Coming up on today's show:.....
Elon Musk lets us know a little more about what the Telsa Model 3 will and won't have
as standard, Volkswagen gets approval to sell some of its fixed dieselgate cars -- but European
moan about poor performance after the 'fix' has been applied, and Renault begins offering
41 kilowatt-hour battery pack upgrades for existing Renault ZOE customers.
These stories and more, coming next on TEN.
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It's Friday March Thirty-First twenty seventeen, I'm Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield and this is
TEN, the news show that you might think it just about electric cars but is more than
happy to cover everything from reusable rockets to autonomous cars, hydrogen fuel cells and
yes, even human power!
Today's show starts with some much-needed updates on the Tesla Model 3 electric car
from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who took to Twitter late last week to confirm a few things about
Model 3 that we didn't know before.
First, Model 3 won't get a head-up display or a traditional speedometer arrangement.
Instead, since Model 3 is built from the ground-up with autonomous driving in mind (and the on-board
system will worry about speed limits and the like) it will only have that large, 15-inch
landscape monitor arrangement we saw in the Alpha prototype this time last year.
Second, those waiting for a right-hand drive Model 3, an all-wheel drive Model 3, or a
performance Model 3 will find themselves waiting until some time next year, with only rear-wheel
drive, left-hand-drive Model 3 being produced at launch.
Other models will follow, as will battery pack capacities, which Musk said for now will
be no larger than 75 kilowatt-hours.
Sorry.
While Tesla is busying itself with Model 3 preparation, Hyundai and its sister company
Kia announced this week that they intend to push forward with development of a brand-new
vehicle platform designed exclusively for electric vehicles.
The reason?
Hyundai and Kia need to play catch-up with Tesla, GM and Nissan, all of which will have
longer-range mass-market models on the market next year.
And while that platform won't be ready for market for a few years, both Kia and Hyundai
are working hard to bring an all-electric SUV to market next year.
But that vehicle is unlikely to have the two to three hundred mile (three hundred and twenty
to five hundred kilometer) range that both automakers need in order to be able to compete
in the EV marketplace.
And given the Hyundai IONIQ isn't selling in the kind of volumes Hyundai hoped -- and
reviewers are unimpressed with the Kiro Niro -- time's running out for both brands, especially
when hydrogen fuel cell tech isn't where both companies thought it would be.
Watch this space.
From one automaker struggling to play catch up to an automaker determined to ensure it's
not last to the party.
That automaker is Daimler, which announced this week that it intends to shovel an extra
ten billion euro (ten point eight billion U.S. dollars) into developing ten new electric
vehicles that will be released to market by 2022.
That's three years earlier than the target date set by the company back in September
at the Paris Motor Show, and shows just how much of a disruption Tesla is making to the
automotive industry -- and just how worried traditional automakers now are by its assault
on both the luxury car segment and soon the mass-market segment.
This commitment comes at a time when Daimler -- like most other car makers -- is facing
at least some investigations into diesel emissions and as a consequence, is keen to distance
itself from the quite obviously dying internal combustion engine.
Will ten billion euro be enough to push it into the world of electric vehicles once and
for all?
Well, that's going to be something we've got five years to find out.
Finishing our trio of stories about automakers playing catch up, we're off to Germany now,
where Audi is facing pressure from its unionised workforce to bring production of its planned
Audi Quattro e-tron SUV to its main production facility in Ingolstadt.
Audi, which had planned to build its first-all-electric model at its Brussels plant, is being asked
by unions to bring its electric vehicles to its main production facility, as not doing
so could prevent those workers from gaining the valuable experience they need to ensure
job security.
And with Audi facing the same kind of probes as the rest of the mainstream auto industry
into emissions, it's clear that electric vehicle advocates have allies in the form
of union workers, who are just as keen to do away with the noisy, smelly engines of
the past and focus on batteries, motors, and cleaner, greener rides.
Moving from Audi now to Volkswagen, which has received permission from the U.S. EPA
to begin selling the remaining twenty-fifteen model-year TDI cas that were left sitting
on dealer lots when the diesel gate scandal broke in late twenty fifteen.
There's about twelve-thousand cars in total across the U.S. that fall into this category
but while approval has been given for them to be sold unmodified, just as they were back
in twenty fifteen, part of the agreement stipulates that they must then be brought back to the
dealer at some point in the future (most likely a few years' time) when Volkswagen has finally
figured out a hardware fix that brings said cars in line with emissions regulations.
And that's crazy, because if reports from Europe are correct, cars over there which
have received software and hardware fixes to bring them in line with European emissions
regs are now reportedly terrible to drive, randomly stalling, continuously entering into
filter cleaning mode and generally not making their owners happy.
I'm not sure if the approval from the EPA to sell these twelve thousand cars is anything
to do with the new U.S. administration, but honestly, this can only end in pain for all
concerned.
Take it on the chin, forget about them, and make some new cars, Volkswagen.
Staying on the subject of environmental concerns, this week, as I'm sure you might be aware,
saw the issuing of an executive order from President Trump which rolled back regulation
intended to protect the environment, restrict damage caused by fossil fuel extraction, and
encourage a society powered by renewable energy.
