Reading tip: Siemens is to build California’s first eHighway, as we reported yesterday. Now, the story is breaking in English so dig in to get all the details.
electriccarsreport.com, greencarcongress.com
Video tip: Tesla does not have to invest in advertising as its devoted followers take the company as an inspiration for clips like this. The maker of the “Origins” spot surely is also a fan of ‘Dune,’ but replaced the sandworm with a rattlesnake.
vimeo.com
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.
spiegel.de (in German), metro.net (project homepage)
New BYD joint venture: The Chinese company partners with the Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) to produce electric buses together. Of the newly formed ‘Guangzhou Guangqi BYD New Energy Bus Company Ltd,’ BYD owns 51%. The JV will take up official trading immediately.
gasgoo.com, ecns.cn
BMW 7 to be unveiled 2015: Auto News says the German carmaker will present the 2016 version of its 7 series at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September next year. The BMW 7 will sit on the ’35up’ platform that is made of carbon and aluminium and will also come as a hybrid version.
autonews.com, indianautosblog.com
Electrified Ford F-150: ALTe, the company that turns Ford’s classic pickups into a plug-in hybrids is now touring the States with its offering. The company, which was founded by three ex-Tesla workers (we reported) is currently trying to become part of Ford’s EQVM program which would make them a “preferred supplier” and their conversion of the F-150 somewhat official.
green.autoblog.com
E-Golf review: Hilton Holloway spices up his test drive with technological facts and finds the electric Volkswagen “as polished in its engineering details as the mainstream models,” while the electric components only add to the experience and set it above the Nissan Leaf.
autocar.co.uk
In total, 5,693 EVs were sold in July in the States, almost twice as many as in the same month last year (+42.5%). Plug-in hybrid sales were growing too, with 5,740 units sold, a plus of 64%. In Europe, Norway remains strong with 1,497 EVs sold. There, for the first time, the VW e-Golf takes the lead (480) with the Nissan Leaf (313) and the e-Up (200) following on second and third.
hybridcars.com (USA), ev-sales.blogspot.co.uk (Norway)
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EV testing in Dresden: The Technical University of the Saxon city is currently building a new vehicle test centre for 24 million euros. 15 test benches, four laboratories and one hall for simulation will make the “Institute for Automobile Technology Dresden” (IAD) one of the most modern ones in Europe. VW, BMW and Audi already expressed interest in working together with the university. But first, the TU will help Dresden’s public transport provider (DVB) to prepare the start of its new e-bus line in 2015.
dnn-onlie.de (in German)
Spray-on solar cells: Researchers from Sheffield University have developed solar cells that can be sprayed on like paint, on an EV for example. The cells are made from perovskite and can reach an efficiency of up to 19%. The current prototype reaches 11%.
sheffield.ac.uk
Metal-organic supercapacitor: A study by Korean researchers shows, that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be enriched with graphene and, if made as nanocrystals, be used as supercapacitors. Their new material is said to be stable for more than 10,000 cycles while achieving six times the capacitance of other supercapacitors.
kaist.ac.kr
Hydrogen storage investment: Anglo American Platinum invested in Hydrogenious Technologies, a spin-off of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. They developed a method to store H2 similar to fuels by binding the hydrogen molecules to liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs).
greencarcongress.com
Most clicked link on Tuesday was the news about Mini possibly going hybrid and electric as early as next year.
autonews.com
“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.”
Sohinder Gill, Director of the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) and CEO of Hero Electric, on India’s plans to try to revive the domestic electric vehicle industry with a 2.3-billion dollar incentive programme.
bike-eu.com
Click tip: The EV Explorer by UC Davis will show you the cost of your commute, comparing four different cars of your choice like the Volt, Prius or Leaf – you name it.
gis.its.ucdavis.edu (EV Explorer) via green.autoblog.com
Reading tip: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is looking at (irrational) range anxiety and how to get rid of years of conditioning at the hands of the oil industry.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
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Electric city car: Nissan and Mitsubishi are planning to build a low-cost EV based on a minicar, Nikkei reports. The two Japanese companies have formed a 50:50 joint venture and want to offer the electric car for 1.5 million yen (14,600 dollars) including subsidies. The launch is set for 2016/17.
