Yearly archives: 2018

IEVOA in the press : Today with Sean O’Rourke (26-06-2018)

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IEVOA committee member Roger Lamb participated to Today with Sean O’Rourke, sharing the view of the association on EV ownership.

https://www.rte.ie/radio1/today-with-sean-o-rourke/programmes/2018/0626/973283-today-with-sean-o-rourke-tuesday-26-june-2018/?clipid=102853148#102853148

Fast forward to 33’50 to listen to Roger, for about 10 minutes :

https://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=b9%5F10895272%5F15036%5F26%2D06%2D2018%5F

 

Sean O’Rourke, RTE Radio1

Irish PHEV Sales – June and first semester 2018

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New PHEVs sales represented in June 0.88% of the total car market, in line with the previous months, bringing to 433 the number of units sold in the 181 period (+168.9% vs 2017)

The used PHEVs import market is still the most impressive segment, with another 94 cars coming onto our shores, including an impressive 51 Mitsubishi Outlanders. Compared to 2017, the number of imports has been multiplied by 6.

Mercedes C350e Estate

 

Statement of the IEVOA in response to the announcement of reduced toll charges for EVs

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The IEVOA (The Irish EV Owners Association) welcomes the initiative as announced by Minister Shane Ross and feel that this is a step in the right direction to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles in Ireland. This step is important as currently Ireland is “second-worst in EU on climate change action” as published by the Irish Times on Monday June 18 th 2018. Ireland is liable to face annual, non-compliance fines of approximately €500million should we not reach our emissions targets. In Ireland, transport is second only to agriculture when it comes to CO2 emissions and therefore electrifying our private transport plays a key part in reducing these emissions and bringing us closer to meeting our targets.

On the matter of plug-in hybrids being included and conventional hybrid cars being excluded, the IEVOA feels that this is appropriate as, while conventional hybrid cars do have some electric components, they have very limited electric only range. The result of this is that conventional hybrids still emit quite high amounts of CO2 through their tailpipe emissions – roughly 70g of CO2 per kilometre vs 140g CO2 per kilometre for the same size petrol car. With this in mind it makes sense to incentivise only vehicles that are capable of running without actively producing dangerous emissions from their exhausts. It is important to highlight this difference amid confusing claims being made by some manufacturers that their hybrids are “self-charging” and therefore do not need to be plugged in. This claim can cause confusion and lead people to believe that these cars are just like plug-in hybrids without the charging and this is certainly not the case.

While we are pleased at the introduction of reduced tolls for low and zero emissions vehicles, and feel that it is a step in the right direction, the IEVOA feel that there is a lot more work to be done to
make Ireland a more EV friendly country. Issues such as further development, support and repair of the charging network are high on the committee’s agenda.

Please find below the statement in pdf format:

Statement of the IEVOA in response to the announcement of reduced toll charges for EVs

Contact : pr@irishevowners.ie

Irish BEV Sales – June and first semester 2018

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June is traditionally a very slow month for the Irish car market with just 1255 cars registered for the end of the 181 period. As with the rest of the semester, BEVs have been doing better than the average with 17 registrations (just 4 in June 2017) and 1.35% market share. 6 Nissan Leaf, 4 Tesla Model S and 3 Volkswagen E-Golf were sold last month.

Across the first semester a total of 529 BEVs were registered, which is a 41.4% progress over 2017 (171) and an all time record. 2017 was already a record year and saw 622 registrations (see 2017 best selling BEVs here), a level we’ll probably beat as early as July !

 

 

Another 55 used BEVs were imported last month, for a total of 335 for the first semester (+67.5% vs 2017). This means another 864 BEVs were added on the Irish roads during the period, bringing a total registrations of well over 3000 units.

 

 

Formal complaint filed to RTE for “Today with Sean O’Rourke” program

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Dear members,

Sean O’Rourke, RTE Radio 1

Yesterday it came to our attention that RTE aired a program called “Today with Sean O’Rourke” which had a segment on EVs in Ireland. It is our belief that this segment was a breach of the Broadcasting Act 2009, section 39(1) subsection B in that the content of the program was entirely based on subjective opinion and it presented these opinions as fact in a manner which could do damage to the uptake of EVs in Ireland. RTE did not, in our opinion, provide enough of a counter argument nor did it make any effort to espouse any of the positive aspects of EV ownership. As such, the committee has submitted a formal complaint to RTE following their formal complaint procedures.

