31 July 2018 | Tesla Model S/X Interior Could Mimic Model 3 Layout, Porsche Reveal Taycan Specs and Audi PB18 EV Concept Heads To Pebble Beach

Tesla Model S/X Interior Update Could Mimic Model 3 | Porsche Confirms Specs For Taycan (Aka Mission-E) | Audi PB18 e-tron EV Concept Coming To Pebble Beach | Surprise Delivery From Elon Musk | Guangzhou Wants 4,000 More Electric Buses | Energy UK Brings Together EV Infrastructure Forum | Samsung SDI's Profits Soaring On EV Parts | Hyundai’s Kona EV To Be Assembled In India | SK Innovation Postpones Release Of EV NCM811 Cells | Network Of Tesla Powerwall Batteries Saves Green Mountain Power $500,000

Read today’s show notes on https://www.evnewsdaily.com

 

Well good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you are in the world, hello and welcome to the Monday 30th July edition of EV News Daily. It’s Martyn Lee here with the news you need to know about electric cars and the move towards sustainable transport.

 

TESLA MODEL S/X INTERIOR UPDATE COULD MIMIC MODEL 3

• Fred at Electrek says he's seen concept images which show a Tesla Model S and Model X interior refresh in 2019. He's billed it as an exclusive and does say Tesla declined to comment so for now, taking Electrrek at their word, this is a one source story. But there's no reason to think this isn't real because in the past they've been able to source stories with accuracy, but there's part of me which feels a little uncomfortable saying this is what the cars will look like. If it is true, I don't know if this is the way Tesla would want it announced. Or maybe they're happy with us just talking about it? So for now, let's you and I call them design ideas which might or might not ever make their way into a car. A bit like when fans online do mock-ups of what the next iPhone might look like! The pictures show an interior very much like the Model 3.
• He says: "Tesla is now looking to harmonize the interior of all its vehicles in its line-up and that means going even more minimal with the Model S and Model X, like Tesla did with Model 3."
• So we're looking at one large landscape screen, and a dash with just that one single air vent running along it. That makes sense, it's one of the most innovative features of the Model 3 and really should be in every Tesla as a pillar of their design language. There's a smaller instrument cluster so not all of the infomation would be moved over to the touchscreen.
• I won't go any further, but I'll link through to the Electrek article where you can read more.

 

https://electrek.co/2018/07/30/tesla-model-s-x-interior-refresh-exclusive-first-look/

 

PORSCHE CONFIRMS SPECS FOR TAYCAN (AKA MISSION-E)

• Porsche says it wants to shift to electric cars before all other German auto manufacturers. According to details released by the Porsche Newsroom today: "By 2025 the aim is for every second Porsche sold to have an electric drive unit, with half of the models purely electric and the other half plug-in hybrids."
• "Porsche will release its first electric model, the Taycan sports car, in 2019. Current estimates project roughly twenty thousand units a year."
• "Two permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM), like those deployed in the Le Mans–winning 919 Hybrid, generate a permanent rotary motion that can be applied at any time without needing to be started. One motor powers the Taycan’s rear axle, the other the front wheels. Together they generate over 600 hp (440 kW) and are fed by batteries designed to provide five hundred kilometers of range. The Taycan sprints from 0 to 100 kmh in well under 3.5 seconds and tops 200 kmh in under 12."
• "The company is pursuing three options: First, charging at home—possible with a charging station or inductively via a base plate in the floor. Second, charging in cities—possible through existing infrastructure. And third, charging along the main traffic arteries in Europe. The joint venture Ionity was formed to do just that. Together with the BMW Group, Daimler AG, the Ford Motor Company, and the Volkswagen Group with Audi, Porsche is laying the groundwork for the establishment of a powerful fast-charging network for electric vehicles in Europe. The construction and operation of some four hundred fast-charging parks by 2020 are important steps toward making electromobility viable for long-distance routes as well and thus establishing itself on the market."
• "For Porsche customers, the main priority is being able to charge their vehicle rapidly even where the local power grid is weak. That’s now possible thanks to intermediary buffer batteries, which always have enough capacity on hand. Specifically, this means fast charging in about fifteen minutes for a range of four hundred kilometers at every Porsche charging point."

