Author: Christopher Harrison

Ahead of its premiere in early February 2023, Mercedes-Benz is providing an update for the new generation of the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric van which is currently entering the end of its trial period. Launching the official Mercedes-Benz Vans website on Thursday (1/12/2022), the new generation of eSprinter with a body version that is longer, taller and the largest of all its variants has managed to cover a distance of up to 475 km. Departing from Stuttgart for Munich, Germany, the new eSprinter manages to run round-trip on just one charge of its electric battery and produces a power consumption of…

Opel / Vauxhall have revealed their portfolio of electric vehicles namely hatchbacks and compact estates. The portfolio is named Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric, which at first glance are identical to the internal combustion engine version. Outwardly they are identical to the ICE version but both adopt a fully electric powertrain like the mechanically linked Peugeot E-308. Spec-wise, the recently revealed EV sports a single front-mounted electric motor that develops 154 hp (115 kW / 156 PS) of power and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque. Power output is identical to the Peugeot E-308 / E-308 SW, torque…

Tesla will officially launch in Thailand next month after preparing for this for more than a year. The launch announcement was published on Tesla’s LinkedIn page, with the post visible only to Thai users. One Tesla fan, Daren Yoong shared a post on Twitter regarding the announcement. https://twitter.com/darenyoong/status/1597165962008358913 Signs of Tesla getting ready to launch in Thailand emerged when the company was officially registered with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Commerce. Tesla is coming to Thailand market with EVs, batteries, and solar. Tesla added its app to the Apple App Store in Thailand, and started recruiting for positions based in the…

The future Rivian R1T electric pickup truck and R1S SUV model will get a new suspension. Rivian has selected Tenneco which will supply the automaker with an intelligent suspension system. It looks like the ride quality of the already impressive Rivian vehicles will get even better. Rivian will integrate CVSA2/Kinetic® H2 semi-active suspension technology in its EV skateboard chassis. The suspension system originally developed for sports and hypercar models. Tenneco itself supplies parts to a number of manufacturers including McLaren. CVSA2/Kinetic® H2 semi-active suspension technology developed by Rivian, Tenneco and other automakers. The aim is to improve the driving performance…

Lordstown Motors begins delivering Foxconn-manufactured Endurance electric pickup trucks marking a milestone in the company’s history. Lordstown Motors, which has been in financial troubles, said Tuesday that its full-size Endurance electric pickup truck received full homologation with certification from the EPA and CARB which gives the company the green light to begin deliveries to customers. Production of the Endurance electric pickup truck is carried out by Foxconn as a contract manufacturer. The first batch of 500 Endurance electric pickups is on its way to fleet customers, according to the company. “I am very proud of the Lordstown Motors and Foxconn…

CEO Tesla Inc. Elon Musk announced that the Beta version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is now available to everyone in North America. Elon Musk announced this latest news via his Twitter account which was posted on Thursday (24/11/2022) morning. Tesla has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the announcement. “Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta is now available to anyone in North America who requests it from their car screen, assuming you have purchased this option,” Tesla’s CEO tweeted. Musk said in October that Tesla’s advanced driver assistant software would not get regulatory approval this year. The world’s…

Many have questioned the ability of the Tesla Semi electric truck to carry a full load. Will Tesla’s upcoming Class 8 electric truck really have a range of 500 miles (804 km), especially when fully charged. In October Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the Tesla Semi electric truck’s range is calculated by cargo – “Just to be clear, 500 miles with cargo at ground level.” Elon Musk in a recent tweet wrote that the Tesla Semi electric truck completed a 500 mile journey weighing 81,000 lbs, which is almost 100% of its 82,000 lbs (37,195 kg) Gross Combined Weight…

Mercedes-Benz International Finance B.V. successfully issued its first Green Panda Bond on November 24, 2022 with a size of RMB 500 million (approx. EUR 68 million), a term of two years and a coupon rate of 2.9% in the Chinese Interbank Bond Market. The bond, which was 3.1 times oversubscribed is guaranteed by Mercedes-Benz Group AG (ticker symbol: MBG). The issuance was arranged by Bank of China and HSBC. It is Mercedes-Benz’s first Green Bond outside of the European market and Mercedes-Benz is the first automotive company to issue a Green Panda Bond in China. “The first Mercedes-Benz Green Panda…

The race for the best electric hypercar has started, previously the Rimac Nevera became the world’s fastest production EV with a top speed of 412 kph. This time Pininfarina released record-breaking acceleration and braking metrics for its Battista hypercar Battista broke the record at the Dubai Autodrome by going from 0-60 MPH in just 1.79 seconds and 0-120 MPH in 4.49 seconds. For comparison, 0-100 km/h (62.14 MPH) is 1.86 seconds, with 0-200 km/h (124.274 MPH) reaching 4.79 seconds. Not only about acceleration, Battista also achieved extraordinary achievements in braking. The Battista comes to a complete stop from 100 km/h…

Lucid Motors open its first retail location in Switzerland – the Lucid Studio at Cours de Rive 10 in Geneva – on Friday, November 18, 2022. The Swiss Studio will mark the company’s second retail location in Europe, after the store in Munich, which opened in May 2022. Lucid expects to expand its physical footprint throughout additional countries in Europe in the coming years. “The response to Lucid at the recent preview event in Zurich has been tremendous, which reflects the country’s unique embrace of luxury, innovation and the environment.” said Zak Edson, Vice President of Sales and Service, Lucid…

