Lyft intends to use all EVs zero emission vehicles by 2030

(June 17)Lyft, the large US ride-sharing company, announced on Wednesday that it planned to transition to 100 percent electric(EV) or zero-emission vehicles by the year 2030.

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Transition will help the environment by reducing pollution

Lyft which operates in the US and some Canadian cities believes that by working with auto manufacturers, rental car companies, and its independent contractor drivers it will be able to prevent tens of millions of metric tons of pollutants from entering the atmosphere through the transition from fossil fuel powered vehicles.

John Zimmer, president of Lyft said: “Now more than ever, we need to work together to create cleaner, healthier, and more equitable communities. Success breeds success, and if we do this right, it creates a path for others.”

Idea of EV mandates for ride-sharing companies gaining ground

The view that ride-sharing companies are environmentally friendly has been touted by some as they have expanded in many larger cities. However, studies have shown that the average ride-share trip creates about 50 percent more pollution than an average traditional car trip. Studies also show that half of all ride-hailing trips in major cities are made by people who would have otherwise chosen cleaner means of transit such as public transportation.to get to their destination.

Becoming all EVs will be difficult

Lyft will first change more of its Express Drive rental cars to EVs. The program allows those who have no car to become Lyft drivers through the rental. Lyft will try to make EV's available for rent at the same or even lower weekly rental rates as comparable gas powered vehicles by 2023 in at least 10 of their largest markets. Regulatory filings show that Lyft has tens of thousands of cars in 30 US cities for short term rentals. Express Drive has apparently earned one billion dollars since it began in 2016. However, many drivers find the Express Drive involves low payouts and onerous requirements about the number of trips made according to the Los Angeles Times.

In 2018 Uber, Lyft''s large competitor had a pilot project that offered incentives for drives to switch to EVs. However, it never expanded the program after the pilot project ended.

Lyfts' plans

Lyft claims it will “organize demand-side interest in EVs and ​negotiate with auto manufacturers for group discounts​ for drivers using the Lyft platform.” Lyft also claims it will be able to persuade auto manufacturers to increase the selection and supply of more affordable EVs with longer ranges. Many manufactures are already making plans to have large lineups of electrified vehicles in the hope that the vehicles will become more attractive as a more environmentally friendly vehicle than those powered by fossil fuels.

In spite of the fact that the Trump administration has recently allowed automakers to make more polluting vehicles, Lyft will lobby for aggressive zero-emission policies that will favor EVs.

Lyft hopes its policies will reduce the cost of EVs, improve charging and develop special promotions that will make EVs more attractive to their drivers. In a blog post the company said: “By aggregating the collective demand of the driver community, we can help drivers transition to EVs over time in a way that saves drivers money.”

Most ride-sharing still through gas-powered vehicles

L:yft has been trying to portray itself for years as committed to environment sustainability but with limited success. For example it has invested millions in an attempt to become carbon neutral. The company has also tried to encourage drivers to take multiple passengers on rides but drivers have been reluctant to do this especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the vast majority of ride shares at present are still by fossil-fuel powered vehicles.

Newest effort is the most comprehensive yet by Lyft

Lyft is partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund and the Climate Group in its latest efforts. It has also collected numerous favorable quotes from well-known environmentalists and policymakers, including Representative Frank Pallone a Democrat and Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

The company has not disclosed how much it must invest to electrify its total fleet. A spokesperson said: “The transition to EVs is baked into our operating costs."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Ford to produce an all-electric version of its popular Transit cargo van

(March 3) Ford announced that it will be producing an all-electric version of the popular Transit cargo van for US and Canadian markets. The van is scheduled to be released by 2021.

Many details about the van were not given

Ford did not say what the battery pack size of the van would be nor its estimated range on a charge. None of its performance characteristics were provided. Ford had previously announced back in 2019 that there would be all-electric Transit van for the European market. The company expects to launch the van in Europe by 2021 as part of the company's electrification program.

The announcement did indicated that the van will come with a 4G LTE hotspot and will also have a number of tech features that are designed for managers of fleets. This includes live GPS tracking and diagnostics. The van will also come with safety and drive assistance features. These will include collision warning and assist, automatic emergency braking, automatic lane-keeping and also pedestrian detection.

Ford also announced that at this time it had no news about an electric version of its Transit passenger van at present.

Ford's Transit van best-selling cargo van in the US

Even so, it is facing increased competition during the last several years from Germany's Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter van. There are already two electric versions of the Sprinter.

