Author: Michael Khan

Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, a leading automotive supplier, has unveiled a new modular audio system designed specifically for electric vehicles (EVs) at CES 2023. The system, which is patent-pending, offers a high-quality listening experience for EV drivers while also being more energy efficient and lightweight, making it more environmentally friendly. A recent survey by the American Automobile Association found that 30% of Millennial buyers plan to purchase an EV for their next vehicle, and Panasonic’s new offering aims to help automakers meet the increasing demand for quality sound systems in EVs while also saving on production costs. The…

At the presentation of the YangWang U8 electric off-road vehicle, BYD’s newly launched luxury EV brand surprised attendees with the unveiling of the U9, a battery-powered supercar. The Yangwang U9 can accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in a claimed 2 seconds flat which is only 0.1 seconds slower than the rival Aion Hyper SSR from GAC. BYD didn’t reveal the power output but confirmed it will be equipped with the “Yisifang” tech for its quad motor setup. This will be a shared feature among all Yangwang models, with the independently controlled electric motors allowing sophisticated torque vectoring functions.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, BMW sold a total of 8,689 electric vehicles in the US, surpassing the total number sold in the previous three quarters combined. For the full year 2022, the company sold 15,584 fully electric vehicles in the US, accounting for about 4.7% of total US sales. In March 2022, the BMW iX Sports Activity Vehicle and BMW i4 Gran Coupe were introduced in the US market, and the BMW i7 Sedan went on sale in November. The company’s lineup of electrified vehicles in the US will also include the plug-in hybrid electric BMW XM Sports…

Convergence Energy Services (CESL), a subsidiary of India’s Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), has launched the third round of tenders under the Grand Challenge Scheme to fund the deployment of thousands of electric buses in up to nine major cities in India. CESL is accepting bids for a total of 4,675 electric buses to be deployed in Delhi, Kerala, and Telangana. The submissions will be for a dry lease, where the operator provides the buses to state transport corporations without drivers or conductors, which are deployed by the corporations. This is the third tender for electric buses in less than 15…

At CES 2023 in Las Vegas, California-based startup ASKA unveiled a fully functional prototype of the ASKA A5, the world’s first four-seater electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. The size of an SUV, the A5 is capable of driving on roads and flying up to a distance of 250 miles on a single charge. ASKA plans to release the A5 for both road and air use in 2026. The A5 combines elements of automotive and aviation design. It has large wings with six rotors that fold back in drive mode and is powered by a proprietary power system featuring…

40 electric and autonomous tipper trucks will be used in a limestone mine located in China’s Shandong province. The vehicles were developed by Yutong Mining Equipment and Eacon, a company specializing in autonomous driving technology, and are not just for trial use. The first of the autonomous e-tipper trucks were delivered in December, with the remaining vehicles set to be delivered by the end of 2023. The miners will be using the YTK90E tipper truck, which has a load capacity of 60 tons and can handle gradients of up to 40%. It is equipped with LFP batteries totaling 350 kWh…

Goodyear has unveiled a tire made almost entirely of sustainable materials at the CES show, with a goal of reaching 100% sustainability by the end of the decade. The new tire also has lower rolling resistance, which means it creates less friction with the road and makes a car more energy-efficient. Last year, Goodyear displayed a 70% sustainable tire that included 13 ingredients across nine tire components, with plans to bring it to market in 2023. This year, they’ve improved to a 90% sustainable tire that has passed internal and regulatory testing, featuring 17 ingredients across 12 components, including plant-based…

Canadian commercial EV manufacturer Vicinity Motor has received $30 million in credit commitments from the Royal Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada to fund the production of its Class 3 electric truck. Distributor Pioneer placed an order for 1,000 electric trucks with Vicinity in October of last year, with expected deliveries to begin immediately. These orders were in addition to existing orders worth millions to the company. Vicinity started building the Class 3 truck in its Aldergrove, British Columbia facility in 2022 and moved to a new factory in Ferndale, Washington with 10,000 units of annual capacity that same…

Mercedes-Benz Energy and Lohum are excited to unveil a long-term partnership through a multi-year supply contract for second-life batteries. Lohum is the first Asian partner for Mercedes-Benz Energy as the two companies work towards sustainability in the battery supply chain. Under this agreement, Mercedes-Benz Energy and Lohum pledge to purchase a minimum of 50 MWh per year of various second-life battery modules. Mercedes-Benz Energy and Lohum have been collaborating for nearly two years, and this new agreement will allow Lohum to obtain a large number of second-use battery modules from Mercedes-Benz Energy. Lohum primarily focuses on developing second-life applications for…

Zepp.solutions, a Dutch supplier, is using its fuel cell systems in the construction machinery industry for the first time by converting two Liebherr excavators from diesel to hydrogen power. The two 916 Litronic excavators, which were converted under the direction of Terberg Techniek, have both the fuel cell system and the hydrogen storage units from zepp.solutions installed. The FC system used is the same as the one used in a H2 water taxi that was put into operation in Rotterdam last year. The excavators belong to the Dutch construction company Jos Scholman and were tested for six months after their…

