VW offers first look at future mobile quick charger for EVs
Up to four electric vehicles can plug into VW's mobile charging station at the same time(Credit:Volkswagen)
VIEW GALLERY - 3 IMAGESDespite the ever-increasing battery life of our mobile phones, many of us carry around a portable power bank just in case. In a similar vein, VW is developing a mobile quick charge station for electric vehicles, which can juice up as many as 15 EVs before its cells need charging.
VW says that the mobile charging station could find use in public parking lots, company bays or as a temporary installation as large events like concerts or exhibitions. And the first units could roll out as soon as the first half of next year as part of a pilot project in the company's home town of Wolfsburg in Germany. If the pilot proves a success, the charging station will be installed in other cities and communities from 2020.
"The mobile charging stations are a decisive step toward an efficient network of charging points," said VW's Thomas Schmall. "They can be set up anywhere as required – with or without connection to the power supply. This flexibility enables a completely new approach for the rapid expansion of the charging infrastructure. Cities can, for example, find out the most suitable places for a permanent charging point before making major investments in developing the network. In addition, it will be possible to set up a large number of charging stations temporarily – exactly when and where they are needed."
The unit will make use of battery cells originating from electric vehicles, where they have been swapped out for fresh ones after charging capacity has fallen below a certain level. If such batteries are still deemed suitable after "thorough analysis," they can be given a second life in VW's 360 kWh mobile charging station.
When a charging station's own batteries fall below 20 percent capacity, the whole unit can be swapped out for another mobile charging station and the original recharged off-site. Though, if the unit is connected to an AC power supply all of the time courtesy of a permanent 30 kW grid connection, the batteries will continually replenish themselves.
"Our mobile charging stations offer a further crucial advantage," added the company's Mark Möller. "It is only when an electric car is charged with sustainably generated power that it can claim CO2-neutral mobility. Our charging station is the first to offer the possibility of temporarily storing sustainably generated power."
Up to four electric vehicles can plug in to the mobile charging station at the same time, including electric bikes – there will be two DC connections and two AC – and 100 kW DC quick charging is supported, which will top up an electric car in as little as 17 minutes. VW suggests that the location of installed mobile units could be made available to customers via a mobile app.
Source: VW
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Hyundai's Kona EV has great range and costs as much as the average car
The electric SUV will take you 258 miles, but will it be affordable enough?
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Hyundai announced late last week that the Kona Electric, the company's second fully electric vehicle, will start at $36,450 in the US when it goes on sale in early 2019 — basically dead even with the current average sale price of a new car in the United States, according to Kelley Blue Book.
On one hand, that's amazing. It's a sign that automakers are now able to ship what is still pretty radical new technology — an entirely electric drivetrain — at a cost that's on par with the auto industry's most typical purchase price. And with 258 miles on a full charge, the Kona Electric is no slouch on range, which is one of the most important deciding factors when it comes to convincing people to switch to electric cars in these early days.
But it's also a reminder that many budget-minded buyers are going to remain priced out of electric cars in the near term. That's a bit of a shock coming from Hyundai, which Kelley Blue Book says typically sells cars at an average price closer to $25,000.
Hyundai still deserves a lot of credit. The Kona Electric's 258 miles of estimated range eclipse the advertised range of most other EVs on (or about to hit) the market. That's about 20 miles more than GM squeezed into the Chevy Bolt EV, and it's 38 miles more than the base level Model 3 that Tesla plans to start making in 2019. (Tesla recently announced a mid-range version that is good for 260 miles, though that starts at $46,000.) And it crushes a similarly priced new Nissan Leaf by almost double (150 miles).
The Kona will even outlast electric cars that cost far more. The Kona's 258 miles beat out the range offered by the Jaguar I-Pace (234 miles), the base level Tesla Model X (237 miles), and will likely edge the Audi E-Tron (which is around 248 miles, though that's based on the slightly more optimistic European standards), as well as the forthcoming Mercedes Benz EQC (expected to be in the low 200 mile range).
Hyundai is known for making some of the more affordable cars on the market, but the Kona Electric won't undercut much of its direct competition. The Chevy Bolt EV starts at $36,620. Tesla's cheapest Model 3, when it arrives, will start at $35,000. And Volkswagen is targeting the low $20,000 range with the most affordable versions of its upcoming electric cars, though it's still not clear how much range those models will offer. (VW is said to be preparing a top-end model with over 300 miles of range.)
THE KONA BEATS MANY ELECTRIC CARS ON RANGE, BUT IT'S UNFORTUNATELY IN A SIMILAR BALLPARK OF PRICE
The $7,500 federal tax credit offered to buyers of all-electric vehicles will help drag that sticker price down, as will certain state incentives. (Though the future of the federal tax credit is a bit cloudy, as Trump has threatened to weaponize it against GM for its recent plant closure announcements.)
But even if the price is right for some, Hyundai's rollout of the Kona will also be a bit slow in the US. The company says it will put the electric SUV on sale first in California, before shifting to "zero emissions vehicle-focused states" in the western and northeastern regions of the US ahead of a wider launch. GM has taken a similar approach with the Bolt, and while sales steadily increased in the electric car's first year, they dipped in 2018 as the automaker struggled to both keep up production and foster demand. Hyundai has also had its own troubles maintaining production to meet demand of its first EV, the $30,000, 150-mile Ioniq.
All told, the Kona Electric's most intense competition might come from its sister company, Kia. The fellow South Korean automaker is nearing the release of the Niro EV, an all-electric SUV that's largely built on the same technological platform as the Kona. It's still early, but the Niro is likely to fall in a similar price range and appears to have a less bare-bones interior than the Kona.
The Kona Electric and the Niro are exciting because they're a signal that even more budget-conscious automakers are starting to bring competent and attractive electric vehicles to market. But they're also proving how difficult it remains to strike that long sought-after balance of plentiful range and a price tag that's within reach of most Americans
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