Mercedes Adds Two New EQA Variants | 05 May 2021

Episode 1073,   May 05, 2021, 05:00 PM

Tesla taps startup to build cleaner batteries | MG Roof Rails Saga Ends | Ford Mustang Mach-E Production Numbers | Ford Mustang Mach-E Deliveries Begin In Norway | Kia EV6 now available for factory order | Mercedes-Benz EQA Adds All Wheel Drive Variants | Ford Opens E-Transit Registration Site | Tesla offers pedestrian warning system in select older models | Norway: Volkswagen ID.4 Top Selling Model In April ’21 | EV Battery Maker Hong Kong's Richest Person Volkswagen throws down the emissions gauntlet

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On today’s podcast:

  • Tesla taps startup to build cheaper, cleaner batteries
  • MG Roof Rails Saga Ends After 7 Months
  • Ford Mustang Mach-E Production Numbers
  • Ford Mustang Mach-E Deliveries Begin In Norway
  • Kia EV6 now available for factory order
  • Mercedes-Benz EQA Adds All Wheel Drive Variants
  • Ford Opens E-Transit Registration Site
  • Tesla offers pedestrian warning system in select older models
  • Norway: Volkswagen ID.4 Top Selling Model In April ‘21
  • EV Battery Maker Hong Kong's Richest Person
  • Volkswagen throws down the emissions gauntlet

 

 

 

Show #1073

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Wednesday 5th May. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

 

Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.

 

TESLA TAPS TINY STARTUP’S TECH TO BUILD CHEAPER, CLEANER BATTERIES

- Two weeks before Battery Day, Tesla purchased a number of patent applications from Springpower International, a small company based just outside Toronto, for a grand total of $3, according to public records.

 

- Buying the patent application means that when the patent itself was finally granted in January, it was issued to Tesla, with no mention of Springpower.

 

- Manufacturing cathodes for electric vehicle batteries traditionally generates large quantities of contaminated water — up to 4,000 gallons containing ammonia, metal particles and toxic chemicals for every ton of cathode material produced. Springpower’s process cleverly recirculates the chemical solution, removing the need for expensive water treatment.

 

 

TESLA USES SPRINGPOWER INTERNATIONAL TECH

 

- Thus, the purchase of patents, the description of Springpower technologies for the production of Tesla 4680 batteries, and several other factors indicate that the two companies have close cooperation, and perhaps hint at something more, such as an acquisition. For example, Springpower CEO Michael Wang has consistently interacted with posts by Tesla employees on LinkedIn, which may hint at a close and warm relationship.

 

- it is likely that Tesla has acquired a tiny startup whose technology was considered by others to be too far from commercialization. The symbiosis between Springpower and the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world will definitely bear very juicy fruit in the form of critical savings in battery production.

 

 

Amrit Bhogan | LinkedIn

 

 

Yang Liu | LinkedIn

 

 

MG ROOF RAILS SAGA ENDS AFTER 7 MONTHS

- After initially marketing the all-electric MG5 EV as having a roof carry capacity of 50kg, then backtracking and telling owners not to put anything on the roof, MG should soon be able to confirm that owners can actually add 35kg of luggage to the car’s roof rails. Seven months after the car first went on sale.

 

- it came to MG’s attention that key testing had not been done and therefore it could not confirm how much load can be carried on the car’s roof.

 

- The latest development is that the roof capacity should soon be confirmed as 35kg, once final signoff has been received from the UK vehicle standards body, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), following a long series of tests.

 

- MG told us a validation testing procedure was missed due to human error, and the company has since amended its processes to prevent it recurring.

Similarly, the original stated capacity of 50kg was also a result of human error.

 

 

 

 

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E PRODUCTION NUMBERS

(1) Matthias Schmidt on Twitter: "20,960 all-electric Ford Mach-E manufactured during the first third of 2021 according to Ford data. As a comparison 42,200 Audi e-tron SUVs manufactured in 2020" / Twitter

 

- 20,960 all-electric Ford Mach-E manufactured during the first third of 2021 according to Ford data.

 

As a comparison 42,200 Audi e-tron SUVs manufactured in 2020

 

- Plus a cracking story for eagle-eyed journalists potentially not far off with the Mustang Mach-E YTD production possibly on its way to surpassing the ICE Mustang. Just over 5k units behind YTD, but surpassing the ICE  thoroughbred by almost 4K in month of April (more than double)

 

 

 

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E DELIVERIES BEGIN IN NORWAY

- The first Ford Mustang Mach-E buyer in Norway just received his vehicle today.

