The French automaker sold 84 thousand Zoe electric cars in Europe in the first 11 months of 2020, which is twice as many as in previous year. Renault Zoe is the leader in its segment on the Spanish, French, Portuguese and German markets.
Another Renault, Kangoo ZE is one of three electric-powered station wagons sold on the European market, making Renault the leader in electric car sales. The brand managed to sell 8,498 Kangoo ZE electric cars January through November 2020.
The car is driven by an electric motor (92 hp 220 Nm), automatic transmission and a ZE 40 traction battery (41 kWh capacity) by LG. The new battery allows to drive up to 300 km in real driving conditions, while the old one has a lower capacity of only 160 km.
According to the developer, this electric car can not be charged at all, because for its equipment used solar panels. Elements are integrated into the roof and hood, and in clear weather they provide a reserve of autonomous power exceeding 100 km.
The “Three-wheeler” with 2-seater cabin is made of lightweight composite materials, so its weight is only 816-918 kg, and the aerodynamic resistance coefficient is 0.13.
To equip the Aptera is used either 1-engine or 2-engine power unit with an output of 134 hp or 200 hp, respectively. Depending on the equipment they are paired with a battery of 25 or 100 kW, providing a range of 400 to 1600 km.
Aptera Typ-1 Interior
For an additional charge customers are also offered batteries for 40 and 60 kW, providing a power reserve of 640 and 960 km respectively, three types of body painting (black, white and silver) and the same types of interior decoration. In addition, an optional electronic assistants package is provided.
The starting price of Aptera is 25.9 thousand dollars. The first commercial vehicles will reach dealers in 2021.
The Government of Japan intends to completely exclude cars with petrol and diesel engines from the domestic market by the mid 2030s.
According to NHK TV channel, by the mid 2030s, the Government of Japan intends to strictly regulate the domestic market in order to exclude vehicles with gasoline and diesel engines from sales.
According to the plans of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, only hybrid, electric and fuel cell cars will be available for purchase. The strategy aims to completely stop carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by 2050.
At present, there are enough models with hybrid engines on the Japanese car market, while electric cars are produced in limited quantities in Japan.
Chinese manufacturer of electric cars SAIC-GM-Wuling Hongguang reported a record sales volume of electric cars MINI EV, which in November were sold over 30 thousand pieces. Electric car Hongguang MINI EV is a small two-seater electric car for daily trips to work and store, but this is exactly what most urban residents need.
Mini EV overview by Wheelsboy
Electric car MINI EV is available in three versions, which differ in battery capacity and mileage range. Junior and middle models are equipped with a traction battery with a capacity of 9.3 kWh, and the elder – with 13.9 kWh. In the first case, the electric car goes on full charge up to 120 km, and in the second – up to 170 km. The cost of the initial model is 28,800 yuan ($4400), the average model – 32,800 yuan ($5000), and the elder model – 38,800 yuan ($5900).
All three models have the same electric motor of 20 kW with a maximum torque of 85 Nm. MINI EV models do not support fast charging and can only be recharged from a 220V home network, so it takes 6.5 to 9 hours to charge each time. Nevertheless, the electric car MINI EV is an interesting urban version of personal transport.
According to the manufacturer, in November, more than 96% of buyers of MINI EV were ordinary ordinary citizens. Thus, the day the Chinese bought more than 1100 electric cars of this brand. On some days in November, was set a record sales – more than 2000 electric cars per day. A total of 33,094 MINI EV electric cars were sold in November, which was an absolute sales record among Chinese electric car manufacturers.
In September, the company sold 14,495 cars and 20,631 units in October. At the same time in China is growing demand for more expensive electric cars Tesla, production of which the company Ilona Mask also increases. In October, Tesla Shanghai plant set a new record, producing 22,929 Model 3 electric vehicles per month. But this is another story.
Nissan introduced the new generation of Note compact van, it has become a hybrid.
The car, built on the CMF-B platform, became more compact than its predecessor and received a new body design, made in the corporate style of modern Nissan models.
The car has a completely redesigned interior, and the equipment includes a 7-inch digital dashboard and multimedia system with 9-inch touchscreen. Improved branded semi-autopilot ProPilot, which navigates through the Navi-link system.
In the third generation, Nissan Note will be available only with a hybrid e-Power, which includes an 82-horsepower 1.2-liter petrol engine and two electric motors: 106-horsepower on the front axle and 68-horsepower on the rear axle if the car is equipped with all-wheel drive.
Sales of the new Nissan Note in Japan will begin by the end of 2020. The Japanese automaker did not announce plans to bring the compact van to other markets.
Spanish Experts from km77 magazine conducted tests of agility for Mazda MX-30 electric SUV. During the “moose test“, the first electric car of the Japanese brand has demonstrated successful handling at a speed of 75 kilometers per hour.
The “Moose Test” is one of the most challenging tests for cars. During the test, specialists check the stability of models during sharp maneuvers. The car must follow a given trajectory and make abrupt changes without knocking over cones. Such a test is designed to demonstrate the behavior of the car at an unexpected obstacle on the road.
During the first attempt Mazda MX-30 was moving at a speed of 75 kilometers per hour. Electric car made a sharp maneuver almost perfectly, only slightly touching the first cone with the right front wheel. In the second race the speed of the car was reduced to 74 kilometers per hour. This time, the electric SUV performed the exercises without flaw.
