Coming up on today's show: Tesla confirms production Model 3 reveal will take place
in July, with Tesla Truck reveal penned for September, Chevrolet offers a headline-grabbing
three-hundred and twenty dollar lease deal in the U.S. for the Chevy Bolt EV, and the
Lucid Air hits an impressive two hundred and seventeen miles per hour (three hundred and
fifty kph) during beta-prototype testing.
These stories and more, coming next on TEN.
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It's Friday April Fourteenth, Twenty Seventeen, I'm Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield and this is
TEN, the weekly news roundup show whose job it is to bring you the latest news in cleaner,
greener, safer and smarter transportation without the hype or hyperbole.
Today, we're starting with the confirmation from Tesla CEO Elon Musk that Tesla will reveal
the official production version of the Model 3 electric car at a special event in July
this year, most likely at a special event where the first customers (likely Tesla employees)
will get their cars.
In keeping with Musk's usual habit of announcing things on Twitter, this particular conformation
was no different, ending speculation that had suggested Tesla was looking for an earlier
June-based reveal date for the production Model 3.
At the big July event, we'll not only get to see what production Model 3 models will
look like (though spyshots have given us a pretty good idea) but we'll also get to
hear about final specifications, pricing and planned rollout dates for non-U.S. markets.
At the same time as confirming the Model 3 production reveal schedule, Musk also confirmed
that Tesla's engineers have been working very hard on its planned Tesla Semi, an all-electric
tractor unit designed to revolutionize the haulage industry.
And while we won't see that at the July event, Musk suggested we'll get to see that
for the first time this September.
So if you're a Tesla fan, it looks like there's a lot to look forward to in the
next few months.
While Tesla appears to be going from strength to strength however, things aren't so good
for Ford, which has confirmed this week that it's going to be withdrawing the Ford Focus
electric car from sale in Europe, citing lack of consumer interest.
The Focus EV, which is about to get a range boost for the markets where it will continue
to be sold, is something of a compliance car, built on the same chassis as the internal
combustion engined Focus, but with an electric drivetrain instead.
But while Ford cites consumer apathy, I think it's fair to lay some of the blame -- if
not most -- at Ford's feet.
Aside from the poor design (most of the usual hatchback load bay space was taken up with
the battery pack) Ford has done very little to promote the Focus Electric.
Even in the U.S., where Ford needs to sell a certain number of electrics to meet California
ZEV mandate laws, Ford has always treated the Focus EV like the bastard stepchild.
And I guess, that action is coming home to roost.
*Sigh*
As you'll know if you watched last week, a recent study into autonomous vehicle technology
concluded that Ford, General Motors and Renault Nissan were currently leading the push toward
autonomous vehicles, not based on the technology in the marketplace (that accolade goes fairly
and squarely to Tesla) but in terms of tech heading to market soon.
Many of you disagreed with that report, but this week at the New York auto show, GM's
luxury arm Cadillac unveiled , a semi-autonomous driving technology deubuing on the new CT6
luxury sedan that not only allows for hands-free driving on the highway but leverages a driver
monitoring system designed to ensure the driver remains alert and ready to take over at all
times.
This, says GM, is an industry first, and makes sure that drivers can't abuse the technology
by losing all concentration on the road ahead.
In this way then, the system might do the driving for you, but you're still expected
to be a backup for the car.
And if you're not doing that, the system will bug you until you are.
Given that some people have already demonstrated how easy it is to abuse autonomous driving
tech -- and that's dangerous until we have fully autonomous level 5 vehicles -- GM's
solution is a very smart addition indeed, and I for one can't wait to try it out.
Earlier this year, the Tesla Model S P100D became the longest-range Tesla electric car
you can buy, managing an official three hundred and fifteen mile EPA rating at launch.
But being a performance-oriented model, it was only a matter of time before the P100D's
range was surpassed by the more frugal Tesla Model S 100D.
And this week, that's what happened, with the lower-performance, longer-legged Model
S 100D getting an official three hundred and thirty-five mile rating from the EPA.
making it the longest range electric car on sale today.
Interestingly, it's not quite the most efficient, with the extra weight of the 100 kilowatt-hour
pack giving it a combined 102 MPGe rating -- but it's still very impressive when you
consider that we're talking about a full-size luxury car.
