Teknovis

I attended the Nevo Electric Vehicle Show recently, and I took some phone photos while I was there. I was going to post them on Mastodon, but then I thought that I would add some commentary to them and post them here. Also, it has been a while since I posted here!

I enjoy electric cars, but I should state up-front that I am not really a car enthusiast. Actually, I do very little driving in a typical week! So I doubt that I will be sharing any insightful opinions here!

First and foremost, the show was excellent! Well done to the organisers!

I was there early in the day, so it was comfortable walking around, and I was able to get into every car that interested me without having to wait for more than one person in front of me.

However, I heard that it was uncomfortable busy in the afternoon.

Without a doubt, the vehicle that most captured my attention was the Kia EV9. IT was my first time to see it in-person, and I thought that it looked even more impressive in reality!

If I was allowed to take any vehicle home from the show, and I then I to drive it for the next two years, then I would select the EV9!

There was a very impressive Land Rover Defender just inside the main door. It looked great, but I do not think that it was a production model. Actually, I do not even know who was displaying it there!

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I think that the busiest stand that I saw was the BYD stand. It is not the type of vehicle that I like driving, but it looked extremely impressive. The outside looked very streamlined and refined, and the finish of the inside was very comfortable.

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Indeed, one of my main take-aways from the show was the bright cabin finishes and glass ceilings really makes a vehicle feel far more spacious.

In complete contrast, the VW ID.4 continues to underwhelm me. (I have been in it many times.) It looks great on the outside, but I think that the interior looks and feels uncoordinated. I really dislike the seat covers!

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I saw the Jeep Avenger for the first time. This really looked like a fun vehicle!

I loved the bright yellow finish, but I really think that this colour works best in a sunny climate!

Mercedes had (at leat two electric vehicles there. I thought that they both looked very bland and old-fashioned on the outside.

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However, I liked the contoured interior of the EQE.

It was my first time to see the MG ZS. I do not know a lot about this car, but I thought that it looked well!

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It was also my first time to sit in a Volvo C40. I have seen this car on the roads many times, and I like how it looks. However, I was disappointed by its interior. It was too dark, and it felt very small.

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Polestar was also there, but I really do not understand why Polestar and Volvo are separate brands. I thought that the Polestar 3 was nice, but nothing special. However, I thought that it was far too expensive!

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Tesla had a Model 3 and a Model Y there. I have been in both of these cars several times and I really dislike them. The interior looks cheap and unfinished, and I hate the Tesla associations. More importantly, I know a few people that bought ones and they either had to bring the car several times to get minor things fixed (e.g., rainwater accumulating inside the real light housing), or in an extreme case demanding a replacement car.

Porsche had a Taycan there. It looked nice, but it is really not my type of vehicle.

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Nissan had the Leaf and Ariya there. I am familiar with the Leaf, but I had never seen the Ariya before the show. I was very impressed and surprised with it. I liked that it was noticeably more spacious than the Leaf, and I also thought that the interior finish was far superior to the inter finish of the Leaf.

There were two brands that were not there – Audi and Cupra. This was a pity, because I was interested in seeing their offerings.

Tags: Audi, BYD, Cupra, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mastodon, Mercedes, MG, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Tesla, Volvo, VW

It has been a while since I blogged, so I am going to ease back into it…

I read today that one of the local authorities in Ireland is going to provide free electric car charging! See Electric car charging points proposed for Ennis Town in draft bye-laws.

I think that this is a brilliant initiative!

Tags: Ireland

The clever people in General Electric have built a robot that climbs and inspects wind turbines! The full details are in Go Go Gadget: Robotic Crawler Rides Up 300-Foot Poles to Inspect Wind Turbine Blades, and I will include a photo here rather than trying to explain it!

It looks really cool, and I am very impressed with its suction capabilities!

There are many other interesting stories reported in GE Reports.

Tags: General Electric

ESB (the incumbent electricity provider in Ireland) is currently looking for ambassadors to trial some electric cars. There are more details in The Great Electric Drive, and the Private Motorist Application Form will need to be completed before midnight on Monday 16th July (that is three weeks from today).

Tags: ESB

A slightly worrying review of the Renault Fluence ZE – Seeking a surge but suffering range anxiety.

I am still not convinced about leasing the battery, but at least the first two years are now free!

Tags: Renault

I previously wrote how I love the Nissan Leaf in Nissan Leaf. I have not yet spoken to anybody who owns and drives ones, but I did come across a very interesting blog today by an Irish owner – Irish Electric Dreams.

Tags: Nissan

Enterprise Ireland are hosting an event this week relating to software for smart energy meters. Full details are available in New Niche – Software Apps for Smart Energy Meters (EI Event).

Tags: Enterprise Ireland

I read a review of the Renault Fluence ZE during the week in Renault drives into the electric future. The aspect that caught my attention the most is:

Renault has confirmed the price of the Fluence ZE will start at €21,620 on the road (after the €5,000 Government grant), the same pricing as a Fluence diesel. But the big difference between the Fenault’s approach and Nissans is that buyers will lease the battery pack for €79 per month instead of buying it outright with the car.

The upfront cost seems very reasonable, but I think that the monthly rental would be quite significant to somebody who does low kilometrage. However, the reasoning behind this approach is explained as follows:

Renault’s approach is based on the fact that the industry is focussing on battery technology these days there are likely to be significant advances in the coming years, particularly in terms of range and weight.

As these improvements are rolled out, owners can upgrade the Fluence’s battery pack and benefit from the better range. The risk of obsolence and redundancy therefore rests with the car firm.

It is an interesting approach, and I wonder if it will succeed.

Tags: Renault

I came across the following interesting facts in Ireland on clean-tech high as it sets new wind power record:

Ireland hit a new wind-energy record on Thursday, 6 October at 2.30pm, when the power generated from wind reached 1,341 megawatts (MW) – enough power to supply 870,000 homes.

And:

Wind generation provided 39pc of the electricity being used in the Republic of Ireland at the time of the record on 6 October.

Very impressive!

Tags: Ireland

I am very enthusiastic about wind energy, and I believe that it is likely to be the most sustainable source of energy in Ireland. Indeed, if I was starting my carer again I think that I would probably look at opportunities in that area.

Anyway, I read an article recently about an Irish green energy company called Gaelectric teaming-up with a Chinese turbine manufacturer called XEMC. The article is Three new wind farms planned for Ireland, totalling 13.6MW.

This represents a significant investment, and it is a really good example of globalised technology transfer :)

Tags: Gaelectric, Ireland