Mercedes-AMG Admits All-Electric Cars Are The Future

by Jay Traugott4,809 reads

The SLS AMG E-Cell Concept was just the beginning.

A lot has changed in just a couple of years, and premium performance automakers like Mercedes-AMG are now accepting the fact that electric vehicles are here to stay – and will eventually replace both internal combustion and hybrids. Eventually. In the meantime, Autocar recently spoke with Mercedes-AMG's director of vehicle development, Drummond Jacoy, about this all-EV future, and he was quite frank about what the automaker needs to do. "It's obvious we're not going to make the world happy with V8s for the next 200 years, and AMG has shown in the past, with the electric SLS years ago, that is has the capabilities in all-electric drive," Jacoy stated. "That was a very impressive vehicle for its time and we've nurtured that technology and the learning we have from hybrid vehicles." But Jacoy believes what really sets AMG apart from its main competition is its ability, when necessary, to reinvent itself instead of clinging to old habits and, subsequently, technologies. "As soon as Mercedes starts a car, we'll look at what we can do. We'll have to reinvent ourselves there (with electric cars), obviously, because the sound of a V8 is not going to be there if it's a pure-electric vehicle.

"It's not starting from scratch, but we're going to have to look at what the AMG story is with an electric vehicle. But we're working on that." For now, Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG will continue rolling out new models with state-of-the-art powertrain tech, both internal combustion and plug-in hybrids. But the writing is on the wall, and Mercedes-AMG sees it clearly. Does this mean it'll drop V8s next year or the next, or even in five years? No. But as EV powertrain and battery technologies continue to improve, we can be sure Mercedes-AMG will be at the forefront. An all-electric Mercedes-AMG sports or supercar is only a matter of time.

Source: Mercedes-AMG Admits All-Electric Cars Are The Future

Electric cars are not the solution

A VW e-Golf electric car being charged in Dresden, Germany. Electric cars move pollution from our cities to distant power plants. Photograph: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

Will our streets be pollution free when the last petrol and diesel cars are sold in the UK in just over two decades time? Sadly not. This is for two main reasons. First, we will still have diesel lorries and buses. Second, electric cars still release particle pollution into the air from wearing tyres, brakes and road surfaces. Already more particle pollution comes from wear than from the exhausts of modern vehicles.

The trend towards open disc brakes rather than sealed drums looks to be making the situation worse and toxicologists say that these particles are not harmless. Despite regenerative braking, where electric motors are put into reverse to slow the car, one study found that the extra weight of the batteries means more particle pollution compared with the petrol or diesel vehicles that we buy today.

Electric cars move pollution from our cities to distant power plants. For big benefits we need carbon-free electricity. Most studies focus on average driving and average electricity generation. Instead, if we consider real urban driving and off-peak charging, electric cars are already a low pollution option for Belgium, where over half of electricity comes from nuclear power, and for Beijing, where more efficient gas-fired power stations are rapidly replacing old coal ones.

A quarter of England's car trips are less than two miles. We can be more ambitious. Replacing petrol and diesel cars with electric would miss the opportunity to save the NHS around £17 billion over the next 20 years by swapping short car journeys for walking or cycling.

Source: Electric cars are not the solution

Top Copper Producer Glencore Sees Electric Cars Boosting Demand

Glencore (LSE:GLEN) reported strong first-half results on Thursday (August 10), supported by higher commodities prices. The mining giant expects the electric car revolution to boost demand for copper and the company's other key metals.

A rebound in metals prices since last year also led Glencore to raise its full-year earnings guidance by $100 million; it now stands between $2.4 and $2.7 billion.

"With higher commodity prices, our marketing business does perform better, more arbitrage opportunities exist," CEO Ivan Glasenberg said on a conference call, noting that demand for commodities looks strong and new supply appears limited.

Copper prices have surged more than 15 percent since the beginning of the year, and many analysts have an optimistic outlook for the red metal for the rest of 2017. In particular, analysts agree that copper demand from electric cars is expected to soar in the next decade.