Mercedes electric Sprinter van

One electric version of the Sprinter has a 55kWh battery that can travel 168 kilometers or 104 miles on a full charge. It has a payload of 891 kilograms or 1,964 pounds. However there is also another version with a smaller 41kWh battery that can go just 115 kilometers or 72 miles on a charge. Yet this version can carry up to 1,045 kilos or 2,304 pounds. Both versions have the same storage space, 10.5 cubic meters or 370.8 square feet.

Mercedes Benz also announced an electric only vehicle (EOV) for more everyday use. It will be slightly smaller than the Sprint and will have a much longer range of 249 miles from a larger 100kWh battery that provides up to 200 horsepower. It also sports the company's MBUC infotainment system.

Other competitors and Ford

Rivian an EV startup has a contract to build 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon over the new few year. Ford has invested $500 million in the company which is helping to build a luxury electric SUV which will have the Lincoln brand. Ford is also collaborating with Volkswagen to produce vans after they formed a global alliance early in 2019. The appended video shows some of the all electric vans available.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Ford unveils an all-electric Mustang Mach-E

(November 18, 2019) Ford has just unveiled the fully electric Mustang Mach-E. The new EV promises the performance of the fossil-fueled version but with far more practicality. However, naming the EV a Mustang has riled up some supporters of the gas model .

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Ford made a bold move to use the Mustang brand for the EV

Even though there may be some negative reaction to the move it has probably drawn attention to the car that it would not otherwise have had. Perhaps any publicity is good publicity. A new name or that of another existing Ford vehicle would likely not have garnered so much interest.

Design is quite different from the existing Mustang

The Mach-E has a quite different front grille from the traditional Mustang. It has a nose matching the SUV's body color. Electric vehicles tend to need less direct air cooling. This has led automakers to become clever with design. However, the move is bound to elicit scorn from some who love the traditional design.

Features

The Mach-E has a decent range for an all-electric vehicle of up to 300 miles of range. The price range will be between $44,000 to over $60,000. State and Federal tax incentives will help lower the price but the Mach-E is still a premium car.

The Mach-E will not ship for about a year but the models recently tested felt like a complete package even though the software is not yet close to working according to Sean O'Kane of Verge.

Details of different versions of the Mach-E are available in a Verge article.

The Mach-E is said to have a lot of head room by O'Kane and leg room as well especially since it is small as SUVs go. The car also has a USB-C port and also a wireless charging mat a boon for techies. There is a large front trunk and deep storage places in both the doors and the center console.

The 15.5 inch touchscreeen was not yet functional. However, it has a simple digital instrument cluster with basic information. There is also a driver monitoring system. Ford eventually wants a hands-free driving system and the monitoring system will be a safety feature for when that occurs.

Comparisons with Teslas

The forthcoming Tesla Model Y will have similar specs to the Mach-E and is scheduled to be released around the same time.

Shortly after the unveiling event, Elon Musk CEO of Tesla congratulated Ford on the Mach-E tweeting: “Sustainable/electric cars are the future!! Excited to see this announcement from Ford, as it will encourage other carmakers to go electric too."

Ford may end up in financial difficulty

]Ford is committed to a huge investment over the next years: "Ford Motor Company said Sunday that it would more than double its investment in the production of electric vehicles, promising to spend $11 billion on the technology by 2022. The auto giant will roll out 16 fully electric cars within five years, the first of which would arrive in 2020."

O'Kane thinks that Ford made the right choice in going ahead producing the premium and superior Mach-E rather than a slightly improved Ford Focus as they earlier planned. However, the latter vehicle might have been cheaper and more suitable for a mass market. It remains to be seen how many are willing to plump down a fairly high sum for the Mach-E when the entire EV market is just a small fraction of the existing new automobile market.

In May of this year Ford cut 7,000 white collar jobs or ten percent of its workforce: "Ford is cutting 7,000 white-collar jobs, or about 10% of its salaried staff worldwide, as part of a cost-cutting effort it says will save the company about $600 million a year." There have been other cuts since then including 450 workers in the Oakville Canada assembly plant as sales for the Flex model slump.

A recent late October article on Ford stock provides four difficulties Ford faces and concludes: "Ford (NYSE:F) faces too many challenges to be a buy right now. The carmaker reported third-quarter results this week, including earnings declines, lowered guidance, and less-than-promising sales trends overseas. Most of the turmoil seems to revolve around the company's attempt to restructure and move away from stagnant sedans. Nonetheless, it isn't doing much that will create a bull case for its stock. Here are the four key headwinds holding things back."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

As early as 2022 electric cars (EVs) could be cheaper than regular vehicles

The research company BloombergNEF claims that electric cars (EVs) could be cheaper than regular fossil-fueled cars by as early as 2022.

The electric vehicle(EV) industry is growing very quickly

Less than a decade ago in 2010 the global number of EVs was about 12,500. In 2018 more than 2 million EVs were sold world-wide and amounted to 2 percent of total car sales. Today there are more than 5 million EVs on the road throughout the globe.

