Author: Benedict Mcdaniel

Lucid Motors, a luxury electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, launched its entry-level Lucid Air Pure trim last year, offering a 480 hp all-wheel-drive (AWD) drivetrain with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated range of 410 miles, priced from $92,900. Despite its impressive 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, the Lucid Air Pure is considered the “entry-level” model within the Lucid lineup. However, Lucid planned to release an even more affordable version of the Air Pure, which it described as the “entry-level of the entry-level.” Details were scarce at the time, and the company remained tight-lipped about its plans.…

BMW is set to take on Mercedes-Benz and Tesla with its own Level 4 autonomous parking system, called “Automated Valet Parking” (AVP). The system is similar to Mercedes’ PARK PILOT and Tesla’s Smart Summon, allowing drivers to leave their vehicle at a drop-off zone, and the car will park itself, returning to the pick-up zone when the driver and passengers are ready to leave. BMW’s AVP will be based on its pre-existing self-parking software available in the BMW iX and new infrastructure-based services, and will use a powerful computing platform hosting jointly developed algorithms. The move comes after Mercedes-Benz made…

Wrightbus and Hygen Energy, its sister company, have proposed the development of a green hydrogen production facility at Wrightbus’ Ballymena factory. Wrightbus currently manufactures hydrogen-powered buses, some of which are used by Translink. The proposed facility will provide a dependable fuel source for these buses and other hydrogen-powered vehicles. Jo Bamford, chairman of Wrightbus, said: “Hydrogen is the best means of decarbonising many bus routes, but for this to happen bus operators need a reliable and voluminous supply of low cost, low carbon hydrogen. “This project will initially be able to produce enough hydrogen to run up to 300 buses,…

The launch of the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, the two electric siblings from Japan, was marred by a recall involving wheel hub bolts. After a long delay, production resumed in October 2022, but it appears that the problem may not be fully resolved yet. Subaru recently announced that select 2023 Solterra vehicles (1,182 of them) in the United States are being recalled due to an issue with the original hub bolts. The company discovered that the repair procedure for these vehicles was not properly completed by a team of contractors at two port locations, leading to the potential for…

Tide Bus, a leading public transport operator, has established Scandinavia’s largest electric bus depot in Aalborg, Denmark. The depot features 124 fast chargers from hardware supplier Kempower, which are connected to 18 Kempower Power Units. The chargers are designed to be compact and efficient, with the majority of the technology housed in control cabinets rather than at the parking space. The installation was carried out by GodEnergi and was supported by six transformers that were placed in the surrounding area to ensure a reliable power supply. Tide Bus is collaborating with Nordjyllands Trafikselskab, the public transport authority for Northern Denmark,…

Lucid Motors has announced another reduction in price, this time on its premium variants of the Lucid Air sedan. The latest price cut follows the trend set by Tesla earlier this year, which prompted many other manufacturers, including Lucid, to reduce their prices in response. Lucid’s previous $7,500 cut in Air leases has now been extended to purchasing the Air Touring and Grand Touring models. Although the luxury Air sport sedan does not currently qualify for the $7,500 Federal tax incentive, Lucid is still offering its own discount of $7,500. According to Zak Edson, Vice President of Sales and Service,…

Automobili Pininfarina, the luxury electric hypercar maker, has announced the addition of a new dealership to its network in the United States. Salt Lake City Motorcars in Utah is the 11th dealership for Pininfarina in the US, as the company continues to expand its footprint in the market. The Pininfarina Battista, the company’s first offering, has been making waves since its unveiling, offering drivers a unique blend of beauty, performance, and luxury in a limited-edition package. With only 150 vehicles available, the Pininfarina Battista is a rare sight in the hypercar world and has been met with significant demand. See…

Battery companies InoBat and Gotion High-Tech have entered into a cooperative partnership to explore the construction of a joint battery production factory. The non-binding agreement, signed by both companies, involves the consideration of other areas of cooperation, but the main highlight is the factory, which aims to produce 40 GWh of battery cells and packs for use in electric vehicles. The ideal location for the battery factory would be in Central or Eastern Europe. Technical cooperation for LFP and NMC batteries is also under consideration. In addition to the joint battery factory, the two companies plan to investigate and co-develop…

ABB E-mobility has achieved a major accomplishment, reaching the sales milestone of one million electric vehicle (EV) chargers globally. This figure encompasses both AC charging points and DC fast chargers, showcasing ABB’s extensive offering of EV charging equipment. With a presence in 85 markets, ABB offers a range of charging solutions, starting from basic AC charging points with a few kilowatts of power, to more advanced three-phase charging points with a capacity of up to 22 kW, and DC fast chargers, which can reach 360 kW in the top-of-the-line Terra 360 version. See also: ABB E-Mobility Secures €326 Million in…

Shyft Group has announced plans to invest $16 million in expanding its engineering and manufacturing capabilities in Charlotte, Michigan. The investment will go towards the production of the company’s Blue Arc EV Solutions line of electric commercial vehicles, which will include Class 3, 4, and 5 vehicles. The facility, located about 20 miles southwest of Lansing, is expected to have a capacity of 3,000 EVs per year and will begin production by mid 2023. In addition to the new electric vehicle line, the Charlotte facility already produces several Shyft product lines, such as delivery vans and chassis for motorhomes and…

