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Chinese Military Restricts Tesla Due To Privacy | 21 Mar 2021

Released Sunday, 21st March 2021

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Chinese Military Restricts Tesla Due To Privacy | 21 Mar 2021

Sunday, 21st March 2021

1 person rated this episode

Rate Episode

On today’s podcast:

Chinese military reportedly restricts use of Tesla cars among personnel
Geely targeting Tesla with new premium EV brand called Zeekr
Tesla Giga Berlin Production To Start In Late July Or August
ElectraMeccanica to produce SOLO EV in Arizona
EVgo partners with Meijer for Midwest EV fast-charging at up to 350 kw
Volkswagen Is Trying On-Demand Feature Subscriptions Too Now
Hyundai offers 250 kWh of free fast charging to Kona and IONIQ with Electrify America

Show #1027

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 21st March. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.

CHINESE MILITARY REPORTEDLY RESTRICTS USE OF TESLA CARS AMONG PERSONNEL

"Citing national security concerns, China is restricting the use of Tesla’s electric vehicles by some state and military personnel, according to a Wall Street Journal report from Friday. A separate report, from Bloomberg, said the cars were banned in certain areas." writes CNBC: "It comes after the country led a security review of the vehicles, where it reportedly found that Tesla’s sensors could record images of their surrounding locations. The Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, added that Tesla could obtain key data, like when and where the cars are being used. It could also track more personal information, like a cellphone’s contact list if it’s connected to the car, according to the report. China is ultimately concerned the information could be sent back to the United States, according to the Journal article."

"Elon Musk has downplayed espionage concerns from China, saying if its vehicles were used for spying, the company would be shut down. The entrepreneur was speaking at the China Development Forum, hours after a screenshot of an order issued at a military accommodation complex banning Tesla vehicles went viral on Chinese social media." according to South China MOrning Post: "A person familiar with the matter said the ban was issued a couple of weeks ago because Chinese leaders were “very concerned”, adding that Musk might visit China next month.

Elon Musk said: "“If Tesla used cars to carry out espionage activities in China or anywhere, we will get shut down … There’s a strong incentive for us to be confidential"

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/19/tesla-cars-restricted-among-military-personnel-in-china-report.html

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3126273/elon-musk-denies-tesla-cars-are-being-used-spying-china

GEELY TARGETING TESLA WITH NEW PREMIUM EV BRAND CALLED ZEEKR

"China's Geely plans to roll out electric vehicles under a new marque with different branding and sales strategies, people familiar with the matter said, as the Volvo owner looks to take on its main EV rival Tesla with higher-end vehicles. The brand, positioned in the premium segment and named "Zeekr", will be housed under Geely's to-be-launched EV entity Lingling Technologies, according to three people, who declined to be named as the plan is not yet public. Reuters reported the plans for Lingling last month." says Autoblog: "Geely, the owner of Volvo Cars and 9.7% of Daimler AG, will roll out models under the new marque based on its open-source EV chassis, announced in September and called Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), the sources said."

"While details of Geely’s Zeekr brand are yet to be made public, speculation suggests it could be operated in partnership with Chinese internet services company Baidu. A strategic partnership between Geely, China’s largest private car maker, and Baidu, China’s leader in internet seach operations, was announced in January." according to Autocar: "Geely is set to sell Zeekr models through dedicated sales centres located in city centres using a marketing strategy that departs from its traditional dealership model. It also plans to support vehicles sales with a line of lifestyle-orientated clothing and accessory lines in a move aimed at reaching new customer groups."

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/03/19/geely-new-ev-brand-zeekr-tesla-competitor/

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/geely-launch-new-zeekr-brand-global-tesla-rival

TESLA GIGA BERLIN PRODUCTION TO START IN LATE JULY OR AUGUST

"According to our German friend on the ground there, it was said today at a meeting of the Brandenburg Committee for Infrastructure and Regional Planning that Tesla Giga Berlin (which is in Brandenburg) will commence production in late July, or August at the latest." repotrs Claen Technica: "While this is perhaps earlier than many expected, there have been signs that Tesla’s Berlin gigafactory (or Brandenburg gigafactory) would get up and running in the first half of the year, or at least by the middle of the year."

