Fast Charging - September 2016

2016* Update

Following on the original article, here is an update to the table:

            Number of EV's sold by type of Fast Charging protocol

Year	Chademo	CCS	Tesla
2011	33.301
2012	38.852		2.721
2013	72.701	3.391	22.442
2014	100.280	25.521	31.655
2015 2016	108.680 68.394	45.273 29.715	50.567 54.033

As is possible to see, Chademo still has the lead, but growth has stalled since 2015, while CCS this year is being hampered by the fact that brands behind it are focused on plug-in hybrids, where they don't include fast-charging.

2017 and 2018 will be all important years in the race between Chademo and CCS, as the Nissan Leaf will defend Chademo's lead over the CCS-compatible Chevrolet Bolt and the new wave of European and South-Korean BEV's.

Finally, while the Tesla SC is not intended to fight the other two, the truth is that, unlike the softening sales of the other two standards, the strong sales of the Tesla brand has allowed it already to surpass last year result, with the ever-expanding network, top-of-the-range charging abilities and the undisclosed number of Model 3 units adding to the current portfolio of models, expect the Tesla SC to be a serious candidate for the best selling fast charging standard in the next couple of years. 

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Is it possible to go 100% EV?

"Is it possible to go 100% Electric?" - It was a question i made myself a few months back, as i wandered of the feasibility of that endeavor, having one electric car is easy, when you have a gas/diesel vehicle as a second choice for longer trips, but what about going all electric? 

To get the answer, i have started to register my family daily trips, based on the assumption that we would have a smaller car, for commutes and other short distances, in this case the car chosen would be a Renault Zoe, while for longer distances, the choice would necessarily be a larger car, with a longer range (Think Chevrolet Bolt, Leaf II), with the hypothetical choice being the Tesla Model 3.

To keep things safe in terms of range and usability, despite the Zoe having a 240 kms NEDC range, we would only consider it as having 120 kms range and the Model 3 some 250 kms, that way we would always would have a significant amount of extra-range for unexpected situations.

All trips were classified in one of four categories: 

* Commutes (20 kms or less);

* Small trips (Between 21 to 120 kms);

* Average trips (120 to 250 kms);

* Long trips (More than 250 kms).

The first two were considered suitable for both cars, while the larger ones were only considered fit for the Model 3.

Having registered the daily trips of our current ICE cars (One city car, other suited for longer trips) over a period of little more than three months, these were some conclusions we came to have:

City car "Zoe" 

- 81% of the trips were commutes, usually going to work, groceries, or other small trips around the neighborhood;

- 19% were small trips, usually going to traffic-congested Lisbon or other places where it would be hard to get easy parking;

The conclusion is the surprisingly high number of commutes, which is where the electric car feels most at ease, with no trips beyond 120 kms being made and no need for charging on the road. 

Is it possible to have an EV as a city car? YES, for my needs it is more than enough.

Larger car "Model 3"

- 22% of the travelling with the larger car were commutes, 48% were small trips, 22% average trips and only 9% were long trips;

With more diversified type of travelling, the Model 3 has a more challenging role to play, if commutes and small trips are nothing to scare a 250 kms range car, for average trips (121 - 250 kms), you have to make some calculations on the actual kilometers you will make on the trip and if there is fast charging along the road, Just in Case. 

The most challenging part of the equation are the longer, over 250 kms, travels.

We have made three and here are their (short) stories:

1 - Touring inland during one day, with 512 kms made. The first leg took 247 kms, mostly made on highway or mountain roads, at this stage the Model 3 would presumably be close to running empty of juice, but nothing to fear as there was a EVSE close and while we were touring the town, the car would have time to recharge just enough range to get into the Chademo Charger (Within a service station), little less than 100 kms away in the returning trip. Having reached the Chademo charger, we then would have to wait 45 minutes to an hour for the car battery to fill up (Or close), driving the remaining trip home without any range-anxiety. Unnecessary stops: One, at the Chademo charger/service station.

2 - Visiting Folks and family, 260 kms made. With the folks house some 230 kms away, that would't count as long-range-endangering-trip, but with other stops projected in the same day and part of the trip made on the highway, it could be a close call. Time to be resourceful then. While we were having lunch and putting conversation in place, the Model 3 would also have time to recover some juice in the domestic socket of my parents garage, enough to give those 20-30 kms needed for the next stops. Unnecessary stops: None, just needed to ask for a plug while the car was resting.

3 - Touring North, 321 kms made in day one. With a Chademo Charger (In the same service station as in 1) somewhere in the middle of the trip, we stopped to fill up the car during some 45 minutes, doing the rest of the travelling without range concerns. Unnecessary stops: One, at the Chademo charger/service station. 

Summarizing, 89% of all trips could have been done by an electric car like the Renault Zoe without a sweat, with that percentage growing to 97% with the Tesla Model 3.

