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EV myths and misconceptions tackled in ATS white paper

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ATS Euromaster has published a White Paper with the aim of unpicking many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding electric vehicles on fleet.

Called EV Mythbusters, the firm has engaged the views of experts in the electrification field to provide a more balanced perspective on fleet electrification as the sector continues to grow.

The latest leasing report from the BVRLA has shown that the overall leasing fleet has grown marginally despite the lack of vehicle supply – by 0.3% – but behind the growth has been the increase in business contract hire (up 4% year on year) and salary sacrifice (up 34% year on year) supported by fleet sales up 39% year on year.

Electric vehicles accounted for 53% of all the new cars that were put onto business contract hire yet, with many of the national media titles continuing to take a strong anti-EV stance, misconceptions freely circulate about the suitability of EVs for fleets.

However, says the tyre and maintenance provider, that doesn’t mean that fleet managers and drivers can simply swap ICE for EV without a change of approach both to fleet management and driving.

“We fully support the move to electrification but there appears to be a high level of misconception disseminated at the moment. This White Paper shines a light on the myths to get to the truth about EV suitability, such as EV battery degradation and appropriateness of commercial vehicles for electrification,” said Jason Chamberlain, sales director at ATS Euromaster. “We’re not suggesting that fleet electrification is an easy task, and it will require a new mindset from both fleet managers and drivers, but it’s not insurmountable, and some of the stories surrounding EVs are at best misinformed or just false. This White Paper helps balance the narrative.”

Among the contributors to the White Paper are Dr Euan McTurk – Consultant Battery Electrochemist at Plug Life Consulting; Paul Kirby – eLCV Expert at EV Essentials; and Philip Nothard – Insight & Strategy Director at Cox Automotive.

The White Paper takes a look at the myths surrounding service, maintenance and repair (SMR), battery degradation, commercial vehicle fleet suitability, and EV residual values, and provides straightforward answers to the many uncertainties of electrification.

Fortescue’s new Banbury facility to focus on powertrains for off-road EVs

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Fortescue is ‘significantly’ expanding its battery and electric powertrain and battery production operations in the UK via an additional facility in Oxfordshire that will create more than 120 jobs.

The expansion is part of Fortescue’s aim to grow its British presence through the recent integration of British manufacturers WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering).

“With Fortescue’s investment, British engineering will be at the cutting edge of the green energy economy with WAE’s battery systems providing world leading technology to the entire global industrial sector,” said Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest. “It is heartening to have the UK’s Trade Secretary today at our factory in Oxfordshire to support this message of British technology excellence for both its people and its highly attractive working environment.”

Following entry-into-force of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Fortescue will open the new site this year in Banbury, significantly expanding its UK manufacturing capability, supplying advanced batteries and electric powertrains globally.

The new location will be focused on production of a wide range of zero-emission products for the off-road sector, including trucks and trains. It will form part of a new global business aimed at driving decarbonisation in all fields of economic activity, while building sovereign capabilities in emerging technology.

The factory will cover over 13,500m2 in total and employ over 120 highly skilled engineers, technicians, apprentices and graduates, with recruitment for the industrialisation programme starting now.

This announcement ensures Australia and the UK build sovereign capability in an area of central importance to future economic development and is another key win of the UK Government’s free trade agenda.

The integration follows Fortescue gearing up to meet growing global demand for the development, manufacture, and supply of advanced electrification technology solutions to the off-highway sector.

The first prototype build is targeted for July/August 2023 with the first mining haul truck module due for completion in August 2023.

Rising affordability will see commercial EV market ballon to $680bn by 2027

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The global commercial Electric Vehicle (EV) market is projected to grow from $30.7 billion in 2020 to more than US$682 billion by 2030, driven by fleet usage and public transport.

That’s according to ABI Research, which cites commercial segments such as local delivery, public transportation, logistics, and governmental fleets as being among the biggest early adopters.

“The growing affordability of EVs has been one of the biggest drivers for fleet electrification efforts. There has been a trend of EVs becoming more and more affordable due to advancements in battery technology and economies of scale in production. One of the main factors driving the affordability of EVs, especially EV trucks, is the decreasing cost of battery technology. Lithium-ion battery costs have fallen by over 85% since 2010, and this trend is expected to continue,” said Adhish Luitel, Supply Chain Management & Logistics Senior Analyst at ABI Research.

Beyond affordability, factors such as government incentives, lower operational costs, simplified maintenance, and enhanced performance compared to regular internal combustion engine vehicles also have been key drivers of adoption among private sector fleets.

