AN update for the Toyota Camry hitting soon has refined the range to hybrid-only, in three trim levels, across a $8500 span, and given the brand opportunity to offer some mild criticism of a recent fleet announcement.
Read MoreAN end-of-2021 local market arrival timing has been announced for the UX 300e, the first Lexus to be wholly reliant on battery-fed electric power.
Confirmation of the small SUV’s local availability comes more than a year after the local arm expressed interest and almost two years since its global debut at a motor show in China.
Read MoreTHE latest entrant to the electric car sector is also proposing keeping petrol and diesel vehicles in circulation for decades yet.
Mazda New Zealand’s call is tied to adoption of synthetic fuels that could make internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles just as clean as electrics.
Read More
The CX-30 EV at the Shanghai motor show, above, is a derivative of the petrol edition popular with Kiwis (below) that appears to run the same drivetrain as the MX-30 Electric (bottom) about to release in New Zealand.
MAZDA’S electric vehicle family has doubled, but chances of one day seeing the ‘second child’ CX-30 in New Zealand alongside the battery-fed MX-30 about to go on sale here seem slim at best.
The fully mains reliant version of the CX-30 unveiled at the Shanghai motor show yesterday would conceivably attract Kiwi interest, as the petrol versions on sale here are popular sellers.
However, Mazda Japan has made clear the new car – called CX-30 EV - is for China only at this point.
That point is reinforced by it being set to be produced solely by the brand's Changan Mazda joint venture in Nanjing, China, rather than in Japan, the sourcing point for all Mazda NZ’s passenger product.
Despite having very different body styles – the MX-30 being more rakish and noteworthy for having pillar-less freestyle doors, which open outwards from the central B-pillar point – the MX-30 and the CX-30 are closely related.
Both are based on a common architecture, also shared with the Mazda3, and physical dimensions are very close.
The MX-30 formats in two distinct drivetrain provisions – there is one model designed to run with petrol engine-assisted hybrid and another that avails in full electric. Both are destined for New Zealand availability, pricing yet unknown.
The CX-30 EV also appears to share technology with the expressly battery MX-30 Electric.
The MX-30 MX Hybrid, meantime, is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine paired to Mazda's M Hybrid system, producing maximum outputs of 114kW and 200Nm through a six-speed automatic transmission sending power to the front wheels only.
The addition of the mild-hybrid system means the model's official fuel consumption figure is reduced to a claimed 6.4L/100km on a combined cycle.
The MX-30 Electric looks much the same as the mild hybrid car, save for some subtle electric badging on the exterior and a combined AC/DC charging point where the fuel cap would normally be – on the rear right-hand side of the vehicle.
The electric model is powered by a 107kW/271Nm electric motor on the front axle and boasts a 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted beneath the floor. It is thought the CX-30 EV has the same powertrain.
The MX-30 Electric is capable of up to 200km on a single charge according to the World harmonised Light vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP). The CX-30 EV is thought to have the same range, which is notably lower than some key competitors, like the Hyundai Kona EV, which has 484kms on WLTP.
Styling differences between the CX-30 EV and regular model that Kiwis know are minimal, though the placement of the battery pack under the floor means the electric model rides somewhat higher than its petrol-powered counterpart. It runs on 19-inch wheels and has 'e-SkyActiv' badging.
It is not clear if the CX-30 EV could provision as the MX-30 Electric also ultimately will, with a petrol-fed rotary engine range-extender drivetrain.
A PRODUCTION variant of a fully electric Toyota concept revealed in China today will release in New Zealand next year, with sister models to follow.
The BZ4X styling study Toyota Japan has revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show has been described as being a “hero” of a global electrification future that will deliver 70 models globally by 2025.
It’s similar in shape and size to the RAV4 crossover but lower, with a longer wheelbase and sharper styling. From the outside, the concept captures the ethos of bold, futuristic EV looks; the interior … erm, less so. A large touchscreen extends up out of the centre console, which has a rotary shifter placed in the middle and storage underneath.
Shorthand for ‘Beyond Zero’, a catchphrase chosen to highlight the corporate direction, BZ will present as a sub-group of seven fully electric models, with the BZ4X first into production.
Toyota hasn't said anything about battery size or range for this model, the first to use the new e-TNGA electric car platform, which will also underpin product from Subaru, which co-funded and co-engineered the underpinning.
The showroom-ready example is not expected to be much different to the concept, save for perhaps for losing some exotic details. An orthodox steering wheel will likely replace the yoke-style item on the styling study, regardless that Tesla has introduced the latter for its latest version of the Model 3.
TNZ chief executive Neeraj Lala says NZ will take these cars, and he expects them to be well received, though he has also expressed thought it might be some time before these full electrics outsell the hybrid choices it already has here in abundance and will add to.
Comment released today also leaves impression any expectation of the wholly electric fare being priced for mass appeal is probably mis-judged.
With today’s announcements, Toyota has taken to label everything it produces that has a battery-involved impetus as being an ‘electrification vehicle.’
This self-concocted descriptive seems to have been created to leave impression its hybrids are of similar calibre as electric cars, though by definition they are not, as an express qualification for electric status vis an ability to enable a mains-replenishment ability.
However, the new label certainly enforces that Japan’s No.1 is the world’s biggest player in electric-assisted drivetrain production, with more hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles to come. Interestingly, according to Toyota US (but not mentioned by Toyota NZ) this reach will include the pickup truck line-up in the near future, including hybrid and BEV powertrains. Does Hilux qualify as a ‘pickup’, or do they mean the larger Tundra?
Lala says Beyond Zero means a variety of options for Kiwis.
“The Beyond Zero (BZ) range will be introduced in New Zealand to strengthen our range of electrified vehicles and achieve affordable mobility for all.”
“As a company committed to mobility for all, our priority is to offer affordable vehicles that meet the needs of all New Zealanders. This means a range of powertrain options to suit consumer needs,” says Lala.
“Like hybrid technology 30 years ago, adoption and affordability will take some time. This will allow time for infrastructure, technical training and servicing to prepare itself for accelerated demand and lower cost alternatives.”
“BEVs will eventually become a sustainable means of mobility. However, it will take time as the energy mix, battery technology and infrastructure are still being developed,” Lala says.
Currently the cheapest full electric car offered in NZ is an MG, at just under $50,000. Expectation that Toyota’s status as the world’s most largest car producer will allow it to significantly reduce that premium seems overly optimistic, however.
Says Lala in respect to this: “As there is significant research and development cost recovery on new technology, this first Toyota BEV for New Zealand will not be an affordable BEV for all Kiwi households and businesses.
“Our focus will also be on how we can transition BZ4X into the used vehicle market as quickly as possible so all Kiwis can become familiar and enjoy this new technology in an affordable manner. This is why we see affordable hybrids and plug-in hybrids as transitional technology and a bridge to a sustainable, low emissions future.
“Adding our first battery electric vehicle (BEV) to our range, continues our journey of offering powertrain choices for customers while helping New Zealand realise a zero-carbon future.”
“Toyota has been vocal in our support of the New Zealand Government as we transition to a low emissions economy and we’re excited at the prospect of bringing Toyota’s first pure battery electric car to New Zealand next year,” Lala says.
“Currently Toyota New Zealand’s average CO2 emissions sit at 165.9g/km which is almost 7 grams lower than the industry average. We are focused on introducing balanced, lower emission products to our range.”
TOYOTA has released this teaser image of the X Prologue, which is expected to showcase the design language for its upcoming electric vehicle family.
The introductory model, which will be fully unveiled next week, is expected to present as a sports utility, similar in size to the RAV4 – but with a longer wheelbase together with shorter overhangs.
It is built on the e-TNGA platform that was co-developed in partnership with Subaru. Toyota has previously indicated this kind of vehicle was on the way and Toyota New Zealand has also indicated willingness to take it.
The e-TNGA architecture is a big deal.
Toyota is planning on using this platform to spawn six electric vehicles, presenting in a diversity of body styles. These are speculated to be called BZ models. This references ‘Beyond Zero’, the title of Toyota’s public push towards zero-emissions motoring.
The platform is massively flexible. It can be lengthened or shortened, accommodate single or twin motor powertrains and host a range of drivetrain layouts and battery capacities.
Subaru will also have at least one car built off this underpinning; their one is also a SUV and is rumoured to already have a name: Evoltis. And, yes, Subaru NZ is keen to have it.
The teaser image that partially reveals the car’s front end suggests it will have a two-layer style bonnet with the Toyota logo in the middle on a black background. To the sides of the front fascia, there are C-shaped LED headlights that appear to be joined together by a thin light strip positioned between the bonnet and bumper. A closed-off grille conforms with EV design direction.
When Toyota first talked about e-TNGA, it released another image showing a stylised silhouette of a SUV and another revealing something of the platform layout (above).
The car is designed to go on sale worldwide and will be produced at Toyota’s ZEV factory in Japan.
Toyota says e-TNGA can host a wide range of different-sized battery packs and electric motors to suit models from different segments and allow the development of individual models in parallel.
The rest of the new e-TNGA-based models will include a smaller crossover, a large SUV, a sedan, and an MPV.
When talking up e-TNGA late last year, Koji Toyoshima, deputy chief officer of the ZEV factory was enthusiastic about the potentials.
“The versatility and flexibility of e-TNGA technology allows us to design and create vehicles that are not just battery-electric, but also exciting to drive and beautiful to look at.”
ANTICIPATED local availability is the second half of his year – oh, and what you see may or may not entirely be what you get.
That’s the initial message out of Hyundai New Zealand in respect to the ‘5’, the first of a new lineup of all-electric Ioniq-branded cars, and the first to use Hyundai's high-tech new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).
In comment timed with the car’s global unveiling overnight, local brand spokeswoman Kimberley Waters has offered: “Please note that this is a global release so specifications will vary per country/region.
“Once we are in a position to share more about the IONIQ 5 specifications for the NZ market (anticipated arrival is the second half of the year) we will so.”
That cautionary comment seems reasonable – this initial unwrap suggests there’s conceivably a lot offered with this car that stretches, if not outright breaks, existing local boundaries.
It’s fair to suggest that that platform is arguably the most important thing about this hatchback.
It means that not only does it have a flat-floor interior, optional four-wheel drive, and a range of up to 500km, but it also a facility barely supported in New Zealand - 800-volt charging, until now the preserve of high-end EVs such as the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT.
This means that the Ioniq 5 can draw as much as 220kW of power from a high-speed public charging point, meaning that an 80 percent battery charge can be achieved in as little as 18 minutes. Just charging up at maximum for five minutes adds 100km of driving range.
Also, the Ioniq 5's charging system is also the first to come to market with something else Kiwis have yet to experience: Vehicle-to-grid capability. That means it’s a portable generator in itself.
The idea is can power tools, camping equipment, laptops and an electric bike. Hyundai envisages that, in the future, you will be able to sell excess charge in the battery to the national grid at peak times and then recharge your Ioniq 5 later on, at cheaper night rates.
The car also provisions with either one or two electric motors, for two- or four-wheel drive. The single motor version uses a 126kW rear-mounted motor. The all-paw is a dualy, with a combined power output of 227kW and 605Nm of torque. In latter form, the Ioniq 5 will accelerate from 0-100kmh in just 5.5 seconds.