nikkei.com
More EVs from India: Mahindra Reva is looking at bringing more electric cars to market. Apart from new versions of the e2o (we reported), the Verito, Maximo and Gio models will be electrified soon, Mahindra CEO Chetan Maini announced.
newindianexpress.com
ZAP to double EV production: The Sino-American ZAP Jonway is concentrating its production in China on EVs and away from petrol-powered cars. The move follows the Chinese government’s decision to foster electric transport (we reported). ZAP plans to introduce new models by October.
prnewswire.com
ForFour Electric Drive confirmed: Smart has confirmed that it will issue an electric version of its small city car that sits four, but not before 2016. Until then, the Smart ED of 2013 will remain the Daimler subsidiary’s only EV currently in production.
worldcarfans.com
Electric Mini around the corner? According to Automotive News an electric or hybrid version of the Mini could be issued as early as next year. The platform of the 2015 Mini Cooper provides for all types of drives and BMW has gathered experience with the electric Mini E demonstration cars.
autonews.com, transportevolved.com
NRG tightens bond with FuelCell Energy: NRG Energy is investing 35 million dollars in stocks of the fuel cell power plant provider. Furthermore, a 40-million dollar revolving construction and term loan facility for FuelCell Energy will be established by NRG.
greencarcongress.com
Germany saw 597 EVs being registered in July, making it a comparatively weak month for electric car sales (810 in June, 934 in May). The Swedes however, bought 412 EVs last month, about four times as many as in July 2013. For Ireland, sales of 46 EVs also make an increase of the market share which is now at 0.21% compared to last year’s 0.08%.
kba.de (Germany in German), ev-sales.blogspot.de (Sweden), ev-sales.blogspot.de (Ireland)
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.”
electricautosport.com
Dream big and electric: Icon has come up with the Helios, a rather iconic looking road cruiser which the company seeks to commission. Founder Jon Ward is hoping for Elon Musk to share his Model X platform with him while designer Ralph Lauren would be Ward’s favoured first customer.
topgear.com
Swiss win: The Formula Student Electric team from ETH Zürich took the first place at the recent competition at Hockenheim. Second-best was the team of German Stuttgart Uni leaving the Dutch three-time winner Delft University of Technology behind.
electricautosport.com
More Li-sulfur: Researchers at the University of Texas say they increased the capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries by using titanium disulfide and sulfur for the cathode. Meanwhile, British OXIS Energy and Multi Source Power Technologies (MSP) will jointly develop Li-sulfur batteries for ships and boats and aim to launch by spring 2015.
greencarcongress.com (Texas Uni), greencarcongress.com (OXIS/MSP)
Most clicked link on Monday was the ‘Short Circuit’ with the Youtube clip of Koodo’s mobile charging station.
youtube.com
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Tesla spokes man Simon Sproule on the planned Gigafactory. The company is looking for a ten-percent investment (about 500m dollars) by whichever state in which it will eventually set up its facility.
forbes.com
Ed Frederiks, CEO of Alphabet International, recognises a growing interest from fleet managers for electric vehicles which the consultancy strives to answer with the AlphaElctric programme.
europeanceo.com
Reading tip: Auto Express is providing an in-depth review of each the BMW i8 and Porsche 911 but also compared the legend with the hybrid hero of the future.
autoexpress.co.uk
Video tip: Xcar tested the BMW i8 to see if it drives as good as it looks. To top it up, their 14-minute video sports some pretty nice views and driving pictures, too.
youtube.com via autoblog.com
BMW i3 with fuel cell? By 2016, BMW plans to issue a model with the fuel cell system of the Toyota FCV, Craig Scott of Toyota USA told Motoring. The i3 would be the most likely candidate and packaging of the fuel cell components being on of the challenges, reckons Scott.
motoring.com.au
PHEV van by Via Motors: The U.S. manufacturer will start production of its plug-in hybrid van at the end of September in its Mexico plant. The Via PHEV van will be priced at around 80,000 dollars. The first potential customer is FedEx, which considers to buy up to 5,000 units.
