Tag: Volvo

Aptera return, Polestar factory, Bollinger progress, Tesla insurance: The Week in Reverse

What ingredient for electric-car batteries is currently in a state of oversupply?

And which electric-vehicle brand from the past dusted off the mothballs and claimed a 1,000-mile range?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending August 30, 2019.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (r.) and Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong in Shanghai July 10, 2018

On Friday we brought you some reassuring news about Tesla. It has gained a purchase tax exemption on all of its vehicles—although it could still be facing some tariff trouble over the Model S, Model X, and others that it might import from the U.S.

That was just some of the news we brought you this week from China, the world’s largest vehicle market (and EV market). Nio, which has planned to enter the U.S., is offering free battery swapping in its home market. And Polestar, the electrified performance brand related to Volvo, is asserting more independence by ramping up its own factory in China.

Polestar 1 production at plant in Chengdu, China

Meanwhile back in the U.S., Polestar will be considered a standalone automaker for federal EV tax credit eligibility. And we looked ahead about a month to October 1, when GM—with all of its brands counted together—will be faced with another drop in the amount buyers of eligible vehicles like the Chevy Bolt EV can claim.

In California, the biggest electric-car market in the U.S., Tesla launched a new insurance product—although it doesn’t appear to be quite as data-driven as Elon Musk suggested several months ago.

Design for new Aptera electric car, Aug 2019

Before Tesla was taken all that seriously, a completely different electric-vehicle idea was gaining traction. Ten years later, Aptera is returning with essentially that same idea, but with modern battery tech and a range of up to 1,000 miles.

Lincoln is seeking to bolster its demographics by making the most luxurious model in its Aviator SUV lineup a robust plug-in hybrid—albeit a sort of placeholder in the lineup. Meanwhile the closely related Ford Explorer Hybrid, which skips the plug-in range, has been rated at up to 28 mpg, according to the EPA

2020 Ford Explorer hybrid

Also later in the week we considered several future vehicles, through the spy shots of our partner site, Motor Authority. A Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid could take some of the brand’s experience with the Prius Prime and expand it to one of the most popular vehicle segments. And the Volkswagen ID 4X—the ID Crozz as we knew it as a concept—could also arrive in that same popular size class as the RAV4.

With the Frankfurt auto show just a couple weeks away, several more concept-car teasers gave us some glimpses of the future. An Audi AI:Trail concept could show how autonomous driving and off-roading could coexist, while Lexus might finally enter the electric vehicle fold with an urban EV.

Bollinger motors preparing B1 and B2 prototypes – August 2019

Bollinger Motors isn’t headed for mass production, hasn’t gone with outside investors, and isn’t aiming to make passenger vehicles. It is planning to show the production-intent prototypes of its B1 electric SUV and B2 electric pickup at an event in Michigan September 26.

Battery suppliers are facing an unexpected glut of lithium, although other problematic materials like nickel and cobalt will likely keep battery prices from falling any faster than already anticipated.

And on the subject of battery suppliers—and coming back full-circle to China—we started the week off with the news that Tesla has chosen LG Chem to be its primary supplier for vehicle production in China.

Zenuity with CERN

The joint venture of Volvo and Veoneer, Zenuity, cooperates with the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN. Zenuity have to put up the other day, because the development of autonomous driving did not make the imaginary chronological development. This one has something else moved backwards, Zenuity logo. Source: AN Now, however, Zenuity has found a… Continue reading Zenuity with CERN

Volvo’s Polestar opens China factory to export to Europe, US

Polestar opened a factory Tuesday in the western city of Chengdu to produce the Polestar 1, a two-door, gasoline-electric hybrid coupe with a carbon-fiber body. BEIJING – Amid rising trade tension, Volvo’s electric brand, Polestar, is going ahead with plans to export its first Chinese-made model to the United States next year, the automaker’s CEO… Continue reading Volvo’s Polestar opens China factory to export to Europe, US

Polestar opens its own factory to build flagship plug-in hybrid

Volvo’s Polestar electric performance vehicle brand is, step by step, asserting itself as a standalone automaker. And two of the largest leaps yet were announced by the brand today.

One of them is that Polestar’s first production facility, in Chengdu, is now open and making the Polestar 1, a sleek high-performance plug-in hybrid sport coupe.

Polestar is planning to deliver a first-year allocation of 200 Polestar 1 vehicles for the North American market later this year at a pre-order price of $155,000. Polestar calls the 600-horsepower, carbon-fiber bodied 1 to be the most exclusive electrified vehicle to be manufactured in China.

Polestar production facility and customer experience center – Chengdu, China

The production facility itself is claimed to be one of the most environmentally responsible car factories in China, with a goal of achieving LEED Gold status for holistic sustainability and energy-saving practices. It includes an adjacent customer experience center, with a test track and covered atrium showcasing a panoramic view out over the factory floor.

“Here in Chengdu we are not only manufacturing a premium hybrid-electric performance car,” said Thomas Ingenlath, the CEO of Polestar. “We have also created an inspirational manufacturing environment, a great place to work and visit. It truly reflects the Polestar brand.”

The Polestar 2, a model that will directly rival the Tesla Model 3, will be made in Luqiao, China, beginning in early 2020. A related Polestar 3 will compare to the Tesla Model Y.

Polestar 2

The second big announcement accompanying the factory start is that Polestar has been given a World Manufacturing Identifier, which inserts space from both Volvo, with which it shares some engineering resources and strategic decisions, and Geely, its parent company.

