David Booth behind the wheel of Jaguars I-Pace E-Trophy race car.Handout / Jaguar Opinionated. Knowledgeable. Irascible.Unflappable. Veteran Canadian automotive journalist and Drivings very own David Booth is all that, and more.Hes also been in the drivers seat for three decades of electric vehicle innovation and development. As such, he has a unique and well-informed perspective on the ongoing EV revolution one that Driving readers know all too well from his weekly, must-read Motor Mouth columns.In this weeks episode of Plugged In, we ask him about the future of EVs, how plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells fit into that landscape, and of course, his favourite subject to rant about: Tesla.Plugged In is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.
Origin: Plugged In Podcast: Talking EVs, fuel cells, and Tesla with Motor Mouth
EVs
SUV demand could negate environmental benefit of EVs, study suggests
2019 Nissan KicksNissan With federal elections on the horizon, the issue of climate change is top of mind for many Canadians. Well, here’s a bit of news for those climate change activists driving SUVs. A new analysis performed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that environmental progress made by the shift to electric vehicles may be offset by the rising demand for SUVs. Commentary on the study notes even with major automakers projecting a tenfold increase in annual EV sales by 2030, and a general slackening of sales of internal-combustion-engine vehicles, the rise of SUVs alone, which consume on average a quarter more energy than smaller cars, is enough to cancel out the benefits of the other shifts. For perspective, there were over 200 million SUVs on the planet in 2018; in 2010, there were only 35 million. That means, over those eight years, SUVs accounted for some 60 per cent of the increase in the world’s cars.The author calls this move a “silent structural change,” claiming the SUV sector was the second-largest contributor to all CO2 emissions from 2010-2018. Better than the power sector, but worse than iron, steel, trucks or aviation. “If consumers’ appetite for SUVs continues to grow at a similar pace seen in the last decade, SUVs would add nearly 2 million barrels a day in global oil demand by 2040, offsetting the savings from nearly 150 million electric cars,” says the study.Kind of puts a new perspective on your Toyota 4Runner, doesn’t
Origin: SUV demand could negate environmental benefit of EVs, study suggests
Ferrari tech boss on EVs, V12s and next LaFerrari
“Emotions are the actual secret of Ferrari. Take Bugatti: they put 1000hp in a car, and if you go straight, it works very well. To have fun on mountain streets, we think this is our secret. It’s not just about being on the limit. Our cars are always fun. “But what’s fun? It’s sound, perceived acceleration – not just the 0-100kph or 0-200kph times. I accelerate and I feel the torque and how the acceleration evolves. It’s not like driving a diesel. It’s a turbo that evolves power and torque like on a naturally aspirated engine. “Then it’s a go-kart feeling. Everything you do brings a controllable feel to the car. Every customer can drive a Ferrari and have fun. “We have a very special engineering approach which combines engineering data with perceived emotions. We have a catalogue of manoeuvres which are connected to car characteristics perceived from customers. So we talk a lot to customers and our test drivers are very capable of translating customer perceptions into more engineering evaluations of cars. “So back to the F8 and its successor. If an SF90 is a very performance-orientated car with high fun to drive, the F8 successor will have less performance (than 1000hp) but maybe more fun to drive. More driving emotions, more capable, even lighter… We’re thinking of some specialities.” Will you continue to develop V12 engines? “We will try and build it for as long as possible. I am convinced there is still space for it on the market and we can do it technically and manage emissions. We’re working on the next EU6c emissions and will add gasoline particulate filters to manage this.” With the SF90 Stradale and the upcoming SUV in 2022, there will be six Ferrari model lines. Will you stick at six in the future? “No. The company has to grow. By repositioning that, you can grow in a certain way, or add certain models. We’re not interested in volume. It’s revenue. Volume doesn’t interest us.” Will you make a pure-electric Ferrari? “Right now, the technology is not mature enough. Look at customer requirements: the most important thing is sound. Today, there is also a problem on range, which for a sports car really is a problem. The range of an electric car is especially so if you accelerate or go with high speed. These are contributors to sports cars. You need high speeds and you can’t limit to 200kph. If you’d like to remove that technical constraint, you add so much weight it’s not a sports car. “Maybe in a few years, it could be a possibility. To sell the technology, you need a big step.” Ferrari tends to make a new hypercar around every 10 years. As the LaFerrari is almost seven years old, is work under way on its successor? “It is true that almost every 10 years we bring one out. It’s also true that Ferrari only does one when new technology is available. So we have to understand what is the technology we want to be on new supercars.” Will you make more special models like the Monza? “We want to segment our offering into four pillars: GT, sports cars, Icona (icons) and Special Series. Icona (where the Monza sits) will be a line of cars. “Monza is not the only one. We have a few we discuss. It’s a big success for us, Monza. There are less technical constraints with these cars. To drive Monza is like driving a
