wxgsi A bit of break from home automation for you this week, as a couple of mates and I checked out the Geneva motor show over the weekend. and with a silly-o-clock begin it is doable as a day-trip from Belfast.
We drove to the airport in the Leaf, but that most likely didn’t rather off-set our dirty air journey. The flight out took just 1 hour and 40 minutes and we touched down in Switzerland at 8am (9am regional time) after we were treated to a sensational technique along Lake Geneva with the Alps as a snowy backdrop.
The Palexpo exhibition centre is just a 10 minute walk from the arrivals hall at the airport and is made up of a series of huge halls that hold the event.
We did this exact same trip three years ago, but this time around it was extraordinary how lots of a lot more EVs there were, and not just the ones from the unheard of startups either, the mainstream motoring makers have now all turned up with electric vehicles too.
Polestar 2
This years show had been billed as a bit of an EV-fest by much of the motoring press, and they weren’t wrong. one of the highlights for me was the cool new Polestar 2, a full battery electric automobile (BEV) from the Volvo had brand. It’s available to pre-order now at €59K and there’s a €39K version guaranteed a year into production which will make it maybe the closest rival to the Tesla design 3.
Tesla design 3
Although Tesla didn’t have a stand at the show, there was a design 3 on display at one of the charging equipments stands. This was the first time I’d seen the car in the flesh and I can confirm the oft quoted experience that it does undoubtedly look even better in genuine life. Roll on ideal hand drive production.
Honda e
Honda have guaranteed you’ll be able to buy their uber cool 5-door ‘e’ later in 2019, although you’ll most likely have to wait up until 2020 to actually take delivery. They’ve aimed it extremely much at the metropolitan market with a 120 mile variety and a cost that the pundits anticipate will be between £25K to £30K.
Peugeot e-208
Another head turner was the new Peugeot e-208. It’s another mouth watering prospect that will bring a 200 mile variety in a handsome super-mini package.
In fact the Peugeot stand in general was extremely cool, especially this sensational e-legend concept car. despite those amazing lines it doesn’t look like it will see production though.
Kia e-Niro
While Hyundai were not at the show Kia were and we had the chance to get our fist look around the e-Niro. This is the EV that shares a platform with the prominent Kona and while it’s not as quite as it’s bit sister, some people may find this larger car a lot more practical. Hopefully Hyundai can ramp up production of this near-300 mile variety 64kWh car so the waiting listing can come down.
The new Kia spirit was on the stand as well and we like it. maybe this new version will be the one that can make the electric version as prominent in the UK as the petrol version is in the USA.
Seat el-Born
Another of my much-loved vehicles in the ‘actually being made, could even be affordable’ category is the Seat el-Born. This is being developed on the exact same MEB platform as the VW I.D. which was strangely absent from the show despite apparently being available to pre-oder from this May. The Seat is arranged for arrival in the first half of 2020 with 62kWh battery and around 261miles of range.
The Seat Minimo is like a Renault Twizy with appropriate windows. cool idea and all, but it’s most likely a lot more of an alternative for moped owners living in the South of France, than leaf motorists from Belfast. Still, it was a head turner.
Audi e-tron GT & Q4 e-tron
Sticking with the VW Group, the Audi stand was headed down the EV path too. The e-tron GT is Audi’s version of the Porsche Taycan (another EV that was conspicuously absent from the show).
The Q4 e-tron concept is a smaller version of Audi’s first EV that’s named just ‘e-tron’ (confused yet?). This mid-sized crossover is verified for a late 2020 arrival.
Mercedes EQC
Mercedes-Benz are entering the battery electric automobile world with the EQC. A high quality car as you’d expect from the three-pointed star (running the MBUX system), but some how a bit ordinary. Due at the end of this year.
Mercedes is the parent company of wise and this cool bit concept on their stand is called ‘forease’. personnel on the stand told us the company is because of stop production of interior combustion powered vehicles in the next few months and switch their focus entirely to EVs.
Tata Altroz
This is a new one on me, the Altroz from India’s Tata Motors. bit similar to a Chevy Bolt, due in 2021.
The new Fiat Panda EV?
Another bit modern-retro metropolitan EV, this time around from Fiat. The concept is named Centoventi but it appears like this could be a good guideline towards the EV version of the Panda. It even had a bit furry toy panda sitting on the front seat, just to tease us.
EV Supercars & Hypercars
The world of supercars and hypercars is quickly moving to all Electric. So lots of exotic Italians have been embarrassed by Tesla’s big old 4 seater family saloon that finally the cent is dropping as to where the future lies. Here’s the Pininfarina Battista, the Rimac C_Two and a wild Giugiario created concept, the GFG style Kangaroo…
Next Year?
Most of the appealing metal above all includes the caveat of ‘coming next year’. While it seems like it’s been that method for a while now with electric cars, it’s extremely remove that the mainstream EV transformation truly is nearly upon us. 2020 is stacking as much as be a bit special if you’re in the market for a BEV. when we have that much better choice available, ideally falling battery costs and much a lot more competition will begin to make things a lot more affordable too.
And home Again
We had shown up at the first hall soon after 9:30am regional time and we left at closing. even though we were there for over 9 hours there was so much to see that we could easily have spent a second day.
But it was time to head home and easyJet had us back on the ground at Belfast worldwide airport 15 minutes ahead of routine with a 1 hour 50 return flight time. I shown up back home before midnight, around 20 hours after we’d set off that morning and with 27% staying on the Leaf. thanks to Darren and Reinis for a great day and great company. Our electric future genuinely is just around the corner.
Check out some a lot more pictures from our trip in the gallery below
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