Author: Christopher Harrison

Volkswagen will be updating its MEB platform, which has been used as the foundation for the company’s electric vehicle (EV) efforts, over the next few years. The updated version, referred to as MEB+, will feature improvements to the charging and battery systems, as well as an electrical architecture that can support more advanced driver assistance technologies, according to Volkswagen. MEB+, will incorporate new “unit cell” batteries that will enable a range of up to 435 miles, based on the more lenient European WLTP testing cycle. The company also claims that MEB+ will significantly reduce charging times and may have power…

Hertz has reported a 12% increase in yearly profits following investments in electric vehicles (EVs). According to a report by the Cooldown, Hertz has sought to transition to EVs in order to optimize its fleet and reduce costs. One of the main contributing factors to this improvement is the lower operational costs associated with EVs, which have less downtime and are cheaper to run over the long-term. “We focused on operational excellence and fleet optimization to produce financial results that facilitated investment in our strategic priorities, like electrification, while enhancing returns to our shareholders and being in the service of…

Rheinmetall has won a major order worth over a quarter billion euros in the electromobility domain from a premium German automaker. Rheinmetall will be equipping the new 900-volt generation of electrically powered vehicles with a new type of contactor. Rheinmetall won the order in the face of stiff competition from Asia, establishing itself as a global market leader for contactors for this future voltage class. Starting in 2025, Rheinmetall will supply tens of millions of these contactors for the automaker’s new vehicle platform. Rheinmetall is thus widening its lead in the new world of 900V technology, making the vehicles safer…

SoFlo Customs modifiers from South Florida took the Hummer EV into a cooler vehicle with a military approach and covered the big truck’s entire external body in kevlar. This modification package is named SoFlo Strikeforce and the main highlight of the conversion is the three-part “Army Green” exterior coating, which consists of epoxy fused to Kevlar fibers. However, SoFlo Customs said that the use of Kevlar did not intentionally make the Hummer EV bulletproof. The main objective is to protect the truck from rocks, tree branches and other ‘off-road projectiles’. Additional updates come in the form of 4-inch suspension lift,…

Volvo Car announced it has taken ownership of autonomous car software development subsidiary Zenseact Saturday, December 31, 2022. According to a Reuters report, Volvo acquired a 13.5 percent stake in Zenseact from ECARX. The acquisition makes Volvo the full owner of Zenseact with a total of 100 percent share ownership. “Zenseact will continue to survive and operate as an independent company,” said Volvo Cars. Volvo added that ongoing collaboration discussions between Zenseact and ECARX will continue as planned, despite the Swedish manufacturer taking ECARX’s stake in the software company. Zenseact received a strategic investment in 2021 from ECARX requesting a…

Hyundai has officially announced that it will only offer fully electric vehicles in Norway from January 1, 2023. This makes this European country the first market in the world to only use electric vehicles from the South Korean manufacturer. This bold move from one of Norway’s best-selling brands was predictable if you look at the numbers. Disitat from Carscoops, in recent years, electric vehicles accounted for more than 90 percent of Hyundai sales in Norway, thus making the transition process easier. More specifically, between 2020 and 2022, Hyundai will deliver 25,000 cars in Norway, of which 92 percent will be…

Hyundai will bring the all-electric Seven Concept and the new Ioniq 6 to the Montreal Auto Show taking place from January 20-30, 2023 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Canada. While it’s been over a year since the Hyundai Seven Concept was unveiled at last year’s LA Auto Show, it will mark the first time it has been shown in Canada. The car manufacturer calls the vehicle a SUEV (Sport Utility Electric Vehicle) and will soon launch a production variant of it, called the Ioniq 7. The Seven Concept uses Hyundai’s same Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) as the Ioniq…

Italian electric car startup. Aehra plans to launch a radical SUV featuring supercar-like styling. Aehra gave a glimpse of the appearance of this electric SUV last November and recently released a photo of its interior which looks futuristic. The cabin of this SUV can be said to be quite spacious with a wheelbase of 118 inches. By comparison, the full-size Cadillac Escalade’s wheelbase is less than three inches longer. Aehra claims that four NBA players will fit in the SUV. Buyers will be able to choose between four and five seat configurations. At the front of the cabin there is…

A Dutch modification house named Derks Uitvaartmobiliteit recently succeeded in modifying a Tesla Model 3 electric car into a hearse. The modified Tesla Model 3, called the Tesla Hearse 3, will be sold in the European market, featuring a larger body, lighting area for coffins and practical storage compartments while offering a range of up to 375 km. As it was intended as a hearse, the Tesla Hearse 3 has a longer wheelbase than the standard Model 3, namely 5.56 m (218.9 inches), which is 866 mm (34.1 inches) longer than the standard Model 3 sedan. The front end, front…

Citroën has just announced the launch of the My Ami Buggi which is limited to only 1,000 units and will go on sale next year. This latest limited edition version will be similar to the first edition but with some surprise features that are different from the current My Ami Buggy. FYI, this electric vehicle (EV) was selling like hotcakes, selling out 50 units in just 18 minutes. More details of the second edition will be released in spring 2023. Judging from the photos released this week, the new My Ami Buggy includes the same dark green paint as the…

PEAR developed by Fisker is one of the fantastic EV projects. The public wants to know the final outcome of this project because the manufacturer promises an EV that can reach all audiences at an affordable starting price of $29,900. After a long silence, the manufacturer finally gave good news, namely that they would soon release PEAR in prototype form later this year. PEAR itself stands for “Personal Electric Automotive Revolution”, and Fisker describes the PEAR as a sporty and agile crossover for urban environments. It’s about 177 inches long, or slightly shorter than small EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq…

Rivian recently released a new over-the-air update to its R1T and R1S models that has increased their range in certain configurations. Combined with revisions in the testing method employed by Rivian for models equipped with 19-inch or 22-inch wheels, this has bumped the range estimate for the R1T up to 328 miles (527 kilometres) and up to 321 miles (516 kilometres) for the R1S. This is interesting because the R1S SUV used to have a slightly longer range than the R1T pickup, but this is not the case anymore. According to Rivian, the latest update contained changes that have improved…