Range depends on the battery. There’s a choice of two - a 58kWh unit or a 72.6kWh unit. Hyundai hasn't indicated the range for the smaller, but the bigger one, with a single electric motor, lends 480km on the WLTP test.
The styling influence is the first car Hyundai sold in NZ, the Hyundai Pony, but not seriously; size-wise it is much larger, too. It seems spacious, with a three-metre wheelbase, flat-floor, and lie-flat seats. The centre console slides back and forth; one reason being so front seat passengers can get in and out through either front door. There's a spacious 531-litre boot as well.
There are two 12-inch displays up front for the instrument panel and the infotainment system, plus an 'augmented reality' heads-up display. The Ioniq 5 will also come with the full suite of 'BlueLink' connectivity, meaning in-car internet connection, smartphone control, and more.
Price? There’s been all sorts of speculation, but nothing confirmed, let alone locally.But given the spec, the car’s size, the fact that its job is to establish Ioniq as a more techy and glam alternate to the parent brand’s own electric cars, the Kona and, erm, Ioniq (hatch) and even the factor of Hyundai here being represented by an independent distributor rather than as a factory shop (as sub-brand Kia effectively plays) … well, don’t be surprised if at least the AWD pushes aside the up-to-$130k Palisade large SUV as Hyundai’s most expensive product here.
the website for British weekly AutoExpress is picking this as the look of Ford’s first small electric for Europe, a small SUV based off Volkswagen’s MEB platform.
EVERY Ford passenger and commercial model presently sold in New Zealand might potentially be affected by a bombshell electric drive announcement.
Ford’s decision to transfer its entire passenger vehicle line-up in Europe to electric power within the next few years and also to electrify its commercial vehicle range, including the next-generation of the Ranger utility – a top-seller here in its present form – was delivered overnight.
The repercussion here is still being considered by Ford New Zealand, with spokesman Tom Clancy saying “we have no news for New Zealand on that one. It’s too early to see how that relates to us.”
However, the inevitability of some degree of impact seems clear enough.
fancy an electric Ford Ranger? It’s on the cards.
While Ford is suggesting some of its electrics are just for Europe, the whole plan also appears to draws in future versions of core passenger lines – Fiesta, Focus, Puma and Mondeo (recently discontinued here, but set to re-emerge in 2022 as a SUV that Ford NZ says it will look at) – that NZ takes from that region, with no Plan B.
We also commit to its Transit van, which is already available in plug-in electric form locally and will go to full electric year.
This schedule also draws in the new-generation Ranger coming next year. That line is a co-development with Volkswagen, whose new Amarok will be a doppelganger, with the programme handled by the same team operating from Melbourne that were behind the current T6.
Talk from Ford Europe is for the one-tonne ute to deliver it with a plug-in hybrid or all-electric option by 2024; presumably these being optional to the diesel engines it will assuredly continue with. Ford has cited intent to achieve two-thirds of commercial sales to be electrified in Europe by 2030.
The Blue Oval also announced overnight that its first full electric car out of Europe will base off the German giant’s bespoke MEB platform that’s also underpinning all VW Group’s battery-compelled passenger models.
Ford’s model will effectively be a cousin to the to VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, SEAT El-Born and two Audi Q4s that are all already NZ-confirmed.
That car will be a small sports utility similar to the Puma. The website for a British weekly, Auto Express, claims the model will derive its styling influence from Ford’s only current electric car, the Mustang Mach-E. It has published images of how it sees it looking.
Fords’ first EV out of Europe is likely to be similar in size to the new Puma.
Ford has also implied the Escape medium SUV will be subject to more electrification beyond the plug-in hybrid treatment it will deliver to NZ later this year.
With all that going, the potential for its performance icon, the Mustang, being ignored seems unlikely. That will be news the NZ fanbase that overwhelmingly choses the current car in its V8 petrol format might find challenging.
However, Ford’s drive toward electric seems cemented. Europe needs to be a primary development site, because this is where brands need electrics if they have any hope of meeting tough European Union CO2 targets. And, of course, beyond that numerous European regions and the United Kingdom are intent on banning on internal combustion engine cars, many by 2030.
Ford says the Fiesta-like EV will be out within two years and will built at a redeveloped Cologne manufacturing plant.
The factory will become the Ford Cologne Electrification Centre - a dedicated electric car manufacturing site. Ultimately it will produce two Ford EVs tailored for European tastes.
AutoExpress says the dimensions of the MEB platform means Ford’s car will likely sit between the Fiesta and Focus in size, and “very close” to the Puma SUV.
“Although the platform is modular and can be extended or shortened with different battery options, it’s expected that Ford’s new EV will be similar in size, allowing clear space between it and the … Mustang Mach-E. However, interior space of the ‘Mini Mustang’ is likely to be in excess of that in the Focus and closer to that in the Mondeo,” the magazine surmises.
Ford will also have VW’s battery technology – so, a choice of 58kWh batteries with power outputs of 150kW or 106kW or a 77kWh battery also with 150kW, but with a longer range.
To be competitive with other MEB models and their rivals, the baby Ford EV would have to offer between 400 and 550 kilometres’ range, AutoExpress says. Fast charging will also be offered with an 80 percent charge expected in a little over half an hour.
Stuart Rowley, the president of Ford Europe, says the announcement in respect to the future of the Cologne factory, which has been outputting cars for almost a century, “is one of the most significant Ford has made in over a generation.”
Geographic isolation is among factors that have kept New Zealand from poor air quality being a regular experience in our big cities, however motor vehicles are a major contributor, hence why CO2 count enforcement is important.
WE’VE been tardy about creating an emissions standard, but finally something is being done.
The clean car import standard laid out on January 28 sets an average emissions target of 105 grams per kilometre and follows a swift timeline; legislation will be progressed this year and a standard will be in place in 2022.
Next year the only onus is on distributors of new vehicles and importers of ex-overseas’ used (and parallel imported new) cars is to report CO2 data. From 2023, penalty will begin to apply to any player who fails to meet targets.
These will start at $50 for every exceeded gram, rising to $75 per gram in 2025. Used car importers will be charged half this amount. In 2025 there’ll be a review. An even lower emissions target could very well result. The European Union already has a target of 95g/km.
It’s a grand plan, and perhaps you’re still struggling with understanding how it might affect you. Certainly, the industry has views, too, and today’s piece results from discussion with numerous figures within that business, to get a handle on what they are thinking.
And one point before going further. Though it has cautioned this is an especially steep challenge to meet Government’s expectation within the cited timeframe, the Motor Industry Association, which speaks for distributors, is supportive of Green motoring initiatives.
This, after all, is why all the key makers have already committed to electric and, in some cases, hydrogen fuel cell. It’s their future. The biggest concern is the timeframe: We’re not necessarily taking on too much, but the rollout might be too fast.
Why the standard?
The Government cites the average vehicle in New Zealand as having CO2 emissions of around 171 grams per kilometre (g/km). It says our cars and SUVs alone average 161 g/km, compared to 105 g/km in Europe.
It suggests that, in 2017, the most efficient vehicle models on our market had, on average, 21 percent higher emissions than their counterpart models in the United Kingdom.
The industry involvers spoken to generally opined that the comparison that created this data was overly simplistic, but they all agreed the sentiment is correct. There’s concession, too, that NZ likely has less fuel-efficient cars than many markets, mainly because fuel is cheap and we don’t tend to like driving under-powered cars.
Emissions testing is serious business in many countries. We’ve not bothered.
In respect to the national output, NZ is slightly ahead of Australia, primarily due to our higher electric vehicle uptake per head of population. There’s reminder that NZ regulations insist on all new passenger product meeting at least the Euro 5 emissions standard, which dates back to 2009 and focuses mainly on reducing CO2 emissions, and some now meet Euro 6 (which dates to 2014), which reduces some pollutants by 96 percent compared to 1990s’ limits but primarily focuses on cutting diesel-associated nitrogen oxide emissions.
Commented one contributor: “Our emissions are not bad; we have better standards (Euro 5) than the likes of India and we have some Euro 6 cars here because our fuel quality is so good, unlike Australia. Our vehicles aren’t necessarily all that dirty, just thirsty.”
How strong is the argument for change?
According to the Government, the light vehicles coming into the country are among the most fuel inefficient, and emission intensive, of any OECD country.
The Government consistently cites New Zealand as being only one of two countries in the OECD without a vehicle CO2 standard. The other nation it cites is Russia. That’s not a good example. Last time we checked, Russia is not, and has never been, in the OECD.
The Government also says the target set for 2025 was already achieved by Japan in 2014 and by Europe in 2020.
The industry reminds that the latter is a bit disingenuous; it says the vehicle industry performers in Europe have not actually hit the mark; the average for 2020 has not been published yet, but in 2018 and 2019 it was 121 and 122 (yes, it went up) grams per kilometre. There is expectation that it won’t be unanimously achieved. Same goes for this year; some brands are steeling for being hit big in the pocket.
Makers are trying. The production and availability of low-CO2 product, particularly electrics, has rocketed – and they are popular, take-up being fuelled by incentives. Most countries in Europe also have fuel economy standards and high-emitting vehicles are subject to higher tax loading.
Is this just some Government plot to force us into hybrids, mains-replenished plug-in hybrid and full electric vehicles?
The Government says on average, New Zealanders pay 65 percent more in annual vehicle fuel costs than people in the European Union, even though Europe’s petrol prices are higher.
Reality is that Government hardly needs to force change; it’s coming ready or not.
Most car makers have decided to wean out of wholly fossil fuelled products and some have made quite radical commitments.
General Motors, perhaps not the best example with Holden now defunct, has decided to phase out vehicles using combustion engines by 2035. It’s pinning hope on electric (and will have 30 pure battery models out by 2025) and fuel cells. On February 7, Ford announced intent to commit $US29 billion to electric and self-driving cars. Toyota, already the world’s top gun by far in the hybrid sector, also sees itself heading in the same route; again, it sees big merit with hydrogen, but alongside electric solutions. Stellantis, the new co-op between France’s PSA and Fiat-Chrysler, is the same. Mercedes, BMW, Audi – in fact all of VW Group – Nissan and so on. And so on. All are looking to battery-enabled motoring.
However, the Government is jumping the gun if it imagines all brands have non-fossil fuelled solutions for all situations right now. This decade is very much a period of transition.
Toyota is the world’s biggest producer of hybrid cars, has the world’s biggest selection and the Prius is the world’s most popular petrol electric. However, hybrids still account for just of the make’s production.
EV production is ramping up and will continue to do so annually. Production of PHEVs is also increasing and it’s the same with hybrids. Yet overall, these do not account for a huge percentage of annual global vehicle manufacture. As much as Tesla is leading the way, it still only produced 500,000 vehicles last year. That didn’t even get it into the top 10 of global light car manufacturers.
Toyota and premium affiliate Lexus have hybrid in most of their models now; those brands have together put 15 million cars with this tech on the road since the original Prius emerged in 1997. The technology has reduced CO2 emissions by more than 120 million tonnes worldwide to date compared to sales of equivalent petrol vehicles. Great work, but hybrids still only account for 52 percent of total Toyota annual production.
The EU gave car makers 10 years’ prior warning of its expectation and, even so, that was barely enough time to develop and produce the right kind of cars. Remember, in 2011, electrics were still a novelty, there was barely any infrastructure to support them and range was poor. All that’s changed.
Europe is a core car market; because of that, and because of the CO2 penalties, it’s become a priority market for EV suppliers.