 

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/products/porsche-taycan-mission-e-drive-unit-battery-charging-electro-mobility-dossier-sportscar-production-christophorus-387-15827.html

 

AUDI PB18 e-tron EV CONCEPT COMING TO PEBBLE BEACH

• "Audi has announced it’ll be showing off a brand new concept car at Pebble Beach in a few weeks. Called the PB18 e-tron, the new concept car will be revealed first at Laguna Seca racetrack on 23 August, but will then appear at events throughout the week" reports Curtis Moldrich for CAR Magazine, he says: "the car takes part of its name and some technology from Audi’s all-conquering R18 e-tron Le Mans car. A teaser image suggests a wide, low-slung supercar, which is pretty much what we’d expect. Audi says the new car was styled at the new Malibu Design Loft, and we’re expecting a mixture of LMP1 car, Audi R8 and Audi e-tron quattro concept car."

 

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/audi/audi-e-tron-electric-car-news-specs-pictures-prices/

 

DELIVERY FROM ELON MUSK

• Having waited for years to take delivery of a Model 3 for some Day 1 reservation holders would be reason enough to celebrate the big day (see Ryan McCaffery's Ride The Lightning midweek extra podcast to hear what I'm talking about) but imagine if the CEO dropped it off himself.
• That's what happened yesterday. Elon tweeted about trialling a new delivery system where a trailer takes the car direct from Fremont to your door in a closed container, avoiding any uncessary shipping, storage or plastic wraps to protect it. He said: "We tried out a new delivery system using an enclosed trailer straight from factory to owner’s home, so super convenient & car arrives in pristine condition without wasting plastic wrap."
• A twitter user Devin Scott (@MichiganMan2007) from Playa Vista, CA posted pictures of his Tesla Model 3 arriving and being handed over by Elon, and tweeted: “When @elonmusk hand delivers your #Teslamodel3 😎👊🏼⚡️ thanks to the #Tesla team for an unforgettable day!!”
• I think it’s an interesting move from the CEO, who knows it would have generated a lot of press. The couple who bought the Model 3 are pretty photogenic if I’m being cynical. It makes sense for all those California buyers, perhaps a car might travel X many miles from factory to storage, to service centre. But is the distance to the buyer, and there are plenty around Fremont, is less than X, it could make sense. But going back to something he previously said about his job being in the place there something isn’t working, this would indicate Tesla are paying a lot of time and attention on delivery and transit chains between factory and buyer. I’m just surprised there hasn’t been an article online about how Tesla doesn’t have delivery drivers so he’s having to do it himself – it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing written this year!

 

 

GUANGZHOU TENDERS FOR MORE THAN 4,000 ELECTRIC BUSES

• Two tenders totalling 4,810 electric buses were recently put out, and contracts awarded for BYD, in Guangzhou in China. The sizes of the electric buses are various, and range between 8 and 12 meters and the value of the two bids together is about $700m.  China is the World's leading producer of electric buses.
• "More than 99 percent of electric buses are running in China, where 17 per cent of circulating city buses are already electric. In 2017 90,000 full electric buses and 16,000 hybrid plug-in buses have been registered in the country. Previous years figures were even higher, thanks to government grants that are being reduced. In Europe are running 2,100 electric buses out of a global fleet of 385,000 electric buses."

 

https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/guangzhou-china-electric-buses-more-than-4000-byd/

 

ENERGY UK TAKES CHARGE WITH NEW EV INFRASTRUCTURE FORUM

• "A new forum aimed at bringing together electric vehicle (EV) charging point operators is being launched by Energy UK. The trade body’s EV Charging Forum will explore ways to ensure the greener vehicles are integrated into the energy system, encouraging continued innovation and growth." says Energy Live News.
• Considering the energy regulartor here, OFGEM, recently set out reforms to harness the benefits of EVs and is consulting on its proposals, this is another example of joining up interested parties.
• This is important news because one of the criticisms often levelled at us from those who have an interest in oil is that EV's will need however many more power stations. We already know that charging overnight uses up excess renewables when the wholesale electricity price can even turn negative and you can be paid to take electricity off the grid to balance it.
• Now if we can have a coordinated approach to join up EV and national energy systems it means we can be smart about we charge, and those solutions all provide arguments against all that fakenews about EV's being a risk to the grid.

