What does Tesla’s surge mean for the EV market?

Tesla has, as of September 30, sold more than 78,000 Model 3s in the United States. If fourth quarter 2018 sales can match third quarter (and there is no reason to think they won’t), then Tesla Model 3 sales for 2018 would stand at 132,000. Oh, and for September, the Model 3 is the fifth best-selling car in the United States.

Tesla Model 3

Does this change things?

This is a serious question. For many years, EV enthusiasts and industry experts longed for an electric car that would change the EV market and push the electric car up the proverbial hockey stick adoption curve. Our last hope came in the form of the 238-mile Chevy Bolt, but the Bolt has only sold 11,800 units this year and only 35,600 total. Likewise, the second generation Nissan LEAF, with it’s 150-mile battery pack, has only garnered 21,900 units sold to date. Both of these long-range battery electrics certainly increased overall EV sales substantially, but neither proved to be game-changers in terms of expanding the EV market. In fact, Chevrolet has seen a dip in Volt sales since the introduction of the Bolt EV, indicating that the latter may be cannibalizing sales of the former.

Chevy Bolt EV

Likewise, the first few months of Model 3 sales weren’t encouraging. Amid production issues, Model 3 deliveries between January and June of this year seemed to put its total yearly sales on track to be comparable to the Model S, meaning the Model 3 would be yet another incremental increase in overall EV sales. Then July’s delivery numbers came back: over 14,000. August was even better: over 17,000. September blew both of those number out of the water with over 22,000 Model 3s in driveways. At the same time, Model S and Model X deliveries have maintained consistent numbers.

What the Model 3 really represents is proof of the mass-market viability of electric cars. A car company can build 100,000 electric cars per year and actually sell them—granted, the car is a good product that is well-publicized. GM already admits that current Bolt EV sales are limited primarily by supply, not demand, and in March announced plans to increase production of the car to at least 30,000 units per year. But let’s put that into perspective—Tesla will likely deliver that many cars this month.

Now that’s not to say that Teslas are the best EVs. Ultimately, Alt Energy Autos wants as many electric cars on the road as possible, because we know that all EVs are just better cars. They’re better for your wallet, for our air, and they’re just plain fun to drive. With the upcoming launch of the 258-mile Hyundai Kona Electric and the over 250-mile Kia Niro EV, both all-electric compact SUVs, there is again major potential for a massive increase in electric vehicle sales. Both of these vehicles are projected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000, and compact SUVs are the fastest growing auto segment of 2018. These two affordable long-range all-electric entrants look poised to be big hits with the American car-buying public; but until automakers are serious about selling these amazing vehicles, 20,000-30,000 units per month serious, the sales of EVs will continue to be stifled by availability.

Upcoming 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

If major automakers are still asking the question, “If we build them, will they come?” then the Model 3 conclusively answers, “Yes—and if you don’t build them, someone else will.”

Chevy Volt First Plug-In To Reach Cars.com Most American-Made List

Bolt EV, LEAF, Tesla Model 3 and others don’t make list due to global sourcing of batteries and other vehicle parts.

Determining just how “American-Made” a car is isn’t a simple task. In fact, not all organizations that attempt to make such a determination agree. Last month, Cars.com released their 2018 American Made Index (AMI) list.  Their evaluation considers five factors: assembly location, domestic-parts content, engine sourcing, transmission sourcing, and factory jobs provided by the automaker’s U.S. plants.

While Cars.com has published the AMI for over a decade, in 2017 they updated their methodology. Prior to 2017, the AMI was based more heavily on the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) that does not distinguish between U.S. and Canadian parts. Their new analysis is focused purely on U.S. sourced components. In 2018, the Chevy Volt has made the list for the first time. In fact, the Volt is the first plug-in vehicle to make the list with 66% U.S.-sourced materials and labor.

Regarding the Chevy Volt and why most plug-ins do not make the list, Cars.com states:

The Chicago-built Ford Taurus ranks No. 4, followed by the AMI’s highest-ranked newcomer, the No. 5 Chevrolet Volt. Plug-in cars, be they fully electric or a plug-in hybrid like the Volt, often lack high domestic content amid global sourcing for batteries — one of the most cost-intensive aspects of any car with a significant electric driving range. But the Volt’s battery is assembled near Detroit, with cells from a plant in western Michigan.

GM recently announced a series of upgrades at their Brownstown battery assembly plant near Detroit. In Cars.com’s survey of 1,000 drivers, 83% claimed assembly location was an important factor in determining a cars economic impact. However, 7 in 10 respondents said other factors impacted their purchase decision more. They also found only ~53% of passenger-vehicle sales were assembled in the United States.

CHEVY VOLT

15 photos

Source: Cars.com

Nissan Leaf electric car platform to spawn more models, SUV included

Teaser for 2018 Nissan Leaf debuting on September 6, 2017

The 2018 Nissan Leaf apparently won't be the brand's lone electric car for much longer, if a new report with details on plans to expand the electric car's underpinnings to additional models proves accurate. Following the introduction of the second-generation 2018 Nissan Leaf, the electric car's platform will spawn multiple models, and an electric SUV is said to be one of Nissan's priorities. Future expansions could see the next-generation Nissan Leaf's architecture also underpin electric Mitsubishi vehicles as well.

A report from Autocar details Nissan's goal to expand its electric-car portfolio with help from the Leaf, which remains the world's highest-selling electric car seven years after its introduction. Specifically, the Japanese brand has filed to protect the "Terra" name, which graced a 2012 concept vehicle. That concept car was all-electric and used the then-current Leaf's electric driveline, plus a hydrogen fuel cell system to power two rear motors that created the Terra concept's all-wheel drive system.

