Volkswagen adapts its European plants for the electric vehicle
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Volkswagen adapts its European plants for the electric vehicle
- Several European manufacturers have announced the launch of many electric vehicles in the 2020s, but most of them have not yet specified on which production sites these vehicles would be manufactured.
- Today, the Volkswagen Group says that three of its existing European plants will be transformed to produce electric vehicles. These are the factories of Emden, Hanover and Zwickau, all three located in Germany.
- The Zwickau plant will abandon production of the VW Golf in 2019 to dedicate itself from January 2020 to the production of six electric models of different brands of the group (Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda). Its production capacity after conversion of the assembly lines will increase from 180,000 to 330,000 units per year. The production of the VW Golf will be transferred to Wolfsburg where most of the Golfs are already produced.
- The Emden plant, where the VW Passat is currently produced, will manufacture electric vehicles from 2022. This new organization of the site will cause the transfer of the future Passat to the Skoda site of Kvasiny, alongside the Skoda Superb and Kodiaq. Seat Ateca and Skoda Karoq will be transferred to another factory of the Volkswagen Group.
- The Hanover factory, where the Transporter and Kombi are currently produced, will manufacture electric vehicles as of 2022. This plant will also continue to manufacture models with thermal engines for about ten years.
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European market for electric utility vehicles is growing
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European market for electric utility vehicles is growing
- Due to increasingly stringent European regulations on pollutant emissions, especially in large cities, the electric utility vehicle market is growing. It hasn’t yet reached 1% of the European LCV market, as it is still in its infancy, with supply still very low. However, the manufacturers are preparing several electrified derivatives of ICE models that will be launched starting 2019 and throughout the 2020s. Ford will launch a plug-in hybrid engine on its Transit Custom end 2019. SAIC intends to sell its Maxus EV in Europe. Volkswagen is preparing a 100% electric Transporter.
- Today, the main sales of electric utility vehicles are made by the French manufacturers Renault (Kangoo ZE, Master ZE) and PSA (Berlingo EV, Partner EV), as well as the Japanese OEM Nissan (e-NV200). Mercedes has just launched the Vito EV and Sprinter EV. We must also mention the Street Scooter Work which is sold mainly in Germany.
- In 2019, PSA will launch the Peugeot Expert EV and Citroën Jumpy EV, to which the Opel and Vauxhall Vivaro EV could be added. PSA thinks that 12% to 15% of LCV buyers will opt for electric versions. More generally, manufacturers believe that the development of electric LCVs will be faster than that of electric PCs because companies and administrations buy their LCV in batches.
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Skoda Scala production should reach 70,000 a year
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Skoda Scala production should reach 70,000 a year
- Skoda is replacing its Rapid model (C segment sedan) with the Scala hatchback. The Rapid has not met the expected success in the European market (40,000 sales in the first nine months of 2018), but it will continue to be sold on the Russian market (25,000 sales in the first nine months of 2018) and on the Chinese market (55,000 sales in the first 9 months of 2018) where it is produced.
- The Scala, which takes on the appearance of the former Rapid Spaceback (5-door sedan), is now similar to a Volkswagen Golf or even an Audi A3, especially because of its size, but it is based on the MQB-A0 platform (the one VW Polo, VW T-Cross, Seat Ibiza, Seat Arona,and Skoda Fabia are built on ) and not on the MQB-B platform (that of the VW Golf).
- The Scala is 436m long, 10cm longer than the VW Golf, but 30cm shorter than a Skoda Octavia. It is 13cm shorter than the Rapid sedan but 5cm longer than the Rapid Spaceback.
- Its engines are as follows: a 95hp / 115hp 1.0 TSI 3-cylinder petrol engine, a 150hp 1.5 TSI 4-cylinder petrol engine and a 115hp 4-cylinder 1.6 diesel engine.
- Made in Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic), the Scala, which fits into the Skoda range between Fabia and Octavia, is expected to be produced at 70,000 units a year.
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The famous London taxi becomes 100% electric
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The famous London taxi becomes 100% electric
- The London taxi is an institution in Britain. The first model (FX3) was manufactured from 1948 to 1958. The second (FX4) was manufactured from 1958 to 1997. In the meantime, the company Carbodies, which produced this vehicle, renamed itself LTI (London Taxis International). The third generation of the model (TX1-TX4), manufactured from 1997 to 2017, was equipped with a VM Motori diesel engine.
- LTI was acquired by Chinese company Geely in 2013 and became LTC (London Taxi Company). In 2017, LTC was re-baptised LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) which now produces exclusively electric taxis (called TX e-City).
- The Coventry plant that makes these taxis has a capacity of 20,000 units a year, but only 2,000 units have been assembled there since last year. Geely is counting on anti-pollution legislation in major cities in the coming years to grow its electric taxi volume.
- LEVC sells its models not only in London (a thousand units currently in circulation), but also in other British cities, as well as in Amsterdam, Oslo and Berlin. The company now wants to attack the Paris taxi market.
- The TX e-City can travel 150 kilometers in 100% electric mode or 600 kilometers with a range extender that comes in the form of a Volvo 3-cylinder engine (Volvo is part of the Geely group).
- LEVC is also working on a commercial vehicle project, to be built on the same platform as the TX e-City.
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Tesla plans to sell 500,000 electric cars in 2020
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Tesla plans to sell 500,000 electric cars in 2020
- Tesla, the Californian manufacturer of electric cars has produced 168,000 vehicles in the first nine months of 2018 (92,000 Model 3, 49,000 Model S, and 27,000 Model X), twice as many as in the first nine months of 2017. A this pace, Tesla could, for the first time, achieve sales of over 250,000 units in 2018.
- The US manufacturer expects to exceed this figure and reach 350,000 sales in 2019 and 500,000 in 2020. Inovev considers these goals as realistic, especially since the new Tesla factory in China should soon open and two new models should be launched soon, a roadster and a compact SUV (Model Y), not to mention a 100% electric truck.
- Tesla has already sold 500,000 electric cars since its inception, making it the most widely sold electric car brand in the world, although in terms of automobile groups, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is ahead.
- True that Tesla has lost a lot of money so far, but the company is posting its first profits in the third quarter of 2018, and it is likely that in 2019 the brand should start to reap the rewards of its huge investments in R & D and quick chargers (superchargers) development. But it's mostly the Model 3, with current production at 20,000 units a month, which has allowed Tesla to scale up and become a large volume OEM.
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