Then, Spanish experts decided to make a test more challenging. In the third attempt, Mazda MX-30 was sent to perform “moose test” at a speed of 79 kilometers per hour. At this speed, the car began to enter heavily. And because of aggressive steerage, in the process of movement it began to interfere with the car’s electronics. As a result, the electric car went beyond the limits of the cone-bound track. At the same time, Mazda MX-30 performed the “snake” exercise with exemplary accuracy. At the end of the tests, experts called the results of the electric SUV “satisfactory”.
The most sold electric car in Europe in October was a Volkswagen ID.3. Despite the increase in sales of such cars in the region in mid-autumn, experts have recorded an overall decrease in sales of vehicles by 7%.
VW ID.3
On the territory of European countries in October, a German company from Wolfsburg was able to sell more than 10.4 thousand Volkswagen ID.3, which made the car a leader in its segment. Previously, the first position was held by the Tesla Model 3, but due to delivery terms, it fell below the list of the most popular. The second place is occupied by Renault Zoe, its index is 9.7 thousand units. It closes the top three Hyundai Kona Electric – 5.2 thousand vehicles.
ID.3 interior
In 2019, the best-selling were the so-called “soft” hybrids, which accounted for almost 16% of the total sales volume. In October this year, the figure was quite different 32%. The share of plug-in hybrids increased to 24% from 21%.
An ambitious project to create environmentally friendly racing cars was launched by GCK Motorsport team.
Electric cars continue to master racing tracks – after the circuit race, electric cars should appear on “Dakar“, the most complex rally-marathon of the planet.
Founded by the French racing driver, former world champion in free-skiing, entrepreneur and veteran of Dakar, Guerlain Chicherry, GCK Motorsport team (formerly known as GC Kompetition) presented a project of off-road vehicle with an electric engine for the Dakar rally-raid.
The new buggy GCK e-Blast 1 is based on the champion model Peugeot 3008 DKR, which won the “Dakar” in 2017 and 2018, but the turbo diesel engine was replaced by an electric power plant with a capacity of 340 hp. It is stated that the electric car is equipped with a battery of 150 kWh, but the power reserve without recharging is not yet announced.
The public premiere of GCK e-Blast 1 will be held in January 2021 in Saudi Arabia as part of the nearest “Dakar”, but until the electric SUV will not take part in the rally marathon and will only hold demonstration races. It is expected that among the participants of “Dakar” the e-mobile will appear in 2022.
In the same 2022 should debut off-road GCK e-Blast 1 with a hydrogen engine. In the race version of the model with a propulsion system on fuel cells is planned to exhibit in 2023-2024. Both models – with electric and hydrogen engines – in GCK Motorsport are ready to be sold to private customers interested in new technologies.
Let us remind you that currently cars with gasoline and diesel engines are in the off-road classification of “Dakar”. In 2020, the Riwald Dakar Team from the Netherlands, together with the company ZF and the company MKR Technology, which builds racing equipment, made a gas-electric truck Renault Trucks C 460 Hybrid Edition, which was the first hybrid truck in the history of rally-marathon.
Audi has once again updated its E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback models, adding new features to its electric SUVs.
Audi E-Tron Sportback concept
One of the new features is the introduction of a second on-board charger, which doubles the power from 11 to 22 kW. It is already available as an option for “55” models and will be launched in mid 2021 for “50” and “S” specifications.
Audi’s home garage charging connection system can charge the car up to 22 kW. It is suitable for indoor installation and is equipped with a 5-inch touchscreen touchscreen and wall mount. It can be used remotely with the myAudi app. According to the car manufacturer, E-Tron 55 and E-Tron 55 Sportback can be charged in less than 5 hours.
In addition, the charging system offers additional features. For example, the electric car can take into account the needs of the family, charging it with the remaining power. This way you can avoid overloading the system. It can also be configured to charge when the electricity is cheaper, or if the house is equipped with a solar panel system, it can be charged using the electricity generated by it, taking into account the weather forecasts. The PIN code is also designed to protect against unauthorized use.
Another new feature is the updated steering wheel with an accent on the sensor rim for the adaptive cruise assistant. According to Audi, drivers will need to touch it only once a minute to keep the system active. The system uses data collected in real time to keep the car in the center of the lane and helps the driver to accelerate, brake, maintain speed and maintain a distance ahead of the car.
The Audi e-tron prototype on the stage in the Royal Danish Playhouse in Copenhagen
The size of wheels was also updated: in addition to standard 20-inch and additional 21-inch sets, the company released new five-spoke 9.5 × 22-inch rims with 265/40 tires.
2021 E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback are already available for order. Deliveries to customers should begin by the end of the year.
The Tesla company is going to release a compact electric car specially created for Europe. This was stated by Elon Musk in the video interview dedicated to the construction of “Giga Factory” in Germany.
Musk noted that the Model S and Model X may be too big for European motorists in the conditions of dense urban development. The company thought about a compact electric car in the body of a hatchback, the look of which will be developed by the European design studio of the company.
The cost of a compact electric car may amount to $25,000. For comparison, the most affordable Model 3 to a French buyer will cost 50,000 euros.
