Green News   l l l l Home New Models Industry Green News Odds n’Ends More Green News 0-80 in 30 minutes Britain Set for Automotive Revolution GoGo Electric Current Events - What’s Watt Gordon Murray Design & Zytek Automotive Announce Electric City Car Programme Motorists Would Slow Down To Save Planet Liberty Electric Cars To Create 250 Manufacturing Jobs In North East England Top 50% Of European Vehicles Now Average Only 130g/km Co2 Glass’s Highlights Battery Ownership Issues The new breed of electric vehicles (EVs) soon to be launched in the UK will have residual values well below those of rival petrol and diesel models, unless manufacturers properly address customer concerns regarding battery life and performance. The warning comes from Glass’s, which has conducted a detailed analysis of the factors that will affect depreciation for EVs. The company has been working closely with three of the manufacturers who will produce cars featuring in the first wave of EV launches. “After one year of ownership we would expect EV residual values to be above the segment average expressed in terms of pound values,” explains Andy Carroll, Managing Director at Glass’s. “But, if the battery is owned rather than leased, and lacks the appropriate extended warranty, the value of the typical EV will then fall dramatically until the vehicle is five years old, at which point the car will have a trade value little more than 10 per cent of the list price.” This alarming rate of depreciation is, says Carroll, a function of customer recognition that the typical EV battery will have a useful life of up to eight years and will cost some £8,000 to replace. Manufacturers can however address this problem. Carroll cites the example of an EV in the lower- medium segment. “If the anticipated £8,000 cost of the battery in such a car were taken off the list price, and recovered instead through a long-term £100-per-month battery lease scheme, the retained value in monetary terms would make it one of the best performing used cars in its segment, rather than one of the worst.” Through such an arrangement, any anxiety surrounding battery life would be dispelled, argues Carroll, by ensuring that a guarantee of minimum battery performance is a feature of the lease agreement. “Average New Car CO2 Falling Faster Than Ever”, says new JATO report   • Volume-weighted, average European new car CO2 emissions have fallen by almost 20g/km since 2003   • 2009 experienced greatest single-year reduction in CO2 emissions   • New technologies, taxation, recession, high fuel prices and scrappage all driving CO2 downward   • Current rate of reduction puts 2015 EU targets within reach, says JATO  Average European new car CO2 emissions are falling at a faster rate than ever before and are on course to meet 2015 EU targets, according to JATO Dynamics. Last year saw the greatest single-year decline in average CO2, as the urge to put cleaner cars on the road was accelerated by the rich mix of customer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, the introduction of CO2 based taxes in some markets and national scrappage schemes across Europe favouring smaller, cleaner cars. The volume-weighted European new car average is now 145.9 g/km, almost 20 g/km less than 2003, when JATO began collating European CO2 emissions data.  Furthermore, half of all new cars sold in the 21 countries analysed had official CO2 emissions of 140g/km or less, compared to only 23% in 2003. Said David Di Girolamo, Head of JATO Consult:  “The pace of improvement is remarkable and shows just how rapidly the industry has reacted to environmental demands. In 2003, only 24% of the market achieved an average of 130g/km. This was 40% by 2007, 51% in 2008 and 69% last year, already ahead of the 2012 EU target. This achievement is even greater when set in the context of new cars becoming larger, safer and better equipped, as consumer demands reach ever higher.” According to JATO, the progress in CO2 emissions is due to three key factors:  1) Vehicle developments – including more efficient petrol and diesel engines, hybrid powertrains, more sophisticated transmissions, low rolling-resistance tyres, improved attention to detail, aerodynamics, stop-start technology and regenerative charging systems. Most manufactures now offer environmentally- oriented specific versions, combining many of these features, although they can be found individually in a wide range of models and segments. This progress has been swift and while specific environmentally-oriented versions are a small proportion of overall new car sales, many of the features they carry are filtering through to their ‘mainstream’ counterparts. This is a trend that will continue, as engines become smaller, lighter and more efficient. 2) Taxation – guiding demand towards these models and technologies are CO2-based purchase and/or ownership taxes; in some countries these have been introduced in tandem with higher taxes on fuel. Significant rises in fuel prices (due to global oil prices) continue to influence consumers’ choice of vehicle. 