing, according to a report from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

There are 26 battery "megafactories" that are either in production and due to expand capacity or new operations due to be in production by 2021, Benchmark said in a blog post on Monday. Benchmark coined the term "megafactory" to describe factories that produce more than 1 gigawatt-hour of total capacity in a single year.

Compare that with just three such plants planned or in production in 2014.

It is important to note that not all of these planned factories could end up opening for production. But all of them have a pretty good chance of being built, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence analyst Caspar Rawles told CNBC on Monday.

"Things change, but the reality is everyone on that list is a very serious player," Rawles said.

The growth will be fueled by rising demand for electric vehicles, Rawls said. Sales of electric vehicles are expected to especially take off around 2022 or 2023. Several manufacturers are planning to release electric vehicle lineups between now and then.

Benchmark expects total global lithium-ion demand of 500 gigawatt-hours by 2025, compared with just 85 GWh in 2016.

Much of that will be in China, where air quality concerns have fueled a big push for electric vehicles. China dominates Benchmark's list, with 49 percent of total planned capacity.

The European Union is in second place with 23 percent of total planned capacity, and the United States is in third with about 15 percent.

However, Benchmark noted Tesla has said it plans to expand its Gigafactory, located in Nevada, eventually achieving a capacity of 150 GWh.

Building the plants is only part of the challenge, though. The larger task may be securing access to the raw materials, the report said.

For example, China controls 80 percent of the market in chemical cobalt, a crucial ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, he said.

Source: Electric vehicle demand leads to skyrocketing number of lithium-ion battery factories around the world

Electric Car Battery Prices Could Be Cut in Half by 2025

More companies are doubling down on EVs, and one of the benefits of any product becoming commonplace is that they become more affordable. That includes the lithium-ion batteries used to store power in nearly every electric car on the market today. As more cars are produced and manufacturing costs decrease, economists now believe that the cost of battery technology could be cut by more than half by 2025, Bloomberg reports.

Just as a gasoline-powered car requires a fresh fill up of gas every so often, an electric car requires the owner to plug it in so that its battery cells can be recharged and power the electric motors that drive the car. Owners of EVs and the manufacturers producing them have quickly come to find out the sheer cost of batteries alone is quite high. Thanks to new technology and decreased manufacturing costs, however, batteries have gotten even cheaper, allowing manufacturers to drive down the price of electrified cars due to decreased product cost.

Today, buying an electric car will cost a new owner around $209 per kilowatt-hour. This might seem like a lot, but with less cost coming from moving parts when compared to a typical gas-driven car, the cost of larger components such as a battery pack can seem warranted. Bloomberg researchers have been watching the cost of batteries since 2010, when the cost was nearly $1,000 per kWh, to a projected cost in 2025 where the same cost has the potential of decreasing to just $100. This aligns with the numbers reported by Wards, stating that key players at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas quoted $80 per kWh "not long after" 2020.

For example, at current prices, a car with a 100 kWh battery pack may cost the consumer an average of $20,900 for the battery pack alone. Granted, currently these high-capacity battery packs are reserved for luxury vehicles like the Tesla Model S. However other manufacturers like Volkswagen and Volvo have planned to put battery packs sized similarly or larger into their electric vehicles. Potentially, this cost will be reduced by around 53 percent, falling to $10,000 by 2025.

This is, of course, assuming that other solid-state offerings in the industry don't take over first. Companies such as Fisker and Toyota are working toward developing graphene-based supercapacitors which could potentially upset the very usability of lithium-ion batteries as a whole.

Now, as manufacturers race to cut the bottom-dollar cost of mass-produced electric cars, it becomes a fight not for horsepower, but for range. We all know that electric cars can be full of torque and feel absolutely quick, and new technology hopes to prolong that feeling of a revolutionary platform. Fortunately, as platform prices decrease, it becomes possible to fit even more game-changing tech into a single car without raising the price.

Source: Electric Car Battery Prices Could Be Cut in Half by 2025

The number of electrical car charging stations is rising, but does that mean wider adoption of electrical cars will follow?

