Stoffel Vandoorne has won the Formula E championship. At the final race weekend in Seoul, a fifth and a second place were enough for the Mercedes EQ driver to win the title. The manufacturers’ championship also went to Mercedes for the second year in a row.
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The South Korean capital Seoul is planning to successively ban the majority of diesel vehicles from the public sector and local transport fleets over the next five years. Both electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will replace diesel vehicles.
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The government of the South Korean capital Seoul is promoting the purchase of 700 electric taxis this year. The subsidy amounts to 18.2 million won (about €13,600) per electric taxi. A new feature is that electric cars from foreign manufacturers are also eligible for funding this year.
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Following the cancellation of individual races, Formula E and the FIA have now announced that the 2019/20 season will be completely suspended for at least two months due to the Covid 19 spread. Even after that a resumption is not guaranteed.
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Taiwanese electric scooter manufacturer Gogoro has launched its Gogoro 2 Utility scooter and battery-replacement network built for B2B industries in the city of Seoul with cooperation partner TIC corporation.
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The number of battery-powered city buses on the streets of the South Korean capital Seoul is expected to rise to 143 this year. Private bus companies are being promoted by the city government to ensure that the switch to electric buses is successful.
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The government of the South Korean capital Seoul wants to provide subsidies for a massive electric offensive. The goal is to replace around 100,000 two-wheelers powered by combustion engines with electric ones by 2025, as well as the electrification of minibuses.
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Hyundai has signed a statement of intent with SK Networks in order to set up charging stations across South Korea. The chargers will include some high power charging units as well.
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The government in Seoul agreed with South Korea’s industry to invest about 2 billion euros (2.6 trillion Won) into hydrogen mobility over the next five years. Facilities building fuel cell vehicles and those doing R&D will receive funding in order to reach the ambitious targets.
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The government in Seoul wants all buses and trucks to run with zero emissions by 2030, according to local media reports. Moreover, they want to increase the number of fast-charging stations for electric cars to 10,000 by 2022 and also electrify mail delivery.
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South Korea’s government and leading corporations of the country agreed to start a business with the aim to install a network of hydrogen filling stations. Hyundai as well as the state-owned Korea Gas Corporation are part of the deal set for this November.
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Within one decade, the South Korean’s capital wants to replace its 7,427 CNG buses through electric-powered equivalents. The first 40 models are to hit the roads by 2018.
Read moreSeoul’s airport got a fleet of robots there to lend a helping grip to travellers. LG had tested them for months and it seems the automated assistants have been brought in line, though engineers reserve the right to turn them off. For now, let them guide you in four languages and they take rubbish, too.
engadget.com
Diesel ban in Seoul? Korea’s capital is pondering a plan to restrict entry to the ancient centre for old diesel cars and chartered buses. If such a ban passes, it would be easy to enforce as the old town lies within four gates and Seoul said controls would be strict. A study on traffic control has been commissioned and the city wants to expand both bus and bike lanes to fill in the transport gap.
koreatimes.co.kr
The Philippines go green officially as its Department of Energy will donate 24 Toyota Prius government offices tomorrow. The move is aided through a grant from the government of Japan.
gmanetwork.com
Zero emission delivery: Dutch Albert Heijn launched two electric trucks to supply its supermarkets in Amsterdam. Proivided by logistic partner Simon Loos, the e-trucks will charge while being loaded at distribution centres and could thus run continuously but will drive up to 6 times a day in practice.
esmmagazine.com
Eco-friendly car rent: Green Motion specialises in electric and hybrid cars and opened a new outlet at Ljubljana airport in Slovenia. It is the 30th country the services launches, as a franchise in this case.
autorentalnews.com, greenmotion.com
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.
greencarcongress.com, europe.autonews.com, daimler.com (drivetrain details)
Electric truck from VDL: Dutch manufacturer VDL is a little quicker than Mercedes and wants to offer a 37t truck for short-radius distribution in cities by 2017. Moreover, it says it will use locally developed and manufactured battery technology.
ed.nl (in Dutch) via primemovermag.com.au
Electric Jaguar duo? According to insider George Kacher from Automobile Magazine, the British carmaker is working on two electric vehicles – a sedan and an SUV. They are both allegedly being built by Austrian company Magma and will hit the road in 2019. The goal is to produce 30,000 electric sedans and 50,000 electric SUV per year.
automobilemag.com
British luxury EV: The unveiling of a new electric sports car from the UK at the luxury trade fair Top Marques 2017 in Monaco has already been announced. The Keating Berus is said to get an all-electric offshoot with around 300 kW. No further details are known.
