VW – Page 3325 – I wish I had more to offer

Porsche $160,000 SUVs Recalled in U.S. Over Faulty Ski Bag – Bloomberg

Porsche $160,000 SUVs Recalled in U.S. Over Faulty Ski Bag Bloomberg Porsche AG sells its luxury SUVs for as much as $160000, but one accessory worth just a few hundred dollars has caused a snafu. Go to Source

Porsche Hints at Hybrid 911 With New $113,000 Carrera S – Bloomberg

Porsche Hints at Hybrid 911 With New $113,000 Carrera S Bloomberg This week at a series of private events at a corporate “experience center” outside Los Angeles, Porsche debuted the eighth-generation installment of its … Go to Source

The Audi E-Tron GT Targets Tesla Using Porsche DNA – Bloomberg

The Audi E-Tron GT Targets Tesla Using Porsche DNA Bloomberg The new 590-horsepower coupe will have a range of 248 miles. Go to Source

Porsche Taycan to Drive Farther, Charge Faster – Bloomberg

Porsche’s all-electric Taycan model, due next year, will let drivers travel about 400 kilometers (250 miles) after charging the vehicle for less than 20 minutes, Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume told Welt am Sonntag in an interview. A new 800 volt electricity supply system will power a car for about 100 kilometers after a four-minute… Continue reading Porsche Taycan to Drive Farther, Charge Faster – Bloomberg

Porsche Has Strategic Target to Maintain 15% Return on Sales, CEO Says – Bloomberg

Porsche Has Strategic Target to Maintain 15% Return on Sales, CEO Says Bloomberg Porsche AG Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume talks about the possible higher U.S. tariffs on imported autos, sales in China, how the automaker plans to boost … Go to Source

Tesla Model 3 Configurator Opens In Denmark — Most Expensive Starting Price Of Any Market Yet

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Published on December 23rd, 2018 |

by Jesper Berggreen

Tesla Model 3 Configurator Opens In Denmark — Most Expensive Starting Price Of Any Market Yet

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December 23rd, 2018 by Jesper Berggreen

Receiving an email from Tesla on the 21st of December 2018 was the most exhilarating experience since I put down 10,000 DKK ($1,500) for a place in the queue on the 1st of April 2016, but the kick I got turned out to be a kick in the face. The starting price for a Tesla Model 3 in Denmark is — as far as I can tell — the highest in any market yet, and thus a whole lot more than I had hoped for.

Before I show you the numbers, I must admit that I fully understand Tesla’s strategy, because the European market is going to be huge for Tesla with the Model 3 entering the scene. This car is going blow the market to pieces. Right now the Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf, VW e-Golf, and BMW i3 are quietly struggling to be on top, but that all ends with the Model 3. So, Tesla has to start as slow as it can in order to keep up later.

I went to look at the Model 3 first hand at the Tesla dealer here in Aarhus. It was a beautiful red multi-coat Long Range AWD version (I fit perfectly in the driver’s seat I might add). I asked the sales attendant how things were going with the orders just a few hours after the initial batch of emails were out. He could not give me any specifics, but he said his personal opinion was positive.

Clever dude. No specific information, but I could tell from his radiant smiling face that lots of Danes where clicking the order button!

Anyway, there I was, having realized that my wait was not over, by any stretch of my imagination. Here’s why:

Denmark Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD price without enhanced autopilot

That’s $70,785 for the black Dual Motor Long Range Model 3, which is the cheapest possible Tesla Model 3 without Enhanced Autopilot and before savings in Denmark right now. That’s for delivery in February/March. The price includes 25% VAT and — just to rub salt in the wound — $500 in registration tax.

This is more than a black Model 3 Performance with Enhanced Autopilot in the USA, which comes in at $70,000:

USA Tesla Model 3 Performance price with enhanced autopilot

Now, I do not mean to be whining about this too much, because I honestly have trouble finding enough cash for any EV right now, and I do understand the reason for Tesla to only offer the two top models in Europe at first. The demand is so strong for this car on the Old Continent that if Tesla had started with the Mid Range RWD, it would probably not have been able to keep up. This way, the fortunate folks with cash on hand can say, “Heck, let’s go with the AWD version, even though we don’t really need it,” and thus Tesla evens out the logistics. If I could, I certainly would. If Tesla had made an exception for Denmark and reserved a batch of Mid Range RWD for us, everyone else would have been pissed off.

By comparison, the same black Dual Motor Long Range Model 3 goes for €55,400 ($63,064) in Germany, which has lower VAT (20%) and I believe a €4,000 ($4,553) incentive.