We wish our members to know that we take these matters very seriously and always aim to be proactive in meeting these issues head on. We will continue to update our members on the progress of our formal complaint as and when we receive updates from RTE or the BAI.

Yours,

Your IEVOA committee members.

Irish PHEV Sales – May 2018

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PHEVs sales are still growing exponentially in May with 54 new registrations (+575% vs 2017). The Kia Niro PHEV is leading for the second consecutive month and 3rd year to date. Will it be the best selling Irish PHEV in 2018 ?

PHEVs market share is at 0.89% (0.49% to date)

Used imports are also steadily growing : 80 units were imported last month (+700% vs 2017). The Mitsubishi Outlander is almost making for 50% of all used imports PHEVs this year.

A total of 134 PHEVs were registered in May (792 to date in 2018, exactly the same as for BEVs).

Mini Countryman Cooper S E All 4

 

Irish BEV Sales – May 2018

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New Irish BEVs sales are again growing significantly in May : 88 units were registered during the month (+193.3% vs May 2017), the new Leaf still clearly leading the segment.

The market share is once again above 1% (1.45% exactly) and the BEVs share to date is 0.60%

 

Used imports are also up 118.7% (vs May 2017) with 70 units registered, mostly Nissan Leaf. Note that Tesla Model S imports are still going strong with 12 more units in May.

This brings the total number of BEVs imported to 280 cars so far this year (+69.7% vs 2017).

That is a total of 158 BEVs registered in May in Ireland, and 792 so far in 2018.

2018 Nissan Leaf XE

 

Irish PHEV sales – April 2018

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As for previous months, PHEV sales are extremely dynamic compared to last year, with 77 new cars sold (+670%) and  82 used cars imported (+583%) in April.

New PHEV account for 0.95% of the total car market, which added to the 1.75% market share for BEVs last month, can makes us think a shift is happening in people’s purchase habits : one every 37 new cars sold in April had a socket !

New sales are this month dominated by the new Kia Niro (29 units sold) whereas the Mitsubishi Outlander is still on top of the used imports.

 

 

 

 

 

Irish EV Sales – April 2018

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For the first time ever, BEV sales have passed 1% share of the Irish car market (1.75% exactly). This is due not only to the growing demand of EVs but also to the deliveries of the new Leaf. It might be a peak due to backed up orders but the interest for the Leaf is great and sales will remain high, as long as the factory can supply cars ! At the European level, the order pace at the beginning of the year was 4000 units/month. In 2016, best year for the original Leaf, Nissan sold a bit more than 18.000 units of this model. I’ll let you do the maths 🙂 The other models are selling relatively well and if you add the 41 used imports, these are 182 more BEVs that landed on Irish roads last month.

 

 

LEV Taskforce meeting – 6th April 2018

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4 representatives of the IEVOA , met with representatives of the LEV Taskforce, a joint DCCAE , DTTAS committee , charged with promoting the the changeover of car transport to sustainable vehicles . A representative of the SEAI also attended. Please find below the IEVOA report.

LEV Taskforce meeting – 6th April 2018

Please note that you can find previous reports from this taskforce on the page below:

 

LEV Taskforce Meeting Reports

Irish PHEV sales – March 2018

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PHEV new sales were still extremely active in March, growing 146.5% over last year. BMW is still leading with the 530e and 330e. Including the i3 Rex and the X5 xDrive40e, BMW owns almost half of this market.

On the used import front (+600% vs 2017!), note the massive influx of Outlanders, representing over half of all imports.

See below the new sales and used import figures for the month of March and the cumulative for the year.

 

 

 

Irish EV Sales – March 2018

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BEV sales are growing 53.6% last month with a total of 106 new cars registered in March, meaning a 0.60% share of all sales. Deliveries of the new Leaf have just started, Tesla sales are still impressive considering the cost of these. Finally note the good performance of the E-Golf : 18 units sold in March ie the same as during the 2015-2017 period! On the first 3 months, the total is still negative compared to 2017 but this should turn around in April with hopefully more Leaf delivered.