autocar.co.uk
Seoul gets even more generous: The city’s government announced that it will increase subsidies for electric vehicles. Private buyers as well as companies will thus receive an extra 2m won, which is just shy of 1,800 dollars per EV bought.
koreaherald.com
New Mahindra Reva EV? It looks as though the carmaker wants to launch two new electric models this year, though no details have been given price. The plans may surprise, as India is not exactly a soaring EV market. Only 753 electric cars were sold there in 2015.
cardekho.com
E-bus buying community: The Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) and Hamburg’s Hochbahn are looking to join forces when it comes to purchasing electric buses. Larger orders could help lower the price per unit and could inspire more innovation. Transport authorities in other cities are invited to join.
morgenpost.de (in German)
Seoul recharges: The South Korean capital has increased incentives for EV buyers from 12 to 14m won, so by about 1,800 dollars. Moreover, from this year, EVs qualify for tax reductions and lower insurance rates, city tolls and parking fees. The country wants to set up 30,000 AC chargers and fast-chargers every two kilometres in and around Seoul by 2020.
bna.com
Happiest place on earth: Shanghai’s Disney World will offer electric carsharing with 100 SAIC EVs for visitors, as well as an electric shuttle service with another 100 electric vehicles.
shanghaidaily.com, greencarreports.com
New frontiers: Lyft and GM want to expand their ridesharing programme Express Drive to San Francisco from this summer, followed by LA and Denver in autumn. The service uses the Chevy Volt and Bolt and is already active in Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
automotiveworld.com
H2 testing phase prolonged: In a second phase, Hyundai and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are extending their “fuel cell vehicle program” from Southern to Norther California, as well as Washington D.C, Michigan and Denver. Hyundai provides its Tucson Fuel Cell, the DOE the technology for hydrogen fuelling pumps.
greencarcongress.com
Real time information on charging stations: Berlin-based consortium Hubject announced its cooperation with mapping system Here. EV drivers who use maps, navigation systems or apps based on Here data can therefore get real time information on all chargers that are part of the intercharge network. That includes the location, type of plug, charging capacity and availability.
electriccarsreport.com, hubject.com
EVs for Jordan: Nissan will deliver a total of 100 Leaf and e-NV200 to taxi company Al Moumayaz in Jordan’s capital Amman. The goal is to successively replace all 400 of the cars with electric and hybrid vehicles (we reported). The city has meanwhile begun setting up a charging infrastructure.
zawya.com
Swedish buses stand the test: One year after starting an electric bus line in Gothenburg, Volvo strikes a balance, saying that it has exceeded expectations. The technology is reliable and customer and driver feedback is positive. Around 1.2m passengers took the electric bus in Gothenburg this past year.
volvogroup.com
Room for electrification in Seoul: The South Korean capital wants to designate 3 percent of public parking for electric vehicles. That includes street and off-street parking, as well as car parks. Moreover, EVs would be allowed to park for free for an hour and only pay half price after that.
koreabizwire.com
Pushing electrification: Malta is extending its subsidy programme for electric cars, earmarking another 100,000 euros. Moreover, companies and businesses now qualify for financial aid when buying and installing a charging station.
timesofmalta.com
250 chargers for France: Car park operator Effia has asked infrastructure provider E-Totem to install a total of 250 charging points at 80 locations in 51 French cities. The first 220 will be erected before the end of the year, the remaining 30 at the beginning of 2017.
.avere-france.org (in French)
Charging flatrates: Clever and BMW now offer buyers in Denmark a charging flatrate for newly purchased EV and PHEVs. For example, i3 driver would pay about 80 euros per month for “Clever Unlimited” and would get a home charger plus installation, as well as access to some 750 public chargers across Denmark, Sweden and Germany. Drivers can also choose a cheaper package and not get a home charger.
clever.dk
Solar carport with access control: German company wallb-e introduced its solar carport sun4charge, featuring two 22kW AC charge points. Drivers can plug in using their RFID card of via an app, meaning the concept is also feasible for utilities. There is also a sun4charge variant for e-bikes.
wallb-e.de (in German)
Going EV: Arizona Public Service (APS) is looking to successively replace its 2,138 vehicle strong fleet with electric and hybrid cars – starting with where it makes the most sense economically. The fleet consist of car, utility vehicles, as well as forklifts. Some buckets trucks have already been switched out.
dcourier.com
Seoul dreams electric: The city government considers adding to its all-electric fleet from 2017 to include models from KIA (Soul and Ray), as well as the Hyundai Ioniq. Moreover, Korea Electric Power is to set up rapid chargers in the city. How many EVs or chargers are in the cards, was not announced.
