Nikola Motor announced that its Tre battery-electric truck has been deemed eligible for the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program. The NYTVIP provides impressive financing to those who purchase or lease medium- and heavy-duty battery electric vehicles.
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In December last year, the UK saw the introduction of green license plates to designate zero-emission vehicles. The number plates were also to enable local authorities to grant electric vehicles special rights. However, the uptake is lagging as new findings suggest.
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The Indonesian government is planning a series of incentives to increase the uptake of electric vehicles as well as supporting the manufacture of these in the country. Indonesia aspires to become a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing and an exporter.
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Starting on the first of July, all publicly funded chargepoints in the UK will have to incorporate smart technologies to keep costs down for consumers, as well as becoming greener, to eventually reach zero net emissions.
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All publicly funded home charge points for electric vehicles must use smart technology from July 2019, the British government announced. This means charge points must be able to be remotely accessed, and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal.
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Whilst the British government is juggling with the budget, ministers have warned the Treasury that the budget for the Plug-in Grant scheme is falling short and may demand cuts. Solutions, or ways around spending more rather, are currently being discussed.
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Production start: BYD has kicked off production at its newest facility in Chinese Qingdao. There, the manufacturer will build 1,000 electric buses per year and is said to increase production output to annually 5,000 units in the future.
chinadaily.com
Bentley Barnato: Bentley’s upcoming EXP 10 Speed 6-based sports car is set to arrive in 2019. The car, expected to be named the Bentley Barnato, could also be offered as a pure electric version.
autoexpress.co.uk
Honda CR-Z dead: Honda is killing their hybrid CR-Z, in order to “significantly expand its sales of electrified vehicles” by focusing on the 2017 Accord Hybrid and the Clarity range. As reported, the Clarity will be available as a fuel cell, electric and plug-in hybrid variant.
caranddriver.com
German premiums approved: The EU Commission has confirmed Germany’s planned premiums for EVs as a permissible subsidy. German EV and PHEV buyers can now apply for 4,000 and 3,000 euros in funding, retrospectively. The programme, put in place retroactively from Mai 18th, will continue until 2019 or until the earmarked 600m euros are spend – whichever comes first.
bmwi.de, wiwo.de (articles in German)
Romeo rivals BMW: Auto Express snapped some images exclusive images of Alfa Romeo’s MBW 5 series rival. The new model will also be available as a plug-in hybrid that should hit the market in 2018.
autoexpress.co.uk
Solar-powered Prius: The next generation Toyota Prius PHEV can be recharged with a built-in rooftop solar panel, at least in Japan and in Europe, as the current model does not pass U.S. safety regulations yet. Moreover, Toyota has not announced whether the panel will be standard or offered for add-on.
autonews.com, carscoops.com
Citroën DS with new sportscar concept in Geneva: The French will lift the veil of all-electric E-TENSE at the Geneva Motor Show, releasing first images and a teaser video ahead of the show. The sports coupé features two electric motors with a combined 296 kW and a 53 kWh Li-ion battery pack, allowing for a maximum range of 360 km.
greencarcongress.com, autoblog.com, youtube.com (video)
Six times electric: According to insider George Kracher, the Volkswagen Group is considering six new electric models in addition to the upcoming Audi Q6 e-tron, Porsche Mission E and new VW e-Golf. That includes an electric New Beetle and Audi Q4 e-tron (we reported). On the more luxurious side, an Audi A9 or second electric Bentley SUV could be in the pipelines.
automobilemag.com
EV incentives: According to German magazine Der Spiegel, German ministers have agreed on a 5,000 euro bonus for purchasing an EV from July 1st. Businesses can qualify for a 3,000 cash incentive. The so-called ‘environmental bonus’ will run out by 2020 and will be reduced 500 euros per year until then. On the table at a next meeting in April are also the installation of 15,000 charging points, subsidizing R&D of batteries, and the implementation of a quota for newly purchased cars for government fleets.
reuters.com; spiegel.de (in German)
New Acura NSX: After a ten-year absence, Acura opened the order books for its all news 2017 NSX. The combined V6 engine and three electric motors provide a total of 573 hp. Acura does not intend to stop there, and is already looking into a more powerful, more extreme Type-R.
thedetroitbureau.com
Fresh off the line: Detroit Electric has handed off their first SP:01 vehicle. The car is headed to China where it will be used as a demonstration car for potential customers. The carmaker hopes to pursue the Asian market further and to soon announce a distributor for Japan.
