TOP EV NEWS #3 – NEW AND UPDATED EV MODELS
VW announced that the 2020 Passat would make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, including the Passat GTE, its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Pre-sales for the VW Passat GTE PHEV will start in May 2019 and the market launch will take place in September in Germany. The Passat GTE is equipped with VW’s new “Travel Assist” advanced driver assistance system making the Passat GTE the first VW models with automated driving capabilities. Travel Assist is available at any speed up to 210km/h through the new IQ.DRIVE system.
VW was forced to discontinue sales of the Passat GTE after the introduction of the WLTP test cycle in September 2019. The 2020 Passat GTE sports a consideredly better battery-only driving range of 55km (34 miles) as measured on the new WLTP cycle, which is around 70km on the old NEDC cycle.
The Chinese automaker BYD is following in the footsteps of its competitor SAIC Maxus by entering the European market with a pure-electric delivery van. The BYD T3 EV van has 3,500 L of cargo space and a range over 200km (125 miles). BYD showcased the T3 EV van with two commercial electric vehicles in Spain, all destined for the European market. The other two commercial vehicles are the 7.5 tonnes T6 truck and Q1M Yard Tractor with its gross combination weight rating of 46 tonnes.
Renault will launch its latest version of the popular Zoe EV in April 2019. The new Zoe S Edition is available in two power configurations, the Q90 with its 64kW (87 hp) electric motors and the more powerful R110 with a 79kW (108hp) electric motor producing 225N.m of torque. The Zoe S has a range of 300km (188miles) as measured on the WLTP scale and is equipped with a 65kW charging system which can fats charge to 80% in 65 minutes.
BMW announced that it completed winter testing of the much anticipated iNEXT SUV due in 2021. The iNEXT SUV underwent testing in Sweden to analyze how the electric vehicle re-charges, how electricity is transferred to the electric motor, how the electrical system is supplied with energy and how the heating and air condition systems respond. Earlier the week the AAA stated that electric vehicles in the USA suffered a drop of around 40% in range during the freakish cold snap experienced there, mostly due to the HVAC heating system draining the battery pack, a claim refuted by Tesla.
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