2018 Nissan Leaf spotted during photo shoot - Image via Broom

A production version of the Terra electric crossover would, of course, benefit from the 2018 Leaf's new battery pack and electric driveline. The 2018 Nissan Leaf will likely offer two battery options: one will boast at least 200 miles of range to rival the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the Tesla Model 3. The Bolt EV returns an EPA-estimated 238 miles of range, while the base Model 3 returns an EPA-estimated 220 miles.

Aside from the Terra SUV, Nissan could use the Leaf's electric driveline in additional crossover models later on. Previously, reports indicated Nissan has been planning electric versions of the hot-selling Rogue crossover and the smaller Nissan Juke. A Nissan spokesperson previously said the company will combine its crossover and electric-car technology "in the future," which will clearly be after the 2018 Leaf goes on sale late this year or early in 2018.

Mitsubishi eX Concept, 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

Mitsubishi is the third element of the Renault Nissan Alliance's overarching electric-vehicle strategy. Nissan acquired a 34-percent stake in the Japanese automaker last year, and plans to integrate Mitsubishi into its own electric car plans. If a Nissan Terra electric crossover is in the cards, the automaker's plan could also bring the long-awaited Mitsubishi eX electric crossover concept into production.

The Mitsubishi eX debuted in 2015 as an all-electric compact crossover with a 45-kilowatt-hour battery pack said to produce an estimated 200 miles of range. Since its debut, Mitsubishi hasn't revealed any further plans for the eX, though it did reveal the Eclipse Cross, which shares some design cues from the concept. One thing is certain: Renault-Nissan plans to spread the wealth with its latest electric car into many more vehicles.

Opel Ampera e — Chevy Bolt Clone — Starts at USD $33,650 In Norway

The Opel Ampera e — which is a clone of the Chevy Bolt — will start at $33,650 in Norway. That price includes 17 inch alloy wheels, heated leather steering wheel, electronic climate control, IntelliLink infotainment with 10.2-inch touch screen, rain sensor, Opel Eye, Opel OnStar, and Bi-Xenon headlights. The price is $3,500 less than expected by potential customers in Norway.

Opel Ampera e. Credti: BilNorge.no

Options will include a comfort package with Bose sound system, leather seats, and heated rear seats for $2,000 and a driver assistance package with automatic sign recognition, lane departure warning, rear view camera, and advanced parallel parking for an additional $1,500. Several dealers in Norway took deposits for the car even before the pricing was known. The price with all options is what Norwegians expected the base price of the car to be.

Because of Norway’s aggressive electric car incentives, it is a leader among European nations when it comes to the percentage of electric or plug-in hybrids on its roads. They are the reason the Ampera e will be offered first to customers in Norway this June before sales are expanded to other nations with significant green car credentials.

With a 60 kWh battery and a stated range of 500 kilometers in the admittedly generous European testing cycle, the Ampera e has more range than any other electric car for sale to European buyers other than the Tesla Model S and Model X. Range in the new testing protocol that will be introduced across Europe soon will be more like 380 kilometers. What is important to customers in Norway, though, is that range should not be less than 300 kilometers (180 miles), even in winter.

The Ampera e is engineered and produced in the US. General Motors has not set any expected sales targets but Norwegian news site VG is suggesting that 2,000 to 2,500 may find there way to that country. With the Ampera e’s long range and lower than anticipated price, VG thinks the demand will exceed the supply.

“We have been aware that the production volume from the start would be limited. Therefore we have decided to introduce Ampera e in countries where the infrastructure for electric cars is already in place, or who have shown a clear desire to become a leading supplier of electric mobility. That means we are introducing the car in Norway first. Then will come Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Switzerland,” says Peter Christian Küspert, vice president of sales and service market for Opel. “Production is planned and allocated month by month and week by week,” adds Bernt G. Jessen, Opel CEO of Norway.

Source: VG.no  Hat tip to Leif Hansen   Translation by Google

How many Chevy Bolt EVs will be sold in the U.S. in its first 12 months? Poll results

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016

The largest number of one single battery-electric car sold in the U.S. in a single year is 30,000, the total logged in 2014 by the Nissan Leaf. (Of course, we don't know Tesla's sales because the company doesn't break out its quarterly global delivery totals by country.)

But those were back in the day when affordable electric cars (with prices under, say, $40,000) had ranges of 60 to 85 miles.

The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is to go on sale in initial markets before the end of this year, is priced at $37,495 before incentives and rated at 238 miles of range by the EPA.

So you might expect it to change the equation. We asked our Twitter followers how many Bolt EVs they thought would be sold in the U.S. during its first 12 months on sale.

How many Chevy Bolt EVs will be sold in the U.S. in its first 12 months?

12:15 PM - 21 Sep 2016

29%15,000

28%25,000

32%40,000

11%75,000

76 votes•Final results

 

The options ranged from a low of 15,000 (fewer than the Volt plug-in hybrid is likely to sell this year) to a high of 75,000.

And the selections indicate a certain optimism about the Bolt EV as a game changer.

The most common answer, chosen by about one-third of respondents (32 percent) was 40,000 units.

But both 15,000 and 25,000 were right behind it, with 29 percent and 28 percent of votes respectively.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016

Only 11 percent of those who participated in the poll chose the highest option, 75,000 units.

The question of Bolt EV volume has been a contentious one recently, with one supplier quoted last year as saying GM's initial orders indicated a volume of about 30,000 cars.

One analyst, however, suggested that the market for the Bolt EV could be as large as 75,000 cars.

GM has never officially commented on volume, with Kevin Kelly from its advanced-technology communications group saying only that the company was not production-constrained, and could produce as many Bolt EVs as the market demanded.