Author: Derick Munoz

Jaguar Land Rover is gearing up for an electrified future with a massive £15 billion investment over the next five years. The investment will be used to launch new electric platforms and prepare plants for production. The company plans to convert its Halewood plant into a purely electric production facility, while the Wolverhampton engine plant will produce electric drive units and battery packs. The plant will be renamed as the ‘Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre’. Jaguar Land Rover’s electrification strategy gained momentum after the company announced in February 2021 that Jaguar would become an all-electric brand from 2025. The latest development…

CATL and BYD, two leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers, are reportedly planning to introduce sodium-ion batteries in their series-produced EVs by the end of this year. The initial plan is to use a hybrid of sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries. According to the Chinese portal 36kr, CATL plans to introduce the new batteries in the first model of Chery’s new energy vehicle brand, iCar, which is set to launch in the fourth quarter of this year. The iCar GT is an electric sports car, while the iCar 03 is a 4.2-metre-long angular compact SUV. As sodium-ion batteries are cheaper…

As electric trucks gain popularity and hit the market, truck owners are understandably curious about their capabilities. The likes of the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning are impressive, with instant torque and commanding acceleration, but towing heavy loads on a long trip is still a concern for many due to range anxiety. While all vehicles experience range loss when towing, electric trucks require more attention to planning ahead. Gas-powered vehicles have the luxury of easily refueling when the fuel tank is getting low. With electric trucks, you need to consider the vehicle’s range while towing, the availability of charging…

Rivian’s head of software, Wassym Bensaid, recently discussed the company’s upcoming software roadmap and its plans to roll out a host of new features for Rivian drivers. The company’s focus on building products that inspire people to go on adventures has been the driving force behind Rivian’s brand. Rivian’s first-generation electric vehicles, the R1T electric truck, and the R1S SUV model are designed to go beyond the norm. They can drive through 3ft of water, rock crawl a 100% grade, tow up to 11,000 lbs, and go 0 to 60 mph as quickly as a sports car. Most R1T buyers…

Polestar 4, the latest model from the luxury electric vehicle manufacturer, Polestar, is now available for purchase in China, and it comes with a higher starting price than Tesla’s popular Model Y. Polestar, which is co-owned by Geely and Volvo Cars, unveiled the Polestar 4 at the Shanghai Auto Show on its opening day, and it is available in six different versions, including three single-motor and three dual-motor models. The prices for the single-motor versions start at RMB 349,800 ($50,870), while the dual-motor versions range from RMB 453,800 to RMB 533,800. These price ranges are significantly higher than Tesla’s Model…

Lordstown Motors Corporation, an American automaker that produces all-electric pickup trucks, has announced that production and deliveries of their Endurance model have resumed after a pause that began in February due to performance and quality issues with unspecified components. While the company has not disclosed the exact date of the restart, deliveries are now back online. In February, the company had recalled 19 trucks due to an electrical connection issue, followed by another recall of 5 trucks earlier this month due to a separate rollaway concern. These issues were resolved before the resumption of production and deliveries. See also: Lordstown…

Elli, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, has achieved a major milestone in its electric vehicle (EV) charging network. It now offers access to over half a million charging points across 28 European countries, making it the largest and fastest-growing charging network in Europe, according to a statement by VW. Elli customers can charge their EVs regardless of their car brand at around 950 providers. This achievement comes just four months after Elli announced it had reached 400,000 charging points, highlighting the rapid growth of the network. Of the 500,000 charging points, most are AC charging points, but the exact number of…

VinFast, Vietnam’s electric vehicle maker, is rapidly expanding its presence in overseas markets. The company announced on Monday that it had shipped a second batch of 1,879 VF 8 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to North America, with 1,098 of them destined for California and the rest going to Canada. This move follows the shipment of 999 VF 8 SUVs to California in November 2022. However, the company needed until March 2023 to prepare them for delivery to customers after disclosing the car would have a lower battery range than it had flagged to buyers. VinFast, backed by Vietnam’s largest conglomerate…

As the world’s transition to electric vehicles accelerates, Tesla continues to lead the way with its innovation and expansion plans. With Easter now behind us, the American EV giant is gearing up to start production on one of its most highly anticipated models, the Cybertruck. The all-electric pickup truck with its striking exoskeleton design has created quite a buzz since its announcement in 2019, and it seems Tesla is moving full steam ahead to bring it to market this year. Gigafactory Texas, which will house Cybertruck production, has been bustling with activity since the start of the year, with the…

The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Dutch institute TNO of the Holst Centre have announced a joint research project to develop lithium-ion batteries for the European automotive industry. The cross-border project will begin by improving existing lithium-ion batteries and will later investigate next-generation batteries, such as sodium-ion batteries. The project is the first step in a long-term collaboration between the two research and development centres, and it is scheduled to run until the end of February next year. See also: Water replaces toxic solvents in lithium-ion battery production, improving sustainability and cost-effectiveness ZSW and…

Saudi Arabia has announced its first-ever electric self-driving vehicle, the Dhahaina (Smart), which was unveiled at a ceremony held in the city of Riyadh. The autonomous shuttle is part of the country’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependency on oil and diversify its economy. One of the key pillars of this plan is a gravitation toward automated transport, with the goal of having 15% of public transport and 25% of goods transportation vehicles being autonomous within seven years. The Dhahaina autonomous shuttle is an Autonom self-driving shuttle developed by the French company Navya, which uses a…

The British Army is exploring the potential benefits and challenges of electric mobility in the military sector through a new project called Lurcher. The project, in collaboration with Babcock International and Electrogenic, involves the conversion of four military-spec Land Rover Defender units into electric vehicles. The modifications will include a “drop-in kit” and a “modified battery system” to replace the original diesel engine. The electric powertrain is expected to be cleaner, more efficient, and offer increased power output. The Land Rover EVs will be tested by the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) “in a series of experimental battlefield/military scenarios”…