EVs power our fleets

It looks like 2018 is going to be the year of the electric vehicle globally with more brands adding them to their fleets.

At the Geneva motor show, Hyundai Motor Corp took at dig at Tesla boss Elon Musk.

On the side of the motor show pavilion was a billboard advertising the Korean brand’s EV version of the Kona.

The billboard said, “Your turn, Elon.” And “The first electric compact SUV is here”.

The bold statement helped the brand stand out inside the pavilion where it was surrounded by European marques.

I thought the billboard was smart marketing as there was real hype at the Hyundai stand, especially as the Kona EV is a great looking vehicle. Kiwis will see it in July when Hyundai NZ adds it to its fleet.

But some of my Australian colleagues took offence that the billboard was mocking Elon. I don’t think the Tesla boss would have lost any sleep — he’s too busy with the Tesla 3 getting into production.

Further into the pavilion at Geneva was Jaguar Land Rover’s combined stand where another EV stood out. The Jaguar i-Pace made its official reveal — and it’s one stunning vehicle.

Also, at Geneva, Honda confirmed that order books for a production version of its Urban EV Concept will open in early 2019. The Urban EV will be Honda’s first mass-produced battery EV.

What I loved about it at last year’s Tokyo motor show was that the Urban EV looks like a futuristic version of an old school VW Golf.

At this stage it will be sold in Europe — but I’m sure there will be Kiwi fans. REGULAR FEATURES THE GOOD OIL ME AND MY CAR

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