The new version of Nissan’s bestselling electric car with a 60 kWh battery had been expected for some time. Yet, the Japanese carmaker has stepped back from launching the Leaf just now and said they would wait until the controversy around ex-CEO Ghosn flares down.
Following the arrest of top executive Carlos Ghosn, Nissan wants to put the alliance with Renault to the test. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa hinted as much when calling the business “not equal”. Still, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi are prepared to meet and the French state wants its say as well.
Renault-Nissan and Daimler may make some cooperative efforts to include battery and autonomous driving technology. At least their executives, namely Carlos Ghosn and Dieter Zetsche saw chances to work more closely together when speaking to the press in Paris.
The already closely cooperating car manufacturers Renault and Nissan are considering merging their companies entirely. The goal would be to establish one large entity, capable of defining future industry developments such as electric and shared mobility.
“We are not at all jealous on the contrary. I consider that the more Tesla advances, the more Tesla develops and the more it helps us.”
Being quite the EV ambassador himself, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn tips his hat for his colleague at Tesla and his mission for vision. theqtimes.com
“Currently, a kilowatt hour costs about 100 euros depending on the model. Only when we come well below that price, will E-mobility in volume segments be interesting.”
Peter Mertens, Audi’s new head of technical development, claim is rather astonishing given that his price is the lowest named by any carmaker to date. In the same interview he also strengthened Audi’s commitment to diesel. insideevs.com, auto-motor-und-sport.de (original source in German)
Tesla growth: The EV maker posted the 4th quarter results and increased its automotive revenue by almost 80 percent to 1.994bn dollars. Still, Tesla not put of the red as net loss stood at 121m dollars. Orders for both the Model S and X grew by 50 percent year-on-year. Also, the Model 3 is underway as planned. Limited production is to start in July before it is ramped up to 5,000 units per week in Q4 2017. greencarcongress.com, electrek.co, letter to shareholders (pdf)
Ghosn goes as Nissan CEO: Carlos Ghosn will step down as Nissan CEO this April but will remain chairman of Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault, where he is also CEO. Lifelong Nissan employee Hiroto Saikawa will take over the daily business of the company, while 62 year old Ghosn is to bring Mitsubishi back on track. autocar.co.uk
EV surprise: Renault says it got a concept packed for Geneva but did not liberate more information than that it is battery-electric. Launch is set at a press conference on March, 7. carscoops.com, renault.com
An environmental policy paper from Scottish Conservatives suggests free parking for electric cars as well as use of bus and taxi lanes and lists a fond for charging infrastructure. While the plan also includes renewables, the conservatives see nuclear power plants as part of the path to a low carbon economy. scottishconservatives.com, eveningtimes.co.uk
Cadillac XT3 PHEV? Cadillac’s XT3 is a compact crossover due by 2019 and it looks like it may be electrified. Spy shots show a flap where other GM EVs like the Bolt have their charge connectors. For Cadillac, a PHEV is most likely as the firm knows the technology from its hybrid CT6. greencarreports.com
VW e-Golf rated: 201 km or 125 miles is the range of the 2017 electric Volkswagen, according to EPA. It is a 50 percent increase over the previous e-Golf. 19 MPGe combined (28 kWh/100 miles), making it one of the most efficient electric vehicles on the U.S. market, where it will arrive in spring. greencarcongress.com, electrek.co
“When we started making EVs in 2008, there was no battery capable of supporting an electric car. So we decided to do it ourselves. The situation today in 2016 is completely different.”
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CEO Carlos Ghosn explains why Nissan is “going to rely more and more on batteries by existing suppliers,” thus moving away from its in-house production and towards “powerhouses” of the battery industry. forbes.com
“I’m still considering the Bolt. It had a lot of things nicer about it than the Tesla. But I’m concerned about how it would work on our favored road trips. So far, Tesla’s the only game in town for that.”
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has deviated from his initial plan to buy a Chevy Bolt and decided to go for another Tesla instead. Supercharging swung his vote. electrek.co
“The shift from combustion engines to electro-mobility will only massively take off between 2025 and 2030.”
Continental CEO Elmar Degenhart has guarded expectations for the EV market. He also does not expect any substantial earnings from the company’s e-mobility projects before the decade’s end. reuters.com
“As an alliance, we have more than a 50% market share for electric cars globally. So obviously, we want to maintain this leadership. Now with Mitsubishi, we are going to do even more to maintain leadership. But it means we are going to be commoners – electric platforms, motors, inverters – all the technical blocks that go with electric cars.”