yonhapnews.co.kr
Charging at home: NHS Fleet Solutions cooperates with Rolec EV, which was announced as the official home charging point supplier and will install chargers for salary sacrifice drivers. Rolec EV offers the so-called ‘enquiry to installation,’ allowing NHS Fleet Solutions to follow every stage of the installation.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Residence apparently complained about loud engine (!!!) noise coming from the Apple testing centre in Sunnyvale, California, at night. That’s the place where the internet giant is allegedly working on the Apple car. Did someone just crank up their iPod or were we wrong about Apple making an EV?
appleinsider.com, jalopnik.com
City charging network: Montreal moves its electrification efforts ahead as it plans a 1000-strong EV charging network by 2020. The first 106 chargers at on-street parking spots shall stand by next spring.
montrealgazette.com
Electric car sharing in Seoul: Renault Samsung delivers 50 SM3 ZE to the Korean capital’s EV sharing project Gcar Sharing. If reception is good, Seoul will see 1,000 electric cars for hire by 2018. Already a fleet of 40 SM3 ZE serves as taxis in the city (we reported).
koreaherald.com, yonhapnews.co.kr (in French)
Toyota EV for tourists: 30 COMS will go on trial on the Japanese island of Okinawa in January 2016. The ultra-compact EVs will be available to hire at hotels and sightseeing sites and include an app that guides tourists along trails no car or bike could comfortably go.
marketwatch.com
Residential charging: The French BienVEnu project will install about 100 electric vehicle charging in apartment blocks over three years and include EV sharing. ERDF and seven partners receive 10 million euros from the French agency for environment and energy control (Ademe).
telecompaper.com
Hybrid fleet: ALD Automotive has taken delivery of 50 Mercedes hybrids. Over 30 C- and E-Class hybrids will serve in its own internal fleet with the remainder added to PoolFleet to lease to customers.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Most EVs are nowadays designed for urbanites. However, they can be used for almost anything. The BMW i3’s latest calling comes from New York City, where 20 i3 are used to count trees. And in Seoul, a fleet of five Renault Twizy is used to deliver Korea fried chicken. Don’t count your chickens, hug a tree! Korea’s EV Line: Seoul has come up with an infrastructure solution that is strikingly simple. The city plans to hand out charge cables fitted with RFID readers. Designed by Power Cube, the portable charging connectors could enable EV drivers to charge their cars at about 100,000 standard power outlets across the city by 2018, while the city will provide 10,000 designated charge spots already this year. EV hire: DriveNow in London added 30 BMW i3 to its fleet. Together with Sixt, the EVs can now be picked up and left standing anywhere in North and East London. Further coverage in the British capital and expansion to other European cities is planned. Hybrid taxis in Thailand: A new cab service has launched in Bangkok. All Thai Taxi already entertains a fleet of 100 Toyota Prius and plans to expand that fleet to include 500 PHEVs by this summer. Hungary ponders EV privileges: 150 charging stations will be installed in the next year, Hungarian minister for economy Mihaly Varga announced. Moreover, the government is also thinking about opening bus lanes to electric vehicles and about offering free parking. Comet shuttles: Five electric shuttles will be tested at Manila airport in July. The ‘City Optimized Managed Electric Transport’ (Comet) vans will ferry up to 16 passengers each from Naia Airport’s Terminal 3 to designated drop-off points in Metro Manila. If the project with Global Electric Transport (GET) is successful, the service might continue. — Text Ad — Seoul to charge up: South Korea’s capital plans to install 136 fast-charging stations this year with another 270 to follow in 2016. Until 2018, a total 0f 600 rapid chargers shall stand. To put them to good use, Seoul will acquire 40,000 electric cars, 3,000 electric buses and 7,000 electric taxis and trucks. Electric patrol in Barcelona: BMW delivered 30 electric C Evolution scooters to Barcelona. As they are destined to serve as patrol vehicles for the Spanish police force, the two-wheelers have been modified accordingly, while the technology remains the same. Stockholm starts hybrid bus service: The Swedish capital now has a first purely hybrid bus line in place. Eight Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrids are serving route 73 since yesterday, after being trialled before. The buses are part of the European ZeEUS project. Rental hybrids: Car hire service Avis is about to add 100 hybrid Toyota Yaris to its London fleet. They will first become available at the British capital’s airports. The exemption from the congestion charge in central London is one of the reasons for Avis’ decision. Destination charging: Club Intrawest is to