Thursday, December 13, 2018

ANS -- Two brief articles about vehicles going electric

Here are two brief articles about the state of vehicle manufacturing with respect to electric vehicles.  
--Kim

Germany's Opel announces plans for electric van in 2020

  • Opel is among several major companies ramping up their presence in the electric vehicle sector.
  • The business will also open its order books for a battery electric version of its popular Corsa model.
Published 6:09 AM ET Thu, 6 Dec 2018  Updated 7:31 AM ET Thu, 6 Dec 2018

German automaker Opel is set to roll out an electric model of its Vivaro van. 

The new midsize van will be available as a battery electric vehicle in 2020, the company said in an announcement Thursday. 

In addition, Opel will open its order books for a battery electric version of its popular Corsa model and a plug-in hybrid version of its Grandland X sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the first half of 2019. 

Opel's CEO, Michael Lohscheller, said that the new Corsa would "make electro-mobility affordable for many customers." 

Lohscheller added that the company was "putting maximum effort into the electrification of our portfolio." 

Founded in 1862, Opel is one of the largest carmakers in Europe. It has been part of French company Groupe PSA since August last year. 

Opel is among several major companies ramping up their presence in the electric vehicle sector. 

In 2017, for example, Volvo Cars announced that every new car it launched would have an electric motor from 2019. The business also wants fully-electric cars to account for 50 percent of sales by the year 2025. 

In September 2018, Mercedes-Benz launched its first totally electric SUV. The Mercedes-Benz EQC was unveiled at an event in Stockholm, Sweden, and is the first vehicle produced under Mercedes' technology brand EQ. September also saw Audi begin mass production of its e-tron, the brand's first totally-electric SUV.

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Volkswagen says last generation of combustion 

engines to be launched in 2026

VW, Europe and China's best selling passenger car brand, will focus 

on electric cars instead.ead.

An American flag flies next to a Volkswagen car dealership in San Diego, California
An American flag flies next to a Volkswagen car dealership in San Diego, California, U.S. September 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
Dec. 5, 2018 / 3:41 AM PST
By Reuters

Volkswagen will develop its final generation of vehicles using combustion engine technology in 2026, the company's strategy chief said on Tuesday.

VW made a strategy shift toward battery-driven vehicles in the wake of a damaging diesel-emissions cheating scandal in 2015, which forced the carmaker to pay billions of dollars in fines for hiding excessive pollution.

"In the year 2026 will be the last product start on a combustion engine platform," Michael Jost told the Handelsblatt automotive summit conference at Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany.

A spokesman confirmed Jost's remarks meant that VW, Europe and China's best selling passenger car brand, will focus on electric cars instead.

VW will continue to adapt its petrol and diesel engined cars to meet environmental standards during the lifetime of those vehicles, but the German carmaker is now committed to radical steps to stop global warming, Jost said.

As a way to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord, Volkswagen has changed its car development benchmarks to include the target of radically cutting levels of carbon dioxide pollution in production as well, Jost said.



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Germany's Opel announces plans for electric van in 2020

  • Opel is among several major companies ramping up their presence in the electric vehicle sector.
  • The business will also open its order books for a battery electric version of its popular Corsa model.
Published 6:09 AM ET Thu, 6 Dec 2018  Updated 7:31 AM ET Thu, 6 Dec 2018

German automaker Opel is set to roll out an electric model of its Vivaro van. 

The new midsize van will be available as a battery electric vehicle in 2020, the company said in an announcement Thursday. 

In addition, Opel will open its order books for a battery electric version of its popular Corsa model and a plug-in hybrid version of its Grandland X sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the first half of 2019. 

Opel's CEO, Michael Lohscheller, said that the new Corsa would "make electro-mobility affordable for many customers." 

Lohscheller added that the company was "putting maximum effort into the electrification of our portfolio." 

Founded in 1862, Opel is one of the largest carmakers in Europe. It has been part of French company Groupe PSA since August last year. 

Opel is among several major companies ramping up their presence in the electric vehicle sector. 

In 2017, for example, Volvo Cars announced that every new car it launched would have an electric motor from 2019. The business also wants fully-electric cars to account for 50 percent of sales by the year 2025. 

In September 2018, Mercedes-Benz launched its first totally electric SUV. The Mercedes-Benz EQC was unveiled at an event in Stockholm, Sweden, and is the first vehicle produced under Mercedes' technology brand EQ. September also saw Audi begin mass production of its e-tron, the brand's first totally-electric SUV.

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