The world’s automakers unveiled a torrent of electric vehicles at the Frankfurt Auto Show this week. They see demand growing as range increases and governments talk about end-of-lifeing the combustion engine. Britain and France are talking about no new combustion-engine cars after 2040. China is thinking along those lines, too.That has VW talking about a market of 3 million EVs a year in 2025 — for Volkswagen alone. Here’s a look at some of the electric vehicles at the every-other-year Frankfurt Auto Show.
The Audi Aicon EV stretches a foot longer than the Tesla Model 3, has an electric motor at each wheel for a total of 349 hp, and range (this is a concept, remember) of 500 miles. An 800-volt charger could reach 80-percent full in 30 minutes. Aicon begins with AI (get it?): It's Level 5 self-driving as well. The body is covered in "light fields" and could, say, make a frown face at a jaywalker.
Some are compacts or two-seaters, but others are comfortable for four and luggage. Many of the EVs shown are described as “Tesla-fighters.” Translation: The new norm is 200-250 miles of range and mainstream prices, meaning closer to $35,000, not $75,000. But that also describes the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which shipped before the Tesla Model 3.
EVs have considerable upside, because there’s not much market-share downside. EVs last year represented just one of every 200 cars built.
Several hydrogen fuel cell cars were shown as well, including a version of the Mercedes-Benz GLC compact SUV; it also runs up to 30 miles on battery power in case the local service station isn’t selling hydrogen quite yet.
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