green.autoblog.com
Pimped Prius: Toyota announced its plans for a special edition of its hybrid pioneer, the ‘Persona Series.’ It will feature some special elements such as 17-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors and will come in two colours: ‘Blizzard Pearl’ and ‘Absolutely Red.’
autoblog.com
City EV from Russia: The Russian start up Bravo Motors presented its electric two seater eGo, which also might be offered in Europe. The eGo is said to go up to 90 kph with a range of 70 kilometres. The company aims to sell the eGo starting next summer for a price of 20,000 dollars.
sk.ru
GenZe ready to order: The U.S. subsidiary of Mahindra, which just set up its new headquarters in Fremont close to Tesla, is now taking pre-orders for their 3,000-dollar e-scooter. The first GenZe scooters with removable battery system will be delivered in December.
mercurynews.com
Toyota Prius vs Lexus CT 200h: While both vehicles share the same drivetrain, and, according to Matt Keegan, “exceptional fuel economy,” he found differences too. The most obvious are in the styling of the Lexus which however falls short to “apply the luxury mantle,” in Keegan’s eyes.
autotrends.org
In July 3,019 Nissan Leafs were sold in the States, 62 percent more than in the same month last year. The Chevy Volt had to take the back seat with 2,020 units purchased. The newbie, BMW i3 found 363 buyers, a few more than in June (358).
greencarreports.com, green.autoblog.com, hybridcars.com
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.
tem01.eu, customnorth.com
Battery for a lifetime: NTS Works from California presented its ‘Lifetime Rebuildable Battery’ for electric vehicles, which is based on standardised Samsung cells. The system enables the exchange of single, faulty cells and to retrofit cells with higher energy density.
evfleetworld.co.uk, pv-magazine.com
New cathode for Li-sulfur batteries: Researchers from China together with American colleagues from Berkeley Lab have developed a new cathode for Li-sulfur batteries, that holds the promise of high capacity and cycle stability. After 2,000 cycles, it had reached a coulombic efficiency of 97%.
greencarcongress.com
Dunlop’s ‘Future Race Car’ by designer Sergio Rinland combines ideas of industry experts and motor sport fans collected at the ‘Dunlop Future Race Car Challenge’ in one virtual design. The futuristic racer gives no chance to petrol anymore but is instead powered by a fuel cell that powers four electric motors.
pistonheads.com
Tesla CEO Elon Musk was unusually secretive and is thus fuelling speculation what the Calfornian carmaker might have up his sleeve.
businessinsider.com
This is Mary D. Nichols, Chairman of the Air Resources Board. Her statement is backed by considerate funding initiatives towards the Golden State’s declared goal of 1.5 million ZEVs by 2025.
greencarcongress.com
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Video tip: In its latest video, BMW offers an insight of what went into planning and building its i3 – with special appearances of Ulrich Kranz, head of BMW i and the EV’s designer Benoit Jacob.
youtube.com
Click tip: Toyota launched a website for its i-Road. Maybe this means serial production is near? So far, the i-Road can be seen testing in France.
toyota-global.com via motoring.com.au
Tesla and Panasonic announced the details of the Gigafactory deal: Tesla will be responsible for the premises, whereas Panasonic will invest in the equipment required to manufacture battery cells and will occupy one half of the facility to do so. The other half will be used by suppliers to prepare cell production and by Tesla to assemble battery backs. No details have been made public on the sums to be invested.
teslamotors.com, transportevolved.com, green.autoblog.com
Further updates on Tesla were published in the latest letter addressed to Tesla’s shareholders. According to it, Model S production is on track to reach 1,000 cars a month in the fourth quarter and achieve the 35,000 vehicle delivery target set for 2014. In the second quarter, Tesla was able to set a new production record with 8,763 cars, an 16% increase over Q1. In terms of the Gigafactory, ground was broken in Reno, NV, but four other states are also still in the running: Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Model X production will commence in Spring 2015.
forbes.com (Reno), greencarreports.com (Q2), files.shareholder.com (Shareholder Letter)
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’.
