11 Apr 2019 | New EV Tax Credit Proposed, Kona Price Increase and Infiniti To Launch First Electric Car
U.S. Lawmakers Make Big Push To Further Expand EV Tax Credit | Tesla Model 3 Becomes #1 Best-Selling Car In Switzerland In March, Bar None | Tesla Model S Roamer Motorhome Is The EVCamper Of The Future | China EvVStartup Bordrin Skips Flash, Keeps Real-Car Focus | Hyundai Kona Electric Sees MSRP Spike After Chevy Bolt Incentive Drops | Austrian And Swiss Postal Services Pledge To Go 100% Ev By 2030 | Infiniti To Launch First Electric Car, To Be Made In China
Show #440
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Thursday 11th April 2019. It’s Martyn Lee here and I’ve been through every EV story I could find today, and picked out the best ones to save you time.
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U.S. LAWMAKERS MAKE BIG PUSH TO FURTHER EXPAND EV TAX CREDIT
- "A conglomeration of “bipartisan” U.S. lawmakers want to extend the current federal EV tax credit to 400,000 cars produced. Currently, the credit begins to “sunset” at 200k sold. This current situation works to hinder automakers like Tesla and GM that have worked hard to produce and promote EV adoption. Meanwhile, it gives those that have been slow to adopt a huge and arguably unfair edge. says InsideEVs today: "This new bill — the “Driving America Forward Act” — would work to add an additional 400k EVs on top of each current automaker’s 200k on the previous program. However, it would then lessen the phase-out period to nine months instead of 12-15. Still, the bill would allow hardcore players like Tesla, GM, and even Nissan to take advantage during a time that — in the current situation — other automakers are now just catching up."
- kdawg says: "Instead of just adding 400K per manufacturer, they should have set an overall limit for the total plugins sold."
- The Reuters report which broke the news said: "GM and Tesla shares rose on Reuters report that the bill would be introduced. Tesla shares recently traded up nearly 1 percent, while GM was up 0.2 percent. The proposal has strong backing from automakers, environmental groups and others, but will face opposition. Last month, the White House proposed immediately eliminating the $7,500 tax credit, a move it said would save the U.S. government $2.5 billion over a decade. Senator John Barrasso, a Republican who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, in February proposed legislation to end the credit and impose a highway user fee on EVs to pay for road repairs."
https://insideevs.com/u-s-lawmakers-bill-boost-ev-tax-credits/
TESLA MODEL 3 BECOMES #1 BEST-SELLING CAR IN SWITZERLAND IN MARCH, BAR NONE
- "Sales reports from Switzerland have revealed that the Tesla Model 3 was the country’s #1 best-selling car in March 2019, bar none. This marked the first time that an all-electric vehicle was able to top the country’s sales charts, which include vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine." says Simon at Teslarati: "Tesla sold 1,094 units of the Model 3 in Switzerland last month, as indicated by the numbers of sales statistics site Auto Schweiz. The Model 3’s figures were around 27% higher than the second-ranking vehicle in the country, the widely popular Skoda Octavia, which sold 801 units in March. The Model 3’s feat represented significant milestones for the Silicon Valley-based automaker, as it was able to achieve a record market share of 4.3% in Switzerland’s auto market. These are impressive figures, especially since deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 only started in February."
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-best-selling-car-switzerland/
TESLA MODEL S ROAMER MOTORHOME IS THE EV CAMPER OF THE FUTURE
- InsideEVs has details on a Tesla frankenstein motorhome: "The mastermind behind this project is a man named Travis Rabenberg. You might expect this build to incorporate Tesla’s Model X SUV, but it’s actually based on the Model S P90D. Rabenberg calls it the Tesla Roamer, and as you can see, it deletes the sedan’s rear haunches for a small living space that has a pop-up roof, a bed, and provisions for water to operate a sink and toilet also included. And since you can’t have an electric motorhome with solar power, the Tesla Roamer incorporates a solar panel with the capability of generating 1,000 watts of juice."
https://insideevs.com/tesla-model-s-roamer-motorhome-ev-camper/
CHINA EV STARTUP BORDRIN SKIPS FLASH, KEEPS REAL-CAR FOCUS
- "Chinese electric vehicle makers have proliferated in recent years, with dozens sketching ambitious plans to enter the market. Some of the top competitors have spent millions showcasing concepts at places such as CES to ensure they stand out amid a crowded field. Bordrin Motor Corp., on the other hand, has been content to keep quiet." says Autmotive News China: "Since its founding in 2016 by former Ford senior engineer Ximing Huang, Bordrin has concentrated on building real cars. The results of these first efforts will soon be seen by outsiders for the first time. This week, the company will unveil its first production model, the B31 SUV, along with a premium-segment concept that Lavine says is "pretty damn feasible." The debuts will take place Thursday, April 11, at a company event that precedes the Shanghai auto show, where the public will see them starting April 16."
http://www.autonewschina.com/en/article.asp?id=18872
HYUNDAI KONA ELECTRIC SEES MSRP SPIKE AFTER CHEVY BOLT INCENTIVE DROPS
- "This isn’t about dealer price gouging, but instead, Hyundai quietly raised the Kona Electric’s official starting price." according to Steven Loveday at INsideEVs.com: "Fortunately, the Hyundai Kona Electric’s new MSRP is only up by $500. It may make no difference in the end, since dealers set prices and some are already charging a premium for the popular vehicle. However, it could mean that the Kona Electric will become even more expensive. This quiet move by Hyundai comes on the heels of GM’s federal EV tax credit halving."
https://insideevs.com/hyundai-kona-ev-msrp-spike/
AUSTRIAN AND SWISS POSTAL SERVICES PLEDGE TO GO 100% EV BY 2030
- "National postal companies Swiss Post and Austrian Post have committed to fully electrifying their delivery fleets by 2030. The announcement comes as they join EV100, an EV initiative led by non-profit The Climate Group." reports Ryan Austin for ChargedEVs: "To join EV100, companies must make public commitments to integrate EVs into their service fleets or install EV chargers on premises for staff and customers. As part of its pledge, Austrian Post is set to switch more than 9,000 vehicles to electric drive. Post CH (a subsidiary of Swiss Post) said it will switch more than 10,000 vehicles to electric as part of its EV100 pledge. The company has already electrified its mail delivery fleet of 6,000 three-wheeled vehicles. It now plans to switch 4,600 delivery vans (up to 3.5 tons) and 180 service vehicles to EVs by 2030."
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/austrian-and-swiss-postal-services-pledge-to-go-100-ev-by-2030/
INFINITI TO LAUNCH FIRST ELECTRIC CAR, TO BE MADE IN CHINA
- And finally a Reuters report on Autoblog today: "The first electric car for Nissan's premium brand Infiniti will be a sporty sedan produced in China, the Japanese carmaker said in a statement viewed by Reuters ahead of a public announcement expected as soon as Wednesday. The vehicle would hit the market in around three years, and consumers would get a taste when the company unveils a concept car, dubbed the Qs Inspiration electric sedan, at the Shanghai auto show later this week, Nissan officials said. Brand officials have said that from 2021 every Infiniti model launched will be either an all-electric car or so-called "e-Power" hybrids, underlining Nissan's previously announced plan to make Infiniti primarily an electrified offering."
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/04/10/infiniti-electric-car-china-qs-concept/
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