Saturday, January 28, 2017

Happy New Year!

The EV industry will reach the tipping point in 2017. We now have a 235 mile range vehicle, the Chevy Bolt which is comparable price wise to the current 100 mile range vehicles. Later this year Tesla will start  the production of Model 3 which also has a 230 mile range. The 200+ mile range is now the new standard.
All car manufacturers are committed to EVs and we will see over 30 new EV models coming to the US car dealers in the next 2 years.

We expect an accelerated adoption of DC fast charging to allow EV drivers to go beyond the city limits and along major highways. Tesla built its own infrastructure to allow Tesla drivers to go from Los Angeles to New York. Now several other car manufacturers (Nissan, VW, BMW) are working to support the sale of their EVs. The VW settlement after the Dieselgate will bring funds at the State level to promote EV charging infrastructure as part of an emission mitigation project.

Chevy Bolt

VW ID Buzz

Tesla Model 3
Overall we are looking forward to an exciting 2017! 

DETROIT AUTO SHOW

The 2017 edition of the North American International Auto Show did not feature extraordinary new concepts. Many brands either didn't show up or didn't have formal press events (Porsche, Tesla, Fiat Chrysler, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini and Mitsubishi among them). This show is too close to the LA Auto show and Detroit in January might not be the best place to go. Perhaps the VW ID Buzz concept is the most glamorous for the EV industry. The upgrade of classic VW Microbus of the '50s and '60s looks very cool. It's an electric vehicle with twin motors: one front, one rear. The VW ID BUZZ has a very modern design and it could be a hit if VW will ever build it.