Rimac Break 23 Performance Records in 1 Day
The new all electric Rimac Nevera has broken 23 performance world records in a single day of testing. They include:
- 0-100km/h in 1.81 seconds (62.5mph)
- 0-200km/h in 4.42 seconds (125mph)
- 0-300km/h in 9.22 seconds (187.5mph)
- 0-400km/h in 21.31 seconds (250mph)
- 0-200-0km/h in 8.85 seconds – faster than Eva gets to 62.5mph!
- 5.44sec eighth mile
- 8.25sec quarter mile
- 12.82sec half mile
- 20.59sec standing mile.
- Restricted to 150 units
- Prices roumored to be around $2.4 million
Facelift e-2008 breaks cover, goes further and gets there faster.
Peugeot have released images of the facelifted version of the e-2008.
- New front grille reaching from headlight to headlight. Includes new Peugeot emblem.
- Tooth DRLs gone in favour of lions claw. Continues the look of the 9X8 Hypercar.
- Revised Alloy Wheel designs.
- Lightly refreshed rear end.
- Very few changes inside, just he new logo apparent from the pictures.
- Bigger battery, 54kWh from the Jeep Avenger, increases range to 252 WLTP (Up from 214 WLTP from the 50kWh battery in Shere Kahn.)
- Power up to 154bhp.
- Charging unchanged, 100kW DC charging.
- Same three trim levels.
- e-208 facelift going up by £500 to account for new battery and more powerful motor. Expect similar here.
OPINION ON e-2008 HERE.
Meanwhile Stellantis, who own Peugeot along with Vauxhall and Opel and a host of other brands have issued a warning that UK EV production is under threat as a result of Brexit.
Stellantis is asking the Government to renegotiate Brexit rules to make EV production at their two manufacturing plants in the UK, Ellemere Port on the Wirral, where the Astra Hatchback is produced and IBC Vehicles in Luton where the Vivaro, Citroen Disptach and Peugeot Expert are all produced along with FIAT and Toyota badged versions. The Combo-e Life, Citroen e-Berlingo and Peugeot e-Partner/Rifter are also produced at Ellesmere Port.
Stellantis are deep into re-organising the assets of GM Europe which they gained when they purchased the Opel and Vauxhall brands from General Motors. Gone is Griffin House, the former head office site for Vauxhall in the shadow of Luton Airport, (Most of which incidentally, is built on the old Luton plant which was shut between the two models of Vauxhall Vectra back in the early 2000s).
They have also disposed of the 1.25 million sqft of warehousing space just off Junction 11a of the M1 in Luton. Instead all of the former PSA brands parts requirements are handled now out of Ellesemere Port.
The issue comes from the requirements that currently 30% of all batteries and 40% of the total contents of any EV produced in the UK must originate in the EU or UK. On New Years Day the Brexit rules mean those percentages go up to 50-60% and 45% respectively.
Stellantis say now they cannot meet the new rules of origin due to a surge in prices for raw materials and commercial energy supply.
Stellantis want the UK Government to negotiate with Europe to keep the rules at their current level until 2027. They say this will guarantee the future of Ellesemere Port and IBC Vehicle in Luton, (Now the only Vauxhall facility in the company’s home town save for Thurlow Nunn Vauxhall on the Motorway relief road at Junction 10) from going the same way as the main Vauxhall plant, the Vauxhall Aftersales site at Charlton, Bedfordshire and the sprawling head office facility at the Braiche which has closed in the last five years.
Tesla Confirm Right Hand Drive MS and MX Have Ceased Production.
Tesla have cancelled without notice their entire order book for right hand drive Model S and Model X vehicles. The move follows a suspension in orders for the S and X between December 21 and summer 22.
- No new orders will be taken
- Existing order holders will not have their order fullfilled.
- Existing order holders will be offered Model 3 or Model Y and £2,000 credit.
- If the order holder doesn’t want a 3 or a Y they can cancel their order.
- Orders for RHD S and X can be changed to LHD instead. Tesla are arranging to have these customers test drive in the next month in an LHD vehicle.
Ford Launch E-Tourneo Courier MPV
Ford have announced the E-Tourneo Courier EV as a small MPV along the lines of the Ford Fusion.
- Based on the E-Transit Courier
- Produced in Romaina – on the same platform as the electric Ford Puma SUV
- Petrol power also available.
- EV gets 134bhp single motor front wheel drive.
- No battery size confirmed but 100kW charging is certain.
- Doing the maths, a claim of 10-80% charging in under 35 minutes suggests an 84kWh battery.
- No range figures either but doing the maths again on the statement that 100kW will give 54 miles of range in 10 minutes: suggests 270 miles range on a charge.
- Technology includes 12 inch touchscreen with Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment and 12 inch digital instrument cluster.
- Boot space – 570l with five seats in place. Fold the seats and get 2,162l from floor to ceiling.
Honda follow Toyota in Selling Alphabet Soup
The next Honda EV has been announced and it’s name is awful! It joins the now aging Honda e in the brand’s 2 car zero emissions range.
