Pedro Lima

Dacia Spring finally got a generous, but predictable price cut in European countries. Belgium and Luxembourg are first to get it, but other European countries will soon follow. These are the prices of the different variants in Belgium. ESSENTIAL: 10.590 euros EXPRESSION: 12.290 euros EXTREME: 14.290 euros These are the prices of the different variants in Luxembourg. ESSENTIAL: 10.240 euros EXPRESSION: 11.884 euros EXTREME: 13.818 euros These prices already include VAT, and no, there is no government subsidy involved. This means that in Belgium, you can get the fully equipped Dacia Spring EXTREME with the DC charging and front sensors options for 14.940 euros, or 14.446 euros if you get it Luxembourg.

Four years ago I wrote an article praising the Leapmotor T03. Back then the small electric car was only available in China with NCM batteries and it toke almost 7 months until it also got LFP batteries. Now, this great small electric car is finally coming to Europe with a WLTP range of 265 km, a 41,3 kWh (37,3 kWh usable) LFP battery and a price of 18.900 euros. This model arrives disassembled from China to Stellantis factory in Poland where it’s put together like an IKEA furniture.

As expected, the price of EV battery cells continues to fall in China. Let’s take a look to the average price of EV (Electric Vehicle) and ESS (Energy Storage System) battery cells in China. EV battery cells (July 2024) LFP (prismatic): 52 euros per kWh NCM 523 (prismatic): 61 euros per kWh NCM 523 (pouch): 64 euros per kWh ESS battery cells (July 2024) LFP (prismatic): 49 euros per kWh The EV battery cells are optimized for energy and power density, while ESS are mostly about cost, that’s why they are a bit cheaper.

Next year BYD will start to produce its electric cars also outside Asia - in Brazil and Hungary - and legacy carmakers aren’t ready for that. Except one. While tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars imposed by the European Union and the US will give traditional carmakers some time to prepare, they will not stop Chinese carmakers from gaining a substantial market share in the coming years. Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis, recently said that the company is now ready and welcomes the competition from the Chinese carmakers in the affordable electric car segment.

The small BYD Seagull, or as it’s known in South America, BYD Dolphin Mini, debuted with 4 seats, however in Colombia it now gets 5 seats instead. BYD Colombia’s technical documents now show the BYD Dolphin Mini only available with 5 seats. However, we still don’t know if the 4 and 5 seat versions will be sold side-by-side in other markets. Brazil will soon also get this 5 seat version - that has been long awaited by brazilian potential customers.

Stella Li, vice president at BYD just confirmed that the BYD Seagull made for the European market will come next year: Yes, we plan to bring the Seagull to Europe next year. But it’s not the Chinese-market Seagull, it will be a European-market Seagull; a new Seagull. You haven’t seen it yet; even myself, I have not seen it yet. The BYD Seagull is already enjoying great success in South America, particularly in Brazil, where it is called BYD Dolphin Mini and the Chinese manufacturer has already confirmed that a 5-seater version is coming.

In case you haven’t noticed, we can already buy sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries. For example, with a simple search on AliExpress we can already find sodium-ion battery cells in cylindrical and prismatic formats for consumer use. Depending on the manufacturer, the advertised cycle life varies between 1.500 and 4.000 cycles, while energy density stays between 125 and 140 Wh/kg. However, since the mass production of this battery chemistry is extremely recent, production efficiency (mainly yield rate) and capacity are still low, so you can get much better deals on LFP (LiFePO4) batteries for now…

BYD Blade Battery is currently the best example of a good module-less and cobalt-free battery for electric vehicles. When it was launched, the energy density was at 140 Wh/kg, then slowly increased to 150 Wh/kg. Recently, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu revealed for the first time at a financial report communication meeting that BYD is currently developing a second-generation blade battery to be released as soon as August 2024. This second generation CTP (cell-to-pack) battery from BYD will reach a gravimetric energy density of 190 Wh/kg, which suggests that at the cell level the density will be around 220 Wh/kg - considering a GCTP (gravimetric cell-to-pack) ratio of 85 %.

The new 2024 Dacia Spring is not perfect, but given its price is actually quite good. With a starting price of 16.900 euros, it’s the cheapest electric car you can buy in Europe. This small electric car comes in three variants. Essential (33 kW): 16.900 euros Expression (48 kW): 18.900 euros Extreme (48 kW): 19.900 euros 2024 Dacia Spring Basic specs Seats: 4 Length: 3.701 mm Width: 1.767 mm Height: 1.519 mm Wheelbase: 2.423 mm Turning circle: 4.800 mm Trunk capacity: 308 L - 1.004 L with the rear seats folded down Frunk capacity: 35 L Weight: 984 kg Wheels: 15-inch Starting price: 16.900 euros Powertrain Electric motor: 33 or 48 kW Maximum speed: 125 km/h Range (WLTP): 220 km (137 miles) Battery capacity: 26,8 kWh Battery weight: 186 kg Battery chemistry: NCM DC fast charging: 30 kW - from 20 to 80 % in 45 minutes (600 euros option) On-board charging: 7 kW - from 0 to 100 % in 4 hours Consumption: 14,6 kWh/100 km What’s most impressive is that it comes packed with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to meet the latest European Global Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) safety standards.

Hi guys! The new website is almost as I want it and you can expect articles more regularly from now on. During the recent migration from WordPress to Hugo I noticed some things. First, the push notification system from OneSignal wasn’t sending notifications and adblockers were blocking the bell icon - that allows to subscribe or unsubscribe the service. Therefore, I decided to stop using this service, at least for now.

It’s been a while since I’ve looked into what LG Energy Solution is doing in terms of battery technologies. First, let’s see the four latest battery cells that LG Energy Solution recently introduced. Then build some hypothetical battery packs with them. LG Energy Solution E101A (NCM) Cell model: E101A Chemistry: NCM/Graphite Capacity: 101,8 Ah Nominal voltage: 3,67 V Energy: 374 Wh Gravimetric energy density: 287 Wh/kg Volumetric energy density: 637 Wh/L Lenght: 580 mm Width: 112,4 mm Thickness: 9 mm Weight: 1,303 kg Production: China and Poland (since 2023) 🔋Battery pack #1

Last year, Leapmotor and Stellantis announced the formation of Leapmotor International, a 51/49 Stellantis-led joint venture between the two carmakers. The French carmaker currently owns around 20 % of the Chinese carmaker. This joint venture gives Stellantis exclusive rights to build, export and sell Leapmotor products outside China. For this reason, Leapmotor International is going to assemble the small electric car T03 at Stellantis plant in Poland. The production is slated to begin as early as the second quarter of this year, utilizing the semi-knocked down technique, wherein partially assembled kits are transformed into fully assembled vehicles.