Best EV of 2021? It Depends Who You Ask | 06 July 2021

Episode 1135,   Jul 06, 2021, 11:00 AM

Today’s big EV stories:
• Volkswagen to sell stake in Electrify America
• Premium Electric Car of the Year 2021: Hyundai Ioniq 5
• Car and Driver's 2021 EV of the Year
• Bentley reveals Flying Spur Hybrid
• GM Files To Brand ETRUNK For Electric Car Front Trunk
• JLR rumoured to be AESC's next customer
• Electric Police Motorcycles Help Florida City Meet Sustainability Goals
• Fastned acquires 10 new locations off Belgian highways
• New York City Department of Sanitation Goes Electric

Show #1135.
 
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 6th July. It’s  Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
 
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.
 
VOLKSWAGEN TO SELL STAKE IN ELECTRIFY AMERICA
 
- Volkswagen is to sell a stake in its electric vehicle charging unit Electrify America, two people familiar with the matter said, as the carmaker looks for outside funds to build infrastructure for battery-powered cars.
 
- Set up in the aftermath of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal that broke in the United States, Electrify America plans to spend $2 billion in the 2017-2026 period to expand charging stations for electric vehicles (EV).
 
- Charging infrastructure has attracted several sectors, including utilities, carmakers and big oil firms, all hoping to cash in on a rising demand for electricity in the wake of a global EV rollout. Sources told Reuters last week that Renault and Shell were both interested in becoming co-owners in Ionity, the European EV charging joint venture owned by BMW Hyundai, Ford, Daimler and VW.
 
 
 
 
PREMIUM ELECTRIC CAR OF THE YEAR 2021: HYUNDAI IONIQ 5
 
- The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the 2021 Auto Express Premium Electric Car of the Year, with the Audi Q4 e-tron and Tesla Model 3 commended
 
- With the Ioniq 5, Hyundai has stepped up a level from its already highly-rated Kona Electric. Here, the Korean brand has aimed for the premium territory, and it’s nailed the brief at its first attempt.
 
- Like the Hyundai, the Audi Q4 e-tron is a very recent newcomer to the segment – and it runs our winner close. Practicality is staggering for the car’s modest footprint, and on the move it’s comfortable and easy to drive. However, the Q4 must play second best to the Ioniq because it can’t keep up with its more advanced charging tech.
 
- the Model 3 seems like an old-timer in this segment now, such is the rate of progress. However, it remains tough to beat in some areas – in particular the ease of access to its Supercharger network, and its huge touchscreen display. Elsewhere, it doesn’t quite feel as sophisticated as the newest rivals,
 
 
CAR AND DRIVER'S 2021 EV OF THE YEAR
 
- If an automaker wanted to convert people from EV skeptics to EV evangelists, it's hard to imagine a better vehicle for the job than the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It arrives in the familiar shape and size of the crossovers Americans love, at a price that competes with gas-powered alternatives, and with a design that gets noticed. The Mach-E has the range and charging speed to wave off the most common EV criticisms, and thanks to Electrify America's recent work, there's a nationwide charging network that makes long interstate trips not just possible but tolerable. For new EV converts, piloting a Mach-E isn't so different from driving a gas-burning SUV that it feels foreign, yet the experience is futuristic enough to be exciting. It's the right car to bring drivers along during this watershed moment as EVs transition from niche alternative to new normal.
 
 
BENTLEY REVEALS FLYING SPUR HYBRID
 
- Bentley Motors, the 102-year-old ultraluxury automaker under Volkswagen Group, revealed its newest hybrid model on Tuesday. The company says this latest iteration of the Flying Spur Hybrid is its most environmentally friendly vehicle yet.
 
- the new powertrain of the hybrid Flying Spur combines a 2.9 liter V6 engine with an electric motor. The engine achieves 410 HP and 550 Nm of torque up to 5,650 rpm, and the motor, which is located between the transmission and the engine, provides up to 134 HP
 
- 14.1 kWh lithium ion battery
 
 
GM FILES TO BRAND ETRUNK FOR ELECTRIC CAR FRONT TRUNK
 
- General Motors has filed to trademark ETRUNK, GM Authority has uncovered. The filing may be used in branding for a feature slated for a selection of GM’s upcoming electric cars, trucks, and utility vehicles.
 
- The trademark filing is likely a new brand name intended for use with a GM front truck feature (sometimes referred to as a “frunk”) slated for use in a selection of the automaker’s upcoming electric vehicles.
 
 
JLR RUMOURED TO BE AESC'S NEXT CUSTOMER
 
- Envisions CEO Lei Zhang said in an interview that Envision were in talks with Jaguar Land Rover, as well as other automobile manufacturers in the UK about the delivery of battery cells.
 
- Jaguar Land Rover has not reacted to the report. It is now known that the carmaker, which belongs to the Tata Group, has an increased need for battery cells: Under the new CEO Thierry Bolloré, the ‘Reimagine’ strategy was drawn up, according to which Jaguar is to become an all-electric brand from 2025.
 
 
ELECTRIC POLICE MOTORCYCLES HELP FLORIDA CITY MEET SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
 
- The Largo Police Department in Florida just got more efficient. The force recently added two new Zero electric motorcycles to its fleet, part of the city’s transition to all-renewable energy.
 
- Traffic officers say the electric motorcycles are smoother, faster and quieter.“It allows us to patrol the parks and trails,” said Sgt. Mike Blickensdorf, “without disturbing the citizens while not emitting exhaust.”
 
- In Florida, the EV opportunity is great. The state is home to more than 21 million residents, and passenger vehicles are responsible for 50 percent of criteria air pollutant emissions
 
- Due to its warm climate and hundreds of coastline miles, Florida is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change – rising sea level, high temperatures and storm surges.
 
 
FASTNED ACQUIRES 10 NEW LOCATIONS OFF BELGIAN HIGHWAYS
 
- Fastned, the European fast charging company, has acquired 10 new locations directly at entry- and exit-ramps along important Flemish highways.
 
- Fastned intends to realise fast charging stations at the locations where hundreds of electric vehicles can charge per day at a charging speed of up to 300 kW.
 
 
NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION GOES ELECTRIC
 
- Volvo Group’s subsidiary Mack Trucks announced today that the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) plans to purchase seven Mack® LR Electric refuse models, which will operate in each of the city’s boroughs. Mack made the announcement during WasteExpo 2021
 
- The world’s largest municipal sanitation department, DSNY collects about 12,000 tons of refuse and recyclables daily with more than 6,000 vehicles
 
- The three-mode regenerative braking system accounts for the refuse truck’s increasing load throughout the day and helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes each day.
 
 
  QUESTION OF THE WEEK WITH EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM
 
If you had to buy one electric car today and it was the only car you were allowed to drive for the next three years, what would you choose? And why. I'll go first. VW ID.4 GTX
 
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