RoboSense, a LiDAR maker backed by BYD, has formed a partnership with Toyota. The world’s largest automaker plans to use LiDARs, an important component for driver assistance systems, in its upcoming vehicle models. This makes RoboSense the first Chinese LiDAR manufacturer to be included in Toyota’s supply chain. The company will provide its RS-LiDAR-M series LiDARs to a number of top-selling models produced by FAW Toyota, Toyota’s joint venture in China. These LiDARs are expected to deliver accurate sensing capabilities for the vehicles. The RS-LiDAR-M series is among the first second-generation solid-state LiDARs to be distributed globally, utilizing a chip-based…

Energy giant TotalEnergies and hydrogen gas producer Air Liquide have teamed up to create a joint venture to construct hydrogen refuelling stations for heavy-duty vehicles in France, Germany, and Benelux. The aim is to establish over 100 hydrogen refuelling stations along key European road corridors, though details of the locations have yet to be confirmed. The joint venture is pending the finalization of contracts and regulatory approval. TotalEnergies will bring its expertise in station network operation and management, and energy distribution to B2B customers, while Air Liquide will contribute its technology know-how and mastery of the hydrogen value chain. Air…

Swiss Post has announced that it will now only deliver letters and parcels in the major cities of Zurich and Bern using electric vehicles. This marks a significant step for the company in its transition to sustainable logistics. The fleet of 568 electric vehicles, including scooters and delivery vans, will operate carbon-neutrally and will also reduce traffic noise. Swiss Post’s entire delivery fleet is expected to be powered by alternative drive systems, using electricity from renewable energy sources, by 2030. As a transport-intensive company, Swiss Post’s largest sources of CO2 emissions are its vehicles and buildings. By converting to electric…

Our Next Energy (ONE), a US-based battery start-up, has secured $300 million in funding through a Series B round. The funding round, led by investors Fifth Wall and Franklin Templeton, saw participation from existing Series A investors and valued the company at over $1 billion. In addition to the funding round, ONE will receive a $220 million grant from the state of Michigan for its upcoming LFP battery cell factory set to commence operations in 2027 with a yearly capacity of 20 GWh. Despite its plans to expand, ONE has already signed ten contracts with customers for a total of…

Nissan has quietly been making strides in the solid-state battery field, as the electric car industry focuses on a select few players. The automaker is confident in its progress and has begun preparations for a trial factory where the production process will be fine-tuned. This facility is expected to be operational within the next two years. Nissan’s goal is to master large-scale manufacturing of solid-state batteries by 2026 and then increase production in the following years. The company plans to introduce an electric vehicle powered by its own solid-state battery to the market by 2028. David Moss, Nissan’s senior vice-president for…

Tesla has recently made changes to the prices of two of its electric vehicles: the Model Y crossover and the Model 3 sedan. The Model Y Long Range has gone up $1,500 from $53,490 to $54,990 and the Model Y Performance has increased $1,000 from $56,990 to $57,990. On the other hand, the Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive vehicles have received a price decrease of $500, now priced at $43,490, down from $43,990. These price changes are the latest in a series of adjustments for the Model Y. Earlier in January, Tesla lowered the prices of its vehicles, including the Model Y,…

Tesla is cutting prices globally, with the latest cuts taking place in Taiwan and South Korea. According to the Taipei Times, the company is looking to boost demand in Taiwan by reducing the cost of its vehicles, including the Model Y Performance edition, which saw a price drop of NT$220,000 (US$7,402) to NT$2.38 million. The Model Y Long Range also saw a price reduction of NT$180,000 (US$6,056) and now retails for NT$2.12 million. Meanwhile, the Model 3 RWD has been lowered by NT$60,000 (US$2,020) to NT$1.7 million, while the Model 3 Long Range and Performance are now selling for NT$2.08…

The Lexus RZ 450e is the company’s latest addition to its line of electric vehicles and is set to hit U.S. showrooms this year. With a starting price of $59,650, the RZ 450e Premium boasts an aggressive front design, complete with a fully enclosed grille, LED headlights and a panoramic glass roof. Other standard features include rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming mirrors, hands-free power liftgate and 18-inch two-tone wheels. The interior of the RZ 450e is elegantly designed, featuring a minimalist style with a heated steering wheel, digital instrument cluster and a 14-inch Lexus Interface system with support for wireless Android Auto…

XPeng has resumed its international expansion by launching its two latest models in Europe. The company has made its G9 flagship SUV and the P7 sports sedan available for ordering in Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The vehicles were showcased at the recent eCar Expo held in Stockholm from February 3rd to 5th, giving European customers a glimpse of XPeng’s cutting-edge technology and sleek design. This move marks a significant step for XPeng in its pursuit of establishing a strong presence in the European market. “XPeng G9 and P7 bring a combination of superior styling, quality, performance and comfort,…

Nio, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker, has made a surprising move by offering discounts for its ES6 and ES8 models for the first time. This announcement created a buzz on the Chinese social media, with some speculating if Nio is following the trend set by Tesla or if there is something else at play. The new incentive packages, however, are only available for cars in stock and these are the older versions of the ES6 and ES8 that are based on the 1.0 EV platform, which Nio is upgrading to the 2.0 version. For buyers of the ES6 and…