Auto Manufacturers
Emissions Regulations Will Kill City Cars, Says Volkswagen.
According to AutoCar, “Stricter emissions laws in Europe will kill off city cars such as the Volkswagen Up because there will be no business case for them, according to VW sales and
marketing boss Jürgen Stackmann. The European Union is proposing to cut CO2 emissions by 37.5% on cars from 2021 levels by 2030. By next year, car makers, including VW, must have average CO2 emissions of 95g/km, which a non-CNG- (or non-electric-) powered
Up already exceeds on the new, tougher WLTP emissions standards that all car makers are to be judged on. In effect, it means that VW will be selling its Up city car, which already has very slender profit margins, over the stricter emissions limits, and other
cars in its range – namely electric cars – will have to be sold under the limit to compensate. Given that profit margins will be even slimmer on first-generation electric cars based on the new MEB platform, the business case for city cars is effectively removed.
‘If Europe is pursuing this legal target, there is no single business case for cars the size of the Up,’ Stackmann told Autocar at the Geneva motor show. ‘They are too small for the new technology, and the engine can’t meet the CO2 targets. You’d need to sell
an EV [like an ID] just to be able to sell a city car. ‘So the life of small cars with conventional engines is very hard. It’s a problem. I don’t think the politicians have picked this problem up yet. What do you buy in the future when you cannot afford a
new car?’” [AutoCar,
3/4/19 (-)]
Electric Vehicles
All About That Bass: Carmakers Seek Electric Car Sounds For Post-Petrol Era.
According to Reuters, “Carmakers are dreaming up futuristic electric car engine sounds to ensure that pedestrians can hear vehicles that lack audible cues like high-revving, howling
combustion engines, senior executives at the Geneva car show said. As BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Mini and VW prepare to launch battery-driven vehicles, carmakers are searching for a new way to market the potency of their zero-emissions vehicles. ‘The electric
vehicle sound is its identity. It cannot be too intrusive or annoying. It has to be futuristic and it cannot sound like anything we had in the past. We cannot simply add the sound of a combustion engine,’ Frank Welsch, responsible for technical development
at Volkswagen, told Reuters. VW’s electric cars will have speakers designed to draw the attention of pedestrians, Welsch said, standing next to a lime- green electric dune buggy being shown in Geneva. ‘Performance models need to have a more assertive sound,
with more bass. It cannot be a high pitched din, like a sewing machine. It has to be futuristic,’ he said, adding that SUVs will have a deeper sound to reflect their bigger size.” [Reuters,
3/4/19 (=)]
China Suspends Customs Clearance For Tesla Model 3 Imports: Caixin.
According to Reuters, “China’s customs authority has suspended customs clearance procedures for Model 3 cars built by Tesla Inc, the financial publication Caixin reported on Tuesday.
The report said the customs authority in Shanghai had found various irregularities in 1,600 imported Model 3 cars, including the improper labeling of the vehicles. Customs has notified Tesla not to sell or use Model 3 vehicles that have already been cleared,
the report said, citing a notice issued by the authority on Mar. 1. The authority has also urged inspectors at all ports responsible for importing vehicles to step up inspections of other imported Tesla models and suspend their release if similar problems
are uncovered, the report added. The carmaker was not immediately available for comment. Tesla has been trying to roll out the Model 3 in China ahead of schedule in a bid to revive sales hit by Sino-U.S. trade tensions.” [Reuters,
3/4/19 (=)]
States
State Lawmakers Pushing Legislation To Make Electric Vehicle Dream Come True.
According to The Denver Channel, “State lawmakers are hoping to pass legislation to encourage people to get behind the wheel of a green car. Two bills incentivize drivers with money
for more charging stations and access to express lanes, hoping to steer away from smog and move more towards renewable energy. The Electric Vehicle Grant Fund that made its way through the first committee Monday would use more money to build additional charging
stations all over the state, starting with rural locations. Some drivers and lawmakers said electric cars are key to cleaner air, addressing climate change and saving money in Colorado. But range anxiety might keep people from buying electric vehicles, like
motorist Patrick Smith. ‘They’re good cars. A little expensive, but overall you got to go slowly, get away from fossil fuels if we can. So that’s my opinion,’ said Smith. ‘I would if there were more charging stations. That’s the biggest problem.’
The Electric Vehicle Grant Fund will allocate more money to build charging stations all over the state, especially rural areas and along I-25 and I-70. Jacob Smith with Colorado Committees
for Climate Action, a supporter of the bill, said range anxiety is the biggest obstacle and what it hopes to legislation will eliminate.” [The Denver Channel,
3/4/19 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Research Associate
202.448.2877 ext. 119