There has been a constant reduction in both the size and price of the batteries essential to the EVs. However, EV's still are more expensive on the whole than the gas-powered counterparts and also lag in range and also refueling time.

However, newer EVs have a range in hundreds of miles, more than enough for anyone's daily commute. However, concern about range is still a big concern for many EV buyers who worry about having to charge their vehicles on longer trips. However, price differentials is also a concern for many buyers.

EV's may become cheaper than fossil-fueled vehicles earlier than thought

Every year BloombergNEF, a research company, analyses the cost of purchasing an EV and compares it with the cost of a fossil-fueled vehicle of the same type. The company estimates the crossover point at which EVs become cheaper than regular combustion engine powered cars. The point has been changing rapidly: " In a recent blog post, BloombergNEF energy analyst Nathaniel Bullard notes that in 2017 the point at which an electric vehicle would become cheaper than a combustion-engine vehicle of the same size was estimated to be 2026. Last year that closed to 2024, and he says the latest analysis suggests it’s now 2022 for large vehicles in the European Union."

One of the main causes for the change in the crossover point is the declining price of the lithium-ion batteries essential to the operation of the EVs. The battery costs now represent about a third of the car price whereas not long ago they made up around half the price. The batteries are expected to have another price drop of around 20 percent by 2025. The range of electric vehicles is likely to broaden and include construction diggers, boats, and even planes.

Government policies can help the EV industry grow

The growth of the EV industry is also helped through government policies in some countries that subsidize the purchase of the vehicles in order to reduce emissions and protect the environment. The US had such policies but the tax incentives will end this year and have already declined for Tesla and GM EVs. The Trump administration has not been friendly to environmental concerns and there is no sign at present Trump will try to have a new program or the old one extended.

The Chinese government has been pushing for more EV sales but recently slashed the extensive subsidies that had made China the world's largest market for EV's overtaking the US. The government said that the subsidies made companies too reliant on handouts and less open to innovation. China says it will remove subsidies completely by 2020. It may be that the slowdown in the economy is making less revenue available for subsidies. However, China has a huge pollution problem and fostering the EV industry may pay off in reducing pollution caused by conventional cars. While the reduction in subsidies in some countries may set back the production of EV's somewhat, it still seems that lower costs will increase demand producing economies of scale that could result in lower prices still. Also many countries may decide that subsidies actually payoff in terms of the positive effects of reducing the use of fossil fuels.

Overall it seems the growth momentum of the EV industry is likely to increase over the next years.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Ford Motor Company to invest $500 million in EV startup Rivian

The Ford Motor Company announced that it has invested $500 million in Rivian, an electronic vehicle (EV) startup. Ford will build an EV using Rivian's technology the two companies announced.

The new vehicle's production will not have any effects on two other EV's Ford is developing an EV version of the popular F-150 and the Mustang-inspired crossover according to Ford CEO Jim Hackett.

The announcement

In addition to the investment the companies have agreed to work together to create an all-new next-generation battery electirc vehicle for Ford's growing number of EV vehicles using Rivian's skateboard platform. RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian said: “This strategic partnership marks another key milestone in our drive to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility. Ford has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, with Bill Ford being one of the industry's earliest advocates, and we are excited to use our technology to get more electric vehicles on the road.”

Bill Ford, Ford's executive chair, said: “We are excited to invest in and partner with Rivian,” said Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman. I have gotten to know and respect RJ, and we share a common goal to create a sustainable future for our industry through innovation.”

Few details about the new vehicle

Although few details about the new car have been released it will use RIvian's "flexible skateboard platform" that includes the battery pack, the electric drive-train, and the electrical architecture that will power also Rivian's own EVs. At present these include the R1T electric pickup an the R1S SUV both scheduled to arrive late next year. Ford will also gain a minority stake in Rivian through its investment.

Although Ford has decided what kind of vehicle it will build on the Rivian platform, it has yet to specify what it will be.

Rivian received investment from Amazon

Only two months back, Rivian announced there had been a $700 million investment in the company spearheaded by Amazon. Rivian also had talks with GM but it is reported Rivian backed out of an exclusive deal. However, Scaringe claimed that Rivian was making several models for other companies. The deal with Ford is looser. Scaringe said that the company is very much focused on the relationships it has developed along with launching its own products. It wants to make sure it executes on deals.

Ford is committed to large investments in EVs

Ford Motors announced previously that it will invest $11 billion into the development of EVs. An all-electric Mustang-style crossover is scheduled to be revealed later this year. Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of automotive operations said: “We have a lot of experience in electrification. But there’s also a lot we don’t know, and there’s also things we can still learn. We don’t have all the answers, and we don’t pretend to.” Hinrich said that Ford has a lot to learn from Rivian. Hinrich will serve on Rivian's board of directors.

