Author: Mahendra PR

Volkswagen and Shell Germany have launched the first battery-boosted charging station at a Shell petrol station in Göttingen. The Flexpole charging columns from Volkswagen’s energy brand Elli can deliver up to 150 kW with only a low-voltage grid connection, thanks to the integrated battery backup. This approach eliminates the need for a medium voltage connection via a transformer station, reducing construction costs and permitting delays from grid operators. The Flexpole column’s peak power of 150 kW is buffered from the integrated battery, which can then be recharged by low voltage. This allows up to 160 km of range to be…

Norway’s Electric Vehicle (EV) market continues to grow despite a slight decline in April. According to recent data, EV sales increased minimally but still lagged behind the March result. Nevertheless, the best-selling EV model in Norway remains the Tesla Model Y, although with a notable decline in sales. In April, Norway recorded a total of 7,471 new EVs, which is a significant decline from March’s 16,800 units. However, this figure marks a 3.6% increase compared to the same month last year, with 264 more EVs sold. EVs accounted for 83.3% of all new car sales, compared to 74.1% in April…

Farasis Energy and Turkish electric car manufacturer Togg have taken a significant step forward in their partnership, as they begin construction on a joint battery cell factory. The two firms’ joint venture, Siro, officially laid the foundation stone for the facility in Gemlik, Turkey. Battery module and pack series production began in March, though the facility will initially process imported cells until local production begins. The cell production facility, which will span 60 hectares, is set to begin operation in 2026, with the capacity to produce 20 GWh per year by 2031. The facility is also set to supply customers…

British infrastructure provider, RAW Charging, has partnered with the National Trust to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers at heritage sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the next three years. The rollout, worth £12m, will be one of RAW’s most significant installations to date and will mostly consist of AC destination chargers, designed to fit in with the historical surroundings of the National Trust’s estates, houses and gardens. See also: Hyundai Reportedly Working On Retro-Infused Grandeur EV Sedan Although the details have not been released, RAW Charging has been named as ChargePoint’s first customer for its latest AC column,…

Alta eMobility, a provider of turnkey fleet electrification solutions, has announced its expansion with Nikola Corporation into two major markets: Northern Illinois and Florida. This partnership aims to provide customers in these regions with electrified fleet and workplace charging solutions. Through this agreement, Alta eMobility will be the exclusive provider of sales and service for the now available Class 8 Nikola Tre battery-electric (BEV) and the hydrogen electric vehicle, which will be available later this year. These two new locations will expand the company’s Nikola dealer network to 11 states across the United States. The headquarters for these new territories…

SVOLT, a Chinese battery producer, has announced a major expansion in Europe, with plans to construct at least five new battery plants on the continent. The move comes as Europe sets its sights on phasing out gas-powered vehicles by 2035, leading to a surge in demand for EV batteries. SVOLT’s expansion will add 50 GWh of battery production capacity to Europe, on top of two previously announced facilities in Germany. Despite facing protests from environmental groups, SVOLT is determined to increase its presence in Europe and is currently in talks with three European carmakers to finalize production deals by the…

Tesla’s new V4 Supercharger was unveiled last month at a station outside of Amsterdam, with a longer cord designed to accommodate other electric vehicles (EVs). However, during testing, the station was only open to Tesla vehicles. The good news is that the first V4 Supercharger is now open to all EVs after successful testing. Tesla’s new charging piles still have a maximum output of 250 kW, but they now come with new and improved cords located on the outer rim. The new cord is longer, making it easier to charge whether you pull in or back in. https://twitter.com/TeslaCharging/status/1644513535005954048 The opening…

The US Treasury Department has finally released the long-awaited guidelines for electric vehicles to qualify for tax incentives of up to $7,500 under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While there are no big surprises, the eligibility of many EVs will be determined elsewhere. The rules will apply to vehicles registered on or after April 18, 2023. To qualify for half the tax credit ($3,750), 40% of the battery’s critical minerals must be extracted, processed, or recovered in the US or in a country with which the US has a free trade agreement. The percentage value will gradually rise to 80%…

Ford has partnered with PT Vale Indonesia, a mining company, and Chinese firm Huayou Cobalt to secure nickel for electric car batteries from Indonesia. The three companies are investing in a nickel processing plant in Pomalaa, in Southeast Sulawesi, where Vale operates a nickel mine. The plant is expected to produce up to 120,000 tonnes per year of a nickel intermediate product for use in nickel-rich battery cathodes. The total investment is expected to be 67.5 trillion Indonesian rupiah, or around 4.1 billion euros. The project is subject to regulatory approval and construction is scheduled to begin in 2023, with…

Ascend Elements, a US-based company, has announced the opening of its $50 million commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in the state of Georgia, marking it as the largest electric vehicle battery recycling facility in North America to date. The facility, which already began partial operation in August 2022, can process up to 30,000 tonnes of batteries and manufacturing scrap per year. The company claims that it can recover up to 98% of critical metals used in lithium-ion batteries, making it more efficient and environmentally friendly compared to other recycling processes. See also: US Department of Energy Announces $750M in Funding…