Of the remaining 3%, they were also feasible, but they would involve charging outside your home and depend on Fast Charging and the waiting periods that come with them. Many people, like myself, would see it as minor inconveniences, but for others it would be a deal breaker.

A small note, during this period, i have realized that the two electric cars, one household type of families, might have a constraint: There will be times when both cars need overnight charging and if you usually only have one garage place and the other stays out, it could become tricky to charge both at the same time...  

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EV Business Case - Tesla and BYD

Tesla and BYD - Forever Production Constrained?

I - Tesla

A lot has been said about Tesla, the american brand in the recent past has helped to change people's minds over electric cars, from slow-mobiles, a bit dorkey & nerdy, to become the ultimate cool, a bit like "Tesla might not be the most popular kid in the Automotive High school, but it is coolest".

Most recently it was in the mainstream media with its Model 3 and the disruptive force it promises to be (Could it be the first EV to beat the c*** out of mainstream ICE cars?), but with it came a Million Dollar Question: "Can Tesla handle it?"

There weren't that many launches from Tesla to evaluate future behaviors, but looking at the Model S (The Roadster doesn't count here, as it was at whole different scale and the Model X is still reaching cruise speed), the Model S went like this:   

2012 - 2.700 units, available only in North America;

2013 - 22.200 units, expanded to Europe (2nd Semester);

2014 - 31.200 units, expanded to China and RHD markets (2nd Semester);

2015 - 50.400 units.

We can see a limited number of units in the initial year, with the numbers jumping in the first full production year to 22.200 units, then increasing 40% in the second full year and 60% into the third year, with the market expansion taking place over the years, with the peculiar fact that production seems to be always behind demand levels...Something made on purpose?

In the Model 3, Tesla will have the advantage of having already an oiled production and delivery system, with numbers probably reaching 150k units Model S/X in 2017, but by that time the reservations will be so huge  (600k? 700k?), that the ramp up has to be steep in order to satisfy such high level of demand, so my take on the Model 3 Production levels are:

2017 - 7.500 units, available only in North America;

2018 - 100.000 units, expanding to Europe (2nd Semester);

2019 - 250.000 units, expanding to China (New factory?) and RHD markets (2nd Semester);

2020 - 500.000 units.

Assuming that only half of the reservations transform into actual deliveries (I think it will be higher than that), someone that makes a reservation today, April 29th, will receive its Model 3 around...The second semester of 2019. It will be a looong wait...

II - BYD

Something of a Unsung Hero in the EV Scene, the progression of the chinese brand has been nothing short of spectacular in the last years:

2013 - 2.900 units;

2014 - 18.400 units;

2015 - 61.700 units.

And the sales targets set for the next years are also worthy of awe: 

2016: 150.000 units;

2017: 300.000 units;

2018: 600.000 units.

As we can see, far more aggressive targets than Tesla, which must be at around 300k in 2018...

One would think that these growth rates would be impossible to achieve only with the chinese market and BYD would finally start to export in significant numbers, but in the end, i believe the EV market in China will grow so fast that it will absorb all of the BYD plug-in production and frustrate their own export plans, let's look at the last numbers of the chinese EV Market: 

2013 - 14.000 units;

2014 - 60.000 units;

2015 - 190.000 units.

Extraordinary growth rates, right? Now considering that the market only doubles in the next few years...

2016 - 400.000 (Projected);.

2017 - 800.000 (Projected);

2018 - 1.600.000 (Projected).

Considering that BYD has had historically at least 30% of the Chinese EV market all to itself, it won't be difficult for the chinese brand to see its production almost all absorbed by its domestic market, leaving little for export plans.

That is unless BYD decides to go all Tesla and make their customers wait several months for their car...

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The Fast Charging Standards Race

Introduction

Back in the early days of the Third Age of the Electric Car, the need for range and the ability to go long distances in a 100% electric car was a hot topic, because EV's needed to get out of their natural habitat (Metropolitan Areas) and avoid mistakes of past lives.

One of the easiest ways to increase the pure electric cars ability to go farther, is through Fast-Charging, a sort of refueling of a gas car, but made in an EV, you arrive at a predetermined place, refuel/charge and minutes later, you can resume your journey, this time with a full tank/battery.

The first to establish a standard protocol for these kind of machines were the Japanese, in 2010, having named it CHAdeMO, an abbreviation of "CHARge de MOve", or "Move by Charge", with the charging rate usually set at around 50kW, but it can go up to 62.5 kW. 

The network quickly expanded in Japan, having already 582 Stations in March 2011, providing quick charging to the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi I-Miev, as well as to a number of other pilot-mode models.

In 2012, around the same time the Model S was launched, Tesla started to deploy their Supercharger stations, it was a necessity for the new model owners for their quick charge, because the Model S had batteries three or four times larger the regular BEV, so they needed also a three to four times higher charging rate to refill batteries, hence the 120 kW-capable Supercharger, it operates a bit like Apple, as other manufacturers are not compatible with them.