If we ignore some of the claims made by the President during the singing about jobs and
the economy (automation will kill a lot of the jobs the administration is claiming it
will save), this measure is being called the most dangerous move from the President yet.
But while Mr. Trump claimed to be handing power back to states and the people who "know
best," one state -- California -- is determined to continue as it was, with the California
Air Resource board resolute on its air pollution reduction targets, its emissions regulations,
and its zero emission vehicle mandates with a reaffirming vote this week to lock in state-wide
emissions standards as set by President Obama and the EPA for vehicles made between 2022
and 2025.
Admittedly, while the auto industry is fighting for rollback of EPA standards, it seems it
won't get its way (for now) in California.
And since California buys about one third of all new cars sold in the U.S. today, this
affirmation cannot be understated.
It's going to be a rocky road, but at least one state is willing to stick its neck out
and stand against something that overwhelming scientific consensus has shown us is a really
bad idea.
When it comes to its history with electric vehicles, Toyota has been something of a skeptic.
Sure, we had the amazing original RAV4 EV -- an example of which I happen to own -- but
since then, Toyota has been squarely in the hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell camp, complaining
about battery range, longevity, and only making electric cars when it really had no choice.
But this week Toyota announced it is moving toward electric vehicles by using artificial
intelligence at its silicon valley Toyota Research Institute to design next-generation
electric car battery packs that it claims will help accelerate its electric vehicle
development.
It's something that Toyota has discussed before, using AI to help research new battery
materials, but with electric cars well and truly starting to gain market share, Toyoat
is plowing an extra thirty-five million U.S. Dollars into the project which, yes, also
includes more hydrogen fuel cell research.
Kinda predictable, that last bit.
For as long as the Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X have been in production, people around
the world have opted to buy them (or lease them) as company cars, either thanks to forward-thinking
company policies or some clever accounting.
After all, with no tailpipe emissions to worry about (something which affects company car
taxes in some countries) and low running costs, a zero-emission Tesla makes perfect sense.
But this week, Tesla made that association official by launching a brand-new corporate
sales webpage, promoting the benefits of owning an electric car and the benefits to businesses
for making their fleets all-electric.
Tesla isn't looking like it will offer massive discounts for corporate customers as other
car companies do, but it is happy to waive the two thousand five hundred U.S. dollar
(or equivalent) discount that is normally required for retail sales.
To be honest though it's a win-win for both sides: a Tesla Model S or Model X is cheaper
to run than a conventional car, and Tesla gains from the extra sales.
What's not to love?
There was a time not-so long ago when driving was considered something of a pursuit of the
rich.
Indeed, it wasn't until the nineteen fifties that car ownership really became something
that regular folks could afford.
These days, we don't think twice about owning and driving a car, but in the not-too-distant
future, warns Gus Park of Direct Line insurance in the UK, driving could soon become a luxury
pursuit again, with insurance companies favoring autonomous vehicles so much that it insurance
for those who don't have autonomous vehicles will become prohibitively expensive.
And that means, especially in mixed traffic, that owning a self-driving car will become
the norm and the only ones who can afford to drive a car that they physically control
will be those who can afford to pay the ever-increasing premiums.
As a classic car fan, that's something that actually scares me a little, but I'd like
to know what you think in the Comments below.
A car that's one you certainly have to drive is the current (and previous) generation Renault
ZOE, which, along with the rest of the Renault Z.E. family of electric vehicles has helped
Renault lease a total of one hundred thousand battery packs.
The milestone, announced this week, goes hand-in-hand with the announcement that Renault will now
let owners of the original ZOE EV -- which had a twenty-two kilowatt-hour lithium-ion
battery pack -- upgrade their car's leased battery pack to the latest-generation 41-kilowatt-hour
version, almost doubling the car's range without requiring you to buy a new vehicle.
It's something that's super-rare in the electric vehicle world but at the same time
something that I'd love to see more car companies offer moving forward.
And if you want to know more details about this announcement, be sure to stick around
after the show to watch the vlog I made about it this week.
And finally,
Here at Transport Evolved, I cover the latest in the news of cleaner, greener, safer and
smarter transportation, and while that mainly revolves around plug-in cars, occasionally
I get to cover something completely out of this world…
literally… like the Falcon nine rocket SpaceX used yesterday to send a brand-new communications
satellite into space.
You see, traditionally, first stage rockets are used just once, falling back to earth
and crashing in the ocean after accelerating whatever it is they're carrying to the edge
of space.
But SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which can gently fly back down to earth and land itself
on a robotic drone platform at sea, can be reused time and time again.
And yesterday's launch was the first time we've seen a rocket reused a second time,
landing just ten minutes after launching some twenty kilometers into space.
Not only does this slash space program launch costs by millions of dollars, but it's also
far more sustainable than previous launch vehicle designs.
Congratulations to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the rest of the SpaceX team, and to SES, the communications
company based out of Luxembourg which was the first client to make use of this fantastic
piece of technology.
Sure, it's not completely zero emission, but without Apex Orbital (and its CEO SpaceGirl)
it's really the best we can do for now.
So yay rah!
And on that note, it's time for me to say goodbye again for the week.
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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