PSA-owned Opel/Vauxhall presents the Grandland X SUV as plug-in hybrid variant just a day after announcing the all-electric Corsa to debut on 4 June. Orders for the Grandland X will open later this year and build on Peugeot’s 3008 hybrid.
Weiterlesen
The new generation of the Opel Corsa will celebrate its world premiere on 4 June to come as a fully electric version from then on. In an interview, Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller promised an “attractive price” for the E-Corsa. He did not specify any details but substantial plans.
Weiterlesen
The Franco-German initiative announced last December for setting up a battery cell production facility is becoming concrete. The economic ministries of both countries have now proposed the alliance as the first consortium for funding from the EU Commission.
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At the Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show, the French PSA Group is currently offering a preview of future electric versions of the large Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Jumper vans, which are to be offered with two battery versions.
Weiterlesen
Opel has allowed a preview of the third generation of its Vivaro van. The new model will be available from dealers in late summer, and you can expect the battery-electric version to follow in 2020.
Weiterlesen
The fourth generation of Opel’s multi-purpose passenger car Zafira, will debut at Brussels Motor Show on January 18, 2019, this time as essentially a van in three sizes and with space for nine people. The Germany company has said that the Zafira Life all-electric version will follow in 2021.
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The city of Rüsselsheim, Opel and the RheinMain University are driving the extension of charging infrastructure. Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics, the installation of around 1,300 charging stations across Opel’s hometown will commence in the coming months.
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Opel has been releasing details regarding their planned electrification strategy over the next two years. Among other things, the manufacturer will open the order books for two electrified models in the first half of 2019: the new electric Corsa and the Grandland X plug-in hybrid.
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Established carmakers have repeatedly tried to ridicule Tesla because of their production problems. Yet, a quick round of calls by Handelsblatt shows, the Californians currently make many more EVs per week than all German automakers combined.
Weiterlesen Opel is planning to install more than 160 charging points for EVs at their research and development centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany. This is where the German carmaker will be researching future electrical grid concepts with the University of Kassel and the charging infrastructure specialists Flavia IT and Plug’n Charge.
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The Norwegian Coca Cola division has purchased 100 of the European version of the Chevy Bolt, adding them to the company fleet. They will also be installing 176 charging stations at their Norwegian HQ.
Weiterlesen
Opel-Vauxhall presents a new concept EV. The GT X Experimental is a compact SUV, that is more than an experiment. Opel aims to electrify its entire line-up by 2024 and this latest fully-electric study is showing off how these future plug-ins may look like.
Weiterlesen
Ten months after French PSA has taken over Opel, they have come to an agreement regarding the Opel facilities in Germany. The Eisennach factory will start making the Grandland X including a PHEV version from mid-2019. Further investments into R&D are planned as well.
Weiterlesen
Karl Thomas Neumann, the former Opel/Vauxhall CEO has found a new job at Evelozcity. He joins former BMW and short-term Faraday Future managers in their endeavour to go it alone in California and launch three EV by 2021.
Weiterlesen
IONITY, the high power charging cooperation between BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen, along with subsidiaries Audi and Porsche, is negotiating with other potent partners such as utilities and even Tesla, who maybe interested in joining.
Weiterlesen
Former Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann had been trying to turn the brand into an all-electric outlet, first for GM and the PSA. While his efforts were fruitless in the end, he is going all-electric in his personal life. His wife and Neumann now own both a Tesla and a BMW i3.
electrek.co
Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller stated in an interview, that they were to look into electrifying vans. He declined to mention details regarding the long term planning by the German car manufacturer. They also plan an electrifiable SUV.
Weiterlesen
Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars have been on the up in the Netherlands this January. Compared to the same month last year, PEV sales grew by 126 percent overall, with sales of all-electric cars undergoing a massive recovery.
Weiterlesen
Opel specified plans to launch an all-electric Corsa by 2020 and wants to build the EV in its facility in Spanish Zaragoza, making it the first factory in Europe to produce an all-electric Opel/Vauxhall model.
Weiterlesen
The German car brand plans to re-open its order books for the Ampera-e before this month’s end. This step is part of Opel’s electrification strategy under its new parent company PSA.
Weiterlesen
PSA Group, which paid General Motors 1.3 billion euros for Opel, now wants about half of the money back after discovering Opel’s emission strategy hinged on sales of the Ampera-e mainly, which was finally not included in the sale.
Weiterlesen
The PSA group prepares the implementation of a 220m euro joint venture together with Japanese company Nidec. Both partners seek to produce electric motors for BEVs as well as HEVs at a site close to Paris.
Weiterlesen PSA subsidiary Opel has revealed its roadmap “Pace”, a strategy plan that shall guarantee Opel’s return to profitability by 2020. Most important from an electric mobility viewpoint is Opel’s intention to offer all of its European carlines additionally with either electric or plug-in hybrid drivetrains by 2024.
