EV News Round-up: July 2023

Dacia confirms its budget-friendly EV will hit UK shores next year and Kia joins VW and Fiat by offering potential customers tantalising finance deals.
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Hyundai flaunts the IONIQ 5 N
Say hello to the IONIQ N, Hyundai's first performance electric vehicle.
Debuting at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Ioniq 5 N will be equipped with a host of new features that Hyundai says will put the driver first including an all-wheel-drive dual electric motor with rally-inspired handling support, which has an output of 478kW and a 0-62mph acceleration time of 3.4 seconds.
The new hot hatch will also feature "N e-shift" and "N active sound", which Hyundai says will replicate the feel of an eight-speed automatic gearbox and the sound of a high-performance petrol car.
Range figures have yet to be confirmed however, the new IONIQ 5 N has been confirmed to come with a new 84kWh battery which can rapid charge at a rate of up to 350kW which will deliver a 10 to 80% charge in less than 20 minutes.
Take a look at our vehicle guides
If you’re still choosing an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, take a look at our vehicle guides for some more information before deciding
Dacia Spring heads to the UK
The Dacia Spring has been available to our European neighbours since the start of 2021 with no hint of a right-hand drive version being made for us Brits... Until now.
Officially set to hit our shores in 2024, the Dacia Spring will actually be a refresh of the older models found in Europe, sporting new equipment and modernised design which includes Dacia's new logo.
Pricing and range figures have yet to be announced however, we can expect it to be one of the cheapest electric vehicles on the market when released. Potentially coming in at less than £20,000.
Peugeot updates the e-208 with a new design
After dethroning the VW Golf from Europe's best-selling car top spot in 2021 and 2022, the Peugeot 208 is getting a facelift which includes a style refresh and new tech to make the driving experience even better.
Mirroring the new styling found on its bigger brother the e-2008, the e-208 now features the three-clawed light signature under each headlight which was first introduced on Peugeot's 9x8 hypercar concept.
Other design changes include swapping out Peugeot's old moonwalking lion badge in favour of its new lion head badge as well as adding two new body colours.
On the inside, the new e-208 will come with a new 10-inch infotainment display as standard and dynamic ambient cabin lighting on the GT versions.
The facelifted e-208 will also feature a more efficient 115kW electric motor with a bigger 51kWh battery, which Peugeot says will power the e-208 for up to 249 miles between charges.
A 7.4kW single-phase onboard charger will be supplied as standard with the option to upgrade to an 11kW three-phase charger at an extra cost. At a rapid charger, the new e-208 will be able to charge from 20-80% in less than half an hour when charging at 100kW.
Kia EV9 pricing and specifications revealed
This is Kia's follow-up to the EV6 and a potential vehicle for anyone looking for an all-electric alternative to the Range Rover.
Revealed at Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Kia EV9 will come in three trim levels: the entry-level Air which starts at £64,995, the mid-range GT-Line which starts at £72,495 and the top-spec GT-Line S which starts a £75,995.
All trim variants will feature seven seats as standard with the GT-Line S model having the option to upgrade to a six-seat version, which replaces the middle bench with two captains chairs that come with armrests and the ability to swivel outwards towards the doors.
Every trim line will also come with the same 99kWh battery, which Kia says will be able to power the EV9 for over 300 miles.
MG confirms its Cupra Born rival
MG has revealed that a performance version of their MG4 electric hatchback is in the works.
The variant will be called the Xpower and will sport a dual motor powertrain, which MG says will allow the MG4 XPower to sprint from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds making it the most powerful production MG to date and a full three seconds quicker than its rival, the Cupra Born.
Aesthetically, the XPower will be a wolf in sheep's clothing with only the orange brake callipers, two-tone black roof and exclusive racing green colour option giving it away.
When released, the MG4 XPower will start from £36,495.
Kia joins VW and Fiat in offering new incentives for EVs
Drivers looking to get behind the wheel of an electric Kia will be happy to know that the manufacturer will be offering a range of tantalising deals to encourage customers.
