Author: Casper Benedict

Pyka, a California-based start-up, has unveiled its latest creation, the Pelican Cargo, which is said to be the largest autonomous electric aircraft to date. The aircraft boasts four electric motors that generate a total output of 100 kW, with a payload capacity of 400 pounds and a range of up to 200 miles. The Pelican Cargo is designed to cater to the needs of the agriculture industry as a cargo and crop-spraying aircraft. Pyka’s autonomous flight control software, flight computer, batteries, electric propulsion system, and carbon fibre composite airframes are just a few of the company’s proprietary technologies that have…

Lucid Motors, the luxury electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, recently released its full 2022 financial results, and it’s not good news. Despite achieving its production guidance and boasting over 34,000 reservations at the end of 2021, Lucid’s future seems to be dimming. The automaker missed some critical goals, and its 2023 production target is set very low. The stock prices dropped nearly 14 percent during the trading day. The reservation banks have dropped to 28,000, and reports suggest that Lucid may have called potential customers over a dozen times to save sales. On top of that, the fourth-quarter revenue was only…

Tesla’s Sentry Mode, which was introduced in February 2019, is a feature that allows the electric carmaker’s vehicles to record potential vandals and thieves who intend to damage the vehicle. However, the Dutch Data Protection Authority recently launched an investigation into the feature, citing concerns that it could infringe on people’s privacy. The investigation was triggered by reports that many Teslas parked on the street were recording anyone who came near the vehicle, and that these images were being saved for a long time, regardless of their intentions. The agency noted that if every car were to do that, it…

Ford engineers have made a breakthrough in electric vehicle technology by demonstrating that heating surfaces can significantly reduce energy consumption in the interior of electric vehicles. The test, conducted as part of the EU project CEVOLVER (Connected Electric Vehicle Optimised for Life, Value, Efficiency and Range), showed that energy consumption could be reduced by 13% in an electric delivery vehicle equipped with heated armrests, floor mats, door panels, sun visors, and a heated steering wheel. Ford’s statement indicated that using heated surfaces could increase the range of electric vehicles by 5% in cold weather conditions compared to a conventional heater…

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is doubling down on its commitment to the electric vehicle (EV) transition in the construction industry. The company has developed a new solution for mid-size range construction machinery by converting a 20-ton loader into an EV, making it more accessible to customers in the market. This latest move is part of Volvo CE’s wider push to become carbon-neutral by 2040, with an electric vehicle share of 35% by 2030. Partnering with CE Engineering Solutions and Parker Hannifin, Volvo CE created the L120H Electric Conversion, which will be available to select European customers this year. The…

Aberdeen City Council has awarded Ulemco a contract to convert 35 utility vehicles to run on hydrogen dual fuel. Once completed, this will be the largest H2 fleet in the UK. The partnership follows Ulemco’s successful supply of heavy-duty vehicles to the council over a year ago. The new contract has been expanded to include further refuse collection vehicles, road sweepers, tippers, and tractors. Ulemco estimates that the fleet conversion will save up to 40% of CO2 emissions across the whole fleet. See also: Warrington to Transition Entire Bus Fleet to Electric with £21.5 Million ZEBRA Funding The company expects…

Tata Motors announced on Monday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with ride-sharing giant Uber to supply 25,000 XPRES-T electric vehicles (EVs) in one of the largest deals in the green mobility space to date. The companies said the EVs would be used in Uber’s premium category service and would be operational across seven cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad. The deliveries of the cars to Uber fleet partners will begin in a phased manner starting this month, and the companies did not disclose the financial details of the deal. The XPRES-T EVs…

Volkswagen will produce an electric SUV based on its best-selling Tiguan model. The vehicle, which is expected to be named the ID.Tiguan, will be built on VW’s improved MEB-Plus platform and will be manufactured at its main plant in Wolfsburg. The announcement was made at a works council meeting attended by Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The electric Tiguan is scheduled to launch in 2026 and is designed to play a crucial role in VW’s strategy until the flagship Trinity EV goes into production. The Trinity was initially planned to launch in 2026 but was delayed due to software issues. The…

Haomo.AI Technology, a Chinese startup backed by Great Wall Motor, has unveiled a new AI foundation model for self-driving cognition called “DriveGPT.” This marks the first of its kind in the global self-driving cognition space. The Beijing-based company has completed the model building and validation of the first phase of data with parameters comparable in size to GPT-2. The company plans to bring in large-scale real data to continuously improve the measurement. DriveGPT will also be used as a cloud-based measurement model to evaluate the driving effectiveness of small models on the vehicle side. Haomo was one of the first…

Luxury car buyers in Germany are increasingly turning to electric vehicles, according to the latest market analysis for January. The trend is exemplified by the success of BMW’s latest 7 Series, with the fully-electric i7 variant accounting for a significant 43% of all 7 Series sales that month. While some may not be surprised by this shift given Tesla’s dominance as the top-selling luxury car brand in the previous year, it’s worth noting that the i7’s success comes against competitors like the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes EQS. See also: Porsche Delivers 34,801 All-Electric Cars in 2022, Accounting for 11.2%…

