The French government sees a battery-powered future and is betting big on it with news that it will invest 700 million euros in the manufacturing of battery cells for electric vehicles over the next 5 years. News broke of the investment as part of a new plan crafted by French President Emmanuel Macron that was shared to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers in Paris.
Yesterday, we got news of another tragic accident in a Tesla Model S where the vehicle, which was apparently traveling at a high rate of speed, crashed, ultimately landing in a pile amidst some palm trees in Downtown Miami, Florida. When speeding down the road, the vehicle lost control, slid through 3 lanes of traffic and smashed into some palm trees planted on the median.
Early this morning, Peugeot announced the upcoming e-208 electric vehicle, with 30 minute DC charging and a WLTP-rated range of 211 miles (340 km). Order books will open in “late summer” 2019 for deliveries likely starting in early 2020. It’s a great looking car, and the 30 minute DC charging makes it practical for occasional longer trips in regions with good charging infrastructure.
If you confirmed a Tesla Model 3, Model S, or Model X order before February 1 but forgot or neglected to provide a referral code for 6–9 months of free Supercharging, fear not — you can still do so!
A perfect storm is brewing above the automotive industry. Three hardly grasped phenomena are working together. Just like a real storm, when the conditions align in the best/worst way, we get a devastating superstorm. These phenomena (or events) are the Osborne effect of delayed demand, the technology (cost) curve of battery prices and other technology, and the S-curve that describes market acceptance of new technologies.
Just sayin’
Olli, a 3D printed autonomous shuttle from Local Motors, will be circumnavigating the campus at Sacramento State for the next 90 days. Engineering students will get a chance to study its self driving systems and perhaps design upgrades to adapt it to the campus.
Deliveries of Tesla’s Model 3 recently started in Germany, the home of VW, Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Daimler; a country that is famous for engineering and truly proud of its automotive heritage.
China is charging full speed ahead into electric vehicles, on track to sell over 2 million electric vehicles this year, from 1.1 million in 2018. The rapid growth has been driven partly by policy, but increasingly by consumer demand. In the 3rd and final part of this series (check out part one and part two, if you missed them), we look at the ramp up in EV production and battery supply. Will production capacity be able to keep pace with the rapid growth in EV demand?
China is charging full speed ahead into electric vehicles, on track to sell over 2 million EVs this year, up from 1.1 million in 2018. The rapid growth has been driven partly by policy, but increasingly by consumer demand. In part two of this three-part series (check out part one if you missed it), we’re going to look at the demand side of the EV transition in China. Why are Chinese consumers queuing up for EVs?
