Electric Vehicles Archives

Oxford to ban non-electric vehicles from its streets by 2020

It looks like cities around the world are taking turns to drop bombshells in terms EV regulations, in the recent weeks. Now, Oxford has decided to jump in and propose its own heavy-handed regulatory policy, which effectively bans all non-electric vehicles from its roads by 2020.

As absurd as that may sound, it gets a whole lot worse because the ban doesn’t just encompass the sale of new cars, rather it involves all vehicles, including taxis, buses and HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicles) used to transport shipments and cargo into the city.

Skeptics believe that the rushed effort reflects the lack of consideration given by the city council to the current infrastructure. Based on an article by Car Throttle, it is estimated that Oxford is home to about 160,000 residents but the current EV infrastructure isn’t able to match their EV demands.

The city plans on investing in this area by creating 100 more charging outlets, which wouldn’t be able to do much good considering the influx of electric cars by 2020. That said, the ban will only be fully enforced by 2035. Oxford only plans to banish fossil fuel burning vehicles from its busy city streets in the next couple of years, the complete ban, will only take place 15 years later.

This news can serve as an indication of things to come in terms of environmental regulations. Governments around the world are beginning to realize that the use of electric vehicles will help reduce our carbon footprint, improve air quality and lessen the effects of global warming.

Source: Car Throttle

Nissan has big plans for its electrified future

Nissan is going to be quite busy within the next several years according to its ‘Four Pillars’ plan that was revealed in Norway. This quartet signifies the company’s focus on the launch of new electric vehicles, additional infrastructure investment, battery charging and home storage advances as well as a revolutionary way of offering free power to EV owners.

The new Leaf has already gone into production and is expected to hit markets such as the UK, very soon. There will be a special variant for Europe called the 2.ZERO, which will have unique fittings that set it apart from the base car. In general, the Leaf will offer a range of 378km per charge, ProPILOT driver assist and autonomous parking systems.

Nissan will also be update its e-NV200 electric van that offers 280km range on a single charge, which is a 60% improvement over its predecessor. Despite the increase in performance, the vehicle’s battery size and weight has remained the same as the one in its predecessor – an impressive feat because storage space and payload capacity remains unchanged.

Working with the EV fast charging standard called CHAdeMO, Nissan plans on expanding its outdoor charging network by 20% over the next 18 months. As it stands, the company already has an extensive network of charging stations that includes over 4600 quick chargers. Now, it plans on installing a further 100 chargers over the course of the next 18 months.

The third area where Nissan plans on making an impact is with improvements to its range of home and office charging units with the introduction of its double speed 7kW charger and 22kW fast charger. the 7kW one is able to charge a Nissan EV to 100% charge in 5.5 hours which is about 70% faster than before.

Its 22kW charger on the other hand, which is mostly targeted at fleet and business owners, can accomplish the same feat in just 2 hours. This super-fast charger can also be purchased by the general public who want a quicker charging experience.

Supplementing this is Nissan’s smart energy storage system for EV owners that will charge connected vehicles when needed and depending on electricity tariffs. This offers customers greater control over the costs incurred for charging their EVs.

Last but not least, through its new bi-directional charging system, Nissan hopes to offer ‘free-power’ to its customers. This system allows Nissan EVs to draw power from the grid when needed and ‘sell back’ this power when the vehicle is sitting idle in a driveway. This helps offset the daily costs of charging such a vehicle.

Though not groundbreaking, Nissan’s latest steps will help shape the way we see electric mobility. Such systems are already at play in places like Denmark but it should catch on in places like the UK where the infrastructure is already available to support the future of electric mobility.

Chery to launch new brand and vehicles for European market

Chery Automobiles Co., Ltd is planning on revealing a new compact SUV concept at the up coming Frankfurt Motor Show in September and under a new nameplate. It will mirror, in some form, the actual production vehicle that is aimed at the younger car buyer.

This nameplate, and the vehicles that bear its namesake will spearhead the Chinese automaker’s charge into the European passenger car market within the next few years. The adoption of a new brand name for the new line of vehicles may be a marketing ploy by Chery to ensure that it starts off with a clean slate instead of inheriting unwanted baggage.

“In just a few years we intend to start selling a family of vehicles in European markets across multiple segments, with power supplied by a range of electrified powertrains,” explains Chery CEO Dr. Anning Chen at Chery Automobile Co., Ltd.

Chery is also evaluating sales opportunities in key markets before it initializes the setting up European sales operations with its various import and distribution partners. This is probably toe ensure that it makes all the right moves in a market that is relatively unknown to the Chinese.

Chery has also stated that it hopes that the new design and R&D facilities in Europe accelerate its plans and efforts for global expansion. This news isn’t surprising considering that like Chery, Geely and its subsidiary, Volvo cars, recently agreed to technology sharing between the brands.

This in turn will allow Geely access to technology that should make its vehicles compelling alternatives to models offered by established European automakers. Chery, though lacking a such a treasure trove of sophisticated tech, may have the same goal in mind.

The Chinese automaker has also revealed its intentions of selling a range of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). This should make it a formidable force in the EV segment in the next few years.

Maserati to take the electric route before 2022

Tesla’s resilience when faced with almost insurmountable challenges of making a practical electric car, has had an impact on the industry. It wasn’t too long ago when many mainstream automakers suggested that producing a practical electric car was still some ways off, and that the internal combustion engine was here to stay.

Now however, many have changed their tune and are willing to step into relatively uncharted waters and begin mass producing electrified powertrains. Not long ago, Volvo announced that it will only be building hybrid or fully electric vehicles from 2019 onward. Hyundai too are planning on a similar strategy sometime in the near future.

And if an article published by Autocar UK is to be believed, it would appear that Maserati, a well known Italian sports car company has decided to take the electrified route as well. It’s parent company FCA (Fiat Chrysler Autombiles) who also owns Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Dodge, want Maserati to take the lead and produce electrified vehicles and technology.

This same technology can then be adapted by the rest of the brands under the FCA umbrella and ensure that about half of the company’s model range comprises of either hybrid or EVs by 2022.

That said, the first electrified Maserati, which will probably be a hybrid, is predicted to be unveiled by 2020 at the earliest and may be based on the Alfieri concept that debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

The article goes on to speculate that Prior to the launch of that vehicle, Maserati might hybridize other current generation vehicles like the Levante SUV. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but we won’t be surprised if the Italian automaker chooses to go fully electric in the not so distant future.

Many car buyers around the world are beginning to embrace hybrid and electric vehicles as the future of personal mobility. And as soon as there is sufficient infrastructure to sustain their practicality as daily drivers, that will be the final nail in the coffin of the internal combustion engine.

Source: Autocar UK

Piston.my