Month: February 2023 (Page 3 of 13)

VW Wolfsburg transforming from ICE to EV

2023-02-23 / Robert Vinet

Europe’s largest car manufacturing complex – Volkswagen‘s main plant in Germany – is launching a massive retraining campaign to train and develop production employees for upcoming electric models.

Following on from the Zwickau and Emden passenger car plants, the Wolfsburg factory will also become an electric vehicle factory over the next few years, VW says. This fundamental transformation is not only to be grounded in specialist training, but also has an emotional side: The Wolfsburg factory has opened an eMotionRoom where over the coming months 22,000 production employees can enjoy an entertaining experience of the transformation process from ICE to electric vehicles.

Read David Leggett’s whole article at Just Auto

EV charging infrastructure at motorway services across UK are receiving a much needed upgrade

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

National Highways has made an £8 million investment in energy storage systems, destined for motorway service stations where the electricity supply is insufficient at present.

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The seven motorway services identified for the energy storage system roll-out are:

Beaconsfield on the M40
Corley on the M6 northbound
Clacket Lane on the M25, both eastbound and westbound
Maidstone on the M20
Taunton on the M5 northbound
Tebay on the M6 northbound

More » Motoring Research

How much EV range is enough? That depends

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

Wonderful article by Arthur Frederick (Fritz) Hasler, PhD, former leader of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization & Analysis Laboratory »

I’ve owned Nissan LEAFs with ranges of 81 miles, 115 miles, and 150 miles. My first Nissan LEAF had a 24 kWh battery. I now own a Tesla Model 3 Long Range with an EPA range rating of 310 miles and a 75 kWh battery. The longest cross-country trip I dared to make with my 2nd and 3rd Nissan LEAFs was 265 miles. Now I routinely make 1500 mile trips with my Model 3 driving 500 miles/day just like I did with my gasmobile.

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The average mileage driven by US car owners is about 40 miles a day, so some experts think an EV range of 200 miles should be adequate for most drivers. I recently met a man who takes this philosophy to the limit. He purchased a cheap, used, 81-mile-rated LEAF with a degraded battery that now has a range of only 40 miles. His commute to work is 10 miles and he was able to get his employer to put in a charger, so the car works fine for his commute. He has another car that he uses if he wants to make longer trips.

VW ID Buzz buyers offered chance to cut 18-month wait

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

Those who have preordered a new electric VW ID Buzz may be able to slash waiting times by almost 11 months if they amend some of their options.

One of the most time-saving, the German firm said, is choosing single-tone paint, which if opted for (there are six colours) over the more expensive two-tone alternatives (four), will mean delivery in seven months, rather than up to 18.

More » Autocar

More Porsche cars to gain all-electric power sooner than expected

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

Porsche will extend the lifespan of the current-generation Porsche Cayenne – which remains comfortably its best-selling car – with a significant round of updates aimed at sustaining its appeal past the middle of the decade, but development is already under way on an electric successor.

Expected to launch in 2026, around two years after the delayed Porsche Macan EV and a year before the marque’s new K1 range-topping SUV, the electric Cayenne will provide its maker with a crucial zero-emission alternative to the car that has underpinned its dramatic growth trajectory over the past two decades.

The Cayenne EV – an official name for which has not been confirmed – will use the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture as its smaller Macan sibling and the closely related Audi Q6 E-tron due by the end of this year.

More » Autocar

New research shows that satisfaction with the car buying process declined again in 2022

2023-02-20 / Robert Vinet

The 2022 Car Buyer Journey Study released by Cox Automotive reveals vehicle buyers were frustrated with high prices, limited availability, and the amount of time required to complete the process.

Meanwhile, the latest survey showed that 87% of EV buyers are open to the idea of buying fully online, while 73% of buyers of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are open to ecommerce solutions.

Volvo Cars is on track for cost parity between BEV and ICE-powered vehicles by 2025

2023-02-19 / Robert Vinet

VolvoEX90

The company’s chief commercial officer and deputy CEO Bjorn Annwall told CarExpert that, unlike some brands that persist with internal combustion development, Volvo’s commitment to be a battery electric vehicle company by 2030 means it has a potential for cost parity by mid-decade.

“I think it’s really important that you get cost parity between BEV and ICE,” Mr Annwall said.

“Our whole technical roadmap is geared to achieve exactly that, that by mid-decade, the cost for BEV should be same as ICE. And that’s the reason we need to work on optimising the full flow in a different way to get that out.

Read the whole article at CarExpert »