STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Volvo Cars’ luxury performance brand Polestar unveiled its first fully electric sedan on Wednesday, opening up online pre-orders for the five-seater fastback at a price and with a driving range to rival Tesla’s mass market Model 3. A Polestar 2 electric car is seen in Stockholm, Sweden in this undated photo obtained… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Volvo’s Polestar joins electric car race with rival to Tesla 3
Tag: Volvo
Volvo unveils Tesla Model 3 rival Polestar 2
Polestar
The Polestar 2 electric performance car from Volvo
Electric performance brand Polestar unveiled its first fully electric vehicle on Wednesday in a bid to steal buyers away from Tesla's Model 3.
The car is the first volume model from Volvo's former performance sub-brand, which was spun out in 2017 to be a high-end electric vehicle brand.
Polestar
The Polestar 2 electric performance car
The Polestar 2 is the first electric car to compete with the Tesla Model 3, with a starting price of 39,900 euros ($45,400), the company said. There will also be a launch edition made during the vehicle's first 12 months of production that starts at 59,900 euros ($68,200).
Polestar
The interior of the Polestar 2 electric performance car from Volvo
The vehicle is a further step into the world of electrification for Polestar. The brand's first vehicle was the Polestar 1, a plug-in hybrid. The new vehicle has more than 400 horsepower, and can go from 0-100 kilometers per hour in 5 seconds.
It will also be one of the first cars in the world to base its infotainment system on Google's Android system, and will have Google Maps, and Google Assistant built into the system.
The vehicle will be built in China and will be available in 2020. The company said it will be taking the vehicle on a “road show” to promote it around the world starting in early March 2019.
Auto giant Peugeot to launch a 100 percent electric, zero-emission car
Peugeot Automotive
French carmaker Peugeot has announced details of a 100 percent electric, zero emission car.
In a statement Monday, Peugeot said that the new vehicle would be released in late summer 2019 and was the first in a series of all electric models, with the firm readying itself to electrify its whole range by the year 2023. Petrol and diesel versions of the “208” model will also be available.
Peugeot said that the e-208 was powered by a 100-kilowatt electric motor and 50-kilowatt hour battery, and had a range of up to 211 miles.
The vehicle can be charged using three methods. A domestic plug can provide a complete charge in 20 hours or more, while a dedicated charging point can charge the vehicle in around eight hours. Public terminals that offer rapid charging can also be used.
Peugeot U.K.'s Managing Director, David Peel, said the business was excited to be “building towards our goal of a full electric range by 2023” and described the e-208 as “a great step in cementing Peugeot's foothold in the ever-growing EV market.”
In 2017, global sales of electric cars hit 1.1 million, an increase of 54 percent, according to the International Energy Agency. The “global stock of electric cars” exceeded 3 million that year, with 40 percent of the planet's electric cars on Chinese roads.
Peugeot is the latest major car company to make a move in the electric vehicle sector. In 2018, for instance, Mercedes launched its first all-electric SUV, the Mercedes-Benz EQC, while Volvo Cars bought a stake in FreeWire Technologies, a California-based electric car charging business, through its Volvo Cars Tech Fund.
Geneva Motor Show: These are the novelties of Geneva – from A like Aston Martin to V like Volkswagen
CologneWith the Geneva Motor Show, the car year 2019 starts. This year, there are new small cars with bestseller potential, numerous model lifts and exciting studies to see. Visitors will have to go in vain for Ford brand cars, Hyundai. Opel and Volvo search – these manufacturers refrain this year to visit Geneva. An overview.… Continue reading Geneva Motor Show: These are the novelties of Geneva – from A like Aston Martin to V like Volkswagen
News – Video – ‘What is the best mix of measures for improving road safety today?’
In the context of the revision of the EU General Safety Regulation, a group of experts seeks to identify the vehicle safety technologies with the strongest positive outcomes. [embedded content] Panel discussion featuring: Malin Ekholm, Vice-President, Volvo Cars Safety Centre Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General and European Coordinator for Road Safety, DG MOVE, European Commission Laurianne… Continue reading News – Video – ‘What is the best mix of measures for improving road safety today?’
Accident investigation: meet the people keeping our roads safe
“The airbag module is a really good way of finding out what happened,” says Gary. “It gives about five seconds of data before the crash and a couple of seconds after.” Some car makers – Gary cites Toyota and Volvo, but there are more – provide the access codes, yet others refuse. “Some lie and… Continue reading Accident investigation: meet the people keeping our roads safe
Press Releases – New vehicle safety rules: auto industry reacts to European Parliament vote
Brussels, 22 February 2019 – The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) takes note of the European Parliament’s vote on the revision of the General Safety Regulation, which mandates the safety technologies to be included as standard in new vehicle types. Yesterday’s vote by the lead Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee marks an important… Continue reading Press Releases – New vehicle safety rules: auto industry reacts to European Parliament vote
Volvo Cars takes major step towards its electrified future with a range of new hybrid powertrains
Volvo Cars takes major step towards its electrified future with a range of new hybrid powertrains Volvo Cars has today taken a significant step towards its electrification goals with the release of upgraded and newly-developed electrified powertrain options, to be made available across its entire model range going forward. The company has upgraded… Continue reading Volvo Cars takes major step towards its electrified future with a range of new hybrid powertrains
Volvo Cars introduces refreshed Volvo XC90 SUV
Volvo Cars introduces refreshed Volvo XC90 SUV Volvo Cars has today unveiled a refreshed version of its best-selling XC90 large SUV, the company’s top-of-the-line flagship, adding a newly-developed fuel-saving engine option that marks the next step in the company’s ambitious electrification strategy. The refreshed XC90 for the first time offers customers Volvo’s advanced… Continue reading Volvo Cars introduces refreshed Volvo XC90 SUV
Volvo batteries, California superhighways, more efficient motors: Today’s Car News
Teaser for Piech Mark Zero electric sports car concept debuting at 2019 Geneva auto show
Falling reliability costs the Tesla Model 3 its Consumer Reports recommendation. Could high-speed rail be replaced with high-speed highways? Volvo is pulling depleted batteries out of electric buses to use as energy storage for solar in a large apartment complex in Sweden. Argonne National Lab has developed a smaller, lighter, more efficient electric motor. All this and more on Green Car Reports.
In its latest survey, Consumer Reports found that the Tesla Model 3, while very satisfying, isn't very reliable.
As California's high-speed rail project devolves from budget and time-line overruns into political name-calling between Washington and Sacramento, a state senator has introduced a bill to replace the project with autobahn-like high-speed highway lanes through the state's central valley from San Francisco to LA. The lanes would have no speed limits, but they're unlikely to reduce global-warming emissions as the senator suggests.
Volvo is reusing batteries from its electric buses in Sweden to buffer power on a large new apartment complex with solar panels in Gothenberg.
Scientists at Argonne National Labs in Illinois have developed a new type of permanent-magnet electric motor that's lighter, cheaper, and more powerful, proving that it's not just battery technology that's improving for electric cars.
Mercedes-Benz plans a new electric SUV called the EQV to debut at the Geneva auto show next month. It is expected to be a follow-on to the company's EQC, which is scheduled to arrive later this year.
Finally, Anton Piech, the son of the famed Audi engineer and Porsche scion Ferdinand Piech, also plans to launch a new electric sports-car company with a stylish concept at the show.
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