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the Renault-Nissan alliance and now Mitsubishi, announced that the three carmakers will align and standardise their electric drive train technologies. nikkei.com
“We want to make sure that if you buy a new car, the battery is not dead after four years.”
Mercedes-Benz USA chief Dietmar Exler said even if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump were to loosen fuel efficiency requirements, the carmaker will go ahead with its EV strategy. But to go full throttle, battery technology still needs to improve. bizjournals.com
“Mechanical 4WD doesn’t make sense for us. Electric 4WD is more likely but not for some time.”
Koenigsegg here replied to a fan asking why the carmaker doesn’t have a four-wheel drive car. The carmaker confirmed that it has long-term plans to add one to its line-up. autocar.co.uk
“What we are seeing that in China what is really selling are the very low cost electric cars. This is where the market is moving.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is aiming to sell an all-electric car for about 8,000 dollars in China (we reported) and now told CNBC that this ultra-low priced EV could come to the market within in the next two years. cnbc.com
“Our view is that a hydrogen-based society is much more promising than a battery-based society. No one knows what the right source of electricity is, fuel cell or battery.”
According to Toyota’s European chief Didier Leroy, the Japanese carmaker does “not need to rush into EVs like some of our competitors, which have the immediate need to drastically reduce their average fleet CO2 emissions,” because Toyota and Lexus have already sold more than 9 million hybrids and 75,000 plug-in hybrids globally. autonews.com
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn on the new e-Power drive, which the Note model uses in Japan. He also referred to the European market but gave no timeline for a possible introduction. autonews.com
“We believe our lithium battery packs, which should be available next year, are more energy dense and weigh less than any vehicle production pack in the world.”
Says Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Motor, who also believes his firm could fit a 125 kWh battery in a Tesla Model S, or help the BMW i3 to a range of over 400 miles. electrek.co
“I think in this investment from here in the next 15 years, we can make 30 to 50 times our money.”
Billionaire buy-and-hold investor Ron Baron firmly believes in his Tesla investment and expects the share price to rise and rise and rise. cnbc.com
“We are in contact with other manufacturers and suppliers around the world to build a fast-charging network. It sounds easy but getting the details agreed is hard. We already have the clear technical concept. It can even work with Teslas, with an adapter.”
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume comments on the planned 800 Volt fast-charging system that Porsche is developing for the VW Group. Plans are apparently getting more concrete and will even give its biggest competitor a place to plug in. electrek.co
“Now we are setting a new target to ourselves and that’s to be the leader in electric premium vehicles – latest by 2025.”
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says the company will not only catch up to, but overtake Tesla as leader of the electric mobility market in less than a decade. The EQ brand introduced in Paris is to lead the way. electrek.co
“We will develop low-cost electric cars based on knowledge coming out of India, but deploy it in China, because that is where the market exists.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn wants to develop inexpensive EVs in India to sell in China. The Alliance worries about losing its place there to local players, who offer electric mobility for less. indiatimes.com
“What’s selling today in China are very low-priced EVs, that’s what is selling. […] And for this we will be working with our partner Dongfeng and we’ll soon be present in this market.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn hints at an upcoming low spec and low price electric vehicle to better capture the current Chinese market. transportevolved.com
“The probability of having an accident is 50 percent lower if you have Autopilot on. Even with our first version.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk explains exactly how safe and reliable the Tesla Autopilot really is. He hopes significant data and billions of kilometres of driving will prove the Autopilot’s safety to regulators and drivers. electrek.co
“Our research shows that more motorists than ever are perfectly suited to electric motoring and should consider a plug-in vehicle as their next car.”
Poppy Welch, head of UK Go Ultra Low government and automotive industry campaign talks about the exponential boost to the plug-in car market in the past year. Go Ultra Low hopes to populate UK roads with only zero emission vehicles by 2050. am-online.com
A total of 13,901 cars with alternative drivetrains were registered in Belgium by January 1st of this year. About 80 percent of those were electric and plug-in vehicles. Moreover, a majority of the cars are in business or leased cars. brusselstimes.com
“My personal view is that electric cars are a new start. Car design will change more in the next 15 years than it has in the past 100 – electrification will kickstart the biggest change in automotive design in history.”
Ian Callum, Jaguar’s head of design, sounds as if he is up for the challenge and even more so the chance that electrification offers designers. The luxury carmaker is expected to show a first concept electric Jaguar next year. autocar.co.uk
“The fact that so many people are willing to pay a down payment to get this car which becomes available at the end of 2017 is a good sign. Finally, good competition for EVs is picking up.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is taking the Tesla Model 3 craze as a good sign for the EV market as a whole and not so much as a threat for the best-selling Leaf that is sold the same price level (but with less range) already today. leftlanenews.com
“Comparing Tesla and Chevy is like comparing Apple and Microsoft. Brand matters.”
