Author: Harding Greenwood

Hozon Auto’s electric vehicle brand, Neta Auto, has revealed its latest addition to its lineup, the Neta GT. The all-electric sports car was officially unveiled at a launch event on April 4th, with deliveries expected to begin in the first half of this year. The Neta GT is a two-door, four-seat sports car, and the second model based on the Shanhai platform after the Neta S flagship sedan. The EV maker previously referred to the sports car as the Neta E, but a month ago, it made the model’s name official as the Neta GT. The Neta GT measures 4,715…

Kia EV6 GT has been named the 2023 World Performance Car by the World Car Awards jury of 100 distinguished international automotive journalists representing 32 countries. The announcement was made at an awards ceremony during the New York International Auto Show. The recognition of the EV6 GT’s exceptional performance serves as further validation of Kia’s commitment to producing innovative mobility solutions that benefit society, in line with its ‘Movement That Inspires’ mindset. The President and CEO of Kia Corporation, Ho Sung Song, expressed his honor in winning the award and affirmed that it provides further confirmation of the success of…

Electric bikes have come a long way in recent years, and the latest models from FUELL, a company founded by world-renowned motorcycle designer Erik Buell, are certainly raising the bar in the industry. The new e-bikes, known as the Flluid-2 and Flluid-3, not only boast the longest range options on the market, but they are also offering a unique riding experience that sets them apart from the crowded e-bike industry. As CTO Erik Buell explained, these bikes are designed to be true car replacements for many riders: “We used the knowledge gained from our initial foray into the electric bike…

Mercedes-Benz is a brand known for its luxurious cars, but the upcoming EQG is breaking new ground for the German automaker. The all-electric EQG is shaping up to be Mercedes’ most capable off-roader yet, and popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything recently had the chance to see it in action. As the EQG is still in the testing and development stage, JerryRigEverything had to travel to Graz, Austria, to check out one of the prototypes. But it was worth it, as he was able to witness some of the incredible off-roading capabilities of the EQG, thanks to its four electric motors, one at…

Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, located in Austin, has reached a new production milestone of 4,000 cars in a week, but it is still trailing behind its European counterpart, Gigafactory Berlin, in their friendly competition. Tesla has been working simultaneously on ramping up production in both factories to achieve volume production at the same time. Typically, Tesla sets a goal of producing 5,000 units per week when ramping up a new vehicle at a new factory. In March, Gigafactory Berlin achieved this goal by producing 5,000 Model Y vehicles in a week, while Gigafactory Texas was known to be producing 3,000 Model…

Chinese EV charging service provider NaaS Technology has unveiled an innovative and autonomous EV charging robot that can find, charge, and take payments from electric vehicles. The robot, which is waterproof and shockproof, comes in an orange-and-white design and is equipped with deep learning, 5G, V2X, simultaneous localization and mapping, and other advanced technologies. Using the robot is easy. EV owners can order the charging robot with a simple click, and the robot will immediately start searching for the EV. Upon finding the vehicle, the robot will park itself precisely and use a mechanical arm to automatically dock into the…

As the world shifts towards a greener and more sustainable future, electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining in popularity. However, this shift is presenting a significant challenge for many states that rely heavily on gasoline excise taxes to fund road maintenance and repairs. Texas is one such state, and lawmakers are struggling to figure out how to recoup the tax dollars they will inevitably lose from EV drivers who do not purchase gasoline. Currently, Texas funds a significant amount of its roadworks with money raised through a gasoline excise tax. However, as more and more vehicles become electric, this revenue stream…

Portugal’s largest utility, EDP, has expressed confidence that the European Commission’s decision to allow the sale of cars running on e-fuels after 2035 will not deter its plans to roll out electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Speaking on the sidelines of the Aurora conference in Oxford, southern England, EDP CEO Miguel Stillwell D’Andrade said, “It was a compromise, but there is certainly still a lot of space for electric vehicles. Primarily there is still a large deficit in terms of infrastructure and that will need to be built out over the next few years.” The policy to end sales of…

Genesis, the luxury brand owned by Hyundai Motor Group, is planning to step up its game in the high-performance electric vehicle (EV) market in order to compete with European and American rivals. In a recent interview with Autocar, Mark Choi, the head of Genesis Global Advanced Design, confirmed that the brand would not simply rely on rebranding and reoutfitting models from its parent companies, but instead focus on differentiation to truly compete. According to Choi, the brand’s X concepts released over the past few years will serve as the inspiration for the upcoming high-end performance EVs, with influences already evident…

As the automotive industry becomes increasingly digitized, concerns about cybersecurity are on the rise. In a new report by Omdia, author Hollie Hennessy notes that with the rise of connectivity in cars, the industry now faces increased risk of vulnerability from bad actors. In the past few years, cars have evolved from being a mode of transportation to providing entire experiences. Today, automakers are equipping vehicles with a range of digital tools, including in-car gaming and entertainment, and autonomous navigation and driving capabilities. However, with the rise of digitization comes the increased risk of cyber attacks. “The digitization of the…