“A good example of government regulation is the EU’s recent ‘Fit for 55’ legislation in Europe. This legislation will only allow the sale of zero-emission vans by 2035 and has been a big driver for ZEV adoption among fleets in Europe. Similar requirements are also being considered for trucks and might be implemented soon,” says Luitel. Amazon announced last year that it was ordering 100,000 EV trucks from Rivian, an American EV startup. DHL has been using EV trucks in its urban delivery operations for several years and has announced plans to electrify 60% of its fleet by 2030. UPS has also been an early adopter of EV trucks, with more than 12,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in its fleet worldwide. IKEA US has converted all its last-mile fleets in New York to EVs. Domino’s Pizza has said it will roll out a fleetof 2023 Chevy Bolt EVs across the United States to reduce its environmental impact and attract new delivery drivers.

As trucking rentals and third-party logistics companies have started electrifying their fleets, OEMs have also been actively rolling out new EV and ZEV models to accommodate the market demand. OEMs like Daimler, Volvo, Ford, Navistar, Toyota, Hyundai, Nikola, BYD, Hino, and Isuzu have recently been rolling out new EV and ZEV truck models. Yet, despite the pickup in EV and ZEV production, charging and refueling infrastructure remains a barrier for long-haul trucking.  

“One of the critical aspects of successful fleet electrification is establishing a robust charging infrastructure to support the charging requirements of fleets. This is especially key in long-haul trucking. Balancing on-premises and public charging is a key consideration when investing in fleet electrification. Although OEMs are trying to address long-haul trucking drivers’ range anxiety with larger battery packs, more efficient electric drivetrains, and using hydrogen fuel cell technology, fleet operators need to strike a balance between on-premises charging and public charging. The optimal approach depends on factors like fleet size, operational requirements, geographic distribution, and available resources,” concludes Luitel.

These findings are from ABI Research’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption in Fleets: Investments, Use Cases, Reduced Costs, Regulations, and Infrastructure application analysis report.

Image by RAEng_Publications from Pixabay

THE WHICHEV VIEW: Global EV market penetration heading to 15%

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By WhichEV

IDC is reporting that the number of EVs in use across world is heading toward the 12 million mark, while around 1 in 4 of the EVs sold are in Europe.

BYD, Tesla and SAIC represent over 36% of the EVs sold globally (their share of the huge Chinese market is over 53%).

The ATTO 3 from BYD is being sold through multiple UK dealers, including Stratstone – which has traditionally been a Jaguar house.

WhichEV spoke with Stratstone and they told use that they feel comfortable integrating BYD into their range, as there is little/no overlap with Jaguar or any of the Land/Range Rover products

The ATTO 3 is already affordable (around £37,000), but the new BYD Dolphin will push prices down below £30,000 and that leaves the tantalising prospect of the BYD Seagull which could retail in Europe for a little over €10,000 and in the UK for less than £10,000 – with the higher end BYD Seal around £40,000

If the next generation of Chinese EVs can offer fleet managers products from £10,000 to £50,000 – through major local dealers that can offer local support – just how fast could fleets move across to pollution free vehicles?

Click to read the full story over at WhichEV...

The WhichEV View: Stellantis urges UK Government to renegotiate Brexit

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By WhichEV

In a startling development, Stellantis, one of the largest automakers globally, has warned the UK government that parts of its car industry could be lost unless the Brexit deal is renegotiated.

The company, known for producing brands like Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen, and Fiat, had previously committed to manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK.

However, it now claims that it cannot adhere to the trade rules outlined in the Brexit agreement regarding the sourcing of parts. The collapse of Britishvolt at the start of 2023 was a key factor.

The UK government responded to Stellantis’ concerns, emphasising its determination to ensure that the country remains competitive in the car manufacturing sector, but unless large scale battery production in the UK becomes a reality in the very near future – then car companies will have no possibility to avoid costly tariffs on products like the new Vauxhall Astra Electric.

Click here to read the full, fascinating story over at WhichEV.

LEVC takes wraps off next-gen EV platform

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) has unveiled a new pure electric vehicle technology that it says will provide the foundation of its transformation from a high-end taxi manufacturer, to a leading provider of e-mobility solutions.

The Space Oriented Architecture (SOA), co-developed with Geely Holding Group, is modular and scaleable, bringing what LEVC calls ‘interior-optimised zero-emission mobility’ to more consumers than ever before, while enabling LEVC to enter new sectors.

