Author: Christopher Harrison

Rivian has filed a patent for an air-conditioned electric vehicle (EV) charger that aims to tackle one of the biggest hurdles in unlocking faster charging for EVs: battery temperature. As an EV’s battery charges, particularly at high amperages, it begins to heat up. To maintain a safe operating temperature, the charging station reduces its power output to allow the battery to cool. To battle this issue, Rivian’s patented system would allow a charger to heat or cool a battery in conjunction with the vehicle, depending on ambient conditions. The air conditioning system would be built into the charging station and…

Sky, a leading media and entertainment company, has taken a step towards achieving its goal of being net zero carbon by 2030 by purchasing 11 new electric panel vans from Mercedes-Benz. The company selected the latest eVito van with a 66kWH battery and rapid DC charging for its range of 162 miles and versatility. The electric vehicles will be used by engineers to service TV and broadband customers across the UK. Bott, a Leicestershire-based firm, converted all 11 vehicles to include the bespoke racking and telematics systems required by Sky, along with impressive graphic wraps that are recognisable to the…

HiPhi is a brand that pushes the boundaries of what customers can accept. The company made a name for itself with the release of its first electric car, the HiPhi X MPV, which features suicide rear doors and falcon-type roof panels that lift up to ease entry. This bold and futuristic design caught the public’s attention and put HiPhi on the map. The HiPhi X MPV can be described as a Tesla Model X with a split rear door – the top part opens up while the bottom part opens rearwards. This design feature is unique and daring, and it…

Mack Trucks has teamed up with Heliox and Gilbarco Veeder-Root to promote the adoption of battery-electric vehicles (BEV), specifically its LR Electric, which is the company’s first fully electric Class 8 refuse truck. The partnerships with Heliox and Gilbarco Veeder-Root will provide end-to-end support for Mack customers and help them access mobile and fixed chargers. The strategic partnerships offer hardware installation services, on-hand inventory, and support resources focused on charger uptime. The partnerships enable customers to have better access to charging infrastructure upgrades as they make the transition to zero-emissions technology. See also: Mack Trucks starts production of Mack LR…

Tesla has recently updated its mobile app to allow owners to remotely activate climate control features like Dog Mode and Camp Mode when their vehicle has a state of charge (SOC) below 20%. The change was implemented in response to a request made by a Canadian Tesla owner on Twitter in October 2020, asking CEO Elon Musk to lower the threshold from 20% to 15%, or even as low as 5%. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1314113518921289728 Previously, Tesla only allowed owners to use the mobile app to warm up or cool down their cars when the battery was above 20% SOC, as a precaution…

According to the CEO of VinFast, the electric vehicle maker backed by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, there are currently no plans for Vuong to invest any more of his personal fortune into the company. Despite falling behind on its factory construction plans in the U.S. and reducing staff, the company will continue to rely on its existing funding. Vuong, whose net worth is estimated at $4.1 billion, serves as the chairman of Vingroup, a conglomerate with interests in real estate, leisure parks, and a university. VinFast was established by Vuong in 2017 and has since received investments from its owners…

Dachser, a German logistics company, has revealed plans to expand its emission-free delivery services to ten additional European cities by 2025. The company already operates delivery hubs with electric vehicles in major cities such as Berlin, Paris, and Madrid. Dachser aims to add ten more cities to this list over the next four years. In May 2021, the company announced its goal to provide zero-emission deliveries in eleven EU cities by the end of 2022. The company plans to increase this number to 22 cities by 2024, following the successful completion of a pilot project involving twelve cities in less…

Vulcan Energy Resources has revealed the outcome of its definitive feasibility study for the initial stage of its CO2-free lithium project located in the Upper Rhine Graben. The first phase of the project aims to produce 24,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) annually, a 60% increase from the preliminary feasibility study. This increase is attributed to the discovery of new production sites that will commence operation by 2025. The sites are estimated to generate more than 300 GWh of renewable electricity and over 250 GWh of renewable heat each year, with some of the geothermal heat and electricity potentially…

Jean-Eric Vergne of DS Penske took home the victory in a historic first-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in India. The race was held in front of a sold-out crowd, including dignitaries, Bollywood celebrities, and sports stars. Vergne put up a tough fight in the final stages to hold off Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy and Sebastien Buemi. However, after Buemi was penalized post-race, Antonio Felix da Costa of TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team took third place. “I’m very, very happy,” said Vergne. “It was a tough race, but I managed to win it with no mistakes. This…

Luxury cars often evoke the image of flawless engineering and superior quality, however, they too are not immune to faults and defects. This was recently highlighted by the recall of select 2023 BMW 7-Series and i7 models. BMW of North America issued the recall after discovering a potential issue with the front passenger seat electronic control unit (ECU) software in certain vehicles. The issue pertains to vehicles that have the Executive Lounge Seating Package. The seat’s ECU in these vehicles may not recognize the seat position, leading to an invalid seat position being communicated to the airbag and restraint system…