noodls.com
Ready to order, too, is the Mercedes S500 plug-in, which is set to arrive at European dealerships in September. Pricing starts at 108,944 euros (146,000 dollars) and includes a six-year warranty on all components of the plug-in hybrid drive. The new S500 is Daimler’s third hybrid S-Class after the S400 Hybrid and S300 Bluetec Hybrid, but the first with a plug.
greencarcongress.com, hybridcars.com
China to subsidise EV charging: China announced it would bring down energy prices for charging EVs to the level of heavy industry use and also exempt them from basic fees until 2020. Furthermore, the National Development and Reform Commission urged local governments to facilitate the installation of charging infrastructure.
shanghaidaily.com, chinadaily.com.cn, ecns.cn
Another death of an electric car: Honda has now confirmed that it will kill the Fit EV. The production in the States will stop already this autumn, Edmunds reports with reference to a Honda spokesperson. The hybrid Honda Insight will be ceased by the end of this year (we reported).
edmunds.com
Electric Infiniti by 2017? While the company has not set a date for the introduction of its electric Infiniti LE, Automotive News said it learned that the e limousine will be ready by 2017 or latest 2018. It will then feature a next-gen battery with a longer range than the usual 90 miles.
autonews.com, insideevs.com
A whooping 29,238 plug-in cars were sold worldwide in June, setting a new record. Never before have so many EVs and plug-in hybrids been sold in a single month. On top of the list is the Nissan Leaf (4,794), ahead of Tesla (3,933) and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (3,133).
ev-sales.blogspot.co.uk
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.
phys.org, greencarcongress.com
Hybrid battery: Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have build a hybrid battery that combines the advantages of lithium and magnesium. The developers reported strong rate performance and cycling stability. Furthermore, magnesium “is low-cost, safe and environmentally benign.”
greencarcongress.com
Tesla lemon: Ironically, car tester Edmunds seems to have picked the lemon among the Model S for its long-term test that started 17 months ago. By now, the Tesla had its motor exchanged three times and also got a new battery and display already among other flaws.
edmunds.com
Most clicked link on Thursday was Autobild‘s report about future electric cars from Audi. You can find some Englisch links below in the service.
autobild.de (in German)
Joe Nolan, IIHS vice president for vehicle research, is offering some reassurance for EVs which just lately failed a new crash test (we reported).
cnbc.com (with video)
Video tip: Size does not always matter, at least not in the first few seconds, as this video shows where Smart put its Electric Drive up against the big guns in the need for speed aka a drag race.
youtube.com
Audi is taking on electric cars, as we reported yesterday. Now, Auto Evolution, Car Advice and Indianautosblog have picked up on the story, bringing you all the missing details on Audi’s plan to fight Tesla as well as the BMW i3 with electric cars of its own, which will have at least 500 kilometres of range.
autoevolution.com, caradvice.com.au, indianautosblog.com
Audi taking on electric cars? German Autobild reports, the carmaker is working on a fully electric Audi Q6 with a said range of 700 kilometres to take on Tesla by 2017. Only a year later, an all new A2Q might follow with a 500-kilometre range to be pitched against BMW’s i3. The Audi EVs will be based on VW’s modular vehicle platform (MQB) but feature an independent design. E-xciting times ahead!
autobild.de (in German)
Toyota-BMW collaboration: The two manufacturers have been developing their joint sports car for two years and slowly it is taking shape. By 2017, Toyota will offer it as the Supra plug-in hybrid with three electric drives while the BMW version will succeed the Z4, possibly as Z5, and might feature a different drive.
motoring.com.au, bmwblog.com
Mahindra e2o line to be expanded: Mahindra is adding two new variants of its electric car. The T2O is equipped with power steering is already being offered online. Furthermore, a four-door version of the e2o to provide easier access to the backseats is under development.
indiancarsbikes.in
Volt scores while Leaf crashes poorly: The ‘small overlap frontal crash test’ of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ended with an “acceptable” rating for Chevy’s Volt. The Nissan Leaf, however, got a “poor” with risks of injury for the driver but scored a “good” rating overall.