WeiterlesenAn Opel Ampera-e travelled 750 km on one charge and got filmed along the way by a team of German VOX channel. The record range was reached by extreme “hypermiling” that is driving at 40 – 50 kph mostly and so the trip from Görlitz to Aachen took 25:30 hours.
electrek.co, carscoops.com
600 km range and a top speed above 200 kph, that is BMW’s i Vision Dynamics. Rather than the Gran Coupé being just visionary a EV, series production has been planned but not yet scheduled. In any case, it will sit well between the i3 and i8 and amongst the 25 electrified models the carmaker has promised to launch by 2025.
carscoops.com, motor1.com
All electric Mercedes: Long has it been teased and now it is released, the EQA, Daimler’s electric compact concept. It has an electric drive at each axle with a combined output of 200 kW. Range was given at 400 km, depending on the chosen battery that can also fast-charge inductively.
carscoops.com, autoblog.com, autocar.co.uk
And the fuel cell Mercedes has been revealed in full as well and is ready to go on sale by 2018. The GLC F-Cell plug-in hybrid carries 4.4 kg hydrogen on board, enough for 437 km with another 49 km of range being kept inside an additional 13.8 kWh battery.
autoblog.com, autocar.co.uk
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Baden-Württemberg will demonstrate E-Mobility expertise at EVS30: The State Agency e-mobil BW and its cluster networks “Electric Mobility South-West” and “Fuel Cell BW” participate in the joint booth “German Regions” at EVS30. The partners will proudly present the accumulated know how of the German South-West in the field of electric mobility solutions. Come and visit us at Hall 1, Booth A33. EVS30 will take place on October 9-11, 2017 in Stuttgart, Germany. www.e-mobilbw.de (Exhibitors at a glance – PDF)
Urban EV by Honda: The Japanese surprise with an electric concept for city-dwellers in Frankfurt and say a series version would make it to Europe no later than by 2019. Technical details of the litte four-seater are scarce but Honda has dedicated a whole new platform to it.
electriccarsreport.com, autocar.co.uk, carscoops.com
VW I.D. Crozz revised: Known since April, Volkswagen has further developed its fully electric SUV for the IAA, bringing it closer to the series version that is expected by 2020 (we reported). Its twin electric motors come with a combined power 0f 225 kW and VW targets a 500 km range.
carscoops.com, electriccarsreport.com, autocar.co.uk
Opel’s first PHEV: The brand based in Rüsselsheim is not dead but tries to venture further into electric territory instead. At the IAA, Opel now announced the Grandland X to become the first model with a plug-in hybrid variant. It will most likely borrow the drive from the Peugeot 3008.
autonews.com, gm.com
30 EV by 2025: Volkswagen is on the charm offensive with chairman Matthias Müller promising 80 electrified models in less than ten years. This means that by 2025 every fourth car sold through the group could be all-electric, in VW’s world that means up to 3 million units a year. The so-called Roadmap E also earmarks over 50bn euros to procure the batteries needed to power the projected e-fleet (150 GW) and while VW remarks that this is the equivalent to 4 Gigafactories, it has not said anything about setting those up itself. Still Müller claims “we will lead the transformation” of the industry and that includes two entirely new electric platforms, upgrading plants, training the workforce, increasing charging infrastructure, and advancing battery technology and production together with partners.
electrive.net, volkswagen-media-services.com
Daimler pushes electrification: Mercedes wants to offer electric options for every car comes 2022, CEO Dieter Zetsche revealed in front of investors. This translates to more than 50 models and includes the ten all-electric cars Daimler recently brought forward (we reported). The CEO also confirmed what insiders long expected when he said that Smart will become an all-electric brand in Europe. In the States, the take over has been completed earlier this year reportedly. To make up for its lower margins on electric cars, Daimler plans to increase its savings.
reuters.com (line-up), reuters.com (savings)
ICE to go bust in China: The combustion engine’s days are numbered in the world’s largest car market. As if the upcoming EV sales quota would not be enough, Beijing is now looking to ban sales of conventional fuel cars entirely. The question is only when. The vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has not given a time line but predicted that “measures will certainly bring profound changes for our car industry’s development” – and those from abroad we may add.
reuters.com, bloomberg.com, electrek.co
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EVs are a matter of profitability indeed, at least for PSA CEO Carlos Tavares. After taking over Opel recently, previous plans to turn it into an all-electric brand were put on ice but now the new owner showed openness to the idea under one condition – they must be profitable.
europe.autonews.com
Sweden works with incentives rather than punishments and just renewed its e-mobility funding schemes. By 2018, an additional 5bn SEK (over 500m euros) will help environment and climate initiatives along. Buyers of electric cars may thus receive up to 6,000 euros through the government and the initiative also includes light electric vehicles for which one can claim up to 1,000 euros or 25% of the purchase price. Solar cells and charging infrastructure have made it onto the funding agenda as well.