Finally, in 2013 a new Fast-Charging protocol emerged in Europe, the CCS, or Combined Charging System, which allows for a smaller plug and is allegedly more flexible to develop to higher charging rates than the CHAdeMO.

This new standard is supported by Ford, General Motors and the German automakers, competing with CHAdeMO for a Golden Standard in EV Fast Charging.

The Race

            Number of EV's sold per type of Fast Charger

Year	Chademo	CCS	Tesla
2011	33301
2012	38852		2721
2013	72701	3391	22442
2014	100280	25521	31655
2015	105504	45177	50567

As is possible to see, Chademo (still) has the lead, having sold more than CCS and Tesla together, but the growth has stalled in 2015, while the other two continued to expand rapidly, and that despite the fact that CCS has been hampered by brands that are behind it are focusing on plug-in hybrids, where they don't include CCS.

2017 and 2018 will be all important years in the race between Chademo and CCS, as the Nissan Leaf will defend its lead over the CCS-compatible Chevrolet Bolt, Ford plug-ins and the German new BEV's.

A curious take on this Fast Charging standards race is given by the Hyundai-Kia Group, if the Kia Soul EV is playing by the Chademo team, the new Hyundai Ioniq EV has joined the adversary team...A change of mind by the Group or are they playing it safe, having players in both teams?

Finally, the Tesla SC is not intended to fight the other two, but as with its vehicles, the ever-expanding network and top-of-the-range charging abilities, it has carved a special (And desired) place in the market, a bit like Apple has done in the software world. 

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Shopping for an EV - Mercedes B-Class ED

A nice place to be, if not to drive.

Prologue

Mercedes has finally joined the EV bandwagon, with four models to choose and a couple more coming in the coming months, i thought it was time to do a little mistery shopping and see how Mercedes sales force handle EV's and their potential buyers.

Model of choice: Mercedes B-Class ED, the only pure electric car available, and honestly, the only MB plug-in model i would see myself having.

Shopping

I went to a Mercedes dealership in Lisbon, with several models on exhibition, none of them of the plug-in variety.

I was quickly referred to the plug-in sales specialist, that introduced me briefly to the B-Class and the Electric Drive specifics, i asked him if there was any model available for the test drive, to which he answered me in a positive way and asked me to wait a few minutes while he was going to ask the car for the drive.

While i waited,  i looked around and thought: "I should have brought a suit", considering how grown up and formal the ambiance was is the dealership, in stark contrast to the Apple-like environment and enthusiastic reception i had in the BMW i dealership a year back.

And the reference to BMW is important, as driving the Mercedes, i realized that despite both the i3 and the B-Class ED sharing similar prices and power specs, they have very diferent approaches to the electric car concept: While the Bimmer was made from scratch, has a love it / hate it design and stands as a hot (RWD!) hatch to blast in the Megacities (A BMW Mini?), the Mercedes is just about the opposite: A sensible adaptation to an existing car that blends through traffic, the B-Class is spacious, comfortable and wafts in serenity that lends it an upmarket feel, enhanced by the absence of noise and instant torque,  so you could call the Merc an EV with Grand Tourer spirit, in contrast to the BMW i3 urban sports car frenzy.

During the test drive i made a couple of questions regarding the car and vehicle charging, to which the sales person answered correcly but without too much detail (Once again, i missed the more engineer/nerd-like answers from the i-genius salesperson of the BMW i).

Back to the dealership, i asked for a Lease simulation, to which he asked me a couple of questions regarding equipment options and offered a couple of them for free, in the end he delivered me the simulation and asked me if i wanted the car right away or if i could wait a bit.

"Why?" - I asked.

He replied:

- Currently we don't have any ED ready for delivery, we are having a higher demand than expected, and this is a specific version...

- And much time would i have to wait?

- Around three, four months...

I answered that i wasn't much in a hurry, but four months sounded too much, to which he replied: "Probably in January we could have it here..."

After this small dialogue, i said i would decide in a couple of weeks and then i would give him some feedback.

In Short 

Mercedes is playing safe with EV's, they don't have the problem Renault has with an unwilling sales force, but they are not also on a goundbreaking path like BMW with their "i" sub-brand searching  for customers not only within the BMW demographics, but also looking to conquer new customers that wouldn't think in buying regular BMW's.

Basically, plug-in Mercedes are for current three-pointed-star customers that wish to switch to electric (hybrid) drive, be it for tax reasons or others.

Finally, a request to Dieter Zetsche and the Mercedes management team: I know four months won't be a deal breaker for most customers, but nevertheless, you could increase just a tad the plug-in version quotas, so that those waiting can get their plug-ins with more normal deadlines, and a sidenote, BMW is selling four times more plug-ins than Mercedes...

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Shopping for an EV - Volkswagen e-Up! (Updated)

Prologue

Now that Volkswagen is making waves is the EV scene, i have decided to make a little mistery shopping to see how VW's sales force handle EV's and their potential buyers.