Used imports are also growing, 30.4% this month, 74.2% since the beginning of the year.

This makes a total of 166 EVs registered in Ireland this month, 523 during the first quarter of the year.

 

 

Irish PHEV sales – February 2018

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PHEV new sales have been growing in February 61.7% over the same month last year, with is better than BEVs. BMW and Volvo are still holding the podium.

PHEV used imports are also very dynamic, growing 5 fold in February, after a similar performance last month. The Outlander PHEV is becoming very popular thanks to keen used prices in the UK (starts under £ 10,000 with a great choice around the £ 12,000 mark). Other models aren’t as strong as these have been launched more recently, ie dearer to import.

 

Smart Evs in Ireland under the EQ brand

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One of the surprises of the Geneva Motor show is the presence of EQ stickers on the Smart ForTwo and ForFour Electric Drive models.

But isn’t EQ supposed to be the new brand for Mercedes EVs ? First I thought of a label like “Zero Emissions” you can find on the Nissan Leaf as well on the Renault models (“Z.E.”) but after chatting with a member of the Smart staff, I got the confirmation that the brand will stop selling petrol cars in Europe from 2019, after doing the same move in North America this year.

Now if you do 2+2, it becomes quite obvious that these 2 Smart models, soon exclusively electric, will be integrated under the EQ brand.

Smart suffers from slow sales (around 100.000 units per year in Europe, which makes it a small player) and transforming Smart into EQ (that’s pretty much what will happen) will save Mercedes the cost of establishing a 3rd brand, ie  a 3rd network that will not necessarily be profitable immediately.

If Mercedes considered Smart to have too little potential in Ireland to officially sell these small cars in our country, they will probably see more opportunities for a more complete EQ range when BMW, Porsche and Tesla aren’t holding back distributing their premium (PH)EVs here. Question is when : 2019 ? 2020 ? Later ?

If you live in Norway, you can already pre-order the first EQ model, due in 2019

 

And wouldn’t these ForFour and ForTwo be perfect here, with their 22kw AC charger due later this year ?

 

Irish EV Sales – February 2018

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After a very disappointing month of January, BEV sales are this months up 18% compared to February 2017, on a stable car market. It means BEV market share went up, to 0,42%. PHEV sales on the other hand have grown 60+%!

Surprisingly, it’s not due to the deliveries of the Leaf, down 51% to just 14 units (hopefully new Leaf will start being delivered in March), but to the strength of the Ioniq (27 sales), Tesla S and X, but also E-Golf.

Who would have thought Tesla (19) could oversell Nissan (15) this month ?

On top of the 72 new BEVs sold in February, 30 more were imported as used, bringing a total of 102 extra EVs on Irish roads in February, and the total number of registered EVs to 3008 (since 2007)

 

2018 IEVOA AGM

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Dear IEVOA members,

We would like to inform you that the 2018 AGM will take place on the 24th March 2018, 12:00 noon in Nissan Headquarters, ParkWest Business Park , Dublin 12 , D12 FFD0.

If you are coming, please register in the link below!

Irish EV Owners Association AGM 2018 Registration

We would like to point out that only 2018 full members (paid membership) will be able to take part to the votes, but everyone is welcome.

Also if you want to contribute to the association with your skills, should it be by lobbying, be an IT/webmaster, if you are passionate organising events, etc. please send us an email at admin@irishevowners.ie and let us know how you can make the IEVOA a better organisation.

If you haven’t renewed your 2017 full membership just yet, or if you wish to upgrade your (free) associate membership to a 2018 full membership, feel free to fill out the form below:

http://www.irishevowners.ie/membership/

Do not hesitate to contact Guillaume (membership@irishevowners.ie) if you have any question.

 

Regardless of your membership status, do not forget to RSVP on the following page, should you wish to join us that day !

http://www.irishevowners.ie/agm2018/

 

Thanks you for your support and we hopefully will see you on the 24th March!