carscoops.com
Leaked Toyota: First photos of a production version Toyota C-HR have been made public ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. In line with Toyota’s recent developments, the vehicle will be available as a hybrid.
worldcarfans.com, autocar.co.uk
Car2Go electrifies Madrid: The carsharing scheme set up shop in the Spanish city with an all-electric fleet. Customers will not need to charge themselves. The service team will collect the electric Smarts and charge them at one of the city’s four hubs. After Stuttgart, Amsterdam, and San Diego, Madrid is the fourth city to get an all-electric Car2Go fleet.
daimler.com (in German), elmundo.es (in Spanish), youtube.com (video)
Visa or Mastercard? ABB has added a credit card option for its Terra 53 fast-charger. The technology also supports contactless payment options, such as Apple Pay or Android Pay. Previously installed models can also be retrofitted with the credit card terminal.
chargedevs.com, abb.us
Destination China: Tesla says it completed its charging infrastructure grid in North and Northeast China. Most charge points are ‘Destination Charger.’ By adding to its infrastructure, Tesla hopes to make its EV more attractive to potential buyers, as sales in China remain below the company’s expectations.
autonews.gasgoo.com
Incentive: According to a recent study by the University of California, LA (UCLA), 40% of all purchases of plug-in vehicles made between 2010 and 2013 in California were motivated by the possibility of using HOV lanes. The law is up for review in 2019.
latimes.com
Dorval doubles chargers: The Canadian city now hast two new EV charging stations at its sport complex that are part of the country’s Electric Circuit. Dorval had already installed two charge points at the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Airport.
newswire.ca
A total of 4.9 billion dollars is what the Los Angeles Times says Elon Musk received in government support for his companies Tesla, SolarCity and SpaceX. The incentives included grants, tax breaks, discounted loans as well as tax credits and rebates to buyers of solar panels and electric cars.
latimes.com
New Chinese JV for EVs: Carmaker Chery Automobile, internet car service platform Yongche and telematics company Pateo have formed a joint venture to build “intelligent” and connected electric cars for China. These will be made available via car sharing online but not reach the market.
chinadaily.com.cn, anhuinews.com
New American i-MiEV: Apparently, Mitsubishi plans to reissue its electric car for the U.S. market, Inside EVs has learned. From March, the i-MiEV 2016 could thus be offered with minor upgrades. Expect an official announcement after the Chicago Auto Show next week.
insideevs.com
New Audi R8 leaked: An image of what appears to be the new Audi R8 has made its way onto Instagram. The next-gen Audi supercar and its all-electric version will be presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The new model might also be offered as a plug-in hybrid (we reported).
digitaltrends.com
EV chargers more effective than tax credits? The sale of electric cars in the U.S. could have been increased five-fold, if the government had invested into building charging stations instead of offering tax credits, a study by the National Science Foundation claims. About one billion dollars spent between 2011 and 2013 could have bought about 60,000 new EV charging spots, according to the report.
gas2.org, taxationinfonews.com, nsf.gov
BMW i8 reviewed: Nick Kurczewski finds the i8 a perfect mix between performance and fuel economy and is not ashamed to call himself a “game changer convert” after driving BMW’s hybrid supercar through New York City.
nydailynews.com
Click tip: It is easy to loose track of China’s numerous EV incentives on both national and regional level. Charlie Paglee took the time to compose an exhaustive list of local incentives as well as the electric car sales by model in China in 2013.
green.autoblog.com
Research tip: A study by the Environment Virginia Research & Policy Center titled ‘Driving Cleaner: More Electric Vehicles Mean Less Pollution’ is looking at the carbon emission saving potential of EVs and links it to health and economic benefits.
environmentvirginia.org (report), environmentvirginia.org (summary)
Listening tip: Chargemaster CEO David Martell and Baroness Kramer, UK Minister of State for the Department of Transport, were asked by BBC Radio 4 about their views on the often high tariffs of public charging. Both considered public charging points a necessity for occasional and exceptional use, which cannot be offered free of charge.
bbc.co.uk via transportevolved.com
A total of 11,300 euros (15,600 dollars) is the incentive an EV buyer in Normandy now gets. The regional government almost doubles the usual allowance of 6,300 euros in an attempt to become France’s first ecoregion. Formidable!
transportevolved.com
