Electel Blogspot

Ford's Mustang Mach-E all-electric SUV will be on sale in summer of next year in Ireland, with a starting price of €50,000, writes Brian Byrne . In a departure from the traditional way of buying cars, the Mach-E will be sold exclusively on-line, though customers will have the option of going to their dealer and having them process the purchase for them. For those who go the online route, they will nominate a dealer from whom they can collect their vehicle or have it delivered by them. The car will be available with rear-axle or dual-axle motors setup, the latter providing AWD capability. Acceleration will be at supercar levels, with a 0-100km/h sprint possible in as little as 3.7 seconds. Standard and extended range variants will be available, the latter giving up to 610kms between charges. Three drive modes will offer a range of driving styles, bannered Whisper, Active and Untamed. The AWD version will have a shorter range of up to 540kms. Connectivity technology will include a ...

A suburb of Atlanta in Georgia, USA, has installed the first section of solar roadway in the US, writes Brian Byrne . The section uses French-developed solar cells built into the road surface, which will generate power for a free car charging unit at City Hall in Peachtree Corners. The French company, Colas Group, say these panels can be applied directly to an existing road surface and provide comparable levels of grip to conventional road materials. There is also the prospect of the system providing heat to clear snow.  

The EQS coming in first half of 2021. Mercedes-Benz plans to launch six new EQ electric car models through 2021/2022, writes Brian Byrne . They will include the EQS luxury sedan in the first half of next year, followed by the compact SUVs EQA and EQB, then the EQE and finally SUV variants of the EQS and EQE in 2022. These will add to the already in production EQC and and EQV all-electric cars. Mercedes-Benz will also be producing its own batteries for the cars, at plants in Germany, Poland, China and the US.  

MG Motor Ireland has released full details and prices for its new electric and plug-in hybrid SUVs, writes Brian Byrne . The MG ZS EV is a compact SUV priced from €28,995 and with a range of 263km. There's a 7-year warranty on the car and the battery. It comes with a high level of driver assist technology including adaptive cruise control and automatic high beam. An Exclusive grade adds heated and power-adjustable seats and a panoramic sunroof.  The MG HS plug-in hybrid model has a starting price of €33,150 and an EV range of 52kms. The primary power is from a 1.5 turbo petrol engine and the combined system offers a 0-100km/h in less than seven seconds.  Anyone buying either can before the end of January will get a free home wallbox charging unit installed.  

In association with a Climate Action Event organised by the Kildare Public Participation Network for the weekend beginning Friday 27 November 2020, Kilcullen Diary produced a short series of related podcasts. This episode features Barry McMahon and Eamon Stack talking about their Narraghmore-based social enterprise, Range Therapy, which adds an extra battery to older short-range Nissan Leafs to bring them close to the range newer versions can travel between charges. Produced by Brian Byrne .  

Audi has begun series production of its new e-tron GT, which will be the brand's most powerful electric vehicle, writes Brian Byrne . Orders for the car will be accepted from the Spring of next year. In line with the move towards carbon-neutral production, the Böllinger Höfe factory where the car is being built operates on 100pc eco-electricity and heat from regenerative sources.  

Volvo is investing €68m in developing in-house production of electric motors at its powertrain plant in Skövde, Sweden, writes Brian Byrne . Initially the company will assemble the e-motors from brought-in parts, but plans to develop full manufacture at the plant. Volvo says half its fleet of cars will be fully electric by 2025, with the balance being hybrids. The Skövde plant is of very historic significance to Volvo, as the brand's first car was powered by an engine produced there.  

This was always going to be an interesting drive, writes Brian Byrne . Volkswagen's ID.3 has been much awaited, and as the brand's first dedicated electric car, a seriously important one for them. The ID.3's production and launch was carefully choreographed. A constant stream of information in advance of its reveal made it clear the company were intent on the car becoming a game-changer and a bench-marker. When it came to actually opening the door to potential customers, they streamed out a social media-based programme. Would-be buyers could register interest and were then invited to lodge a €1,000 refundable deposit which would keep them in the loop for early order and delivery. In Ireland, more than 400 keen punters put up the money. A year ago they saw the car in the metal at a static presentation and got a two-month window to confirm their order. The first deliveries here were in September. In that month, the ID.3 was the best selling car in the country, a feat repeated...