Hinrich claimed that the deal with Rivian represented an opportunity to get a new EV on the market faster and cheaper than if it had developed one on its own from the ground up. Scaringe said: “One of the great benefits you get from working with a startup company like Rivian, with RJ personally, is the opportunity to go faster. So speed is an important part of this...There’s absolutely an opportunity for us to learn from Ford in terms of their manufacturing expertise, particularly when it comes to lightweight structures, and, of course, how they effectively manage production."

Previously published in Digital Journal

In 5 European countries electric vehicles now cheaper to operate than fossil fuel powered vehicles

New research shows that electric vehicles are now cheaper to run than gas or diesel vehicles in five different European countries.

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International Council for Clean Transportation study(ICCT)

The ICCT research examined the purchase, fuel and tax costs of Europe's best selling vehicle the Volkswagen Golf in its battery electric, hybrid, gas and diesel versions. Over four years, the purely electric Golf was the cheapest in five countries: Germany, UK, Netherlands, Norway and France. This was due to a combination of lower taxes, fuel costs and subsidies on the purchase price in the five countries. The ICCT research showed that tax breaks are a key way to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles which will help alleviate the effects of climate change and lessen air pollution.

Carbon emissions from vehicles are a large contributor to global warming and the emissions have been rising in the EU during recent years. Vehicles are also a source of air pollution that is said to have caused 500,000 early deaths a year in the EU.

Norway offered the largest savings for EVs over diesel 27 percent as the EVs are not subject to a heavy registration tax. The UK has recently cuts the amount of grants for EV purchases and has the smallest saving overall just 5 percent. In the other three countries saving varied from 11 to 15 percent

Sandra Wappelhorst, from the ICCT, said financial incentives for electric cars would not be needed when purchase prices fall to that of fossil-fuel powered cars. This is not likely to happen until between 2025 and 2030. With the prices of batteries continually dropping this will eventually reduce the price of EVs as well. Owners of EVs need to be confident that there are sufficient charging points to charge batteries on longer trips.

Hybrid vehicles were often the most expensive to run over the four years. This was due in part because the vehicles must have two engines.

James Tate study

Another study by James Tate of the University of Leeds looked at the costs of car ownership in the UK, US, and Japan. That study also found that electric cars were cheapest mainly due to the lower costs of electricity to gas or diesel fuel. Tate said that the UK government could do more to encourage the purchase of more EVs: “My view is that the UK should do much more to steer the market away from the most polluting and inefficient cars, ie SUVs/4x4 which are continuing to grow in sales. These large, heavy vehicles burden us and the climate with unnecessary CO2 and air pollutants. A taxation policy that rises with fuel consumption rates, such as in the Netherlands and Norway is overdue.” Tate said auto manufacturers are not keeping up with the demand for EVs.

Recommendations of the ICCT report

The ICC included a series of recommendations for government policy:Create significant tax advantages for low-emission vehicles at the point of purchase. Tax payments or tax advantages at the point of purchase have a stronger influence on consumer choice than annual tax payments.

Ensure continued tax benefits for low-emission vehicles during their use. Lower taxes and lower total costs for consuming electricity compared with higher taxes and total price at the pump for gasoline and diesel fuel can serve as an incentive for consumers to opt for a car with an electric drive train.

Account for the emissions of a vehicle as part of the company-car tax system. Company cars play an important role in Europe as they make up the highest proportion of new-car registrations in markets such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Balance and regularly re-adjust the tax system to be self-sustaining. To ensure a self-sustaining tax system, vehicle-related taxes need to take into consideration all vehicles, ensure that high-emission vehicles generate the tax revenue to provide tax breaks for low-emission vehicles, and be adapted annually or every two years to account for changes in market structure.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Tesla to increase charges on its Supercharger stations for EVs

Tesla will raise rates at its Supercharger stations after it implements a new pricing structure. At present, it charges using a state/region pricing scheme. It will now use a structure that prices individual stations according to local power and demand.

Price increases vary from place to place

The price increase was reported by Electrek, not Tesla. The site claims that New York drivers were until now charged the state-wide rate of $0.24 per kWh. With the change, the price goes up one third to $0.32 per kWh.

Tesla already hiked prices anywhere from 20 to 40 percent for pay per-use customers in 2018. A Tesla spokesperson said that the company is “adjusting Supercharging pricing to better reflect differences in local electricity costs and site usage,” and repeated its talking points from 2018, claiming that the company doesn’t plan to use the Supercharging stations as a “profit center.”

