Mercedes, Germany, Zoe, Opel, Peugeot.
Daimler’s electric revolution begins in Paris, where Mercedes has got its new sub-label EQ (Electric Intelligence) on display. Ten all-electric models are lined up until 2025, which cover all segments from compact to luxury. Daimler aims for every fifth sold car to be electric by then. Generation EQ is a concept, due for market entry by 2019. The electric SUV is driven by two electric motors. A modular battery system delivers up to 70 kWh, enough for about 500 km of range.
autocar.co.uk, carscoops.com, daimler.com
No more ICE: Germany’s Green party wants to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles from registration in the country comes 2030. The proposal will be discussed at the party meeting in Münster this November.
welt.de (in German)
Renault update: The French presented the 400 km range Zoe in Paris as expected. It will indeed be available to order already from October, 1. Battery rent will hitherto not be limited by kilometres anymore. Also, the new power package can be retrofitted.
greencarcongress.com, insideevs.com
It is official: The Chevy Bolt will reach Europe as Opel Ampera-e. In Paris, it was presented as having a range over 500 km according to NEDC testing. Market entry is set for the first half of 2017.
carscoops.com, youtube.com, opel.com
Peugeot does it electrically: Three PHEV and two EV are due in 2021, Jean-Philippe Imparato, head of the Peugeot brand told Autocar. The 3008, 5008 and 508 will be partially electrified, while both the 208 and 2008 will be fully electric. None could be seen in Paris.
autocar.co.uk
Electric Smart revealed: Just ahead of the Paris Auto Show, Daimler officially presented its Smart ED models. All three variants will feature a 60 kWh motor and 17.6 kWh battery pack now allowing for 160 km of range. An on-board fast-charger with double the charging capacity as the previous version will also come standard, while a 22 kW on-board charger option will be added from 2017. The small EVs will hit European roads early next year.
Ioniq under the hood: Hyundai will use the Ioniq hybrid or electric drivetrain for the upcoming i30, as well as to facilitate electrification of other models. In case of the i30, a plug-in hybrid, pure hybrid or even an all-electric version is in the cards. Meanwhile, the carmaker released first images of and data for the i30 ahead of the official unveiling at the Paris Motor Show.
Revero revealed: Karma Automotive issued the first picture showing the Fisker Karma successor. The lineage is obvious but technical details are scarce. The Revero will have a solar roof and is said to have “super-charging capabilities,” according to Karma. On-sale is set for September, 08.
Renault to build EVs with Russia? Rosseti, a Russian utility provider is in talks with Renault for setting up a local production afacility for electric cars. The Moscow region in particular is seen as potent market, where up to 110,000 units could be sold by 2020. By 2030, up to 300,000 EVs could roam Russia, said Roman Berdnikov, Rosseti’s director. Renault has not commented.
Electric truck from Daimler: As announced yesterday, Mercedes has unveiled the prototype of its Urban eTruck with a 26 ton permissible gross vehicle weight for short-radius distribution in cities. The truck features two 125 kW electric motors in the rear adjacent to the wheel hubs and has a modular battery pack with up to 212 kWh capacity that can be recharged using CCS. Range is estimated at 200 km. Daimler says that it won’t begin serial production before 2020.
Cheaper Model X: Just like the Model S (we 
Plug-in fuel cell hybrid: The Mercedes GLC F-Cell will feature a battery pack that can be charged externally and inductively. It complements two hydrogen tanks with enough hydrogen for 280 miles. The power pack adds another 30 miles of electric driving and makes the GLC the first fuel cell PHEV. Launch is set for next year. 2017 is also to see a face lifted S-Class with a plug-in hybrid variant featuring a 13.5 kWh battery rather than the previous 8.7 kWh. The doubling in capacity is said to last for 30 miles.
VW voices EV plan: The Volkswagen Group has officially announced their electric vehicle sales targets, planning to reach 1m sales by 2025. That means nearly one out of every ten vehicles sold by VW, Audi, and Porsche could be a hybrid or electric.
Mercedes eco sub-brand? Daimler could create a label for its electric offering, similar to BMW’s i-series, says Mercedes head of design Ola Källenius. Yet, the manufacturer will first focus on expanding the actual electric offerings like the 
Range doubled: The new Toyota Prius Plug-In-Hybrid is officially here and goes under the name of Prime. Its 8.8 kWh battery delievers enough power for a said electric range of 22 miles, twice as long as the previous Prius PHEV. The plug-in hybrid can drive with up to 84 kph in all-electric mode and will go on sale this autumn.
Peugeot raises the ante: Peugeot’s Head of Brand Strategy & Product Planning, Jérôme Micheron, told Dutch AutoRAI that the carmaker plans to launch a dedicated EV in the next three years, as well as a plug-in hybrid variant. A fuel cell model is not yet in the cards, as it is simply still too early for the technology.
Order books for Q7 e-tron open: From Tuesday, the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI can be ordered for a base price of 80,500 euros. The first models of the diesel-plug-in will be delivered this summer. Audi is one of the first manufactures to combine diesel engine and electric motor. Fuel consumption is currently given at 1.7 litres/100 km.
BYD’s new Song: BYD will bring an all-electric and a plug-in version of their SUV Song to market this year – one out of ten new alternative energy cars in the pipelines for 2016. An all-electric Qin and PHEV Yuan will also hit the road. Moreover, BYD is to invest in a new battery production line in Shenzhen, China, which will officially open its doors in 2018.
BMW enters power storage market: The move was already suggested when BMW announced its 
Audi gears up e-mobility production: The Brussels facility will serially produce the electric SUV by 2018. The production site will also be the site of Audi’s own battery assembly line. The power packs will give the all-electric model a range of up to 500 km.
BMW to boost i3 range: The 2017 model year of the all-electric BMW will see its range increase by 50 percent. Ian Robertson, head of BMW sales and marketing, further told Automotive News that the battery will be improved to put the i3 “into a much more usable range.”
The Ioniq arrives: Hyundai presented its first dedicated hybrid. Its power pack is strictly lithium-ion and the sedan can be operated fully electrically at speeds of up to 120 kph. A plug-in hybrid, as well as an electric version will be presented in Geneva in March. The hybrid Ioniq is now on sale in South Korea and Hyundai aims to sell 30,000 units worldwide this year. By 2017, it expects to push sales to 70,000.