Depending on how the political drama plays out surrounding potentially high tariffs placed on cars made in China, that space from Volvo might not entirely be a good thing. Volvo Cars has inaugurated a U.S. assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina, that can produce up to 150,000 vehicles annually and will create about 4,000 jobs over several years.

Being treated as a separate automaker will however help Polestar with respect to the federal EV tax credit. Even after Volvo delivers 200,000 eligible plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, Polestar buyers will still be able to claim the full $7,500.

Lotus, Geely’s Chinese masters change the logo and get the suv and the electric

SPORTS The renewal of Lotus also translates into a new logo. Geely’s Chinese-owned brand after the Evija hypercar also designs its first SUV by Corrado Canali 9 August 2019 2 ‘of reading For the historic British car brand, Lotus, a new era is materializing. An opportunity to launch a renewed logo that can celebrate how… Continue reading Lotus, Geely’s Chinese masters change the logo and get the suv and the electric

Daimler increasingly Chinese: Baic buys 5% of the German group

ServiceTHE CAR RISIKO Beijing Automotive becomes the third largest shareholder of the Stuttgart giant, which in turn owns 9.55% of the Asian giant. Geely remains the leading shareholder by Mario Cianflone 23 July 2019 (USA Today / AP) 2 ‘of reading Daimler again targeted by the Chinese. The German group that controls the Mercedes-Benz brands,… Continue reading Daimler increasingly Chinese: Baic buys 5% of the German group

Luminar debuts comprehensive and affordable Iris lidar

With over 60 issued/allowed patents and nearly 200 total filings, Luminar is widely known for its 3D lidar data with camera-like high resolution and radar-like long range. Although the autonomous vehicle sensor and software company prioritizes performance over more affordable prices, Luminar will bring the latter to the table with a new lidar sensor, Iris.… Continue reading Luminar debuts comprehensive and affordable Iris lidar

Survey: Range, cost, infrastructure sum up why shoppers avoid EVs

We’ve heard it repeatedly as the result of various polls and surveys: Active and prospective car shoppers are interested in fully electric vehicles and eager to go electric.

The AAA, for instance, has in annual surveys for the past three years found that 15 to 20 percent of Americans “will likely go electric in their next vehicle purchase.”

With battery electric vehicle sales remaining around five percent of the U.S. vehicle market, why are some Americans not yet making the leap? The lack of variety in fully electric vehicle types is certainly part of it, but as a new survey points out, the reason shoppers are avoiding EVs still boils down to some familiar reasons.

Car shoppers' EV avoidance reasons – Autolist

In the poll of 1,567 “current car shoppers,” conducted earlier this month and released Tuesday, Autolist found the primary reasons for avoiding electric vehicles—in order—to be driving range, the price relative to similar gas vehicles, and the lack of charging infrastructure in their home area. Meanwhile, the most important attributes, in order, were seen as price, range and available charging.

Consumers continue to want high driving-range numbers—and perhaps to the detriment of luxury-priced models like the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-tron, they have much higher expectations for rated range from luxury vehicles.

When Autolist asked consumers for the minimum range they’d accept in a $35,000 electric vehicle, the leading answer was “between 250 and 300 miles”—stipulations perhaps most closely met by the Hyundai Kona Electric, with its $37,995 base price and 258-mile EPA-rated range. The Chevrolet Bolt EV and Kia Niro EV are also close to meeting those expectations.

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

But when Autolist asked the same about a $70,000 EV, the responses, the most common response was “more than 500 miles.”

At an EPA-rated 370 miles, the Tesla Model S Long Range currently holds the top rated range of any regular-production electric vehicle. No EV currently achieves close to 500 miles, or even 400 miles.

2019 Tesla Model S

There’s a riptide beneath these impressions, and that’s age. The survey found a direct and pronounced correlation between age and the importance of EV range. For instance, 32 percent of those 18-23 years old listed range among the top three avoidance issues, while for those over 76 years old it was in the top three for 60 percent. Autolist reports that there was a similar trendline created between age and the importance of the charging network, although that one had an inflection point around age 45.

Also, with rising shopper age, sticker price was less important, but resale value was more important.

A Volvo/Harris poll from earlier this year surveyed both EV drivers and non-EV drivers and found strong belief among both groups that EVs are the future. However 61 percent of respondents indicated that a lack of charging structure held back a purchase. While 38 percent of EV drivers were concerned about running out of power, 58 percent of all drivers combined indicated this concern.

One other figure stood out as especially surprising (and promising for the future of the technology): 55 percent of respondents said that the EV would be their primary—not secondary—vehicle if they bought one today. The survey also found that 69 percent supported tax rebates and other incentives aimed toward the wider adoption of EVs. That echoes the bipartisan support of the tax credit earlier this year, after it had been potentially on the chopping block.

Ford Announces Leadership Changes; Steven Armstrong to Succeed Nigel Harris as President, Changan Ford China JV

DEARBORN, Michigan, Aug. 22, 2019 – Ford Motor Company today announced that Steven Armstrong, who is currently chairman, Ford of Europe, has been named president of the Changan Ford joint venture in China. Armstrong succeeds Nigel Harris, who has elected to retire from Ford at the end of 2019, after 34 years of distinguished service… Continue reading Ford Announces Leadership Changes; Steven Armstrong to Succeed Nigel Harris as President, Changan Ford China JV