First Task

Deciding on which plug-in to go, while on other brands we have little to choose, here we are spoiled with three options, the electrics e-Up! and e-Golf and the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE.

My first thoughts were:

* e-Up!: "Nice city car...It reminds me of the ol'days when VW was minimalistic and not an aspirational brand...But it's so pornographically expensive!"

* e-Golf: "Meh, too middle of the road for my taste"

* Golf GTE: "Yes, Please!"

After that first trial, the e-Golf was put aside, and now focusing on the other two, with great pains to my inner child, i have decided to go for the more logical e-Up!, as it suited best my needs, so it would fit better for my "potential buyer" profile, and after some calculations, it wasn't so outrageously expensive as previously thought.

That's decided then, e-Up! it is.

Shopping

18th July

I went to a VW dealership located on one of those mega-shopping centers near Lisbon, with several models on exhibition with none of them being of the plug-in variety.

After finding a salesperson, i went to him and this was the dialogue:

Me - Hello, do you have any e-Up! to test drive?

Salesperson - Yes, we have a VW Up! available...

M - No, not the Up!, i wanted to test drive the e-Up!, you know, the electric version...

S - Oh, i see...No, we don't have any of them...We had an e-Golf a couple of weeks ago, but now we have none...

M - (....)

S - Do you want to try the gas version?

M - No, i'm only interested in electrics, because of fuel bills, fiscal advantages and the fact they are better to drive, i have driven a (Renault) Zoe and now i wanted to try the e-Up! so i could compare it with the Zoe...

S - We don't have one, but i will call a friend of mine in another dealership to see if they have.

After a short phone call, the salesperson informed me that the other dealership would have a e-Up! available in the following week, after that he gave the contact which had to call and said goodbye to me.


28th July

After a few failed contacts i finally got to arrange a test drive for the e-Up! in the 8th of August, but during the conversation the sales person tried to upgrade the test-drive for the VW e-Golf...


8th August 

Another postponement, now the test drive was scheduled to August 18th...

(By this time a regular buyer probably would have been discouraged and gone somewhere else to buy an electric car)

Test Drive

I showed up at the scheduled time on the August 18th at the VW dealership, located in one of the nicest parts of Lisbon, and i was quickly referred to the sales person in charge of the test drive.

After a small introduction to the e-Up!, where he checked my knowledge of electric cars, the test drive started and the thoughtful VW person answered to the usual questions ("What is the Range?", "What's this for?", "Does it fast charge?"...) in a friendly but not too excited manner, as if it were just another regular VW test drive.

And regular VW are the key words here, the way the car feels and drives is like any other model from the brand: Efficient, sensible, with no real weak points and a slight upmarket feel, in this case enhanced by the instant torque and absense of noise of the electric engine.

If the Nissan Leaf was designed to stand out and appeal to early adopters the same way the Prius did a few year ago, VW's approach is much more mainstream, this e-Up! (As the e-Golf) is for people who are interested in switching to electric drive but still wish a regular car, with normal design, normal dash, and a regular driving experience, close to what they have known from the past.

This pragmatic approach was visible during the e-Up! test drive, with the only stand-out feature quoted by the salesperson being the "B" drive, that enhaces regenerative braking in the same way a BMW i3 does.

In the end of the test drive i demonstrated my satisfaction to the sales person regarding the car, but i was shocked with its high price.

Unlike what i was expecting (Convince me to switch to a regular Up!), the VW person tried to win me over to a lease deal, saying that they had very good deals there and most electric VW's sold in that dealership were by leases.

I agreed to wait a few days for the lease deal (To be sent by email) and talk back then.

Now, let's wait if he keeps that promise...

Lease Deal 

A couple of days later than agreed, i received the lease proposal in my email and...It sucks.

I won't be give you the exact numbers, but let's just say it's in the same ballpark of the Nissan Leaf and more expensive than the Renault Zoe, even with the batteries rent added. 

Value for money, it loses for both: 

- The japanese is a car two classes above, it's faster, has more range and an extended warranty;

- Comparing with the Zoe, the e-Up! is also in difficult position, the french is a car from the segment above, has more range and an extended warranty AND...It's cheaper.

Come on VW, you can do better than this, stop being greedy!

 

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Warning Lights - How Tesla's Hype is ending

Don't Believe the Hype?

A lot has been said about the hype created by Tesla and the media regarding the past October 9th event, Elon Musk sent the bait and many went after it, making different guesses about what it was, Model S AWD, Model X, Model III? Some other kind of trick?

When the announcement was made, the AWD Model S and a Driving Aid System, many were disappointed with the Next-Big-Deal-That-After-All-It-Was-Not-That-Big.

The same kind of news in a manufacturer like BMW, at best would be just another major AutoShow announcement, among other more important launches.

