EV charging provider InstaVolt started working on its first public charging hub in Iceland. The site at a hotel near Keflavík Airport will boast 20 chargers, making it the largest rapid charging hub in Iceland.
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Chinese carmaker BYD has added two new dealer cooperations to its network in Europe. Motor Distributors Ltd (MLD) is active in Ireland and will offer BYD models at select locations, including in Dublin and Cork. RSA, a dealer with whom BYD already cooperates in Norway, will offer the Chinese EVs in Finland and Iceland.
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The Chinese electric car manufacturer Aiways has expanded the number of its European markets to 14 with Croatia, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Slovenia. Currently, however, only one model, the U5, is available, with a second to follow this year.
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Polestar has announced that the single-engine variants of the Polestar 2, which were introduced in the spring, will be delivered for the first time this month. The Swedish-Chinese brand also plans to expand further globally.
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US manufacturer Bye Aerospace announces another order for its electric aircraft. The Reykjavik Flight Academy has signed a contract for the purchase of three all-electric eFlyer training aircraft.
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California-based electric car startup Lucid Motors plans to begin delivering its cars in Germany next year, as the new Country Manager Roberto Russo, confirmed to electrive. Also in 2022, the Air sedan is to arrive in other European countries too.
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EVBox Group is cooperating with Icelandic utility ON Power to build charging infrastructure in Iceland. The duo has already installed 136 public EVBox charging points at 28 locations in and around the capital Reykjavik. Another 84 charging points are to follow in the coming months.
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The British SAIC brand MG Motor is increasingly expanding into continental Europe. After the recently launched all-electric SUV ZS EV and the soon to follow plug-in hybrid MG EHS, the carmaker has announced the next electric duo: the SUV Marvel R Electric and the compact estate MG 5 Electric.
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The US-American startup Lucid Motors has now opened European reservation books for the first model Lucid Air. The startup says it will officially unveil the Tesla-like debut car in New York in April. Deliveries in Europe are scheduled to begin at the end of 2021.
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With Tesla having launched the new Model 3 leasing scheme only about a month ago, the first changes adjust the monthly rate as well as a down payment – favourably so for those in the States. Meanwhile, new stores are to open in Europe.
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ABB supplies drive and energy storage technology for Iceland’s first electrified ferry. The 70-meter vessel will be equipped with a 3,000 kWh battery pack and run in fully electric mode most of the time.
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The Icelandic government has launched its new Climate Strategy today aiming for the country to be carbon neutral before 2040. The plan includes 34 measures ranging from a ban on new sales of ICEs by 2030 and the decarbonisation of transport to carbon-curbing measures such as reforestation.
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The International Energy Agency IEA says there are now over 3 million plug-in vehicles on the roads worldwide, 54% more than last year. The biggest markets were China and the USA but the Nordics beat them when it comes to marketshare.
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Iceland is becoming Europe’s greenest country, not so much for its meadows but geothermal activity rather that provides them with an endless supply of renewable energy. Add to this hydropower and you have a mix that can power their subsidised electric cars cleanly.
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British Element Energy will take the lead in the cooperation project called JIVE 2, which aims at bringing further 152 fuel cell buses to 14 cities in Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Iceland.
Read moreEU initiative for more electric buses: Representatives of numerous cities and regions, of OEMS and transportation authorities seek to deploy at least 2,000 electric buses by 2019 and just signed a respective MoU. Within the next 8 years, the share of alternatively fuelled buses in the European bus fleet shall rise from currently 10 – 12 percent to 30%.
ec.europa.eu via ec.europa.eu
7 EU member states miss strategy: The EU Commission has reminded Greece, Ireland, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Great Britain to present their national strategies concerning infrastructure for alternative fuels (e.g. charging stations, H2 stations) to comply with EU regulations. Another letter will reach the Swedish government as its current strategic framework does not meet the guideline’s minimum requirements. The governments in question now have two months left to carry out their duty, if not the Commission can appeal to the ECJ.
europa.eu (point 13), europa.eu
Mandtory charging points? Finland’s National Coalition Party wants to write EV fast-charging points at all service stations located along the country’s major roadways into law. The party promised it will push the proposal during upcoming budget talks.
