Author: Christopher Harrison

According to a report by local media outlet 36kr, NIO has replaced its head of vehicle engineering in an effort to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle (EV) market. NIO’s Executive Vice President and Product Committee Chairman, Zhou Xin, will now take on full responsibility for the company’s vehicle engineering operations. Danilo Teobaldi, the previous Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, will now serve as NIO’s Chief European Vehicle Engineer. Teobaldi joined NIO in 2015, coming from Qoros, and has been responsible for the development and optimization of metrics such as vehicle dynamic performance and safety performance for the…

Proterra Inc, an electric-bus maker, announced on Thursday that it will be cutting more jobs and consolidating electric bus and battery production in South Carolina in an effort to reduce costs. The company’s exit from its City of Industry facility in California, along with the additional job cuts, will affect around 300 roles this year. In a statement, the company explained that the consolidation of manufacturing sites will also enable it to better manage supply chain disruptions and decrease facilities costs. This move comes as electric vehicle manufacturers, including Stellantis NV and Nikola Corp, are tightening their spending in the…

Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has unveiled the Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025, which will invest €100 million in the construction of public charging infrastructure over the next three years. The strategy outlines a path and specific steps for creating a nationwide network of EV chargers, with the goal of providing high-powered chargers every 60 km on Ireland’s motorway network, as well as home and apartment charging, residential neighborhood charging, destination charging, and en-route charging. Ryan emphasized that the decisions will be made in collaboration with local authorities and that the strategy will aim to improve local conditions…

California-based e-bike manufacturer, Aventon, has made a name for itself in recent months with its selection of practical and stylish electric bicycles. The company, like many e-bike manufacturers, outsources production to China, resulting in a fleet of affordable and technologically advanced e-bikes. Recently, Aventon has launched its latest model, the Aventure.2 fat-tire e-bike. This second-generation machine has been updated with a torque sensor-equipped pedal assist, providing a more natural pedal feel. Additionally, the Aventure.2 is available in two variants – step-through and step-over – catering to riders of all backgrounds. The step-over version is available in a camouflage green or…

Not all electric vehicles (EVs) come equipped with heat pumps, but they should, especially in areas where temperatures drop. Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars can reuse exhaust heat for heating, but EVs do not have that capability. Therefore, the options for heating are either a conventional system or a heat pump, with the latter being more energy-efficient. Recognizing that this information may not be widely known, Tesla recently released a promotional video on its official YouTube channel highlighting the benefits of heat pumps, specifically its own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyGgrkeds5U The video explains that a heat pump functions as an air conditioner…

German officials met with representatives of the IG Metall labor union to discuss the Tesla Giga Berlin facility, and according to the Economic Minister of the state, Jörg Steinbach, the facility is ready for a dramatic increase in production. Steinbach stated, “Production has to grow up a bit more.” The facility, which currently produces the Tesla Model Y, has been expanding rapidly in recent months, with a growing number of staff and a physical expansion of the plant. The facility has onboarded roughly 200-300 people per week, reaching a total workforce of 9,000. Tesla has also cleared sections of forest…

As Nio announced its expansion into the European market for electric vehicles, the company was met with legal action from Audi. The automaker argued that Nio’s naming conventions, specifically the Nio ES8, were too similar to Audi’s S8 model. After a prolonged legal battle spanning over a year, a German court ultimately ruled in favor of Audi, finding that Nio had infringed upon Audi’s naming rights. The judge acknowledged that the names Nio ES6 and ES8 were distinct from Audi’s S6 and S8 models, but ultimately determined that simply adding the letter “E” to the name was insufficient to differentiate…

Last week, Tesla lowered prices in key markets such as the United States, European Union, and China by up to 20%. In response, competitors are beginning to strategize countermeasures. One such competitor, VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer currently selling in the US and Europe, is planning to launch promotions to maintain the competitiveness of its models, according to Reuters. The VinFast VF8 has a starting price of $59,000 in the US, while the 7-passenger VF9 starts at $83,000. The VF6 and VF7 models, which have not yet been priced, will soon be added to their lineup. In comparison, the…

The plans for a fourth electric vehicle battery plant from the partnership between General Motors (GM) and LG Energy Solution have been put on hold indefinitely, as executives ended discussions without agreeing to proceed. GM is now exploring options with other battery suppliers for its next facility in the United States. The partnership, called Ultium Cells, is responsible for GM building the packs and LG handling the battery cell production. The partnership between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, Ultium Cells, began with a large-scale battery factory in Warren, Ohio, measuring 2.8 million square feet, or the equivalent of around…

Lucid is providing a $7,500 discount on the purchase of a new Air through leasing with Lucid Financial Services, following Tesla’s recent price reduction on their vehicles. “Starting now, customers who lease any Lucid Air through Lucid Financial Services will receive an automatic $7,500 saving in the form of a capital cost reduction,” the automaker wrote in a message to buyers posted to Lucid-Forum. “By taking advantage of this savings, customers get a lower monthly payment for their new Lucid Air. As always, we’re thrilled to be dreaming ahead with you.” Lucid Motors has recently raised prices on their Air…

VDL Bus & Coach, a Dutch company, has received its largest order for electric buses to date from the Dutch public transport company EBS. EBS has ordered 193 new-generation VDL Citeas to operate the Zaanstreek-Waterland concession starting December 2023. The vehicles will be delivered starting September, with 60 LE-122 models and 135 LE-135 models, each equipped with battery packs of 490 kWh and 552 kWh respectively. The LE models offer a different seating position due to their low entry and raised interior floor, while the LF models offer a continuous low-floor concept. The numbers in the model designation represent the…

Swiss battery manufacturer Leclanché claims to have achieved a major advancement in the eco-friendly production of G/NMCA cells. They say they have developed a water-based process that reduces the cobalt content in NMCA electrodes from 20% to just 5%, while maintaining the same level of performance and safety. Leclanché has developed a new process for producing G/NMCA cells that eliminates the use of highly toxic organic solvents, such as N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), typically used in the production process. The new cells have 20% higher energy density than conventional NMC cells, with the same size, weight and performance, the company said. The…