 

- Ford Mustang Mach-E sales have been sliding downward in the US from month to month since its big February peak/launch.

 

- Several thousand are supposed to be delivered before summer. That explains why US sales are trailing off a bit. Ford still has only so much production capacity, and it is starting to spread it more widely. Norway is surely a priority.

 

- A Ford executive just confirmed with me that Ford’s first-year production target is 50,000, which was announce back in November 2019 and holds steady today.

 

 

 

KIA EV6 NOW AVAILABLE FOR FACTORY ORDER

 

- Kia has opened factory orders for the ground breaking EV6 following a successful European reservation phase. The brand obtained 33,000 prospects, including 7,300 reservations

 

- Kia already secures 300% of the expected sales volume for 2021. Customers will be able to order the EV6 from their local dealer from today, ahead of production starting mid-2021.

 

- Jason Jeong, President at Kia Europe. “The high number of customers who have already put their name down for the EV6 highlights the strong demand and we are confident that the launch of the EV6 will be also very successful.”

 

 

MERCEDES-BENZ EQA ADDS ALL WHEEL DRIVE VARIANTS

- The two all-wheel-drive models can be ordered now. Later in the year, a version with particularly long range will follow.

 

- two powerful and efficient all-wheel-drive models can now be ordered in the form of the EQA 300 4MATIC and EQA 350 4MATIC. Prices start at 53,538.10 and 56,215.60 euros[3].

 

- Mercedes-Benz and the federal government are supporting the switch to electric mobility in Germany: due to a net list price of less than 65,000 euros for these two EQAs, an environmental bonus of 5000 euros from the German government supplemented by 2500 euros from Mercedes-Benz is possible[4]. The effective prices, taking into account both the manufacturer's and the federal government's shares, are then 45,443.10 and 48,515.60 euros respectively.

 

- The EQA comes with one year of Mercedes me Charge included. European Mercedes me Charge customers will enjoy Green Charging at all public charging points during this period at no extra charge.

 

 

FORD OPENS E-TRANSIT REGISTRATION SITE

- Ford today opens its website for hand-raisers to register their interest in learning more about the company’s first-ever full-size all-electric van ahead of order banks opening by July.

 

- MSRP of $43,295 for the cutaway – lower than originally announced – to $52,690 for the high-roof extended-wheelbase cargo van.

 

- more than 450 commercial customers in North America, including 200 top fleets and fleet management companies, have said they’re interested in purchasing the all-new E-Transit.

 

- It will be built alongside the Transit at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri.

 

- A smart workhorse for U.S. cities, the zero-emission E-Transit was designed with insight from 30 million miles of customer telematics data showing that the average commercial van drives 74 miles per day. With a usable battery capacity of 67 kilowatt-hours4, the low-roof E-Transit cargo van has a targeted driving range of 126 miles3.

 

- Pro Power Onboard turns E-Transit into a mobile generator with up to 2.4 kilowatts of available power

 

 

TESLA OFFERS PEDESTRIAN WARNING SYSTEM IN SELECT OLDER MODELS

- Tesla has reportedly begun making available pedestrian warning system speaker retrofits for select Model 3s, after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) deemed them necessary back in 2019

 

- Pedestrian warning system speaker retrofits were being made available for certain Model 3s made after July 5 2019 through September 9 2020, and Model Ys built before August 14 2020.

 

- Tesla had included the wiring harness but not the speaker – whereas all Model 3s built after September 2020 have the speaker already installed.

 

- the retrofit also “allows for use of the new Boombox feature in V10 as well.” Tesla’s Boombox feature was added with the Version 10 software and allows owners to play sounds audibly for those outside the vehicle to hear.

 

 

NORWAY: VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 TOP SELLING MODEL IN APRIL ‘21

- So far this year, over 40,000 new passenger plug-ins were registered, which is over 81% of the total market.

 

- BEVs: 26,388 (up 32%, at 53.3% market share)

PHEVs: 13,921 (up 80%, at 28.1% market share)

Total: 40,309 (up 45%, at 81.5% market share)

 

- Volkswagen ID.4 has made a huge splash in April with 1,824 new registrations and a market share of 13.9%. The ID.4, as a new model, probably has a long queue of orders to unload first.

It was enough to become also the top model year-to-date with 2,684 units (5.4% share

 

- The Model 3 on the other hand, after an outstanding end of the first quarter, noted just 4 new registration

 

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