At present, most Euro EV action is contained to the premium market. The challenges are at the affordable end. Before Government’s intent was clarified, the Euro with potential to best shake up our mainstream EV choices, Volkswagen Group, was also putting us low on the shipping list.
At one time, the new-generation VW, Skoda, SEAT and Audi products on the electric-dedicated MEB platform were set to roll in from this year; now entry in late 2022 seems a best – and even that’s optimistic.
Says one involver whose brand sells fully electric and electric-assisted product. “It’s all about getting the right cars … at the moment, Europe is accounting for most (of his brand’s) production. Supply for us is not as good as we want; we take everything we can get – and can sell it – but we cannot get enough and that’s unlikely to change for years.”
FYI: The Climate Change Commission report proposing future trends reckons just 40 percent of our fleet will have electric assist by 2035.
Okay, so how will this scheme work?
ANSWER: Each supplier will have a different target to meet, reflecting its fleet of vehicles. Across the vehicles it brings in it has to ensure the average CO2 emissions are equal to, or less than, the target for its vehicles.
As it works by averaging, vehicles exceeding the CO2 target can continue to be brought in so long as they are offset by enough zero and low emission vehicles.
The 2025 target will be phased in through annual targets that get progressively lower. This gives vehicle suppliers time to adjust and source enough clean vehicles to meet the targets and to encourage buyers to opt for low emission vehicles.
These penalties – won’t they just be passed onto the consumer; meaning cars will get more expensive?
No-one’s offering any comment on this, though several people spoken to reminded that, at present, the average CO2 count is 65g/km above target. Translate that into initial penalty dollars and it represents as an average $3500 impost on stickers.
Will distributors have any support?
ANSWER: Waka Kotahi will develop an online tracking and forecasting tool to allow importers to see how their CO2 accounts would be affected if they purchase particular vehicles in international auctions. It would also help importers complying on a fleet-basis by easily allowing them to monitor how their actual average fleet CO2 emissions are tracking, against their fleet targets.
Flexibility will be given for the industry by allowing them to bank, borrow and transfer. Banking will allow suppliers to carry over any overachievement of their CO2 targets to offset the following three years.
Borrowing allows suppliers to miss their targets for one year as long as they make it up the following year.
Transferring allows suppliers to transfer overachievement of their CO2 target to one or more other suppliers operating within the same compliance regime.
That’s all well and good, says one commentator, but he remains convinced that the best incentive is … well, incentives.
That’s been proven time again overseas. More than 30 countries have EV incentives and these commonly take form of comprehensive electrification strategies, not just handouts.
“Our products are popular, but they aren’t the most popular vehicles we sell. We always ask ‘will customers automatically want to buy them’. You have to pay more for electric, that’s just an unavoidable. Some people are keen, not everyone is. The economies (of widespread acceptance) won’t work without support.”
How easy will it be for all distributors to meet the new standard – might we see some brands or vehicles, even vehicle types, simply disappear?
The Government does not address this but some in the industry would not be surprised if this scenario plays out.
Kiwis love their diesel utilities - but the type are high CO2 emitters. That’s a factor brands that do well with those models will have to consider now.
The easiest way to get the make-wide average CO2 down is to slot in an electric-assisted model into the range. EVs are of course best, because it’s only CO2 out from the vehicle: For those cars, that count is ‘zero.’
All well and good, but some makes simply do not have that luxury. The idea is for them to buy credits from those do, and have some to spare. Tesla has effectively come into profit on Fiat-Chrysler payments.
It’s not fair to name names, but it’s easy enough to find out which brands have EV strategies and which do not. Those without will be hurt.
One comment: “It’s not just the obvious gas guzzlers that are impacted by this. The requirement is for even small cars to improve and that’s a much harder ask for them than it is with big ones.”
The impact on the current fleet will be interesting, we were told. “More consumers will start to look at fuel economy.”
If this all about improving our environment, why aren’t used importers having to follow the same regime as new vehicle distributors? After all, we’re all breathing the same air. Also, there’s no mention of importers of effectively brand-new cars from overseas – what’s their responsibility?
The average ago of used imports is 10 years. The effective requirement is for these to meet Euro 5; a standard implemented 12 years ago.
So, theoretically, imports will be within this mandate. All the same, the used importers’ association, which was not approached for comment, has already expressed distaste for the requirement.
The feeling, from the new car industry, seems to be that everyone should do their share. Thought that importers of as-new product might only have to pay half the penalty the same vehicle, if over the limit, would be hit with is not welcomed. On the other hand, there’s also sentiment that those operators shouldn’t achieve any incentives, should these materialise, for favoured models. The reason? Those operators have not invested in the infrastructure required to support those cars.
Are the penalties stiff enough?
The reason why brands selling in the EU are so compelled to meet the target there is that the penalty is much steeper than it will be here; $160 per gram exceeded.
The Government says this will impact on vehicles being delivered from a certain date – it won’t be retrospective, so what we are driving now won’t be affected. Or will it? What impacts could this have on, say, on residual values – will some cars become unsaleable and, if so, what types might raise a red flag?
It’s too soon to tell. However, the potential for this legislation to change vehicle buying seems obvious.
Said one respondent: “Our cars are heavier on average than those sold in Europe. This has a massive impact on fuel economy. The best way to get average economy counts down is to drive more efficient cars.”
At the moment, some said, we have cheap fuel and use too much of it. “We love powerful and large vehicles, and 23 percent of new vehicles sold are utes, which on average are all emitting more than 200 grams of CO2.
“That factor alone makes us very different to Europe. Utes aren’t at all popular over there.
What drives that interest? Perceived superior versatility (which is often not realised in reality – many vans are better choices), opportunity to circumvent Fringe Benefit Tax and our love of towing.
The whole swing to utes has rankled some. One thought expressed: “The high level of ute uptake by businesses is a direct result of the Inland Revenue Department’s failure to police their FBT rules.
“Check out your local boat ramp and I bet you’ll see plenty of sign-written utes and just know their owners aren’t paying FBT, though they should be.”
Electric car uptake is set to rise, but no simply because of political will. Fact is, most carmakers now see this technology being their future.
Beyond that? “The older and thirstier – and that’s not necessarily the same thing – vehicles will become less popular,” one involver suggested.
“If the cost of carbon continues to rise, and we can expect this, fuel will get more expensive and interest in thirsty cars will continue to decline … hopefully this will be supported by a scrappage scheme.”
And potential red flags? A hard one, but potentially ultimately anything with a six or eight-cylinder petrol engine that isn’t considered a classic. Perhaps some turbocharged four-cylinder mainstream cars.
Are there any circumstances where vehicles might be subject to dispensation; we hear that in the EU, all the really exotic stuff – you, know, your Ferraris, McLarens and Rolls-Royces and so on – are exempt because their production runs are so low. Will that happen here, do we know if there is a registration count cut-off for what excludes and what doesn’t?
The exemptions so far explained are for: vehicles intended primarily for military operational purposes; agricultural vehicles/equipment that are primarily driven on farms, such as tractors, harvesters, mowers, toppers, bailers; vehicles with historic value, or vehicles such as classic cars; motor vehicles constructed before 1 January 1919; motor vehicles constructed on or after 1 January 1919 and are at least 40 years old on the date that they were registered, reregistered, or licensed and scratch-built vehicles and modified vehicles certified by the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association.
It’s still unclear if that same leniencies that have allowed the high-end exotic brands to keep selling in the EU will impact here. However, it is worth noting that many are intensifying the electric efforts nonetheless. Though, in the case of Rolls-Royce, the potential of a fully electric car before too long has nothing to do with consumer demand. It’s more because big cities around the world are increasingly deciding to shut themselves off the high-emissions traffic.
Anything else we need to know?
Australia.
We historically often collude with our neighbour on common market selections. Car makers love volume. NZ doesn’t buy many new cars but, if we take the same stock as our neighbour, then often it’s enough to win a production priority and a stronger negotiating status.
Our tastes were already distancing but the new legislation might lead to a complete divorce. Our respective national visions are far from alike.
Australia has no mandated CO2 regulation now and, more disturbingly, is disinclined to adopt one; a situation that in itself has so alarmed the car industry they’ve rolled out a voluntary code.
Even then, they face a different core challenge. A catalyst for our neighbour’s relatively lax emissions regs is that the fuel sold there is of lower quality than we receive. This means Australia’s fuel and Euro 5-based noxious emissions standards are lax by global standard; to the point where they act as an impediment to introduction there of internal combustion engines that can be sold here. The standards are being tightened. But not until 2027.
Like us, they’ve ruled out EV subsidies in favour of encouraging companies to electrify their vehicle fleets. We aim to make EV owners pay Road User Taxes (though when is still unclear). Over there, some states are pushing for EV road taxes to compensate for lost fuel excise earnings; Victoria is considering fiting EVs with GPS trackers for per kilometre charging. Why would anyone keen to kick the oil habit been keen on that?
Beyond that, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s administration seems largely indifferent to the matters we are aiming to address.
The Federal Government seems to be happy with indulging in what a senior writer with Wheels magazine has called an “embarrassing fossil fuel addiction while the rest of the world joins the e-volution.”
Daniel Gardner, who said his views about electric cars and the positives of their involvement in any roadscape came from (pre-Covid) visits to Europe, particularly time spent in Germany, says he is embarrassed that the Australian Federal Government's 2020/2021 Federal Budget included money to upgrade a coal-fired power station in New South Wales, and $A52.9 million expanding Australia’s gas industry “while allocating a measly A$5 million for electric vehicles.”
He added: “Get chatting to a German and, regardless of their political inclination, they simply won’t believe why we are so opposed to electric vehicles and gorging ourselves on fossil fuels. And when you see just how feasible Germany makes the transition to electric cars appear, you probably wouldn’t either.”
Australia’s determination to keep mining and burning coal relates so much about our neighbour’s attitude toward clean air concern, critics say. EV producers’ making Australia a low-priority market might not do un any favours.
He wrote of exasperation that “Australia has a government that sees absolutely nothing wrong with digging millions of tons of filthy brown coal out of the ground and burning it to power the nation. A government that not only refuses to invest in renewable energy despite being one of the most suitable countries in the world, and instead favours more coal mines.
Australia’s indifference has also fired up the country’s peak electric vehicle lobby, which says the latest future fuels strategy, which released in draft form late last year, as “yet another flaccid, do-nothing document that will prevent Australians getting access to the world’s best electric vehicles”.
They’re right. Limited electrified vehicle production is being allocated to places where incentives are greatest and/or restrictions on CO2 are the most painful. Australia? Said Wheels magazine last month: “As the Federal Government’s ideological constraints and contradictions extend its environmental and electric vehicle policy vacuum, Australia is slipping down the shipping list.”
NZ distributors are finding themselves having to negotiate directly with makers to achieve any kind of product and often there’s a cost – which has to ultimately be passed on – and, in many cases, acceptance of compromise (so, a car might arrive in another right-drive country’s spec: Latterly, it’s been Ireland).
Having a neighbour we can’t live with, but cannot live without is hardly helpful.
Diesel utes are No.1 with Kiwis …. but they’re not going to make the clean air cut.
BASICALLY, we don't like our 'greens' and consume too many meaty products.
That’s the national new vehicle buying pattern in a nutshell.
Sports utilities, crossovers and, in particular, one tonne utilities. These are the vehicles we love the most; to the point where they cumulatively outsell conventional cars and the Ford Ranger has become the country’s best-selling model.