install EV charging stations at its main locations, starting with Quebec, Canada. The boutique vacation club says ClipperCreek and Tesla charging stations will eventually be rolled out company-wide. Councils cued up on EVs: A survey by Intelligent Car Leasing among 412 councils in Great Britain found that one third of authorities had at least one electric vehicle in their fleet. Scottish communities are particularly well electrified with Dundee taking the lead as its fleet is 38 EVs strong. German Greens pro EV incentives: German car buyers could get grants worth 5,000 euros (5,672 USD) for EVs and 2,000 euros (2,270 USD) for hybrids if a new proposal by the Green party will make it through parliament. The subsidies could be financed through a new fund fed with taxes collected from cars which emissions exceed the European limits. Phone booths to charge points: Korean KT Linkus together with electric car sharing company Han Car and the city of Seoul has started a pilot project to turn disused phone booths into EV charging stations. Three have undergone the transformation already and more could follow suit. Crossing Connecticut in hybrids: The state will put 48 diesel-hybrid buses by Nova, New Flyer and Gillig into service for its new express bus system CTfastrak, which is scheduled to start in March. All buses are equipped with hybrid technology from Allison Hybrid and will serve across Connecticut. BYD announces more plug-in SUVs: After the Tang, the Chinese manufacturer wants to introduce two more plug-in hybrid SUVs in 2015 – the Song and the Yuan. Another SUV, the Ming, will be introduced later. Moreover, BYD wants to sell 15,000 units of its all-electric e6 to taxi companies this year and set up a car hiring service in Hong Kong with the same model. 5-Series GT plugs in: German auto motor und sport reports that due to high demand in the U.S. and China, BMW will definitely introduce a second generation of its 5-Series GT. A plug-in hybrid variant with an electric range of around 30 kilometres is supposedly also in the works. Behind the wheel of the Twizy Cargo: The tiny delivery concept has its perks, such as being able to whisk around traffic, park in the smallest spots and get a company noticed. The only drawback is the lack of side windows or a heater which makes driving it in autumn and winter “interesting”. Seoul gears up for electric mobility: The South Korean capital plans to introduce 50,000 electric vehicles by 2018 and to establish 500 charging stations within the city. Furthermore, private operators of parking lots will receive 20 million won (about 18,000 dollars) for setting up charging points and EV buyers can enjoy up to 6 million won (5,500 dollars) in tax breaks. Used hybrids for Nepal: The Japanese company BP Trading wants to sell reconditioned hybrid vehicles in Nepal. However, so far the country does not allow the import of used cars at all. But in the wake of new policies pushing for lower emission cars, it might reconsider. Audi R8 e-tron debut in March: Audi’s head of technology, Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, said the R8 and its all-electric version will be presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The R8 e-tron serves foremost as a “technology presenter” for different drive technologies like a plug-in hybrid, Hackenberg added. Q7 world premiere: The new Audi SUV debuted in Detroit and will also be offered as a plug-in hybrid as expected. The Q7 e-Tron Quattro combines a 258-hp diesel engine with a 94-kW electric motor. Almost 35 miles of electric range is Audi’s promise for the PHEV to be launched “shortly after” the gas Q7. Seoul to clear the air: As the South Korean capital suffers from fine dust pollution, the Ministry of Environment was asked to tighten regulations. Seoul considers to introduce so-called Clean Zones in the city centre where only electric and hybrid cars would be allowed to enter. Additionally, the municipal government is looking to collaborate with other local governments to jointly invest in electric cars. New Infiniti concept: Nissan’s luxurious subsidy showcases the Q60 Concept at the NAIAS which might become a production coupé in 2016. A hybrid version is likely but has not yet been confirmed. Bentley SUV baptised: The first SUV of the British brand will be called Bentayga when it hits the market in 2016. A plug-in hybrid is expected a year later while the SUV could premier at the 2015 IAA. Seoul means business: The capital of South Korea partners with BMW, GM, Kia and Renault-Samsung and offers up to 18,425 dollars in incentives to residents who buy an EV from those manufacturers, while businesses can also receive up to 6,400 dollars in funding for installing charging stations. Moreover, BMW wants to erect 120 chargers in Seoul and allow customers with its “BMW i3 Link Package” to test drive or rent a car from BMW’s entire line-up for ten days per year. FDG kicks off production in China: FDG Electric Vehicles hopes to produce 10,000 electric utility