By Dan Boyce

December 11, 2017 | 12:18 PM

Embed Code <iframe src="https://www.marketplace.org/2017/12/11/business/electric-car-range-anxiety/popout" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="240px"></iframe> A new electric vehicle charging station is seen n ear San Francisco city hall. Will the proliferation of charging stations lead to more electric cars in the West? - Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Embed Code <iframe src="https://www.marketplace.org/2017/12/11/business/electric-car-range-anxiety/popout" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="240px"></iframe>

A recent ribbon cutting in downtown Denver gave a snapshot of electric vehicle charging in the U.S.

The event, dubbed "Ride into the Future," brought in several car companies with EVs for people to test drive around the block. There were electric bikes too. But, the real highlight was the unveiling of the first electric car fast charger in Denver's LoDo neighborhood.

While there are already more than 150 charges citywide, Cindy Patton, who runs parking and mobility services for the City of Denver, said the new installation is a win against climate change. 

"Milestones like this celebration today really are benchmarks in that fight, in that pursuit," she said.

But all the fuss is really to launch the equivalent of a single gas pump.

The American West is known for its wide open spaces. Those open spaces can make for some pretty epic road trips, unless, that is, you have an electric vehicle and you're stuck hours away from a charge.

At the National Governor's Association Energy Innovation Summit in Denver this fall, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced a plan to put electric vehicle charging stations along Interstate highways in seven Western states — as a way to combat this so-called "range anxiety."

"We're gonna start out at every 50 miles," Hickenlooper said, "so that people, no matter where they're driving can feel pretty comfortable that they're not gonna run out of fuel, as it were."

Officials expect the highway charging stations, dubbed the Intermountain West Electric Vehicle Corridor, to be up and running in three to five years.  

Sales of EVs are climbing and some forecasters predict half of the vehicles sold worldwide will be electric by 2040. But, in present day, a lack of charging stations is still holding back this transportation revolution.

"The whole network of user experience issues are something that continue to somewhat inhibit adoption, widespread adoption of electric vehicles," said Sam Ori, executive director of the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute.

The western charging network adds to an increasing list of efforts by governments and industry to improve EV infrastructure. Companies are producing faster chargers and entering into deals with the likes of grocery chains and hotels. Even oil giant Royal Dutch Shell recently announced a plan to install charging stations at its gas stations in the U.K.

While, of course, more chargers will help allay drivers' range anxiety over time, Ori said it's not the biggest factor holding back EV sales. Even if chargers were everywhere, gasoline vehicles are still just a better financial deal, especially with oil prices where they are now. Incentives already exist for buying electric cars in many states, yet Ori said without serious policy penalizing carbon emissions — like with higher gas taxes — EVs will remain at a disadvantage for a long time.

Until then, Ori said the EV market will be largely confined to those who care more about environmental action than whether or not they break even over the life of the vehicle. This includes himself. Ori owns an electric car, and said it wasn't necessarily the best economic move.

"But, it wasn't why I wanted to buy the car," he said. "I wanted to drive it for different reasons, but I don't think that is a pathway to mass adoption."

Even if there are a lot more ribbon cuttings for new charging stations. 

Source: The number of electrical car charging stations is rising, but does that mean wider adoption of electrical cars will follow?

Electric Cars in 2025 and 2040: New Policies

According to the IEA's "New Policies Scenario," there would only be 280 million electric passenger cars on roads worldwide by 2040.

According to the IEA, electric cars will account for only 14% of the global passenger fleet of about 2 billion in 2040.

1. The International Energy Agency has multiple projections for future climate change policies and energy-related markets.

2. Their moderate forecast is called the "New Policies Scenario." Under it, there would only be 280 million electric passenger cars on roads worldwide by 2040.

3. Electric cars would thus account for only 14% of the global passenger fleet of about 2 billion in 2040.

Electric Cars: A "Just The Facts" Series

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Electric Cars in 2025 and 2040: New Policies

Emissions Control and Electric Cars in 2020

4. In that scenario, overall oil demand for cars would be lower by only 1.3 million barrels per day in 2040 than today – or 6% less.

5. By then, in China – already today the world's largest car market – one in four passenger cars would be electric.

6. Over a shorter timetable, i.e. by 2025, less than a decade from now, the IEA projects there will be 50 million electric cars.

