28 June 2018 | Model 3 Price SLASHED But Adds Options, Spy Photos Of Honda PHEV and Nissan Sylphy Now Available
Episode 164, Jun 27, 2018, 11:01 PM
Tesla Is Boosting Margins By Cutting Prices | Another Internal Tesla Email Hints At Good News | Spy Photographer Captures Honda Pilot Plug-In Hybrid | Getting Cheaper To Drive EVs | Pivot Power Battery Plans Emerge Outside Southampton | Nissan Sylphy Now Available | AB Volvo: Renault Trucks Unveils Its Second Generation Of Electric Trucks
Well good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you are in the world, hello and welcome to the Thursday 28th June 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.
Follow Up: confirmation from Elon about Pickup Truck power outlets
TESLA IS BOOSTING MARGINS BY CUTTING PRICES
- There was a surprise reduction in some Model 3 specs yesterday. The dual motor option reduced from $5,000 to $4,000. And the base cost of the P3, the Performance model, came down from $78,000 to $64,000.
- They did it by making a chunk of things optional in one package of $5,000 - 20″ Performance Wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires, carbon fiber rear spoiler, aluminium alloy pedals, and a top speed boost that enables the electric car to max out at 155 mph.
- There was some confusion over why they'd make the car available at a lower cost and let you spec UP in the configurator. I don't know why you'd be confused...have you bought a base model BMW? A base model Mercedes? No didn't think so. Even the smallest things are optional extras on those cars. The margins are in the options.
- com: "That Performance upgrade is almost all margin for Tesla - if the changes are anything like the Model S and Model X, they'll primarily be in the form of a slightly different drive unit with a larger inverter that can deliver power to the motors more quickly. But a lower entry price with fewer other frills is likely to result in a meaningfully higher take rate for the upgrade that translates into much higher margins on the Model 3. Customers still have the ability to price their Performance Model 3 even higher, with options like enhanced auto pilot, full self-driving and premium paint."
- White seats and premium paint choices are also optional at $1,500 each.
- The basic, 64k Model 3P, has 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and 310-mile range.
- Do you agree? Is choice better? With much shorter wait times for the Performance versions, in the range of 2-4months, do you think the lower starting price get more people opting for it?
- Also - do you want a badge? Model 3 now gets it's own badge. However whereas with the S and X you knew the model by the size of the pack - starting out at 40 and ending up at 100, with the M3 they want to focus on range. Very much Apple's way of selling phones, they don't label according to processor speed!
- Dual Motor M3's will be badged accordingly, with the words Dual Motor in caps, and the Performance gets underlined.
ANOTHER INTERNAL TESLA EMAIL HINTS AT GOOD NEWS
- Electrek are reporting in an internal email from Elon to staff, saying that those analysts expecting a disappointing Q2 are in for a 'rude awakening'.
- In this case, I'll leave it to user Billy who said this in his comment: "f you follow Elon's Twitter, you can pick up on his mood pretty easily. He seems to be in high spirits and I think that is really good news. I'm expecting 1,000 DELIVERIES per day in July as they deliver stockpiled cars. They will prioritize Performance and AWD in Q3 which will push their revenue super high. As more people get their cars and show them off to friends more orders will be pouring in. It's a self licking ice cream cone and it is delicious!"
https://electrek.co/2018/06/27/elon-musk-tsla-tesla-model-3-delivery-numbers-internal-email/
SPY PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES HONDA PILOT PLUG-IN HYBRID
- "A shot by spy photographer Brian Williams in Automotive News (subscription required), shows an updated Honda Pilot with both a reconfigured fuel filler door, and a large, square opening on the front left fender, where automakers often put charge ports for electric cars." says Green Car Reports: "If the Pilot plug-in hybrid used the same pack as the Clarity, it could get between 30 and 35 miles of electric range, based on similar sized vehicles. Honda has been expanding installations of its two-motor hybrid system found in the Accord Hybrid, Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, and Insight, and the Pilot would likely use that system, according to Automotive News."
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1117443_spy-photographers-capture-honda-pilot-plug-in-hybrid
GETTING CHEAPER TO DRIVE EVS
- "Recent fuel price rises have already had a significant impact on the day-to-day running costs of traditional vehicles in the UK. In comparison, NewMotion found that the Nissan Leaf, the UK’s most popular EV, can be fully charged for just £2.37, during the night when electricity is cheaper and has a range of 100 miles" says Electric Cars Reports: "This is supported by recent research from Bloomberg, which found that savings enjoyed by EVs will only increase over time. In particular, Bloomberg predicts that the cost of battery manufacturing will fall as demand continues to grow. By 2030 battery costs will only represent 18% of the entire manufacturing process, compared with 42% today"
https://electriccarsreport.com/2018/06/the-cost-of-car-ownership-is-shifting-in-favour-of-electric/
PIVOT POWER BATTERY PLANS EMERGE OUTSIDE SOUTHAMPTON
- Pivot Power made big headlines within they announced a 2GW nationwide network of battery storage for the UK, and excited EV drivers by saying their battery hubs would also include EV chargers. That makes sense, you can charge without drawing from the grid.
