Author: Casper Benedict

Stellantis, the global automotive conglomerate, is reportedly considering the production of small electric vehicles in Spain by 2025. This marks a potential reversal from comments made by CEO Carlos Tavares in March 2022. According to Spanish publication Cinco Dias, Stellantis is in talks with the government to begin local production of vehicles based on the STLA Small architecture. While the decision has not been finalized, an anonymous source from the company confirmed that talks are ongoing. This development is particularly interesting given Tavares’ statement last year that Stellantis was not in discussions with the Spanish government about producing EVs locally.…

Rivian, the electric vehicle startup, has announced a massive increase in deliveries over the coming months. After initially struggling to ramp up production due to supply chain issues, the company now anticipates building around 50,000 electric trucks in 2023. Previously, customers were forced to wait 12-18 months for their R1T or R1S, but lead times for new orders are now projected to be 1-4 months. This is great news for EV enthusiasts who have been eagerly anticipating the release of Rivian’s electric trucks. In Q4 2022, Rivian delivered 8,054 vehicles, with a total of 24,337 R1T and R1S EVs produced…

Tesla’s Investor Day held on March 1 continues to reveal fascinating details even weeks after the event’s conclusion. One such detail is the automaker’s decision to abandon the traditional 12 Volt on board systems and upgrade to a more advanced system. The automotive industry has relied on 12 Volt systems for over 60 years, but Tesla believes it is no longer adequate for modern cars that are equipped with an increasing amount of technology, which draws significant amounts of current. As a result, Tesla made the decision to transition to a new 48 Volt system, which is estimated to reduce…

Tesla has officially confirmed the establishment of Gigafactory in Mexico, and new details have started to emerge gradually. The Gigafactory is set to be built in Monterrey, Mexico, which is a mere 383 miles away from Giga Texas. Gigafactories, by their very nature, are colossal in size, but Giga Mexico will exceed all expectations. Giga Texas occupies a site of 2,500 acres, but Giga Mexico will be even more massive, with a designated area of 4,200 acres, making it larger than the entirety of Giga Nevada’s 2,864 acres of land. In fact, Giga Mexico, even with just its existing structures,…

A recent recall of brake pedals has caused concern among operators of Nikola Tre trucks, but the truckmaker is assuring customers that their vehicles are safe to drive. The issue arose from faulty pedal assemblies supplied to Nikola by ZF North America. The supplier discovered that the locking screw that maintains the brake pedal in some assemblies might not be fully threaded or could be missing entirely, potentially causing the brake pedal to fall off and increase the risk of a crash. After investigating the issue, ZF North America notified Nikola on September 12, prompting the truckmaker to inspect all…

Honda is making significant strides in catching up to its competitors in the global electric vehicle market. Despite this, the company’s top executive has claimed that traditional combustion engines could remain in use until at least 2040. Toshihiro Mibe, the CEO of Honda, has worked in engine development for over three decades, making him somewhat apprehensive about the shift towards EVs. However, he believes that the company’s interests are paramount: “Personally, it’s a little threatening, but I have to separate my own feelings from what is best for the business.” To further the development of Honda’s EV and battery business,…

Mercedes-Benz has initiated the construction of a new battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany. The primary objective of the facility is to minimize resource consumption and promote a closed-loop recycling process for battery raw materials. The first phase of the project, which entails the mechanical dismantling of electric vehicle batteries, will commence towards the end of this year. The construction of this carbon-neutral plant is set to cost Mercedes-Benz a double-digit million Euro amount. The pilot plant is expected to have an annual capacity of 2,500 metric tonnes. See also: Mercedes Benz expects to have factories producing exclusively electric vehicles…

Ducati, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, is holding off on launching an electric motorcycle for the consumer market, making it an outlier in Volkswagen AG’s €89 billion ($94 billion) push to electrify its businesses. While the company is the sole producer of e-bikes racing in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup this year and presented its first electric motorcycle prototype in June, the CEO of Ducati’s North American operations, Jason Chinnock, says that the battery technology needs to improve before the company can bring an e-bike to showrooms. “It’s going to be some years,” Chinnock said. “The battery technology really isn’t…

As the push for environmentally-friendly transportation gains momentum, Nissan is looking to secure a second battery source in the United States. This move comes as part of the Japanese automaker’s plan to meet the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, according to Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta. Gupta shared this insight during a briefing about Nissan’s electrification strategy. The automaker is setting its sights on a lofty goal of raising its global share of electric vehicle sales to more than 55% by 2030. This target represents an increase from the previous forecast of 50%, demonstrating Nissan’s dedication to the transition…

Ford has announced an extension of the production pause at its F-150 Lightning plant for another week. The decision follows an incident in which an electric pickup truck caught fire earlier this month due to a battery issue. The automaker initially expected vehicle assembly to be down through at least the work week ending February 24, but it seems that the production halt may take longer. Despite the fact that Ford’s battery supplier SK has resumed production of battery cells at its Georgia plant, Ford has suspended production through the end of next week. The battery fire occurred on February…

Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck has been shrouded in secrecy, with no official release date announced yet. However, the electric vehicle company has given car enthusiasts something to speculate about with its latest patent application. The filing reveals a new steel alloy that Tesla plans to use on the exoskeleton of the Cybertruck. According to Electrek, Tesla’s proprietary steel alloy will surpass the performance of other typical automotive-grade alloys. The patent filing includes detailed specifications on Vickers hardness, corrosion resistance, ductility, and tensile strength. For instance, the alloy’s hardness will range from 420 HV to 500 HV, while its corrosion resistance will…

The much-anticipated Cybertruck from Tesla has been making headlines once again, with recent sightings of what appears to be a production beta version. This comes after CEO Elon Musk revealed at the grand opening of Tesla’s Engineering HQ in Palo Alto that there were pre-production prototypes of the all-electric pickup truck available for employees to check out. Aerial footage shared online over the weekend showcased the Cybertruck driving around what seems to be a parking area, providing a closer look at the vehicle in action. The distinctive angular side mirrors and dark wheels seen in the footage suggest that it…