With the Paris Motor Show running through to October 16, for perhaps the first time at a major international auto show, electric cars are gradually emerging stars of the finest motor parade on earth, reports EFULA ABBAH
As usual, there has been tremendous sampling of futuristic car designs and prototypes. And of course, there are some conventional new models soon to hit dealer showrooms, according to organizers.
But this show may end up being best remembered as a tipping point for an electric car revolution poised to challenge the automobile industry’s internal-combustion status quo, although some of the excitement is still speculative, of course.
Trying to overcome the emission brouhaha, Volkswagen is displaying an all-electric concept car it calls the I.D. The automaker has already started selling an all-electric e-Golf, but its limited range between charges is a big drawback. The e-Golf is considered a “city electric” for short commutes, not a long-distance road warrior.
But at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen says it plans to introduce a new e-Golf, with a range the company says exceeds 124 miles, measured using the Environmental Protection Agency’s test protocols.
The new e-Golf, to be sold in more locations than the current model, will serve as a “bridge vehicle,” according to the company, to the new all-electric based on the I.D., which debut is planned for 2020.
Volkswagen also says it will have an electric self-driving car by 2025, which is why the I.D. on display at the 2016 Paris Motor Show features a steering wheel that retracts into the dashboard when the car is in autonomous mode.
Mercedes-Benz is also using the Paris show to announce a new sub brand of electric cars, Generation EQ (a play on I.Q.). The vehicles are scheduled to roll out in stages over the next three to seven years. The inaugural model, on display here, is a Sport Utility Vehicle(SUV).
Almost every other manufacturer in attendance is offering at least one new model with full electric operation or a hybrid combination of gas and electric.
Exhibit A came from the Opel division of General Motors (GM), which unveiled the production-ready Ampera-e said to be the European version of its all-electric Chevrolet Bolt, which is supposed to go on sale late this year in North America.
The five-passenger subcompact Ampera-e is set to wow lovers of electric cars with said generous size, mass-market price and an all-electric range of more than 500 kilometers, or 310 miles.
The Chevrolet version has a stated range of 238 miles, based on E.P.A. standards, which are tougher than their European counterparts.
Six years ago, when the Nissan Leaf, the global industry’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, went on sale, the company said its range was less than 100 miles. That proved to be a deal breaker for many buyers, who viewed it as insufficient for everyday driving. Technical tweaks to newer models of the Leaf have lifted that slightly above 100 miles. But new hardware that might significantly expand its range is still awaiting introduction.
Four years ago, Tesla pulled ahead as the new standard-bearer, with electric cars that could go up to 265 miles on a charge. According to the manufacturer, its new Model S P100D was rated at 315 miles. But its $135,000 price puts the car well out of the reach of mainstream buyers.
The electric autonomous-driving Renault Trezor concept car on display in Paris, is also said to become the future production models of the Trezor, which has a red cockpit and has been confirmed to hit market only after 2020.
Tesla’s long-promised, lower-price Model 3, is said to sell for between $35,000 and $42,000 and is heavily subscribed with advance orders, though still only in prototype form and will not be available until late next year, at the earliest, according to its manufacturer. Tesla did not display a production-ready Model 3 in Paris 2016, to the vocal disappointment of some attendees, who admit they had been waiting for it.
Extending an electric car’s range has been G.M.’s goal since the demise of its ill-fated EV1, which it produced from 1996 to 1999. The EV1 had a range of barely 100 miles.
There is no doubting that despite what was viewed as initial shortcomings when some brands pulled out of the show, the 2016 Paris Motor show may still prove the mother of all auto shows after October 16th.
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