So well done Tesla, and here's to your Model S 110 D-- because I know you'll be making
one sometime soon.
While Hyundai and its sister company Kia have now confirmed their intention to shift focus
away from hydrogen fuel cell technology and toward battery electric vehicles, it seems
that we're still going to see the odd hydrogen fuel cell vehicle here and there among both
brand's lineups.
At least, that's the conclusion I've come to after Genesis, Hyundai's luxury arm,
unveiled the GV80 FCV concept SUV at the New York Auto Show this week.
Looking a lot like its based on the fuel cell concept car Hyundai showed earlier this year,
the GV80 Concept is a full-size hydrogen fuel cell SUV that I'd love to tell you more
about… but I can't… because it's a concept.
And as other reviewers noted, the GV80 isn't a car that Hyundai or Genesis seems all that
keen to bring to production.
Will it?
Well, that depends, but given the news from recent weeks about a push toward EVs, I suspect
a hydrogen fuel cell model is less likely than a similarly-styled EV.
Watch this space.
It has been available in its launch markets of Oregon and California now for the past
four months, but while it has been selling steadily, the Chevrolet Bolt EV hasn't exactly
been breaking any sales records.
The reasons?
Well there are a few: limited availability, a lack of public charging station, and of
course the competition of the upcoming Tesla Model 3 and twenty eighteen Nissan LEAF.
But that might change soon thanks to a new nationwide lease deal announced by GM this
week which has a headline price of three hundred and twenty nine dollars a month for a three-year,
fifteen hundred mile per year lease with three thousand, eight hundred and nine dollars due
at signing.
Depending on where you life, the amount at singing could be less, but with the Bolt EV
not due to be available nationwide until August, you may have to wait to take this lease deal
up -- or miss it entirely if GM decides to expire the deal before the car becomes available
where you live.
While the Bolt EV may have mediocre sales right now, a car we think is certain of even
worse sales are the battery electric and plug-in hybrid versions of the Honda Clarity, both
of which launched this week at the New York Auto Show.
With just eighty-miles of all-electric range, and a CCS quick charging port, the Clarity
electric is most likely going to be a limited-market car with an estimated price tag of thirty-five
thousand dollars before incentives (or in other words, Tesla Model 3 money for about
a third of the range).
It will go on sale in California and Oregon later this year, while its sibling, the plug-in
hybrid -- with forty-two miles of electric range -- will go on sale in a few more markets.
It will have a total range of just three hundred and thirty miles (much less than either the
Volt or Prius Prime), making it another car that we can't see selling many of.
Never mind Honda -- y'tried I guess…
Shouldn't have cancelled the Fit EV really…
Oh well, too late…
If you think I'm obviously disappointed with the upcoming Clarity, you should be able
to tell I'm obviously impressed I am with the Lucid Air luxury EV, a car which has yet
to even enter production.
You see, this week, as part of its ramp up to a predicted twenty eighteen production
date, Lucid has been putting alpha prototypes for the Lucid Air through a series of engineering
tests to see just how good it really is.
And that includes high-speed speed testing.
How high a speed?
Well, as Lucid announced this week, a prototype Air recently hit two hundred and seventeen
miles per hour (that's three hundred kilometers per hour) during some of its high-speed testing,
well beyond the top speed of a stock Tesla Model S and (assuming it keeps that speed
for production) making some pretty big waves in the plug-in marketplace in the process.
While Lucid hasn't confirmed for sure that these kind of high speeds will make it into
production, it has hinted that at least one of its key markets is one in which high speeds
in the ballpark of those achieved recently are expected of premium cars.
So Germany then...
Talking of Germany, that's where we're heading next, because that's where Tesla's
recently-acquired Advanced Automation division is based.
If you're unsure what that is, it's the name given to the company formerly known as
Grohmann Engineering when Tesla acquired it late last year.
Specialists in the large construction robots that are found on pretty much every automotive
production line, the acquisition of Grohmann engineering meant that Tesla had its very
own in-house specialist it could use to build assembly machinery for automotive, battery,
and solar panel production lines.
At the time of the acquisition, Tesla said that it would let the company keep all of
its existing supply contracts -- many of which were with the world's largest automakers.
