A fast-charging system that promises to fully charge an electric car in 15-20 minutes will be demonstrated for the first time at an electric vehicle show next week. The Electric Vehicle Symposium will see eight major car manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and VW) throw their weight behind a standardised DC-fast charging system. It will, according to a Volkswagen Group press release, “accelerate more affordable deployment of electrified vehicles and charging infrastructure.”
According to a report in Autocar, management and unions are coming up with ideas to make Ellesmere Port more competitive. Unions are said to be prepared to offer more flexible working practices and complex shift patterns to make the plant lower-cost. However, it is hard to believe there is a lot of slack in the system now. Ellesmere Port is already probably the most productive plant General Motors has in Western Europe, so its scope to pull further ahead of other Vauxhall/Opel factories may be limited.