7. Broadly speaking, that would mean 5.3 million new cars a year would need to be electric.

8. The IEA assumes in the moderate "New Policies Scenario" that the unsubsidized cost for a fully-electric car's battery will probably only decline by about half from 2015 to 2040.

9. The average battery costs in 2016 were less than $260 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for plug-in electric hybrids and an estimated $200/kWh for fully electric cars.

10. That means a fully-electric car battery might cost around $12,000, although the price is declining.

Sources: The Globalist Research Center and the International Energy Agency

Source: Electric Cars in 2025 and 2040: New Policies

Volvo XC60 road test, Jaguar skipping V-8s, Volkswagen ID electric car: What’s New @ The Car Connection

2018 Volvo XC60 video road test

Volvo builds sublime sedans and wagons, but these days, it's best known for its SUVs. The big XC90 has been a knockout, and there's a new, tough-looking XC40 compact crossover coming soon.

Uber investor pumps $500 million into Lyft

First, it was Uber's misfortunes helping to accelerate arch-rival Lyft's growth. Now it's Uber's fortunes. Mutual fund Fidelity will take part in Lyft's newest round of financing, in which the company is expected to raise $1.5 billion overall.

Roundup: All the 2018 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners

The insurance industry-funded IIHS says that these are the safest cars you can buy today—they're the ones that qualify for its coveted Top Safety Pick+ award.

From Motor Authority

2019 Volvo XC40 first drive review: fountains of hope, and crossover SUV potential

Shooting through the streets of Barcelona behind the wheel of the 2019 Volvo XC40 is doubly appropriate. 

Jaguar isn't planning a V-8 for XE or XF

Well, color us a shade of bummed. After long speculation, Jaguar confirmed we won't see a V-8 engine under the hood of the XE or XF anytime soon. Save for the wild XE SV Project 8, of course.

Ford to build electric SUV in Mexico instead of Michigan

Ford in 2015 outlined plans for 13 new electrified cars to be launched by 2020, one of which will be an electric SUV with a range of 300 miles.

From Green Car Reports

Volkswagen ID electric car production date now set: November 2019

Since the Dieselgate scandal broke more than two years ago, Volkswagen has spent a great deal of time talking about its plans for electric cars.

VW Dieselgate exec Schmidt gets maximum jail sentence: 7 years

A Volkswagen manager who pleaded guilty to deceiving regulators in the United States over the emissions of the company's TDI diesel engines has been sentenced to the maximum penalty of seven years in prison and the maximum fine of $400,000.

Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, Nov 2017: the vaulting Chevy Volt

A record 582 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids were sold in Canada last month, two months after Chevy delivered a then-record 483 Volts in September.

Source: Volvo XC60 road test, Jaguar skipping V-8s, Volkswagen ID electric car: What's New @ The Car Connection

Volkswagen ID electric car production date now set: November 2019

Volkswagen ID electric car concept, 2016 Paris auto show

Enlarge Photo

Since the Dieselgate scandal broke more than two years ago, Volkswagen has spent a great deal of time talking about its plans for electric cars.

It has rolled out three concept vehicles within the new Volkswagen ID family, and discussed its dedicated electric-car architecture that will underpin all of them.

Now, the company has committed to a date for producing its first high-volume dedicated battery-electric car.

DON'T MISS:

In a release last Friday, Volkswagen said it is 100 weeks away from the first production of the Volkswagen ID five-door electric hatchback.

That car, the first in the ID lineup, was unveiled at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, and will be its highest-volume electric car in Europe.

Volkswagen made its announcement to mark the "MEB Supplier Summit" event, a meeting of the various companies providing components and assemblies for the vehicles to be built on its new MEB electric-car architecture.

Volkswagen ID Crozz concept, 2017 Los Angeles auto show

Enlarge Photo

Volkswagen ID Buzz and ID Crozz concept, 2017 Los Angeles auto show

Enlarge Photo

One hundred weeks from last Friday puts the start of production sometime in November 2019. So now the company has a firm commitment to a date.

The Golf-sized compact Volkswagen ID hatchback is said to have the interior volume of a mid-size sedan like the Volkswagen Passat.