That's because while cars using internal combustion engines require up to 23 kilograms of copper each, a hybrid electric vehicle uses 40 kilograms of copper — nearly double that amount.

The diversified miner seems to be well positioned to take advantage of rising electric vehicle demand, as it is a top producer of copper, cobalt and nickel, all of which are key components of green technology.

"The potential large-scale roll-out of electric vehicles and energy storage systems looks set to unlock material new sources of demand for enabling underlying commodities, including copper, cobalt, zinc and nickel," Glasenberg said.

In fact, recent research conducted by IDTech for the International Copper Association indicates that copper demand for electric cars and buses will jump from 185,000 tonnes in 2017 to 1.74 million tonnes in 2027.

Earlier this year, Glencore upped its involvement in the copper and cobalt markets by paying $960 million to increase its stakes in Mutanda Mining and Katanga Mining (TSX:KAT), both in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the top-producing cobalt country.

Paul Gait at Bernstein, which has assigned Glencore an "outperform" rating, said the company is almost uniquely positioned in terms of exposure to the electric vehicle market. "Today's results strengthen our view on the stock," he said.

Glencore's share price is up 19.51 percent year-to-date, but declined 2.46 percent on Thursday to close at £333.32 in London.

On Thursday, LME copper was trading flat at $6,457 per tonne after hitting a two-year high of $6,515 earlier in the week.

Don't forget to follow @INN_Resource for real-time news updates! 

Securities Disclosure: I, Priscila Barrera, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Source: Top Copper Producer Glencore Sees Electric Cars Boosting Demand

Merkel rival Schulz calls for electric car quotas in Europe

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel's main rival in Germany's upcoming election is calling for a Europe-wide quota for electric cars.

Martin Schulz told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper in an interview published Friday that binding quotas would help support electric car technology.

Schulz, whose center-left Social Democratic Party lags far behind Merkel's conservative bloc in the polls, didn't say how high the quota should be.

German carmakers have been the focus of a recent scandal involving cheating on diesel emissions, prompting the government to call auto bosses in for a crisis meeting last week.

The German government wants to put 1 million electric cars on the roads by 2020.

The Center for Automotive Management estimates that 22,453 electric and hybrid vehicles were sold in Germany during the first half of the year.

Source: Merkel rival Schulz calls for electric car quotas in Europe

10 Electric Cars the Tesla Inc (TSLA) Model 3 Needs to Beat

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) finally held the big event to celebrate the launch of its latest — and most important to date — new vehicle release: the Tesla Model 3.

Other Tesla vehicles have been important in their own way. The Roadster was its first electric car, a critical milestone in the company's history. The Model S has been its bread and butter, proving that the upstart automaker can produce premium cars in quantity. The Model X was its entry into the popular crossover SUV market.

But the $35,000 Tesla Model 3 with a 220 mile range is the release that will make or break the company. The Model 3 is aimed at the mass market. It will test Tesla's capacity to produce vehicles like never before. And if all goes well, the Model 3 won't just drive TSLA stock to new levels, it could kick-start wide scale consumer adoption of electric cars.

In order to be the hit TSLA is counting on, the Tesla Model 3 has a few competitors to knock off.

Next Page

Source: 10 Electric Cars the Tesla Inc (TSLA) Model 3 Needs to Beat

Honda's spacious Clarity Electric could use a bigger battery

The Honda Clarity Electric is sort of the awkward middle child of the largely identical Clarity trio of electrified cars. Nestled between the hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid variants is the automaker's fully electric large sedan. But with just 89 EPA estimated miles of cruising range, it's a bit of a tough sell compared to the rest of the current crop of electric cars, and even relative to its own hydrogen and hybrid siblings.

But the electric Honda isn't without its charms and its existence and scope says a lot about Honda's vision for clean mobility.

