Kia EV5, Ford & Renault Join Forces, EU 2035 Targets in Question, Interview with Matthew Sealy IEVA, New MG Dealer in Kildare, Polestar 5, Citroen elo, Opel Astra refresh, 5 Top Tips for New EV Drivers, VW ID. Polo Stats Revealed

Welcome back to the Nevo EV News Podcast. If it's Tuesday, it must be Nevo EV Newsday.

On this week's podcast, we were at the Irish launch of the Kia EV5 yesterday. We had a first look and drive.

Since the last podcast, Ford have joined Renault in a strategic alliance.

We're going to be discussing the just a hot-off-the-press EU 2035 Zero-Emission

ban on combustion engines may be pushed out or weakened.

I interview Matthew Sealy, the chairperson for the Irish Electric Vehicle Association.

New dealer for MG announced in Gildare. We have Irish prices for the Polestar 5.

Citroën have unveiled their LO concept, ELO. The Opel Asterik, it's a lovely refresh.

We've got top five tips. If you're a brand new EV driver or you're thinking about going electric

or you're about to get your new 261 and we have some more concrete stats on the VW ID Polo.

For those who don't know, my name is Derek Riley and on this podcast, we chat about all things electric vehicles.

Nevo is Ireland's only dedicated EV platform and we'll be covering where we were this week,

what we've been driving and what we've been doing between the podcasts.

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Let's get stuck in right after these ads.

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So the Kia EV5 launch yesterday in Kill Ruddery in County Wicklow.

I think in our little promo video on socials, I said County Kill there.

But it is in County Wicklow, the Garden County.

And it is, we saw it at the Nevo Electric Vehicle Show last November.

It has now arrived in Ireland.

There's one in every dealership in the country.

So if you're a Kia fan and you're interested in, if you're driving a Sportage,

Karl and Ronan were both at pains to say this isn't an electric Sportage.

But it is the exact same segment.

It is taller, wider, longer, bigger wheelbase.

So it's slightly better.

And if you go for the ERT3 option, it is the slightly cheaper than the hybrid Sportage.

It's the first electric C segment offering from Kia and prices are starting at 47,625.

It's going to be coming in three different trim levels.

And it comes with the larger battery in Ireland only of 81.4 kilowatt hour.

It has their 30 inch infotainment screen, five star Euro NCAP,

WLTP rating on the ERT2 of 530.

ERT3 is slightly less 520.

And then a GT line, which we have in the video linked in the description is 505.

13 minute charging time.

It's a 400 volt architecture, not the 800 volt that we have on the EV6 and the EV9

vehicle to know technology and towing capacity of 1200 kg.

So it has everything that you'd want from Kia and everything that we have.

It come to expect from Kia's serious lineup of electric vehicles now from Kia's.

One the EV9, EV6, now this the EV5.

We had the EV4 launched just a couple of weeks ago, which is coming in hatchback or fastback.

EV3 best selling electric for Kia this year and only come into the country this year.

And then we're going to be seeing the EV2 in Brussels at the Brussels Motor Show Auto Saloon in the first weekend in January.

Stay tuned to the channel for that.

I'll be covering it as well.

Now, great car, really like it.

Great size boot of 566.

44 litres in the front.

If you combine the both of them, they're more storage in it than a Skoda L and Yak.

Going up again, tough competition.

Tesla Model Y.

And so it has to really stack up.

I stuck it up in the Irish EV owners association and some of them are, they're looking at Kia Ireland saying,

lads, come on.

We didn't get 360 camera.

We didn't get blind spot monitoring in the dash.

So the Irish spec is slightly different to what people are seeing around the European market.

Yes, it's coming in at a price point.

And there's a small bit of pushback from the EV community on the finance rate of 3.9%.

Whereas the other electric Kia's are getting a 0% finance.

But Kia said, listen, there'll be a demand first.

We don't need to incentivize with a 0%.

We know we're going to shift them.

It's going to be difficult to get the stock.

They've already been onto the factory.

The first allocations have already been assigned.

And so listen, there's no point giving stuff away when you don't need to.

Do you really need 360 cameras?

This is me quoting.

No, this isn't Kia Ireland quoting.

But yeah, some of the EV community have said, listen, we got used to this level of standard at the EV6.

800 volt, 360 blind spot cameras, et cetera, et cetera.

We aren't getting it across all of the models.

And so I'm going to be living with this car for Christmas.

So for the two weeks, I'm going to be doing coast to coast to other bits and pieces with it.

So stay tuned to the channel.

But first impressions, great.

Lots of interest in the video over on the YouTube channel as well.

So yes, another electric Kia and more coming, as mentioned, EV2.

We've got the Irish launch of PV5 cargo and passenger in February as well.

Looking forward to seeing that Renault joining forces with Ford

form a strategic partnership for passenger and commercial vehicles,

starting with two affordable electric cars in Europe.

If those of you who are regulars to the podcast and as you all know,

this podcast is not AI assisted.

And it is me giving you the facts, the new stories.

It isn't a grumpy old man given out about this, that and the other.

It's very much about giving you what's happening in the world of electric vehicles.

We would have interviewed Lisa Brankin, a couple of episodes back.

So go into the listing if you want to hear.

And in that podcast, I asked Lisa, is that everything else we're getting from Ford?

Anything smaller coming as we just last fiesta?

It holds a place in my heart because it was my first car.

She goes, I can't say anything.

And I said that the PR and marketing department would be very happy with how tight-lipped she was about it.

So obviously all of this was going on the background.

So Ford are looking at what the great stuff that Renault are doing.

And they are going to be based on the Renault Group's ampere platform.

So Renault five, Renault four, all based on this ampere.

And as well as that collaboration with Nissan with the micro is based on that platform.

So we think we could get fiesta slash car slash that size of car back in an electric Ford.

So we've got Puma Jenny.

We've got Explorer.

We've got Mustang Mackey and Capri.

So lots of passenger cars.

And then we also have Ford Transit.

E-Transit, E-Transit Courier and E-Transit Custom.

And so there's partnerships between Renault and Nissan.

There's partnerships between Ford and Volkswagen.

But Ford have gone with Renault on this side of things.

And so it's a landmark strategic partnership in that expanding Ford's electric vehicle offering in the European customers.