Developed over the past 2.5 years at R&D centres in China, Sweden, the UK and Germany, SOA’s flexibility is designed t0 maximise interior space, offering multiple seating and load-carrying configurations. It can support a wide range of new products – from passenger carrying models, to commercial vehicles, offering significant advances in range, efficiency, safety, charging time, durability and connectivity.

Supporting vehicle sizes from 4,860mm-5995mm in length and 1945mm-1998mm in width, with wheelbases from 3000mm-3800mm, SOA is configurable for a wide range of EVs, from spacious passenger-carrying models to cargo-optimised commercial applications. SOA can also offer  front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive layouts too.

Equipped with a wide choice of state-of-the-art batteries from 73kWh to 120kWh, SOA has been designed to suit the individual needs of a customer. By combining space with long ranges – of up to 695km – and ultra-fast charging, SOA maximises convenience, with minimal downtime.

Alex Nan, CEO of LEVC, said: “SOA optimises onboard space offering multiple configurations and endless possibilities, a new advanced EV platform which supports LEVC’s new strategy to become a leading zero-carbon mobility provider. Combined with our groundbreaking L-OS digital architecture, it will bring our new mission to life, delivering smart, green, safe and accessible mobility to all, enabling us to transform from a high-end taxi manufacturer, launching LEVC into new sectors, with an extended range of  state-of-the-art pure electric vehicles.

“For LEVC, the concept of ‘mobility’ is not new. We have more than a century of ‘mobility’ in our DNA. The iconic vehicles this company has produced since 1908 may have changed over time, but the core principles have not: they have always been purpose-built for the city, focused on the best occupant experience. A spacious experience.

“Building on LEVC’s unrivalled heritage in producing the iconic London black cab, we are adapting our business to meet the rapidly accelerating demand for spacious, flexible electric vehicles. Our rich history is combined with the resources of the Geely organisation to set our brand on an exciting new path, as LEVC today launches an adaptable architecture for an adapting world. With the combined strength of our new strategy and SOA, we will bring advanced zero-emission transportation to more customers than ever before.”

THE WHICHEV VIEW: Solar panels – The next big leap forward for EVs?

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We all know that the smaller, lighter, cheaper electric vehicles will kickstart a transportation revolution. But what about the cost of refuelling?

Various crises around the world has meant a massive jump in the cost of all forms of energy.

But the sun continues to shine, its power is free and available – and the technology required to harness that energy, continues to improve.

While it is easy to imagine buildings of the future, being completely covered in solar panels that charge either cars directly or battery storage for use later – many vehicle manufacturers are now looking at integrating solar panels into the vehicles themselves.

Elon Musk believes that it will be possible to generate 20 to 40 miles of range per day per car – simply by covering available surfaces with solar cells, allowing the car to charge when it is not being driven.

Between building-based and on-the-car photovoltaic cells – can we really moved to a future where we have a far smaller reliance on the grid?

For the full story, head over to WhichEV.

Charged Up? The rise of EV ‘charge anxiety’

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As the British weather starts to warm up, it’s the perfect time to get out and about in the countryside. If you are one of the millions of electric vehicle owners in the UK, then you’re probably very aware of how much range you have on your left on your car before you head out.

EV chargers are everywhere nowadays, so you’re no longer worried about making it to the next charging point. You identify your nearest charger and drive straight there, only to find that the charger’s broken. Now you’re in trouble.

This is a real issue for EV drivers up and down the country; broken chargers are rife, causing widespread charge anxiety, which has largely replaced range anxiety amongst EV owners. Here, connectivity specialists Trench Networks take a look at charge anxiety and why it’s become a huge issue for EV owners…

What is charge anxiety?

Not to be confused with range anxiety, charge anxiety has been a common experience for early adopters of electric vehicles.

Range anxiety refers to electric vehicle drivers’ fear that they will be unable to reach the nearest charging station on a single charge. Thankfully, as the UK’s EV charging infrastructure has expanded, range anxiety has become less of an issue in recent years.

However, charge anxiety – the fear that you’ll be unable to use the nearest charging point due to issues with the charger – remains a very real problem, with many of the UK’s EV charging points suffering from software and mechanical issues or internet outage.

In fact, a Volkswagen study suggests that charge anxiety has replaced range anxiety altogether – in the form of fears that “current public charging infrastructure is not widespread, accessible or reliable enough to alleviate driver uncertainties.”

Why is charge anxiety an issue?