Offers include 4.9 per cent APR finance deals with no minimum deposit, two free services on the EV6, Niro EV, Soul EV and all Sportage PHEVs and 12 months free Kia charge plus subscription when buying a new EV6 Niro EV or Soul EV.
Offers run until October 2023.
"The Daily Mail’s recent coverage of electric vehicles is irresponsible in the face of deadly air pollution"
Osprey's CEO Ian Johnston hits back at the Daily Mail after publishing a news piece that claimed that just one in four backed the government's 2030 ban on petrol/diesel vehicles.
Ian Johnston said that: The Daily Mail’s recent coverage of electric vehicles is irresponsible in the face of deadly air pollution caused by road transport.
The paper itself covered the news that illegal levels of air pollution near child Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s home in Lewisham were a cause of her death, noting that “politicians can no longer pretend” air pollution is a victimless crime.
Yesterday, however, they urged those same politicians to push back the ban on sales of the very source of that deadly air pollution: diesel and petrol vehicles.
Their “poll of readers” that backed this call was completely at odds with mainstream consumer surveying: just last week EY reported EV buying intent is up to 54% in 2023, and is in fact significantly higher than petrol/diesel buying intent (41%).
Not supporting the clean transport transition risks the health of millions of British citizens and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Let’s stop the scaremongering and insulting consumers and businesses, who are driving the change and embracing the electric vehicles they know are the future."
Osprey Charging Network Guide
For more information on who Osprey is and how to use their charge points be sure to check out our Osprey Charging network guide.
InstaVolt to build the UK's largest rapid charging 'Super Hub'
In a location situated off the A34 at Winchester will be home to the UK's largest rapid charging hub to date.
Powered by a combination of onsite solar arrays, battery storage systems and grid connections, the exact number of rapid chargers on the new hub has yet to be determined but InstaVolt has stated that their upcoming 'super hub' will have substantial parking and will include long bays for larger vehicles, vans and towing vehicles.
There will also be plenty of things to do whilst your EV is getting a recharge with plans to include places to get a bite to eat and drink as well as lots of green spaces and even a play park to occupy the little ones.
InstaVolt also states that the new 'super hub' will be built with accessibility for all in mind.
New public charge point regulations are a welcome addition says RAC
Following on from the home charge point regulations introduced last year, the government has now set their sights on public charge points with a raft of new regulations set to take effect later this year.
RAC spokesman, Simon Williams, welcomes the new regulations saying that:
“We’re pleased to see the Government has acknowledged there’s a need to improve drivers’ experience at public chargers and has now set out some clear actions to address this.
This has the potential to reassure many more people that switching to an electric vehicle makes sense, which is vital the closer we get to 2030 when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end.
Ensuring drivers only need to download and use a single app is a huge step forward from where we are today.
“We hope operators of rapid and ultra-rapid charging hubs will not just clearly display pence per kilowatt hour prices on chargers themselves but also on prominent digital signage similar to fuel price ‘totems’ which drivers are already very familiar with.
We believe this is needed to make price comparisons easy for every day EV drivers looking to charge up as cheaply as possible on a journey.”
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Electric car market grows by 39 percent according to SMMT new car registrations
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the new car market grew by 25.8 per cent in June marking the 11th consecutive month of growth as the industry gradually overcomes the pandemic-induced supply chain issues.
Whilst full petrol vehicles continued to dominate the market with a total of 22 per cent of the market share, the electric vehicle sector grew by 39 per cent pushing their total market share up to 17 per cent.
Hybrids and Plug-In Hybrids also saw an increase of 40 per cent and 65 per cent respectively.
Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of SMMT said that “The new car market is growing back and growing green, as the attractions of electric cars become apparent to more drivers. But meeting our climate goals means we have to move even faster.
Most electric vehicle owners enjoy the convenience and cost saving of charging at home but those that do not have a driveway or designated parking space must pay four times as much in tax for the same amount of energy.
This is unfair and risks delaying greater uptake, so cutting VAT on public EV charging will help make owning an EV fairer and attractive to even more people.”