BATTERYBATTLECHARGE
ASTREAM of new electric cars is now accelerating into the British market, from luxurious 4x4s to sporty saloons and SUVs. This week, figures for April showed sales of pure electric cars soared by 63 per cent, and Volkswagen announced its first new electric car will be the Golf-sized ID.3 hatchback.
Launch editions begin at £40,000, although later versions will start at £26,000. Expect the battery to last distances of between 205 and 342 miles, depending on the model. VW is taking deposits of £750 now ahead of first deliveries next year.
Order books also opened this week — with first deliveries from July — for Mercedes-Benz’s new upmarket electric EQC off-roader, priced from £65,640 for the Sport version up to a hefty £79,260 for the limited-run EQC Edition 1886. Powered by an 80 kWh lithium ion
battery, the generously equipped SUV develops 408 hp allowing it to accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds, up to a top speed of 111 mph and with a range of 259 miles.
Maverick entrepreneur Elon Musk has also finally launched his ‘affordable’ electric sports saloon, the Tesla Model 3, in the UK.
It carries a base price tag of £38,900 (even after the Government subsidy of up to £3,500, known as the plug- in grant, has been deducted), well above the £30,000 to £35,000 consumers had been led to expect.
The Model 3, with a large tablet screen in place of a conventional dashboard, comes with the maker’s semi-autonomous driving system that accelerates, brakes and steers the car in lanes on dual carriageways and motorways.
This cheapest model travels an estimated 258 miles on a single charge while the Long Range Plus all-wheel drive version, which claims a 348-mile range, will be £47,900 after the Government grant. Tesla faces competition from Jaguar’s I-Pace, the Audi ETron, and the launch of Mini’s electric runaround. Sir James Dyson is preparing to enter the market, too.
Kia’s e-Niro, which is priced from £33,000, manages 282 miles, while its Korean sibling Hyundai’s Kona Electric can do 279 miles and starts at £31,000.
The 63 per cent increase in April, recorded by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, in pure electric car sales is good, but still only accounts for 6.4 per cent of monthly sales. This rise from 929 to 1,517 vehicles is less than 1 per cent of the total market.