Aaron Gold from AutoExpress.com adds another angle to the competitors’ discussion. Price and performance may be one thing, name and image another. detroitnews.com
“As part of this effort, we will be driving down costs of batteries, inverters and other EV components.”
Kevin Layden, Ford’s director of electrification programs, is ready to spend the 4.5 bn dollars on 13 new electric vehicles. He explains just where that money will go in order to reach the manufacturer’s goal. autonews.com
“I’d say the main differentiation right now is we’re going to be ahead of them to market by at least a year if not longer, depending on how they deliver on their promises.”
Darin Gesse, production marketing manager for Chevrolet’s Bolt EV and Volt, is more than ready to talk about the upcoming car’s big rival: the Tesla Model 3. When the Bolt hits the showroom, it should not take buyers as long to receive their EV, as it might buyers of a Model 3. digitaltrends.com
“With battery technology improving and the charging infrastructure expanding in much of the world, we are nearing the turning point where EVs will become more of a mainstream option.”
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, says declining costs of EVs will soon make them more popular. With most major automaker creating their own electrified vehicles, more options will also equal more buyers. linkedin.com
“While the global community works to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, it makes little sense—financially or ethically—to continue holding investments in these companies.”
The Rockefeller Family Fund has publicly stated intentions to divest from oil. They will make the change “as quickly as possible.” Once funding has been cut, they will begin looking for suitable alternatives. rffund.org
“I hate to admit it, but Tesla did everything right.”
Stefan Niemand, Director Electric Battery Vehicles at Audi, says consumers want to change and manufacturers need to only harness that excitement. He praises Tesla for creating a high-performance infrastructure, and doing exactly what the industry needs to survive. automotive-eetimes.com
“There is no way we’re going to reach anything around two degrees without the substantial reduction in CO2 from the transportation system. And the only obvious known technology which allows that is electrification.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn argues that electric vehicles are key to making emission reduction a reality. He outlined three steps at the opening of the New York Auto Show on how to make it happen, starting with the installation of proper infrastructure. autoblog.com
“The organisation has to learn, and the technology is moving so quickly, I’m more keen to get an EV into the market and get experience with an EV, rather than having a theoretical, academic argument about what the long term view is on battery technology.”
That is a hands-on approach Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer takes here. He seems eager to launch the Rapide EV as rapidly as possible to get some feedback and learning experience with electric cars. themotorreport.com.au
“That’s a position we intend to keep. It’s clear EVs are here to stay.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn on the Leaf’s top spot in the EV market, as it is the best-selling electric car worldwide. And one, he says, that does not need to fear competition by internet firms. usatoday.com
“The next Mayor of London needs to deliver an ambitious set of policies to clean up London’s air.”
Says Richard Howard, head of environment and energy at Policy Exchange. With mayoral elections looming in the British capital this May, civil society and researchers are proposing policies like electric or hybrid buses to clean up the big smoke. standard.co.uk
“If you ask somebody if they want a larger range the answer is, of course, yes. Then when you move from emotion to facts, and you have a choice between 100 and 200 miles, and the cars with difference prices, the reaction becomes more rational.”
Eric Feunteun, Head of Renault Electric Vehicles, says the French carmaker is looking to follow Tesla’s and Nissan’s example and offer its EVs with different battery sizes. evfleetworld.co.uk
“Going forward we will sell electric drivetrains. We see many smaller manufacturers who cannot afford to develop a plug-in hybrid.”
BMW R&D chief Klaus Froehlich explains that the manufacturer will begin licencing out its technology, as it shifts its focus from hard- to software and as horsepower is becoming less important than the intelligence of a vehicle. uk.reuters.com
“If you don’t have charging stations everywhere, you cannot have a mass-market product.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says that while the autonomy of electric cars has to increase to appeal to consumers, charging infrastructure needs to be developed further to counter range anxiety. automotiveit.com
“We will make a plug-in hybrid type available for our major models and increase the number of models sequentially.”
Honda Motor President and CEO Takahiro Hachigo comments on the carmaker’s plan to electrify or hybridise two thirds of its line-up by 2030. autoblog.com
“This is the only market where people are reacting on the fuel price.”