Tesla is cutting costs

This price rise comes on top of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, just having announced that the company will end its customer referral program, which permitted customers to gift six month of free charging to friends who bought a Tesla. The company has been continually cutting back on its free charging program as noted on the appended video.

As another cost-cutting measure, Tesla cut about seven percent of its work force as reported in a recent Digital Journal article.

For the third quarter of last year Tesla finally made a profit but has yet to make a yearly profit. As discussed in a recent article, Tesla has a huge amount of its debt coming due $920 million. This is putting a lot of pressure on the company to reduce its expenditures as it has been burning through cash.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Car makers globally intend to invest about $300 billion in electric vehicles

Global car manufacturers are planning to invest huge sums to develop and obtain batteries and build electric vehicles (EVs) over the next five to ten years.

Company plans for investment on electric vehicles (EVs)

A recent Reuters article lists the plans and investment amounts of most companies. Global car makers will target a considerable amount of their investment on EVs on the Chinese market as the government there is providing strong incentives to change to EVs. Investment in China is expected to be more than $135 billion. The investment will include not only foreign investment but also investment by Chinese companies such as SAIC, and Great Wall Motors. However, Chinese investment may be matched or even exceeded by foreign investment often with Chinese partners.

Car makers plans total about $300 billion investment in EVs. Government policies which in many cases give incentives for buying EV's and also plan on eventually stopping the production of fossil fueled vehicles are part of the reason for the company investments. Governments want to change to EVs because of the harmful emissions caused by gas and diesel engines.

Rapid technological advances such as better batteries at lower cost have led to EVs being cheaper with longer ranges on a single charge. There have been advances too in chargers lessening charge times.

The actual spending by automakers on research and development, engineering, production and procurement will likely be much higher. The Reuters report does not include related spending by suppliers, technology companies. and other industries related to EV production — but there are several notable highlights of automakers' upcoming EV projects.

Tesla's investment

Tesla is building a giga plant in China that it will wholly own. Recently, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, attended a ground-breaking ceremony for the new plant in Shanghai. Tesla has said the factory will cost around $2 billion. At the event Musk said: “We think with the resources here we can build the Shanghai Gigafactory in record time and we’re looking forward to hopefully having some initial production of the Model 3 towards the end of this year and achieving volume production next year."

Total EV investment by Tesla that makes only EVs will be $10 billion. This includes $5 billion on batteries. Of this investment $2.5 billion will be in China. Tesla has still not fully funded its huge $5 billion Nevada battery factory.

GM investment

By 2023 GM is planning to roll out 23 new EVs. By 2025 it hopes to offer electrified versions of Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac models sold in China. With its partner SAIC in China it hopes to build EV battery modules. GM hopes to spend $8 billion combined on electrification and automation over the next several years. And GM has just revealed its new fully electric Cadillac EV.

Volkswagen/Audi/Porsche investment

VW's plans are ambitious. In December last year the company said it was planning to spend $34 billion on e-mobility initiatives and another $57 billion on battery procurement through 2025. By the same year, it hopes to have 50 fully electric vehicles along with 30 hybrids. 12 of the models will be Audis. Eventually VW hopes to have electrified versions of all its 300 models in the 12 global brands it has.

Total VW investment is a humongous $91 billion. On batteries alone VW will spend $57 billion. In China VW will spend $45.5 billion, half of its total investment.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Porsche to release the Taycan an all-electric sports car by the end of this year

Porsche will release its first all-electric sports car next year. The arrival of the new EV, the Taycan, is eagerly awaited even by Tesla owners. The Taycan is to come onto the market at the end of 2019.

CEO of Porsche, Klaus Zellmer said that if everyone who has posted a deposit to pre-order the Taycan follows through and buys it, the car will be sold out in the first year of production. Zellmer noted that more than half of those who have pre-orders have not owned or do not own a Porsche. He claimed that many are coming from Tesla.

CNET quotes Zellmer as saying: "More than half of the people that are signing up for the Taycan have not owned or do not own a Porsche," he said. So what do they drive? "Typically, if we look at our source of business, people coming from other brands, it's Audi, BMW, or Mercedes. The no. 1 brand now is Tesla. That's pretty interesting, to see that people that were curious about the Tesla for very good reasons obviously don't stop being curious."

Zellmer did not say how many people had made deposits or how many units of the Taycan will be produced this year and afterwards. Previously Porsche said that it planned to make about 20,000 Taycans per year. However, in November a Porsche official said that due to demand Porsche would increase production but he did not say by how much.