And they talk about it significantly enhancing competitiveness for both companies in a rapidly evolving automotive landscape in Europe.

So two distinct for branded electric vehicle.

The new models we based on the ampere platform.

And so looking forward to seeing what we're going to get out.

It's going to be the small cars that we're going to get from it.

So it's all about combining strengths and working together and in partnership.

So looking forward to seeing more of Ford and Renault and as they join forces.

Breaking news today.

And I would have heard a bit of this last week.

The EU yields to pressure from the automakers as it rethinks the 2035 combustion car ban.

So a story from RTE this afternoon.

The European Commission is expected to on tomorrow Wednesday the 17th to reverse the EU's effective ban on sale of new combustion engines from 2035.

But bowing to intense pressure from Germany, Italy and European automakers, which are struggling against Chinese rivals.

The moved and the details of which are still being hashed out by EU officials ahead of its unveiling could see an effective ban pushed back five years or softened indefinitely.

And I've heard people say that instead of 100% electric vehicles, that it will be 90%.

The likely revision in law to the 2023 law requiring all new cars and vans sold in the 27 nation block from 2035 to be CO2 emission free will be given to European Union.

The most significant climb down from its green policies in the last five years.

Manfred Weber says the European Commission will be putting forward a clear proposal to abolish the ban on combustion engines.

Head of the European Parliament's largest group, the Europeans people's party on Friday.

It was a serious industrial policy mistake is what he's saying.

Reneging on this ban has divided the sector traditional automakers like Volkswagen and Fiat owned Stellantis have pushed hard for these targets to be eased.

I made fierce competition from lower cost Chinese rival the EV sector.

However, seeing it is yielding more ground to Chinese in the electrification shift.

A Polestar CEO Michael Luchschiner, the technology is ready.

Charving infrastructure is ready and consumers are ready.

So what are we waiting for?

So there's two sides to this.

You've got large manufacturing bases, unions, jobs that are making combustion engines.

And so they're saying we want to keep the jobs.

But what others are saying are if we don't move as fast as outside of Europe nations such as China,

we will be left behind because what will happen is they won't have the you won't have the research and development to you.

They won't have the technology.

And so people who are going electric will go Chinese and other manufacturers Korean like the EV five yesterday's the presentation.

The number one fuel type for key and Ireland this year is electric.

And so, yeah, interesting.

Stay tuned from this.

It is it will be interesting to see if it is putting a plaster over what's in an inevitability from the manufacturing base in Europe that we just have to produce more batteries,

produce more electric vehicles at a European level rather than relying on outside of the block.

The new MG dealer announced in Kildare.

It seems like every week we're getting new dealers, which is great.

MG Motor Ireland expands this dealer network with a new appointment in Kildare with Fitzpatrick's motor group.

And they're going to be having the MG Motor Center in Kildare.

Expanding into Kildare is a key milestone for MG Motor Ireland.

Jared Rice, Managing Director from MG Motor Ireland said Kildare represents a vital area for our continued growth,

connecting Dublin with a thriving community, commuter and family market and showing a strong demand for hybrid electric vehicles.

So MG Ireland is delighted to partner with Fitzpatrick's family run group.

And I was looking enough to work with the Fitzpatrick's group at their regional event in Kildare this year and more to come on that in the coming weeks.

So stay tuned to the podcast and our socials.

Are you are you subscribed to our socials on Instagram and TikTok and LinkedIn?

Are you subscribed to the newsletter?

Make sure that you are.

If you're looking to keep abreast of all the things that we're doing here at Nevo Fitzpatrick's garage in Kildare,

we're coming back to them founded in 1951 as one of Ireland's most respective motor groups employing over 150 people across multiple locations.

And so they're going to operate from a temporary premises on junction 13 just off the M7 and a landmark site next to the iconic Kildare village.

So great spot there.

If you're interested in buying cars and spending money in Kildare village,

what better could you have than a brand new MG?

So we're going to take a little break.

And then we're going to come back with an interview with Matthew Sealy, the chairperson for the Irish EV Association.

There I was scrolling my phone, then someone cracked open a Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus.

I grabbed my own and took a sip.

Next thing I know, I heard a rip.

My friend tried the splits and skinny jeans.

The crew couldn't stop laughing.

But hey, not a drop of Baja Cabo Citrus was spilled.

Last with Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus, a punch of tropical citrus flavor.

Next up on the podcast, we have Matthew Sealy from the Irish EV Association Electric Vehicle Association.

Matthew, can you tell us your title within that organization?

So I am currently the chairperson of the Irish Electric Vehicle Association.

Very good.

Great to have you on the podcast.

As mentioned before we started recording, I'm going to be sprinkling a bit more Irish stories into the podcast and the movers and shakers within the Irish EV space.

And Matthew, you have been on the committee and then now chair of the Irish Electric Vehicle Association or the IEVA.

As we like to call it on the committee, I to sit on set committee.

But moving on, we'll come back to the committee at the end.

Sorry, not the committee, the association at the end.

But can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from, your background and we'll lead into the electric vehicle stuff then?

After that.

Yeah, so I suppose I've been involved in the association for a little while.

But getting into it is an interesting thing as well as how we end up in where we are at different points in times in our lives.

The journey.

Yeah, so I suppose, like I started, I will go back to when I was a young lad when I was 15.

I'm still a young lad.

We're still young.

But when I was a young lad at 15 there, my first job was a plant fitter.

So heavy equipment, fixing, you know, excavators, dump trucks, tractors, all that sort of stuff.

My next job was actually high-touchy power tools, fixing all the hand-held power tools that were in the country.

So working in McQuillan's and Cable Street was where all the high-touchy power tools in Ireland came back to.

So we had every single, you know, drill that was in the country that had something going wrong.

Would it be the gearbox in the drill, a motor, a switch turning on and off?

Ironically, an electric motor driving a gearbox that turned a screw very like what happens in cars.

Fun, you know, but on a very small scale.

Just a bigger scale, yeah.

A bigger scale, depending on what you're looking at.

Yeah, to turn it on and off and you can go forward or backwards.

It's amazing.

But, you know, unknowns to myself, that's where that was my next job.

But from there, I went on to college. I did electronic engineering.

So, like, I've always messed around with cars was the other big thing, but I did electronic engineering in college.

Where college was asked, Matthew?

So I went to the IT in Carlow.