But in the last week, Tesla has pretty much torn up all of those contracts, focusing instead
on the equipment it needs for its own factory.
It's a move that makes sense, but severs all of the connections the previous firm had
with automakers around the world -- and what's more -- it's upset much of the workforce
who are understandably nervous about Tesla putting all of the factory's eggs in one
basket.
It's not clear what will happen next, so this is a story we'll have to update you
on as and when we have something to share.
Ever since the dieselgate debacle, we've seen quite the concerted effort from Volkswagen
to cast itself as a more environmentally-conscious, reformed automaker.
And part of that has been the almost continual stream of new plug-in models and concept cars
we've seen volkswagen showcase at auto shows.
Well, next week in Shanghai, Volkswagen will showcase another car that it says will preview
a new all-electric SUV.
Supposedly part of the same ID family that brought us the ID and ID Buzz, this new concept
SUV coupe (Volkswagen's words not mine) envisages a day when Volkswagen produces cars
which have 300+ miles of all-electric range and can also operate in full level 5 autonomy,
entertaining their occupants with an always-on, always-connected high-speed Internet connection.
Yes, it's nice Volkswagen that you want to make these cars a reality -- but get on
with it already! * urrgggh!*
Earlier on in today's show I touched on a story I covered last week in which GM, Ford
and Renault-Nissan were placed higher than Tesla Motors when it came to an industry analysis
of how automakers planned to roll out fully-autonomous vehicles to market.
As I mentioned earlier, many of you scoffed at the story, saying Tesla was clearly putting
all the effort in where others weren't but this week we heard the news that General Motors
-- specifically the recently-acquired Cruise Automation -- is undergoing something of a
hiring spree right now, with more than eleven hundred new positions advertised at the Cruise
Automation headquarters in Silicon Valley.
Add to that news this week that GM has launched a new competition designed to get university
students involved in developing and building autonomous vehicle systems (by donating several
Bolt EVs to different colleges and universities across the U.S.) and it's clear that GM
is most certainly serious about autonomous drive vehicles.
The question: how will they fare against Tesla?
I'll leave you all to argue that one out in the Comments below.
Our penultimate story takes us to California, one of the most friendly, welcoming states
in the U.S. when it comes to electric vehicles and electric vehicle mass adoption.
But this week a new piece of legislature was passed there which, come twenty twenty model
year cars, charge citizens a one hundred dollar one-time registration fee upfront for their
cars, plus an additional annual registration fee ranging from twenty five dollars to one
hundred and seventy five dollars based on the value of the car itself.
It's all designed to try and help recoup some of the money the state has lost in recent
years from gasoline taxes.
As cars become ever more efficient and more and more people switch to plug-in cars, funding
from gasoline taxes -- which have helped pay for road maintenance -- have got smaller and
smaller.
And this new registration program should even out the playing field again.
While most EV owners are more than happy to pay their way, some EV advocates are unhappy
about the fee, saying it's too soon and could serve as a disincentive for those considering
a plug-in car.
Considering California has some of the best EV incentives in the country however, I'm
personally doubtful it'll have a negative impact.
And finally,
It's been in the planning now for some time, could be a serious contender to Formula E
in terms of fan base and excitement, and uses race-prepared, stripped down Tesla Model S
P100Ds that can sprint from nought to sixty miles per hour in just two second.
And now, Electric GT -- the first GT race series for electric cars -- has confirmed
the first two Electric Grand Prix of its inaugural season will take place in France at the Paul
Ricard circuit on November twenty fifth and November twenty sixth this year.
Promoted as a weekend long festival celebrating technology, sustainability and innovation,
the first two races will be exciting for everyone involved, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed
that I'll get to experience at least one of those races first hand..
If I save up my pennies that is!
And on that note, I think it's time for me to say goodbye.
As always, don't forget to like, comment and subscribe, visit transport evolved dot
com for more cleaner, greener, safer and smarter transportation news, or join in the conversation
on Twitter at transport Evolved.
And if you liked what you saw today and want to help us make more shows like this, please
consider making a donation to our Patreon crowdfunding campaign, a link for which is
in the description and at the end of today's show.
Thanks again for joining me, I'll see you next week, I'm Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield,
That was TEN, have a great weekend, and until next time, keep Evolving!
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