06 May 2019 | First Mercedes-Benz EQC Is Built, Audi e-tron Could Get ‘Vegan’ Package and Electrify America Up To 161 Sites
Mercedes-Benz EQC Sales Release & Start Of Production | Audi Considering 'Vegan Package' For E-Tron Electric Suv | Tesla Navigate On Autopilot: Lane Change, Road Debris, No Confirmation | Electrify America Hosts "Charge Forward" Technology Workshop | Volkswagen Group Is Training Its Employees In E-Mobility | China's Lithium Supply Lets It Far Outstrip U.S. In Cell Production | UKRI Studying Democratized Peer-To-Peer Microgrids
Show #464
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 6th May 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I’ve been through every EV story I could find today to save you time.
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.
MERCEDES-BENZ EQC SALES RELEASE & START OF PRODUCTION
- The first EQC will roll off the production line at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. "Mercedes-Benz EQC just entered production in Bremen, Germany where it is assembled along with the conventional C-Class Saloon and Estate, as well as the GLC and GLC Coupé. Later this year, production will be launched in China too in partnership with BAIC, by joint venture Beijing Benz Automotive Co. Ltd. (BBAC)." reports InsideEvs: "Merdeces-Benz joins the Tesla Model X, Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-PACE on the high-end part of the market. Prices in Germany (incl. 19% VAT) starts from €71,281, while the launch edition EQC Edition 1886 starts from €84,930.30. 80 kWh battery packs are assembled by Deutsche Accumotive at its site in Kamenz (near Dresden), Germany using LG Chem batterycells."
https://insideevs.com/news/348128/daimler-starts-production-mercedes-benz-eqc/
AUDI CONSIDERING 'VEGAN PACKAGE' FOR E-TRON ELECTRIC SUV
- "The first-ever all-electric SUV from Audi is subtle and silent both in how it sounds, and the statement it makes. For the e-tron, Audi didn’t go for the quirky compliance car theme that we can find in everything from the BMW i3 to the Honda Clarity. Instead, it’s looking to tastefully blend into the crowd." says Manoli for Motor1.com today: "There’s no denying that buyers for premium electric SUVs might also be similar to the crowd that cares about their environmental impact in more ways than just driving. That can include the use of sustainable, recycled, or upcycled materials for vehicle interiors that would fit with folks who enjoy a vegan lifestyle, and it seems that Audi is listening."
https://www.motor1.com/news/348135/audi-considering-vegan-package-electric-suv/
TESLA NAVIGATE ON AUTOPILOT: LANE CHANGE, ROAD DEBRIS, NO CONFIRMATION
- “Now that Tesla's Navigate on Autopilot feature has undergone another substantial update, it's high time to see exactly how it reacts. Thankfully, Tesla owner and YouTuber Scott Kubo does a solid job of showing off the feature while providing a nice narrative. The best part is, he doesn't ramble on and on, which keeps the video short and concise" report Steven Loveday for InsideEVs.com: "Kubo shows his Tesla Model 3 changing lanes on its own, without any driver confirmation. Moreover, there's some debris on the road that appears as though it's left over from a previous accident."
https://insideevs.com/news/348088/video-tesla-navigate-autopilot-challenges
Matthias Schmidt
@auto_schmidt
"Pure electric new car registrations in W.Europe have now surpassed >100,000 units after just 4-Months this year. Consequentially more new pure electric BEV passengers cars took to the streets during the first third of 2019 than during the whole of 2016."
https://twitter.com/auto_schmidt/status/1125471147284254721
ELECTRIFY AMERICA HOSTS "CHARGE FORWARD" TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
- "It's been exactly a year since Electrify America turned on the power at their first DC Fast charger site on May 2nd, 2018. Since then, the EV charging network born out of the Volkswagen diesel scandal has been quite busy. In addition to the rollout of their network of high-speed DC fast charge stations, Electrify America had some more news to announce, so they invited select media outlets to their headquarters in Reston, VA for a technology workshop." says Tom Molughney for InsideEVs.com: "Electrify America president & CEO Giovanni Palazzo spoke first and proudly announced that they have just commissioned their 161st site. Palazzo also said they are targeting to have 484 sites open by the end of 2019. Those sites will include 2,000+ high-speed DC fast charge stations, and 2,800 level 2 chargers. The sites are an average of 70 miles apart, and have a maximum distance between sites of 120 miles."
- "The CEO also reaffirmed that Electrify America will indeed begin to employ Plug&Charge technology before the end of this year. Plug&Charge uses the global standard ISO 15118 which identifies the vehicle when it's plugged in, eliminating the need to use an RFID card or credit card to activate a charging session. Palazzo said that a multitude of auto manufacturers were already working on getting their EVs ready to utilize Plug&Charge technology."
- "In addition to the new lower per-minute rate and the membership plans, Electrify America will be charging based on the car's maximum charge rate. There are three different levels that will determine what the customer pays by the minute: 0-75 kW; 76-125 kW & 126-350 kW. The exact pricing for these three levels hasn't been formally announced yet, but this does seem to be a reasonable way to establish the pricing structure."
https://insideevs.com/news/347986/electrify-america-charge-forward-workshop/
VOLKSWAGEN GROUP IS TRAINING ITS EMPLOYEES IN E-MOBILITY
- Zwickau will begin producing the compact ID.* this fall already – which is why the plant in Saxony is one of the first sites to provide comprehensive e-mobility training for its employees. Three thousand production workers alone will complete the training center’s e-mobility program, which is preparing them for the new production requirements.
- More than 300 apprentices have gone through the high-voltage training thus far – and there is a big demand for them at the company.
CHINA'S LITHIUM SUPPLY LETS IT FAR OUTSTRIP U.S. IN CELL PRODUCTION
- "As the U.S. president pushes for more things to be built in his country instead of China, the push to build electric vehicles there comes as the rush for batteries persists. And China holds the lead in lithium supply over the U.S." writes Zac for InsideEvs.com today: "According to Bloomberg, both countries are investing heavily in other countries that are rich in lithium mining – Argentina, Australia and Chile, specifically. But China arguably has an edge because it is also doing mineral collection in its home country, whereas analysts say it's been decades since such facilities have been built in the U.S. Where the U.S. produces a little more than 10 percent of lithium-ion cells in the world, China controls roughly two-thirds of the market, the publication reported. China was by far the leading market for EVs in 2018 and the gap among the U.S. is only set to grow in the next few years, according to Bloomberg's analysts."
UKRI STUDYING DEMOCRATIZED PEER-TO-PEER MICROGRIDS
- "UK Research and Innovation has begun a study to determine how people with small rooftop solar systems — called micro-generators — could create a peer-to-peer energy market. The research is funded by UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council." according to CleanTechnica: "Entitled the Household-Supplier Energy Market Project, the focus is on creating a democratized peer-to-peer (P2P) energy market. Currently, a homeowner with a rooftop solar system can use the electricity created within the home or sell it to the grid. In a peer-to-peer energy market, any two individuals or households could directly buy from and sell to each other, without involving utilities or other third parties."
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/05/06/ukri-studying-democratized-peer-to-peer-microgrids/
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