vehicles per year at its plant in Kunming. In the first half of 2015, FDG will open a second production site in Hangzhou, with the capacity of 100,000 units per year. FDG was formerly known as Sinopoly Battery, but changed its name into FDG Electric Vehicles after investing in Smith Electric Vehicles. Honda Legend hybrid announced: The Japanese carmaker will begin offering the hybrid Legend on its home market starting January 22nd. It uses the same three-motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system, as the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid. Pricing starts at 59,000 dollars. Renault Z.E. interest in Australia: After launching a trial with Australia Post, Renault has seen some interest by other businesses in its Kangoo Z.E., but sales in Down Under will probably not kick off for at least another year, as the country lacks i.e. incentives for EV programmes. BYD eyes Brazil: The Chinese manufacturer unveiled it electric bus K9-12d for the Brazilian market. At the beginning of next year, BYD wants to begin building around 500 electric buses per year in the South American country and also export them to Columbia, Chile and Uruguay. Model S price adjustment? According to CEO Elon Musk, Tesla considers upping the prices for its all-electric sedan in Europe. The reason is a seven percent change in the dollar-euro exchange rates. Not surprisingly, Musk is telling potential customers to buy rather sooner than later. Colourful carsharing in France: The pilot programme ‘Cité lib’ kicks-off on October 1st in the city of Grenoble. 70 EVs are up for hire, half of which are Toyota i-Roads, the other Toyota Coms. That means 35 of the 45 i-Roads built so far will be on the road in southern France. These can be booked via an app. The trial will last three years. M. Barnwell Services hybridised: The British stockist and distributor of fluid sealing products is replacing its fleet with 25 Toyota Auris Hybrid Touring Sports. The cars are meant for the company’s sales team and a step towards reducing its carbon footprint and being in line with new standards for environmental management. Poland gets first electric buses: Polish company Solaris has delivered two of its Urbino 8.9 LE Electric to the city of Ostroleka. These feature a 160 kWh battery and three-phase chargers, which has been mounted on the roof for easier access. The drivetrain is delivered by Polish company Medcom. Free electric taxi for Seoul: Renault Samsung Motors is letting members of the Seoul Taxi Association in South Korea use ten of its SM3 Z.E. free of charge. The idea is for taxi drivers and passengers to discover the benefits of electric mobility. For the drivers, other perks include free use of toll road tunnels, cheaper parking and free access to the city’s charging points.
electriccarsreport.com (New York),
Seoul, London, Bangkok, Hungary, Manila.
cio.com, businesskorea.co.kr
fleetworld.co.uk, transportevolved.com
bangkok.coconuts.co
dailynewshungary.com, bbj.hu
newsinfo.inquirer.net
Industry Studies and Papers for Electric Mobility: Stay up to date on the latest research and check out our industry studies section, where we catalog new publications by and for the electric mobility sector. If you want to find out more, just click here: electrive.com/industry-studies
Seoul, Barcelona, Stockholm, Avis, Club Intrawest.
businesskorea.co.kr
motorbiker.org, bmwgroup.com
volvobuses.com
puregreencars.com
hybridcars.com
Great Britain, Germany, Seoul, Connecticut.
intelligentcarleasing.com via fleetpoint.org, transportevolved.com
thelocal.de
koreabizwire.com
greencarcongress.com
BYD, Toyota, BMW, Renault, Seoul, Nepal.
bloomberg.com, transportevolved.com
Toyota steps up Mirai production: We already reported that an increase in Mirai production was in the pipelines, but now it is official. Toyota will raise the production of its fuel cell model from the 2015 level of 700 units to approximately 2,000 units in 2016 and 3,000 units in 2017.
greencarcongress.com, newsroom.toyota.co.jp
auto-motor-und-sport.de (in German)
evfleetworld.co.uk
koreaittimes.com
ekantipur.com
Hyundai, Audi R8 e-tron, Audi Q7, Seoul, Infiniti, Bentley.
Hyundai hybrids revealed: At the NAIAS, the Koreans presented the new Sonata Hybrid as well as the PHEV version. The latter has a said electric range of 22 miles due to its larger battery pack (9.8 kWh). The 2016 Sonata Hybrid is set to go to market this summer with the plug-in to follow in fall.
hybridcars.com, greencarreports.com
drive.com.au
insideevs.com, greencarcongress.com, detroitnews.com
koreajoongangdaily.com
forbes.com, indianautosblog.com
indianautosblog.com, youtube.com
Seoul, FDG Electric Vehicles, Honda, Renault, BYD, Tesla.
cnet.com, greencarreports.com
noodls.com
hondanews.info, paultan.org
caradvice.com.au
chinadaily.com.cn
green.autoblog.com
Grenoble, M. Barnwell Services, Ostroleka, Seoul.
theautochannel.com, greencarcongress.com
fleetnews.co.uk
auto-medienportal.net (in German), energiamax.pl (in Polish)
greencarcongress.com