All this just proves two things: Denmark is not a frontrunner in adoption of EVs, but also that all good things come to those who wait, and wait, and wait…

I found a used 2014 Model S 85 online for DKK 350,000 ($54,000). Hmm, maybe…

No, I’ll just wait…

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About the Author

Jesper Berggreen Jesper had his perspective on the world expanded vastly after having attended primary school in rural Africa in the early 1980s. And while educated a computer programmer and laboratory technician, working with computers and lab-robots at the institute of forensic medicine in Aarhus, Denmark, he never forgets what life is like having nothing. Thus it became obvious for him that technological advancement is necessary for the prosperity of all humankind, sharing this one vessel we call planet earth. However, technology has to be smart, clean, sustainable, widely accessible, and democratic in order to change the world for the better. Writing about clean energy, electric transportation, energy poverty, and related issues, he gets the message through to anyone who wants to know better. Jesper is founder of Lifelike.dk.

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Tesla rival looks like its German alter ego

Tesla rival looks like its German alter egoTesla Inc.’s latest German rival is a fast-moving startup with global ambitions, no combustion-car baggage and a lofty valuation. And its hard-charging founder aims to challenge Elon Musk’s company with a bargain electric car for the masses.
Set up by an engineering professor with a track record of successfully developing and selling electric vehicles, e.GO Mobile AG is ramping up production of a battery-powered compact that will cost about half as much as the Tesla Model 3. But unlike the California pioneer, the German manufacturer expects to generate cash out of the gate.
“I’ve needed Tesla as a role model,” Guenther Schuh, e.GO’s founder and the mastermind behind Europe’s best-selling electric van, said inside his factory built on the site a former television-tube plantin Aachen, near the French border. “For so long, no startup or individual entered this shark tank alone, so it was great to get a demonstration of how that might work.”
Initial funding for e.Go came from Schuh’s sale of StreetScooter, a no-frills electric van, to Deutsche Post AG in 2014. Germany’s mail carrier was looking for an affordable electric vehicle for urban deliveries, and Schuh the chair of production engineering at RWTH Aachen University, one of Germany’s top technical schools developed a bare-bones model with no air conditioning or radio and a top speed of less than 50 miles per hour. The model was a surprise hit, and Deutsche Post has doubled StreetScooter capacity to 20,000 a year and is considering listing the unit.
In addition to StreetScooter proceeds, German auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG invested 135 million euros ($154million) in e.GO as part of a project to jointly develop a self-driving minibus. The startup has now enlisted HSBC Holdings Plc to raise as much as 300 million euros for its plans to expand to four models a deal that could lift its value above $1 billion, making it a rare German “unicorn.”
While Tesla is focusing on upscale buyers and offering sports car-like performance, e.GO is taking a utilitarian tack. Its first model, the Life, is a simple urban runabout that looks like a boxy version of the Fiat 500. The four-seater boasts a cheap price for an electric car, but not much else. So far, e.GO has 3,200 pre-orders and isn’t taking more. Deliveries will begin in April, and the plan is to produce100,000 vehicles annually by 2022 on par with Tesla’s output last year.
“It’s going to be tough’’for e.GO to compete with entry-level conventional cars unless pollution-related driving restrictions force thrifty buyers to switch to electrics,saidWolfgang Bernhart, a partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Munich. “In time, there’ll also be competition from used electric cars.”
Regulatory support may be on the way after the European Union mandated an additional 37.5 percent reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions from cars by 2030. The new limit comes on top of tighter 2021 restrictions, and the decision prompted Volkswagen AG to say it’ll need to overhaul a 30-billion-euro investment plan to prepare for battery vehicles accounting for more than 40 percent of European deliveries.
The transition to the electric-car era has increasingly strained traditional carmakers, prompting partnerships that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG are in talks to join forces on batteries, vehicle platforms and autonomous-driving technology to stem rising expenses, according to people familiar with the matter.
The no-nonsense specifications of the Life stem from e.GO’s response to offsetting high battery costsand steeper procurement prices than larger rivals. The German manufacturer uses as many off-the-shelf parts as possible including the drive train, which comes from Robert Bosch GmbH, and rear lights that were initially developed for trucks. That saves time and money. Schuh expects the company to generate positive cash flow already next year and be profitable in 2021, in stark contrast to Tesla’s cash-burn issues.
The e.GO Werk 1 plant spans some 16,000 square meters more than the size of two soccer fields and cost 26 million euros to build, a fraction of the price tag of an ordinary auto factory.
During a visit last month, employees gathered around a vehicle chassis sitting on an autonomous platform, gradually moving down a production line spanning one length of the building. Testing booths were located on the other side, with plenty of space in between for more capacity.
The facility located on an industrial estate near Aachen’s city center was strewn with computer screens and bins of components in preparation for series production starting in March, five months later than planned. To head off Musk’s “production hell” on the Model 3, Schuh is using the unexpected delays caused by supplier tests to fine-tune assembly. For instance, he tweaked a hoisting platform to eliminate the risk of it crushing cars.
Expansion beyond Aachen is already in the works, with discussions underway to set up assembly joint ventures in China and Mexico and make battery cells in Germany. Schuh is also in talks with Chinese cities to collaborate on areas for autonomous vehicles, like its 15-person Mover minibus.
Despite the grand ambitions, e.GO’s success ultimately depends on making money on an electric car cheap enough to offset the drawbacks of limited driving ranges and long charging times (as much as 9.8 hours for the Life). Schuh is aware that he’s entering uncharted waters.
“I don’t know any carmaker that makes money in this vehicle category,” the lanky, bespectacled professor said. “Especially not if they’re electric.”
Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2018/12/20/tesla-rival-looks-like-german-alter-ego/38773623/