3) Scrappage schemes – during late 2008 and 2009, scrappage schemes in a number of European countries have benefitted the purchase of smaller, more efficient cars, in some cases with customers directly incentivised towards cars with low CO2 emissions. Even non-scrappage sales have seen a marked shift towards smaller cars, with the largest rise in B- segment vehicles, an effect of recessionary pressure on family budgets pushing many customers across Europe to consider fuel efficiency ahead of other factors, for the first time. The net result is that volume-weighted average CO2 emissions of new cars in the 21 countries studied fell from 165.3 g/km in 2003, to 153.7g/km in 2008. Through 2009, further progress brought the average CO2 emissions of new cars down to 145.9g/km. Di Girolamo continues: “The key point to note is that the rate of improvement has been increasing since 2007, through more low-CO2 technology and specific low-CO2 models on the road. Looking at year-on- year trends, it appears that, if the current momentum can be maintained, 130g/km by 2015, as required by the EU legislation, is achievable.” The above data is extracted from the JATO Consult CO2 Report 2009, available now, via www.jato.com, or consult@jato.com.   SMMT publishes Electric Car Guide for motorists  The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has published the Electric Car Guide to help motorists make more informed decisions when purchasing an electric vehicle. Presented in an easy to understand Q&A-style format, the free of charge publication addresses some of the common queries relating to electric vehicles including information about batteries, charging, vehicle performance, on-the- road cost, government incentives and safety. “Over the past decade, the pace of technological developments in the automotive industry has picked up considerably as vehicle manufacturers focus on increasing the fuel efficiency of their vehicles and cutting CO2 emissions,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT’s chief executive.  “Our responsibility is therefore greater than ever to guide motorists through the increasing range of choices they now face. It is important they understand the benefits they can experience, equipping them with the best information to make the right purchasing decision for their driving needs.” Transport secretary, Philip Hammond, recently confirmed that the ‘Plug-In Car Grant’, designed to stimulate demand for low carbon vehicles, will go ahead from January 2011. Motorists will be entitled to a grant for up to 25% of the cost (capped at £5,000), when buying an electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell car, providing it meets safety, reliability, performance and warranty standards set by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) in consultation with industry. The work of the Automotive Council aims to ensure the UK motor industry plays a significant role in the development of exciting, low carbon transport solutions. Working to achieve this, the Automotive Council will promote collaboration between industry, research communities and government to make the UK the location of choice for the development, demonstration and marketing of low carbon vehicles and fuels. The Electric Car Guide, published by SMMT, can be downloaded here. Nissan on the Charge In a bid to persuade journalists about the green qualities of their latest cars, Nissan invited us to drive four that in wildly different ways demonstrated how ‘charging’ was helping to deepen that green colour. The Micra has been around for many years, and has profited greatly from the current demand for small cars brought on by recession and the ever increasing taxation applied to thirstier motors. The new one is known as the DIG-S, which stands for Direct Injection Gasoline Supercharged, which tells you just about all you need to know. The supercharging of the 1.2-litre engine obviously increases the power – to 98PS in fact – but not at the expense of fuel economy, which is actually noticeably better than the naturally aspirated version. That amount of power in a wee Micra (3.78m long) you’d think would be impressive, but in truth it’s delivered in a fairly leisurely manner, so you’re not inclined to run the words ‘hot hatch’ through your mind as you drive it. The real surprise is how refined it is, for the Micra engines are blessed with no more than three cylinders. Nissan make the point that the official consumption of the petrol-engined DIG-S is better than most diesels, and you’ve got a double whammy here as you’re not having to pay the extra for buying and fuelling the thing, bearing in mind that uniquely here in the UK diesel is dearer than petrol. The official figure is 65.7 or 68.9mpg (depending on which model you go for), and though the computer on my short run in the car didn’t get to that level, I did manage 54.5 with driving that was in no way noticeably economical, so careful use could possibly achieve those bigger numbers. With CO2 emissions a remarkably low 95 or 98g/km, you’ve also of course got VED of zero and no Congestion Charge either. Price of the DIG-S runs from £11,150, which might sound a high base price for a small car, but it compares well when you take that mpg figure into account. It actually costs £1,000 more than the equivalent, non-supercharged version, but that’s less than the price premiums often charged for a manufacturer’s equivalent diesel versions. As for the fuel, petrol currently averages around 4p per litre less than diesel. There’s one power source that’s getting the lion’s share of attention at the moment, and that’s electricity. Hybrids multiply at a phenomenal rate, but of late it’s been the pure electrics that have been making the news. Such a one is Nissan’s LEAF, which to me seems a winning demonstration of just how easy and pleasant to drive these battery