Daimler CFO Bodo Uebber is talking about the U.S. market, where consumers currently tend to prefer bigger cars and trucks, as petrol prices are low. This back and forth is making it difficult for carmakers to meet fuel-efficiency standards. wsj.com
“Our preference as a business is, of course, that the UK stays within Europe – it makes the most sense for jobs, trade and costs.”
Carlos Ghosn, head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, gets political, as he comments on the possible Brexit. The Nissan Leaf is currently being built in the UK, which will vote on whether it wants stay in the EU or not. fleetnews.co.uk
“The new Opel Ampera-e will open the road to electric mobility by breaking down the barriers of high price and short driving range.”
Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann is delighted – to say the least – that GM will bring the Bolt EV technology to European shores. It will give the German carmaker a considerate competitive advantage, as range and price are unmatched to date. media.opel.com
“We continue to see no perceptible impact to our order growth from the change in the price of gasoline as our order rates have continued to increase even as the price of gasoline has fallen.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says his company is not affected by low oil prices but keeps to grow continuously. Especially in the premium market. Musk says the Model S “outsold the Audi A8 and A7, and the BMW 7-Series and 6-Series combined.” forbes.com
“The question is, what is the best compromise between an acceptable performance and the lowest price possible? This is something that doesn’t exist today and we are willing to find a solution.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is talking about his company’s strategy to tackle China. The Chinese EV market is not only low, but also taken by what he calls “very cheap electric cars,” which price is hard to match. autocar.co.uk
“We have the hybrid technologies through our partner Nissan, and we will use them when we think the market requires it. But there is no escape from all-electric cars.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn remains as committed as ever to all-electric vehicles. Yet, hybrid prototypes exist and a diesel hybrid version of the new Megane is planned for next year. autoexpress.co.uk
“Our cadence will be about one plug-in variant per quarter.”
Richard Steinberg, spokesman for BMW’s electrification programme in the U.S., on further PHEV models. At the moment, they come with up to 20 miles of range but “this needs to grow,” he added. postbulletin.com
“The X is a better SUV than the S is a sedan.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk praises his latest model for which production is currently being accelerated. Those who already ordered their all-electric SUV can expect delivery this summer. teslarati.com
“I think electrification is not a question of ‘I want it or don’t want it.’ Electrification is happening.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is at the forefront of electrification himself. He further argues that demand will not come from consumers alone, but is best created by governments and regulators. chargedevs.com, greencarreports.com
“You usually have a battery cell that delivers either the desired levels of energy or power, but not both. With this cell design and chemistry we were able to deliver a battery system with 160 kW of peak power and 60 kWh of energy.”
Gregory Smith, Bolt EV Battery Pack Engineering Group Manager, explains the reasoning behind the battery of Chevrolet’s Bolt EV. The carmaker wanted to balance performance with range and price. chargedevs.co
“The market dropped like a rock.”
This is what happened without incentives, explains Don Francis, the coordinator of the federal Clean Cities program in Georgia. The state ended its rebate programme last summer and has since seen EV registrations drop by 90 percent. news.wbfo.org
“We look at what Elon Musk has done with Tesla, and we have great respect for the company. Can we do it as well or better? We’re taking up the challenge. I think we can.”
Porsche North America president and CEO Klaus Zellmer says the manufacturer is ready to go head to head with Tesla in terms of EV development. We look forward to results. fortune.com
“If MEB becomes a successful platform, maybe it might make sense. But for today’s cars and the next years of cars we will cooperate with the battery suppliers.”
Dr. Volkmar Tanneberger, Volkswagen’s global head of electric and electronic development, says VW won’t be assembling its own cells for now, nor is inductive charging a viable option in the near future. Tanneberger believes fast-charging to be more important than wireless convenience. greencarreports.com
“I can bet you’ll see a major shift toward electric cars. Look at Detroit. A lot of carmakers, if not hostile, were at least neutral or sceptical, and they’re all coming with electric cars and saying they’ll invest in them. It’s not an easy shift, but I don’t see how we can skip this one.”
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn comments on the advent of an electric revolution. Clearly, he sees his company at the forefront and promised “new products, technology and enhancements” beyond the new Leaf. autoblog.com
“It would be a fulfilment of our mission if the biggest manufacturer in the U.S. put a mass-market EV on the road. We’re hopeful that they will and frankly that everyone else does.”
Tesla’s VP of business development Diarmuid O’Connell is up for competition, saying the company’s overarching mission is the electrification of transport. wired.co.uk
“I’m used to many nicknames, but no, I don’t think so. That belongs to someone else you know very well.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn gave a humble response when asked if he would accept to be called “Mr. Electric Car.” We all know who he is talking about, but think that they could maybe share the title. detroitnews.com
“It is a zero-emission vehicle, so there are a lot of credits for vehicles like the Bolt. Our plan is to improve fuel economy on all fronts, from taking weight out of new models to introducing game-changers like the Bolt.”
