Author: Benedict Mcdaniel

The UK’s construction industry has taken a significant step towards a more sustainable future with the successful completion of a three-month trial of the country’s first electric concrete mixer. The electric ready-mix concrete mixer was used for commercial deliveries across Birmingham for Tarmac, a UK-based sustainable construction materials firm. The e-mixer operated out of its rail-fed Birmingham Plant at Washwood Heath, and it is part of the company’s strategy to offer decarbonized last-mile transport for construction projects. Renault Trucks and vehicle component maker TVS Interfleet partnered with Tarmac to create the e-mixer, which won the BAA Award for Safety and…

Tesla has announced a voluntary recall of 422 Model 3 units built between 2018 and 2019 due to potential issues with the front suspension lateral link fastener that may loosen. The recall represents roughly 1 percent of the total population of vehicles. The recall was initiated by Tesla on March 31 and will only affect older Model 3 vehicles built between four and five years ago. The decision to recall the vehicles was made after a series of complaints from owners from January 2022 through March 16, 2023. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated the claims and found…

At the recent China EV 100 Forum, CALB (China Aviation Lithium Battery Co., Ltd) revealed a groundbreaking new battery technology that could significantly enhance both energy density and production capacity. While currently ranked among the top 10 battery manufacturers in the world, CALB hopes that their new battery technology will help them move up the ranks and compete with the industry’s biggest players. CALB’s new battery technology boasts a unique U-shaped design that incorporates both structural and chemical innovations. These advances promise to reduce the current resistance of components by 50%, thereby allowing for improved energy density of up to…

The used electric vehicle market is finally picking up momentum as new EV sales in the US approach 7% of the total auto market, according to new data from Cox Automotive. In the first quarter of this year, used EV sales increased by 32%, with even more growth projected in the near future. Previously, used EV sales had been sluggish, but the availability of more used models due to the surge in new electric vehicle sales has led to an increase in the used market. Cox Automotive predicts that new EV sales will exceed 225,000 units in Q1, more than…

Ford is set to launch the 2024 Puma EV subcompact crossover next year, and it is likely to share the all-electric powertrain with the 2023 E-Transit Courier battery-electric van, recently unveiled by Ford Pro. The automaker has used an electrified version of the combustion-engined Puma’s front-wheel-drive B2E architecture for its smallest commercial electric vehicle. Therefore, it is logical for the Puma EV to use the same powertrain as the E-Transit Courier, particularly as both models will be manufactured from 2024 at the same plant in Craiova, Romania. The automaker has engineered the electric powertrain together for Puma and Courier at…

Ford has announced its newest addition to its commercial electric vehicle lineup with the unveiling of the 2023 E-Transit Courier. This compact van is Ford’s smallest electric commercial vehicle, set to hit European markets in 2024. The Courier’s design is bigger than its internal combustion-engined predecessor in every way, including a more expansive load capacity. The Courier can now fit two Euro pallets for the first time, with a width between the rear arches measuring 48 inches (1,220 millimeters). The all-new 2023 E-Transit Courier boasts a total cargo volume of 102.4 cubic feet (2.9 cubic meters), marking a 25 percent…

British electric drive specialist, Saietta, has announced that it will be supplying 3,000 of its electric drive systems to Ayro, a US manufacturer of low-speed electric vehicles. The powertrains will be used in Ayro’s new Vanish model, which is expected to go into production later this year. According to Saietta, the modular design of its electric drive system will allow for customised solutions to be delivered quickly and cost-effectively. Saietta’s electric drive system is designed to provide high torque, high power and high efficiency at low voltage and speed for urban applications. The company’s first commercial electric motor, the AFT140i,…

California, a state that has been at the forefront of battling vehicle emissions for over 60 years, is now turning its attention to big commercial trucks. Last year, the state decreed that all new cars must emit no tailpipe nasties by 2035. And now, the Biden administration is helping California pull the trigger on tough regulations for big trucks and other heavyweight industrial vehicles. On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was granting California the authority to come down hard on these vehicles. Under the new plan, just over half of all new delivery vans and small…

Dutch solar car company Lightyear, based in Helmond, is making a fresh start after facing bankruptcy earlier this year. The company has been restructured and approved by the bankruptcy administrator Reinoud van Oeijen. The restructuring involved creating a new company, Lightyear Technologies, which will take over all patents belonging to Lightyear and its solar cell subsidiary Lightyear Layer. The new company will build a mass-model Lightyear 2, and there is room for almost 100 of the company’s former employees. Lightyear Technologies is planning to raise funds for paying off the company’s creditors through a special online auction in April. This…

Polestar, the Swedish electric vehicle (EV) maker, has released its third annual sustainability report, demonstrating its continued commitment to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Despite a year of record growth, with a 80% increase in vehicle deliveries to 51,491 in 2022, Polestar was able to reduce relative CO2 emissions by 8% per vehicle sold, compared to the previous year. This impressive feat has been achieved through a variety of measures, including reducing average transport emissions, increasing sales in markets with more renewable energy on the grid, and updating vehicles using over-the-air (OTA) technology. While Polestar’s absolute emissions increased as the…

