1198: Legendary Opel/Vauxhall Astra Goes Pure Electric | 02 Sep 2021 - a podcast by EV News Daily

Show #1198.

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Thursday 2nd September. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

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- South Korea’s SK Innovation Co Ltd (096770.KS) said on Wednesday it will invest 1.2 trillion won ($1.04 billion) in a new battery factory in China.

- The South Korean battery maker, which supplies electric car batteries to Ford Motor Co (F.N), Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) among others, has battery production sites in the United States, Hungary, China and South Korea.

- In July, SK Innovation said it would aim to increase its annual battery production capacity to 200 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2025

Original Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/sk-innovation-invest-1-bln-new-battery-factory-china-2021-09-01/

- The interior is cool. There’s a wide screen on the dash, which itself is adorned with stylish gray and white lines that continue on the center console lid. The shifter is a rotary dial with “park” at its vertex and “R, N and D” positioned just outside its circumference. A power button sits slightly elevated ahead of the shifter, while a wireless charging pad is located behind.

- There are two 12-volt power outlets on that lower deck, and a USB and USB-C just ahead below the center stack:

- The EV6's ride quality is a bit on the stiffer side, though not harsh.

- That’s reasonably quick, though in an EV without sound or shifts, that sprint is a gradual affair and not something that will blow you away (a 576 horsepower Kia EV6 GT model is on the horizon).

- Even if it’s clearly not a sports car, I had a good time zipping the EV6 around those twisty streets in the countryside north of Frankfurt, though to me, what makes the car special isn’t its handling or its power, it’s its design. The outside is quirky and fun, and the cabin is just a cool place to spend time.

Original Source : https://jalopnik.com/genesis-is-going-very-electric-very-soon-1847604925

- Opel will also offer the new Astra as a purely electric model from 2023. The manufacturer has now announced this at the official presentation of the sixth generation of the model. Before the launch as a BEV, plug-in hybrids in two performance levels are available for the new Astra.

- The new Astra will also be launched as a purely battery-electric car.

- The DS 4 and the Astra not only share the EMP2 as their technical basis, but they are also both built at Opel’s Rüsselsheim plant.

- The existing BEV models based on the EMP2 (Efficient Modular Platform) are the large vans or transporters, such as the Citroën ë-Spacetourer or the Opel models Zafira-e Life (passenger cars) or Vivaro-e (commercial vehicles).

- Astra will be available to order from autumn and will be delivered from the beginning of 2022 – initially as a “sporty five-door model”. An “elegant estate version” with the familiar name Astra Sports Tourer is to follow “shortly”.

Original Source : https://www.electrive.com/2021/09/01/opel-to-release-the-astra-as-a-bev/

- Motor Fuel Group has opened its first forecourt dedicated to electric vehicles in Stretford, Manchester. The site will contain eight ultra-rapid 150kW EV charging bays

- MFG CEO William Bannister said: “We are delighted to be opening this EV-only forecourt that offers ultra-rapid charging on the Chester Road in Stretford, which is a first for the north west of the country. With eight ultra-rapid charging bays, we believe this site will help lead the local transition to more sustainable electric vehicles.”

- This move forms part of its plans to invest £400m in ultra-rapid EV charges across its UK network

Original Source : https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/forecourts/mfg-opens-first-electric-vehicle-only-hub-at-manchester-forecourt/659354.article

- Cox Automotive is getting into the electric vehicle battery lifecycle business.The company said Wednesday it acquired Oklahoma City-based Spiers New Technologies (SNT), a business that provides repair, remanufacturing, refurbishing and repurposing services for EV battery packs.

- It added that electric vehicles have completely different service profiles than their internal combustion engine vehicle counterparts, and much of that comes down to the battery. EV battery support is particularly critical as the battery pack itself can comprise as much as 40% of the vehicle’s cost

- Cox said it would use the diagnostic tool to push greater confidence in electric vehicles, likening it to the way that Kelley Blue Book has provided greater transparency about ICE vehicles’ condition for consumers.

Original Source : https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/01/cox-automotive-acquires-battery-health-company-spiers-as-evs-take-center-stage/

- It looks like the first electric Hyundai to bear the sporty N badge is the Ioniq 5 EV. Our spies snapped a few photos of a prototype that had some subtle modifications in-line with what we would expect an Ioniq 5 N to have.

- the prototype featured larger brake disks and sporty, lightweight rims wrapped in sticky Pirelli P Zero tires.

Original Source : https://insideevs.com/news/530250/hyundai-ioniq5-n-spy-photos/

- Citroen UK has opened its order books for e-Berlingo Van – the new, all-electric version of the multi-award winning Berlingo Van. Citroen e-Berlingo Van is available in Panel Van form, with two body lengths, and as a Crew Van. Basic MRR prices for Citroen e-Berlingo Van start at just £24,910

- The zero-emissions Citroen e-Berlingo Van features a 50kWh battery connected to a 100kW (136hp) electric motor with up to 260Nm of torque. From a single charge, e-Berlingo Van has a range of up to 171 miles

Original Source : https://electriccarsreport.com/2021/09/citroen-uk-confirms-pricing-and-specification-for-new-e-berlingo-van-with-order-books-now-open

- Peugeot has opened orders for the new e-Partner, the 100% electric variant of the award-winning Partner van.

- The Standard-length measures 4.4m long, while Long variants extend the e-Partner’s length to 4.8m – improving load capacity. The e-Partner comes with an identical load volume to the Partner van thanks to clever engineering of the battery underneath the floor. Standard Panel Van variants feature up to 3.9m3 of load space with PEUGEOT’s Multi-Flex folding seats, while Long Panel Van variants increase the maximum load volume to 4.4m3.

- With a maximum payload of up to 803kg on Panel Van Standard length variants and 751kg on Long variants, the e-Partner is ideal for small and large fleets alike.

Original Source : https://electriccarsreport.com/2021/09/peugeot-e-partner-opens-for-order-in-the-uk

- mages released of All-New Vauxhall Movano-e and Combo-e making their global debuts at The Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham’s NEC

- The All-New Movano-e is Vauxhall’s first large Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) to be available as a fully electric variant. It delivers class-leading space, with a cargo volume of up to 17m3, while its zero-emission powertrain offers up to 139 miles of range

- Last month, Stellantis announced a £100 million investment in Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant to transform the site for a new era in electric vehicle manufacturing.

Original Source : https://evobsession.com/all-electric-vauxhall-combo-e-movano-e-make-global-debut-at-the-commercial-vehicle-show

As cars like the IONIQ 5 and trucks like the Ford F-150 Lighting arrive being able to draw power from the traction battery, what will you power from your EV in the future?

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