It's now, it's part of C2, I think, is what they are now.

Yes, the Southeastern Technical University, very good.

But I did a, my Bachelor of Science in Integrated Circuit Engineering.

So it's the semiconductor industry as my day job is, day to day.

But cars has always been the hobby to go with it.

So, you know, I changed my first engine in the car when I was 19.

I've always been playing around with stuff, so suspension breaks.

I was maybe unhelpful in the day with loud exhausts on cars for people trying to sleep late at night.

Okay, one of those.

Not too much, but, you know, I've come from that background of I'm a car enthusiast.

And at the end of the day, that's where it all comes from.

You know, over the years, I've got my motorcycle license.

I like my motorbikes.

I like my cars, study electronics, working in the semiconductor industry.

So all we see in day to day life or the technology that's there is a lot of what I see day to day

and how things are coming along.

So electric vehicles have been really interesting where I've ended up because it kind of is the amalgamation of,

A, a love of anything that moves mechanically, you know, be it cars and motorcycles.

Be the day job.

So electronics that exists within it and the technology and what's capable in our vehicles and where it's going.

So the two married to get a really nicely in an electric vehicle.

So it still hasn't stopped me playing around with stuff.

So what's that?

2021 was my first TV.

It was slightly born out of necessity.

But again, it was along the lines of we needed a vehicle for Galaxy that we had was not really suitable anymore.

It was on his license.

It actually went to a scrap heap at the end of the day.

I didn't even tell it on.

We bought a Nissan Leaf and we've been in an electric vehicle ever since.

So and I won't go back like I'm a petrolhead.

That's where I come from.

But very much in the scope of things that were EV and electric is actually a better vehicle.

And it's where I prefer to be nowadays.

It's it's what I enjoy driving.

There is the whole thing that goes behind it is what people like.

And you know, very traditional petrolheads wouldn't touch an EV.

I'm not that way.

But I can see the benefit to an electric vehicle.

Yes, there's benefits that come from the traditional manual gear rocks and a nice sounding petrol engine.

But the electric experience is not to be taken from.

It's different, but it's it's not to be taken from.

They are still fantastic cars on their own, right?

So you can have fun in a 50cc scooter, you know, buying it around Barcelona,

or you can have a 1000cc, you know, on the on the Autobahn in Germany for argument's sake.

It doesn't matter, you know, everything has its place.

EVs have their place.

They can still be quite enjoyable.

So I categorize you as and I was on a podcast with Jack Scarlett from

Everton Electric slash fully charged there a couple of weeks ago.

And he says, Derek, you're a petrolhead.

I said, I'm actually a motorhead. I'm a carhead.

Whereas petrol obviously has that connotation of is that, you know what I mean,

that combustible fluid.

And as much as I get the the P extracted from me on a regular basis,

that I won't touch anything with a combustion engine on it.

Whereas I like all types of cars.

But you even are a Formula One fan.

I saw you recently attending one of the Formula One races.

So you're not evangelist, as we like to say sometimes.

No, I'm not.

But OK, very interesting that people won't see this.

We're chatting here as in my I'm in my office at home here.

There's Formula One memorabilia on the shelf behind me.

There's a Guinness liveried, you know,

March sitting on the wall at number 17.

I got to see its sister car.

It's bad this year at the Formula One,

when they started going around the track.

So fantastic to see something that a car that's in Ireland,

sister cars in Belgium at the minute going around the place.

So yeah, very much in that way.

But again, similar to yourself, I suppose, Derek,

I'm at the point where yes,

EV is what I'm going to have.

That's what I'm going to stick with.

I suppose I do come from a bit of a,

there's an environmental aspect to all these things that I

would stand over from my side of things.

Electric has a big thing to,

big part to play in that side of things.

And, you know, we can talk about that in a bit if we want.

When we look at what goes on with the environmental aspect,

there's a huge part of that.

To me, though, they drive unlike a petrol or diesel car.

So you've driven a lot of cars.

I've driven a lot of cars over the years.

I've had a lot myself.

I've had a lot of nice stuff over the years.

That's why I like to do things.

And there is nothing that drives like an electric vehicle

from that instantaneous kind of movement of the throttle pedal.

So even the most powerful and, you know, BMW M cars,

AMGs, all that sort of stuff.

When you put your foot down on one of those,

there's always a delay of some point.

They are very, very good.

But you end up spending an awful lot of money to get a vehicle

that reacts on that accelerator pedal the way an EV does

in the cheapest EV almost instantaneously.

Yes.

You know, there's that kind of connectivity that a driver

wants to have in the vehicle that exists in the EV

at a very basic level that you have to spend a lot of money

to get out of a very expensive, you know,

high performance petrol to do the same thing.

So yes, petrolhead.

I won't say I won't have anything maybe like a classic car

down the line and run it that way.

But very much there's no reason for me to ever go back

to petrol diesel in the day to day.

And even for a bit of fun, I'm going to buy

an electric car at this point in time for a bit of fun

because yes, they're a bit expensive still

and maybe a bit more niche.

But again, they're at the point where

I like to be a little bit different, I suppose, Derek.

I'm going to drive something a bit different

and electric, you know, modify down the line as it will be.

You know, that's what it will be.

It's going to have its wheels.

It's going to have suspension.

It's going to have all the nice little bits that go

with, you know, a car enthusiast aspect of where I

get enjoying them from.

And we're getting that now, I think, as well.

Going back to your, you started off in the Sunleaf

Solid Care, one of Ireland's best selling electric vehicles

back in the day, superseded by the ID4 now.

But you'd still see a lot of them around.

And then circumstances changed at home

and you needed something bigger.

And you went slightly none the norm again, as you just said.

Yeah.

And so the Citroën brand.

I don't think you were tied to Citroën brand.

It was the form factor.

Was that correct?

Form factor, absolutely.

Yeah.

So we had Tunis and these.

So we had an original ZD0.

And then we bought a ZD1.

So an older Nissan Leaf and then a new one.

And so people would know the two different shapes.

So we had both fantastic cars, loved them.

The Citroën then came about because we had a fourth child

on the way.

So we have four kids.

And I needed something.

So again, Citroën, that's the Lanthus brand.

You have Citroën.

You have Peugeot.

You have Opel.

Theater starting to come with that large van.