In a partnership with SSE Airtricity, all buyers of the new Honda e electric car will get a free home charging system, writes Brian Byrne . The car is due to go on sale here at the end of the month, priced from €29,995 after grants and VRT relief. Reflecting the urban direction of the new car, there are five dealerships selling the model, all in the major cities. They are Des Darcy Honda, Swords Co. Dublin; Clonskeagh Motors Honda, Clonskeagh Road Dublin 14; Kevin O’Leary Honda, Silversprings Co. Cork; T Sheils Honda, Limerick, and T Sheils Honda, Galway. SSE owns and operates 28 onshore wind farms totalling 890MW across the island of Ireland, offsetting over 700,000 tonnes in carbon emissions annually. So the partnership means that the electricity consumed by Honda e owners will be a green as the car. 

Audi has revealed the prototype for a new member of its e-tron electric car family, the e-tron GT, writes Brian Byrne . With a power output of nearly 700ps, the coupe features two electric motors, air suspension, 4-wheel steering, and the ability to recharge 100km in five minutes at a suitable charging outlet. An intriguing feature is, when the car is getting close to a chosen charging station, the system begins cooling the battery so that it is ready for optimum charging. The production version will be released next year, with a guide price in Germany of €143,000. The company says the car will be available in all key markets. The Audi e-tron GT is being built at Audi Böllinger Höfe at Neckarsulm on the same line as the Audi R8.  

Volkswagen's electric car ID.3 was the best selling car in Ireland for the second month in a row, in October, writes Brian Byrne . With 4pc of car sales for the month, the ID.3 contributed strongly to also making Volkswagen the top brand in Ireland during October, taking 12.44pc of the market. The brand is also the best seller for 2020 to date. Meanwhile, October saw new car sales bump up more than 6pc when compared to October 2019, with 2,315 units registered, according to figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. Total passenger cars year to date are down 25.2pc.  

The first completely driverless cars will be on the streets of San Franciscoin California before the end of the year, following the granting of a permit to the Cruise self-driving technology company, writes Brian Byrne . The cars will not require a safety driver under the terms of the permit. Cruise is backed by General Motors and Honda for self-driving technology, and the prototypes are adapted versions of the Chevrolet Bolt electric car. The company says it has already completed over two million miles of testing of its technology. Only company people will be allowed in the cars on San Francisco streets for the moment.  

It's hard to decide whether the new Honda e is futuristic or retro in style, writes Brian Byrne . But it certainly looks distinctive. And it is bigger than the square box style makes it look. I had an introductory run in the car this week, a short one because the drive event was under Covid limitations. It wasn't enough to offer a proper review, but it made me smile. That's the thing about this little car. It's cheerful. I know it doesn't make sense to ascribe emotions to a hunk of metal, glass and plastic with four wheels, but that's how it is anyhow. The size is between the Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris. In electric car terms, the Honda e is smaller than Renault's Zoe. Honda make no apology for the size, or the relatively short range which we might mention later. The car is designed absolutely for the urban owner. Nipping around city streets, easy to park (it will do it for you), enough boot space for shopping but not for long-distance luggage. Inside i...

Renault has revealed details of two new cars and a concept over the last two days, which among other things emphasise the electrification of the Renault and Dacia brands, writes Brian Byrne . A compact coupe-SUV car coming to Ireland in September of next year is the Arkana (below), which will be powered by the Renault e-tech hybrid system that the company says will operate in city traffic in electric mode more than 70pc of the time. A concept Megane eVision concept (top picture) previewed a new generation of Renault cars on a new modular EV platform. Due in right-hand-drive in 2022, it will build on the Renault experience over 10 years of design and manufacture of electric vehicles. More than 300,000 EVs have been sold in Europe by the brand in that time. The Dacia Spring is the budget brand's first all-electric car and is promised to be the most affordable electric car on the market. It is being promoted under three areas — as a solution for the growing car-sharing market, as a...

Opel's new generation Corsa landed in Ireland in February, and I didn't get a chance to drive one until recently because that pesky lockdown got in the way, writes Brian Byrne . So the first version I had for review happened to be the electric one, the Corsa-e. But let's look at the model generally first. It's the sixth generation of a nameplate which has probably been the driving instruction vehicle for two generations of young people. It may also have been the first car for many of them. And also one for many older people downsizing into retirement. Getting the Corsa to its new space took some extra time. The sixth version was delayed pending the outcome of merger negotiations between the GM-owned German brand and the Peugeot-Citroen PSA Group. So instead of a usual seven or eight years between generational changes, this one took an even dozen. It's an all-new car, with no carryover from its predecessors, instead being a close cousin to Peugeot's new 208. Bu...