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end of the beginning for EVs","the-end-of-the-beginning-for-evs","article/the-end-of-the-beginning-for-evs",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":560,"content":570,"excerpt":578,"featured":50,"reporter":680,"_editable":684,"component":685,"seo_title":553,"categories":686,"visibility":696,"author_company":49,"featured_image":697,"seo_description":578,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":702,"formattedArticleDate":703},"1f34c3af-ea5e-4591-9a01-16a728c457ea","2016-07-20 00:00",[],[561],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":564},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":565,"image":566,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":567},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":571,"content":572},"doc",[573,580,585,590,595,600,605,610,615,620,625,630,635,640,645,650,655,660,665,670,675],{"type":574,"attrs":575,"content":576},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[577],{"text":578,"type":579},"Contagion is spreading and confidence is diminishing in the auto industry following the well documented Volkswagen (VW) scandal, a situation that gets more shocking as each day and each revelation goes by.","text",{"type":574,"attrs":581,"content":582},{"textAlign":49},[583],{"text":584,"type":579},"As this issue of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence was going to press, Mercedes Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi joined the list of companies that have failed independent emissions testing.",{"type":574,"attrs":586,"content":587},{"textAlign":49},[588],{"text":589,"type":579},"In many ways, it can be likened to the financial crisis – such a huge and important industry allowing to and failing to regulate itself – but it could have a longer term impact.",{"type":574,"attrs":591,"content":592},{"textAlign":49},[593],{"text":594,"type":579},"The way in which VW cheated consumers and governments by switching their cars to idle mode during emissions testing of its “clean diesel” engines is in itself surprising enough. But the environmental implications could develop into criminal procedures – which is why the company has set aside $8bn for damages and replaced its chief.",{"type":574,"attrs":596,"content":597},{"textAlign":49},[598],{"text":599,"type":579},"In another comparison, on the Benchmark World Tour 2015, it was likened to the BP oil spill scandal. But on reflection it is much worse.",{"type":574,"attrs":601,"content":602},{"textAlign":49},[603],{"text":604,"type":579},"This is not a development that has necessarily occurred through mismanagement or neglect. It is a deliberate attempt to hide emissions from a product marketed as better for the environment than its counterparts. The internal blame-game continues with both executives and engineers continue to point fingers.",{"type":574,"attrs":606,"content":607},{"textAlign":49},[608],{"text":609,"type":579},"Emissions from VW’s clean diesel vehicles were an order of magnitude higher than the company said it was. Each vehicle was programmed to set to lower emissions or “idle” mode while it was being tested as it left the factory floor.",{"type":574,"attrs":611,"content":612},{"textAlign":49},[613],{"text":614,"type":579},"Not only is it cheating the consumer but the environmental implications are expected to be seen in a criminal light.",{"type":574,"attrs":616,"content":617},{"textAlign":49},[618],{"text":619,"type":579},"With VW exporting millions of its clean diesel vehicles around the world, they have in essence been exporting 40 times the emissions than claimed at a time when emissions output is one of the hotly disputed issues in global politics. And this has been going on for the past eight years.",{"type":574,"attrs":621,"content":622},{"textAlign":49},[623],{"text":624,"type":579},"Never before has such a big organisation lied about its environmental emissions on such a large scale. As a result VW’s share price reacted like a junior stock, plummeting 30% for one of Germany’s largest corporations.",{"type":574,"attrs":626,"content":627},{"textAlign":49},[628],{"text":629,"type":579},"It was in a twist of fate – and something not even the Elon Musk marketing playbook could legislate for – that the VW scandal came to light just weeks before Tesla Motors’ launch of its new SUV, the Model X. On the week of the launch of the EV, which carries the largest lithium-ion battery engineered into a car, VW was explaining to its customers how to send 11m “clean diesel” cars back.",{"type":574,"attrs":631,"content":632},{"textAlign":49},[633],{"text":634,"type":579},"For the last decade, EV manufacturers have been swimming against the tide of opposition that is petrol and diesel engines. EVs were more expensive, didn’t have a long enough range, and it was near impossible to find charging stations for them.",{"type":574,"attrs":636,"content":637},{"textAlign":49},[638],{"text":639,"type":579},"But in the last three years, in particular, this has started to change.",{"type":574,"attrs":641,"content":642},{"textAlign":49},[643],{"text":644,"type":579},"Consumers are slowly starting to see the EV as not your typical car but a lifestyle experience more akin to the smartphone. The vehicles have become less about the environment and more about the product.",{"type":574,"attrs":646,"content":647},{"textAlign":49},[648],{"text":649,"type":579},"Tesla has risen on the back of its marketing approach and government support as much as the quality of its vehicles. But not even Tesla, the most bullish of EV manufacturers, could have foreseen the VW scandal unfolding.",{"type":574,"attrs":651,"content":652},{"textAlign":49},[653],{"text":654,"type":579},"At a minimum, it’s likely to be the end of clean diesel. The thing to watch for is whether the situation turns to contagion and spreads to other combustion engine based cars. If so, consumer confidence could turn and any slight change in buying patterns will favour low emission cars such as EVs and hydrogen fuel cell.",{"type":574,"attrs":656,"content":657},{"textAlign":49},[658],{"text":659,"type":579},"For VW, the immediate future is bleak, but as one of Germany’s powerhouses and biggest employers, is it too big to fail?",{"type":574,"attrs":661,"content":662},{"textAlign":49},[663],{"text":664,"type":579},"The company’s redemption could be in pursuing EV technology in a far more aggressive way to begin to offset the emissions it has been misleading consumers on for the last eight years. There are likely to be very few alternatives.",{"type":574,"attrs":666,"content":667},{"textAlign":49},[668],{"text":669,"type":579},"It has been a long beginning for full battery-powered EVs since Nissan launched the first claim to a mass market vehicle in 2010 with the LEAF.",{"type":574,"attrs":671,"content":672},{"textAlign":49},[673],{"text":674,"type":579},"But true low cost, mass market vehicles will be with us in Q1 2017 as both Chevrolet and Tesla plan sub $35,000 offerings. By which time, the auto industry’s failed vehicles will be returning in their tens of millions.",{"type":574,"attrs":676,"content":677},{"textAlign":49},[678],{"text":679,"type":579},"Mass market EVs are far from mainstream, but thanks to VW and some of its counterparts, the beginning is over.",[681],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":682},{"job_title":565,"image":683,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},{"filename":567},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"1f34c3af-ea5e-4591-9a01-16a728c457ea\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[687,690,693],{"slug":688,"name":689},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":691,"name":692},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":694,"name":695},"ev","EV","private",{"id":49,"alt":698,"name":698,"focus":698,"title":698,"source":698,"filename":699,"copyright":698,"fieldtype":700,"meta_data":701,"is_external_url":51},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/9b63acbcfb/bm-screen-shot-2016-07-20-at-165927.png","asset",{"alt":698,"title":698,"source":698,"copyright":698},"Jul 20, 2016","20th July 2016",[],[],1792773948681]