Audi's electric e-tron mimics its conventional SUV stablemates

Audi's electric e-tron mimics its conventional SUV stablematesIf consumers expect the coming wave of electric cars to be quirky and different to drive, then Audi is going to surprise with the e-tron.
Driving this battery-powered Audi is almost exactly like experiencing a conventional vehicle, except that you won’t have to pull into a gas station, at least not for fuel.
What’s more, the e-tron looks normal. Its crossover design closely mimics that of its Audi SUV stablemates, sized just a little larger than the popular Q5. Inside, the five-passenger e-tron shares the same multi-screen dash layout as the latest versions of the Audi A8, A7 and A6 sedans, which means it’s state of the art, but recognizable.
The familiar design philosophy is no accident. Audi wants buyers to feel comfortable switching to an electric car. More adventurous Audi EV designs can and will come later: Witness the striking e-tron GT sedan recently unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show and due in showrooms in 2020.
My first drive of the e-tron happened in of all places, Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. An ironic location for an EV program, you might think, given the wealthy region’s oil-based economy. But the UAE is busy prepping for the era of renewable energy with massive solar power projects and energy efficient urban building designs, so there is a rationale for launching an electric car there.
Heading for the desert roads outside Abu Dhabi in 90-degree temperatures, the e-tron didn’t break a sweat. With its big 95-kWh battery pack, the e-tron is heavy at 5,600 pounds, but the standard air suspension system makes it feel relatively light and agile.
Performance is fairly strong, with the 0-60 mph dash taking 5.5 seconds and top speed limited to 124 mph. Compared to the high acceleration rates available in some Teslas, the e-tron is on the tame side, but it is not intended to be a drag strip contender. (On the other hand, I predict the sporty e-tron GT will tick the box for ‘blistering’ performance when it arrives.) Meanwhile, this Audi’s performance is all about smooth and refined progress, with a level of quietness that you would normally associate with flagship luxury sedans.
Only now and again, when decelerating to a stop for instance, can your ears detect the telltale whine of the electric motors. There are two, one in front and a larger one at the rear. Combined, they deliver 400 horsepower.
Our drive route took us to a dramatic 4,000-foot mountain peak called Jebel Hafeet. Rising up out of the sand dunes, Jebel Hafeet is notable for its stark beauty and a fantastic seven-mile road that snakes it way to the summit and is regarded by enthusiasts as one of the best drives in the world.
We pushed the e-tron hard through the 60 or so corners on the way up the mountain and found it handled surprisingly well, with crisp steering and good suspension control. The car’s heft could be felt as understeer in the tightest turns, but with the battery’s weight concentrated so low in the structure, body roll is modest.
Such an aggressive pace on the mountain ascent did suck a fair amount of energy – about 10 kWs – out of the battery, but we made around four kWs back on the drive down as the regenerative brakes recouped electrical energy.
The braking system is an element that separates the e-tron from other EVs already on the market. “We are the only ones who do it right,” claims Carter Balkom, the e-tron sales and marketing chief. “The one-pedal regenerative braking effect was a crutch for early EVs.” Balkom explains that the e-tron can be configured to slow quickly by simply lifting off the accelerator – the so-called one pedal driving method used by most other EVs. But the Audi is designed to be most efficient at recovering energy when the brake pedal is used in normal fashion. As such, the e-tron also delivers a familiar coasting sensation that feels more natural when slowing for a traffic light or stop sign.
The battery itself is being warrantied by Audi for 100,000 miles or eight years, which the company feels should allay one of the biggest consumer concerns about EVs. As for range, an official US government figure has yet to be determined, but it’s expected the e-tron will cover around 220 miles between charges. The car comes with a 9.6-kW charger, which will replenish the battery in about eight hours. However the e-tron is designed to work with a nationwide network of 150-kW fast chargers being established by Electrify America that cut the charging time to 25 minutes. “If we can get the time down to about 15 minutes, then we are approaching a gasoline car refueling experience,” says Balkom.
Audi’s pricing for the e-tron starts at $74,800 for the premium-plus model. The loaded Prestige version costs $81,800. These prices put the e-tron is same ballpark as Jaguar’s I-Pace, but significantly undercut the Tesla Model X.
At this price level the e-tron is obviously not going to be a mainstream EV, but the car’s conventional driving character and refined demeanor should go a long way to smooth its path towards consumer acceptance.
John McCormick is a columnist for Autos Consumer and can be reached at jmccor@aol.com
Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2018/12/20/audis-electric-e-tron-mimics-conventional-suv-stablemates/2336541002/