Engine room with room to spare

The Clarity Electric is a big car with a very small engine.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

As implied by the name, the Honda Clarity Electric has a torquey electric motor hiding beneath its hood. Specifically, it's powered by a 120-kilowatt -- or about 161-horsepower -- electric motor producing 221 pound-feet of torque. That's technically a little less power than an Accord four-cylinder, but with much more torque. So, it should feel about as responsive off the line and around town the performance was nearly identical to that of the Clarity Fuel Cell.

The EPA reckons fuel economy equivalent for the battery-powered Clarity at about 114 mpge on its combined cycle. Around town, that estimate climbs to a peak of 126 mpge. That's about on par with the Chevrolet Bolt's 128 mpge city estimate, but short of Hyundai's Ioniq Electric, which is good for 150 mpge around town. Though with electric cars, range is king, not efficiency. We'll get back to that momentarily.

In addition to the electric motor, you'll also find a l ot of empty space under the the Clarity Electric's hood. That's because the Clarity series was designed to be modular; its engine bay is large enough to accommodate large hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains. (Heck, there's enough room to squeeze in a V-6 engine if Honda decided to go that route.) But electric motors are much smaller -- with fewer moving parts, fewer accessory systems and no real transmission -- so the Clarity's e-motor ends up looking very small in the middle of the sizable engine room. You can see clear down to the aerodynamic shield that lines the sedan's undercarriage.

89-mile battery pack

The Clarity Electric draws its power from a 25.5 kWh battery pack located at the rear of the vehicle. On a full charge, that's enough juice to cruise up to 89 miles according to Honda's and the EPA's estimates. You may get more with a light touch -- the trip computer estimates a little over 100 miles -- but probably not much. I finished my short time behind the wheel at around 94 very carefully driven miles.

Compared to the Kia Soul EV with its 27 kWh battery and just 90 miles of range, the Clarity Electric doesn't look too bad. Then again, Honda's own Fit EV does 82 miles with just a 20 kWh battery pack, you'd think Honda's newer EV would be more efficient than that. To be fair, most cars that the Clarity Electric will be compared to the are significantly smaller vehicles, so perhaps the Honda's larger-than-average size is partially to blame for its low stated range.

But as stated before, range is king when comparing electric cars and the fact is that the Clarity's real competition will come from a newer generation of EVs like the 124-mile Hyundai Ioniq Electric or the upcoming Nissan Leaf with its rumored 140-mile range. More dramatically, the Clarity Electric has to live in the same world as Chevrolet's 238-mile Bolt EV and pretty much every car that Tesla Motors builds. Like I said, it's a bit of a tough sell.

A spacious and silent ride

So the Clarity Electric has taken some pretty big criticisms at this point. There's gotta be something good about it, right? Well, yeah, there's quite a bit.

For starters, I mentioned that the Clarity Electric is built on an identical body and chassis as the Clarity Fuel Cell we tested earlier. Both are big sedans with spacious cabins and plenty of head, leg and shoulder room for up to five passengers. The ride is comfortable and quiet, thanks to its well sorted suspension and silent powertrain. The Clarity also boasts the same aerodynamic and styling tricks as its hydrogen-powered older sibling.

The weird little window between the seats greatly improves visibility.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The Electric also boasts pretty good all-around visibility, even out back thanks to a weird slit window that allows the driver to see beneath the rear parcel shelf and through the trunk when peeking into the rearview mirror. It looks stupid, but really helps with rear visibility.

Interestingly, the lithium-ion battery pack is smaller than other Clarity's hydrogen tanks, so the Clarity Electric gains a bit more trunk space when compared to the Fuel Cell model. You even get a tiny pass-through into the trunk when the rear seats are folded flat, so the EV can accommodate longer items.

Driver-aid tech and smartphone smarts

The dashboard tech is also identical to the Clarity Fuel Cell, which is another tick in the "positive" column.

There's an excellent loadout of onboard features, starting with the HondaLink infotainment system with its list of digital media sources and solid navigation system. There's also standard And roid Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity to fill in any gaps with audio streaming apps and alternative navigation options.