Origin: Ferrari tech boss on EVs, V12s and next LaFerrari
James Ruppert: when it comes to second-hand EVs, buy mainstream
If you read this column often, you will probably have gathered by now that I am EV-sceptic. Used EVs are a thing and I concede that, for some, they can make some sort of practical sense, if you’re a milkman. However, if you start doing the CO2 calculations, it all becomes rather harder to justify batteries as a method of environmentally responsible propulsion. As we all know, Bangernomics is the only way to drive with a jolly green conscience. But, hey, I like to do my bit for the home-grown car industry, so I was pleased to read that there was a Me (micro electric) car apparently being built in north London that costs a substantial £12,000. It looked like a Jeep that had been shrunk in the wash. These days, however, there is something called the interweb and, pretty quickly, you find that you could have bought one of these in China for three grand a few years back. So that didn’t go very well. This brings us to the electrification of classic cars, which seems to be breaking out all over the place. If it is your car and you want to do that, knock yourself out. Have fun. I don’t care. When it comes to commercial operations, I’m not quite so sure. Aston Martin DB6s converted by Aston Martin to EVs (and fully reversible) is presumably a pricey PR exercise. Even if someone buys them. A colossal amount of money is being pumped into one company that specialises in converting classics to battery-fy Fiat 500s and Ferrari 308s. What a colossal waste of finite resources that is. It is a pointless virtue-signalling exercise. So I asked to speak to the founder, who suddenly became unwell, and then someone else important, who went very quiet. I thought journalists were supposed to ask questions? Silly old sceptical me. The toy-town battery cars are promoted on the basis that they are Ultra Low Emission Zone-compliant, but so is a historic vehicle, making the whole convert-a-classic thing redundant. Never mind: don’t buy a brand-new Chinese battery pseudo toy car when you can buy a Nissan Leaf with airbags and everything: £5995 gets you a 100,000-mile 2012 example, which at least proves they will do some solid service. Dealer ones are £6995 and I am sure that there are plenty of years left in them yet. Much cuter Renault Zoes seem to have lower mileages and broadly similar prices. A 2014 one with 40k miles is around £6750. If you love EVs, great. There are more to choose from and it’s best to buy major-manufacturer examples. Meanwhile, the rest of us still have plenty of fossil options. As long as that continues, we have a credible rather than artificial marketplace. What we almost bought this week Citroen ZX 1.4 3-door And still the 1990s producesgems, such as this one-owner,1995 M-reg ZX 1.4 with 85,000miles for just £395. With thatkick in the window line, thethree-door is a pretty thing,and because ZXs are light, ithas a decent turn of speed. Themodel handles and rides well,too. Still holding out for a 2.0Volcane, though. Tales from Ruppert’s garage Porsche Cayenne, mileage – 101,500 There was definitely a coolant leak. I got right underneath butcould not see exactly where it was coming from. The curse ofthe engine cover. Anyway, I asked my local garage to take alook, which they did. They burrowed as far as they could andlocated the leak to somewhere at the back of the engine anddribbling down the gearbox. The leak is not colossal. So we have decided to live with it and,later in the year when we have more time, will ask a specialist toget stuck in – unless they suggest it will cost a million pounds. Bangerpedia A-Z: P is for Patrol The Nissan Patrol has always been one of the biggest andcrudest 4x4s you can buy. This revised version from1998 onwards was much friendlier than before,though. There’s acres of space inside that huge bodyand five-door models even provide seven seats.Luggage space is more than adequate, too. Buildquality is good and overall the ride is acceptable.Arguably, this is an alternative Toyota Land Cruiser,but cheaper and duller. A seven-seat 2004 3.0Di SVEwith 120k miles is £4450. Readers’ questions Question: I’m a shy and retiring21-year-old aboutto buy my first car.Everyone tells me I shouldhaggle but how, and what ifthe salesman just says ‘no’?What then? Damon Cliffe, via email Answer: First, go online to get a feel forprices. Now you can negotiateintelligently, but only when you’vechecked the car, test driven itand believe it’s the one you want.Confidently state your offer. A good salespersonwill try to talk you round to a number they believeis fair to you both. Keep giving those signals thattell them you’ll deal today if the number’s a bitfairer to you. At all times, be friendly but firm –and lose the shyness. John Evans Question: I’m torn betweena one-year-oldHyundai Tucson S1.6 GDi with 15,000 miles for£13,995 and a new DaciaDuster Comfort 1.6 SCe115 for £13,400. Which oneshould I buy? Angus Crawford, Fife Answer: The Duster is a great alternative tomore
Origin: James Ruppert: when it comes to second-hand EVs, buy mainstream
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