Mark Reuss, head of global product development at GM, sees the value of having a pure electric car for the whole fleet. And it sounds promising that GM may not intend to use it an excuse. More game-changers, please. nytimes.com
“Our research is behind us and we are in the middle of the roll-out of the next phase.”
Thomas Weber, Daimler’s head of development, delivers a status update on the fuel cell Mercedes. Based on the GLC, the FCV is scheduled to launch by 2017. autoexpress.co.uk
“It’s pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has no doubt that Apple is working on an electric car, calling it an “open secret.” bbc.com
“That’s expected, that everyone is going to come out with a better version, better range, better batteries. I’m not surprised. I think it is good that we keep enhancing the technology so that electric vehicles become a bigger segment.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn comments on the just launched Chevy Bolt, which is a serious contender to the Nissan Leaf after all. recode.net
Video tip I: In the TV ad ‘Silent Night,’ Mercedes-Benz shows how the C-class 350e plug-in hybrid can automatically adjust its noise level to a Christmas environment. youtube.com
Video tip II: New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman got to speak to Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn at the Times’ Energy for Tomorrow Conference during the COP21 in Paris about the “Revolution” that is the electric car. youtube.com via automotiveworld.com
“Today there are about 800 million vehicles on the world’s roads. By 2050, it’s estimated there will be more than 2 billion. We cannot continue to rely only on fossil fuels to power those vehicles and supply the bulk of our energy if we are going to avoid the worst effects of climate change.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn posted this appeal on LinkedIn. Truer words have yet to be said ahead of the climate talks COP21 in Paris next month. linkedin.com
“I’m very comfortable by 2020 you and I will be sitting beside each other in a Hyperloop taking the first ride, and it’ll probably be 100 to 150 kilometres.”
It seems like Hyperloop Tech CEO Rob Lloyd is not only comfortable but also confident that the high speed public transport once envisioned by Elon Musk will become a reality. We’d be more than pleased to take a seat. popsci.com
“We changed the goal of the drive unit endurance from being approximately 200,000 miles to being a million miles – basically we want drive units that just never wear out.”
During a conference call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised stockholders that problems with early drive units have been fixed, by using i.e. “automatic grease injection into the spline of the large drive unit.” chargedevs.com
“I don’t think you’re going to see us soon in premium in electric cars. It may happen one day…this is not our priority. Our priority is the heart of the market.”
According to Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, the Japanese carmaker has no intention of building a Tesla-fighter and wants to keep its EVs mainstream, with the possibility of moving into the crossover SUV segment. transportevolved.com
“Obviously one option is that they are replaced by someone else. That’s clearly one possibility.”
Formula E chief Alejandro Agag says that someone else might step in for team Trulli, which did not participate in the first two races of the season, as the team’s cars did not pass scrutineering. motorsport.com
“I can’t tell you when that will happen; I’ll just tell you that it’s not a matter of if, it’s when.”
Mark Templin, executive vice-president of Lexus International, confirms the arrival of the first serial fuel cell Lexus. Toyota’s premium subsidiary just presented such a FCV concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. caradvice.com.au
“We’re facing already a problem with the charging infrastructure in electric cars. You can imagine the problem we’re going to have with fuel cells.”
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn reins in the horses concerning FCV technology. Yet, he added that Nissan might introduce a fuel car to its stables in “like four to five years” time. greencarreports.com
“Energy resources are plentiful. Concerns over running out of oil and gas have disappeared.”
“Oh are they really,” is what we’d like to ask David Eyton, BP’s head of technology, who here seems to display an overly positive attitude concerning the state of the globe. Shall we then just go on then as before?! telegraph.co.uk
“We’re against sales incentives in principle. No automaker gets sales help from the German government. So VW has to make it on its own, too.”
Michael Fuchs is a senior lawmaker from Germany’s conservative party CDU. He categorically rejects rebates or financial incentives for electric cars. He sees the introduction of EVs as the car industry’s responsibility. bloomberg.com
“We had already some backlash on diesel before. So with this (scandal), it’s accelerating.”
Renault-Nissan-Chef Carlos Ghosn comments on Volkswagen´s dieselgate affair. He is part of a growing choir of carmakers that pledge allegiance to electrification at the current Tokyo Motor Show. wsj.com