The Weekly Round Up - EV News for May
Bringing you the EV news dominating the headlines in May.
Welcome to BookMyGarage’s EV Hub Weekly Round-Up, where we bring you the EV news that is dominating the headlines this week. With only the essential details about the week’s biggest news articles, we aim to keep you in the loop with all things EV.
May 28th
Cupra Survey Shows 7 in 10 UK Drivers Ready to Make EV Switch
The research set out to compare the perceptions of those with and without real-world experiences of EV ownership. 377 drivers in Britain from the Volkswagen Group brand customer panel answered the survey.
A high level of satisfaction was noted among current EV drivers; 94% of Cupra EV owners expressed happiness with their decision to switch to electric and show no desire to return to an ICE vehicle.
37% of non-EV drivers expressed concern about how charging their vehicle would affect their daily routine.
"Our white paper sheds new light on the factors affecting drivers’ perceptions of electrification. It is clear that those who make the switch are happy they did, but that does not mean our work is done. The industry must continue to support and inform both current EV drivers and those yet to make the leap.
"We want to empower drivers and reassure them that sustainable mobility doesn't mean they have to compromise. With that in mind, our report provides a fresh understanding of the differing viewpoints, offering inclusive and informed discussion on the future of mobility," said Marcus Gossen, Director of SEAT and Cupra in the UK.
BYD Launch Double Decker EV Bus for UK Market
A brand-new double decker EV bus has been unveiled by BYD, specially tailored for London.
The BYD BD11 features Blade Battery modules integrated into the chassis and is due to enter service in the capital later this year.
Measuring at 10.9 metres long, the bus can accommodate up to 90 passengers and is the first in-house developed e-bus by BYD offered to the UK market.
The model was unveiled at the London Bus Museum, which is the home to the first electric bus.
In the UK, there are currently over 1,800 BYD electric buses in operation, with a total operating milage of over 80 million miles.
BYD states that the 532-kWh battery can be recharged from 0 to 100% in just two hours, and supports dual-gun charging and pantograph fast charging up to 500kW.
“The BYD BD11 will play a pivotal role in contributing to the reduction of air pollution in London and, soon after, the UK’s wider carbon neutrality goals. We are proud to launch our own all-new electric double decker bus with highly innovative, world-leading technology for safe and reliable electric mobility, providing operators with modern eco-friendly eBus options that meet their specifications, thus providing more people the choice to use clean, non-polluting bus services in the future,” said Frank Thorpe, Managing Director for BYD UK Commercial Vehicles.
Electric Vehicles Being Trialled by Ambulance Service
The Mercedes-Benz e-Vitos are being trialled as a part of the NHS England zero emission project.
The trust aimed to reduce its emissions by 50% by 2032, and plan to be net zero by 2040.
David Ruiz-Celada, executive director of strategic planning and transformation, said: “The trial of the new all electric single responder vehicles is just one way in which we are exploring how we can reduce our emissions.
“As an organisation with a significant carbon footprint, we are committed to working closely with colleagues across our organisation, including our green network and our system partners to significantly reduce it."
May 21st
Mercedes-Benz Halts MB.EA EV Platform Development
Mercedes has halted the platform development for their large electric vehicle platform, MB.EA.
The news comes after slow sales of the EQE and the EQS models. The platform was due to be ready for 2028 and aimed to bring several technologies previews on the ultra-long range Vision EQXX forward.
The Vision EQXX was supposably set to have 750 miles from a single charge.
The turnaround will see further development of the EVA2 platform instead, which is the platform the current Mercedes-Benz models use.
The company said in a statement: "Mercedes-Benz will consistently create the preconditions for a CO2-neutral new car fleet by 2039. We anticipate that the global share of electric cars and plug-in hybrids in our new car sales will reach up to 50 per cent in the second half of this decade.
"The pace of transformation is determined by market conditions and the needs of our customers. We will build the perfect Mercedes for every customer request. Into the 2030s, we can flexibly offer vehicles with both a fully electric drivetrain or an electrified high-tech combustion engine.