BMW is stepping into the future of vehicle production, as it is already manufacturing its next-generation all-electric Neue Klasse (new class) vehicles using advanced virtual computing technology. This week, BMW announced that it has opened the world’s first entirely virtual factory in the NVIDIA Omniverse platform to produce its Neue Klasse EVs. The platform is essentially the closest thing to the real world, using artificial intelligence to allow you to create and operate applications in the metaverse (virtually). The technology, created by NVIDIA, allows BMW to create physically accurate, large-scale demonstrations bringing concepts to life in a new way, or…

Ford Motor Company announced on Friday plans to develop its second electric truck, code-named Project T3, which is set to be produced at the company’s BlueOval City EV mega-campus. Ford is aiming to begin production of Project T3 in 2025, with the truck being touted as a platform for endless innovation and capability. Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, described Project T3 as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize America’s truck” and said it would meld “100 years of Ford truck know-how with world-class electric vehicle, software, and aerodynamics talent.” He also said the new truck would be “like the Millennium Falcon…

Lucid Motors, the electric car manufacturer, is set to integrate LG Display’s 30-inch range OLED panels in their upcoming models. According to industry sources, the supply timeline has been delayed due to financial difficulties faced by Lucid. However, LG Display is expected to start producing the panels in the fourth quarter. The OLED panel that Lucid plans to use will be based on a two-stack tandem model, featuring two layers of red, green, and blue emission layers. This technology offers improved picture quality and lower power consumption compared to existing liquid crystal displays. Lucid’s existing electric car models currently use…

Ford is making bold investments in its second-generation new energy vehicles, but at a cost. The automaker has announced that its electric vehicle unit, Model e, will lose around $3 billion more than it makes in 2023. This is on top of the $2.1 billion loss incurred in 2022 and $900 million loss in 2021. Despite this, the losses are being offset by the profitability of its two other divisions, Ford Blue and Ford Pro, which handle its combustion vehicles and commercial vehicles, respectively. While Ford’s electric ambitions have not yet been profitable, the company plans to spend a total…

Ford was forced to suspend production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck for over a month after a vehicle caught fire during a routine quality check. The automaker later revealed that the issue was related to the battery pack’s high voltage, but it did not disclose the root cause. However, the incident had also affected 18 F-150 Lightning trucks that had already been delivered to customers, forcing Ford to recall them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now published the recall notice, identifying the exact cause. The defect occurs when the battery is fully charged or almost…

Mercedes-Benz, one of the world’s leading luxury car manufacturers, is investing heavily in upgrading its production network to make it fit for the new platforms being introduced from 2024. According to a recent report from a German media outlet, the company will start converting its plant in Rastatt this summer to build its first model based on the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA). However, the Rastatt plant is not the only one that will be upgraded. Mercedes is also converting plants in Kecskemét, Hungary, and Beijing. Jörg Burzer, Head of Production at Mercedes-Benz, revealed that the carmaker was investing a “three-digit…

Nova Bus, a transit bus manufacturer in North America and a member of the Volvo Group, has secured a contract to supply five LFSe+ electric buses to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro). The LFSe+ is a 40-foot long-range battery electric bus model that will be assembled at the Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh, New York State. These buses will be part of Metro’s Battery-Electric Bus Test and Evaluation program, a critical milestone towards achieving Metro’s zero-emission bus goals. The program aims to phase out Metro’s fleet of over 1,500 buses to a 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2045,…

Ouster and Fieldin have joined forces to deploy over 100 autonomy retrofit kits on tractors throughout the United States. This wide-scale project aims to enable autonomous navigation and operation of tractors through the implementation of advanced lidar technology. With several hundred additional sensors expected to be added through 2024, this partnership marks the largest deployment of retrofit autonomy kits for autonomous tractors in the agricultural industry to date. The autonomy kit comes equipped with several capabilities including auto-steering, autonomous spraying, and fully autonomous driver-out functionality. The OS1 sensors from Ouster provide vehicle localization, navigation, and object detection, while Fieldin’s autonomous…

Leonart, a Barcelona-based motorcycle manufacturer, has been producing stylish and unique small-displacement motorcycles since 2004. Their latest addition to the lineup, the Rigger, is an electric motorcycle that showcases the brand’s commitment to creating bikes with a distinctive personality. The Rigger boasts a sleek design that combines refined elegance with rugged durability. It features a 4.5-kilowatt electric motor, which provides instantaneous response and a maximum speed of approximately 60 miles per hour. The motorbike is powered by a high-capacity 72V battery that can cover up to 94 kilometers on a single charge, making it a practical and dependable choice for…

Electra Battery Materials Corporation, a Canadian company formerly known as First Cobalt, has achieved a major breakthrough in its efforts to recover lithium from expired batteries through its proprietary hydrometallurgical process. The company recently completed a black mass recycling trial at its refinery north of Toronto and has successfully recovered lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, and graphite. The successful recovery of lithium in a plant-scale setting validates Electra’s efforts in commissioning its larger refinery complex, and the company has decided to extend its black mass processing and recovery activities through June 2023, beyond its initial target of 75 tonnes. The…