The Taycan

The Taycan is expected to have three models including an all-wheel drive version. The base model is called the Taycan, the Taycan 45 is the all-wheel drive version, and the Taycan Turbo is the top model. It is called Turbo even though that is usually reserved for internal combustion engines. Taycan roughly translates into "lively young horse".

Some see the Taycan as a threat to Tesla which so far has dominated the luxury EV market. The Volkswagen Group that owns Porsche has invested over a billion dollars in the car.

CNET reports that the Taycan will have a huge 600 horsepower and a range of more than 300 miles. The top-of-the line Turbo is expected to have a price tag of more than $130,000.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Testa's new model Y coming this March

Tesla will unveil its fifth car, the Model Y in March of 2019. The new EV is expected to be a crossover SUV that will be smaller than the model X and with a lower price tag.

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The model Y will use much of the Model 3's underlying technology. It should be a hit in the US where SUV sales are booming. Other EV's such as those of Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche will not be in direct competition with the model X. However two new vehicle announcements indicate there will be considerable competition in China a huge market of EVs.

NIOs ES6

The Chinese EV startup NIO launched the ES6 a smaller five seat successor to their first car the larger ES8. The ES6 is a more affordable version of the ES8. It will start at 358 thousand RMB or $51,000 US but that is before government subsidies bring the cost down. The Chinese government is promoting EVs.

The base model will have a 70kwh battery pack that will offer a substantial range of 410 km or 254 miles on a single charge or slightly more in performance trim about 267 miles. However, there will also be a model with a larger 84 kwh battery pack that will go quite a bit further about 480 km or 298 miles with the performance version eking out a bit more at 317 miles.

All versions of the ES6 are outfitted with dual electric motors and will be loaded with Tesla-like tech. There is a 11.3 touchscreen between the dashboard and the center console. There is another screen beyond the steering wheel that replaces the conventional instrument cluster. There is also a heads up display that shows critical info such as speed in the drivers' field of view. There are also sensors that provide driver assistance such as lane keep and adaptive cruise control.

The ES6 has its own unique features such as an AI system called NOMI a robot that sits on top of the dashboard. It even has an intelligent fragrancing system to offer a more pleasant experience to occupants.

The ES8

The ES8 starts at about $68,000 US dollars before discounts and has a range of about 355 kilometers or about 220 miles on a charge. The price is about half of what the Tesla Model X sells for in China. As of now Tesla cars do not qualify for incentives and subsidies since they are imported. However, Tesla has agreed to build a factory in China. Other car makers have partnered with Chinese companies to enter the Chinese market.

The company has developed a quick battery-swapping system that can change the ES8 battery pack in just three minutes. The company intends to build 1,100 battery-swapping stations around China by 2020. This should help with long haul trips.

NIO has financial backing from Chinese tech giants such as Tencent and Baidu. It recently received a $1 billion round of funding. It plans to bring its EVs to the US in 2020.

The Xpeng G3.

Another Chinese EV maker Xiaopeng or Xpeng just officially announced its first all-electric EV the G3. Xpeng is backed by Foxconn and the giant Alibaba and is valued at around $3 billion already. It has borrowed heavily in concept designs from Tesla's Model X.

However the G3 does not seem an obvious clone of the Model X or Model Y. The G3 will start at just 227,800 RMB or just a bit below $33,000 US and that is before any government subsidies. As with the NIO it has a massive Tesla-like touch screen in the dashboard. It has a battery pack that should last around 230 miles on a single charge.

Timeline for the vehicles

Xpeng is already taking orders for the G3 and claims that it is ready to start deliveries. NIO has opened up preorders for the ES6 just this week with deliveries to start in June 2019. Government subsides could reduce the price of cars up to $10,000 depending upon where the cars are delivered.

Tesla's timeline for offering the Model Y in China is not clear. It is not even clear where Tesla will build the SUV. Elon Musk said the target date is 2020 for production but has not yet said where it will be produced whether in the US or China. Both NIO and Xpeng are far behind Tesla in EV production. Production of the ES8 of NIO was begun only in June and it has only made 10,000 or so cars. Xpeng is even further behind. Tesla cars are now sold in China but those manufactured in the US will face tariffs that could make them more expensive than any Chinese competitors.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Volkswagen might use Ford's US plants to produce its own electric vehicles (EVs)

U.S. auto manufacturer Ford is talking with Volkswagen in Washington, DC about the German auto maker possibly using Ford plants to make electric vehicles and sharing its platform with Ford in the U.S.

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EVs to be manufactured may include microbuses

Back in June the two companies announced that they were planning an alliance to cooperate on some future products. Diess said that the alliance would not include equity stakes for the automakers. Volkswagen chief executive officer Herbert Deiss said recently that he is looking for a place to build the company's electric cars in North America.