insideevs.com, transportevolved.com, iihs.org (with Video)
Six millions for Sevcon: The EV technology firm is asking its shareholders for 6 million pounds (10m dollars). The money is to expand the business by doubling the number of engineers to 80 and to recruit more Sevcon sales personnel globally.
bdaily.co.uk, thenorthernecho.co.uk
Up to 30,000 dollars in incentives is what buyers of Toyota’s upcoming FCV might claim in the Japanese Aichi prefecture. If plans go ahead, one third would be coming from the municipality itself, while the other 20,000 is granted by the State of Japan (we reported).
green.autoblog.com
To get 1,000,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids onto European roads might take until 2025, according to Transport & Environment. Their estimation is based on sales over the past years. Next year, T&E forecasts 100,000 while half a million will be reached in 2021 – if the growth rate does not increase that is…
transportenvironment.org via thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Foreign “domestic” production: Toyota Motor Auto Parts has started localised production of continuously variable transmissions (CVT) in China. It is the first time for the company to produce transmissions outside Japan and it will be followed by another premiere in 2015, when production of transaxles for hybrid vehicles is set to start.
greencarcongress.com, toyota.co.jp
American-Hungarian e-bus: Inter Tan-ker from Hungary will equip its electric mini bus with UQM Technologies’ PowerPhase motor and controller. The electric bus has a said range of 300 kilometres and will be the first to be be approved for road use by the Hungarian National Transport Authority.
wsj.com, businesswire.com
New testing systems: Sakor Technologies is now offering a complete test bench for electric and hybrid vehicles. The system includes AccuDyne AC motoring dynamometers, a DC battery simulator, and a DynoLAB PT data acquisition and control system. Another testing system for electric drives and inverters is being offered by HBM.
greencarcongress.com (Sakor), hybridcars.com (HBM)
QUANT e fully explained: Kelly Taylor scrutinises the car that “runs on saltwater,” or, in technical terms, with NanoFlowcell technology. To get a better understanding of the 800-hp sports car, Taylor even ventures into the relative depths of fuel cells and the origins of flow cell technology in 1976.
thechronicleherald.ca
Most clicked link on Wednesday was the news about the addition of new electric bicycles to Specialized’s Turbo line.
bike-eu.com
Audi’s chief developer Ulrich Hackenberg sees the upcoming Q7 diesel-hybrid as a vehicle to introduce the fuel to the States and said “Diesel will remain one of the core values” of the German brand.
europe.autonews.com
Mark Duvall, Electric Power Research Institute, at the Plug-In Conference in San Jose, California, where he said that EVs are not an exception anymore but have arrived in every day life.
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com
Cliff Fietzek, manager of connected e-mobility at BMW, who was at the same conference could not agree more with what Duvall said.
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com
Reading tip: Laurent J. Masson is anything else than impressed with the new BMW i charger as he finds it far too slow at 24 kW for deserving the name of a fast charger or being able to compete with those on the market already.
motornature.com
Click tip: Six info graphics show the rise of the electric car in the States and how rising petrol prices or charging infrastructure drive the change.
vox.com
Video tip: Translogic’s Jonathan Buckley went to Los Angeles to check out if the Cadillac ELR has any chance to live up to its price tag.
autoblog.com
Details on Gigafactory deal: Tesla and Panasonic have agreed on the basics for the planned mega battery facility. The carmaker will be responsible for the property while the Japanese will possibly invest 20 to 30 billion yen (194-291 million dollars) into machinery. At a later date, Panasonic’s investment might go up to one billion dollars. Nothing is official yet though the formal announcement might be made tomorrow when Tesla publishes its quarterly figures.
asia.nikkei.com, chargedevs.com, greencarreports.com
Fuel cell Future: “Mirai” means “future” in Japanese and will apparently be the name of Toyota’s FCV, Bloomberg reports quoting an insider. The carmaker has not yet confirmed the name but Mirai is registered as a trademark in the U.S. already.
bloomberg.com via transportevolved.com
Specialized is committed to e-bikes and introduces two more pedelec models to join their Turbo offering. While the original Turbo S is a speed pedelec (45 kph) the new Turbo 25 and the Turbo 25 X feature very similar technology and an integrated battery but with electric support only up to 25 kph.