The only one I could get my hands on at the time was a Citroën

E-Berlingo in the extra long wheelbase, which ironically

is kind of preferable because it's got the size and the boot

that you need for all those paraphernalia with kids.

And then the business trim, which is not the trim I wanted

to buy, I would have preferred the lower more entry trim

just because there was a big enough step between the two

in terms of price.

But look, lucky to be in a position to be able to get it.

But yes, I'm driving my wife as well on a regular basis.

We have a nine-seater electric van that we travel the country in.

So we're in Limerick.

We go to Donegal.

We go to West Cork.

We go to Dublin.

No, sorry.

You said the E-Berlingo, but it's a space tour you have.

It's our E-space tour.

Yes.

All right.

Yeah.

So it's the bigger van again.

The bigger one again.

Yes.

This is the big boy.

Yeah.

This is the one where you kind of go, it's a brick.

It's one of the guys that has a plug-in hybrid BMW X5,

which is a big vehicle.

And then I parked it one of the days and we came out,

happened to be walking out of work at the same time.

We were looking at his X5 next to the Citroen and we kind of went,

God, the X5 looks a bit small, doesn't it?

God, yeah.

And it's not a van-derived car.

It's a car-derived van because it is based on that commercial.

Absolutely.

Citroen.

Yeah.

It's like a factory conversion at the end of the day.

It's the way it's done.

It's a diesel van.

It still has the little panel on the back where the diesel pump would have,

or where you would have filled it up and put it in there.

They literally just put the little plastic panel on it and it's permanently sitting there.

So no panels were changed other than a charge port went in on the front bumper

where they put it in handy.

Yeah.

And you haven't been a nurse around Limerick yet.

You're a fair man for going around the country whenever their association has meet-ups

or you're a great man to go up to any goal on your family holidays.

So you've seen the roll-out of public charging because you needed it.

Yeah.

Because unfortunately the Citroen e-space tour,

the version in passenger that we were getting around had a small-ish battery.

Yeah.

It was a 50 kilowatt hour listed, 45 usable.

And, you know, in three and a half years at this point,

and like there's 99 and a half thousand kilometers,

we're just about to hit 100,000 kilometers on that van.

We will, before the end of the year, it'll be, you know, 100,000 kilometers.

Yeah.

It's about 40, maybe under 40 kilowatt hours usable at this point in time.

So, you know, it's a small enough battery and a big enough van.

What kind of road injury are you getting out?

So at this time of year, you're about 110, 115 in the winter,

mainly because it goes back to battery tech.

And again, the day job where that comes into it is, you know,

battery cooling is one thing.

Battery heating is another side of it.

So that thermal management is very important for EV range.

Citroen and Stellantis chose to do battery cooling so you can fast charge it in the summer

and it's fantastic in summertime that way where you can just repeatedly fast charge

and it never degrades charging speed or range, et cetera.

But in the winter, it doesn't have the heating of the battery.

So it's missing that little bit of tech where in this time of year,

the battery does get cold.

You lose a bit of range because of it.

You go to Dublin and you do a fast charge.

And when you go for argument's sake, it heats the battery that little bit.

And by the time you get into Dublin and you do a fast charge,

like my brother is in Nice, by the time I get there,

a bit of a charge in his house, come back down the road.

I'm getting closer to summer range in winter in the worst of conditions

just because that heat has gotten into the battery from fast charging

and being in use.

So that's where it hinders it.

So it's about 110, 120 kilometres in the winter.

About 140, 150 in the summer is more where it gets to 170 if you're taking it easy.

So it's not fantastic.

But again, it's a small van, a small battery in a big van.

The big thing I would look at is and it's where the market is going towards

is you take the ID buzzes and the key PV5s that are coming,

you know, bigger batteries, but not drastically bigger.

But they're getting to the point where you're looking at 300, 400 kW range in those.

Or efficiency, lighter weight, optimised forest.

Absolutely.

And efficiency I think is the big thing.

And I think that's where the big benefits are going to come out of it.

Is that bit of efficiency, but also charging speeds.

You look at what's coming.

I was talking about it with a guy in work during the week

and we were talking about the fact that he's looking at buying something.

He has an Ioniq 5.

His wife is driving that to and from work.

He's looking at changing his.

He is a patio rifter.

So that's a smaller version diesel van.

And in talking about it, I was kind of going to the new, you know,

XPeng G6 that's coming has, you know, 450 kW of charging is what we're looking at.

And when you look at that and you kind of go, look,

yes, the battery isn't huge and maybe you're not going to get to doubling

and I'm back in one go.

But okay, we don't have 450 kW charging units in Ireland.

But even if you pulled into a 300 kW unit and you were able to charge that,

you can do full motorway speeds at 120 kph.

You can get to doubling and on the way back down do a charge for less than 10 minutes

and have enough to get all the way back down home to Limerick.

And there's guys inside work that are, again, I'm talking to them

and they're kind of going, they have a plug-in hybrid that I won't name brands,

but they have a plug-in hybrid where they're driving to Dublin

and on the way back down, they have to stop and get petrol

because the actual petrol tanks, they're not big enough

for that journey to get up and down in the one go.

So you're already compromised.

And your 10 minute stop and XPeng G6 as an example

by the time you stop, fill, you have to hold it while you're filling it

and then walk in and pay and get a cup of coffee

and go to the restroom, your 10 minutes is done.

So it's nearly like for like at this stage.

It's not far off it.

And I think that's the big thing where years ago

and it was the kind of go slower to go faster was how charging was done

because you got the efficiency, you didn't have to stop as often

and charging speeds weren't that good in the vehicles that were there.

So it made sense to go that bit slower to use the efficiency

of 80, 90, 100 km an hour on the motorway

to get where you needed to be.

And then it saved you 20 minutes, half an hour, 40 minutes

of charging for argument sake.

So you did save in that regard.

Whereas we're starting to see the absolute come about now.

We're starting to get into that point where the electric vehicles

are starting to get to a point where it's really building up

to what is the next stage of stuff.

So I suppose to me that's the exciting part of it all

is technology is starting to move with vehicles

and where we're going towards.

I really enjoy that side of things.

And it's where it is as an association is the interesting thing

to be involved in and what we are getting into.

Yeah, I really enjoy that side of things as well.

My Citroen is an old vehicle in some ways.