- Now plans are out for their first site - and it's not far from where I'm sitting now. it will be a 50MW site in Southampton which is a port in the south of the UK. If you've taken a large cruiseliner somewhere, it will have gone from Soton.
- The planning database for the council reveals the details but there's nothing yet about EV charging.
- They want to build it on National Grid land near an existing substation, which you would do for easy grid connection.
- It's just off the M27 for any of my UK listeners, with 25 batteries ready to provide frequency response in the same was an other battery systems like the Tesla battery packs in Australia, probably the most famous example.
- COO Matthew Boulton told Current± "“The battery is the first stage and it unlocks everything; without a battery project we don't have an EV project. A big battery next to a big substation is, we hope, a relatively uncontroversial development so we're keeping the first piece nice and well boundaried to get it through, In Southampton the National Grid land is there and from a lease point of view we can get cracking fairly quickly. [We want] to secure the battery and know it has approval before we also spend a lot of money on planning of EV hubs.”
- "We're not sticking 100 chargers in but the sites will have 100 car parking bays and we're taking enough power so that over time they can all have rapid chargers.”
- "Bolton added that the company wanted to “make a statement” with the number of chargers it will initially seek to install, with “closer to 50 than 10” charge points of various speeds planned in the short-term.These are expected to be located within 5km of the substation and battery in a convenient location for drivers. In the case of Southampton, there could be even less distance between the two owing to the projects close proximity to major roads and Southampton itself."
- Pivot Power’s chief technology officer Michael Clark will be speaking about the company’s plans, as well leading a wider discussion on powering the EV revolution, at next week’s EV Infrastructure Summit.
- Hosted by Current±’s publisher Solar Media, tickets are still available to attend the two-day conference on 3&4 July and can be purchased here: http://ev.solarenergyevents.com/
- ...where you can also find a full programme and list of speakers.
NISSAN SYLPHY NOW AVAILABLE
- Mark Kane at InsideEVs: "Nissan announced that its first all-electric model under the Nissan brand in China – the Sylphy Zero Emission – is now available for order.
- It’s offered through Nissan’s joint venture subsidiary, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company (Dongfeng Nissan)."
- "Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission specs:
- 38 kWh battery for 210 miles (338 km) of range
- 80 kW and 254 Nm electric motor (front-wheel drive)
- 0-50 km/h (31 mph) in 4.4 seconds
- 6 kW on-board charger
- DC fast charging (0-80%) in 45 minutes using 50 kW charger
- 144kmh/89 mph top speed
https://insideevs.com/nissan-sylphy-ev-is-now-available-for-order-in-china/
AB VOLVO: RENAULT TRUCKS UNVEILS ITS SECOND GENERATION OF ELECTRIC TRUCKS
- A press release dropped from Renault about their truck plans.
- To keep pace with the changing face of urban transport, Renault Trucks is launching its second generation of electric trucks. The Renault Trucks Z.E. line-up, consisting of the Renault Master Z.E (Sept 2018, 22kWh, 57kW motor, 225 N-m of torque), Renault Trucks D Z.E. (both with packs from 200-300kWh, 185kW motor, 425 N-m, 300km/186 real world range, ranging from 3.5 to 26 tonnes) and Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. (200kWh pack, dual motor rating 370kW, 850 N-m 200km/124 real world miles).
- The latest technological advances have made electric trucks an economically viable alternative for hauliers, leading Renault Trucks to launch a complete Z.E. range.
- The specially designed 16 t version of the Renault Trucks D Z.E. is ideal for urban and controlled temperature deliveries. The Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. will come in a 26 tonne version for efficient refuse collection. Both models will be manufactured at the Renault Trucks plant in Blainville-sur-Orne, Normandy, France in the second half of 2019.
- A medium-duty Renault Trucks Z.E. vehicle has an operating range of up to 300 km depending on usage and battery configuration. The battery pack is the most expensive item when buying an electric truck.
- Thanks to rapid DC charging, the Renault Trucks D Z.E. and Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. lithium-ion batteries can be fully charged in as little as one to two hours. For overnight AC charging, the time to fully charge a 300-kWh battery is 12 hours.
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