10 Electric Vehicle Stories We Missed — Hyundai IONIQ 6 Wins Award, Shell Buys Volta, IKEA EV Charging …

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There are always a large number of stories we put on our story sheet for writers that don’t get covered. And some of those are big stories that I wish we had covered.

New UK DriveElectric Hub to Give Real-Time EV Cost and Carbon Data

As electric vehicles (EVs) get more and more popular, a lot of incorrect anti-EV hype has been proliferating, including the false claim that electric vehicles are actually dirtier than fossil-fueled vehicles. The UK has a solution — a partial solution, at least. A new DriveElectric EV hub provides real-time carbon data and cost info on electric vehicles and EV charging for businesses. There’s also an EV Hub Charge+ feature that helps businesses to charge with low-carbon electricity.

Aside from debunking any misinformation, this kind of information is valuable for companies that want to track their environmental footprint and their climate progress.

Hyundai IONIQ 6 Wins Design Award

In my opinion, the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 6 is one of the coolest looking electric vehicles on the market. It’s the best looking Hyundai I’ve ever seen, and it looks like it belongs in a higher price class. I’m not the only one impressed by the IONIQ 6’s good looks. Hyundai just won 19 iF design awards, and the top award was the IONIQ 6 winning gold in the product category. The iF Design Award jury stated that the IONIQ 6 has “a fresh and unique exterior aesthetic with subtle motifs that are carried over into a serene and relaxing interior. Its overall design identity is based on deep commitments to comfort, style, efficiency and environmental responsibility.”

“The ‘electrified streamliner’ has won several other awards since its launch, including the prestigious World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle and World Car Design of the Year at the New York International Auto Show,” Hyundai adds.

Elon Musk Meets with President of South Korea

South Korea wants more of that high-dollar, climate-supportive EV investment, and the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, recently met with Tesla CEO (for now) Elon Musk in Washington, D.C. In particular, President Yoon Suk Yeol was lobbying for Tesla to build a gigafactory in South Korea. Naturally, he offered various types of help from the country if Tesla built a factory there.

South Korea is already a notable EV hub, since it’s home to some of the largest EV battery manufacturers in the world — LG Energy Solution and SK On — as well as Hyundai and Kia, which have produced some of the most compelling electric vehicles in the world. (The problem with Hyundai and Kia is they have not been quick to see the potential of rapidly scaling up EV production and have manufactured far fewer of their EVs than consumers want.)

6 More Škoda BEVs (by 2026)

Škoda Auto is investing billions of dollars into electric vehicles and now plans to roll out 6 more BEVs by 2026. Tagging onto the Enyaq iV family of BEVs, the Czech automaker plans to roll out fully electric small, compact, estate, and “space” BEVs. So, there will be four models in those new classes and two updated Enyaq iV BEVs.

“New design language defines the robust look of future BEV models,” the company states. But I have to say … it doesn’t look ideal for real-world driving at this stage. …

But, seriously, this is a notable step forward that could see Škoda’s BEV sales grow exponentially.

“By 2026, our new battery-electric models will cover all vehicle segments that are relevant to our customers,” Martin Jahn, Škoda Auto Board Member for Sales and Marketing, says. “We’ll be providing customers with the means to explore the world in style – sustainably, safely and confidently with products that feature our new Modern Solid design.”

Read more here.

IKEA Investing £4.5 Million In Last-Mile EV Charging

IKEA has been a top cleantech leader for years — whether with solar, wind, or electric vehicles. Its latest move is that it has announced £4.5 million in funding for EV charging infrastructure across the UK, in particular for electric delivery vehicles.

Not only that, but this EV charging infrastructure will be 100% powered by clean, renewable energy. The network of chargers will total 196 chargers in total, 53 of them being fast chargers. The chargers will be located at IKEA stores but then also at other useful locations.