The Rolls Royce Spectre, the prestigious automaker’s first electric vehicle, has finally arrived, and it’s all due to customer demand. According to the CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, customers have been eagerly awaiting an electric Rolls for years and the company listened. With the growing popularity of EVs, it’s no surprise that the iconic luxury brand has made the transition. The electric powertrain of the Spectre promises to deliver a smooth, quiet, and powerful driving experience, complemented by state-of-the-art technology. Initially, the transition to electric vehicles may have been a source of concern for the Rolls Royce executives. However, once reservations for…

Ford’s CEO Jim Farley has given Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull’s marketing driver, a sneak peek of some highly anticipated electric performance vehicles. This includes a concept version of the Ford F-150 Lightning, which has sparked speculation among fans of the brand. Farley used the term “demonstrators,” suggesting that there may be more than one vehicle in the works. The recent Ford Performance infographic shows a roadmap for the brand’s future, including a blanked-out Ford Mustang racer and the F-150 Lightning-based demonstrator, as well as a new off-road truck. In 2026, Ford and Red Bull will collaborate and share intellectual property…

Los Angeles-based B2U Storage Solutions is currently using 1,300 retired battery packs from old Honda & Nissan electric vehicles at its solar and energy storage facility in Lancaster, California. Now the storage facility has reached an energy content of 25 MWh. B2U (“Battery Second Use”) Storage Solutions specialises in the development and operation of large-scale stationary energy storage systems from second-life batteries from electric vehicles and is now using said 1,300 battery packs from power cars from Honda and Nissan with a total capacity of 25 megawatt-hours for their connected use at the facility called SEPV Sierra. The plant has…

Tata Motors, an Indian car manufacturer, is looking for a location to build its European battery cell factory. The company is considering sites in either Spain or the United Kingdom. In Spain, the preferred location is an industrial site in Zuera near Zaragoza, which was also considered by Volkswagen for its battery cell factory. Tata representatives have visited the Zuera site and started discussions with Spanish and Aragonese regional governments. If Tata chooses this location, it may benefit from the PERTE eMobility support program in Spain. Tata is also building a battery cell factory in India, but details on the…

Gridserve has started 2023 with a bang by installing 32 high-power chargers at four new Electric Super Hubs in January. These new chargers have a capacity of up to 350kW and are located along some of the UK’s busiest roads, including the A303 road to Stonehenge and the M23, M4, and M40 highways. With these installations, Gridserve now operates a total of 173 high-power chargers at 16 Electric Super Hubs and two Electric Forecourts, providing EV drivers with access to fast charging in 169 locations. The Gridserve Electric Highway delivers over 10 million EV miles to the UK’s electric vehicles…

The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter, the company’s first all-electric commercial van, has debuted as a direct competitor to the Ford E-Transit. The US market will receive the Sprinter Cargo Van in H2 2023, followed by Europe later in the year. Mercedes is producing the eSprinter in Charleston, South Carolina to bypass the Chicken Tax and will later manufacture it in Germany for other markets. The eSprinter has a 113 kWh battery that provides a WLTP combined cycle range of 248.5 miles and up to 311 miles on the WLTP city cycle. Despite this, full-size vans are not tested by the EPA, so…

BYD, the Chinese new energy vehicle and battery giant, has announced the launch of its 543 MWh Cube Pro energy storage system in Las Vegas. Construction on the project will begin in Q2 2023 with commercial operation expected by the end of the year. The energy storage system will help Nevada’s largest power provider, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy, achieve its goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Cube Pro is designed to store and dispatch excess renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, helping to smooth out peak demand in Nevada. It is…

E-Mobility, a subsidiary of Soltech Group, has opened one of Sweden’s largest electric truck charging stations. The station boasts 15 fast-charging points at Gothenburgs Lastbilscentral (GLC) hub with a combined output of 1 megawatt, accessible to GLC’s co-owners and drivers 24/7. The technology for the station was supplied by Finnish company Kempower, which has formed a consortium with Swedish charge point operator Nimbet and Finnish infrastructure service provider Virta to establish a nationwide charging network for electric trucks in Sweden. “It feels great that we have reached the finish line with this project for GLC, which invests heavily in charging…

The German market has been a bright spot for Tesla, as the automaker continues to see steady growth in sales. January 2023 was no exception, as Tesla’s sales skyrocketed by 912.2% compared to the same month the previous year. This impressive growth can be attributed to several factors, including the operational status of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin, which only received approval to begin production in March 2022. As a result, vehicles were shipped from Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai, which served as the company’s “export hub” for the European market. According to the KBA (German ministry for tracking registered vehicles), Tesla sold 4,241…

Berlin-based e-scooter sharing company, Emmy, has taken over the German arm of its competitor, Felyx. The acquisition makes Emmy the largest e-scooter sharing provider in Germany. Felyx chose to sell its German operations in order to concentrate on growth in the Benelux region. Emmy has integrated a fleet of 1,500 e-scooters into its existing network and intends to use the additional vehicles to enhance its offerings in Berlin and expand into Hamburg and Munich. The Felyx systems will be seamlessly integrated into the Emmy platform, allowing Felyx users to easily switch to the Emmy app using their existing Felyx account…