Tag Archives: vehicles

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EU-China relations could cost carmakers $7 billion in losses

The plan of Chinese electric car manufacturers to conquer the European market seems to be threatened by the current EU-China relationship. The biggest consequences could be for BYD and ZEEKR.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched an investigation into potentially unfair state support for Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, a move the EU labeled “bare protectionism”.

A few days ago, France was the first to announce that it was canceling subsidies on new electric cars produced in China, in order to protect domestic manufacturers. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, if the other members adopt the same decision, it could threaten the import of electric cars and small commercial vehicles in the amount of almost 7 billion dollars. The French government believes that such a decision will not complicate relations with China, and is therefore considering a new subsidy decree. Citizens with lower incomes will have a subsidy of up to 7,000 euros for the purchase of a new electric car, while for others it will be up to 5,000 euros.

Chinese companies have been present on the European market for many years. Zeekr is owned by the Chinese multinational automotive company Geely, which took over Volvo from Ford in 2010, and their network includes stakes in truck manufacturer Volvo AB to near-total control of the famous sports car manufacturer Lotus. Geely is also finalizing an agreement with Renault on the combined company Horse to develop and produce a new generation of internal combustion engines.

At the beginning of September, BYD announced that it is coming to the European market with the all-electric sedan, BYD Seal. The car was unveiled in April, and now it is finally coming to Europe at the end of the year. It will be available in two versions: Design and Excellence-AWD. Both versions will be equipped with an 82.5 kWh battery, but the Design version is powered by a single electric motor with 313 hp (230 kW) sent to the rear wheels. It also has a range of 570 kilometers. Excellence-AWD is powered by two electric motors with a total power of 530 hp (390 kW). Power is sent to all wheels in the ratio of 217 hp (160 kW) to the front wheels and 313 hp (230 kW) to the rear wheels. It is built on the BYD e-Platform 3.0 for greater efficiency, aerodynamics, power, body rigidity and space utilization. Using a 150 kW DC charger, the battery is charged from 30% to 80% in 26 minutes. It has a range of 520 km.

Source: Bloomberg Intelligence

News

Jaguar will use Tesla Supercharger stations

A large number of electric cars requires solving the issue of fast charging stations, and Tesla is a leader in that field, as it recently installed its 50,000th Supercharger in California. They will be used by all brands whose cars have adopted the NACS charging standard, such as Honda, which has already done so, and from now on, Jaguar.

From 2025, all Jaguar electric cars will adopt the NACS charging standard developed by Tesla, but will only use charging stations in North America. Jaguar has announced the launch of three new SUV models, which will go on sale from 2025. Also, Jaguar says that buyers of the current I-Pace, a model that will end its life by mid-2025, will receive a special adapter so that the car can be powered at the Tesla Supercharger. That will happen already next year.

A large number of Supercharger stations attracts other car manufacturers to accept the NACS standard, and the British brand Land Rover is one of them. The British car manufacturer announced that its new electric cars will be equipped with technology that will allow charging at Suercharger stations.

Source: Jaguar

News

The EU relaxed the Euro 7 norms

After a recent proposal to relax the strict Euro 7 norms proposed by Spain, the European Union agreed to accept the proposal. As the main reason, the members stated that strict regulations create enormous pressure on manufacturers to fulfill these regulations, which would make cars even more expensive, and deter manufacturers from investing in electric vehicles.

EU members have agreed not to change the existing Euro 6 standards for cars and vans, which will not apply to buses and heavy vehicles. They also accepted new limits on particulate emissions for brakes and tires, which will be further discussed.

Manufacturers also pointed out that measurements of microplastic particles obtained by braking and rolling tires would be too expensive and the environmental benefits negligible.

“We believe that with this proposal we have achieved broad support and a balance in the investment costs of producers while improving the environmental conditions resulting from these regulations,” said Hector Gomez Hernandez, Spain’s Acting Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism.

The Spanish proposal was supported by eight members, including France and Italy. Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso welcomed the agreement saying: “The new regulation, at Italy’s request, also allows for the protection of the supply chain of the automotive industry of small manufacturers, the high range typical of Italian production such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati – symbols of ‘Made in Italy’ ” and which produce about 50,000 cars a year.”

Source: Reuters