yle.fi
9 electric buses to run in Iceland: Several electric buses are to commute between Reykjavík main bus terminal and the Breiðholt neighbourhood by early autumn. The island’s bus authority Strætó bs. ordered nine units from Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong.
icelandreview.com
EU guidelines push homecharger: According to the Guardian, the EU is working on a directive that would see an EV charger installed in every new or renovated home from 2019. From 2023, 10 percent of parking of new buildings will need to have a place to plug in. The guidelines will be published before the end of the year.
theguardian.com
Stricter rules in London: London’s mayor Sadiq Khan presented detailed plans on setting up Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) from 2019. He also kicked off talks about a 10 pound increase of city toll (T-charge) from October of next year.
fleetnews.co.uk
i3-Sharing in Dublin: Carsharing scheme GoCar now offers ten BMW i3 for short-term rental in the Irish capital. The EVs are parked at ten chargers within the city area.
lovindublin.com
Iceland plugs in: Icelandic utility Orkusalan announced that it will install an EV charging station in every community in Iceland. The first of around 80 chargers will already be erected in the coming weeks.
icelandmonitor.mbl.is
New Workhorses: UPS says it will add another 200 hybrid delivery vans from workhorse to it fleet next year. The electric vans with range extender will go into service in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and possibly other U.S. states.
econotimes.com
Hybrid short-distance transport: Stagecoach has ordered seven hybrid double-deck buses that will go into service in Scottish Dundee next year. Stagecoach already counts 18 hybrid buses on its fleet.
bbc.com
Thinking ahead: A BMW i3 has been refitted to be controlled solely by the driver’s brain waves. It was developed by MoneySuperMarket for its Car Insurance Epic Mind Drive project. Via a headset, specially trained drivers think “right,” “left,” and “brake,” by associating these commands with images the EV can read.
dailymail.co.uk
Another Swiss solar plane is attempting to break a record. The ETH Zurich has developed the unmanned Atlantik Solar, which attempts to stay airborne for 80 hours. If successful, it would be the second longest, autonomous solar flight with a plane weighing less than 50 kilos worldwide. The plane is part of the EU project Icarus and could be used in crisis areas to save lives.
tagesanzeiger.ch (in German)
Silent approach: Iceland is now operating the electric schooner Opal. It can “sail” electrically, and generates electricity with a specially designed turbine when setting actual sail. The Opal is being used for eco-conscious whale-watching and backed by multiple Scandinavian companies and organisations.
icelandnaturally.com, businesswire.com
10 kW wirelessly: Canadian ELIX Wireless, a spin-off of the University of British Columbia, has developed a 10 kW wireless charging solution. The E10K Wireless Charging System applies the company’s patented Magneto-Dynamic Coupling technology.
electriccarsreport.com
Plug-in grant revision? Britain’s current government is considering revising the 5,000-pound EV subsidy to avoid a premature “exhaustion of the budget.” The Government’s ‘Office for Low Emissions Vehicles’ says it would introduce new grant levels per category following a review this May. But nothing is set in stone, as the country’s general election will take place in Britain this Thursday.
dailymail.co.uk
Rail and ride, electrically: The British First Great Western rail company is now offering a chauffeur service to and from stations in London. The service is provided through eConnect cars, whose fleet consists only of electric vehicles. Train travellers get 10 percent discount when booking eConnect.
Info via email, firstgreatwestern.co.uk (booking)
Edinburgh embraces electric cabs: The Scottish capital approved electric cars to be used as taxis and private hire vehicles. A public consultation was all in favour of changing licensing (and suggested to ban diesels), whereas before only cars running on liquid fuel had been allowed as cabs.
airqualitynews.com
EV chargers for Iceland: Fortum has received an order for its Charge & Drive system through the Icelandic utility On Power. Until the end of the year, at least ten charging stations like those used in Norway, Sweden and Finland, will be erected on the volcanic island.
fortum.com
Charge as if you refuel: German utility RWE has come up with an e-mobility solution that could be integrated into the existing gas station infrastructure. Its “intelligent” EV charging station is connected to the filling station’s cash register, where energy used per charge is displayed.
auto-presse.de (in German)
DriveNow set course for growth: The BMW and Sixt joint venture now has 390,000 users, most of them in Germany (365,000). This year, DriveNow will introduce the i3 in its fleet. First is London were 30 all-electric BMWs will be deployed in spring with other European cities to follow later this year.