EV models include classic microbuses

Although Diess did not say what exact models may be made in the U.S., they may include the I.D. Crozz and the I.D. Buzz.

The I.D. Crozz is expected to go on sale in 2021, and the I.D. Buzz in 2022. The Buzz is a remake of the classic microbus. However other possibilities include pickup trucks shown at recent auto shows that are sold worldwide.

Diess said: “We need additional capacity here in the United States, we need an additional car plant for VW and Audi combined.” Audi, which is now part of the Volkswagen group. is also planning to sell vehicles in the U.S. including several models that will be based on VW's MEB platform designed to produce more affordable models.

A recent article notes: "Volkswagen is expecting to launch at least three new all-electric vehicles in the U.S. in the next five years.The first will be the 2020 introduction of the ID, a unique electric-only that would replace the e-Golf; the much-anticipated, all-electric ID Buzz, a remake on the counterculture-icon microbus, due in 2022; and the I.D. Crozz, a rugged-hatchback spinoff. A flagship sedan, previewed by last year’s I.D. Vizzion concept, could also arrive around 2022."

Ford could use VW's EV architecture

If Ford and VW come to an agreement on sharing the development of EVs, both companies could use VW's EV architecture. VW is planning large investments in EVs up to $50 billion.

VW hopes that by just 2025 fully a quarter of all the groups' vehicles will be solely powered by electricity. They expect to have some 50 different fully battery powered vehicles plus 30 plug-in hybrids.

Using Ford plants would save VW money

Although there are some reports and rumors about VW expanding its existing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee or even building a new plant, sharing facilities with Ford could achieve the aims of VW without the company having to invest a great deal of money in a new or expanded facility. It would help localize production as well and help shield it from currency fluctuations or trade wars.

Neither company has released any specifics about their deal, and both said they were still in the process of working out details.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Chinese company claims that EV's will become cheaper to make then regular vehicles due to cheaper batteries

The Chinese company Envision Energy claims that it will be capable of making battery packs for less than $100 dollars per kilowatt-hour within the next two years. At this price, electric vehicles (EV) will become cheaper to make than regular cars.

Reducing costs of batteries crucial

At present, the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates it costs about $145 per kwh to manufacture automotive quality lithium-ion cells. To build them into packs for cars raises the cost to around $190 per kwh.

The reduction of battery costs was first reported in a recent Forbes article:" Envision Energy will produce batteries for $100 per kilowatt hour by 2020, the Shanghai company's founder and CEO said at Stanford University, predicting the price will drop to $50 only five years later and end the reign of the internal-combustion engine."

Earlier Stanford's Arun Majumdar, formerly a founding director of the Department of Energy's ARPA-E energy research program had opened the forum by maintaining that $100 per kwh battery packs would be obtainable in the next five to seven years. He claimed that this development would result in deep penetration of EVs throughout the world in another 15 to 20 years. However Envision CEO Lei Zhang was even more optimistic in his predictions as outlined above.

Zhang said that electric cars will be about 20 to 30 percent cheaper than a diesel and government subsidies will not be necessary. Lei said that people will change overnight with the cheaper prices.

It will take time for automakers to build cheaper batteries into their models

It could take as long as five years for car manufacturers to incorporate the batteries into packs for their new car models.

Envision buys Nissan's battery business

Envision also installs wind turbines and solar charge systems as well as energy management systems. Its batteries could be used for those businesses as well as vehicles. Envision recently bought out Nissan's battery business the Automotive Supply Corporation (AESC). Lei Zhang said of the deal: "With this strategic acquisition and collaboration, we aim to expand our activities via investment into the new company to realize the value of (Internet of Things) technology for smart transportation, (Vehicle-to-Grid), and smart city solutions."

Electric car market set to boom in coming years

While now the EV market is only about 2 percent in most places, this is expected to change dramatically within a few years.

Even by 2025 the number of EVs is to increase by a factor of ten. By 2040 EVs are expected to reach 55 percent of sales according to the latest report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

According to Bloomberg sales of pure EVs, excluding hybrids, are set to grow from their record 1.1 million globally in 2017 to 11 million in 2025 and 30 million by 2030. This will result in a decline in sales of gasoline and diesel cars. In the mid-2020s Bloomberg predicts that 55 percent of new cars sold worldwide will be EVs and fully a third of the cars on the road will be powered by batteries.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Half of UK drivers between the ages of 25 to 34 would like to own an electric vehicle

A U.K. auto group survey shows that half the young drivers aged 25 to 34 in the U.K. said they would like to own an electric car (EV) — although they are put off by what they consider some of the barriers to owning an EV.