Effective January 1, 2023, Javier Iriarte become the new Chief Executive Officer of Solaris Bus & Coach following the decision of the CAF Group and the Supervisory Board of Solaris. Iriarte has served as the Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Solaris since 2018 and has been responsible for the strategic development and transformation of the company. Iriarte brings a wealth of experience in the public transportation sector to his new role as CEO. He has served as the Director for Strategy & Transformation at CAF Rolling Stock since 2020 and has previously worked at McKinsey & Company across various…

EV charging company Autel Energy will display a customized, fully electric 1969 Ford Bronco at CES, which has been transformed by Los Angeles firm Zero Labs Automotive. The classic Bronco SUV boasts a carbon fiber body and is powered by a 600-horsepower, dual-motor system with a 100-kWh battery, offering a range of over 235 miles on a single charge. The electric conversion of the classic vehicle has a price tag of $350,000. The vehicle has a 100 kWh, 400V Li-ion battery pack that offers a range of around 235 miles and can be powered by either motor or both for…

India’s Delhi Transport Corporation has signed a deal with Tata Motors to receive 1,500 electric buses for use in the capital city of New Delhi. The agreement, which has now been finalized after being announced in the summer, includes the supply and operation of 1,500 air-conditioned Tata Starbus EV 12-meter electric buses by Tata subsidiary TML CV Mobility Solutions for a period of 12 years. The domestically produced electric bus features a low floor, space for 35 passengers, air suspension at the front and rear, an electric motor with an output of 245 kW, and a battery pack with a…

Tesla will hold its 2023 Investor Day on March 1, 2023 at Gigafactory Tesla. The event will be streamed live and some institutional and retail investors will be invited to attend in person. During the event, Tesla’s leadership team will discuss the company’s long-term expansion plans, capital allocation, generation 3 platform, and other subjects with investors. “We plan to host Tesla’s 2023 Investor Day on March 1, 2023. The event will be live streamed from our Gigafactory Texas, with the option for some of our institutional and retail investors to attend in person (details to follow). Our investors will be…

General Motors has shared additional details about the FNR-XE concept which will be unveiled in November. According to SAIC-GM (a joint venture that enables the manufacture of GM vehicles in China), the “FNR” of the name stands for “Find New Roads”, while the “X” and “E” represent the company’s pursuit of new ideas and their Ultium electric drivetrain platform. Unfortunately, the car manufacturer hasn’t shared details about the performance capabilities of the FNR-XE. However, it is likely that this sedan will adopt an engine configuration similar to the new Equinox EV, which will be available with front and all-wheel drive…

Stellantis’ future is not only about electric cars or EVs, but also looking for alternative renewable fuels, one of which is hydrogen. To smooth this out, Stellantis partnered with Symbio, a company that specializes in hydrogen-powered mobility. From this partnership, Stellantis will join existing shareholders Faurecia and Michelin. “Symbio’s technical roadmap fits perfectly with Stellantis’ hydrogen rollout plans in Europe and in the US,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “This move will accelerate development to bring low emission products to our customers, going beyond traditional electric vehicles.” Stellantis has shown a desire to introduce fully electric and hybridized vehicles -…

USPS will more than double its purchase of postal mail electric cars. The funds have been approved by Congress as well as following the White House’s desire to reduce emissions. USPS said it would buy a minimum of 66,000 electric expedition cars through 2028. US Post also committed last July to buy 25,000 new-generation electric expedition cars. It’s even considering buying another 20,000 electric cars. The US Congress last August awarded $3 billion as part of a $430 billion climate bill to buy electric expedition cars and charging infrastructure. The White House previously said the US Postal Service or USPS…

Electrified vehicles are currently a hot topic of conversation in the automotive industry. The manufacturers are busy introducing vehicle innovations with hybrid technology, plug-in hybrid and full battery. The most recent is Suzuki’s move to introduce a concept car of the electric SUV type at the Auto Expo 2023 exhibition which will take place from 13-18 January 2023 in India. This all-electric SUV made by Suzuki uses the code YY8, which is predicted to be the size of the Suzuki Grand Vitara. It is reported that the model will be officially launched in 2025, but for now only the SUV…

Foton signed an agreement with European partner for the development of a new light electric commercial vehicle. The agreement consolidates the partnership set up by the two groups in September 2017 for joint development of innovative solutions for the light commercial vehicles market. Over the coming months, the two parties will finalize the technical documentation for the project and the contracts by Spring 2023. This new agreement will consolidate the partnership established by the two groups in May 2018 to develop and produce new light commercial vehicle products for the European market, based on Foton’s mini-truck product platform. After more…

Scania introduced battery electric vehicles for regional transport in June 2022. Currently the orders have reached 640, and the company sees a clear momentum for electric vehicles. After the introduction of battery electric regional transport vehicles seven months ago, Scania sees a strongly rising interest in these solutions: “We know that with our wide range of electrified vehicles, we can offer sustainable zero-emission solutions for our customers. The number of orders are a sign that the market is becoming more than ready to take on electrification,” says Fredrik Allard, Head of Electrification, Scania. With 640 orders to date and counting…