 

New Nissan Leaf : Range, prices and equipments for the Irish market

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A few months after the Launch Edition, priced €29.590, Nissan Ireland reveals the 2018 range, with the traditional XE to SVE trim levels. Novelty for this year, a new version “SV Premium”, goes between the the mid-range SV and posh SVE.

 

The Leaf XE starts at €26,290 . It has the e-pedal, the 6.6kw onboard charger, climate control, lane departure warning. Optional is Nissan Connect EV (Satellite navigation, with Android Auto, Apple Carplay, rear view monitor)

 

Leaf XE

 

The Leaf SV is available at € 28,690. Like the outgoing model, it is available in grey or black interior colours. Over the XE it gains the heat pump, Nissan Connect EV with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, rear view monitor. The much loved Cold pack (4 heated seats and heated steering wheel), front and rear parking sensors are all available as options.

 

The new SV Premium trim comes at € 29,940. It has the same interior as the SV, but can have the optional part leather upholstery (in beige or black). It has 17” alloys, all around view monitor with moving object detection, intelligent driver alertness and parking sensors (front and rear).  Options include Full LED headlights, Cold Pack, proPILOT and Bose Premium sound system.

Leaf SV Premium/SVE, with 17” alloy wheels.

 

Finally the range topping SVE is available from €32,600. It still has a full leather upholstery and  you now have the choice of a black or beige interior. Like the outgoing version it adds LED headlights (now with high beams), Bose Premium sound system, heated seats but also ProPILOT and electronic parking brake. The only option (besides metallic paint) is the ProPILOT Park (available from May 2018).

The prices above includes the €5,000 Government Grant and excludes dealer delivery charges and metallic paint.

Colour range : Note that the 2-tone option is only available from the SV premium trim.

You can have a choice of 7 different interiors: Thank you Nissan Ireland, as Nissan UK offers the 4 black ones only!

 

 

 

Five BMW i3 for UNICEF Ireland

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A piece of news you might have missed a few months ago : BMW Frank Keane has been partnering with UNICEF for the supply of 5 BMW i3.

BMW Frank Keane have also committed to supporting UNICEF Ireland by donating €15 to UNICEF for every new car purchased and up to €5 for every service.

This allows UNICEF to enjoy a modern fleet with lower running costs, while showing their interest in the environment.

It’s always pleasant to see charity work meeting environmental concerns, hopefully this show the way to other NGOs.

 

New on the market : Renault Kangoo Z.E. 33

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The Kangoo Z.E. has been on the market since 2011, and has been discreetly lead the market of electric vans in Europe since.

 

What is it ?

It’s your typical panel van, also available as “maxi” (stretched wheelbase) and “crew van” (same lenght as maxi, but with 5 seats)

The Kangoo Z.E. has similar capacities as the diesel version. Payload ranges from 605 to 640kg depending on the version, Load volume varies from 1.3m3 (Crew Van) to 4 m3 (Maxi Van). It can tow too, which is rare for an EV, but no more than 374kg.

What’s new ?

As you might have guessed with its name, the Kangoo Z.E. now has a 33kwh battery, in replacement of the 22kwh pack it had since its launch. The other change is that the price now includes the battery, just like with the Zoé Z.E.40.

How is the range ?

It is rated 270km NEDC, a massive improvement from the 170km NEDC of the previous version. This is more than a 30kwh Leaf (250km) and almost as good as the super efficient Ioniq (280km). Expect a real range between 120km and 200km, depending on the weather, road type and your driving style.

How does it charge ?

There is some improvement over the previous version, it charges at 32amp instead of 16amp, still with a single type 2 connector … It’s twice as fast as before but still no fast charge available like on its cousin the Nissan ENV-200.

This means a full charge will take no less than 6 hours (on a 7kw charger).

How much does it cost ?

€ 28.190 for the Kangoo Van

€ 29,990 for the Kangoo Maxi

€ 30,990 for the Kangoo Maxi Crew van

€ 32,090 for the Kangoo Maxi Crew van Cab

Price are inclusive of VAT, VRT, VRT relief and € 3,800 SEAI grant.