Sure, Tesla in not any other automaker, it doesn't have a large portfolio and it is scrutinized in the media like no other Auto Brand, but that would be another reason for Tesla to take more attention on the Hype around it.

The recent disinvestment in Tesla made by Daimler and Toyota should be seen in a larger picture, the California-based manufacturer stocks are falling, and many doubts are arising regarding the long-term future of Tesla.


Tesla 2012 - Bright future

When the Model S landed two years ago, one could say that it was years ahead of the competition, not only because it was an electric car like no other, with power and range enough to scare many of the best ICE cars, but the whole concept regarding service, sales, charging stations, among other features, was something completely different.

The competition was caught with the trousers down, still in early stages of development for their electric cars or deciding wether to go full on to plug-ins, and couldn't respond to it, making Infinity even go back at the drawing board with the LE.

When will the X be a reality?

Tesla 2014 - Clouds on the Horizon

Currently Tesla is no longer a North American/Euro curiosity, their sales network is spread across the globe and the Supercharging stations are growing fast across the major markets, with Tesla owners being able to cross continents without any kind of range anxiety.

Sales grew exponentially in two years, with 3.000 units/month now the norm for the automaker, and they are now prepared to jump production two fold, with the help of the upcoming Model X.

It's here that things start to lose some grip, because the timetable for the Model X is delayed for quite some time now, for a car that it would be on sale late this year, the production-ready car is still to be presented and there are no signs of coming soon, so an optimistic view would see it being revealed in December / early January (Perhaps by the time of the Detroit Auto Show), first demonstration units in February/March and mass volume by April/May, if this timetable comes true, the delay won't be that damaging, but if Tesla delays it more than these 6 months, the SUV segment will start to be crowded by Porsche, Volvo, Mitsubishi, etc

Even the Model S didn't had that much updates during this period, if at the time it was launched it was 5 to 10 years ahead of the competition, the gap is now reduced and the competitors are recovering fast, with rumors that in three years time they will be where the Model S is now. And how will be Model S in 2017? It will be probably redesigned, but with funds going for the development for the Model III, don't expect for a huge leap in the refreshed  Tesla sedan.

My favorite rendering for the Model III...

Tesla Model III - Moment Of Truth

It will be with the Model III, that will come the crucial moment for the long-term survival of an independent Gigafactoried Tesla, if it achieves the ambitious goals set by Elon Musk, the battery-production scale will help it become profitable and win those needed funds to add more models to the lineup and assure the long-term profitability.

But, for that to happen, they will have to market it sooner than later, because others are already pushing their EV's for the same kind of product (300 kms range, price in the 30k's USD) in 2016/7, if they can push the Model III to the market before that timetable, they will have a window of opportunity for success, if not, others will eat Tesla's lunch.

...And the LEAST favorite.

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EV Business Case - Incentives (Updated)

Something that has been asked frequently by our viewers is a list of incentives for plug-in car buying in the different markets, so here's a small report of incentives in a number of markets:


Belgium

Companies can deduct 120% for EVs, private buyers no longer haver incentives.  of a new electric vehicle. There is also a tax deduction up to 40% for investments in recharging stations, to a maximum of €250.

Brazil

Import duty on cars in Brazil is 35%, but plug-ins only pay 2.5%. In São Paulo city owners of electric drive cars with a purchase price up to R$150,000 (~ US$65,200) are entitled to a 50% reimbursement of the annual car ownership tax (IPVA) for five years up to a total of R$10,000.

Canada

In Ontario there is of a rebate between CA$5,000 (4 kWh battery) to CA$8,500 (17 kWh or more) (~US$5,050 to US$8,650), depending on battery size, for purchasing or leasing a new PEV. The province also introduced green-coloured licence plates for exclusive use of plug-ins, that allow PEV owners to travel in the province's carpool lanes until 2015 regardless of the number of passengers in the vehicle. Also, owners are eligible to use provincially-owned parking lots.

Quebec's government earmarked CA$50 million(US$52.3 million) for a rebate program, and the maximum rebate amount is slowly reduced every year until a maximum of CA$3,000 in 2015, but the rebates will continue until the fund runs out. There is also a ceiling for the maximum number of eligible vehicles: 10,000 for all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, and 5,000 for conventional hybrids.

China

A September 2013 joint announcement by the National Development and Reform Commission and finance, science, and industry ministries confirmed that the central government will provide a maximum of US$9,800 toward the purchase of an all-electric passenger vehicle and up to US$81,600 for an electric bus. The subsidies are part of the government's efforts to address China's problematic air pollution.

Colombia

All-electric cars and other green vehicles are exempted from import duties.

Costa Rica

The electric cars will be exempt from import duties and the government has agreed to deploy charging stations in strategic locations in the city of San José.

France

An electric car sold for €23 333 including VAT is eligible for the maximum bonus of 6.300 euros. The emission level for this maximum bonus was raised to 20 gr/km or less. Cars with emission levels between 21 to 60 gr/km are eligible to a bonus of up to €4,000 and 150€ for emissions between 61 to 90 gr/km.

