23 Sep 2019 | Model 3 Pictures From Chinese Gigafactory, VW Launches Battery Production and Fiat Chrysler Start Vehicle2Grid Tests
1st Chinese Tesla Model 3s From Gigafactory 3 | Volkswagen Launches Pilot Production Ahead Of Gigafactory | Swagtron’s $999 Hipster-Spec Electric Bike | Fiat Chrysler To Test Vehicle-To-Grid | New Electric Panel From Span Streamlines Solar+Storage Installations | Roaming Partnership Between Newmotion And Chargepoint Announced
Show #589
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 23rd September 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story to save you time.
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1ST CHINESE TESLA MODEL 3S FROM GIGAFACTORY 3
"A leaked photo posted by Vincent, Tesla tweeter extraordinaire, on September 23 shows a white Model 3 on the assembly line at Tesla Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai, China. A previous tweet by Vincent claimed that some people who have ordered a Model 3 in China have started receiving tutorials about the operation of their cars. Usually, those tutorials are sent out 4 to 6 weeks before delivery of the cars takes place." according to Steve Hanley at CleanTechnica: "According to Interesting Engineering, the leaked photo was attributed to Weibo user 常岩, who is the chief auto editor of Tencent Auto. Tencent is a giant Chinese tech firm that owns approximately 5% of Tesla. A subsequent tweet by Vincent said, “Rumor: Estimated that the first group of the Made in China Model 3 will be delivered in November.”
VOLKSWAGEN LAUNCHES PILOT PRODUCTION AHEAD OF GIGAFACTORY
"The Volkswagen-Northvolt cooperation is taking off as they launch a first pilot production for battery cells at Volkswagen’s Salzgitter plant. Production is to scale up to 16 GWh at the end of 2023 and Volkswagen is investing around one billion euros." reports electrive: "Volkswagen is aiming to independently produce its own battery cells in a joint venture with Northvolt, rather than having to rely on battery systems from suppliers. At the Salzgitter plant in Germany where TDI and TSI engines are now rolling off the assembly line, the Center of Excellence (CoE) is already established with an initial 300 employees." they say, in a Translation into English from original German article: "Volkswagen today opened a pilot production facility as part of said CoE with the goal of testing, development and small-series production of battery cells. For Frank Blome, head of the CoE for battery cells, the pilot plant is “an important step on our way to building the gigafactory”.
https://www.electrive.com/2019/09/23/volkswagen-to-build-a-gigafactory/
SWAGTRON’S $999 HIPSTER-SPEC ELECTRIC BIKE
"Swagtron’s new EB12 electric bicycle is its first foray into full-sized commuter bikes. And while they didn’t quite hit the ball out of the park on their first try, they got it pretty darn close to the fence.
With a sleek design and an electric boost, the Swagtron EB12 could be the perfect option for cash-strapped students or budget-minded city commuters that want a good bike for an even better price." says Micah Toll for Electrek: "Swagtron is known for building the most affordable electric bicycles in the game. And their playbook isn’t to just pump out cheap crap like some other budget companies. Rather, they cut out all the fat – all the components that aren’t strictly necessary – so that they can focus on putting decent components on whatever is left. No one expects a Swagtron e-bike to get passed down to their son. But they do expect a decent quality e-bike for an unbelievable price. And that’s exactly what Swagtron has done – yet again – with the EB12 electric bicycle. It’s a hardy commuter e-bike that offers exactly zero fancy features other than that it will get you where you’re going and look good while doing it."
FIAT CHRYSLER TO TEST VEHICLE-TO-GRID
"Fiat Chrysler will set up an experimental fleet of up to 700 electric cars to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which allows power grids to use energy stored in car batteries to face demand during peak hours." says Reuters: "FCA is taking its first steps into electric mobility as the Italian-American carmaker moves on from its failed $35 billion bid to merge with France’s Renault, a pioneer in electric vehicles. FCA on Thursday signed an agreement with Italy’s national grid operator Terna to jointly test a technology enabling electric vehicles to interact with the grid, through charging infrastructure. The project will include a feasibility study to launch an experimental demonstration fleet of cars connected to the grid via V2G infrastructure to be built in FCA’s Mirafioni plant in Turin, the two companies said in a statement."
NEW ELECTRIC PANEL FROM SPAN STREAMLINES SOLAR+STORAGE INSTALLATIONS
"A new technology company led by former Tesla engineers has just released a smart electric panel that enables customers to easily adopt solar, storage, EVs and other clean energy technologies. The Span electric panel will begin installation in select markets in California and Hawaii." reports Solar Power World Online: "The Span panel replaces a traditional electrical panel to become the primary energy and control hub for the home. It displaces the need for many disparate pieces of equipment to install solar, storage and electric vehicles today with a single, integrated device. The result is a faster, more cost effective installation for both new homes and retrofits that delivers unprecedented functionality to the customer.The Span panel offers customizable backup power, enabling customers to intelligently prioritize the available energy in their homes especially during power outages or blackouts. This, paired with the ability to monitor and control home energy from anywhere at anytime through the Span mobile app, substantially differentiates the product from anything on the market today. By incorporating key electrical components into a single device, the Span panel simplifies design and deployment for solar and storage installers as well as energy companies."
ROAMING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NEWMOTION AND CHARGEPOINT ANNOUNCED
"Company car drivers and fleet managers will enjoy simplified charging of electric vehicles (EVs) thanks to a new roaming partnership between NewMotion and ChargePoint. The electric vehicle charging infrastructure providers have announced a roaming partnership that will allow fleet drivers access to both charging networks.'" reports Fleet News: "By the end of the year, NewMotion and ChargePoint customers will be able to access each network without needing to create a new account."
Sytse Zuidema, CEO of NewMotion, said: “This partnership is a big step forward for the UK’s public charging network and we hope to see a positive effect on the ease of use by EV drivers. We are pleased to offer our UK drivers additional access to ChargePoint, Inc’s network that includes a good few hundred rapid chargers. With this we’re able to expand our European charging network that already includes over 118,000 charge points.”
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