Author: Christopher Harrison

BMW is recalling more than 14,000 hybrid electric vehicles in the US due to a software issue with the electronic control unit for the battery pack. The affected models include the iX, i4, and i7, and were manufactured between February 2021 and October 2022. Specifically, 5,389 2022 and 2023 model-year iX vehicles are being recalled, as well as 8,659 i4 vehicles and 38 i7 vehicles. All engine options for the iX and i4 are affected, while only the all-wheel drive i7 xDrive60 is affected for the i7 model. This recall was announced by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…

Element 25 Limited and Stellantis N.V. announced that they have signed a binding agreement for Element 25 to supply Stellantis with battery grade, high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate for use in electric vehicle (EV) battery packs. Under the five-year agreement, shipments are set to start in 2026, with a total volume of 45 kilotons and options to extend the supply term and quantities. Element 25 will obtain the material from its Butcherbird project in Western Australia and intends to build a processing facility in the United States. Stellantis will also make an equity investment in Element 25. “Our commitment to…

In December, Subaru of America reported a total of 56,760 vehicle sales, an increase of 11% from the previous year. This marks the fifth consecutive month of increased sales for the brand, despite the challenges of the past year. For the full year of 2021, Subaru saw a total of 556,581 sales in the United States, representing a 4.7% decrease from the previous year. In December, the all-new, all-electric Subaru Solterra model saw relatively good sales in the US, with 825 units sold in its first full month on the market. This was higher than the 634 units sold of…

YouTuber Zack Nelson of the channel Jerry Rig Everything recently conducted a test to see how his electric Rivian R1T truck would handle towing a 9,300 pound electromod Hummer H1 in the dead of winter. To add even more weight, Nelson added about 1,000 pounds of scrap to the load, bringing the total weight to over 10,000 pounds. The R1T has a maximum towing capacity of 11,000 pounds, so it was within its limits for the test. Prior to the test, Nelson had recorded a maximum range of 280 miles for the truck. The test was meant to see how…

Calendar 2022 saw a significant increase in the adoption of electric vehicles in Australia, with EV sales representing 3.1% of total new car sales in the country. According to data from the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries, a total of 33,410 fully battery electric vehicles were sold in Australia during the year, with December being the most successful month, seeing 5,084 BEV sales and a market share of 5.8%. While this was the best performance ever for the Australian market, it still lags behind Europe and China. Tesla was the dominant brand, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all BEV sales…

Peugeot has unveiled the Inception, a concept car that the company says will mark a new era for its future electric vehicles. The concept was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a rare event for Peugeot, which withdrew from the US market in 1991. The Inception is the first concept car created by Matthias Hossann, who recently became the company’s design director. It is expected to feature radical design changes and advanced technology compared to Peugeot’s current models. Inception will be designed according to three key principles: allure, emotion, and excellence. The company plans to release five…

Adventure rider Ali Abdo has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest journey on an electric motorcycle by an individual rider. He traveled 12,749 kilometers (about 7,921.86 miles) in 30 days, riding across Egypt for his “The Ride to COP27” journey, which took place from October 10 to November 8, 2022. The journey began in Cairo and ended at the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Abdo’s goal was to raise awareness about climate change among youth, and he visited various schools, universities, and sports clubs along the way to engage with local youth. He completed…

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, Yadea made its debut and unveiled a variety of new products and technologies at its 2023 product launch. This marked the first time Yadea has appeared at CES, and the product launch also included the US debut of the Yadea Keeness VFD, an all-new high-speed straddle electric motorcycle series, and the Yadea E150, a high-speed pedal electric motorcycle. The Keeness VFD model is equipped with a powerful 10KW mid-mounted motor, capable of reaching a top speed of 100km/h and accelerating from 0-50km/h in just 4 seconds. Its battery uses advanced…

For the first time in December, electric vehicles (EVs) took the majority of sales in the German auto market. Specifically, plug-in EVs captured 55.4% of passenger vehicle sales, while full electric vehicles accounted for 33.2% and plug-in hybrids made up 22.2%. Non-plug-in hybrids accounted for 12.8%, leaving only 31.8% of sales for traditional combustion-engine vehicles. In total, 314,318 units were sold in December, a 38% increase from the previous year. For the whole of 2022, auto sales reached 2.65 million units, a slight increase of 1.1% from the previous year. The top-selling vehicle in December, regardless of type, was the…

Joseph Evans, who owns a vineyard in the Australian Barossa Valley and was paying around $6,000 per year in electricity bills for his home and business, decided to take action to reduce costs. He installed a rooftop solar system which immediately reduced his annual power bill by $4,000. However, his goal was to bring his electricity costs to zero or even generate a profit. When South Australia approved the installation of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers, Evans became one of the first people in Australia to use his Nissan Leaf electric vehicle to inject power back into the national grid. By using…

