Interesting developments on the Electric Vehicle (EV) front over the past month make EV an even smarter investment
Electric vehicles globally registered a 40% year-on-year increase in 2019. Technological breakthroughs in the electrification of cars, buses, and trucks are driving growth, growing markets are bringing down prices. And now, 200 new charging points mean the Pan-American Highway is now a “100% Electric Pan-American Charging Corridor.”
You Can Now Drive Your Newly Electric Vehicle All The Way From Los Angeles in California to The Southern Tip of Argentina
Thanks to Ewan Mcgregor and his new TV series, ‘Long Way Up,’ which chronicles his journey riding an EV motorcycle across 13 countries, 16 border crossings, and 13,000 miles, it is now possible to drive electric vehicles from the Southern tip of Argentina all the way up through Central America and on to the USA. If “range anxiety” was a consumer concern, expanding electric vehicle charging networks are reducing the fear of running out of charge.
The new “100% Electric Pan-American Charging Corridor” takes EV drivers along the Andes mountains, allowing them to follow along the 13,000-mile route that actor Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman took using electric Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The two men drove the electric Harleys from Ushuaia at the Southern tip of Argentina all the way to Los Angeles, California.
Chevrolet’s New eCrate Lets You Turn An Old Chevrolet Truck Into An Electric Vehicle
Not everyone can afford a luxury Electric Jaguar E-Type. Automotive industry giant, GM-owned Chevrolet, has a new product out, the ‘eCrate,’ an electronic conversion kit designed to bring EV to the aftermarket. The eCrate allows you to retrofit your Chevrolet vehicle to turn it into an Electric Vehicle (EV). The ‘conversion kits’ are made from components of the Chevy Bolt.
Each eCrate includes:
*a 147 kW electric motor,
*a 60 kWh battery,
*an AC-DC inverter,
*DC-DC converter,
*wiring harness
*and components for battery air conditioning.
The electric motor gets bolted to an electronically controlled four-speed automatic, which then hooks up to the original drivetrain. Although not yet available in Central America, the technology offers a peek at innovations to come.
Chevrolet demonstrated the possibilities with a retrofitted 1977 Blazer which turned the Blazer into an all-electric retrofitted SUV.
In a very nice touch, the eCrate includes an electric power steering kit as well as an electronic controller to connect inputs to the original vintage Blazer gauges – so your battery charge level will show on the original fuel gauge.
Europe Bought More EVs Than Diesels in September
Further confirmation that the car market is changing fast came in Europe this September as more EVs were sold than diesel powered vehicles.
10 years ago EVs made up less than 1% of European car sales and diesel was over 50%. In September 2020 diesel car sales were down to just under 25% of all sales while EVs (including hybrids) were just over 25%. This remarkable shift shows no sign of slowing down, especially with so many new EVs coming to market over the next few years.
Learn more about EV charging: save money and the environment
At Avolta Energy, we are ready for the EV revolution. Electric vehicles are cheaper to run, cheaper to maintain and better for the environment. We have partnered with Wallbox to offer their cutting-edge uni- and bi-directional EV chargers for your home and office. Please get in touch to find out more.