Its 125-kilowatt (168-horsepower) motor is mounted in the rear, under the load bay, which gives the car's designers far more flexibility in design, permitting a shorter and lower nose and more interior volume.

READ THIS: VW ID Buzz driven: electric VW bus offers unique EV concept

Volkswagen hasn't specified a final battery capacity for the ID, but it is expected to be around 60 kilowatt-hours, or large enough to deliver real-world range of 200 miles or more.

The ID hatchback won't be sold in North America, however, or at least not initially.

The first of the Volkswagen-branded electric cars to go on sale in the U.S. will be the VW ID Crozz compact crossover in 2020, as the company announced at last week's Los Angeles auto show.

Volkswagen ID electric car concept, 2016 Paris auto show

Enlarge Photo

That will be followed by an as-yet unnamed electric sedan that hasn't yet been shown as a concept.

Then will come the Volkswagen ID Buzz, the wildly popular all-electric reinterpretation of the classic VW Microbus. That concept debuted in January at the Detroit auto show.

CHECK OUT: Volkswagen ID: more details of all-electric concept car at Paris Motor Show (Sep 2016)

Volkswagen announced in August the ID Buzz would go into production in 2022 as a joint project with its commercial vehicles division, which will likely offer panel-van, pickup, and other utility versions of the electric bus.

But the Volkswagen ID hatchback targets Europe's most popular vehicle class: so-called C-segment, or compact, five-door hatchbacks.

_______________________________________

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.

Source: Volkswagen ID electric car production date now set: November 2019

Exxon isn't afraid of electric cars: only 6 percent of global vehicles by 2040, it says

Despite a bit of typical oil-company bluster, Exxon may be a little bit worried about electric cars.

Not a lot, perhaps, but if you read between the lines, then maybe a smidge.

According to Energy Voice,  Exxon vice president Jeff Woodbury said recently that EV demand isn't strong enough to put a dent in demand for gasoline.

DON'T MISS: Big Oil will lose grip on global vehicle market in less than 25 years: study

"By 2040, the fleet is about 6 percent EV," Woodbury told Energy Voice, referring to the global vehicle fleet that today totals more than 1 billion vehicles.

He added that even if his company's predictions are off and the number is actually 50 percent higher, the impact on demand is, "not substantial when you think about overall oil demand of over 100 million barrels per day, at that point."

That's the bluster.

Monthly gas price vs. electricity price in $/gallon equivalent 1976-2012 (Edison Electric Institute)

Enlarge Photo

The between-the-lines part is that Woodbury admitted Exxon has a backup plan in case their electric-car estimates are way, way off (as others suggest).

If fewer people want to put gasoline in their cars, he said, then Exxon will just make more diesel, where demand will remain strong for many years.

Perhaps no one had mentioned to him all of the news about electric and hydrogen trucks that's coming out recently, at least some of  which will become reality not too far down the road.

READ THIS: Decline of oil: Bloomberg suggests what it could look like

Exxon also makes substantial money from petrochemicals, and it has yet another diversification plan in the works, which is to focus some of its research on renewable energy.

Of the billion dollars it spends on R&D each year, in fact, its projects include things like algae biofuels and electricity generated from carbon-dioxide emissions.

Last month, an IHS Markit report said less than 50 percent of all the new cars sold in 2031 will feature a simple internal-combustion engine, while hybrids and plug-in vehicles will make up at least half of the market.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Green Car Reports thanks our tipster, who prefers to remain an International Man of Mystery.]

Source: Exxon isn't afraid of electric cars: only 6 percent of global vehicles by 2040, it says

Ford is betting China will beat the US and dominate the electric car market

Ford is making significant investments in the Chinese market. Kamran Jebreili / AP

Ford executive chairman William C. Ford Jr. said China will be the best market to develop and sell electric vehicles.

The Chinese and Beijing governments are making investments and regulations that encourage electric vehicle production.

Ford's research also found that Chinese consumers are less fearful of the potential problems electric cars could introduce than some of their international counterparts.

Once criticized for their lack of innovation, American car companies are making heavy investments in electric and autonomous cars. But Ford executive chairman William C. Ford Jr. thinks China will be the most promising market for the development and sale of electric vehicles, according to the New York Times.