 

https://www.energylivenews.com/2018/07/30/energy-uk-takes-charge-with-new-ev-infrastructure-forum/

 

SAMSUNG SDI'S PROFITS SOARING ON EV PARTS

• Samsung's earnings report, Korea's leading battery maker posted 2.25 trillion won ($2 billion) in sales and 152.8 billion won in operating profit.
• "We expect overseas demand for ESS to grow and sales of batteries for electric vehicles to increase," said a Samsung SDI official. The market for products such as power tools and electric bicycles is expected to consistently expand, which will lead to continuous growth for the small-sized battery unit, the company noted.

 

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2018/07/133_253039.html

 

HYUNDAI’S UPCOMING ALL-ELECTRIC KONA SUV WILL BE ASSEMBLED IN INDIA

• "[The Hyundai Kona] has been slated for launch in India next year. Moreover, it will become the Korean auto giant's first all-electric offering in India." reports DriveSpark.com: "The Kona Electric will ... be assembled at Hyundai's Chennai plant. The Kona will be one of eight cars which the company plans to launch by 2020. This was confirmed by the company's CEO, at their 20th-anniversary celebrations." Rumours suggest only the normal range battery will be on sale through select Indian dealerships, rather than the Long Range 64kWh pack, which inversley is the only option for sale in the USA.

 

https://www.drivespark.com/four-wheelers/2018/hyundai-will-assemble-kona-all-electric-suv-in-india-026086.html

 

SK INNOVATION POSTPONES THE RELEASE OF EV NCM 811 BATTERY CELLS

• "LG Chem recently confirmed that this year the company will only produce NCM 811 battery cells in cylindrical format to be used in electric buses. Similarly, now SK innovation also confirms that it will postpone the release of NCM 811 battery cells for electric cars." reports Pedro Lima for PushEVs: "It seems that both cell makers aren’t confident enough in this new battery technology yet and are testing it at small scale – with electric buses and ESS (Energy Storage Systems)."
• So what's the impact? Well something which has taken up a bit of discussion on this show is the difference between the Hyundai Kona EV and the Kia Niro EV, both owned by Hyundai Motor Company, but a report earlier this year said the Niro would use the new NCM811 cells which are lighter but deliver less power. Does it mean the Niro will be delayed? Will they have had to source the same packs at the Hyundai Kona? I'll look for more info.

 

https://pushevs.com/2018/07/29/sk-innovation-postpones-the-release-of-ev-ncm-811-battery-cells/

 

NETWORK OF TESLA POWERWALL BATTERIES SAVES GREEN MOUNTAIN POWER $500,000 DURING HEAT WAVE

• "One utility company in Vermont is using a virtual power plant (VPP) comprised of 2,000 Tesla Powerwalls installed in homes across the state to beat the heat." according to Steve Hanley for CleanTechnica: "Last year, Green Mountain Power started offering 2,000 customers a chance to own a Tesla Powerwall residential storage battery for as little as $1,500 and $15 a month for 10 years. But there was a catch. All those Powerwalls would be accessible by the utility company to help stabilize the grid and supply extra electricity, when needed."
• That $8m investment might have been baulked at by others at the time, but now they say it has saved $500,000 in just a single 7 day period due to the heatwave temperatures.
• And the savings aren't just a general usage from the Tesla Powerwalls, it's about a specific time of day. The 5pm peak when people get home, turn up their air con and cook dinner often means electricity gets both more expensive to purchase from the wholesale market and also dirtier, as standby coal peaker plants have to fire up. So by focussing on a small, but very expensive part of the day they can make savings.
• Green Mountain Power said: "“Right now, knocking down the peaks is the big advantage, but as we move ahead there will be more, things like regulation service, balancing solar intermittency".
• Another win for battteries, and maybe sometime in the future your EV will be able to be part of that solution. As your EV battery might be 60kWh and you know you're now using all of that for a commute Monday to Friday, letting your power company access 10kWh of that could turn the tables in your favour and they start sending YOU checks!