31 Mar 2020 | Air Quality Improvements Are A Glimpse Into EV Adoption
Cleaner air in China, Italy, United States observed | Envision Solar Delivers Four EV ARC EV Charging Stations | Asahi Tanker orders world's first zero-emission electric propulsion bunker tankers | How Volvo making its batteries top-notch | Fastned Results Reveal High Growth Of EVs | BYD to Supply Electric-Car Parts to Rivals | Tropos Motors begins production in Europe | Tesla Model Y power reading shows Model 3 can get quicker | This Chicagoan is on a mission to help auto dealers sell electric vehicles
Show #734
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 31st March 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
CLEANER AIR IN CHINA, ITALY, UNITED STATES OBSERVED
"The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak has seen widespread disruption of manufacturing operations as well as trade and sporting events worldwide, however it appears there is a silver lining of sorts in the wake of significantly reduced movement; satellite data appears to show reduced nitrogen dioxide emissions across the United States, China and Italy." says PaulTan.org: "California became the first state in the United States to issue a shelter-in-place order effective from March 19, while many cities have made their decision to shut down earlier, according to Gizmodo. Los Angeles marked a clear reduction in pollution owing the the city’s car culture, the website noted, meanwhile in the northeast region, New York City also marked a significant reduction. In Europe, Italy has also seen air quality improvements, also with a reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions over the span of a month, from February 8 to March 7.
ENVISION SOLAR DELIVERS FOUR EV ARC™ EV CHARGING STATIONS
Charlotte, N.C. purchased four of the Company’s EV ARC™ solar-powered EV charging stations for public and city use. Each off-grid unit includes an emergency power panel and can be relocated for city events or in case of emergency power needs.
EV ARC™ DC fast charging systems provide up to 1,100 miles per day. The EV ARC™ system’s solar electrical generation is enhanced by EnvisionTrak™ (patented) which causes the solar array to follow the sun, generating up to 25 percent more electricity than a fixed array. The energy is stored in the EV ARC™ product’s on-board energy storage for charging day or night, and to provide EV charging and emergency power during grid failure. The EV ARC™ product is a permanent solution that provides Level I, Level II and DC Fast Charging, but because it requires no trenching, foundations or installation work of any kind, is deployed in minutes and can be moved to a new location with ease.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/envision-solar-delivers-four-ev-120010277.html
ASAHI TANKER ORDERS WORLD'S FIRST ZERO-EMISSION ELECTRIC PROPULSION BUNKER TANKERS
"Japanese marine transportation company Asahi Tanker Co. Ltd. on Friday (27 March) said it has decided to build two of the world’s first zero-emission electric propulsion bunker tankers." according to Manifold Times: "Asahi states the tankers will utilise the “e5 tanker” design by e5 Laboratories Inc and construction is expected to be completed in March 2022 for the first tanker and March 2023 for the second. The vessels are pure battery tankers powered by large-capacity lithium-ion batteries, and are anticipated to enter Tokyo Bay as marine fuel supply vessels. Both vessels are designed to completely run on batteries to achieve zero emissions from carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur oxide (SOx), and soot to reduce impact on the health of the crew onboard and the environment."
AS VOLVO GOES ELECTRIC, HERE’S HOW IT’S MAKING ITS BATTERIES TOP-NOTCH
Ulrik Persson, who leads traction-battery development at Volvo: "Up until now, we have bought complete battery systems. Starting with the BEV, it's a whole different ballgame," Persson told us. "Of course, it's possible to outsource that as well, working very closely with the supplier, but from our side we felt it was a strategic decision to take ownership of this new component. It's definitely the most expensive component in the vehicle, and as it's integral to the crash structure of the vehicle it really makes sense.""
Ars Technica says: "That means there's no shared components or cells between the 10.4kWh pack in a Volvo PHEV and the 78kWh pack that will power the XC40 Recharge (as well as the Polestar 2). For European and US XC40s, those packs will use LG Chem pouch cells, but China-bound BEVs will contain prismatic cells courtesy of CATL. The rapid pace of development applies equally to software—just witness how many more miles Tesla can eke out of a kilowatt-hour today compared to a few years ago. Persson confirmed that Volvo will use the same approach of collecting real-world data and using it to roll out improvements via over-the-air updates. Well before that stage, his team engages in extensive testing of battery tech at the factory, using Volvo's new $60 million in-house battery testing lab."