Germany

Electric vehicles and plug-ins in Germany are exempt from the annual circulation tax for a period of five years from the date of their first registration.

The private use of a company car is treated as taxable income in Germany and measured at a flat monthly rate of 1% of the vehicle's gross list price. So plug-in electric cars have been at a disadvantage since their price tag can be as much as double that of a car using a conventional internal combustion engine due to the high cost of the battery. In June 2013 German legislators approved a law that ends the tax disadvantage for corporate plug-in electric cars. The law allows private users to offset the list price with €500 per unit of battery size, expressed in kWh. The maximum offset was set at €10,000 corresponding to a 20 kWh battery. 

In August 2014, the federal government announced its plan to introduce non-monetary incentives through new legislation to be effective by 1 February 2015. The proposed user benefits include measures to privilege battery-powered cars, fuel cell vehicles and some plug-in hybrids, just like Norway does, by granting local governments the authority to allow these vehicles into bus lanes, and to offer free parking and reserved parking spaces in locations with charging points. Not all plug-in hybrids will qualify for the benefits, only those with CO
2 emissions of no more than 50 g/km or with electric range of over 30 km (19 mi) are eligible.

Mexico

Electric cars are exempted from the road rationing implemented by plate number to restrict access to Mexico City to improve its air quality

Netherlands

 Instead of direct purchase subsidies for electric vehicles in the Netherlands, the government established total exemption of the registration fee and road taxes, which translated in savings of approximately €5,324 for private car owners over four years and €19,000 for corporate owners over five years. Other vehicles were also exempt from these taxes if they emit less than 95 g/km for diesel-powered vehicles, or less than 110 g/km for gasoline-powered vehicles. The exemption from the registration tax ended, and from January 1, 2014, all-electric vehicles pay a 4% registration fee and plug-in hybrids a 7% fee.

Buyers also have access to parking spaces in Amsterdam, so they avoid the current wait for a parking place in Amsterdam, which can reach up to 10 years in some parts of the city. Free charging is also offered in public parking spaces. Other factors contributing to the rapid adoption of plug-in electric vehicles are the relative small size of the country (the Netherlands stretches about 100 mi (160 km) east to west); a long tradition of environmental activism; high gasoline prices (US$8.50 per gallon as of January 2013), which make the cost of running a car on electricity five times cheaper; and also some EV leasing programs provide free or discounted gasoline-powered vehicles for those who want to take a vacation driving long distances. With all of these incentives and tax breaks, plug-in electric cars have similar driving costs than conventional cars.

Norway

Norway set the goal to reach 50,000 ZEV by 2018. Among the existing incentives, pure electrics are exempt in Norway from all non-recurring vehicle fees, including purchase taxes, which are extremely high for ordinary cars, and 25% VAT on purchase, together making electric car purchase price competitive with conventional cars. As an example, by early 2013 the price of the top selling Nissan Leaf is 240,690 krone (around US$42,500) while the purchase price of the VW Golf is 238,000 Krone about US$42,000). Electric vehicles are also exempt from the annual road tax, all public parking fees, and tolls (including domestic ferries), as well as being able to use bus lanes.

PHEVs had been more expensive than equivalent gasoline and diesel-powered cars because they paid a higher weight tax due to the additional weight of the battery pack and the accompanying electric components. Because the Norwegian tax system levies higher taxes to heavier vehicles, plug-in hybrids were more expensive than similar conventional cars due to the extra weight of the battery pack and its additional electric components. However, in June 2013 the government approved a tax reduction for plug-in hybrids effective on July 1, 2013, that is expected to improve PHEV sales as the existing weight allowance for HEV and plug-in hybrids of 10% was increased to 15% for PHEVs.

Portugal

Electric cars are exempt from registration tax, annual road tax and has free parking in certain areas.

Spain

Several regional government grant incentives for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles. Electric vehicles are eligible to a €6,000 tax incentive and hybrids to €2,000.

UK

The Plug-In Car Grant program reduces the up-front cost of eligible cars by providing a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars capped at GB£5,000 (US$7,800). Both private and business fleet buyers are eligible for this grant, which is received at the point of purchase and the subsidy is claimed back by the manufacturer afterwards.

All BEVs and eligible PHEVs qualify for a 100% discount from the London Congestion Charge. As of April 2014, approved PHEVs include the BMW i3 with range extender, BMW i8, Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, Porsche 918, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Vauxhall Ampera, and Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid.

USA

The federal tax credit for new plug-in electric vehicles is worth $2,500 plus $417 for each kilowatt-hour of battery capacity over 5 kWh, with the total amount of the credit allowed for a new plug-in to be $7,500.

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Shopping for an EV - Outlander PHEV (3/3)

And how did the Outlander PHEV felt like? - You may ask.

Well, pretty much like every midsize heavy SUV feels like, apart from some extra buttons and extra-silence in the electric-only drive.