The rise of electrification in the motorcycle industry is more evident now than ever before. Motorcycle manufacturers, especially in the Asian market, are investing heavily in initiatives towards electric vehicles. In India, several new and exciting electric motorcycle offerings are popping up, and it seems that TVS, a renowned Indian motorcycle brand, could be joining the movement. TVS has recently announced a significant investment in ION Mobility, a Singapore-based startup that specializes in electric mobility. With TVS providing financial support, ION Mobility aims to expand its presence in Malaysia and Singapore. While the details of TVS’ investment were not disclosed,…

Geotab, a global transportation solutions provider, has teamed up with Synop, an electric vehicle (EV) operations platform, to offer a comprehensive and integrated solution for managing EV charging and energy management. This partnership allows fleet operators in North America to benefit from the combined insights of both Synop’s software and Geotab’s data. The integration will enable customers to manage their EV assets in real-time on a single, unified platform, eliminating the need for additional hardware or installation. This is particularly important for fleets that face several challenges when integrating EVs, including energy price volatility, prolonged charge cycles, and multiple charging…

Volkswagen has partnered with Hankook to equip its new electric vehicle, the ID. Buzz, with premium tyres for optimal performance. The Ventus S1 evo 3 ev tyre, designed specifically for battery-powered vehicles, has been specially developed for the ID. Buzz. The 18-inch entry-level tyres are exclusive to the ID. Buzz Cargo, while the 21-inch version is available for the electric bus ID. Buzz, making it the first Hankook premium passenger car tyre with the “HL” load index designation. During the 2.5-year development phase, tyre tuning was a major challenge due to the high permissible total weight of the VW ID.…

Bentley Motors has taken a significant step towards becoming the most sustainable luxury automotive manufacturer globally. The company held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Launch Quality Center and Engineering Technical Center, which will be based at its headquarters in Crewe, England. The facility is critical for the brand’s preparation for future Battery-Powered Electric Vehicle (BEV) production and will set a new benchmark in next-generation, digital, flexible, and high-value manufacturing operations. See also: Bentley Says It’s The Eco-friendly Luxury Car Manufacturer In The World The Launch Quality Center and Engineering Technical Center will be instrumental in Bentley’s preparations for its…

Tesla has initiated a recall for 362,758 vehicles that are equipped with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta system, according to a post on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) official website. The recall covers certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles that are equipped with the automaker’s Autosteer on City Streets feature, commonly known as “Full Self-Driving Beta” or “FSD Beta.” The NHTSA states that the FSD Beta feature may cause the vehicle to exceed the speed limit of inner-city roads, resulting in it travelling through intersections in an unlawful or…

BYD has announced its strategic auto finance partnership with Santander Bank, a multinational banking group, in Mexico. This partnership will provide a solid foundation for BYD to enter the Mexican passenger car market, where Santander Bank is a leader in auto finance. The partnership includes a full range of auto finance solutions that BYD will provide to local dealers in Mexico, including vehicle inventory financing, risk monitoring and control, and market profitability and operational guidance. Moreover, the partnership will offer financial services to Mexican consumers for NEV purchases, including low down payments of 10%, installment payments of up to 72…

MagREEsource, a French start-up, has developed a process for recycling rare earth magnets that is environmentally friendly and commercially viable. The recycling process is based on patented hydrogen technology and has a 91% reduced carbon footprint compared to magnets made in China. MagREEsource has secured a five-million-euro financing round for a pilot plant in Grenoble with a capacity of 50 tonnes, which is set to go into operation in the second half of 2023. Institutional and private investors, including Finindus, Tangent Line, EIT RawMaterials, Ciech Ventures, SATT Linksium, BAdGE and Grenoble Angels, participated in the financing round. MagREEsource’s technology and…

Cadillac’s first-ever all-electric production vehicle, the Cadillac Lyric, made its debut in April 2021. However, it wasn’t until recently that the General Motors brand released an online configurator for the zero-emissions crossover. The release of the configurator couldn’t have come at a better time as the 2024 model year went on sale, with the starting price of $59,590 for the new Tech trim. The entry-level Tech comes standard with rear-wheel drive and an estimated range of 308 miles, making it an attractive option for those looking for a more affordable electric crossover. In addition to the Tech, the 2024 Cadillac…

Volkswagen is reportedly preparing to launch a fully electric hatchback that may adopt the Golf nameplate. Initially referred to as the ID.2, the upcoming EV will be positioned as an entry-level offering, featuring a GTI variant likely to follow in May 2023, and a final production version expected to arrive in 2025. The zero-emission hatchback is expected to be offered alongside the current ICE-powered Golf for a few years, making a different name like ID.Golf more appropriate. According to insiders, the Golf-branded EV will measure around 4,250 mm in length, longer than the ICE-powered Polo but very close to the…

KBO Bike, a renowned manufacturer of affordable e-bikes, unveiled its newest addition, the KBO FLIP Folding E-Bike. This advanced folding electric bike provides customers with unmatched convenience and performance at an affordable cost of $969. Equipped with a 15.6Ah Lithium-ion Battery and a powerful 500W hub-drive motor, this e-bike offers a long range of over 60 miles, making the switch to electric biking effortless and enjoyable. “We are thrilled to introduce the KBO FLIP, our latest addition to our lineup of affordable electric bikes,” said Max, Founder of KBO Bike. “At KBO Bike, we believe that electric bikes play a crucial…