With electric vehicles forming such a crucial aspect of the British government’s Net Zero push, it’s surprising that broken chargers remain such a common problem. In fact, the GOV.UK website has identified the importance of maintaining and managing EV infrastructure, citing a minimum of 99% reliability across charging points. At present, this figure seems little more than an aspirational goal.

Annoyingly for drivers, there are a multitude of reasons why EV chargers can fail. There are a large number of charge point operators (CPOs), meaning that variation between chargers is common – with certain brands more likely to fail.

In many cases, however, electric chargers are rendered unusable due to their inability to connect to the internet. Most chargers require internet access to handle credit card, contactless and app payments. If the wireless signal fails and charger is unable to take payment, drivers are unable to charge their car.

And, that’s just for customers. There’s also a huge number of activities the CPOs need connectivity for, from carrying out remote diagnostics to estimating demand on the grid.

Who is most likely to be affected by charge anxiety?

Charge anxiety is proving a significant barrier to nationwide adoption because charger functionality is a largely regional issue. Certain cities are more likely to be subject to outages – in Derry, Northern Ireland, a staggering 30% of chargers don’t work.

Smaller cities tend to be lacking in functioning EV infrastructure – Worcester, Ipswich, Newcastle and York rounded off the top 5 cities with the least working chargers. There doesn’t seem to be much of a north/south divide in terms of available charging, though rural areas are most affected by charging failures due to the lack of available back-ups.

If a charger is broken in central London, you can be sure to find another. If your charger fails in the rural countryside, you’re unlikely to find another close by, particularly if you’ve exhausted your range getting to the chargers that’s down in the first place.

EV drivers have identified the unreliability of the charging infrastructure as a serious issue, though it’s unclear exactly what percentage of EV chargers can be relied upon to function properly. In 2021, Channel 4’s show Dispatches found that more than 1300 of the country’s chargers (5.2%) were unusable.

What’s next?

The first barrier to EV adoption – a lack of charging infrastructure – is beginning to be tackled, thanks to large-scale installations taking place across the country. For example, the numbers of charging points in the country have increased by 35% between March 2022 and March 2023. Though there’s still a way to go, it’s becoming easier to be an EV owner – purely from an access standpoint at least.

Kevin Latimer, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder (and EV driver!) at Trench Networks, comments: “The majority of a charger’s functionality relies on a durable internet connection, so any downtime causes huge problems. Chargers must be resilient enough to work at all times in order to meet the 99% uptime target; implementing a more robust internet connection is the first step to ensure EV enthusiasts across the country can be confident in making to move the electric vehicle ownership.

“If a charging point is supported by a robust and reliable connection, then CPOs can guard against outages, and maximise uptime, which results in increased charger revenue. In this event, the user experience is improved, and the charging operator can ensure the viability of their product for as long as possible.”

Massive Government investment in Green Hydrogen for electric vehicle transport

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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By WhichEV

One of the loudest, most common arguments against ‘electric vehicles’ comes from people who don’t really understand the competing technologies – but who are certain that ‘Hydrogen is the future’.

It certainly can play a role – especially when it comes to powering electric vehicles.

Confused?  Well, alongside being a highly combustible gas, hydrogen can be combined with oxygen to create electricity and water.

If that’s the case, then why haven’t we moved across to hydrogen already?

Depending on how the hydrogen was generated, it can have a hugely negative impact on the environment.

The market has assigned ‘colours’ to hydrogen, where ‘Green Hydrogen’ is great and has little to no impact on the environment. From Blue and Grey, through to Brown and Black hydrogen – there is an increasing amount of pollution caused with its creation.

The UK Government has now received an expert report, created under the direction of an all-party committee – with the express intention of deciding how the UK can integrate Green Hydrogen into its energy future.

You can read more about this topic over at WhichEV here and here.

How much will solar and batteries play a part in your company’s future?

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By WhichEV

We all know that electricity prices come down by up to 75% at night, but few of us have suitable storage set up to take advantage of those rates.

But what about during the day? One solution is to ‘go solar’.

Until recently, that would have meant a HUGE surface of your building needing to be covered with panels.

However, as technology develops in this area, generating and storing electricity at the workplace will become far more common place.

The first solar experiment was demonstrated back in the 1800s and was less than 1% efficient. In other words, only a tiny fraction of the available power was transformed into electrical power.

Today, that figure is closer to 25% – with panels that are around 30% efficient likely to appear in the market very soon.

To read more about this topic, head over to WhichEV.