Also standard is the Honda Sensing suite of driver aid tech. Out of the box, that means you get Honda's LaneWatch blind-spot camera, a reversing camera, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking assist. I'd have preferred a true blind-spot monitoring system to the LaneWatch camera, but this is still a solid standard list of safety features.

The Clarity's dashboard layers Android Auto and Apple CarPlay atop a solid suite of infotainment tech.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

That's good, because there are no options. Every Clarity model comes "fully loaded," with the only choice for the owner being the car's color.

Battery beta test?

When it hits dealerships in August 2017, the Clarity Electric will be facing stiff competition. It's entering the market as an 89-mile EV in an era where 100 miles is seen as the bare minimum range for many EV buyers. Chevy's Bolt does over 200. Hyundai's Ioniq Electric does over 120. Heck, even the old Nissan Leaf, a car that hasn't fundamentally changed since its debut in 2010, does 100-plus miles! Things aren't looking great out of the gate for this first-generation Clarity Electric.

To be fair, the Clarity EV is a much larger car than any of those listed, and the only EVs today that rival the Honda for scale are the Tesla Model S and Model X; vehicles that also boast better range than the Clarity, but are also more expensive than the Honda. Or are they?

The Honda Clarity Electric hits dealerships at the relatively low lease price of $269 a month for 36 months (before available California's state Clean Vehicle Rebate of $2,500). Currently, you can only lease the Clarity Electric; no price is listed to purchase one outright. That simultaneously makes apples-to-apples price comparisons tricky and reaffirms a suspicion I've had for a while now.

This first-generation Honda Clarity Electric feels very "first-gen" when the rest of the EV industry is already a generation or two down the road. I don't mean the car itself -- the comfort, cabin and construction are all up to Honda's quality standards for a production car -- but the "electric car" part of the equation feels almost like a beta test of the automaker's battery technology. Honda will likely learn a lot about building and selling EVs from the Clarity Electric and have a much better product a generation down the line. Right now, the Clarity Electric feels like a way for Honda to dip its toe into electric cars, and with its fairly low lease price, a way for buyers to dip a toe in as well.  

But that's OK for Honda; it doesn't seem like the automaker really even wants to compete and sell a ton of battery electric vehicles because, in the words of Global CEO Takahiro Hachigo at a gathering of the press earlier this year, "[Honda] believes fuel cell vehicles are the ultimate type of zero-emissions vehicle." For Honda, the future -- where it's placed its big bet -- is hydrogen.

Source: Honda's spacious Clarity Electric could use a bigger battery

Nissan to sell its electric battery business to GSR Capital

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co said on Tuesday it has agreed to sell its electric battery business to Chinese investment firm GSR Capital for an undisclosed sum.

The business to be sold to GSR includes battery plants in Tennessee, England and Japan, the Japanese automaker said in a statement.

Nissan will first take full control of the business - Automotive Energy Supply Corp - by buying the combined 49 percent minority stake held by NEC Corp and its subsidiary NEC Energy Devices. NEC Corp said it has approved the sale of its stake.

Including the NEC stake, GSR Capital has agreed to pay Nissan a total of $1 billion for the deal, according to a person with direct knowledge. A spokesman for Nissan could not be reached for comment.

GSR, which has invested in clean technology and electric cars, is also looking to buy a substantial holding in Chile's Sociedad Quimic a Y Minera (SQM), one of the world's biggest lithium producers, Reuters reported in July.

The firm, currently managing a $5 billion M&A fund, mainly targets foreign industrial and emerging technology companies, including electric car batteries and pharmaceuticals firms.

Beijing is promoting electric vehicles to combat air pollution and help domestic carmakers leapfrog the combustion engine to build global auto brands, making battery and lithium producers attractive assets for Chinese firms.

Reporting by Kane Wu in Hong Kong, Chris Gallagher and Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Maki Shiraki; Editing by Stephen Coates

Source: Nissan to sell its electric battery business to GSR Capital