government.se, taz.de (in German)
Get over the SUV hype: BYD wants to launch a couple of mini and compact EVs in China over the next two years as it sees demand increasing in towns and villages. So much so that BYD believes such smaller (and cheaper) electric cars will soon account for up to 75% of its EV sales.
caixinglobal.com
BMW operates on the opposite end of the scale with its Concept X7 iPerformance ready to debut at the IAA. The extra large SUV will have a plug-in hybrid drive that could be regarded as a cosmetic measure. A series version may plow the tarmac as soon as next year.
bmwgroup.com
In his drive to make the Vatican carbon-neutral, Pope Francis took charge of an Ampera-e presented by Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann himself. The bold move met the occasion of a conference on ‘Laudato si’, Pope Francis second encyclical with the subtitle “On Care For Our Common Home.” It could hardly be more timely.
cruxnow.com, vatican.va (Laudato si)
We stay within the spiritual realm as we begin yet another break following the German calendar that assigns Pentecost a bank holiday on Monday. We will be back with all the latest news for you on Tuesday, 6 June and wish you a sociable time until then!
PEV platforms by Geely: Volvo’s Chinese patron is working on two novel architectures for both plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. First to utilise the base will be a compact PHEV SUV and an electric car with a 500 km range. Expect the new high end models around 2020.
gasgoo.com
Surprise guest: An electric pick-up truck concept from Canada was unveiled in Ontario. Its maker Havelaar Canada, itself unknown, hopes to join the likes of Tesla as well as Workhorse, who too look to electrify this American icon of transport. Havelaar’s Bison E-Pickup features AWD and is said to last for 300 km on a charge. A development partnership with the University of Toronto has them look at all aspects of EV technology but production is unclear. Over at Workhorse however, they ponder to expand manufacture to include private consumers in the W-15 plug-in hybrid pick-up pool. Interest may be expressed via their website.
electrek.co (Bison), autoblog.com (Workhorse)
More news from Canada tell of tomahawks not bisons as Dubuc Motors aired a specc for its electric racer amidst confirmation of production by 2018. Four electric motors toss the Tomahawk along with a combined force of 1,356 Nm. 600 km may be well within reach of the 100 kWh battery and the Canadian company plans to produce a few thousand units. Crowdfunding for the animated vehicle remains open.
newswire.ca, invest
Renault’s Zoe is bound for Australia after the firm’s local branch successfully applied for approval. With access granted, the small but best-selling dame might make an entry soon but low incentives make for a difficult market. South Korea has more favourable EV conditions and so PSA ponders to ship the Zoe from Europe over there from 2019 to keep the local Renault Samsung SM3 Z.E. company.
caradvice.com.au (Australia), koreaherald.com (Korea)
Ampera-e open to Swiss: GM’s electric model is en route to the Alps and buyers in Switzerland pay a minimum of 41,900 Swiss francs. Dealers will take charge of the first units by Q3 2017 and have reserved the second biggest volume of Ampera-E in Europe. Only real numbers Opel/ Vauxhall would not state. Order books have previously been opened in the Netherlands and Germany, while Norway already collected the first charge.
gm.com
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
Renault expects EV price parity: After Volkswagen and BMW, the French follow suit in their prediction of a drastic decrease in costs for electric vehicles thanks to better battery technology. Renault’s leading EV figure, Gilles Normand, said that the Zoe will reach price parity with small combustion-engined cars by the beginning of the next decade. Already, sales of the little EV have increased by 90 percent between 2016 and 2017. For the C-segment, prices will equalise around 2025, according to Normand.
autoexpress.co.uk
Ford’s electrified cars may grow into a whole line-up of no less than 13 models by 2022, plans uncovered by Autocar suggest. Ford trademarked the Energi label for such electrified vehicles as the C-MAX in its plug-in hybrid version. Plus, there will be other PHEVs like the F-150, Mustang as well as the Transit Custom and an all-electric SUV (we reported). Next in line may be the Kuga and Explorer.
autocar.co.uk
Mahindra to electrify all models: The Indian carmaker decided that all new platforms are to offer options for electrification from the start, including light commercial vehicles. The move will enable Mahindra to easier electrify each and every model in the future.
business-standard.com
Ampera-e pricing NL: Opel released prices for its Ampera-e aka the Chevy Bolt in the Netherlands, where it will be offered from 40,995 euros. Deliveries are to start early next year via 28 selected Opel dealers, the so-called Ampera-e-Agents.
opel.nl (in Dutch)
Kiepe Electric is the new name for the recently acquired Vossloh Kiepe now owned by Knorr Bremse. The subsidiary will concentrate on systems for electrification in the bus and rail sector.
automotiveworld.com
As Mini readies the Countryman plug-in hybrid version for its official outing at the end of June reportedly, some journalist got the chance to take it for a first ride. Impressions are good but be warned that its electric range revolves around 30 rather than said 42 kilometres.
autocar.co.uk, autoexpress.co.uk