Oslo, Opel Ampera-e, UK, Rheinmetall, Volvo, Asahi Kasei, GLM.
Electric cabs only in Oslo? Norway’s capital may be next to move towards a diesel-free future as Oslo wants to eject all diesel taxis and allow electric ones only, Taxi Times reports. The cleanse could start by 2022 with the city council’s decision due by 2018 and a group for the transformation process been established already. It would be a regional regulation made possible by the Norwegian government’s decision to leave taxi transport rules to municipalities.
taxi-times.com (in German), dagbladet.no (in Norwegian)
Meanwhile, Norwegian civilians are taking deliveries of the Ampera-e aka the Chevy Bolt. Opel chose Norway’s national holiday to serve the first three customers and said there are another 4,000 orders awaiting fulfilment.
opel.com
Policy pledge on pollution: With the General Election in the UK on the horizon, opposition parties rush to swing voters and thus the Liberal Democrat manifesto promises a ban on sales of diesel cars from 2025. It is part of the party’s Green Transport Act, which also wants to increase electrification.
telegraph.co.uk, autocar.co.uk
Rheinmetall enters e-mobility: An order worth 100m dollars has reached mobility and military supplier Rheinmetall, which is to deliver electric motor housings over the next seven years. The commission comes from an unnamed but “globally operating German carmaker” who is to utilise the casings for cars build for the Chinese market. Consequently, production will take place at Rheinmetall’s Chinese subsidiary KPSNC in Shanghai from mid-2018.
rheinmetall.com
Volvo opens order book: The second-gen Volvo XC60 is now available in the USA, where it will hit the shelves this autumn. Prices for the top line T8 Twin Engine with a 400 hp PHEV system start from 52,900 dollars.
electriccarsreport.com
Campaign concept vehicle: Japanese Asahi Kasei and GLM have come up with a three-seat electric SUV. The 225 kW concepts builds on GLM’s EV platform but will most likely never roll off a production line. Asahi Kasei rather sees the electric car as a vehicle to presents its materials and tech to OEMs.
asahi-kasei.co.jp
Tesla earns perfect score: Consumer Reports has given Tesla’s Model S P85D a more than perfect score of 103 points on a 100-point scale, saying that the high-performance electric sedan broke CR’s ratings system and “performed better than any other car ever has.” The rating comes about two years after Consumer Reports gave the base version of the Model S a near perfect score of 99 points.
Range-extended EV from India? Tata Motors may launch its Megapixel car in January of next year. The Megapixel range-extended electric vehicle concept was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012 and has four independent electric motors, powering each wheel.
