This small electric car maker is taking a very different approach than the bigger guys
Bolivia only has one electric car manufacturer and it’s hard to compare it to the bigger competition. But that’s likely by design, because La Paz-based Quantum Motors is building tiny electric cars built for just three passengers.
It might seem like a strange move, especially from a country with rich lithium deposits, but Quantum Motors has taken a “less is more” approach.
The company’s cars are roughly the size of a golf cart. That small size means they are designed to achieve the bare necessity of a car: move a few occupants and their things around town.
The Quantum seats its driver and passenger in a tandem configuration and hits a top speed of just 35 mph (56 km/h).
The tiny electric car has a 6.3 kWh lithium-ion battery with enough capacity to offer 50 miles (80 km) of range per charge. It can be recharged at home or on the go from a traditional electrical outlet using Level 1 charging.
The small size and modest range help it achieve an attractive price point of around US $7,500.
A smaller, compact car design like this might sound foreign to many Americans that have seen cars – both combustion-powered and electric – balloon in size over the last decade. But the small stature is actually an advantage in many countries, as Quantum Motors’ general manager José Carlos Márquez explained:
E-mobility will prevail worldwide in the next few years, but it will be different in different countries. Tesla will be a dominant player in the U.S., with its speedy, autonomous cars. But in Latin America, cars will be more compact, because our streets are more similar to those of Bombay and New Delhi than to those of California.
Quantum Motors was founded just four years ago and is still in its early stages. The company has sold 350 cars in its domestic market of Bolivia as well as an undisclosed number in neighboring Peru and Paraguay. But the fledgling automaker is planning to open a factory in Mexico that could help boost its production figures.
Larger EVs have become the norm in North America, but many South American and Asian countries are exploring much smaller options.
We recently saw a similar design from India’s Wings EV, which is developing a tandem electric tiny car that can wiggle through streets as easily as a motorcycle while still offering the enclosed advantages of a passenger car.
Such vehicles may help bridge the gap between smaller two-wheelers and larger cars, especially in countries where electric motorbikes haven’t proven as successful as larger electric cars in North America and Europe have. By leapfrogging combustion-powered motorcycles into small electric tiny cars, commuters can maintain a small footprint yet reap the benefits of weather protection and arguably safer crash protection.
Smaller electric vehicles aren’t unheard of in the US, but the category, usually known as LSVs or NEVs, has yet to see significant growth. Several new manufacturers have recently stepped up with interesting electric microcars designed for the US market though, so things could be changing.
via: AP
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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