Tim Mahoney, Peter Adams.
“But the reality is that there’s a finite market for Volt, and it’s geographical. California is the epicenter; it’s not about selling Volt in Oklahoma.”
The marketing strategy for the upcoming Chevy Volt will be different, says Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mahoney. GM acknowledges that the EV is not a mass-market vehicle, but speaks to a very specific group of buyers. Also in geographical terms.
forbes.com
“We’ve had numerous people asking to buy the display car. Many have said to me: name your price.”
Peter Adams, BMW sales manager in the UK confirms that the i8 has already sold out, before even hitting the road in Great Britain. At this point, there is a ten-months waiting list for the electric sportscar.
telegraph.co.uk
New Volt teased: GM confirmed that it will show the next generation of its plug-in bestseller at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2015. However, apart from a teaser image not much information has been revealed about the new Volt yet.
The Model S lost weight since the start of production, shedding a few hundred pounds already. This could be one of the reasons why it has also became faster and now accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, 0.5 sec less than before and can also go a few extra miles per charge.
“It is in Tesla’s interest to under-sell expectations of the Model X’s capabilities while it is still in the early stages of the global roll-out of the Model S.”
“A 2,500-dollar rebate to purchase an electric vehicle is not likely to matter to someone earning over 300,000 dollars a year, but it does make a big difference to someone earning 60k a year. Every community deserves clean air, regardless of wealth.”
Full service offer: Volkswagen and Audi will come well prepared for the U.S. launch of the E-Golf and A3 e-tron. Their optional services include the installation of a Bosch wallbox and solar panels from SunPower. Furthermore, VW will cooperate with ChargePoint to give customers access to the 18,000 charging stations as well as installing them at VW dealers. The A3 comes with ‘Audi Energy,’ a clean energy package.
Flow-cell to go serial: nanoFLOWCELL is currently working with Bosch, PROCEDA and others on two prototypes of the QUANT e, head of technology Nuncio La Vecchia said. The companies want to increase performance as well as prepare the flow-cell vehicle for homologation.
“We see a very low penetration in other states, where there are fewer or no subsidies as in California, and there is a poor charging infrastructure. We need subsidies in all those states for ZEV. We need a public charging infrastructure and a political commitment from ZEV states.”
“We can drive demand up at will. But if drive it up too much, then people would get upset with us because they waited too long for their car….When I was visiting in China, the only unhappiness I saw was…because customers were upset about waiting too long for their car. So it’s like, boy, we better not stoke demand in that situation.”
“The cruising distance is so short for EVs, and the charging time is so long […] At the current level of technology, somebody needs to invent a Nobel Prize winning type battery.”
Siemens to build electric motorway: According to Spiegel Online, Siemens was awarded the contract to electrify a section of the Interstate 710 in California. As early of July 2015, electric lorries equipped with Siemens’ eHighway overhead contact lines technology will be tested for at least one year as part of the “Zero Emission Corridor” demonstration project.
“Though the majority of the electric vehicle companies have shut their business in the past two years, we hope that the industry can still be revived if NEMMP2020 is implemented in the next three to four months. The NEMMP is therefore the lifeline on which the fate of the electric vehicle industry is hanging.”
All-electric race cars: When Spanish Quimera presented their AEGT Evo2 electric racer last year, they created quite a stir in the world of motor sports. Quimera keeps moving and now published first renderings of its AEGF which is said to come with “Formula 1 specifications.”
“If it doesn’t get up and running in time for Model 3, that’s a major financial blow for the company.”
“We receive numerous requests, and notice that a growing number of companies are interested in e-mobility.”
Electric super bike: The Slovenian manufacturer Custom North developed a truly special electric motorbike. The TEM01 comes with a 294-kW motor, that powers the rear wheel with 530 Nm. A finger print sensor will start the bike. However, so far only one prototype exists, which was built for promotion purposes.
“California is rolling out the carpet for Californians who choose these ultra-clean hydrogen powered electric cars and for the companies that make them.”
Plug-in orders open: In Europe, the Audi A3 E-tron can now be pre-ordered from 37,900 euros (50,740 dollars). By December, it will be available in 410 stores and Audi promised to install at least one charge station at every dealership. For home charging, the carmaker offers an installation service and ‘Audi Energy’.
Wireless front charger: Researchers from the German Fraunhofer IISB have developed a new inductive charger. The system does not charge the EV from underneath but at the front. The car can get closer, basically touching the charger, which means the system requires smaller coils. It is thus more efficient, more cost-effective and safer as it less likely for the energy flow to be interrupted.