Great stuff. Just one wee catch. It’s always been common knowledge that, were New Zealand ever to get its act together and implement some kind of emissions regulation, then the vehicles Kiwi love most would get us into trouble.
CO2 emissions from new passenger and light vehicles have been declining. However, our national average is well above where the Government has now decided it needs to be; mainly because we’ve been making too many dirty decisions.
Core to announcement yesterday of a Clean Air Standard is intention to reach a CO2 target of 102g/km by 2025.
Easy-peasy? The current NZ average for cars and SUVs is 161g; overall, the fleet is around 171g – an improvement on a year ago, if only by 3g. And today’s average is still below is still slightly below the target the European Union set for its territory in 2003.
So, yeah, the challenge is to achieve a reduction of almost 40 percent from the current new-vehicle average. Utes, which are particular grubs, and vans must hit 132g in the same timeframe.
There’s no time to waste. The Government intends to pass the law this year and enact the standard in 2022, with the first charges being levied on any who miss their annually reducing targets from 2023.
It’s not as if we didn’t know this day was coming. Fact is, NZ is just catching up to a world trend, which in a way is going to be helpful.
Vehicle makers are already being compelled the same targets in much larger, more crucial markets; their reaction to that challenge means they are already making products that are in step with the NZ intention. We will get many of those vehicles.
The European Union mandate on makers selling in its territory to meet an even higher standard, a fleet-wide average of 95g/km, and Japan’s mandate for a 104g/km standard, are especially compelling. Vehicles tailored to meet or exceed those expectations will also come here.
The NZ model is not too different from the EU’s. Vehicle suppliers will have different targets to meet, and will only have to ensure that the average efficiency of the cars imported in any given year meets the standard. This means higher-emission vehicles can still be imported but will have to be offset by cleaner vehicles.
Failure to comply will be penalised, as in the EU, but not to anything like the same extreme. In the EU, fines can be large enough to bring a brand to its knees. Here a penalty will be applied from 2023 of $50 per gram of CO2 above the target for new vehicle imports or $25 per gram above the target for used vehicle imports - but it is applied across the fleet.
If you decided, today, to investigate which vehicles on sale at this very moment were already meeting that new cut-off … well, the shortlist would be very short indeed.
even acknowledged thrift-meisters such as the top-selling Suzuki Swift are challenged to meet the 105g/km standard. The hybrid version, above, does with a count of 94g/km but conventionally-powered editions do not.
Forget conventional internal combustion-engined cars; even especially thrifty types struggle to be that clean.
You need to go hybrid, though even then it’s not a given. Toyota's Prius, Yaris, C-HR and Corolla petrol-electric models are all under the 105g/km. The Camry hybrid and the hot-selling RAV4 hybrid are on the wrong side of the fence.
The models that will make more of a difference are will be used by brands that can achieve them to lower their fleet averages are, of course, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and fully electric vehicles.
This has been shown in the EU, where makers were generally starting from a base of 120g/km.
These are vehicles that, of course, many big players are now making in greater volumes. Ironically, some have been hard to secure for NZ because their makers are prioritising places where they have to represent electric fare or face fines – this is why VW Group product has been restricted, or completely held back, from NZ introduction. Europe’s biggest maker is focussing, out of necessity, on keeping those cars in EU markets. The NZ decision could well be a very useful tool for the brands’ NZ agent to now argue for prioritisation.
In the here and now, the current hybrid and plug in hybrid fare that meets or improves on the standard comprise seven BMWs, two Hyundais, two Kias, a Range Rover, two Lexus models, four Mercedes, a MINI, a Mitsubishi, a Peugeot, two Porsches, six Toyotas and four Volvos.
In addition, 14 fully electric passenger models avail here, from Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Mercedes, MG, MINI, Nissan, Renault and Tesla. One or two examples of the Volkswagen e-Golf might also be unspoken for, though car is not out of production and supply has ended.
The probability of seeing more electrics, PHEVs and hybrids is high – being, then, it already was anyway because, well, you might recall the motoring world is going that way regardless of how much you love your V8s.
Of course, not all brands have the luxury of being about to take the electric path. Subaru and Suzuki are barely in the game, with just mild hybrid options. No ute here yet has any kind of battery-assisted drivetrain, though a hybrid Toyota Hilux is promised and Mitsubishi has hinted at a battery-assisted powertrain for Triton. Look at Isuzu: It makes a ute and a spin-off SUV. Both rely purely on a diesel engine whose emissions are well about the new mandate.
plug-in hybrid and fully electric technology is an obvious solution to achieving or surpassing the new standard. Many brands are one step ahead … the PHEV Ford Transit is among models intended for NZ introduction.
What habits might we have to change or even quit? A year ago I wrote a backgrounder for a national publication that aimed to give insight into the vehicles that might well become problematic were our country to ever consider the CO2 issue.
That piece pointed out how our huge move toward ute ownership has been detrimental to bringing emissions down. It pointed out, for instance, that a the start of 2020, the Ford Ranger, which at that point had dominated ute sales for five years (and would do the same last year), was both a relative saint and a sinner, in that one engine it ran - the 2.2-litre four-cylinder biturbo, emitted a category best 177g/km - whereas the other, the five-cylinder 3.2-litre single turbo it launched with, evidenced a near class-worst 234.
America's big lugger RAM was also in the black. It’s XL-sized products delivered a 283.8g/km average outcome.
One solace for ute faithful now, as then, is that makes reserved for rich listers top the scale of shame. In the data used for last year’s story, Aston Martin achieved an average of 265.1 g/km, Bentley 274.7, Ferrari 279.8, Lamborghini 305.2 and McLaren 257.3. Rolls-Royce was the worst emitter, with an average of 343.3g/km.
Notwithstanding that some of those makes are now fast-tracking into an electric age, it’s probable more of those cars are going to come under the spotlight. Some might be withdrawn, others will asuuredly become even more expensive as penalties are passed on to the customer.
The XC40 Recharge is the first Volvo electric for New Zealand.
WITHIN eight months Volvo here will release the first of a family of cars on which its future depends and have farewelled a fuel type that presently accounts for 50 percent of sales of a core popular sports utility.
The newcomer is – obviously – the make’s first full electric model, a version of the XC40 compact crossover.
Already available in its priority right-hand-drive market, the United Kingdom, but likely to come here around August-September, the XC40 Recharge packs 300kW from two motors that will power all four wheels.
A 78kWh battery that can charge to 80 percent on a fast charger in 40 minutes is expected to deliver 350-400kms in the real world.
The model is the only fully electric Volvo set to be available here this year, but assuredly the Geely-owned Swedish brand’s local range is in for a series of shock treatments as the distributor comes up to speed with the make’s global electrification strategy.
Volvo Cars was the first established car maker to commit to all-out electrification and is the only brand to offer a plug-in hybrid variant on every model in its line-up.
By 2025 the company aims to have sold one million electrified cars and it will launch five fully electric models between 2021 and 2025.
For New Zealand, this means additional mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids with the make’s latest efficiency-oriented battery-supported petrol engines are to roll in. Some would already be here, had not it been for delays in stock delivery caused by Covid-19.
Anyway, as Volvo NZ increases this battery push, it will also decrease its count of vehicles that are wholly fossil fuel-reliant; the ultimate aim being to expunge these entirely in favour of powertrains that will feature some form of electrification.
First to depart will be diesel models; all going to plan, says Volvo New Zealand boss Coby Duggan, combustion ignition powertrains will be removed from all Volvo models offered in NZ from as early as mid-2021, replaced by MY2022 mild hybrid petrols.
It’s a determination the brand acknowledges carries some risk locally, because diesel has been a popular choice, not least in its largest sports utility, the XC90.
In 2020, half of all examples of this seven-seater sold were with diesel. That powertrain choice also offers in the next-size down XC60 and the V90 Crosscountry wagon. Diesel has never offered in the XC40.
However, the XC90 is by far the strongest diesel performer. Volvo NZ is confident it can achieve consumer swing away from the black stuff, however, and has already started this hearts and minds campaign by introducing an XC90 petrol in the same spec, and for the same money, as the XC90 diesel that has been doing well.
“Once we can offer MY2022 mild hybrid XC60 and XC90 (we will no longer offer any diesel in the range. That’s quite a significant shift for us.
“I’m relaxed about phasing it out in XC60 product as it is has not accounted for much there but it’s different with XC90, as it has generated quite a lot of volume. This year, it has given us, in round terms, around 50 percent of XC90 volume.”
He wonders if a lot of that interest comes down diesel being at an entry level price point. The new petrol tests this.
“What we’ve started doing now is to introduce a T6 petrol at the same price point, and thus create a petrol entry point we have not had before. It’s a way for use to test whether the loyalty to diesel has been about torque, and economy and towing and all the things Kiwis say they love about diesels or whether the price point is also a key contributor.”
Volvo’s ultimate plan, at least until it can create more fully electric models, is to increasingly proliferate the hybrid powertrains it has in readiness that supersede those it has offered in the past.
The mild-hybrid technology pairs a turbocharged petrol engine to a 48-volt battery and an integrated starter-generator (ISG) unit – a compact electric motor replacing a car's traditional starter motor and alternator – to both sharpen engine response at low speeds thanks to a boost from the electrical system, while also, crucially, improving fuel economy.
Volvo has struggled to build enough mild hybrid, PHEV and full electric cars in 2020
The battery is then recharged through regenerative braking, which recuperates energy 'lost' under deceleration, and not requiring the system to be externally recharged via a plug.
The ISG also allows for quicker activation of the start-stop system when taking off from a standstill.
Above that option will be a range of improved plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains – also badged under the Recharge sub-brand that identifies full electrics – which pair a turbo petrol engine with a larger lithium-ion battery pack and a more powerful electric motor, enabling them to drive on electric power alone for distances up to 50km.
Volvo already offers a plug-in hybrid option on the S60 and V60, plus the XC90 Recharge, but additional PHEV options at different price points and performance levels are anticipated for introduction, the next arriving being a PHEV XC40. Whereas the other PHEV cars have a T8 designation, this one will be a T5.
“The XC40 plug-in will be here in the first half of the year, with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with an electric motor, and that will complete the plug-in hybrid lineup.
“The mild hybrid lineup will start to come in the second part of the year, as Model Year 2022 cars, with the 48 volt system. This will be in the 60s and 90s models but not in the 40s until the following model year.”
“The tricky thing for us has been around timing,” Duggan says. “It has taken longer than I personally expected for this technology to get to this part of the world.”
Is this entirely due to Covid-19? There’s no doubt coronavirus has hurt the entire car industry and Volvo hasn’t been immune by any means in 2020.
Says Duggan: “Supply and meeting demand has been incredibly difficult for everyone in every industry, but the plug-in product has been the most difficult for us to lay hands on and it’s likely that will continue into 2021.”
What also hurts NZ is its size and geographic location – we’re very much at the far end of the supply chain – our modest volume requirement and that other markets in which emissions regulations are more rigorously enforced, and where penalties and rewards apply, have been given higher priority.
“We’re hoping that as production capacity ramps up again we can secure as many (vehicles) as we need … at the moment the only thing that will hold us back in respect to plug-in volumes in particular is ability to supply; the demand is there.”
Volvo Sweden’s electric motivation has also been reinforced by the factory announcing that it will invest around $NZ110 million to set up its own in-house manufacturing of motors for electric cars.