This was my first plug-in hybrid drive, so i can´t say if the transition (gas/electric) is better or worse than in other PHEV's, but after driving the Leaf or i3, everytime i went back to my regular car, i felt like i had left an iPod and was back an LP disc (Does anyone remember these?).

Not so with the Outlander, it probably felt the most simple to use and analogic plug-in i have ever tried (1),  and probably that's one of its strengths, because many buyers feel a bit intimidated by the 22nd Century Technology and "The Future Is Today" tags that many times are attached to electric cars, if they find that their plug-in isn't that much different from their previous car, probably many would feel more comfortable with that.

Towards the end of the test drive, i saw a gravel road and asked if i could go there, and the sales guy said:

- Sure, after all, this is a 4WD!

"Now that's trusting your product!" - I thought, remembering that Lexus advises buyers not to off-road their hybrid RX's, "Because it might harm the electric parts of the car".

Finally, back to the dealership, i said that the Outlander PHEV was a bit more expensive than what o thought and asked i could get a discount, he replied that they didn't had margin for that, because the technology was new and it was already being sold with the lowest price possible, i asked if they could sell a demonstration vehicle with any discount, to which he said that the car had just been launched and you had to wait some 6 to 9 months in order to do that, so it was agreed that we talk again by that time.

Before i said goodbye, i asked if they were successful in selling PHEV's, to which he replied:

- No, not really...

- Because it's a new kind of technology and people aren't into that?

-No, because it is expensive, and buyers shy away from this to more affordable cars, i had one person that came here to see it (Outlander PHEV) and in the end, i sold him an ASX SUV, only because he didn't had the money to reach to the Outlander"


(1) - Except for the Mitsubishi I-Miev

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Shopping for an EV - Outlander PHEV (2/3)

The Test Drive model was just like this one

My concerns were unfounded after all, when i arrived at the local Mitsubishi dealership, not one, but TWO Outlander PHEV's were present, one blue parked outside, alongside a L200 pick-up, and another in black, in the middle of the dealership, with a Mitsu ASX SUV on the left and another L200 Pick-up truck on the right.

"Where are the conventional passenger cars?" - I asked myself, after realizing that i was going to test drive the PHEV after all.

When i got into the dealership, and a few seconds after opening the PHEV front door, i heard a friendly  "Howdy" coming from the back, i turned around and saw the salesman, after asking the reason for my visit ("To know more about the Outlander" - I said), he asked me which version i was interested, the diesel or the PHEV, after i replying that i was interested in the second one, he smiled and showed me the unit in exhibition, explaining the differences that the plug-in version had regarding the more common diesel one, saying that it was a good compromise between the everyday commute ("You could do it using the electric motor") and weekend travels ("You have a fuel-efficient gas engine to do it").

A few moments later i asked if i could do a test drive and he said: "Sure!".

We headed for the test drive unit, after we were in, he showed me how to work with the different switches and when he told me that i could start to drive, i asked:

- Is there a route to follow? Where do you want to go?

"Anywhere you wanna go" - he replied.

And off we went.

(To be Continued)



   

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Shopping for an EV - Outlander PHEV (1/3)

The Outlander PHEV has a hard task in Portugal

The Mitsu Outlander PHEV didn't impressed me at first and with the early problems it had in the early days, i wasn't too sure of its success, but as production resumed and sales in the Netherlands reached historical numbers, i've started to wonder if those numbers could be replicated elsewhere.

Which they did, and what surprised me most were the strong numbers in BEV-oriented countries. like Spain, Italy or Austria.

When i discovered that the PHEV was selling in Portugal, i did a little of mistery-shopping to see what was Mitsubishi doing to sell it in a country where plug-in hybrids represented just 3% of all plug-in sales made in 2013...

The occasion came during the holidays in Alentejo, a rural area that could be described as The Closest Thing Portugal Has To Texas, with a lot of farms, pick-up trucks and never ending landscapes.

But the big question was: Plug-ins are a very urban experience, would they even be selling the car this far from the tree-hugger Leaf owners and tech-crazy-urbanite BMW i3 owners, that gravitate around the capital Lisbon?

Considering the difficulty i had to get a test drive of certain electric cars (Yes, you, Smart ED), it would seem a bit of a long shot to find a local dealership with an available Outlander PHEV to test drive...

(To Be Continued)

Editors note: I will be offline for a few days, until then i will leave you with this Mitsu novel.

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EV Business Case - Charging Points

One day, every charging station will be as fast as Tesla is right now...

One of the most important supports for the electric car is a sufficient charging station density in order to avoid being stranded on the road and also that there should be enough charge cord outlets for everyone willing to charge, avoiding certain problems that are appearing in plug-in friendly areas.

For that reason, here are the EV markets with highest (and lowest) ratio between Plug-in Vehicles and Charging Stations:

(ABB, EFACEC, Fuji, Schneider, Delta and others, please take notes!)