“The EV infrastructure forms part of IKEA’s ongoing transformation to become even more affordable, accessible, and sustainable,” Mer, a key partner on this EV charging project, writes. “The retailer aims to reach 100% zero emissions deliveries to customers by 2025. By summer 2023, IKEA plans to achieve 60% zero emission deliveries in the UK and Ireland, demonstrating the significant steps being taken to accelerate moving towards the 2025 goal.”

CUPRA Tavascan Unveiled

The sporty CUPRA brand has a new electric car coming. It’s a bit larger than its first electric car, the CUPRA Born — because that’s what people want, crossovers and SUVs. The CUPRA Tavascan is an electric SUV coupé. The Tavascan will come to market in 2024. Here are some initial specs on the EV:

• 286PS (210kW) or 340PS (250kW)
• Up to 31 mph in 2.4 seconds (0 to 62 mph in 5.6 seconds)
• ~341 miles on full charge of 77 kWh battery
• 135 kW max charge rate
• 15” infotainment system, largest in a CUPRA model.

The CUPRA Tavascan was developed in Barcelona, but it will be produced at Volkswagen Group’s Anhui factory in China. The company plans to produce and sell 70,000 units a year.

LiveWire S2 Del Mar: $15,499 In USA, Reservations Launch In Europe

The CUPRA Tavascan not fun enough for you? How about an electric motorcycle? The LiveWire S2 Del Mar is coming to the US, and its price has been revealed — $15,499. “Reservations are open for the production version in 3 colorways, targeting delivery this July. Performance highlights and complete product specifications will be published in June, along with a full calendar of demo opportunities and events,” the company notes.

You can also now reserve a LiveWire S2 Del Mar in Europe for just €100. Here’s S2 Del Mar European Launch Edition pricing (including VAT):

• France: €20,190
• Germany: €19,990
• Netherlands: €20,390
• UK: £18,990

Jaguar Land Rover Investing Billions Into EV Manufacturing Future

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) doesn’t want to be left in the dust when it comes to the EV revolution, and so it’s investing billions of pounds into an “electric-first future.” As part of that, JLR’s Halewood factory in the UK will become an all-electric manufacturing facility. Additionally, rather than continue dabbling in fossil fuels, JLR’s next-gen architecture for midsized SUVs, its electrified modular architecture (EMA), will now be 100% electric.

That said, there was plenty of non-electric talk in JLR’s press release as well, and the target dates for full electrification and carbon neutrality are far too far into the future. I have to keep JLR in the “laggard” bin. Nonetheless, it’s good to see the automaker “accelerate” its transition to an electric future.

College Hunks Going Electric

One of the most popular moving companies in my region — and the one we used for our last move — is going electric. Well, a little bit. It’s just one truck for now, but College Hunks claims that it’s going to be the first electric moving truck in the country. “College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving®, an award-winning company and industry leader in stress-free solutions for moving and junk-hauling needs, is making moves toward going even more green as they recently signed a deal with Xos to purchase a 100% battery-electric truck. This marks the first-ever electric moving and junk hauling truck in the United States. The vehicle will be used at a College HUNKS location in New Jersey before rolling out to the rest of the system,” the company itself writes. Let’s see how long it takes to get to full electrification.

Shell Buys Volta

Shell (the oil giant) has completed the acquisition of innovative EV charging startup Volta for $169 million. “Volta provides Shell with an existing public charging network of over 3,000 charge points at destination sites (shopping centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.) across 31 U.S. states and territories, a development pipeline of more than 3,400 additional charge points, and capabilities to continue developing, operating, and monetizing EV charging infrastructure.”

This follows several other EV charging company acquisitions from Shell in the past several years, mostly in Europe to start, but in the US more recently as well.

Volta combines free EV charging in high-eyeball-traffic areas with large advertising screens. It seems like a brilliant approach that I’m surprised hasn’t spread more quickly. That said, the company has grown at a rapid clip and has apparently done well enough for a $169 acquisition from Shell. Let’s see how fast Shell can scale the network.