This programme will see it equip its existing powertrain plant in Skovde, Sweden, to assemble and eventually manufacture e-motors before the middle of the decade.
While other car companies rely on outsourcing parts for electric powertrains, Volvo will follow in the footsteps of Tesla by bringing at least some of these operations in-house.
The new chapter of change for Volvo here also affects its management. Duggan is leaving the brand on January 15, to start a new role with Toyota New Zealand that’ll keep him in Auckland; a return to a familiar territory as he has held a previous role with Lexus. His replacement is Ben Montgomery, who has been with Volvo briefly previously and has subsequently held roles with Renault, Jaguar and Land Rover.
Subaru shared this image today
EUROPE will be served first, but if Subaru’s new battery-electric SUV ever becomes available for New Zealand use, the distributor will be an eager adopter.
That’s the word today from Subaru New Zealand managing director Wallis Dumper in reaction to head office in Japan acknowledging its first electric vehicle is under development.
“We would definitely be interested in anything electric, particularly anything electric that comes in four-wheel-drive,” he said in reaction to the unfolding news about the car.
“We will seriously consider anything with an ‘e’ association to it.”
A sports utility, similar in size to the Forester, the new model will be built on a new bespoke electric vehicle platform shared with Toyota.
Intention is to launch it in the first half of this decade, although it's tipped it to be revealed next year.
Because it will be built on an electric-only architecture, it's expected to get a new name; Japanese media are reporting that it will be called Evoltis, which surprises Dumper.
He points out that name is already used for a Latin America-market version of Ascent, the large seven-seater SUV that Subaru only makes in left-hand-drive and aims primarily at North America.
Toyota announced its involvement in the EV co-operation last week, including that the platform will be known as e-TNGA and that it will develop a RAV4-sized battery-reliant car.
The architecture is designed to be highly adaptable to allow for vehicles of different lengths and can be used for front-, rear- and four-wheel-drive layouts, thanks to the ability to fit motors to both axles. It can also accept multiple battery sizes.
While not confirmed by either firm, the new Subaru EV is likely to be 'twinned' with that Toyota machine, according to the website for British motoring weekly, Autocar.
Beyond the use of the shared platform, Subaru has released no further technical details of the new EV, saying that it will divulge more details in 2021.
Dumper says he can be of no assistance either – the announcement to media today has been the only official word. He’d like to know more and that view has been shared with Japan.
Earlier this year, Subaru displayed an electric concept car (above) at a technology briefing in January, and it's expected that the eventual production EV will take styling cues from it.
Subaru’s first EV is a major step in its electrification plans. The firm has recently introduced mild-hybrid e-Boxer versions of its XV and Forester and is aiming for at least 40 percent of its global sales to be either electric or hybrid by 2030.
Dumper says those cars are selling satisfactorily and have also raised consumer interest in Subaru product in general. “If people come in to look at the hybrid but don’t buy it they often buy a non-hybrid version instead.”
Autocar says Subaru had previously planned for its first electric car to be based on an existing model on its own Global Platform, but it changed that concept due to its new partnership with Toyota.
The eye-catching ID Buzz concept of 2017 is coming out in 2017 as the ID.7. Let’s hope NZ catches this wave.
THE sooner Kiwis get into the new electric vehicle habit, the sooner they will likely get to enjoy a slew of battery-reliant cars set to unleash from Volkswagen.
That’s long been the indication from VW’s national distributor, which makes clear that markets that show most support for mains-supported models tend to achieve priority from this maker.
We’re seeing it already; as is well known, this maker is well into a massive EV ambition; investment of around $122 billion in development of EVs and other new technologies over the next five years has been signed off and hardly a week goes by when yet another car in its bespoke electric family, called the ID range, doesn’t seem to pop up.
ID looks brilliant for NZ; but NZ – for all the attraction of being a world-leader in generation of ‘Green’ renewable electricity (thanks to our rich hydro, geothermal, wind and solar resource) – is not yet brilliant for VW.
The reasons why the e-Golf that has modestly plugged VW electric potentials for the past two years has retired with no direct replacement not set to land until the end of 2022 are multifold, but essentially VW is prioritising places where it has to be or where market opportunity is so obvious it cannot afford not to involve.
Europe is top of the list because of tough European Union emissions fleet-wise standards. Electric cars are a vital off-set to achieving CO2 targets. Failure will mean huge fines.
The second is the gold mine. China is VW’s largest single export market – it’s also the world’s largest EV market. VW is putting a lot of focus into launching eight ID models into China by 2023.
More recently, it is paying attention to the increasing number of countries, of which the United Kingdom is probably the best known to us, that have set dates for the switch to zero emission-only cars.
These and other reasons – the impact of coronavirus on production, the fact that VW’s electric cars come out of a handful of factories, the limitations in making enough batteries - is why VW New Zealand boss Greg Leet expressed opinion a month ago that he expects “late 2022” is now the best bet for when NZ will start seeing ID cars on sale here.
That’s a huge frustration not least because other makes in the VW family that also have electric cars off the common ID platform (called MEB) are less constrained, to the point their own cars are almost certain to beat the ‘originals’ to local sale. For Skoda, that’s the Enyaq, for SEAT the E-Born and for Audi, which is already establishing increasing presence with its big e-trons, that’ll be the Q4 e-tron.
Regardless, when ID does arrive, we can expect to see an explosion of choice – VW has a much wider choice of MEB-based electric models than any other Group make.
Let’s go through them:
ID.1 and the ID.2 crossover sister ship are city chic runabouts designed as budget EVs.
ID.1 and ID.2: Respectively a supermini and compact crossover intended to sit alongside the combustion-engined Polo and T-Cross respectively that will hit production in 2023 and introduce on a ‘lite’ version of the MEB platform.
These models have a firm urban, short journey focus so will run smaller batteries, up to 45kWh, and also sell in a lower price bracket.
Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstatter intends pricing start at as low as $NZ33,400 in Europe, so $15,000 cheaper than the least expensive wholly electric new car here at the moment, the MG-ZS.
Already here as a parallel import, but not set to be repesented in NZ-new form, the ID.3 is selling well in Europe and the UK.
ID.3: The first of the family to hit production, a hatchback as important, in VW Germany’s view, as the Beetle and the original Golf.
It’s a core car, already well settled into European sale and doing well straight out of the box: In September, it comprehensively the Telsa Model to be Europe’s top-selling EV.
Right-hand drive production for the United Kingdom has begun, so conceivably were cars available, we could source from there. However, although grey importers seem keen to do so (there’s at least one here already), VW NZ has no plans for ID.3, mainly because it is concerned there will be insufficient consumer interest in an electric hatch.
Still, perhaps VW NZ will review if either ID.3 production frees up, or the private imports sell well or if it likes the cut of ongoing developments for ID.3, rolling out from next year. The core improvement is a modest increase in range – the 77kWh edition will gain an additional 38km, taking overall range to 570km, due in part to software improvements and advances in thermal management and cell efficiency.
ID.4 will be the first of the family to be sold by VW New Zealand … at the end of 2022.
ID.4: Revealed in September and closely based on the ID Crozz concept from 2017, this car is more than being simply a crossover version of the ID.3 – it’s the product onto which VW has pinned most international aspiration.
It debuts as Volkswagen's first all-electric SUV – making it a more obvious option for buyers looking to haul their family around in zero-emissions style than the ID.3, VW NZ believes.
At 4.58 metres long, it positions between the regular Tiguan (4486mm) and the stretched seven-seat Tiguan Allspace (4701mm). Specific interior figures are still to come, but VW claims the cabin will have the same sort of room normally the province of larger SUVs (because, no need for drivetrain packaging; it’s a flat-floored environment). Luggage space comes to 543 litres with the rear seats up and 1575 litres when folded flat. For context, the Tiguan lists 615/1775 litres and the Tiguan Allspace 230/1655.
In its initial form, motivation will be provided by a 150kW/309Nm electric motor drawing power from a 77kWh battery pack, with a WLTP-verified driving range of up to 520 kilometres.
However, VW has recently confirmed intent to add a ID.4 GTX, due to hit right-hand-drive production in mid-2021. GTX is VW-speak for ‘performance electric’; the ID.4 in this format will be dual motor (whereas the standard car s rear motor), so all-wheel-drive, with 225kW and 460Nm. VW is talking 0-100kmh in 6.2 seconds – so, 2.3s quicker than the standard rear-drive ID.4 - a top speed of around 190kmh and a range of up to 460km on a standard 82kWh battery.
Charging on a 120kW DC connection can get the ID.4 to 320km range in 30 minutes, while the 11kW on-board charger can deliver 53km of range in about an hour.
ID.5 is a fastback ID.4, the styling expected to mirror that of the ID Crozz concept of 2017, seen here
ID.5: Based heavily on the ID.4, but with a coupe-style body. Effectively, then, VW’s equivalent of the Audi Q4. VW gave an indication of the look with a concept, the ID Crozz Coupe. The drivetrain has yet to be revealed, yet most pundits are picking it’ll mirror the ID.4’s. VW has indicated rear-drive and all-wheel-drive versions.
ID.6 will represent as a sedan as well as in the station wagon form seen here, in its ID Space Vizzion concept form.
ID.6: Actually two cars, a sedan and a station wagon. Also in production from next year, these are derived from the ID Vizzion and ID Space Vizzion concepts, most latterly known as the Aero A and Aero B, are based on an updated MEB platform and will arrive in 2023.
The concepts featured an 82kWh battery pack however it’s thought a 111kWh battery could become available, to provide up to 700km of WLTP-rated range.
A rear-mounted 359kW electric motor will standard while some versions will add another electric motor on the front axle to increase output to 449kW.
VW has suggested the production editions will largely stay true to the look and format of the concepts it showed off at the 2019 Los Angele Motor Show.
As much as station wagons have become a niche choice because of consumer shift to SUVs with similar spaciousness and practicality, that sharp aesthetic is one reason why the car is worth having, says Brandstatter.
The stronger aerodynamic advantage from a lower-slung wagon is the reason why the car can achieve its range, he says.
“Its aerodynamic design ensures a top drag coefficient and an extremely attractive high-tech look. A feast for the senses — and for all tech and design fans.”
The concept has a very swish interior that Brandstatter has suggested will also be enjoyed by customers, with comment that the production equivalent will have a cabin as noble and spacious as that of the Phaeton – VW’s thwarted attempt at an unlimited luxury vehicle that released in 2002 and failed to resonate.
ID.7 is the production version of the ID Buzz, inspired by one of VW’s most famous models from yesteryear, the Microbus/Kombi.
ID.7: Set to enter production in 2022, this is the model that has every VW fan particularly excited, if just because of the styling.
The ID Buzz passenger and IZ Buzz Cargo design studies of 2017 that foreshadow the ID.7 plainly draw lots of inspiration from one of VW’s most iconic models, the original Microbus. VW has vowed to keep that spirit alive with the production versions. Conventionally hinged front doors, automatic rear-sliding side doors, wheels up to 21 inches in diameter, according to a recent report by the website for British motoring weekly, Autocar.
ID.7 is destined to be the largest car coming off the MEB underpinning; there are standard and long wheelbase formats. VW has only shared dimension of the first, citing a 4962mm length, 1985mm width and1896mm height.
The generously dimensioned interior will stretch to 2860mm in length; the passenger model will have seven seats, in three rows.