"It's clearly the case that China will lead the world in E.V. development," Ford Jr. said on Tuesday while speaking in Shanghai. 

This may explain why Ford recently announced a $756 million joint venture with Chinese auto company Zotye Auto to produce and sell electric cars in China. Ford hopes to have 15 models ready by 2025.

Ford is not the only car manufacturer developing an aggressive strategy in China, as General Motors, Daimler, and Volkswagen are making similar investments. They have been encouraged by China and Beijing's governments, which have put significant resources behind electric vehicle manufacturing and have introduced regulations that mandate car companies sell a greater proportion of electric and hybrid vehicles or get shut out of the world's biggest car market.

Car manufacturers may also find consumers who are more willing to make the switch from gas to electric-powered vehicles. Ford has indicated its market research points to a consumer base that is less pessimistic about how far electric cars will be able to travel per charge, among other potential concerns.

Get the latest Ford stock price here.

SEE ALSO: Wall Street couldn't be more wrong about Ford's business NOW WATCH: Ford has built a plug-in hybrid cop car
Source: Ford is betting China will beat the US and dominate the electric car market

Electric Land Rover based on Jaguar I-Pace platform coming

Jaguar Land Rover is set to introduce its first electric car next year in the form of the Jaguar I-Pace. Eventually, Land Rover will launch its own electric car based on the skateboard-style platform underpinning the I-Pace.

That's the word of Land Rover design boss Gerry McGovern, who in an interview with Drive said Land Rover must "embrace" electrification but in a way that maintains the "essence" of the brand, i.e. off-road capability.

Land Rover has already given us a taste of the potential of an electric SUV with its Defender All-Terrain Electric prototype unveiled in 2013. The prototype relied on a single electric motor to power its 4-wheel-drive system and could travel about 50 miles on a single charge.

Importantly, the prototype showed that electrification offers plenty of benefits for an off-road vehicle. The low-down weight of batteries and the instantaneous torque delivery of electric motors is exactly what hardcore crawlers desire.

But before Land Rover gets into the fully electric car business, the brand will launch more plug-in hybrids. Its first two are the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport P400e models. A plug-in hybrid version of the next-generation Land Defender is also looking like a certainty.

Source: Electric Land Rover based on Jaguar I-Pace platform coming

SONDORS Electric Car Company Unveils Three-Wheeled Vehicle

Trending News: Meet The Three-Wheeled Electric Car That Costs Just $10K Why Is This Important?

"You shouldn't have to choose between a car you can afford and a car that's electric." - Storm Sondors

Long Story Short

Earlier this year, the SONDORS Electric Car Company used crowdfunding to raise over $1 million to build a prototype of its revolutionary three-seat, three-wheel, all-electric vehicle. That dream is now a reality. 

Long Story

Listen up, car lovers! If you like the idea of a ride that looks cool AF, keeps the environment in mind and won't break the bank, you probably haven't had any great options to choose from... until now. Meet the SONDORS Electric Car Company. After crowdfunding just over $1 million to bring a three-seat, three-wheel, all-electric car prototype to life, the company has finally unveiled its baby at the LA Auto Show after just seven months of production.

The car, which has a striking look, to say the least, promises to cost no more than $10,000, will come with one of three lithium ion batteries (either a 75, 150 or 200 mile range), two front seats, one back seat, a push button start and the ability to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in five to eight seconds.

It will also come equipped with the standard features of any regular car, like A/C, power windows and airbags, and, according to Electrek, "both the exterior and interior looks quite well-designed, spacious, and 'normal' insofar as a three-wheeled electric vehicle can be considered normal. It looks pretty much like a car sans one wheel, the interior is fairly spartan but still nice, and it packs an impressive three seats into such a small space."

As for why there are only three wheels, SONDORS says it wanted to design a car with a low center of gravity to "offer great stability and handling dynamics while also reducing drivetrain complexity. This design also allows for reduced weight and lower drag coefficient, resulting in more efficient power utilization and performance."

As the company's founder, Storm Sondors, explains, "I believe affordable, clean transportation should be the norm, not the exception. You shouldn't have to choose between a car you can afford and a car that's electric. We can do better." And now, they're looking to raise another $2 million in just 60 days (via crowdfunding, of course) "to complete a production ready Model SONDORS. We'll then work to raise the additional funds necessary for production tooling and testing."