Bosch to highlight innovative solutions and services for the mobility of the future and for the smart home at CES 2019

Bosch booth: Central Hall #14020 / Twitter #BoschCES

World first: Bosch debuts a driverless electric concept shuttle with integrated services
CES 2019 Innovation Awards®: six honorees for Bosch solutions
Mobility of the future: less stress, improved safety and efficiency
Smart help: assistants in the home and in the garden make life easier by learning for themselves

STUTTGART, 14-Dec-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — At CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Central Hall, booth #14020 from January 8 to 11, 2019, Bosch is presenting technological answers to today’s challenges, including urbanization, population growth, and climate change. The supplier of technology and services will be highlighting innovative solutions and services for the mobility of the future and for the smart home.

World first: Bosch concept vehicle for a new kind of mobility
At CES, Bosch wants people to experience a new kind of mobility in the form of a driverless electric concept shuttle with integrated services. This kind of mobility will soon feature on streets in major cities around the world: whisper-silent, driverless shuttles that are seamlessly connected with their surroundings. Bosch will provide the necessary hardware, software, and new digital services that will enable users to book vehicles, pay for their ride, or share it with other passengers.

CES Innovation Awards: a total of six honorees for Bosch
In the run-up to CES 2019, Bosch received a total of six CES Innovation Awards. The CES Innovation Awards are an annual program run by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) covering 28 categories, and serve as an indicator of future trends. This year, awards went to the following Bosch products and solutions:

1. All-in-one principle for vehicle connectivity:
For the future of connected, automated driving, vehicles need the ability to communicate smoothly both among themselves and with their environment. To this end, Bosch has developed a universal connectivity unit for all Wi-Fi-based and wireless-based transmission technologies used in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. This enables vehicles to communicate with each other and with traffic infrastructure, regardless of the country or manufacturer. Software produced by the Portuguese startup Veniam handles the complex task of managing the data connections. It constantly searches for the best transmission technology for each requirement and switches automatically between the available options.

2. Trucks with no exterior mirror:
The new Mercedes-Benz Actros is the first production truck to feature a camera system in place of conventional main and wide-angle mirrors. Known as Mirror Cam, this system offers better 360-degree vision. In addition to increasing safety, having compact digital cameras instead of mirrors improves the truck’s fuel consumption thanks to the cameras’ considerable aerodynamic advantages. Two cameras, fitted left and right on the roof of the driver’s cab, feed real-time images to two high-resolution 15-inch displays mounted on the A-pillars inside the cab. The system adjusts the monitor display to match the driving situation. Overall, Mirror Cam greatly improves the truck’s aerodynamics, safety, and vehicle handling. Daimler’s development partners for the Mirror Cam system are Bosch and Mekra Lang.

3. The smartphone as car key:
The Bosch Perfectly Keyless access system will soon let car drivers, car-sharing fleet operators, and logistics companies manage their vehicle keys digitally. They can use a smartphone app to decide at any given time who should have access to cars or trucks and when. The ingenious feature of this Bosch system is that it makes the connection between smartphone and vehicle more secure than ever. Perfectly Keyless can pinpoint the authorized smartphone like a digital fingerprint. For CES 2019, Bosch has installed the system in a demonstration vehicle based on a Ford Mustang.