Tesla aims to bring a more complex driving experience, and more than just an electric car, to their products. Through the Tesla Car System, Tesla continues to complete a variety of new features in its electric car products. Two giant companies from Japan, Honda and Sony, are working together for electric car products, it seems to defeat Tesla’s dominance. One strategy is to present an immersive in-car entertainment system. One way is to install PS5 game consoles in their electric cars in the future. This news was confirmed by Izumi Kawanishi, head of Sony Honda Mobility. He said that this…

New data from Experian Automotive shows in the first nine months of 2022 there were registrations for more than 530,000 new battery-electric vehicles in the US. This number increased by 57% compared to the same period last year. In Experian Automotive’s 2022 Automotive Consumer Trends Report, in the last five years, EV registrations have increased by 250%. In the United States today, there are more than 1.7 million electric vehicles on the road, compared to more than 400,000 electric vehicles registered in 2018. In total, new electric vehicle registrations account for only 5% of new vehicle registrations, but the trend…

EVgo announced a commercial agreement with Subaru of America, Inc. to provide drivers of the Subaru Solterra electric SUV with the option to receive a $400 charging credit on the EVgo public fast charging network. This announcement follows the company’s previous news of becoming Subaru’s preferred EV charging partner in the beginning of 2022. “Subaru and EVgo share a commitment to delivering first-in-class customer experiences and combatting climate change,” said Jonathan Levy, Chief Commercial Officer at EVgo. “It’s a natural fit for Subaru and EVgo to bring Solterra drivers a convenient and reliable charging experience on EVgo’s network as they…

The Spanish manufacturer, Seat, is now not only producing cars. In response to the worldwide trend of electrification, Seat has announced that it will launch an electric scooter named the Mo 125 Performance. This electric motorcycle made by Seat will feature a new element as its appeal. As is known, Seat has been known as the maker of the Ibiza or Leon hatchback rather than motorcycles or other electric vehicles. On paper, the Mo 125 is equipped with an electric motor with a maximum power of 7.5 kW or the equivalent of 10.1 Tk. Meanwhile, at its peak power, it…

Electric vehicles are a necessity in the future. However, the transition of vehicles from fossil fuels to renewable energy still encounters obstacles, especially in terms of price. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the B20 Summit Indonesia 2022, the presence of cheap electric cars was important to increase the adoption of electric vehicles in developing countries. “(Electric vehicles) much more affordable would make a lot of sense. (Tesla) has to do it,” said Elon Musk, excerpted from the YouTube show B20 Indonesia 2022 (11/15/2022). However, he did not disclose further about product development, launch plans, or prices. Previously, at the…

The use of the Tesla Supercharger for non-Tesla electric vehicles began earlier this year. After having a presence in several European countries, Tesla is slowly expanding its program to give Superchargers access to non-Tesla electric vehicles in Italy. In total there are 18 Supercharger stations in Italy that can be used by everyone, not just Tesla owners. Italy is the latest country in Europe to participate in this program. Noted, since the beginning of this year, Tesla has provided Supercharger access to non-Tesla electric vehicles to several European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg,…

Tesla is again recalling several models of its electric car products. This time 30,000 Tesla Model X was recalled due to improperly installed airbags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said this software or calibration failure in the Tesla Model X could cause the airbag sensors to not function properly in the event of a traffic accident. Quoted from Reuters , today, Saturday, November 19, 2022, Tesla said it would immediately fix this airbag problem and carry out an over-the-air software update. The airbag system is a sensor when the car detects a hard collision. This sensor will send…

Audi since the days of Auto Union uses the legendary four-ring logo. However, from now on the logo will be replaced to signify the era of electrification. Audi has expanded on its logo when it introduced the revamped and renamed Q8 e-tron. Designed to give off a “more modern image”, the new logo features a black background that contrasts with a white ring for a more elegant look. The two-dimensional appearance of the logo makes it look clearer even from a distance. With the new logo, there is no longer the chrome logo that used to be the hallmark of…

The Toyota Prius is an environmentally friendly car that has been produced by Toyota since 1997. For this reason, it is now in its fifth generation, and was officially launched in Europe on November 16, 2022. In this latest model, Toyota has used the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform. The TNGA GA-C platform, which is also used by Toyota’s electric cars today, is claimed to have a lower center of gravity than the previous generation. Then there are two models that are immediately sold, including the 2.0-liter PHEV and 2.0/1.8-liter HEV versions. To find out the difference between the…

The Sigma 8 electric bus has just been introduced to the public at the EuroBus Expo. British bus manufacturer Mellor, which manufactures the Sigma 8, says the electric bus can carry 54 passengers with 27 seats and standing room. The Sigma 8 electric bus is the latest model in Sigma’s six-model range (from seven to 12 metres) to enter the UK market. This model complements the seven and 10 meter models that were present earlier. Mellor says its ability to manufacture a wide range of electric buses of different sizes has put it in a good position in the market.…