Markets With highest ratio between Electric Vehicles and Fast-Charging Stations

China - 53 ev's per charging point
Japan - 37
USA - 28
Australia - 19
Sweden - 15

These are the Top 5 markets with worst ratio, speaking of each one individually, China EV market is growing fast and the charging grid is lagging behind, which it is an enormous business opportunity for every Charging Station manufacturer present there;

In Japan there's a widespread grid of slow-charging stations, but the number of fast-charging stations needed for the casual recharge during a longer trip is still small for the high number of ev's present;

The US and Sweden are a case of high numbers of ev's being delivered faster than the number of charging stations build;

Lastly, Australia is a totally different case, while the EV market is still small (Less than 1.000 units), the number of charging stations (45) is almost non-existent in such a vast country. This is a case where the Chicken (Electric car) and Egg (Charging Station) are both in very early stages...


 Markets With lowest ratio between Electric Vehicles and Fast-Charging Stations

Portugal - 1,6 ev's per charging point

Ireland - 2,4

Finland - 4,5

Estonia - 5,1

Austria - 6,0

In the Top 5 markets with lowest ratio, there are three (Portugal, Ireland and Finland) where the reaction of consumers to plug-ins wasn't enthusiastic and sales remained below expectations, which meant that the grid, at least in Portugal and Ireland, is too big for the number of EV's rolling there.

Estonia is a different case, as it is the first country with a complete EV charging network with nationwide coverage, with fast chargers available along highways at a minimum distance of between 40 to 60 km, with a higher density on urban areas. The nationwide network of fast chargers were fully financed by the Estonian government in order to get Carbon Credits.

Finally, Austria is a solid case of correlation between plug-ins and charging stations market growth, with both increasing numbers at a relatively similar rate. 

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New Zealand July 2014 (Special Edition)

Even the Holden Volt saw its sales rise 

Outlander PHEV Carries New Zealand EV's to New Heights

Many didn't see this coming, but the arrival of the Outlander PHEV to New Zealand kickstarted for real the Kiwi EV market, selling 129 units to date, which means that the japanese e-SUV sells more in one month than the rest of the competition sold in years!

Even the other two contenders benefited from Mitsu success and hype, both selling now way more than in past years, with all this unexpected sales level (158 to date), the EV Share jumped to 0,22%, eons above last year 0,007% and above the score of neighboring Australia (0,02% share in '14), which registered 114 plug-ins (79 Leaf and 35 Volt) until June, despite having a global market several times larger than NZ. . .

Will the Outlander PHEV do the same stunt in Australia? Or will that role go to the upcoming arrivals of Tesla and BMW?

New Zealand	YTD July '14	2013
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	129	N/A
Nissan Leaf	22	0
Holden Volt	7	2
TOTAL	158	8*

* - >The other 6 were Mitsubishi I-Miev's


PHEV's eat into regular hybrid sales

Thanks to this board, courtesy of David from MIA organization, we can see the sales of different types of hybrids and electric cars, and a curious number here is that the arrival of the Outlander PHEV coincided with the sinking of the Toyota Prius V and Peugeot 3008 Hybrid 4 sales, both of which can be considered as rivals of the Mitsubishi SUV, so one can say that Plug-in Hybrids will be the next stage of success for regular hybrids (Wink, wink, Toyota and Honda).

Make and Model	Total	YTD 11	YTD 12	YTD 13	YTD 14
Petrol Hybrid
Total	4,681	578	946	768	665
BMW 535I	4	0	2	2	0
HONDA CIVIC	6	4	2	0	0
HONDA CRZ	108	0	41	16	12
HONDA INSIGHT	496	124	192	39	0
LEXUS CT200H	477	91	62	53	60
LEXUS ES300H	37	0	0	0	19
LEXUS GS300H	8	0	0	0	4
LEXUS GS450H	55	1	14	10	10
LEXUS IS300H	78	0	0	21	28
LEXUS LS600HL	6	0	1	0	2
LEXUS RX450H	267	42	55	50	35
NISSAN PATHFINDER	11	0	0	0	11
PORSCHE CAYENNE	2	1	1	0	0
TOYOTA CAMRY	1,462	174	265	241	205
TOYOTA PRIUS	473	141	89	57	39
TOYOTA PRIUS C	1,026	0	192	235	239
TOYOTA PRIUS V	165	0	30	44	1
Diesel Hybrid
Total	27	0	1	14	7
MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS	1	0	0	0	0
PEUGEOT 3008	13	0	1	8	3
PEUGEOT 508	13	0	0	6	4
Plug-In Petrol Hybrid
Total	129	0	0	0	129
MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER	129	0	0	0	129
Electric
Total	76	6	10	8	29
HOLDEN VOLT	16	0	0	2	7
MITSUBISHI I-MIEV	24	6	5	6	0
NISSAN LEAF	36	0	5	0	22

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