All technology, the technology that's there is coming

is phenomenal and like that.

We have two EVs.

We're two EVs.

Yeah, you're going with the wind knife as we like to call us.

The original Ioniq.

Ioniq, yeah.

High on the Ioniq, 28 kilowatt hour battery.

Again, people might think that's a bit small

and I won't go anywhere.

I met the guys in the van in Northern Ireland

up in Banbridge, not long after I had bought it.

And you know, I drove from here to Belfast

back down again in the day.

It was whatever 700 kilometers of driving in the day.

Again, perfect, not a bother.

A couple of stops, small battery,

but you again take it handy in that

and you can do the journeys without any difficulty.

The network and the infrastructure is getting better.

It's a lot better than what it was in my first Nissan Leaf

where I always tell the story is

when I went to my wife's home place in West Cork

we had to go by Formoy.

We had to go into the middle of Formoy

because that's where we could get the charger

to get us to the next stop down in Cork City

because there was nothing between

Limerick and Cork directly.

Yes, it was a bit tight in an original

Nissan Leaf that the battery wasn't that big.

It was 18.6 kilowatt hours I think

when I sold it on is what was usable in that battery.

24 new I think wasn't it?

24 new, but 18 by the time I had

with a bit of degradation and stuff.

If you say that to people nowadays

you kind of go with an 18 kilowatt hour battery

and they go, no, no, that's in my plug-in hybrid

and you're like, it is, that was fully electric

as it was for people setting out.

But you had to go by Formoy,

you had to go into the centre of Formoy,

you had to charge there.

Whereas now, like I did it yesterday,

Charleville, Malo, Cork City,

all of what's there nowadays is much better.

You can still go by Formoy,

there's still excellent charging network

that's building up there in Formoy as well.

So it's a phenomenal change in four years,

five years since I started driving EV.

And now you're the chairperson

of the Irish EV Association,

formerly the Irish EV Owners Association.

Yes, yes.

And we saw that you know what,

it's not just owners that are involved in this

and we widened the remission.

And I think it's made a huge difference

with regards to engagement with media,

invitations to events.

Yeah.

And you're doing more speaking than I am

between you know, panels at our show,

at the EV Summit, at Zevi stakeholder events.

But for those who don't know

whether they're listening from the industry

or you're an EV person that's potentially

potentially going electric

and that's why you're tuning into this podcast,

just explain what the Irish EV Association is.

So it started as a car club

that you know, it kind of has that nerdy upbringing.

It became the Irish EV Owners Association

then not long after that car club sort of status.

So as you say, it was looking,

it was very focused on the vehicles

and the owners at that point.

We broaden the remit because as we are nowadays

the conversation is much bigger

than just the cars, the vehicles.

So the Irish EV Association as we stand now

is around the fact that,

and the fact that yes, we still represent those people

who are using an electric vehicle,

driving it, owners, et cetera.

But it's a much bigger picture nowadays.

We look at what's going on with the charging network

and you know, we engage with CPOs on a regular basis.

You mentioned Zevi, we would engage with Zevi.

Just clarify what CPO is there.

Sorry, Matthew.

So CPOs would be charge point operators.

So ESPE cars, you know, e-power.

E-Zome as it is now.

Yes, you know, Bright, you know,

these are the ones that are engaged with us

as they are corporate sponsors, Weave, et cetera.

You know, these are where people are seeing,

when they leave home, this is what they're seeing

when they want to charge their electric vehicle

and what's going on there.

And Zevi, Zero Mission,

vehicles of Ireland are the government department

that are involved with, you know,

the rollout of the network and what's going on there.

We would be engaging in so far as

we see the pain points,

we see where the pinches are,

we see where it needs to go

and what it needs to be.

And there is very good work, I suppose, going on

with what, you know, learning from other countries

and the likes of Zevi and CPOs

and what is done there.

They're quite good at reaching out

and trying to see what's going on

in other places and learning.

But bringing it back into Ireland

and bringing it back to a, you know, a national level,

again, we would be engaged in that perspective

to make sure that they're aware of what's going on.

So it's a mixture of,

I suppose, how do I best describe it?

It's a mixture of, you know,

you and I are driving an electric vehicle day to day.

What do we see as the issue?

We get that information into us.

A CPO doesn't get that same bit of information directly

always, sometimes they do,

but not as easily as we might in the EV association.

And then we get that learning from that side,

but also we get to see it from what's going on with the CPOs

and what's going on with Zevi

and where the network is now,

where it's growing towards and what's to come.

So I suppose if people are looking at their EV association

and what it is for them,

I suppose we always say it's clear and concise information.

That's what we're trying to bring about.

It's data to show what the network is like now

and where it's going towards.

So Thomas does an excellent job

at the data that sits there

and we can see what's gone live,

what's in the planning permissions to come,

where the network is now, how it's growing.

So it's up, CCS connections are up 30%

or over 30% this year alone.

And that's a big jump.

And when you look at statistically Ireland

versus the rest of Europe or the rest of the world,

you kind of go,

we're behind the curve of where we need to be

with what's going on with stuff.

But then you kind of have to go,

but actually we're making big, big,

big upgrades in what's going on with stuff

and where things are going.

So yeah, it's a fantastic position

to be in to see that growth

and I suppose to sell the story.

I know we don't want to be selling it.

So people make the wrong decision.

And I think that's a big point to say with it.

We don't want people to go into an EV

that isn't suitable for them.

We want them to be in the right place

at the right time

because that actually hinders things a lot more

than somebody that's enthusiastic

or would like to make the change.

And you kind of go,

look, your situation doesn't make sense.

Let's not recommend that you buy an EV at the moment.

Again, if somebody is looking at my van,

I probably wouldn't recommend it to them.

You know, buying my van

if you're looking to do 500 kilometers a day.

It's not really suitable for that.

And ID Buds are a key of PV5.

That actually starts to become more suitable

for somebody to look at it that way.

But it becomes a conversation to say

that is coming.

Yes, you're aware of it.

But it's also a learned experience, Matthew.

I always say you'll see these people

in the pub talking about electric vehicles

and you'll ask them what you drive yourself on.

They'll say, oh, I just read it on Facebook

or TikTok or Instagram or whatever it may be.

What I love about the association

and when we do the meetups

or whether it's, you know what I mean,

the stakeholder engagements with our partners

and there is an option for people

to become partners of the association.