Amprius Technologies, a California-based battery developer, has announced a significant increase in the energy density of its cells, with a rating of around 500 Wh/kg or 1,300 Wh/l. Mobile Power Solutions testing institute confirmed that the cells deliver an energy density of 504 Wh/kg or 1,321 Wh/l at 25 degrees Celsius. Amprius claims that these cells could offer “potential industry-disrupting performance with barrier-breaking discharge times” while being up to 50% lighter and smaller than commercially available lithium-ion cells. This attribute makes them more attractive to the aerospace industry, among others. Jon Bornstein, President of Amprius Lab, said, “These cells provide…

Brussels transport company, STIB, has made an investment towards the electrification of its fleet by ordering 70 articulated electric buses with Daimler Truck’s subsidiary EvoBus. The move is in line with the city’s plans to phase out diesel buses by 2025, and will see the buses replace the diesel models while also increasing the STIB’s capacity by 2,000 places. The order was placed through public procurement and with a loan granted by the European Investment Bank to the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region. The new buses will be assigned to four lines, and will be fitted with charging infrastructure by…

Swedish industrial group Sandvik has announced that it has secured a major order from Canadian mining company Torex Gold Resources to supply a fleet of mining machines for the Media Luna project in Mexico, including 15 battery-electric vehicles. The order, worth SEK 650 million (approximately €57.5 mn or $62.4), comprises 35 mining vehicles, including 16 battery-electric machines. The battery-electric order contains electric wheel loaders and twin-boom jumbos, which are jacking rigs used in mining for tunnelling or drilling blast holes. This is the first order for battery-electric vehicles in Latin America and the third-largest order for a battery-electric mining fleet.…

Bury Council in Greater Manchester is set to ramp up its efforts in the EV charging space, having appointed Be.EV as its partner to double the number of charge points in the region. The £9 million project will see more than 30 new chargers installed across over 20 public sites, such as town centre car parks, with the majority being rapid or ultra-rapid chargers, capable of charging a typical EV to 80% in 20 minutes to an hour. Be.EV is a known network in the North West of England and is Transport for Greater Manchester’s preferred charging partner. The company…

Dongfeng Motor (DFM) has unveiled two new passenger cars equipped with ProteanDrive Pd18 in-wheel motors, marking a milestone in the development of electric vehicle (EV) technology. The vehicles, showcased at a ceremony in Wuxi, China, were jointly developed by DFM and Weifu Electric Drive Technology (WFDT), a joint venture between Weifu and Protean Electric. The launch of the Dongfeng Fengshen E70 and Voyah Zhuiguang is the latest outcome of the partnership between DFM and Protean, which has been ongoing since 2016. The E70, one of the bestselling passenger vehicles in China, is a battery-electric vehicle with front-wheel drive from a…

Lordstown Motors, a struggling electric vehicle (EV) startup, may be facing even more problems as its partnership with Foxconn, a major Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, appears to be faltering. According to a Bloomberg report, Foxconn has only managed to build 40 Endurance pickups since the first truck rolled off the assembly line six months ago. Lordstown Motors has faced a series of challenges in recent years, including management shakeups, production delays, and quality issues. Foxconn stepped in to help by purchasing the factory from General Motors and taking a stake in the company. The partnership was seen as a way for…

Electreon, a provider of wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), has announced a new partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation and DENSO Corporation. The companies will collaborate to jointly develop wireless charging technology, with the aim of promoting the adoption of this technology and shaping standardisation. The partnership follows a successful technology evaluation conducted at Electreon’s headquarters in Beit Yanai, Israel, in which technical teams from Toyota and DENSO participated. At the conclusion of the evaluation, a demonstration of Toyota’s RAV4-PHEV charging on the wireless road was held. See also: Isuzu, Denso, Toyota, Hino and CJPT design heavy duty commercial…

NOWEDA pharmacy cooperative, based in Essen, Germany, has recently added two new vehicles to its fleet to deliver sensitive products such as medicines. The Opel Vivaro-e and Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN are being tested to meet the EU’s Good Distribution Practice (GDP), which mandates that medicines be transported in a vehicle whose loading space is climatised between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius to ensure their quality. To cope with daily delivery tasks, the vehicles need to meet complex demands, particularly in the loading area. The certified conversion specialists, CSA ClimaVan Solutions Automotive GmbH and Fahrzeugbau Dülmer GmbH, have come up with…

Thailand Post, the country’s national postal service provider, is set to replace its entire fleet of delivery vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) within the next five years. As part of its plan, the company aims to integrate 250 electric vans on major delivery routes by the end of 2023, with an estimated reduction in energy costs of at least 30%. “The switch to electric vehicles is in the process of all-round evaluation as there are several factors involved such as space and loading area management, speed and routes of transport,” said Thailand Post CEO Dhanant Subhadrabandhu in an interview with…

EMT Madrid, the public transport operator in the Spanish capital, has announced that it has placed an order for ten fuel cell buses with Portuguese manufacturer CaetanoBus. The H2.City Gold model buses are expected to be delivered to Madrid by the end of the first quarter of 2024. While EMT Madrid already has several battery-electric buses in its fleet, the addition of fuel cell buses represents a new step forward in the decarbonization of the city’s public transport system. The H2.City Gold is a 12-meter low-floor bus, powered by the new generation of Toyota fuel cell stacks, with an output…