FASTNED 2019 RESULTS REVEAL HIGH GROWTH OF CHARGING BUSINESS
"Fastned, the Dutch fast-charging network, closed the year 2019 with total revenues of around €6.4 million, out of which €4.5 million was related directly to charging (up 175%)." reports InsideEVs: "Over the 12 months of 2019, the company delivered nearly 8 GWh of electricity (up 175%) to over 42,800 active customers (up 139%). The growth looks amazing, although the ongoing expansion is also reflected in €12 million of total net losses (92% higher than in 2018). The network consists of 114 stations (as of the end of 2019), installed mostly in the Netherlands (98) and Germany (15) plus a single station in the UK. The average revenue per single station is currently at nearly €40,000 per year, by delivering some 70 MWh of electricity."
https://insideevs.com/news/407042/fastned-2019-results-high-growth/
BUFFETT-BACKED BYD TO SUPPLY ELECTRIC-CAR PARTS TO RIVALS
"BYD Co., the Chinese electric-vehicle maker backed by Warren Buffett, will start offering a full suite of EV components to rivals and aspiring auto manufacturers to diversify its revenue sources amid sputtering car demand." writes Bloomberg today: "Among the parts that the Shenzhen-based company makes and now sells are electric-car batteries, powertrains and lights, founder Wang Chuanfu said in an online press conference on Sunday. BYD, China’s biggest maker of vehicles powered by alternative energy for the past six years, will use the brand name FinDreams for the parts business. Last year, BYD signed an agreement with Toyota Motor Corp. on EV battery supply and joint product development, with the companies setting up an jointly owned venture this month. BYD also cooperates with Daimler AG on making Denza brand electric vehicles."
TROPOS MOTORS BEGINS PRODUCTION IN EUROPE
"The European branch of Californian electric vehicle manufacturer Tropos Motors has started manufacturing electric commercial vehicles in Germany with Mosolf Group in the city of Herne." according to electrive: "In future, up to 3,000 compact commercial vehicles in the L7E-CU category are to be produced here annually. The light transporters feature a small turning circle, adaptable body options and easy charging at domestic sockets. The vehicles named Able are 3.70 metres long and 1.40 metres wide. The net payload important for transporters is 565 kilograms. A useful detail for use in city centres or narrow factory premises is that the Able has a turning circle of less than four meters. The Tropos Able ST is the standard model with an AGM battery for a range of 80 kilometres and a top speed of 40 km/h. The Able XR is equipped with a lithium-ion battery that lasts for 105 to 260 kilometres, depending on the model. The XR has a top speed of 85 km/h."
https://www.electrive.com/2020/03/31/tropos-motors-begins-production-in-europe/
TESLA MODEL Y POWER READING SHOWS MODEL 3 PERFORMANCE CAN GET EVEN QUICKER
"Tesla Model Y Performance is higher than that of the Model 3 Performance, according to measurements of power output from the vehicle’s dual electric motors." according to Teslarati: "Brooks Weisblat of the DragTimes YouTube channel measured each vehicle’s power output through a Bluetooth-enabled OBD2 interceptor dongle and the “scan me Tesla” app. Weisblat’s measurements of both motors on each vehicle reveal that both the Front and Rear motors on the Model Y have a higher energy output than that of the Model 3, despite them being the same. The front motor of the Model Y has a higher output by 18 kW, while the rear motor of the Model Y is producing 15.5 kW more."
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-y-electric-motors-power-output/
THIS CHICAGOAN IS ON A MISSION TO HELP AUTO DEALERS SELL ELECTRIC VEHICLES
"When Chicagoan Neda Deylami decided she wanted to buy an electric vehicle, she shopped around at Nissan and Chevy dealerships hoping to get help from salespeople in making her decision. But the experience was frustrating. She felt she knew more than the salespeople about the Nissan Leaf" according to energynews.us: "She more recently traded her Leaf in and bought a Tesla, a totally different experience. As much as she likes her Tesla, she said she feels strongly that to promote the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, other dealers need to become knowledgeable and supportive of them. Deylami is developing a training and curriculum that she hopes to present to up to 10 dealerships this year, while also staying in touch with salespeople about their work and what they need to better sell electric vehicles."
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
With VW ID.3 facing software rewrites, how hard should we be on legacy auto makers when they hit EV speedbumps?
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