"The prototype is just the beginning. I want to see the whole world embrace electric vehicles," adds Sondors. "Wouldn't it be nice to see SONDORS smiles on the road? Together, we can change the way the world moves. Electric for everyone." If all goes according to plan, customers will be able to snag their very own ride (which will be sold exclusively online) as soon as April 2019.

Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question

Can we truly expect a majority of drivers to switch to electric, no matter how affordable it becomes?

Disrupt Your Feed

An electric car for $10,000? Sign me up! 

Drop This Fact

The number of electric cars being driven around the world has doubled in the past year.

Source: SONDORS Electric Car Company Unveils Three-Wheeled Vehicle

At LA Auto Show, take an electric bike for a test ride

Beyond the fast cars and shiny SUVs decorating the showroom at the Los Angeles Auto Show, attendees can test drive a different kind of ride: electric bikes, scooters and more.

At this year's show, a test ride area offers the opportunity to try an e-bike or see how an electric scooter feels.

The LA Auto Show opened to the public Friday and runs until Dec. 10.

Here are a few electric vehicles you might see scooting around the show.

Courtesy of Urb-E

The Urb-E, short for "urban electric" is a compact folding electric vehicle. The company is based in Pasadena.

The Urb-E, short for "urban electric" is a compact folding electric vehicle. The company is based in Pasadena. (Courtesy of Urb-E)

The Urb-E

One of the more noticeable electric vehicles at the LA Auto Show is the Urb-E.

The Urb-E, short for "urban electric," is a compact folding electric vehicle.

The Urb-E is technically classified as a bicycle and can legally go anywhere a bike can — but it's not really a bicycle.

Rather, the Urb-E resembles the love child of a bike and Star Wars' R2-D2. Unlike a bike, it doesn't require you to pedal. You simply turn the throttle and off you go.

Based in Pasadena, the company offers four Urb-E models: the Sport, the Sport GT, the Pro and the Pro GT. They range from $899 to $1,999.

Both Sport models are 30 pounds, can go up to 14 mph and have a single-charge range of 16 miles. The two Pro models are 35 pounds, can reach up to 18 mph and can go 20 miles on a single charge.

Evan Clark, Urb-E university manager, said the vehicle is designed for people who have short distances to go, such as a commuter whose bus or rail stop is a mile from work.

As a bonus, the Urb-E is approved to take when using the Metro system.

"A bicycle is a bicycle," Clark said. "Whether it's electric or not, there's the pedaling aspect. There's moving gears.… This is that solution for anyone that's going a short distan ce and doesn't necessarily want to be sweaty when they arrive at the office."

Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times

The Propella electric bicycle is designed to first be a great bike, and then to be electric. Whereas some e-bikes are heavy and somewhat clunky, the Propella bike offers a cleaner design.

The Propella electric bicycle is designed to first be a great bike, and then to be electric. Whereas some e-bikes are heavy and somewhat clunky, the Propella bike offers a cleaner design. (Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Propella Electric Bikes

When Ben Tarassoli decided he wanted to buy an electric bike, he ran into a problem.

None of the e-bikes on the market matched what he wanted. So, Tarassoli went into his parents' garage and got to work.

The result is the Propella electric bike, a sleek, light e-bike that offers riders the speed of an e-bike while maintaining the feel of a bike.

Many e-bikes on the market weigh more than 50 pounds. However, the Propella single-speed bike weighs 34.5 pounds and the seven-speed is 36.5 pounds.

"We believe a great electric bike should be a great bike in the first place," Tarassoli said. "If you're tagging a vehicle with the word 'bicycle,' it should ride and feel like a bicycle, right? With the current technology, if you add an enormous amount of power and battery and motor, you would lose that value. You would lose that bike feel. You would end up with a motorcycle."

The second generation of the Propella b ike is on display at the LA Auto Show.

Its top speed is 18 mph when using pedal assistance. The battery will last 15 to 35 miles, depending on how much you use the electric part of the bike.

The single-speed is available for $1,199, and the multi-speed is available for $1,299.