Little sales tactic there.

But joking aside,

it's EV drivers willing to share their experience

good and bad as to how others like to live

with an electric vehicle in Ireland.

And it's a very strong Facebook community now.

And as I'm online,

you wouldn't know if you know the figure off the top of your head

as to the number of members in the group.

Tens of thousands, I think 30 something.

Wow.

At the top of my head is what I had the last time we looked.

35,000.

Very good.

In the Facebook group

and people asking about what home chargers to get.

What I read about EVs in winter, is that real?

I'm thinking about buying used whatever.

What do I need to look out for?

You know, it's a great resource.

And we've done a great job of,

we, I don't take any claim for this at all.

The moderators are doing a phenomenal resource within that

within that group because there are some.

Crazy people.

I don't know that.

But you know, yeah,

you've people that are going to be negative.

But again, we've,

we've seen the conversations where we've had events

or we've gone to stuff where people come in and go,

those EVs will never take off.

And it doesn't make sense to buy them.

And you kind of have to go,

maybe in certain situations you are absolutely correct.

But again, I go back to the clear and concise information

is what we put forward and the tracking of data

and putting things together is,

it's not just to put it in such a way that it's,

it's giving information to people in a way that's,

it's suitable for them at the right time.

Yes, we're in a transition.

This thing takes time and there's,

you know, it's a change management behind all of this.

If you look at it from what's actually happening,

this is change management.

We're in a transition and we're trying to get people

in the right place at the right time.

So people don't like change, Matthew?

No, they don't.

And but change is always going to happen no matter what.

There is no way out of that.

So understanding it and giving clear detail

and clear information for people

and then being in a position where that learned experience

and being able to bring that to people

and say, this is what it looks like.

But also being in a position where I suppose

we can see what's to come.

And I think that's an important part from what I look at it is

what's to come and the story behind what is to come

isn't always an important part of it all

because yes, we're up 30% this year

and people will kind of go, but I haven't seen that.

And you kind of go, they have to look for it.

It's a bit harder for them to see what's going on that way.

And I think be that chargers, be that EV sales.

And I suppose with the green stripe or the green flash

people realize and God, I didn't realize

there was that many electric vehicles around the time

because me and you both know that 140 or 150 models

that are on the marketplace, but Joe Public

or Josephing Public may not realize.

Yes, what's actually there.

And in particular, when you take my Citroen van,

I do get funny looks sometimes when that turns up

because it's a big old van.

It's got a lot of windows and you're kind of going,

that's not electric.

You know, that's, you know, it's you're plugging it in

and it's always like, is that electric?

Or is that plug in?

What I find is when I'm reviewing commercial vehicles,

I'll be pulled in and charging and people will be coming

around the corner going, that bloody van is after parking

in the charging space and I need it.

And you're probably getting a bit of that as well.

Yeah.

I've never had the full confrontation, thankfully.

But you can see the look.

You can see the look in the conversation going,

is that electric?

Or what do you do on Titan?

You're like, no, no, it is fully electric.

So it's an interesting one.

And look, as an association, data is important,

but also where people are going and being able to help people

and have a resource for them to come to it and to say,

look, this is what I'm seeing.

This is the issue that I have and what's going on there.

So the Facebook group was great in that regard

that people can come and ask the questions.

I always, I've always made the point that it,

it's the silly questions.

I suppose is the best way to describe it because we grew up

in learning to drive from our parents or family members

or whatever the case may be.

And somebody showed you how to use a petrol pump.

We don't remember it, but somebody showed you how to do that.

And it's the same thing with an electric vehicle now,

except, you know, we see the statistics of who has money

to buy them because they are still expensive.

They're getting price priority is getting there.

But, you know, people who buy new vehicles aren't,

you know, typically those who are, you know,

younger or, you know, in lower paying jobs.

You know, you will, you will learn how to use an EV as a child

of somebody that has one for, I can say, to put it in that way.

Would be the norm, yeah.

Yeah.

And it becomes a point where if you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s,

60s, whatever the case may be,

and you're learning to what an EV is like,

it's kind of, you kind of have to sit down and go,

why am I doing this to myself to feel like a fool

when I've been driving a car for years,

but now all of a sudden this is confusing to an extent

to how do I look after this and the vehicles,

the chargers, all the different, you know,

be at home around the public network are all slightly different

to one another.

So everything is different from one to the other.

So you could have a Volkswagen and then you might move

to a Renault or you might move to Nissan.

And it's slightly different from each one as to how you might

have to set it up for your home, et cetera.

You had your video there about the plug-in charge

this week as well as we're looking back at time

or whenever people listen to you,

you had it on your YouTube channel and that's a big thing.

Tap and go and tap and charge where you pay with your card

and then plug in the vehicle.

That's a big one to come forward as well.

So moving away from apps and that sort of other

bit of information that people need to have behind it.

It just simplifies things.

So there's a lot of changes and a lot of different aspects

to it than there was before.

And I think that's the important part about what we have

as well at the minute is that space for people to ask

those questions and see what's going on.

So it's making a big impact.

And yeah, look, as I go back to a little thing

of the environmental aspect of it all,

I had looked at it recently where there's a company

called a group called Green Collective do a lot of data

on the actual grid.

And when you look at the CO2 per kilowatt hour

that's generated, it's 300 or 260 grams

or whatever the figure was, but I sat down

and it did the maths recently.

And I was kind of going, my Citroen e-space drawer

does about 60 grams of CO2 per kilometer

using the Irish grid on average.

And it has nine seats and a huge boot.

You know, it's bigger than a Skoda Superb Estate.

You know, it's huge.

It's massive.

Yeah.

It's massive.

And 60 grams of CO2 is about two thirds of CO2

but Toyota Yaris plug-in hybrid or the hybrid version of it.

So it's about 90 grams of CO2, which is, you know,

a very good, you know, petrol car for people around town.

And I know people that have someone

they're 70 miles to the gallon on a regular basis

and them driving around town in a few bits of peace they do.

But my van, which is double the number of people

and probably three times the boot space is statistically

on the Irish grid, which is only 40% renewables

and they're trying to get to 80%.

90% is kind of the ideal target.

You know, you kind of go, that's already two thirds

the CO2 emissions.