On Twitter Alex Voight: "While this is perhaps earlier than many expected, there have been signs that Tesla’s Berlin gigafactory (or Brandenburg gigafactory) would get up and running in the first half of the year, or at least by the middle of the year. In order to start production, the final construction permit still needs to be granted Reviewing all known open points and listening carefully to the people in charge in committee meetings I have no doubt that it will come in right in time.

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/03/18/tesla-giga-berlin-production-to-start-in-late-july-or-august/

ELECTRAMECCANICA TO PRODUCE SOLO EV IN ARIZONA

Canadian designer and manufacturer of electric vehicles ElectraMeccanica has selected Mesa, AZ, in the greater Phoenix area, for its U.S. based assembly facility and engineering technical center. Phoenix ranks as the fifth largest city in the U.S. according to 2020 census data, with nearly 1.8 million residents. Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, ranks 35th nationally.

The proposed facility in Mesa will support ElectraMeccanica’s strategic plan to meet anticipated demand for their flagship SOLO EV. When fully operational, the facility is expected to create up to 500 new jobs and will be capable of producing up to 20,000 SOLOs per year.

Engineered for a single occupant, it offers a unique driving experience for the environmentally conscious consumer. The SOLO has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 80 mph, making it safe for highways.

https://electriccarsreport.com/2021/03/electrameccanica-to-produce-solo-ev-in-arizona/

HYUNDAI OFFERS 250 KWH OF FREE FAST CHARGING TO KONA AND IONIQ WITH ELECTRIFY AMERICA

"Hyundai Motor America will provide 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging on Electrify America’s ultra-fast charging network for owners of 2021 Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric models. Customers can access their complimentary charging by the Electrify America mobile app that will also help drivers find and navigate to Electrify America stations and to start a charging session. 250 kilowatt-hours equals about 1,000 miles of EPA-estimated driving range in a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric or Ioniq Electric." says Green Car Congress.

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/03/20210318-hyundai.html

EVGO PARTNERS WITH MEIJER FOR MIDWEST EV FAST-CHARGING AT UP TO 350 KW

The charging network EVgo on Thursday announced a partnership that will install publicly accessible EV fast-charging stations at Meijer supercenter locations in the Midwest. Although EVgo didn’t say exactly how many stations the partnership will include, it plans to start installing them in summer 2021." says Green Car Reports: "At present, the charging provider has more than 800 fast-charging locations, and with more than 250 locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin, Meijer will give EVgo a consistent retail environment—a bit like Electrify America and its Walmart connections. EVgo’s new chargers will potentially be as fast-charging as some of those offered by Electrify America. They’ll range from 100 kw—enough to charge a Chevy Bolt EV, Hyundai Kona Electric, or Kia Niro EV at full speed—up to the 350 kw that can accomplish an especially speedy charge for the Porsche Taycan."

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1131634_evgo-partners-with-meijer-for-midwest-ev-fast-charging-at-up-to-350-kw

VOLKSWAGEN IS TRYING ON-DEMAND FEATURE SUBSCRIPTIONS TOO NOW

"There’s a trend unfolding in the auto industry toward subscription services and pay-as-you-go features. BMW made waves last year when it envisioned a future of “unlocking” heated seats, for example, with a one-time or recurring fee. Now Volkswagen is trying something similar with the new all-electric ID.3." according to Jalopnik: "Volkswagen’s pilot program will be rolled out in six cities in Germany this year, according to Autocar, and it will allow owners to enable certain features on demand, like “travel assist, stop and go, lane assist and ACC,” to give a few examples. At the moment, many brands offer on-demand access to certain features, though their impact has been largely restrained to aspects like navigation or little things, like adaptive headlights. As part of this initiative, Volkswagen will also test pay-by-mile billing, in addition to subscription and one-time billing options."

https://jalopnik.com/oh-good-volkswagen-is-trying-on-demand-feature-subscri-1846511749

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