Author: Benedict Mcdaniel

ENRX, a Norwegian company founded earlier this year, is planning to build a one-mile section of a four-lane highway in Florida that will inductively charge electric vehicles with 200 kW while they drive. The company has partnered with the Central Florida Expressway Authority and the Aspire Engineering Research Center for this initiative. The process works by fitting electric vehicle batteries with a special receiver pad, which charges the batteries as they drive over coils embedded in the road. The energy is then transferred from the coils to the receiver pad mounted on the vehicle floor. The Next Generation Electric Roadway…

Opel and ADAC have extended their partnership in electric rallying for another year until 2024, ahead of schedule. The two companies will enter the third season of the electric racing series, which will take place across Europe, starting with the ‘ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup powered by GSe’. The ‘ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup powered by GSe’ will feature a total of eight events in four countries, including Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland. The vehicles in the competition feature 100 kW/136 hp output based on the battery-electric Opel Corsa Rally Electric. The technical specifications have not changed much since the…

Bosch, the world’s largest automotive supplier, has announced that it is reorganizing its supplier business to keep up with the trend towards software-based vehicle development. The company’s Mobility Solutions division will be renamed “Bosch Mobility” and will be managed as a separate business sector with its own business responsibility and management team. The move is aimed at serving existing and new customer needs even better and faster with customized solutions from a single source, according to Bosch. The company aims to achieve sales of over 80 billion euros worldwide with its mobility solutions alone by 2029. This comes as software…

Stellantis, the global automotive company, has entered into a binding agreement with Alliance Nickel (formerly GME Resources) to secure a significant supply of nickel and cobalt for the production of its battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The deal will see the company receive 170,000 tonnes of nickel sulphate and 12,000 tonnes of cobalt sulphate over an initial period of five years from the NiWest nickel-cobalt project in Western Australia. This agreement will provide Stellantis with around 40% of the projected annual production from the NiWest project, which is expected to begin work later this year, although a commissioning date has not…

British retail giant Asda has joined forces with self-driving company Wayve to launch Europe’s largest trial of autonomous grocery delivery in urban areas. Over the next year, more than 170,000 residents in approximately 72,000 households near Asda’s Park Royal store in West London may have their groceries delivered by one of Wayve’s autonomous Jaguar i-Pace models. Customers will place their orders online as usual, choose a delivery time slot, and may be randomly selected to have their groceries delivered by a self-driving car. During the trial, the Wayve Jaguars will have both a safety driver and an Asda staff member…

Sweden, known for its commitment to sustainability, is home to a new startup that aims to revolutionize urban mobility. Luvly, which stands for “Light Urban Vehicle,” is developing a range of micro EVs that are not only affordable and efficient but also environmentally friendly. The company’s first model, the Luvly O, is a two-seater electric vehicle that weighs less than 400 kilos and measures only 2.70 meters in length and 1.53 meters in width, making it perfect for urbanites. It is powered by two exchangeable battery modules, each weighing 15 kilograms, and uses only 6 kWh per 100 kilometers. Safety…

Tesla has released an update on the production of their much-anticipated Cybertruck in their Q1 2023 shareholder deck. The update includes a glimpse of the Cybertruck pilot production line at Fremont and the permanent production line at Giga Texas. Initially unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck was supposed to launch in 2021. However, due to a confluence of factors such as supply chain disruptions and the pandemic, the timeline has been delayed multiple times. Nonetheless, Tesla confirms that the current target of beginning production later this year remains on track. See also: Tesla Continues Cost Cutting and Production Increase Strategy in…

New York State has allocated $8.3 million in funding towards the installation of 255 EV charging stations across 70 municipalities. The funding comes from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program. Of the 255 charging stations, 28 will be DC fast-chargers, though the charging speed has not yet been specified by the state. The remaining stations will be AC chargers with two Level 2 charging ports each. The state has also announced plans to install over 1,300 EV charging stations for its agency fleets within the next five years. New York is following California’s lead in…

Swedish truck manufacturer Scania and battery producer Northvolt have announced the development of a new electric battery with a lifetime capacity equivalent to that of a truck. According to the companies, the lithium-ion cell has demonstrated the ability to power trucks for 1.5 million kilometers, which is equal to the expected lifespan of a Scania truck. In a joint statement, the companies emphasized the importance of top-performing battery cells to enable the shift towards electric heavy transport. Scania CEO Christian Levin said that the future of heavy transport is electric, and the company needs high-quality battery cells to deliver on…

Bentley Motors CEO, Adrian Hallmark, recently shared exciting news regarding the future of the luxury car brand. In an interview with Autocar, Hallmark confirmed that all Bentleys will go electric by 2030, with five battery-powered models launching by then. The first electric Bentley is set to arrive by 2026 and will have twice the power of the current W12 models. “They will happen to be electric, but all the traditional qualities will go up another notch. What’s more, our new powertrains will have between 50% and 100% more power than we currently offer, so the performance will be there,” explained…