"To achieve this, we made our production flexible in terms of drive systems. For the further development of our product portfolio, we will sustainably leverage efficiencies between new and existing models. All new models from Mercedes-Benz will meet the highest demands of our customers."
London Uber Drivers Offered EV Grants and Discounts
The grants come from the £145 million fund to help aid drivers in their transition to electric, making the process more affordable, easier, and quicker.
London is Uber’s leading city for EVs globally – with 25% of Uber’s miles in the capital being fully electric.
The deal includes a £5000 grant towards a new EV, through Uber’s Clean Air Plan, as well as additional discounts of between £12,000 and £17,000 on selected models.
EV drivers will also be eligible for up to three months of free charging credits worth up to £750, and exclusive charging rates through BP Pulse.
Andrew Brem, general manager for Uber UK, said: “Now is the time to speed up on electrification, not slow down.
“We cannot reach our collective zero-emission goals without continued action from policymakers and investment across the industry.
“Uber drivers can be the catalyst for accelerating electrification across the transport sector, but collaboration will be crucial to combat air pollution and work towards a more sustainable future.”
BYD’s First EV Pickup Truck Launches in Mexico
Chinese EV Automaker BYD have launched their first EV Pickup Truck, the BYD Shark, in Mexico.
The model, developed for the global market, marks the brand’s first global launch product outside of China, and features the DMO Super Hybrid Off-road Platform.
The product launch was described as a ‘technological theme park’ where over 1000 guests witnessed the debut of the model. The truck features a 10.25-inch LCD instrument panel, and a 12.8-inch rotating screen, with inspiration drawn from spaceship consoles.
The truck can reach a peak power of over 430 horsepower and can accelerate 0 to 100 kilometres in just 5.7 seconds – surpassing all other models in its category.
Read the full press release on Business Wire.
May 14th
Biden’s White To Expand Tariffs on Chinese EV Trade
During his presidency, Donald Trump imposed 27.5% tax on EVs from China, which since President Biden has extended. This tax has kept the number of Chinese-made EVs on US roads low over the past few years.
If introduced, the tariffs would be one of Biden’s biggest moved in the trade war with China, following on from an investigation into the Chinese shipping industry, alongside a call for higher levies on Chinese aluminium and steel, as a part of an appeal to union workers before the election in November.
Where China can undercut American manufacturers on price, political leaders in the US are fearful that citizens are likely to choose these models over US brands – not to mention the more advanced technology and powerful batteries that China offer.
Last month, Biden said he was ‘not looking for a fight’ with China, but the US needs to stand up to China’s ‘unfair economic practices and industrial overcapacity’.
East England’s Tourism Industry Could Suffer due to Lack of Charging Points, says Councillor
Fears surrounding the lack of electric vehicle charging capabilities in the East of England could have a negative affect on tourism, says Rob Colwell, a Lib Dem member of Norfolk County Council.
With more people making the switch from ICE to EV, concerns are being voiced about how this may affect the tourism industry, and how it may put EV drivers off travelling to areas in the country with insufficient charging points.
The number of public electric charging points in the region had increased by 63% since April 2023. In the east, there are around 5000 publicly available chargers.
Mr Colwell told the BBC, ‘I think there is concern for business confidence... we are a really big tourism area and it's a huge part of our economy.
"It does worry me that potentially people could be put off visiting Norfolk if they can't change their electric vehicles.
"I think a super rapid roll out is needed."
Ford Threatens ICE Car Sales to Meet EV Targets
Ford have said it may limit the sales of its petrol cars in the UK to meet the electric car sales targets laid out by the government’s Zero-Emissions Vehicle Mandate.
The ZEV requires that manufacturers ensure a minimum percentage of their overall sales are battery powered. If this target is not met, companies could be met with a fine of £15,000 for every ICE car sold over the limit.