bike-eu.com
Special edition i8: Ahead of the U.S. launch of the hybrid sports car, BMW will present the “Concours d’Elegance Edition” at the show of the same name at Pebble Beach, California. The special i8 comes in an unique colour and with special interior and will be auctioned off at the event on August 16th.
green.autoblog.com, electriccarsreport.com
It’s all in the gearing: When Green Car Reports pitched a Chevy Spark EV against the Fiat 500e, the testers noticed that at city speeds the small Italian felt and was much quicker than its American counterpart, which has better power ratings. Chief engineer for the Fiat 500e, Brett Giem, solved the riddle: gearing, which is 9.6:1 reduction in the 500e, vs 3:1 in the Spark EV.
greencarreports.com
Some 4,903 green stickers of the 15,000 additionally granted by the Californian ARB has been claimed in only three weeks. The decals give drivers of hybrids and range-extended EVs access to HOV lanes and are apparently in high demand.
transportevolved.com
F1 technology in London buses: Go-Ahead has ordered GKN Power Hybrid to retrofit 500 buses with its electric flywheel system called Gyrodrive Kinetic Energy Recovery System. It includes the flywheel, as well as the company’s EVO electric motor, gearbox, and installation. The buses will come to London one by one over the next two years and are said to save up to 20% fuel.
transportengineer.org.uk, greencarcongress.com
Cadillac to charge wireless: Evatran will be offering its inductive charging system for the Cadillac ELR by the end of this year. The system is already available for the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt. Furthermore, Evatran announced it would soon include two more premium models but has not specified which yet.
greencarcongress.com, ecomento.com
Hyundai on 48 volts: LG Chem has developed a 48-V litium-ion battery to be exclusively used in SUVs by Hyundai to power the on-board electronics. It will replace the 12-V system in a not yet specified electric SUV set for launch in 2017. Furthermore, by implementing 48-volt systems carmakers can adopt electric drive technologies more easily than by using dual-battery systems.
koreatimes.co.kr
Battery simulation tool: CD-adapco has completed the development of a software providing seamless integration between the work of electrochemists and thermal engineers designing batteries together. The tool is part of the DoE project CAEBAT (Computer Aided Engineering of Electric Drive Batteries) which started back in 2011.
newswire.ca
Most clicked link on Tuesday was our review of the Audi A3 e-tron that our editor-in-chief took for a spin around Vienna.
electrive.com
Luke Tonachel, senior analyst of the Natural Resources Defense Council, believes that dealers are (partly) to blame for the slow uptake of EVs. His belief is based on research by the University of California-Davis.
wardsauto.com
Takehiko Kikuchi, CEO of Nissan Korea, leaves no doubt that he believes in the Japanese company’s strategy to go all electric or nothing.
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
Lexus’ VP of Marketing, Brian Smith, admits that his brand might have lost a few customers to Tesla but does not think there is a problem with the Lexus offering as such.
insideevs.com
“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.”
“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.”
“In the past, we’ve shown all of our cards. So people have kind of gotten used to us showing all of our cards. We’re currently not showing all our cards.”
“California is rolling out the carpet for Californians who choose these ultra-clean hydrogen powered electric cars and for the companies that make them.”
“We measure thermo and electrical properties of the battery. We look at its integrity in the vehicle and in neither case for these crash tests or in any of the crash tests we’ve conducted of the Leaf or the Volt did we see a problem with the batteries.”
“The hybrid will be another argument to go for diesel in the U.S.”
“In Santa Clara County over ten percent of new vehicles sales are plug-in vehicles. So it’s not just that you know someone who knows someone that owns a vehicle; it’s now every day.”
“It’s not a niche market anymore.”
“There are people coming in to dealerships who are very enthusiastic, but yet they are being turned off by someone who doesn’t really know the technology.”
“As consumers realise the EV is more economical, hybrids will no longer have meaning.”
“They’ll probably come back. I think the question remains to be seen how many people will buy a second Tesla.”