So there is a huge environmental aspect behind it all.

There's a health aspect.

So, you know, asthma or, you know, a respiratory disease.

Yes, air quality.

That sort of stuff comes into it as well.

So yes, there's huge aspects behind an EV

that are more than just the vehicle itself,

more than just a fuel source and all that sort of stuff.

But look above all, we're car enthusiasts.

I think it's the end of the day, Derek,

and we enjoy what they are for what they are.

And we both agree that, and I'll wrap up here now,

but we both agree that if public transport works,

you take the train up.

You were talking recently about going up to a conference

and you'll say, I'll get the train up.

If it works, it works,

but going to get the train from Limerick to Dominique

all isn't going to work.

So you're going to have to drive.

So what I'd like to do is thank you for your voluntary,

and you mentioned it.

The committee is voluntary.

Matthew, what he does is voluntary.

And the little bit that I do is voluntary as well.

So thank you for what you do and what the committee does.

That's not me thanking myself now.

But I know at Nevo, we really appreciate it being partnered

with you with regards to wanting to be involved,

wanting to help out.

You're very good to take a stand at the Nevo Electric Vehicle

Show and help us promote that within the database

of EV drivers within the association as well.

So thank you for that.

And as I said, thank you for whatever and all the things

that the association do.

And you're great at every now and again putting up a blog

to say in the last quarter, these are the meetings

that we attended.

Because sometimes people don't realize the stuff that's

going on behind the scenes.

They come into the Facebook group.

They'll give out about a charge that got blocked up

because somebody that was driving a diesel,

but they don't realize that you had four or five

meetings with different charge point operators

or a government department or a new company that's

looking to get into the Irish marketplace.

They don't see all that good stuff behind the scenes.

So I'd like to thank you for all that you do,

what the association does.

And looking forward to working with you in 2026.

Yes, it's going to be good.

2026 is going to be a good year.

And again, we'll end it on this and then take it this way.

The 30% increase that we saw this year in CCS charges

as its own, I think Chathamal as well is still increasing.

I think that's up.

It could be, it's not as high,

but it could be close to 10%.

Oh, very good.

So it's not a total dead.

Not dead completely.

So, you know, that is a concern to people,

but you know, it's still increasing,

but I would say it's still increasing in single percentages.

But it's increasing, which is good to see.

But the thing I would say is, you know,

I was with a CPO only this week,

having a conversation with them and going through stuff

and they're talking about next year

being even bigger again for them.

So, you know, when we're talking about 30%,

and what was there before,

they're talking about 2026 being even more.

And we kind of expect to see that with the Zevi phases.

And I think that's a big thing where they're sitting there

kind of going, yeah, we've done a lot in 2025.

And I think they're taking stock of what they've done.

But as you say, 2026 is going to be a great year.

We're seeing a lot more vehicles

and we're going to see a lot more charging.

Yeah, that's all we want.

Both of us.

And as you said mentioned earlier on the podcast,

he's doing great work on the Irish EV Association website

where he is tracking planning applications

and planning permissions.

And so over 100 in the pipeline to see,

and they're hubs, they're not individual chargers as well.

So it's phenomenal work that he does.

But it's also great to have a single point

that you can go in and say, oh, okay,

do you know what, I will go for an electric vehicle

because I can see the investment has come on down the line.

But anyway, we both get off our little soapboxes with you

and being preaching about electric vehicles.

The last thing on my side is

irechvassociation.ie.

That's our website.

Go take a look.

It's amazing how many people haven't been to it,

even those on our Facebook group.

But if you're listening and you're curious

as to what's going on in the Irish market

and you're looking for what is there,

everything is on the website.

The Facebook group is a great resource

for people to go there.

But our website, all the data,

all the kind of blog posts,

all the bit of information that we want people

to be aware of will be there.

So take a look at the news articles,

blog posts, et cetera.

And yeah, it's a great little resource.

So that's my last little plug,

I suppose, on my side there.

Cheers, Matthew.

Appreciate your time.

Thank you.

This is Paige DeSorbo from Giggly Squad.

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Thanks to Matthew from the Irish EV Association

and for his time.

Next up, we have the Polestar 5

giving us our prices in Ireland

and beautiful, not just beautiful,

stunning-looking performance grand tour.

We get a lot of press releases into the Nebo office,

and when this one came in,

a lot of people were looking over my shoulder

on to see what was on my computer.

And so the performance grand tour is on sale.

Prices from the Polestar 5

dual-motor launch edition comes in at 145,700.

Bespoke Polestar-banded aluminium platform

in-house-developed motor,

800-volt electric architecture

with a 650 kilowatt, 1,015-nm output.

A lot of sustainable materials,

Android automotive OS with Google built-in,

high levels of standard equipment,

luxury, affordable, and affordable.

And so we have the Polestar 5

built-in, high levels of standard equipment,

luxury, 4.1 seating arrangement.

And so the Swedish electric car brand

officially reveals Irish pricing

for the Polestar 5 performance grand tour.

It was born the precept concept,

unveiled back in 2020.

As a statement of intent,

I would have seen it a good word, actually,

and there's a couple of videos up on the channel,

but we can now order the launch edition,

a 550 kilowatt,

and then the performance launch edition

at 650 kilowatts,

arriving in Ireland early 2026.

Jordan Killeen,

Polestar Ireland brand director says,

we're excited to launch our fact-ship model,

Polestar 5 early next year,

and look forward to welcoming customers

to Polestar Dublin and Sandyford

when it becomes available to Test Drive.

In the meantime, we're pleased to announce the prices.

0-103.2 seconds on the launch edition,

acceleration,

top speed 250 kilometres.

For WLTP range,

a 558 on the launch edition,

678 on the

dual motor.

Battery of 112 kilowatt-hour battery,

charging up to 350 kilowatt DC,

brakes for piston Brembo brakes

with anodised finished aluminium body.

Just absolutely gorgeous.

So great to see Polestar 5

looking forward to getting it on the channel

over the coming months.

So stay tuned for that.

Polestar ILO

announced the concept last week,

and really interesting.

So it's an ideas laboratory,

is what it's saying,

that embodies the brand's value of innovation

and creativity

and brings together thinking for the future.

So a couple of different things.

It's responsible, accessible, spacious and functional.

LO is following a new path

that answers modern challenges positively

and ingeniously.