It’ll be produced in rear or all-wheel-drive and run an 82kWh battery. The large frontal area will impact on range expectation, Brandstatter has warned. “It won’t have 700km but something around 400km.” Still, any sacrifice for this styling is worth it, right?
Autocar reports that ID.7 will provision with the widest range of colour and trim opportunities. Special touches will include a smiling emoji symbol within the door handles, an ice scraper and bottle opener within the front middle stowage box and an umbrella graphic that is made visible within the base of the windscreen when the wipers are in operation.
ID.8 is at this stage just for China and will likely only be built there. This is the ID Roomzz design study from last year’s Shanghai motor show.
ID.8: A very plush large SUV, purely for China at the moment, derived from the ID Roomzz concept displayed at last year’s Shanghai Motor Show. The concept featured a 82kWh battery and a cited 450km (WLTP) range, with capability of replenishing within 30 minutes to 80 percent of battery capacity on a 150kW (DC) set up.
The design study runs two electric motors a system output of 225 KW, this allowing 0-100kmh in 6.6s and a 180kmh top speed.
IMAGINE the EXP 100 GT concept as a four-door sedan with a crossover stance and, according to an overseas report, that’s a fairly accurate representation of the direction being taken by Bentley’s first full electric car.
The pioneering model will be the first of a number of battery-reliant products the Volkswagen Group-owned high-brow Brit brand will deliver into showrooms from 2025, according to latest information rolling out.
This builds on the November 5 announcement that Bentley will drop all combustion engines in the next decade, will produce plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars starting in 2026 and aim to be all-electric from 2030.
A new report by the website for top British motoring weekly Autocar suggests Bentley’s first EV will be in the same vein as a Jaguar I-Pace; standing slightly taller to accommodate the underfloor batteries. However, it won’t push up to the extent of a traditional SUV.
It will also be an electric with a smart edge, being one of the first cars to use a new Audi-developed luxury car platform.
The architecture is from Project Artemis, an Audi-led initiative aimed at developing new technologies for electric, highly automated cars.
Artemis cars – the Bentley, an Audi and probably a Porsche at this point - all base off a single reference, which VW Group has recently identified as Landjet, that is less an underpinning in an engineering sense and more a technology set.
Landjet will enable 5G connectivity functions, including extensive use of ‘car-to-X’ features, over-the-air upgrades, and augmented reality, as well as top-of-the-line battery cell, electric drivetrain, and autonomous driving technology.
Bentley’s specific model plan, Beyond 100, is already under way with two plug-in hybrid models coming out next year, but the bigger step is that breakthrough electric vehicle, coming to market in 2025.
It will have more generous ground clearance than the EXP 100 GT, a highly-acclaimed styling study Bentley revealed last year, but will draw design cues from that car (seen here) and might also have some links with an Audi concept of 2018, called Aicon.
Bentley bosses are not expecting a major leap in battery technology any time soon so the firm’s first electric models will be designed to match the range and weight limitations of current systems with Bentley’s luxury positioning, the report says. The result will be models that differ significantly from Bentley’s current line-up.
Bentley chairman Adrian Hallmark has told Autocar his company hasn’t decided whether future electric models will take on the nameplate and lineage of existing combustion-engined cars.
“Our position is to look at customers and segments. As well as moving to electric, we’re going to adapt our product range because the world is changing.
“We want to appeal to more women and be more relevant in future urban environments which are very much different to today, and we want to appeal to modern luxury values which are different to ones from 20 years ago.”
Bentley’s ambition synchs into Volkswagen Group’s broader strategy to become a leading producer and seller of electric, connected cars. The Group has set a target to sell about one million electric cars per year by 2025.
Neeraj Lala.
NEW Zealand risks becoming the “Cuba of the South Pacific”, a dumping ground of Europe’s dirty diesels and high carbon-emitting petrol-fuelled cars.
That’s the view of Toyota New Zealand’s chief executive officer, Neeraj Lal, reacting to recent occurrences of political shift toward encouraging a shift from fossil fuels and toward more environmental motoring solutions, including battery-motivated products.
His comments come in the wake of two big headline actions: The move by the United Kingdom to ban sale of new fossil-fuelled cars after 2030 and our own Government’s determination this week to formally joined 32 other countries around the world in declaring a state of climate emergency for New Zealand.
The NZ initiative brings with it a revitalised focus on electrifying its public service vehicle fleet, thorough prioritising fully electric and hybrid cars, and plans to become carbon neutral by 2025.
That’s conceivably a switch Toyota NZ cannot leverage to advantage as much as some other brands as even though Toyota hybrid cars are highly favoured by private and fleet buyers, they are not considered electric models, because they lack facility to recharge off the mains.
The Government’s climate response decision has been welcomed by not-for-profit pressure group Drive Electric, though this organisation - which involves 17 new car brands, including TNZ - says the move still doesn’t go far enough.
Mr Lala says the UK’s move is both an encouragement to New Zealand policy-makers and a danger sign that this country could be flooded with used internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles at the end of this decade.
New Zealand needs to work urgently on the right policy settings that encourage much higher take up of electrified vehicles through meaningful financial incentives, he said today.
“We also need to make sure that we do not end up importing vast numbers of ICE passenger vehicles. Otherwise there is no hope of meeting the Paris Agreement’s 2050 net-zero carbon target.”
A push by new vehicle distributors, via their representative body, the Motor Industry Association, to introduce the ‘feebate’ that incentivises purchase of low and no-emissions cars has TNZ’s support. Mr Lala said the scheme, proposed in the last Parliamentary term by kyboshed by the Government’s then-partner, NZ First, has much merit.
The core element of the scheme is that it incentivises private and fleet buyers of low-emitting vehicles by adding a levy to high-emitting vehicles and using that revenue to reduce the price of low-emitting vehicles costing less than $80,000.
Mr Lala also reminds that the era of Covid-19 has affected car makers ability to produce and ship vehicles.
“As the worldwide supply of hybrid and battery electric vehicles becomes stretched due to global demand, New Zealand will find it harder and harder to access stock without a financial incentive.
“Essentially, we need to get our hybrid and EV numbers up to get higher stock allocations.
“The feebate scheme should be back on the table, urgently. Toyota New Zealand has opened a dialogue with the Minister of Transport, Michael Wood, and will continue to advocate for financial incentives for electrified vehicles.”
TNZ is easily the biggest seller of mild hybrid vehicles in this country – and is now seeing hybrid editions of popular models outselling their fully fossil-fuelled equivalents. However none will conceivably be considered when Government weans off fossil-fuelled cars in public service use and into electric models, as proposed.
the rav4 hybrid has become massively popular and outsells the fully fossil-fuel alternates.
The market leader has just one plug-in hybrid car, a version of the Prius, but will add another, in the form of a PHEV edition of its most model of the moment, the RAV4. It has plans to deliver an electric car in 2021.
Mr Lala has applauded Government for confronting environmental issues, but says it needs to put financial resources behind its policy.
“Companies such as Toyota (NZ) would be willing to supply the public sector with low-emitting vehicles, but not at cost – it needs to be a win-win for both parties.
“With transport emissions accounting for nearly 20 percent of all carbon output, we have a large influence on how New Zealand will progress to a zero-carbon economy. The transition to a low emissions transport market comes with a price tag, but the cost of not enabling a greater uptake of low emissions vehicle could cost Aotearoa/New Zealand and the planet a lot more.”
CONFIRMATION the UX 300e, the first EV production vehicle from Lexus, will come to New Zealand leaves uncertainty about whether parent Toyota also has a battery car heading this way as well.
Toyota New Zealand, of which Lexus New Zealand is an operational aspect, is declining to offer elaboration.
This comes after Neeraj Lala, chief executive of both, confirmed the 300e will be sold here. He would not say when that will happen and no other details have been forthcoming.
Lexus has cited China as a primary market for the model, hence why they chose to stage the international reveal at last year’s Guangzhou motor show. And while it also cited Europe and Japan as other recipient markets, it has never been clear about what other countries might be in line. Until now, of course.
With Lexus in the EV-sphere, where does that leave Toyota? It and Lexus have said they plan to release three EVs by the end of 2021. Also, in past discussions with media, but specifically during a media conference on August 3, Lala said the main brand will have its first EV on sale in NZ in 2021. The broader gameplan involving, as well as the single EV, a PHEV and more mild hybrids, was outlined on August 6 (https://www.motoringnz.com/news/2020/8/6/extra-electric-involved-product-for-tnz).
So is that the Lexus – bearing in mind that TNZ is always adamant, in the face of the obvious ownership situation and occasional engineering and technology cross-pollinations, that Lexus and Toyota are separate entities – or is it another car?
That question has been put directly to Lala today. However, the response, via TNZ’s communications channel, is no comment.
And so to the UX 300e. Built on Toyota’s GA-C platform, it runs a front-mounted motor that produces 269kW and 300Nm of torque. Energy comes from a 54.3kWh underfloor lithium ion battery offering a claimed range of around 315km on the official WLTP testing regime. It's capable of 0-100kmh in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 160kmh.
The model is capable of DC replenishment and rapid-charging from zero to 80 percent takes 52 minutes. It features a number of driving modes so that the performance of the motor can be better managed, along with paddles to alter the strength of the regenerative braking.
Lexus says the drivetrain has been developed with a focus on on-road performance and the goal of offering a quiet and refined driving experience. Extra bracing has been added over the regular UX hybrid and the dampers reworked to maintain optimum weight distribution.
The first market to announce intent to sell the right-hand-drive has been the United Kingdom.
It says it will take a single model, with two options: Premium Plus and Takumi. Standard equipment runs to LED headlights, heated seats, parking sensors, a reversing camera, 17-in alloys and smartphone integration.
Premium Plus, adds leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats, keyless entry and a wireless smartphone charger.
The Takumi option comprises an upgraded sound system, a 10.3-inch infotainment screen, surround view camera, 18-inch alloys and a sunroof.
Special features include Active Sound Control that “transmits natural, ambient sounds to communicate the driving conditions”. Smartphone integration will allow owners to check battery charge and remaining range remotely, be notified when charging is complete and pre-condition the car using the climate controls.
The 300e has not diverted from the general US styling, but of course has specific badging and has picked up aerodynamic wheels.
is one of these concepts shown last year destined to become toyota’s first electric car sold in new zealand?
FIVE more mild hybrids, a plug-in replenished battery-assisted model and a fully electric car are on Toyota’s national agenda, though sign-off for several – including the EV – has yet to be fully sorted.
What’s being sought and when it might arrive, all going to plan, has been shared by Toyota New Zealand.
Aside from the Yaris Hybrid covered extensively this week, the roll-out starts with another hybrid CH-R, but in a sportier-looking format that leverages the GR (Gazoo Racing) pitch that TNZ continues to develop. It’ll be here before the end of the year.
Following, apparently in the first half of 2021, are two vital volume products. The heavily revised Camry and a new Highlander, are also primarily – if not wholly – running battery-fed petrol drivetrains next year. So, if you still prefer a petrol V6, act fast. That choice will not transfer to the new lines.
Also tied down for New Zealand introduction, but with time yet to be fully sorted, is a hybrid Hilux. Toyota New Zealand’s chief executive, Neeraj Lala, says he hopes to see it in the latter part of next year, but accepts release could yet spill into 2022.
