THE WATTEV2BUY TOP 5 NEWSLETTER IS BACK

For those who thought wattEV2buy is dead…, it’s the furthest from the truth. Here is what I have been up to over the last year to improve wattEV2buy.

I was one of the first to put a shoulder behind the effort to promote and create awareness of electric vehicles online. wattEV2buy has been growing as a personal obsession with EVs since 2014. Unfortunately, I did this at my own expense in money and time. As the market grew, I started spending 18 hours a day, creating content and loading data. I had to do things differently or stop the effort altogether.

wattEV2buy has been a pioneer in many ways, being the first to allow users to search EVs from the perspective of their personal needs and situations to the very popular country and price lists. These tools have been copied by some of my competitors but also ended up on some OEMs pages.

The problem was that with the growth of the market, the time between new car data becoming available and added to the price and year release lists became longer, due to the static designs I utilized. I wanted the user to have accurate and dynamic data as soon as it became available. To this end, I spent the past year, creating a dynamic backend, redesigning, and linking the website to a professional database system. I am now able to update various lists and vehicle specs with the press of a button.

I have also created EV-Genius, the world’s first dedicated EV-Classifieds app. The dealer section went live this week, allowing dealers to quickly upload and share EVs across their social feeds. The customer side, already live as a website, will move from prototype to live shortly. Replacing annoying ICE based clutter with relevant EV information when you look for an EV. And in the new COVID world, the move to the cloud away from physical properties will accelerate. Does this sound like an exciting business idea? I am actively looking for large auto companies to develop EV-Genius to its fullest potential. If you are interested in finding out more, contact me through the wattEV2buy contact form.

So what is new on wattEv2buy’s front-end? I mentioned the country price lists and model lists, which have been improved so you can sort according to price and speed, imperial or metric, and pure electric or plug-in hybrid. There are also other improvements on the vehicle specs sheets, such as a compare section, ratings, and owner reviews. The frontpage is also improved so you can quickly find your preferred model or brand. Also, models available for sale from EV-Genius feed through to corresponding models on wattEV2buy.

Yes, I know the design of assets is still homemade, but hey, I make it myself to save costs, and you get all the data for free, so don’t judge. There are also some other exciting collaborations forming that will influence wattEV2buy’s future, which I am excited to share with you once official.

Now that all these improvements are completed, I can focus again on creating the weekly Top 5 EV News you depended on to stay current with the exciting market. The first official newsletter will commence next week. In the meantime, here are some highlights from the past two weeks you might have missed.

Thanks for showing interest and taking the time to read this far. Stay safe and healthy.

TOP EV NEWS #1 – GAC TRUMPCHI AION V LAUNCH DATE

GAC Trumpchi set the launch date for its third model in the Aion series, the Aion V compact SUV. The GAC Trumpchi Aion V EV SUV (cover image above) will launch on the 16th of June 2020 and is already available on pre-sale from ¥170,000 after incentives. The compact SUV is available in three range options, a 400km (250 miles), 530km (331 miles), and 375 km (375 miles).

The design of the Aion V flows from its larger brother the GAC Trumpchi Aion LX, and the stitched center armrests and door handles give the vehicle a more luxurious feel. The Aion Vs driver display and infotainment system are incorporated in a dual LCD setup.

The drivetrain of the Aion V SUV delivers a maximum power output of 135kW and 350N.m torque. The dimensions of the compact SUV competes favorably with its competitors. We will update more information related to the Aion Vs pricing and specifications as it becomes available.

TOP EV NEWS #2 – NEW ROEWE LOGO FOR A NEW DIRECTION 

​On May 7th, 2020, the Chinese owned SAIC Roewe digitally revealed its new logo to herald in a new development direction. The new brand image is designed to signal Roewe’s aggressive direction change as the auto industry adapts to electrification and interconnectivity of the vehicle with the world around it through 5G.

With 300 designers, sixteen design teams designed 500 different options over ten months to get to the chosen result. The design of the previous Roewe logo, and its name, for that matter, was quite controversial as it looked end felt like a Rover knock-off. At last, Roewe can claim they developed a unique identity.

The R logo signifies “Technology inwards, humanity outwards.” The relationship between humanities and technology is the cornerstone of Roewe’s new development direction. The R-mark projects exclusivity as Roewe shifts to the mid-to-high-end market in its new vision.

At the same time, Roewe gave us a glimpse into its future through the unveiling of the world’s first full cabin interactive 5G production car, the Roewe MARVEL-R. The SAIC Roewe Marvel-R EV embodies the elements of its new brand image and will be the first vehicle to herald in Roewe’s new direction. The Marvel-R will not be the first EV from the Roewe stable to carry the badge, as images of the SAIC Roewe ER6 EV, due in July this show, emerged sporting the new symbol.

Top 5 ev news Week 20 Roewe new old logo

TOP EV NEWS #3 – MORE DETAILS REVEALED OF NEW BYD HAN EV

BYD revealed more information on the BYD Han EV, which will reach the Chinese market in June 2020. The BYD Han is available in an All-Wheel Drive and Single Motor version. The AWD has a max range of 550km on the NEDC testing cycle. The FWD version is available in a short-range with 506km and a long-range with 605km.