4. Radar-based assistance systems prevent motorcycle accidents:
Blind-spot detection, collision warning, and adaptive cruise control: giving motorcycles radar as a sensory organ enables new motorcycle assistance and safety functions while providing an accurate picture of the vehicle’s surroundings. As a result, these assistance functions not only increase safety, they also enhance enjoyment and convenience by making life easier for riders. According to Bosch accident research estimates, radar-based assistance systems could prevent one in seven motorcycle accidents. These electronic assistants are always vigilant and, in emergencies, they respond more quickly than people can. They are based on a combination of radar sensor, brake system, engine management, and HMI.

5. App for connecting e-scooters:
A new app turns e-scooters into connectivity pros. As well as displaying key information such as the e-scooter’s current battery charge, it allows rider-vehicle communication and the option to connect with other users via social networks. This makes it easy for users to find out which of their friends are in the area. In addition, there is a connected helmet holder on the e-scooter’s handlebar which is controlled by app. Whenever the e-scooter is parked, this provides a storage solution for the helmet while also protecting the vehicle against theft and its display against vandalism.

6. Retrofit solution for more efficient machinery and households:
Bosch has developed the Phantom algorithm to help small and medium-sized enterprises assess and greatly increase the energy efficiency of their machinery. This retrofit solution, which takes just a few minutes to install, uses sensors to measure the load on each device in the customer’s energy consumption network to provide valuable insights into usage and potential faults. This enables users to improve the machinery’s operations and efficiency. In homes, too, Bosch Phantom can tell how much power each device is using. This energy transparency makes it possible to save electricity.

Mobility of the future: selection of solutions and services
Driving electric, yet stress-free – that is the goal of Convenience Charging, the Bosch service that the company is presenting at CES 2019 in a demonstration vehicle based on an Audi A3 e-tron. This integrated charging and navigation solution enhances the everyday benefits of electromobility. In the future, the service will tell electric cars precisely when their power will run out, but also where they can find the next charge spot. To this end, Convenience Charging combines information from the electric powertrain with both vehicle and environment data to produce a reliable range forecast. The service uses state-of-the-art route planning to determine charging opportunities based on the driver’s personal preferences. In the future, drivers of electric cars will be able to order food for delivery directly to their pre-booked charge spot, so they can make the best use of the charging time. Using the Convenience Charging app, drivers will also be able to plan the charging stops they need in the comfort of their own home, with the app then seamlessly transmitting the suggested routes between charge spots to the vehicle.

Safe use of cell phones when driving:
The mySPIN smartphone integration solution makes it safe for drivers to use smartphone apps while they are on the road. Now, mySPIN also supports the MirrorLink vehicle communication standard. In the future, it will take just a simple adapter for the vehicle’s infotainment system or instrument cluster to enlarge mySPIN-compatible apps and display a reduced set of their key functions. Drivers will then be able to operate the apps by touch or using the vehicle’s rotary push button. Bosch is also developing mySPIN smartphone integration for commercial vehicles, motorcycles, scooters, and powersports vehicles.

Lifesavers from the data cloud:
In Germany alone, some 2,000 warnings about wrong-way drivers are broadcast each year. In most cases, however, the warning comes too late, since such incidents generally end after an average of 500 meters – in the worst case with fatal consequences. Bosch has developed a cloud-based solution that sends a warning to wrong-way drivers and all road users at risk within ten seconds. Some 15 radio and navigation apps already use Bosch wrong-way driver warning technology to reach people in 13 European countries. The service relies on a software module for integration into existing infotainment systems and apps.

Making the electronic horizon even more accurate:
Today, the electronic horizon provides data on road inclines and the sharpness of bends to complement navigation data. Because the system enables vehicles to think ahead, it enhances both safety and convenience. Bosch is now working on the next-generation electronic horizon, which will be even more accurate and up to date. In addition to information on road classifications, bends, and vertical profiles, it will provide vehicle systems and navigation systems with geometries for each and every traffic lane as well as infrastructure data with 3D objects. This will help automated vehicles determine their precise location within the lane.

A seat-of-the-pants feel for automated vehicles:
Bosch predictive road-condition services will allow self-driving vehicles to determine how road conditions will develop over the course of a journey, based on weather data provided by the company’s partner Foreca. As a sufficient number of connected vehicles take to the roads, Bosch will supplement its predictive road-condition services with vehicle data. This will increase the safety, availability, and convenience of automated driving functions.

Automated driving in cities:
San José in California’s Silicon Valley is set to become the pilot city for an automated ridesharing service provided by Bosch and Daimler. The three parties have already signed a letter of intent ..

Ford was offered Volkswagen for free after WWII — and passed

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