So that’s five: What else is in the thought stream? Two potential big-hitters that draw off mains power.
There’s the RAV4 PHEV/Prime, which replenishes its plug-in petrol-electric drivetrain off the grid. After debuting in North America last year, it’s now being built in right-hand-drive in Japan, but only for sale there at this time.
the rav4 prime was introduced to North America last year but has now entered right hand drive production, but just for Japan. TNZ has pitched for it. The car’s drivetrain (below) delivers around 90kms’ pure electric operation. It’s also designed to give a performance edge.
In this variant the front motor and inverter achieve more powerful output than the RAV4 hybrid system, the maximum system output cited at 225kW, which Toyota says, facilitates a 0-100kmh time of six seconds and “sporty, powerful driving”.
The make also claims a wholly electric driving range of 95 kilometres. That’s well above the cited range for Japan’s only logical competitor already sold here, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The EV range, and the car’s claimed total range of 1300km, is a calculation based on Japan domestic market processes.
Lala is keen to see it and says introduction as a domestic Japan model is a good thing.
“We’ve asked Toyota Motor Corporation if that car can be made available to New Zealand. We have not had confirmation yet but it is a car we would definitely like to have in our market.
For 2021? He hopes so. One alternate option for TNZ is to introduce it as a brand-backed used import, via the Signature Class channel, but Lala’s preference would be to represent it as a brand-new product.
But that can take time. “Introducing a new car isn’t easy … there has to be a lot of testing and compliance to ensure it meets our conditions. But generally, if something has been available as Japanese domestic it has been pretty much a safe choice for NZ compliance so we’re hoping there won’t be too many hoops to jump through.”
And then the ultimate step … a fully electric product. Which is what exactly; a completely new model or something based off an existing product?
No help here, from Lala. He’s sworn to absolute secrecy. “I cannot tell you anything about it.”
Highlander hybrid has already been confirmed for 2021 launch.So has Camry (below)
That doesn’t mean nothing is known. Toyota’s determination to branch away from being the global kingpin in hybrid drivetrains and start plugging into the zero emissions EV-sphere was announced 14 months ago, when it announced intention to create pure electrics not only for itself but also for other Japanese marques in which it has tech agreements.
Toyota then unveiled a new platform with enough flexibility to entertain what could be a very wide span of different kinds of vehicle – from small city cars to large sports utilities – using a "next step" solid state battery it also racing to get into production.
The starter project is an all-electric platform for midsize and large vehicles jointly developed with Subaru. Those brands are also working together to produce an electric crossover far more advanced than the mild hybrid Forester and XV recently launched here.
That vehicle, which will be sold separately under each brand, will debut in the early 2020s and, though the US is cited as a main target market, other countries where Subaru performs well (and that’s NZ) are expected to stand a chance.
Toyota is also working with Suzuki and Daihatsu to jointly develop a compact EV.
It revealed last year that its new platform would initially underpin six variations in all - a large SUV, a medium SUV, a medium crossover, a medium minivan, a medium sedan and the compact. Styling concepts of these proposals were presented at a forum on June 7.
TNZ’s intention to take an EV is an acknowledgement, after years of denial, that nothing less than a fully electric car with actual external recharging functionality has become a must-have in this market.
Even though it has long delivered battery-involved cars across the Toyota and Lexus line-ups that have a degree of regenerative capability, presently only one product in the showroom – Prius Prime PHEV – even counts as an EV.
That’s why Government departments and companies looking to include EVs in their fleets have had to bypass the Camry, Corolla, RAV4 and Prius mild (non mains-replenished) hybrids.
plug-in capability is a requirement to achieve electric vehicle status.
Toyota Motor Corporation has said its EV deployment plans will not slow down its hybrid imprint; hence why TNZ – which has 17 already, just two less than Lexus – is able and keen add more.
Yet Japan headquarters has also acknowledged a "sudden surge" of international EV popularisation – and the repercussion of increasingly stringent emissions requirements in China and Europe - has meant it has to reconsider its thinking, which until now has been that electrics are an unnecessary step between its petrol-electric hybrids and the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles it still sees as being the ultimate cars of the future.
Accordingly, it cites that of the 5.5 million battery-assisted vehicles it aims to build by 2025, almost one million might well be pure EVs.
TMC had intended to showcase unveil a solid-state battery for electrified vehicles ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were to have begun this week but instead have been delayed until 2021, assuming the world is by then on top of the coronavirus crisis that has caused so much disruption since March.
Solid state technology promises lighter, more powerful and safer batteries and could well be a breakthrough in popularising EVs.
Toyota is still forging ahead with a plan to start making EVs in China, purely for sale in that country. The first was expected to be a variant of the CH-R.
The new dedicated EV platform it has developed with partners is dubbed e-TNGA, a play on the company's new-generation Toyota New Global Architecture modular platform used by Corolla, Camry, RAV4 and the latest Yaris, also about to come on sale here, including in a mild hybrid form.
Toyota’s decision to also give Hilux a hybrid drivetrain was announced some months ago. Lala ‘s enthusiasm for this product is very high; he sees a big potential. Some others in the sector are looking to going all-electric – just this week the New Zealand importer for the LDV brand reckoned it will have a purely battery-compelled edition of the current T60 ute here next year. Production is set to kick off in the second quarter, with NZ market arrivals stated to start in the third quarter. Detail about the potential range, outputs and price ate still under wraps. LDV already has an electric van in the market with another on the way.
It’s far from clear whether a Hilux hybrid will be petrol-electric or diesel-electric. The latter would be a first for Toyota, which favours petrol-electric hybrid technology over diesel in its passenger car line-up.
NEW Zealand’s grand plan to have 64,000 electric vehicles on the roads by 2021 is proving a failure – so now the sector has hatched an ambitious new plan to have at least 250,000 of the vehicles on our roads by 2025.
Drive Electric, the organisation that wants to make EV ownership mainstream, has announced a new campaign involving five key policy platforms it wants the next Government to adopt to meet that target.
It’s a tough ask, if the poor results of the Government’s Electric Vehicles Programme announced four years ago are any indication.
That plan involved a package of measures with a target of doubling the number of EVs in New Zealand every year to reach 64,000 cars by next year. But the target has nowhere near been reached - by mid-year this year the total had reached just 20,916 – with more than 13,000 of those registrations used cars imported from overseas.
But Drive Electric argues that if New Zealand is going to meet climate change targets set by the Zero Carbon Act, it will need to see at least 250,000 new EVs on the roads by 2025, and for this trend to continue through to 2030. And that number should not include hybrids, it adds, because those non plug-in vehicles are still powered by fossil fuels.
In an interview with MotoringNZ, Drive Electric chair Mark Gilbert, pictured, criticised New Zealand’s lack of action regarding the takeup of EVs.
“Dear old New Zealand seems to be stuck in a time warp,” he said. “But nothing’s going to change if nothing changes. That’s why we are putting this proposal out there – to point out that you’ve got to actually do stuff to make thing happen.
Drive Electric points out that New Zealand must reduce emissions by around 60 per cent by 2030 to stay within 1.5C of warming, which is the target contained in the Zero Carbon Act.
Road transport is the second-largest source of emissions in New Zealand. Our light vehicle fleet constitutes more than 90 per cent of the travel on New Zealand roads. Therefore, e-mobility is an essential part of our transport future.
Gilbert adds that for the desired level of EV ownership to be achieved, New Zealand needs a bi-partisan target and pathway that will create certainty and guide investment in e-mobility.
“It is fair to New Zealanders to be upfront about the changes that are happening when it comes to cars, which for many if their first or second-biggest asset.
“With emissions targets that need to be met, and automotive technology shifting towards emissions-free, the time is now to plan for a future New Zealand that embraces e-mobility.”
Drive Electric proposes five key actions for the next Government.
It wants development of a bi-partisan pathway for the transport sector to deliver New Zealand’s climate change objectives. This should feature clear targets and a well-defined transition pathway which engages industry and has bi-partisan support. This would create investment certainty for future governments, transport agencies, businesses and individuals.
It wants businesses to be encouraged to purchase EVs for their fleets. Such vehicles are yet to reach price parity with new petrol and diesel vehicles, and corporates may need additional encouragement to invest in them in the short term. Policy initiatives such as changing fringe benefit tax to enable private use of corporate EVs, or increasing the rate of depreciation of such cars, would incentivise their uptake. Other tax and purchase incentives could be explored, based on international experience in markets such as Sweden.
It wants the Government to take leadership in EV use. Currently, less than 1 per cent of the government fleet of 16,000 vehicles are EVs, and yet the New Zealand Government Procurement body has a goal to have the government’s fleet emissions-free by 2025. The Government could take a leadership position by executing on this position and moving the entire fleet to electric.
It wants New Zealand made a globally attractive market for EVs. Without a clear target and pathway to transition, the country risks being overlooked by international car manufacturers as a market for new technology, competitive pricing and ranges in EVs. Worse, without clear government guidance on EV targets and emissions standards, we risk becoming a dumping ground for cheap petrol/diesel and hybrid vehicles from UK and Japan as they move to EVs.
It wants New Zealanders to be encouraged to move to EVs. Setting a bi-partisan target and transition pathway would create future certainty for motorists to consider EVs, especially as the cost of ownership reaches parity.
A discussion document produced by Drive Electric in support of its new campaign says transforming New Zealand’s fleet to EVs would have positive impacts beyond reducing emissions.
The country would be less reliant on foreign oil, which would reduce the balance of payments. Air pollution would reduce. Over time, families would save money on fuel and operating costs, particularly as the total cost of ownership of EVs is set to reach parity with petrol and diesel vehicles before 2025.
“Finally, New Zealand is an ideal market for electrification, because our electricity is renewable,” says the document.
Drive Electric is a not-for-profit organisation with a membership that represents the entire e-mobility ecosystem including electricity companies, car manufacturers, and finance companies. The five key policy platforms were devised by these members, supported by external experts including investment consultant Dr Paul Winton, economist Shamubeel Eaqub, and sustainability consultant James Walker.
Dr Winton, the founder of climate action group the 1Point5 Project, says reaching 250,000 EVs in the national fleet by 2025 is a challenging but realistic target for New Zealand.
“If we were to achieve EV adoption rates similar to what Norway has today for new-to-fleet vehicles by 2025, this would result in 250,000 EV in the light fleet. If we continued at that rate, our light fleet would comprise 30-40 per cent electric or zero emissions vehicles by 2030.
Dr Winton claims New Zealand’s transition would be easier than when Norway began 10 years ago, because EVs are becoming less expensive and more capable.
“By 2025 there will be no clear reason for consumers or businesses not to buy EVs. To buy a petrol or diesel vehicle in 2025 would be to buy a car that is more expensive at the outset, more expensive to run and repair, has a shorter lifespan, performs worse, and with higher emissions.”
AN edition of the X3 crossover at the forefront of BMW’s electric vehicle push in 2021 has been revealed in full production form and confirmed for New Zealand.
BMW New Zealand has been surprisingly subdued about the iX3, unveiled in Munich by video conference last night (below).
The Auckland-based distributor’s comment has restricted to notification that pricing and specification details relevant to our market will be announced closer to local launch. The exact timing for this has yet to be divulged.
The lack of further comment from the distributor around the car’s announcement is at odds with the noise it was making a week ago, when it offered opinion that it has achieved leadership among German premium brands for electrified vehicle sales.
