This Week in EV: Efficient
We kick off this week with Lucid whose CEO, Peter Rawlinson, has stated that the Lucid Air’s efficiency is unparalleled, achieving 5 miles per kWh — a feat that no other automaker has matched. For comparison most EV’s are achieving somewhere between 3-3.5 miles per kWh with market leading efficiency at the moment around 4 miles per kWh. Efficiency is a really important metric as the more efficient an EV can be means we can start to reduce battery size which is the most expensive part of the car. Read more
A new study reveals that Tesla Model 3 and Model Y batteries maintain significant capacity even after 200,000 miles. Data indicates that these models experience minimal degradation, with many batteries retaining over 80% of their original capacity. One of the worries for those making the switch to EV have is that the battery is going to degrade in the same way it does for their phone so it's great to see that after such high mileage the battery is retaining so much of its original performance. Read more
One of the other complaints from those making the switch is that the battery takes long to charge, I’ve covered new battery tech from StoreDot before and this week it's been revealed that BYD and CATL are collaborating on a new battery technology that supports a 6C charge rate, promising a full charge in just 10 minutes. This would allow for not only higher peak charging speeds but flatter charging curves with a slower drop off in peak power. Read more
It's been coming for a while but Fisker has filed for bankruptcy. It’s not the first time a car company run by Henrik Fisker has gone bankrupt with his previous attempts having suffered the same fate. The company joins the likes of Lordstown and Arrival in the ranks of EV OEM’s that have gone bankrupt recently. Becoming an EV OEM takes a high amount of technical expertise and capital and I suspect this won’t be the last of the new entrants we see go bankrupt. Read more
The Range Rover EV has seen its waitlist double, with 38,000 buyers eagerly awaiting delivery. For all the naysayers on EV and say demand is falling this is just another example that the reverse is true people just want EV’s that are designed for them. That said this is yet another expensive EV and we need more budget friendly EV’s to hi the market. Read more
In a move that surprised no one, Chinese car companies have urged Beijing to impose import taxes of up to 25% on EU vehicles if the EU implements tariffs on Chinese EVs. The request came during a meeting organised by China's Ministry of Commerce with European car firms present. This follows the EU's threat to impose tariffs up to 38% on Chinese EVs starting July 4. We need to make EV’s cheaper so tariffs are only going to hurt drive EV adoption. Read more
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