- Called the Honda e:Ny1
- Very much an all electric HR-V
- Front and centre charging in the smooth nose with only a small bottom grille.
- Aerodynamic features in the corners of the front bumper reduce drag in the wheel wells.
- Identical to HR-V side on. Boot space is 346l, a little bigger than the e-2008 but 130l down on the Nero EV.
- Motor: 201bhp single motor front wheel drive. 0-62 in 7.7 seconds and top speed of 99, so faster than the Peugeot but slower than Eva.
- One battery available at launch, the 68kWh (61.9 useable) and estimated range of 249.
- DC Charging at 78kW.
- Interior completely revised compared to HR-V.
- Dominated by 15.1 inch vertical touch screen with 10.25 inch digital instrument cluster.
- Infotainment is by Honda but can do both Honda display and either Carplay or Android Auto at the same time. This is unique.
- Ventilation controls are on the bottom of the touch screen.
- Prices to start at around £45,000.
- Also revealed is the next generation CR-V which gets Plug-In Hybrid tech and the ZR-V which will sit between HR-V and CR-V in the range.
Alpine Announce A290 Hot Hatch
Alpine are back with a more accessible offering than the low slung A110, the Mazda MX-5 rival.
- Based on the Renault 5 EV
- Arriving late 2025
- Rally style lights make the front end more distinctive from the Renault
- Stripped out interior. Apparently an homage to racing.
- No confirmed details yet on motor. Concept has a dual motor front wheel drive setup. Production car will likely get a more powerful version of the 5s single motor arrangement.
- Three drive modes: Wet, Dry and Full with OV button which gives push to pass style power boost for overtaking.
- Suspension comes from the A110.
- Brakes are a 4pot Brembo setup.
- Also hinted is the GT X-Over Coupe-SUV.
- No prices or battery details confirmed as yet.
Announced – Geely’s #1. The Volvo EX30.
Announced for sure, but not shown except in a very teaser fashion.
- Platform share with the smart #1.
- Adds additional safety features including
- ‘State of the Art Restraint Technology
- Driver Attentiveness Monitoriing 13 times a second!
- ‘Door Opening Alert’. Effectively an electronic Dutch Reach.
- Thats all we know for sure but expect the battery and power options to be similar to the #1. If you want to know more, check out episode 2 of the podcast.
Cupra’s UrbanRebel Concept reaches Production Stage – Raval is the name.
- Uses VW Small MEB platform.
- Shares components with forthcoming ID.1 and ID.2
- Also a Skoda version in the works.
- Raval is the name of the district in Barcelona where Cupra and SEAT were founded.
- Images are 95% production ready.
- Single Motor FWD layout with 231bhp on tap.
- 0-62 in 6.9 seconds.
- Range of 273 claimed.
- Same size as the e-208 but a bit taller.
- Looks like a Born and an AygoX have started a family.
- Estimated pricing £17,000 ish.
Updates on old news
- MG Cyberster – £50,000 starting price. (With inflation between now and the middle of next year expect £54,000.
- Scissor doors confirmed on Cyberster. Yuck.
- New MINI Cooper and Cooper SE – No instrument cluster! HUD instead.
- LEVC have teased a new MPV.
- Manufacturers of the London black cab, which is currently a REV.
- New platform makes MPV a possibility.
- Also new Van in the works to replace the butt ugly VN5.
- Maximum fleet size increased for Plug In Van Grant.
- Increase in fleet size from 1000 to 1500 units.
- Small vans, (2.5t GVW or less) grant value cut from £3000 to £2500.
- Larger Vans grant cut from £6000 to £5000.
- Limits are for orders, not total fleet size.
- Autotrader have said that used EV values have started to stabilise.
- Prices are down year on year but up month on month.
- Used EV prices are currently down 17.3% compared to May 2022.
- Combustion prices are up 6% Petrol and 4.3% Diesel Year on Year.
- Currently 15,000 used EVs for sale on AutoTrader.
Everrati electrify Porsche 964 Widebody Cab
Everrati have worked their magic on the Porsche 911 964 widebody cabriolet. The model joins a wide range of classic cars which can be restored and electrified by the company.
- Company rose to prominance restoring and ev-ing Series 2 Defenders.
- S2 and last gen defenders along with Range Rover Classics are the 4WD offerings.
- Porsche’s come in the form of the 911 963 wide body, the Signature Gulf Edition based on the same widebody. the 963 targa, narrow body called the 911 Pure and the 963 Carrera called the 911 ST.
- Also produces the Mercedes 280SL Pagoda and an official continuation body Ford GT electrified.
- I’ve seen the Signature Gulf Edition and the GT and they are stunning.
- CCS charging available at 50kW. 64kWh batteries.
- Have now worked their magic on the 963 Cabriolet which gets either 440 or 500bhp. The 500 BHP version goes from 0-60 in under 4 seconds. WLTP range is 200 miles.
- Prices for the Signature Gulf Edition are well north of 200k. The Ford GT, if you have to ask….
- No price given on the cab.