Age of drivers related to the desire for EVs

40 percent of younger drivers aged 16 to 24 said they would like to own an EV. 40 percent of those 35-44 also wanted an EV. However, of older drivers 45-54 only one third desired an electric car. Of drivers above 65 only one quarter wanted an EV.

35 percent of all the respondents claimed that they expected to own an EV within 10 years.

Edmund King the AA president said: “The younger generation in particular are ready to embrace the electric revolution.”

Lack of charging points could be a problem

The vast majority of those surveyed thought that there was a lack of public charging points. This could be a problem.

A report by RAC, a U.K. auto services company, said that the mass market spread of EVs could be restricted without widespread, reliable, and easy to use charging points.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling put out a range of proposals this week addressing the issue. This included requiring new homes and offices to install charging points as standard.

The Road to Zero strategy

The U.K. government is planning to ban the sale of both gas and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of its Road to Zero strategy designed to cut down on high air pollution. Currently vehicles using alternative fuels including both hybrids and purely electric vehicles make up just 5.5 percent on the new car market.

The government has a target for 50 percent of all new vehicle sales to be in ultra-low emissions category for 2030.

King of the AA said: “In order to meet the government’s Road to Zero targets a concerted effort is required to demonstrate the benefits of electric vehicles and dispel some of the myths.The range, charging speed and charging point infrastructure are all on the increase. There needs to be a more concerted effort by us all to sell the benefits of electric vehicles.The electric vehicle revolution hasn’t perhaps taken off as quickly as we would have liked but now we have a firm commitment to the charging infrastructure.”

King also said: “The range, charging speed and charging point infrastructure are all on the increase. There needs to be a more concerted effort by us all to sell the benefits of electric vehicles. Drivers will also need to change their fuelling habits with the majority charging their EVs at night (at home) and then at their destinations. Ultimately outstanding, affordable, stylish EVs with a decent range will sell themselves. Massive savings can already be made on running and service costs, as well as the tax benefits.”

The AA

The poll was of 10,293 drivers. The AA is a U.K. motoring association that was founded way back in 1905. An original aim was to warn motorists of speed traps! However, it currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, loans, motoring advices, road maps as well as other services.. In 1999 it became a private company. In 2002 the AA Motoring Trust was created and it continues the public interest and road safety activities of AA.

The video appended was posted in August of 2015 so the situation would be much better now and the range of the Nissan Leaf used is short compared to many newer EVs.

Previously published in Digital Journal

India rethinking its ambitions EV program

Just two years ago, the Indian government proposed an ambitious program that would make every new vehicle sold an electric vehicle by 2030.

Some Indian cities have among the world's highest hazardous air pollution levels. It many cases the situation is even worse than some Chinese cities. India is the second most populated country with only China being more populous. The Indian plan was to reach the goal by private and corporate partnerships, and government incentives the government said earlier this year.

Plan may have been too ambitious

The Asia Review reported recently that the government has concluded that a more realistic goal would see 30 percent of new vehicles being plug-in cars by 2030. This position was confirmed by R.K. Singh the power minister.

Singh said recently at a recent luncheon meeting: "We must ensure that by 2030. 30 percent of our vehicles run on electricity". He claimed that such a percentage would let the country "leave behind a better world for our grandchildren."

Within two or three weeks, Singh is expected to release his ministry's policies and regulations for both electric utilities and providers of EV charging stations.

Nitin Gadkari, minister of road transport and highways, had suggested that there was not even a need for the EV program at all.

Challenges to India's plan

Roughly three million new vehicles are sold each year in India just about a tenth the size of the Chinese market. China is still considering by what year it should ban sales of new combustion engines.

The per-capita annual income in India is just $1,670. Unless prices of EVs come down drastically vehicles using fossil fuels to power them will be much cheaper.

There may be problems setting up a charging infrastructure for EVs. 50 million homes in India do not even have electricity. Fully forty percent of new vehicles are made by Maruti Suzuki, mostly subcompact and minicars. Being so dominant the company may influence the final policy of the government.

Deepesh Rathore, who is director of the Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors in London said that India needs to build a charging infrastructure and the government needs to provide a clear policy direction but neither has yet been delivered.

Indian EV maker claims its vehicles will soon be profitable

Mahindra, that makes a line of small limited-range electric cars claims that it is already almost profitable and it plans to fully embrace the production of EVs in the future. Mahindra claimed that as businesses begin to see a future in manufacturing EV's government subsidies will not be necessary.

Chairman Anand Mahindra said: "We’ve just been believers for a while, haven’t been making any money, but now the tipping point seems to be reached. This is the single biggest business opportunity for the next couple of decades. Anyone not looking at these opportunities is going to miss out on growth."

A Mahindra EV is featured in the appended video.

Previously published in Digital Journal