automobilwoche.de (in German)
State of a standard: 5,010 CHAdeMO charging points can be found worldwide, CHAdeMO Association reports. 2,819 are located in Japan, another 1,327 in Europe and 810 in the States.
insideevs.com, chademo.com
Street lamp chargers in China: Beijing has started a pilot with LED street lamps turned into EV charge spots. The first eight spots are located in Changping district. The Chinese capital is to expand the program quickly as it plans to have 10,000 charge poles erected by 2017.
wantchinatimes.com, globaltimes.cn
Electric buses for Louisville: The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is now operating ten electric buses by Proterra. They are recharged at bus stops and replace the diesel buses that were used before.
wlky.com, courier-journal.com
Iceland’s first electric car-sharing has been founded by an 21-year old entrepreneur. Starting with a Nissan Leaf on the icy island, Electric Carrental is hoping to expand its service with Teslas and other models this spring. The electric car-sharing service aims at eco tourists.
mbl.is (in Icelandic) via autorentalnews.com
Hydrogen for the East Coast: On the occasion of presenting its Mirai, Toyota revealed plans to erect twelve hydrogen fueling stations together with Air Liquide in the states of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island where the Mirai will be sold from 2016.
hybridcars.com
H2 buses for Europe: EvoBus, MAN, Solaris, Van Hool, VDL together with bus operators from major European cities such as Hamburg and London have signed a joint Letter of Understanding for the commercialisation of fuel cell buses. 500 to a 1,000 are said to be deployed across Europe by 2020.
greencarcongress.com, itm-power.com, fch-ju.eu
Clever charging: Danish eMobility provider CLEVER announced its plan to build 263 new fast charging stations in its home country. By the end of 2015, a total of 543 charge points are thus to be made available, offering charging with 22 kW, 43 kW, and 50 kW in Denmark.
insideevs.com, clever.dk
Electric car sharing in China: Kandi announced the delivery of 64 Kandi EVs to the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province. The car sharing programme is operated by ZuoZhongYou Electric Vehicle Service, a Kandi subsidiary. By the end of this year, delivery of up to a 1,000 Kandi EVs is expected.
globenewswire.com
Iceland to be electrified: Canadian Sun Country Highways has set its eyes on its nordic “neighbour” and plans to set up free EV charging stations along Iceland’s roads. The initiative will go ahead together with EV importer EVEN and is said to take less than twelve months.
green.autoblog.com
County police goes all electric: Athens-Clarke police in Georgia has now added a Nissan Leaf to its existing fleet of 18 hybrid Toyota Priuses and Ford Fusions. The leased Leaf will be used by administrators rather than officers on patrol.
onlineathens.com
Fastned to go public: The start up Fastned plans to erect 200 fast chargers by ABB along dutch motorways (we reported). To achieve their goal within the next three years and raise enough capital, Fastned currently prepares for its stock market launch.
sprout.nl (in Dutch)
Iceland to be charged up: In Iceland, similar plans are being hetched by Even. The company is tired of waiting for the government and plans to erect 200 fast charging stations on the Nordic isle. Iceland intends to have a 10-percent EV share by 2020.
icelandreview.com
Renault EVs in Argentina: The French manufacturer is offering test rides with two Kangoo Z.E. and two Twizys. Renault hopes to be able to sell its first EVs in Argentina by the end of this year, even though the Twizy has yet to be categorised. Charging points shall be erected by the local utility provider Edesur.
buenosairesherald.com
Eco tourist transport on Seychelles: Seychellois company Ecars plans to introduce electric cars by GEM to the Seychelles’ third most populated island, La Digue. The vehicles are already a success on Praslin and tourism enterprises have shown vivid interest in the EVs with a range of up to 50 kilometres.
seychellesnewsagency.com
Video tip 1: The team from Pedelec Adventures took four speed pedelecs on a 4,000-kilometre trip around Iceland and literally rode through ice and fire. The video of their trip has just premiered at the Taipei Cycle Show and can now be seen online.
youtube.com (video), iceland-challenge.com (blog)
Video tip 2: Tesla took selected journalists on a trip to Sweden where they could try the Model S in wintry conditions. Drift along!
youtube.com (video)