The Tesla Semi has been making waves in the trucking industry since its unveiling in 2017. While the all-electric Class 8 long-hauler is already being delivered to customers, a lot of information about the production version of the vehicle is still under wraps. However, following the delivery of more Tesla Semi units to PepsiCo earlier this week, some interesting details about the vehicle were shared. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Tesla Semi is its cost. Electric vehicles typically tend to be more expensive than their combustion-powered counterparts, and during the Semi’s unveiling, Tesla estimated that the truck’s…

Ford is making significant strides in the world of self-driving technology with its BlueCruise advanced driver assistance system. The UK’s Department for Transport has approved the Blue Oval company’s hands-free driving system, making Ford the first automaker to have its Level 2 technology approved in the country. The BlueCruise system, available on the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV, uses sophisticated infrared camera technology to ensure driver attentiveness and constantly monitors road markings, speed signs, and traffic conditions to control steering, acceleration, and braking. However, the system needs pre-mapped roads, limiting its functionality to 2,300 miles of motorway network in England,…

Volta Trucks is gearing up to showcase its highly-anticipated Volta Zero electric truck at the US ACT Expo trade show in early May this year. The vehicle is classified in US Class 7, which means a 15-tonne truck, and US customers are expected to receive some examples of the Volta Zero in Classes 6 and 7 for fleet testing by the end of 2023, followed soon after by the market launch. The company first announced its US market entry in May last year and has been working tirelessly to adapt the 16-tonners that were developed for Europe to suit US…

A photo of an unconfirmed Tesla Model 3 prototype has surfaced on social media, sparking rumors that it could be a part of the rumored Model 3 refresh project, codenamed “Highland.” Late last year, reports emerged that Tesla was planning to launch a Model 3 refresh in the second half of 2023, and this new photo has fueled speculation that it could be a glimpse of what’s to come. Tesla has been working on integrating large casting technology into its vehicles, starting with the Model Y. This technology allows for the use of single, large casting parts to replace several…

Renault Group and Verkor have announced a new commercial partnership for the supply of low-carbon batteries for electric vehicles. Verkor will provide Renault with 12 GWh of batteries per year, which will be used in the upper segments of the company’s brands, starting with the upcoming Alpine 100% electric C-Crossover GT manufactured in Dieppe, France, from 2025. These batteries will be produced in France at Verkor’s Gigafactory in Dunkirk, and the partnership builds on the strategic relationship formed with Renault’s acquisition of a stake in Verkor in June 2021. The two companies have approved the product’s technical quality, economic competitiveness,…

Allego, a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, has announced the opening of its 107th public fast-charging station in France in partnership with the French distribution network operator, Enedis. The milestone was celebrated on the anniversary of their roll-out, which started exactly twelve months ago. The latest addition to Allego’s network is located in Rambouillet, in the Yvelines region of France. The company now operates a total of 120 fast-charging stations in the country and aims to increase this number to more than 300 by 2024. See also: Allego Secures New Contract to Build Fast-Charging Infrastructure in Sweden…

Tesla’s plans to build a Megapack factory in China have drawn criticism from a US congressional committee. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the House of Representatives Select Committee on China’s Communist Party, has expressed concern about the electric vehicle (EV) company’s apparent reliance on both the US government’s tax breaks and the Chinese market. The announcement that Tesla will build a Megapack factory in Shanghai’s Lingang area is a clear indication of the growing demand for the company’s energy products and a bullish indication of its growth. However, politicians have questioned the company’s friendly relationship with China amid growing…

Tesla’s Model Y has taken the top spot in China’s SUV ranking, with 54,937 retail units sold in March, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The SUV saw a 38.28% increase in sales from a year earlier and a 115.22% rise from February. The BYD Song came in second with 40,114 units sold, followed by the BYD Yuan Plus with 27,907 units. The Model Y’s success in China can be attributed to Tesla’s practice of producing cars for export in the first half of each quarter and for the local market in the second half, which…

Aidea’s AA Cargo series has been making waves in the delivery industry in Japan, providing reliable transportation for multi-national corporations such as DHL, Japan McDonald’s, and CoCo Ichibanya. Despite the small size of the AA Cargo α4 model, it has been instrumental in keeping these businesses running smoothly. However, Aidea has bigger plans for their electric three-wheeler, as it enters the consumer market after attaining type approval from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. The AA Cargo α4 is designed for city dwellers in Japan’s major metropolitan areas, and features a 48-volt lithium-ion battery that powers a DC…

Polestar has announced the opening of a new retail location in Costa Mesa, California, known as Polestar South Coast. This latest addition to Polestar’s network of retail locations aims to expand the brand’s footprint in Southern California, and give Orange County residents a hands-on experience with Polestar’s electric performance cars and SUVs. Garth Blumenthal, Principal of Polestar South Coast, expressed excitement at bringing Polestar’s mission to Orange County: “Polestar’s mission to use design and technology to accelerate the change to sustainable, electric mobility will resonate with our customers.” This sentiment aligns with Polestar’s larger goal of creating a sustainable future…