The ZF Group, a global technology company, has announced its plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The company aims to serve the growing electric vehicle (EV) market in North America by investing more than $194 million in the facility. The investment will be made in two phases, with the first phase seeing ZF Group invest $150 million in a new facility at its site in northern Mexico. The facility will manufacture the company’s next-generation inverter technology, which will be used by multiple EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The facility will cover more than 22,000 square meters…

Stellantis, the parent company of major car brands like Citroën, Peugeot, Opel, and Fiat, has announced plans to produce electric commercial vans at its Mangualde Production Center in Portugal. The move is part of the automaker’s goal to achieve a 40% zero emissions mix by the end of the decade. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares expressed his pride in the company’s plans, saying, “We are proud to announce that Mangualde will enter a new era with the production of large series of battery electric vans in Portugal to provide indispensable solutions for our business customers.” He emphasized the importance of using…

The South Carolina Department of Education has placed an order for 160 all-electric school buses from Thomas Built Buses (TBB), a North American subsidiary of Daimler. The order, which is for the Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley model, comes with drive technology from Proterra, and is said to be the largest single order of electric school buses to date. The purchase is being fully funded by the federal EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program, and the vehicles are scheduled for delivery next year. With 226 kWh capacity batteries, the electric buses are capable of travelling up to 135 miles on a single…

Lotus, the British sports car manufacturer, has begun deliveries of its first-ever electric car model, the Eletre, in China. The electric SUV, priced at £89,500 in the UK, boasts a 450 kW drive and 112 kWh battery, providing a range of 600 kilometres. It is also equipped with a fully embedded L4-ready hardware with the world’s first deployable LiDAR system. Lotus has already received more than 5,000 orders globally for the Eletre, and the vehicle will soon be delivered to customers in the EU and UK. Lotus CEO Qingfeng Feng said, “Eletre is a crucial part of our plan to…

Mercedes-Benz, one of the leading automobile manufacturers, has taken a significant step towards sustainable energy by signing a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Spain’s Iberdrola. Under this agreement, the German automaker will purchase 140 megawatts (MW) of clean energy from an offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The deal is considered one of the largest PPAs for clean energy in Europe, making a substantial contribution to Mercedes’ target of increasing the use of renewable energy to account for 70% of its overall energy needs at production sites. The offshore wind farm, Windanker, is a 300 MW project consisting of…

Volkswagen (VW) is gearing up to launch the production version of its newest electric sedan, the ID.7, within the next few months. The ID.7 is the sixth fully electric vehicle in VW’s ID series, which includes the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and ID.6 (only in China) alongside the new ID. Buzz EV bus. The ID.7 is set to expand the ID family into the upper middle class of the high volume segment, making it the highest model in the series. Last June, the automaker launched the ID. AERO in China, an electric sedan based on the MEB platform with up to…

In a bid to revolutionize the way we generate electricity, Volkswagen Group Charging and EnerKite have proposed an innovative idea to power mobile charge points with airborne wind turbines. This unusual proposal has been submitted for the federally funded ‘Technohyb’ project and could pave the way for sustainable, renewable energy sources. Volkswagen and EnerKite are partnering in the ‘Autarkic Mobile Charging Infrastructure’ sub-project, with EnerKite responsible for providing flying wind turbines that are optimized for efficiency. According to EnerKite, their system could yield twice the annual energy when compared to traditional ground-lodged turbines. See also: Volkswagen Invests $45 million in…

The German government has allocated €270 million in funding for the procurement of approximately 1,000 electric buses to over 50 transport companies in the country. The certificates were handed over at the international VDV conference in Berlin earlier this week. This marks the third round of funding under the ‘Directive for the Promotion of Alternative Drives for Buses in Passenger Transport’ and brings the total number of electric buses funded so far to 4,200. While the BMDV mentions “about 1,000 vehicles” at 52 bus companies, the VDV speaks of 1,033 e-buses and 59 transport companies. It is unclear which type…

Norwegian battery company Freyr has announced its intention to collaborate with commodities group Glencore, heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, technology company Siemens, and electric motor manufacturer Nidec, to advance the development of sustainable battery solutions in Europe and North America. The partnership would explore areas of mutual interest along the battery value chain, including battery cell manufacturing, digital and software services, mining and refining, stationary storage applications for the energy market, electric transport, and recycling and end-of-life solutions. The companies would work together to establish guiding principles to support their respective sustainability goals and the decarbonization of their customers’ operations, as…

India is accelerating its transition to electric vehicles (EVs) with the injection of around €90 million ($106 million) in funding from the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) program. The money will be directed towards expanding the country’s fast-charging infrastructure, with India’s three main mineral oil companies — Indian Oil (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — receiving €8 billion ($9.4 billion) to build nearly 7,500 new public DC charge points. The move aims to address the issue of land availability that many Charge Point Operators (CPOs) face. By partnering with state-owned petroleum companies,…