The BYD Han is the first model to showcase the company’s new Blade Battery and DiPilot advance driving assist system. It is also the first series where the plug-in hybrid and pure electric have different designs of the front. Both the Han EV and the Han DM (PHEV) uses BYDs Dragon Face design style, but the Han EV uses a semi-closed front face design to identify its pure electric identity. The overall design of the Han series follows a streamlined “front and rear” design concept with a low resistance coefficient of 0.233Cd for improved efficiency. BYD aims to create a taste of luxury to compete with the XPENG P7 and Tesla Model S. The Han is also the first BYD with hidden door handles. The instrument adopts a full LCD instrument panel with a brand new UI design and improved visual effect. The infotainment system used in the Han series is BYDs DiLink 3.0 system, developed with the Android operating system.

The Han EV is the first electrified model to use the new Blade Battery architecture, which, combined with lithium iron phosphate, enables BYD to control the battery cost while improving energy density. The Blade battery architecture uses a Cell To Pack (CTP) technology, where the battery cell is directly integrated into the battery pack, eliminating the need for intermediate modules, as opposed to the traditional battery packs, which uses a single-module-battery grouping of packages. Apart from a cost saving of 30%+ and an improved life cycle of 1.2M km, the Blade Battery architecture also offers improved safety.

The patent images of the Blade battery disclosed by BYD shows thinner and extra-long prismatic cells of 430mm to 2500mm. Compared with the traditional square battery, it presents “flat” and “long” shapes, cells in the Blade Battery are arranged together in an array and inserted into the battery pack like a “blade”. By utilizing the CTP design, the BYD Blade battery uses fewer components such as side plates, end plates, fasteners, beams, and longitudinal beams of each module, ultimately improving the energy density per unit mass to 180Wh/kg. The result of the savings and design is an improved space utilization of around 50%, compared to a traditional NCM811 block battery. Furthermore, the CTP battery design increases the charge capacity by about 20% -30%, and the cruising range also increases by 20% -30%.

The Blade Battery offers four distinct safety features, such as slow heat release and low heat generation, a high starting temperature for exothermic reactions, while not releasing oxygen when damaged, or easily catch fire. The safety enhancements mean the Blade Battery has much lower surface temperatures when punctured of around 30 C to 60 C, compared to 500 C of traditional ternary batteries. BYD tweeted that in extreme condition testing where the battery was punctured, heated to 572 F, overcharged by 260%, crushed and bent, it did not catch fire.

BYD announced last week that the HAN will also reach European shores later this year, and is expected to be priced between €45,000 and €55,000.

Byd han week 19 2020 news

TOP EV NEWS #4 – JAC iC5 TO GO ON SALE

JAC is launching it’s highly efficient new EV, the iC5, developed on the 432 platform, on the 10th of May. The iC5 went on pre-sale on the 16th of March this year and is available in three trims. Pricing for the iC5 starts at RMB 155,000 and is based on the JAC Jiayue A5 ICE, which prices from RMB 84,800. 

The JAC iC5 uses the same 21700 lithium-ion type of battery cells as the Tesla Model 3, with a highly efficient energy density of 240 Wh/kg. The iC5 is also equipped with an energy-saving heat pump air-conditioning unit, which reduces energy use by more than 40%, allowing the car an additional 50km in range in the winter. The iC5 can charge enough energy to travel 200km in 30min.

The new JAC iC5 follows the new design language, designed by Daniele, an Italian star designer and former design leader at Alfa Romeo. The closed front grille is equipped with breathable LED headlights and fitted with Michelin’s latest generation Haoyue PRIMACY4 low rolling resistance tires, providing comfort and lower road noise.

Interestingly enough, JAC markets equipped the new EV with the newly developed “mobile anti-epidemic cockpit,” making the EV Covid-19 proof. The “mobile anti-epidemic cockpit “consists of powerful filtration, advanced oxidation, fresh air functions, and has 360-degree active disinfection. There is also a mobile phone APP to remotely activate the “mobile anti-epidemic cockpit,” switching on the internal circulation, block harmful germs, and purify the vehicle before entering it.

Employing the automaker’s new +3.0 drive technology, the JAC iC5 delivers a peak torque of 340 N.m, and comfortably accelerate to 100km in 7.6 seconds, WIth the unique E-type multi-link rear suspension, the chassis can be adjusted to perfect balance between sport and comfort.

JAC iC5 week 19 2020 top 5 ev news

TOP EV NEWS #5 – FAW TOYOTA LAUNCH THE CH-R TWIN AS A PURE EV

FAW Toyota launched the Toyota IZAO EV this week, at the same time as the combustion model. The Toyota IZAO EV is a rebadged Toyota C-HR EV, which will be available under the GAC Toyota brand label. The subsidized price range of the FAW Toyota IZAO starts at RMB225,800.

The IZOA is based on Toyota’s new TNGA architecture and has a maximum power of 150kW and a 400km (250 miles) range as measured on the NEDC test cycle. The range and battery spec of the IZAO disappoints when compared against its competitors. The compact SUVs battery has an energy density of only 131 Wh/kg, compared to its peers, all of whom have battery specifications closer to 160Wh/kg. Does this reflect Toyota’s limited EV track record? Or is it since the IZAO is only available as an EV in China, and therefore can be seen as a compliance vehicle.

To identify the car as an electric FAW Toyota placed the EV logo to the closed grille. The interior design is similar to overseas models. The low- and mid-range models are equipped with a 7-inch LCD instrument panel and the high-end model with a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel. In terms of functionality, the IZAO EV has automatic parking and an electronic handbrake. The infotainment system is equipped with Baidu CarLife.

FAW Toyota IZAO launch