07 Jan 2022 | VW ID Buzz Retro Microbus Unveiling

Episode 1333,   Jan 07, 2022, 01:00 AM

Today’s big EV stories:
• VW poised to unveil retro-microbus EV in March
• US: Toyota Sold Over 52,000 Plug-In Cars In 2021
• Vietnam car maker VinFast to build US battery factory as it goes all-electric
• GM unveils new self-driving Cadillac concept vehicle
• Residential Parking Options and Access to Electricity Will Impact Electric Vehicle Adoption
• Japan's Honda to build battery EV plant in China
• Magna shows how heavy-duty pickups can go all-electric without lower towing, payload
• ‘Right time’ to end electric vehicle grants, says Pod Point CEO Erik Fairbairn | Evening Standard
• Inner Mongolia Launches First 5G Unmanned New Energy Mining Vehicle Project in Ordos
• Top Google Maps Rival Announces New-Gen Feature for Electric Vehicles
• EV charging companies push faster at-home charges, V2G and connectivity at CES
• NIU BQi electric bike price and specs revealed ahead of US/EU launch
• Rivian Stock Crashes Following Amazon’s Deal with Stellantis
• How e-mobility is driving a foun

Show #1333

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 7th January. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

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VW POISED TO UNVEIL RETRO-MICROBUS EV IN MARCH

- Volkswagen Group plans to unveil the ID Buzz, an electric iteration of its iconic hippie-era microbus, on March 9. CEO Herbert Diess announced the date Thursday in a Twitter post that sketched out the contours of the new design, which draws on the lines of the original model.

- VW’s original microbus -- the colorful, bread loaf-shaped van that was a regular sight in the 1960s at music festivals including Woodstock -- has a dedicated fan following.


VOLKSWAGEN TO PREMIERE RETRO ID BUZZ EV ON 9 MARCH

- The model is planned for UK sale during the latter half of 2022 and will become Volkswagen’s fourth dedicated electric model, following the ID 3, ID 4 and newly unveiled ID 5.

- It will also be the first ID model to be offered both as a passenger vehicle and a commercial vehicle, with production planned to take place at VW’s commercial vehicle plant in Hannover, Germany from early this year.

- Based on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle platform, the new MPV will be offered in both standard- and long-wheelbase guises

- The production ID Buzz adopts a squarer shape than the earlier concept in a move that, Volkswagen officials have told Autocar, is aimed at providing it with maximum interior space.

- As with the Microbus, the production version of the ID Buzz adopts two conventional front-hinged doors at the front as well as two parallel sliding doors at the rear.


US: TOYOTA SOLD OVER 52,000 PLUG-IN CARS IN 2021

- In 2021, Toyota offered two plug-in hybrids: the Toyota Prius Prime and Toyota RAV4 Prime, while Lexus launched the all-new Lexus NX 450h+ in December (18 units). The total Toyota brand volume was:  Q4: 10,376 (up 76%) at 2.5% share 2021: 52,749 (up 195%) at 2.6% share

- The Toyota RAV4 Prime noted a relatively strong Q4 with 7,741 units and a total of 27,703 units in 2021.

- The aging Toyota Prius Prime (the 2nd model evolution after the original Prius PHEV) noted 2,635 units in Q4 (down 29% year-over-year). However, the year 2021 was the second-best year for the plug-in hybrid Prius.


- The incentive has a limit of 200,000 units per manufacturer, which was reached in 2018 by Tesla and shortly thereafter by General Motors. Reaching the limit triggers the phase out of the incentive, over the following six quarters. Tesla lost its eligibility for the federal tax credit with the end of 2019, while GM lost it on April 1, 2020.

- Recently, Lexus started sales of the plug-in hybrid Lexus NX 450h+ (18 units in December), which, as far as we know, adds to the Toyota counter, marginally increasing the total.

- It means that those who are waiting for the launch of the Toyota bZ4X in mid-2022 will be only shortly supported by the full incentive.

- That should make the Subaru Solterra noticeably more attractive, as it's basically the same car, but eligible for the incentive.


VIETNAM CAR MAKER VINFAST TO BUILD US BATTERY FACTORY AS IT GOES ALL-ELECTRIC

- Vietnam's VinFast plans to build electric vehicle battery cells and packs in a new U.S. manufacturing complex, its global chief executive told Reuters, as the company pledged to transform itself into an all-electric automaker by the end of this year.

- VinFast, part of Vingroup JSC, the largest conglomerate in the country, became the country's first full-fledged domestic car maker when gasoline-powered models built under its own badge hit the streets in 2019.

- The company, which began selling electric vehicles (EVs) in Vietnam at the end of 2021, said in a statement on Thursday it planned to become what it said would be the first car company to cease making gasoline-powered cars and transition to all-electric vehicle production from late 2022.

- VinFast will initially assemble battery packs with cells sourced from its supplier at its U.S. complex before starting its own production there.

- The company is looking to initially produce 100,000 battery packs per year, with $174 million in investment, and then upgrade capacity to one million.

- The company said that on Thursday it was seeking to establish an EV plant in Germany.


GM UNVEILS NEW SELF-DRIVING CADILLAC CONCEPT VEHICLE

- General Motors unveiled a new personal self-driving electric concept car from GM’s luxury brand Cadillac on Wednesday during the CES technology show.

- GM CEO Mary Barra, during a keynote address, also revealed that GM and its majority-owned subsidiary Cruise plan to offer a personal autonomous electric vehicle to consumers as soon as mid-decade.

- GM’s time frame for personal autonomous vehicles may seem aggressive given setbacks in the development of self-driving vehicles in recent years. Cruise was initially supposed to commercialize an autonomous ride-hailing fleet in San Francisco in 2019 but indefinitely delayed those plans to conduct further testing and acquire needed permits.


RESIDENTIAL PARKING OPTIONS AND ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY WILL IMPACT ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION

- Access to charging infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers to plug-in vehicle adoption. In an online survey conducted in May of 2020, respondents provided information on their household parking options, existing electrical access, and potential electrical access.

- Parking for single-family detached housing (SFH Detached) was most often a driveway/carport, followed by a personal garage or on-street parking. Most of those with a personal garage had electrical access or potential electrical access, while less than half of those with driveways/carports had electrical access.

- SFH Attached housing had a smaller share of electrical access for their parking in personal garages and driveways/carports. Apartment residents had the least access, with each of the three apartment categories having less than 25% access or potential access to electricity.


JAPAN'S HONDA TO BUILD BATTERY EV PLANT IN CHINA


MAGNA SHOWS HOW HEAVY-DUTY PICKUPS CAN GO ALL-ELECTRIC WITHOUT LOWER TOWING, PAYLOAD

‘RIGHT TIME’ TO END ELECTRIC VEHICLE GRANTS, SAYS POD POINT CEO ERIK FAIRBAIRN


INNER MONGOLIA LAUNCHES FIRST 5G UNMANNED NEW ENERGY MINING VEHICLE PROJECT IN ORDOS


TOP GOOGLE MAPS RIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW-GEN FEATURE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES


EV CHARGING COMPANIES PUSH FASTER AT-HOME CHARGES, V2G AND CONNECTIVITY AT CES

NIU BQI ELECTRIC BIKE PRICE AND SPECS REVEALED AHEAD OF US/EU LAUNCH


RIVIAN STOCK CRASHES FOLLOWING AMAZON’S DEAL WITH STELLANTIS
 

HOW E-MOBILITY IS DRIVING A FOUNDATIONAL SHIFT IN TRANSPORTATION


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