It's small but think big is what they say.

It's compact in size,

but it has a really spacious interior.

It's only 4.1 metres long,

but it has a maximised interior

right the way out to the end.

So they have a partnership with

Goodyear and Decathlon.

And so what they've done first off

is they've re-imagined the driver's seat.

So it's central.

So really, if you remember,

the Fiat Multipla,

and it has a million passengers

either side or sidecar passengers either side.

And so again,

left-hand drive, right-hand drive,

doesn't make a difference then.

It also has built for a modern life.

So they've looked at how people

utilise their car.

And so what they want is to make sure

that it's got full of handy features

that makes it the most versatile car ever.

Saved money on parts as well.

They've used this on the Citroen Ami,

identical bumpers front and rear,

also fewer new parts,

making the LO cheaper to build

and potentially cut insurance costs.

It's also repurposing existing parts

by re-imagining components

already in use by Decathlon.

Citroen cut further, cut LO's production costs

and reduce its overall carbon footprint.

It's got intelligent tyres

from Goodyear,

under-pressured or red lines

in the wheels.

It glows green.

And it's also very sustainable.

So Citroen are so good

at bringing this kind of crazy stuff to the marketplace.

And then we start to see sprinkles over

coming all the way out.

It's not going to be an electric 2CV.

Don't get me wrong,

but it is something that is

totally different.

And you'll see pictures

up on the Nevo socials.

And there'll be a link in this podcast

if you're interested in finding out more

about Citroen LO.

Next up,

we have the Opel Astra

also getting refreshed.

A beautiful design,

that compass design,

that really strong north line

that goes up to the bonnet

and then an illuminated north, south,

east and west compass design

on the front of it.

So it is a refresh, don't get me wrong,

but Opel are on a bit of a roll as well,

with three new models launched in 2025.

Makka, the Grandland

and then the Frontera,

and now they updated the new Astra.

A very popular compact car

designed, engineered and made in

Russelheim in Germany.

And it's going to be

35 years old in 2026.

New colors, longer range,

454 WLTP,

vehicle to load charging,

a clear interior cockpit,

Intelli seats,

available materials,

Intelli Lux headlights,

you're going to get a hatchback

and a gorgeous sports tour

and this lovely two-tone green body

with a glass black roof.

It's sharper, it's more modern,

it's more sustainable.

Opel CEO Florian said

with new design technology highlights

such as illuminated Opel Blitz at the front

further develops the brand's face.

So yeah, great to see it, tough market segment,

not a lot of people buying hatches

but a nice car, looking forward to seeing it

in the flesh and seeing what's happening

within the world of Opel.

Next up

you may have seen on socials we have

the top five tips to make your first month

of EV ownership easier.

So number one is talking about getting your charging options

and understanding what it's like to charge your vehicle

at home but also on the road

downloading the apps, ordering the fobs, whatever it may be.

It's not as streamlined as it could be

yet, I did a piece recently on the channel

about what is plug and charge

the ISO 15118 standard

so have a look at that as well.

Number two for that first time

EV driver, understanding

your real world range.

Number three, planning those longer trips.

Number four, learning

your car's features.

And number five, you have to go into the link

in the description to see what number five is

or you can also watch the video.

So nice

tips for interesting

and going electric. Nevo's Ireland's

home for electric motoring

so if you are interested in going

electric or you know somebody that's going electric

there's a huge amount of information there

and the help and advice section on Nevo

we're a dedicated electric vehicle

platform so

we're not selling diesel, we're not selling

sheeps

we're not selling sheep trailers

we're not, you know, it is

when you go to Nevo you know you're thinking about going electric

and you're buying electric, be that full electric

or plug and hybrid so

we're very lucky that we have this brand

and this platform that's dedicated

and that we have that audience

that we know are interested in

buying electric and plug

and electric vehicles so

next up on the channel

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Last but by no means least

we have the Volkswagen ID Polo

and the ID Polo

is coming to us hot on the heels

of IAA Munich where we got to see it

a couple of videos up on the channel

Volkswagen are coming back

with their original name plates

the Polo is now ID Polo

so this is going to be their entry level mobility

the ID Polo is first of four

new Volkswagen electric models in the small car segment

which will be launched from 2026 onwards

it's a compact

space wonder they say

thanks to the front wheel design concept

it offers ample space for five people

and up to 435 litres of luggage

front wheel drive it's using that MEB

plus platform

we're going to get three different power outputs

85 kilowatt electric motor

15 kilowatt electric motor

and a 155 kilowatt electric motor

two battery sizes

Volkswagen sometimes I think that you complicate it too much

there's no need for multiple power trains

multiple batteries

just give us one battery

one power train I don't know why you do it to yourselves

but it was the same with the ID4

was I come back on the original brochure

from 2020 or 2021

it was like

36 different variations of the ID4

it's too much

you lunatics

but anyway ID Polo looking forward to see it

Thomas Schaefer, Irish Redizant

based in Wicklow but a member

of the Board of Management

and the CEO of Volkswagen brand

he comments that the ID Polo marks the beginning

of a new generation of Volkswagen with fresh design

intuitive operation top quality

first class driving characteristics

and finally with proper names again

the entry level price starting at 25,000 euros

we're making electric mobility accessible for many people in Europe

as this is the beginning

in 2026 we launched 6 new electric models

all 100% Volkswagen

so it's 50 years

of the first Polo

the ID Polo will focus on

familiar strengths

and Andreas Mint

result in

the result is a compact electric

offering more space and precise driving

head of design there

4 power outputs, 2 battery sizes

and up to 450 kilometers

worth of range so

looking forward to seeing this

getting behind the wheel

hopefully it's not too late for Volkswagen

to try and regain its

market share in the electric vehicle space

Kia seems to be

eating its lunch and some of the none other

Europeans so

looking forward to seeing what Volkswagen ID Polo

can bring to the marketplace

that is it for this week's podcast

folks hopefully you've enjoyed it

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thanks very much

Kia EV5, Ford & Renault Join Forces, EU 2035 Targets in Question, Interview with Matthew Sealy IEVA, New MG Dealer in Kildare, Polestar 5, Citroen elo, Opel Astra refresh, 5 Top Tips for New EV Drivers, VW ID. Polo Stats Revealed

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Kia EV5

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