This year the target stands at 22%. Fleet demand means that EV sales are continuing to grow, however private buyers are still reluctant to make the switch.
Ford only offers one EV passenger model on the UK market currently, the Mach-E. Martin Sander, General Manager for Ford Model e Europe, told the Financial Times’ Future of the Car Summit: “We can’t push EVs into the market against demand. We’re not going to pay penalties. We are not going to sell EVs at huge losses just to buy compliance. The only alternative is to take our shipments of [engine-powered] vehicles to the UK down and sell these vehicles somewhere else”.
Ford’s EV line-up will see expansion with the electric Ford Explorer come summer this year. A zero-emission model of the top selling Ford Puma is also in the works.
May 7th
UK Installs Record Number of Public EV Chargers
The UK has installed a record number of 6000 public electric vehicle chargers this year.
According to Zapmap, nearly 6000 new chargers have been installed during the first three months of 2024. 1500 of these are rapid chargers.
The number of public chargers of all speeds have doubled in the UK since the start of 2022.
The region with the fastest growth in charger installations per person was the north-east of England, followed closely by the south-west.
London has always been at the forefront of the electric charger game, with 221 chargers per 100,000 people.
The chargers will bring relief to those suffering from ‘range anxiety’, which is cited as one of the most common reasons why someone would avoid shifting to an electric vehicle.
More than one million electric cars have been sold in the UK, and only 6% of EV drivers in England surveyed by the Electric Vehicle Association said that they experience range anxiety ‘very often’ or ‘fairly often’, while 94% said they have range anxiety ‘occasionally’, ‘rarely’, or ‘never’.
Nissan and Ecobat Solutions UK to give EV Batteries Second Life
Used electric vehicle batteries will be given a second life thanks to a new partnership between Nissan and Ecobat Solutions UK.
The companies are working together to investigate how Nissan Leaf batteries can be located on the UK’s salvage network, recovered, and repaired, recycled, or repurposed for sustainability reasons.
Nissan has the longest history with EVs in the UK, following the launch of the Nissan Leaf back in 2011. They are now hoping to lead the processing of used EV batteries industry, which is expected to grow substantially in the coming years.
The pilot agreement between the two companies combines Nissan’s battery expertise and Ecobat’s recycling knowledge. Together, they plan to investigate ways to commercialise the process of repurposing EV batteries for a second life.
“We are working together with Ecobat to assess how we engage with salvage operators, manage transportation, test, repair and reuse electric vehicle batteries in order to understand the commercial value chain, " said Alan Low, EV battery circular economy manager at Nissan Energy Services.
“These are batteries from cars that have been dismantled due to old age or that have been written off by insurers, however the batteries themselves still have an opportunity to be reused. They still have a useful life ahead of them, so we need to create a sustainable way of recovering them. Nissan takes its obligations seriously and is keen to recover batteries in a good state of health from any LEAF batteries that are no longer required.”
Tesla Fires Entire Supercharger Team
Staff who worked on the Supercharger division at Tesla have revealed that the entire team have been laid off.
The Supercharger division worked on designing and deploying the chargers globally, which is the world’s largest fast-charging network for electric vehicles, with over 50,000 Superchargers globally.
Multiple employees have confirmed their departures, following CEO Elon Musk’s claims that Tesla would be cutting one in ten jobs to reduce costs.
Musk wrote on X, formally Twitter which he bought in 2022, that the company still planned to grow the Supercharger network, ‘just at a slower pace for new locations.’
Experts believe that the news could spark worries amongst potential buyers.
"You need reassurance that the people selling you the vehicles see a strong future for the technology," said Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation.
"If manufacturers are reining back their ambitions then it means drivers might think twice about going electric or at least delay a purchase until they see more positive news."
Read More
The Weekly Round Up - April
Bringing you the latest EV news from all around the world, for the month of April.
The Weekly Round Up - March
Bringing you the latest EV news from all around the world, for the month of March.