EV News Round-up: April 2024

Andersen hosts its Design of Tomorrow competition, Audi unveils the Q6 e-tron and Start Rescue busts the myth that EVs breakdown more than ICE cars.

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Peugeot E-5008 revealed

Going toe-to-toe with the likes of Kia’s EV9, Peugeot enters the seven-seater electric vehicle market with this, the e-5008. 

Essentially a longer version of the e-3008, the e-5008 will share a lot of the same design cues as its smaller sibling including the gorgeous 21-inch panoramic i-cockpit display which stretches across the dashboard and merges the driver display and infotainment screen into one, similar to the BMX iX. 

The e-5008 isn’t just a pretty face either.

As well as being able to carry up to seven people, the e-5008 boasts a boot space of 259 litres in the 7-seat configuration, 748 litres in the 5-seat configuration and a whopping 1,815 litres in the two-seat configuration; which should be plenty of space to shift a child’s belongings to their uni accommodation for example.

You won’t have to stop to charge too often when doing those long runs either. When released, the Peugeot e-5008 will come in a choice of three powertrains two of which are single motor with a choice of either a 73kWh or 98kWh battery offering a range of 311 miles or 410 miles respectively.

There’s also a dual motor all-wheel drive version which comes with a 73kWh battery and a range of up to 311 miles (WLTP cycle awaiting approval).

And if you do need to stop for a top-up charge, the Peugeot e-5008 can rapid charge at a rate of up to 160kW, which delivers a 20-80% charge in around 30 minutes.

Order books open up this Autumn.

Skoda unveils entry-level EV that could cost less than £25,000

With the retirement of the CitiGoe iV, the Skoda Eniyaq now sits alone in the Czechian car maker’s EV line... until now.

On the 15th of March, Skoda unveiled the name of their upcoming city SUV crossover with a graphic rendering of the car to go with it.

The name of the new EV is the Epiq, and in terms of design Skoda has gone with what they call ‘modern robust’ styling that will feature on both the exterior and interior of the vehicle.

Performance figures have yet to be revealed however we can expect the Epiq to have a range figure of up to 248 miles, a reasonable luggage capacity of 490 litres that features conveniences such as bag hooks and even bi-directional charging.

Official pricing has yet to be confirmed however, Skoda has announced that the Epiq will be priced at around €25,000 (around £21,000) making it one of the cheapest EVs on sale in the European continent.

Government announces grant for EV drivers without a driveway

Images provided by Kerbo Charge

EV drivers living in properties without a driveway will now be able to access the plug-in car grant, which has previously been available only to renters and landlords.

Like the grant for homeowners with a driveway that came before, this new grant will contribute up to £350 towards the cost to buy and install a home charge point with one of the catches being that the homeowner must install a cross-pavement charging solution such as one provided by companies like KerboCharge before having the charge point installed.

Other criteria the EV driver must meet to qualify for the grant include having adequate on-street parking defined by local planning and highway authorities.

They must also have permission from them to install a cross-pavement charging solution between their home and their approved parking space.

Isuzu unveils its first EV

Japanese pickup truck maker Isuzu, announces their first venture into the world of electric vehicles with the new D-Max Bev.

Full specs have yet to be announced however we do know that the EV pickup will have a 66.9kWh battery, a 1-tonne payload with a 3.5-tonne towing capacity and a full-time 4WD system built on Isuzu’s newly developed e-axels, which are designed to offer exceptional performance on tough terrain whilst minimising noise and vibration.

Images of the D-Max BEV are currently limited to the graphic renders above with a prototype set to be unveiled at Bangkok’s international motor show at the end of the month.

Isuzu plans to first launch the D-Max BEV in European markets in 2025 with markets like the UK and Australia to follow based on the demand and development of EV charging infrastructure.

Andersen hosts the Designer of Tomorrow competition

The University of Creative Arts (UCA) students were invited to conceptualise a futuristic charge point design for Andersen’s Designer of Tomorrow competition.

The competition launched in October last year with students being told to draw concept designs which judges David Martell, CEO of Andersen EV, design journalist Mark Smyth, and David Robinson, Director at LA Design would choose ten to be shortlisted.

Those shortlisted were then given a month to make their drawings a reality in the form of a sculpture.

The declared winner was Project Java, headed by Chananchida Promma, Thomas Ford and Maxel Hutama.

The design they created was made using spent coffee grounds in a bio-resin composite to represent the 500,000 tons of coffee waste which ends up in landfills each year.

All 10 shortlisted designs were displayed at the Iconic Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour during design week (11th to the 15th of March).

The Audi Q6 e-tron sheds its camouflage

Sitting between the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q8 e-tron is this, the new Q6 e-tron and it offers drivers a range of premium amenities.

The first of which is the new OLED daytime running lights which can be customised to be as unique as the driver.

The feature can be found in the rear lights too, where they can display messages such as warning lights to drivers.

The Q6 e-tron will also be the first Audi to offer a front boot (also known as a froot) which adds 64 litres to the maximum cargo capacity of 1,529 litres thanks to the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform that the car is built on.

Full specs have yet to be announced however we do know that this premium EV-SUV will come in two trim levels, the entry-level quattro and the high-end SQ6.

We also know that both trims will have the same 100kWh battery offering a range of up to 381 miles, come equipped with a rapid charging capacity of up to 270kW which Audi says will charge the Q6 e-tron from 10-80 per cent in around 20 minutes and have a 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds for the quattro which goes up to a blisteringly quick figure of 4.3 seconds for the SQ6.

Both trims will go on sale at the end of April with the quattro and SQ6 e-tron to be priced between £68,975 and £92,950 respectively. 

EVs are 59% less likely to break down according to study

A study by the UK’s leading breakdown cover providers has concluded that EVs are 59% less likely to break down than their ICE counterparts.

“Our figures show electric cars ranging from new to 10 years old are 59% less prone to breakdowns than ICE cars,” says Lee Puffett, Managing Director of Start Rescue.

“This might surprise some motorists, but with more than a million EVs now on the UK’s roads it shows drivers can choose an EV confident that they are less likely to be stranded at the roadside.”

Lee Puffett adds: “The hurdle to buying an EV of any age is more psychological than real for most buyers looking to make the switch from ICE to electric power. EV batteries are not like the ones in your mobile phone or laptop – they retain far more of their charge capacity to give you plenty of driving range. However, you still need to look after the 12-volt battery to avoid one of the most common causes of call-outs.”

Despite what some might think, EVs still require a 12v battery to power functions such as the dashboard, lights and wipers.