Martin Winterkorn, Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Steve Gooding

“Volkswagen is doing intensive research in Silicon Valley in California for the super-battery, which will be cheaper, smaller and more powerful. An electric VW which can drive 300 kilometres electrically already is in sight.”

VW CEO Martin Winterkorn is confident that Volkswagen is on top of developments concerning EV technology. In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, he described the 300-kilometre as a “quantum leap” for electric cars.
techfieber.de (in German), hybridcars.com (background)

“Every single city is looking at something, whether now or in the near future, in terms of ultra-low emission zones. This will be a massive problem for companies making deliveries in these cities and their solution will be e-mobility.”

Nissan EV director, Jean-Pierre Diernaz, sees regulations for improving air quality in cities as a game changer for EV uptake. London plans the ULEV zone by 2020 and when Paris banned diesel vehicles for a few days, Nissan saw a peak in traffic to its website’s EV section.
fleetnews.co.uk

“For the time being that is still dependent on a government grant. The challenge for manufacturers will be to offer economically attractive options when the grants get reined in.”

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, comments on the current success of the British Plug-in Car Grants. So far, 29,469 electric vehicles have benefitted from the government scheme on the Isles.
telegraph.co.uk