driven cars can be. Range is of course the all- important factor here, and with 109-odd miles available from a full charge (though not if you’re in a hurry), the LEAF demonstrates that it will fill the needs of more than the shops-and-back driver. Nissan refer to the acronymic LEAF (Leading Environmentally friendly Affordable Family car) as a “zero-emissions” car, which is of course true only up to a point: the point where the electricity is generated, which in our case is usually going to be a fossil-fuelled power station. But out of the LEAF tailpipe comes nothing; indeed there is no tailpipe, nor exhaust system, nor fuel tank, nor pump, nor injection system, nor a long list of other items that can all at times give us problems. The electric motor is a thing of simplicity, and therefore fundamental reliability, and you can charge the LEAF lithium-ion battery at home overnight, or at one of the fast-charging points (30 minutes restores up to 80% of battery power) that are beginning to sprout along our highways. That latter method won’t be as cheap as the home-sourced current, but might rescue you from the dead following a miscalculation of journey length. Nissan has teamed up with European utility and electrical vehicle supply equipment companies to both speed the development of cheaper, smaller, quick chargers for electric vehicle batteries, and also to accelerate the installation of publicly-available Quick Charge (QC) points across Europe. This agreement between Nissan, Circutor, DBT, Efacec, Endesa and Siemens is expected to result in a dramatic reduction in the price of the units – by over half to under €10K – paving the way for businesses such as service stations, car park operators and retail outlets to install quick chargers and run them profitably as a commercial enterprise. This will mean Nissan LEAF drivers, and other quick charge enabled vehicles, could use their car for longer journeys and recharge the car's battery in around half an hour to that 80% capacity. As a result, Nissan is confident that there will be thousands of QCs across Europe by the end of 2012, and tens of thousands by 2015. When that comes to pass, it will certainly open up Nissan LEAF ownership to a whole new spectrum of buyers who occasionally need to do longer journeys The LEAF is certainly easy to drive: no gears to worry you, and plenty of power (108PS) with torque equivalent to a 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine. Room on board this 4.45m car is impressive both front and rear, and there’s plenty of luggage space too (330 to 680 litres). Ride is fairly soft, but handling still impressive thanks to the low centre of gravity (batteries being mostly under the floor). I really liked the LEAF. At £25,990 it’s not cheap to buy, and bear in mind the price given here is after the £5,000 government grant, but global research indicates that the average daily mileage for 80% of the world's population is under 60 miles. The figure in the UK is under 30 miles, so a LEAF, possibly as a first car, but certainly as a second, would do the business comfortably. Nissan brought along two other cars for us to try, and these too utilised ‘charging’ to a greater or lesser degree. The Juke they had for us was the 1.6-litre petrol model, so a real ‘cooking motor’ you’d think, but you’d be very wrong. Take a look at Motorsville’s review of the Juke a few months back (Feb 2011), and you’ll read of a charismatic motor that in most respects is enjoyable to drive and own. However, the lowlier of the two 1.6 petrol engines that we tested then drew hefty criticism on account of the low gearing (a fault that Nissan is now seeing to). Unsurprisingly therefore, the fuel economy of that car – an official 44.1mpg at the time – was little better than the more powerful 1.6 DIG-T that we tried on this occasion. When I say ‘more powerful’ that massively understates the difference; the DIG-T actually develops 190PS against 117 for the lesser model. That’s an astonishing amount of power from a 1.6, and it feels as impressive as it sounds. Consumption on the combined cycle for this one is 40.9mpg, which illustrates the benefit of a small engine with hefty turbocharging. Most manufacturers will opt for the large engined solution when seeking power of this size, but that route will require at least a 2.2-litre engine and probably a 2.4 to match the Juke’s output, with fuel economy that’s likely to be in the low thirties. So looked at objectively – and whilst accepting that 190PS certainly ain’t a necessity in everyday motoring life – ‘charging’ again makes good green sense. Filing Nissan’s final car of the four – the GT-R – in the Green News pages is akin to putting a crocodile in the goldfish tank, but it does illustrate that even ultimate sports machinery is getting a touch less thirsty. If the Juke is impressive, the GT-R is uniquely so. No other production car manages this performance and output. Yes, there are cars with more than the GT-R’s 530PS, but not that many, and those there are have price tags even more alarming than the Nissan’s £72,000 or so. The GT-R’s 0-60 time is the lowest of any production car; the figure a remarkable 3.0 seconds. More importantly here, the GT-R’s consumption of 23.5mpg, whilst hardly in the green room, is vastly better than those few cars with more power. A Ferrari 612 Scaglietti for instance pushes out 539PS, but the consumption is a wallet- and planet-worrying 13.8mpg. Peter Cracknell – Sept 2011