SK On, a South Korean battery manufacturer, aims to start producing a new type of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) electric vehicle (EV) battery by 2025, according to a senior executive at the company. The decision is part of the company’s strategy to offer more affordable batteries to automakers, as the high price of EVs has reduced demand. LFP batteries are cheaper to manufacture than nickel-cobalt EV batteries, but they do not provide as much range. “We’re going to produce an LFP product by 2025,” Jason Lee, executive vice president and head of SK On’s battery marketing division, said on the sidelines of…

SAIC-GM, a joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor, has opened a new electric vehicle (EV) production plant in Wuhan, China. The facility, located at the company’s existing production site in the city, has already begun production of EVs based on GM’s Ultium platform. SAIC-GM has been operating in Wuhan since 2015 and already produces three New Energy Vehicles at the location, including the Chevrolet Menlo and Buick Velite 6 in fully electric versions, as well as a plug-in hybrid version of the Buick model. SAIC-GM has announced plans to launch the Buick Electra E5 electric crossover in China…

Mobileye, a self-driving car division of Intel, has received a permit from TÜV SÜD, an independent third party in Germany, to test its autonomous vehicle technology on German roads using NIO ES8 vehicles. This permit will allow Mobileye to expand its pilot phase in Germany and operate its Mobileye Drive-equipped NIO ES8 vehicles with a responsible safety driver on all roads in the country. Mobileye has been testing NIO ES8-based autonomous vehicles in Germany since announcing the plan more than a year ago. Intel and Sixt SE have announced plans to launch a self-driving ride-hailing service in Munich in 2022,…

Imagry, a company specializing in mapless autonomous driving technology, has announced that its artificial intelligence (AI) solution will be implemented in two pilot programs in Israel. The first program will begin this month at the largest medical center in the country, while the second will launch several months later on a public bus line in Nahariya. Both programs will be managed by Nateev Express, a leading public transportation operator in Israel. This marks a new phase in the deployment of the Imagry platform, as it will allow the general public to experience autonomous driving firsthand. Imagry’s software combines advanced technology…

Winnipeg Transit, the public transportation company in Manitoba’s capital, has signed a framework agreement with New Flyer to provide battery and fuel cell electric buses. The deal includes firm orders for eight battery and fuel cell buses each, as well as options for up to 150 zero-emission buses over the next four years. For the time being, Winnipeg Transit expects New Flyer to deliver four 12- and 18-meter Xcelsior Charge FCs and four 12- and 18-meter Xcelsior Charge NGs. The Canada Infrastructure Program is subsidizing the procurement. Winnipeg Transit plans to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2040, and previously…

Tesla announced the prices for the new Model S and Model X in China, which are not produced locally. The Model S is available in two versions: a regular version with dual motors and all-wheel drive, and a Plaid version with three motors and all-wheel drive. The Model S starts at RMB 789,900 ($115,000) and the Model S Plaid starts at RMB 1,009,900. The Model X is also available in two versions: a regular version with dual-motor all-wheel drive and a Plaid version with tri-motor all-wheel drive. The Model X starts at RMB 879,900 and the Model X Plaid starts…

ZF, a company known for its transmissions, used CES to introduce its Next Generation Shuttle, an autonomous vehicle equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving technology. The shuttle uses lidar, radar, camera, and audio sensors to gather information about its surroundings, which is then processed by ZF’s Virtual Driver software to enable self-driving in urban environments. The shuttle also has multiple redundancies for “full functionality” and high reliability. It has a range of between 50 and 100 kWh and can travel up to 80 miles on a single charge at a top speed of 25 mph. ZF plans to increase the…

The Peugeot Inception concept was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023. The concept car, a sleek saloon, showcases Peugeot’s vision for the future and provides an initial glimpse into the features of the STLA Large platform developed by parent company Stellantis. The STLA Large platform will be used for larger vehicles within Peugeot’s lineup, and the Inception is a prime example, measuring five meters in length. The size of the Inception has been carefully chosen to demonstrate the numerous innovations it represents and will serve as an inspiration for future Peugeot models, from the most compact to the largest,…

Volvo and Polestar will be the first automakers to introduce Google’s new high-definition mapping technology to their vehicles. Google’s new high-definition mapping technology designed specifically for use in vehicles that utilizes real-time data to improve navigation. The service will be available on Volvo’s all-electric EX90 and the Polestar 3. HD Maps will combine sensor data with real-time traffic updates to optimize route planning and will be able to communicate with the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous system in order to provide detailed information about the vehicle and its surroundings. The service will be available on Volvo models equipped with the Pilot Assist…

The BMW Group reported a decrease in car sales in 2022, selling approximately 2.4 million vehicles, a drop of 100,000 from the previous year. However, the proportion of fully electric cars sold by the company more than doubled, reaching almost 10% of total sales. According to a spokesperson for the company, BMW plans to increase the share of battery electric vehicles in its total sales to 15% in 2023. The core BMW brand saw a decrease in sales in 2022, with 2.1 million vehicles sold, down from a record 2.2 million the previous year. The decrease was attributed to the…