2023 looks set to be a great year for electric vehicles. There is a plethora of cars currently in production, and pre-order lists keep getting longer. With the government's pledge to only manufacture electric vehicles from 2030, the race is on.
Like Ford, who announced last year that they will be halting all production of none electric cars and only moving forward with electric vehicles, many other manufacturers are following suit and have set their sights on electric vehicles as the future. While production of traditional vehicles - petrol and diesel - will continue for now, and still be available to buy, and financially for some they may be the only option, but there is a life expectancy on these types of cars and the savvy manufacturers are betting on electric as the future.
There is already a buzz about the new electric cars due for release this year, there have been significant advances in the technology used, and now fully electric cars are a worthy rival to the more traditional type. Battery power has increased, and the range has been extended, more charging ports have been installed, and will continue to be installed across the country, making charging easier and quicker.
Let's take a look at some of the most anticipated cars that are going to be released and some recently released cars.
Hyundai Ioniq 6 - The Ioniq 6 released in March and is set to rival the Tesla 3. Coming with the option of a 77 kWh battery or a 53 kWh battery, giving it an impressive average range of 330 miles on a single full charge of the bigger battery. It also has a quick 800 volt battery charge system, meaning you can charge your car twice as fast. It has a classic streamlined design similar to the Porsche 911, but with a lower drag, making it one of the world's most aerodynamic cars. Its sleek design will definitely make you feel you are driving the future, and the plush interior and clever interior lightning will make every drive a fantastic experience.
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Vauxhall Corsa Electric - This new all electric Corsa was released earlier this year, with limited numbers in stock, and orders having a wait time of about 6 weeks. The Corsa Electric has been given Vauxhall's new vizor front end, which includes a slimline LED headlight and a solid black grille. The Corsa Electric also boasts a bigger battery, similar to the Peugeot e-208, 55 kWh, which will offer up to 209 miles of travel. Vauxhall also claims that their new Eco Mode can boost the Corsa Electric’s range by 40 percent, theoretically increasing the range to 293 miles. A smartphone app allows you to check on your car's charging, or delay overnight charging to start when a cheaper tariff kicks in, and its fast charge capacity allows a 0 - 100 percent charge in just 50 minutes. It is competitively priced at around £30,000 with the hope that it will remain one of the UK's most popular small cars.
Audi A6 E-Tron - This will be Audi's first fully electric car and will be using the PPE Platform (Premium Platform Electric) which Volkswagen have specifically designed for electric vehicles, especially those with their new larger developed batteries like this one. The E-tron will have a 100 kWh battery that will provide it with up to 400 miles on a full charge. It will also have a quick 800 volt charge, meaning charge times will be halved. The A6 E-tron is still in its concept phase, but production cars have been spotted out testing. An exact release date is yet to be announced, but pre-orders open later this year, with delivery hopefully late in 2023. This E-tron will rival BMW i5 and Tesla Model 3.
Kia EV9 - Due to be released to retailers in late 2023, and order books open for pre-orders in the second half of this year. The EV9 is still partly in the concept phase and there is much speculation about what it will finally look like, some say it will have solar panels in the bonnet, a panoramic sunroof and 27 inch ultra-wide in-car display. The interior is also going to be made from sustainable materials; recycled plastic bottles, wool fibre and fishing nets have all been incorporated into the making of the interior. Amazingly, this is rumoured to be the first Kia to offer AutoMode, which is the autonomous driving feature, allowing a ‘hands off’ experience for the driver to be able to sit back and enjoy the ride, with an average driving range of 330 miles (for the top of the range 99.8 kWh battery spec), that will certainly be one relaxing drive.
ORA Next Cat - The new Chinese EV company already have their second all electric vehicle poised and ready to go in the UK market. The Funky Cat came out last year and this, simply called Next Cat (although that may change when it hits the UK market), is a four-door coupe version. It also has a 4-wheel drive with a range of about 260 miles, paired with a dual motor set up means its engine gets a boost as high as 402bhp and can do 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds. Coming with facial and voice recognition and adaptive cruise control as standard, and a rapid charge time of 40 minutes. With its frameless doors and panoramic sunroof, this sleek design really is a sight to behold, and you might just be forgiven thinking you are driving in a Bond car; however, only the prototype has been revealed, and an actual release date has not been announced.
With so much choice out there, it's easy to get excited about the electric vehicles in 2023. Electric cars currently make up just over 4% of all cars on the road in the UK, so there is a long way to go to getting all cars on the road to be electric. But if manufacturers keep coming up with such innovative vehicles, then it's easy to see why more and more people will be making the switch, not just for environmental reasons, but also for the practical reasons of having one of the most reliable, fastest and safest cars available. (Vehicle Contracts will always do our best to ensure that we bring you the latest vehicles as the best price possible, and if a vehicle can’t be found on our website then please don’t hesitate to contact us).