It claims this is on the back of BMW and MINI having shored up 25.8 percent of the premium segment in the first half of the year with ‘electrified’ vehicles – a descriptive apparently encompassing mild and plug-in hybrids (iPerformance in BMW-speak) which span everything from a hybrid 2-Series to the i8 whose production has been discontinued (though two remain unsold in NZ), as well as the sole pure battery-driven car it has here, the i3.
Claim that these models have been “outselling other German brands in the premium segment by more than 300 percent” seems an especially bold statement given the current car sales climate. And it has become one the brand has not yet been keen to unwrap further.
A request for further elaboration appears to still be churning through the local distributor’s media response process, which has become laborious since it ditched in-house media communications last year and contracted the role to an Auckland PR company, whose general policy is to pass on inquiries to BMW regional office in Australia to achieve a response that is subsequently relayed back to the media organisation. Or not.
By the time the iX3 lands, BMW will already have another small all-electric in the market, in the form of the MINI Electric hatch, whose first shipment arrives soon. BMW claims the entire 2020 allocation has already been sold out but has not said how many vehicles that comprises.
The iX3 is likely to be pitched as a competitor for three like-sorted models already on sale here - the Mercedes EQC, Audi e-tron and Tesla Model X – though those all offer all-wheel-drive, whereas the Munich model is rear-drive only.
BMW’s car also differs in being more obviously based on an existing model, yet it nonetheless represents an important step. It’s not just BMW’s first electric SUV, but also the first BMW to be available with either pure combustion, plug-in hybrid or pure electric power.
It’s also the first BMW for global export to be built in China - a plant developed with a partner in that country, Brilliance, will be the sole production point - and is the first to feature the brand’s “fifth-generation” electric drivetrain technology, which will be applied on upcoming EVs like the i4 sedan and the range-topping iNEXT SUV.
The X3’s platform has been adapted with a new rear sub-frame that can house an electric motor and an 80Wh battery pack that, BMW says, is 20 percent more energy dense than any battery it has used before.
Combined with a 210kW electric motor driving the rear axle, BMW claims a maximum range of around 460km on a single charge, 0-100kmh in 6.8 seconds, and a top speed of 180kmh.
Charging can be handled at up to 150kW at a suitable direct-current (DC) rapid charger station, enabling a 0-80 percent replenishment in 34 minutes. Alternating current (AC) single-phase and on-board three-phase charging at 11kW is also standard.
BMW is talking up the car’s adaptive energy recuperation system, which it claims automatically enhances efficiency on longer drives. Using location data from BMW’s latest cloud-based navigation system, the iX3 can autonomously change the level of braking recuperation on the move and according to the road ahead. For instance, if the car recognises that a stop sign is ahead, full recuperation will be deployed without any need for the driver to select it.
Alternately, the driver can take manual control of the regenerative braking, with three levels of resistance availed. A ‘B’ position on the Drive selector enables high enough energy recovery for one-pedal driving around town, a trick the brand appears to have nabbed from Toyota/Lexus.
The iX3 gets a unique tune for its standard adaptive suspension system with electronically controlled dampers. Alternately, buyers will be able to specify a sportier Adaptive M suspension setup.
The front grilles are closed off for aerodynamic purposes and the bumpers have been reprofiled and it gets set of aerodynamic wheels styled to reduce the drag coefficient by around five percent compared with regular X3 wheels.
“WE are still discussing the car but our desire is to take it as it will become a volume seller here.
“I have seen the vehicle as a concept and I know it will work and become a mainline seller here.”
So, there you have it. The viewpoint from Audi NZ boss Dean Sheed, in respect to the latest electric from Ingolstadt unveiled to the world today, could surely not be plainer.
As soon as the Q4 e-tron hits the production line – at the moment, that’s timed for late this year, pesky Covid-19 allowing - he’ll be booking it a ticket to our market and making arrangement for it to achieve permanent residency, with intent to have it fully settled in by early 2022.
And why not? The car’s credentials are really quite impressive, and not just because of the cited potential range of 500km.
In addition to being Audi’s seventh EV it is also the first on the MEB platform, the structure upon which all key VW Group electric vehicles already signed off for NZ introduction are based. VW’s impending ID family, starting with the ID3 hatch and a close-following ID4 crossover, the SEAT El-Born and Skoda Enyaq are all close cousins.
When you think Q4, it’s times two. A more orthodox hatch – subject of a preview last year - and now the car revealed today, a rakish, coupe-style Sportback offshoot, which is the one that especially has Sheed’s attention.
He suggests the cars each “sit nicely between the Q3 and Q5 exterior dimensions (German logic) and the Sportback denotes the coupe style to the body – think the latest Q3 SUV to the Q3 Sportback.”
By the time Q4 arrives, Audi will have already enlarged its electric family beyond the e-tron SUV that has been on sale for almost a year, and a Sportback coming on sale in late September, to include S versions of those cars – coming in the third quarter of next year - plus the e-tron GT.
The last is basically a sister ship to the Porsche Taycan and potentially the most exclusive Audi EV here until 2025, when the so-called A9, a new flagship model being developed by an in-house working group called Artemis, arrives.
The S variants of e-tron have just been unveiled in Europe and will certainly add fizz to the category. As the first production electric cars to feature three electric motors they pump out around 372kW, which translates to a 0-100kmh time of 4.5 seconds and top speed of 210kmh. It’s the second fastest S model Audi makes, beaten only by the petrol-gulping S8 sedan.
Anyway, Audi’s incoming EV imprint is something of a mass attack, and even though it’s not one specifically aimed at the mass market – that’s a turf VW, Skoda and SEAT will be focussing on – it will be expected to be Ingolstadt’s highest volume EV for the foreseeable future.
Rivals will be other plush electric SUVs such as the Tesla Model Y and Volvo XC40 Recharge. Undoubtedly the BMW i4 will also be considered a foil.
So, anyway, with the timelines all sorted, potential Kiwi customers have a good year to consider which version they might prefer – one with, as Audi AG puts it, “the versatility and robustness” of the classic SUV or the dynamic elegance of the Coupe variant.
Either way, the dimensions are almost identical. With an exterior length of 4.6 metres and a height of 1.6m, the Sportback is 1cm longer and flatter than the hatch. They’re identical for width (1.9m) and wheelbase (2.77m).
They also have the same drive technology, comprising two electric motors mobilising 225kW of system output, transferring via quattro all-wheel drive (which, in EV terms, means each wheel set having an electric motor to drive it) or, optionally, via the rear wheels alone, in which case there’s just a single electric motor.
The all-paw edition is designated the performance format, but that’s not going to make it a threat to any of Audi’s petrol-dedicated RS cars.
Perhaps the inevitable S variants will zap things up all the more, but at present with Q4 e-tron quattro zero to 100kmh occurs in 6.3 seconds and, as on the other MEB cars, top speed is restricted to 180kmh.
The electric motors are fed by an 82 kiloWatt hour battery that takes up almost the entire space in the underbody area between the axles. A range of “over 450 kilometres” assessed under the worldwide harmonised light vehicle (WLTP) process is claimed for the quattro and just over 500km for the rear-drive. Audi sees this as setting a benchmark in its class.
Even though it’s dual motor, in most cases, the quattro mainly uses its rear electric motor, a permanently excited synchronous motor, in order to achieve the highest efficiency. For reasons of efficiency, the drive torque is generally distributed with a rear-axle bias.
Audi says if the driver demands more power than the rear electric motor can supply, the electric all-wheel drive uses the front asynchronous motor to redistribute the torque as required to the front axle. “This also happens predictively even before slip occurs in icy conditions or when cornering fast, or if the car understeers or oversteers.”
The electric motor in the rear end has an output of 150 kW and torque of 310Nm. The front motor supplies the front wheels with up to 75kW and 150Nm. The system output is 225kW. The battery is charged with a maximum of 125 kilowatts so therefore takes little more than 30 minutes to reach 80 percent of the total capacity, assuming with direct charge replenishment.
The compact electric product line also features a sophisticated recuperation strategy, “leaving out no possibility for optimising its range” according to the factory bumpf. “The complex thermal management of the drive and battery, which involves a CO2 heat pump, also contributes to this.”
It says a key factor for the car’s sporty character and outstanding transverse dynamics is the low and central position at which the drive components are installed, not least that 510kg battery.
“The high-voltage battery system is optimally matched to the dimensions of the Audi Q4 Sportback and is located between the axles in the form of a flat, broad block beneath the passenger compartment. The centre of gravity … is therefore at a similar level to that of a sedan with a conventional drive system.
“Axle load distribution is perfectly balanced at almost 50:50. The front wheels of the Q4 Sportback e-tron concept are guided on a MacPherson axle with adaptive dampers. In the rear, there is a multi-link axle with separate springs and adaptive dampers.”
Ingolstadt is really chirpy about the Sportback styling, particularly in respect to how the silhouette slopes downward to the back in a subtle and dynamic curve, part of the effort to achieve an impressive aero of just 0.26 Cd.
“The roof line transitions into the significantly inclined D-pillars and ends in a horizontal spoiler at the level of the lower window edge. As a result, the future Audi Q4 Sportback appears much longer than its sister model, the Q4 e-tron concept.” It’s impossible for Audi not to mention any new design without claiming reference to the legendary original quattro of 1980. With the Q4 e-tron the lineage expresses in those prominently modelled wheel arches.
As much as the Sportback is being pushed as the prettier thing, it is hardly calling the more orthodox alternate a mutt. “The widened features of the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback are designed to be highly organic and flowing, and they add a characteristic touch to the side view.”
It is confident no-one will be troubled understanding how these two models belong to the same e-tron family. Likewise, neither will there be any misunderstanding to them being battery-fed, claiming “it will take no more than two glances to see that this is an electric Audi.” Oh yes, and you’re correct in assuming these cars run on 22 inch hoops.
Of course, so slinky is all well and good, but what of interior space? Well, that the cars present in four-seater format suggests compromise has been unavoidable. Yet Audi also proposes that the 2.77m wheelbase and the lack of a transmission tunnel deliver enough pluses for it to offer “unsuspected spaciousness and comfort, especially in terms of legroom at the front and even more in the rear.” They’ve also meted it an interior colour scheme to accentuate impression of it being less than of a cocoon; so, dark hues are restricted to the carpets and upper section is lighter hues, with the headlining, window pillars and the upper section of the door rail and dash panel fitted with white and beige microfiber textiles.
The latter also reflects a sustainability priority: The floor covering is made of recycled materials and, instead of chrome-plated metal decor frames, the surfaces are covered with a high-quality multi-layer paint finish. Seats are upholstered in Alcantara material rather than leather here.
As expected, the Q4 follows in the e-tron SUV’s tyre tracks in making full use of Audi’s virtual cockpit tech; core display elements for speed, charge level, and navigation are located behind the steering wheel but there’s also the new feature of a large-format head-up display with an augmented reality function. It can display important graphical information, such as directional arrows for turning, directly on the course of the road.
Control panels designed as touch elements on the steering wheel spokes can be used to select frequently used functions. In the middle above the centre console, there is a 12.3-inch touchscreen via which the infotainment and vehicle functions are displayed and operated, with ventilation controls below.
As the centre console does not need to account for a gear lever or hand brake, it becomes a stowage compartment that includes a cell phone charging cradle. A horizontal area into which the selector button for the transmission mode is integrated also serves as a cover for the front section of the console.
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