Courtesy of Micro

The Micro electric scooter

The Micro electric scooter (Courtesy of Micro)

The Micro electric scooter

Initially, it looks like the Razor Scooter, a throwback to the childhood of many millennials.

However, Micro's electric scooters offer riders a zippier version of the original Razor, reaching speeds up to 15 mph.

Geoff Hawksworth, U.S. distributor for Micro, said that innovator Wim Ouboter originally designed the Razor, and the Micro brand is his latest work.

Unlike a hoverboard or skateboard, the Micro Falcon and Micro Condor offer users an easy way to find stability: handlebars.

Hawksworth said he lives in Santa Monica and uses his Micro electric scooter to get from the Metro Expo Line to his office in downtown L.A.

Hawksworth said the Micro electric scooters are designed to be lightweight and portable.

They're easy to fit inside a car for someone who's using a rideshare service or taking the scooter with them on the go. They're also easy to take inside a restaurant and lean against the wall while yo u're enjoying your meal, he said.

The Micro Falcon, which has a range of five to nine miles and can reach 15 mph, is 17.5 pounds. The Micro Condor is 23 pounds.

"I've seen electric scooters that are fantastic, and they have all sorts of gizmos — and they weigh 50 pounds," Hawksworth said. "I'm not going to carry that up a flight of stairs."

Courtesy of Phantom Bikes

The Phantom Vision e-bike

The Phantom Vision e-bike (Courtesy of Phantom Bikes)

Maybe your heart says you want a motorcycle, but your brain says you're way too scared to ride one.

Cue the Phantom Vision electric bike.

Designed after a vintage Indian Motorcycle, the Phantom Vision e-bike can travel up to 50 miles using pedal assist. If you don't pedal while riding, the battery will get you about half that distance.

With a press of the pedal, this e-bike gets up and goes. It looks and feels fast.

Along with the Phantom Vision, Phantom Bikes, based in San Diego, also offers a few other e-bike options, including the Phantom Swirl, a commuter bike with a basket up front, and the Phantom Fat Track, which can take you just about anywhere with its fat tires and bulky design.

jaclyn.cosgrove@latimes.com

Twitter: @jaclyncosgrove

Source: At LA Auto Show, take an electric bike for a test ride

Tesla has been removed from the list of electric cars eligible for subsidies in Germany

FILE PHOTO: A Tesla Model S electric car is seen at its dealership in SeoulThomson Reuters

Tesla has been removed from the list of electric cars eligible for subsidies in Germany.

A spokesman for the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Controls said the Model S is too expensive to qualify for the subsidies.

Tesla disputes that claim.

(Reuters) - A German government agency has removed Tesla from the list of electric cars eligible for subsidies, sparking a row with the U.S. company over whether its Model S is too expensive to qualify for the scheme.

Tesla customers cannot order the Model S base version without extra features that pushed the car above the 60,000 euro ($71,500) price limit, a spokesman for the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Controls (BAFA) said on Friday.

Germany last year launched the incentive scheme worth about 1 billion euros, partly financed by the German car industry, to boost electric car usage. A price cap was included to exempt premium models.

"This is a completely false accusation. Anyone in Germany can order a Tesla Model S base version without the comfort package, and we have delivered such cars to customers," Tesla said in a statement.

The carmaker said the upper price limit was initially set by the German government to exclude Tesla, but later a compromise was reached "that allows Tesla to sell a low option vehicle that qualifies for the incentive and customers can subsequently upgrade if they wish."

It said, however, it would investigate whether any car buyers were denied the no-frills version.

"If a sales person told a customer they could not buy the Model S base version without the comfort package, this is not accurate and clearly outside our policies and procedures and we will investigate and take appropriate action as necessary."

Under the subsidy scheme, buyers get 4,000 euros off their all-electric vehicle purchase and 3,000 euros off plug-in hybrids.

German magazine Auto Bild had reported that BAFA was looking into the Tesla issue and could take the company's cars off the eligibility list.

($1 = 0.8398 euros) (Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Maria Sheahan and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Ludwig Burger and Mark Potter)

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Source: Tesla has been removed from the list of electric cars eligible for subsidies in Germany