Author: Michael Khan

Scania announced collaborative product development partnership with transport technology company, Einride. Under the partnership, Einride, a leading provider of digital, electric and autonomous delivery solutions, will operate a total of 110 Scania electric Heavy Duty trucks from the second half of 2022. “We look forward to the start of this important partnership as we expand across Europe. These 110 trucks will make a major contribution to increasing our fleet, while we will continue to work closely with renowned industry players like Scania to drive innovation and product development in the global transportation industry,” said Ellen Kugelberg, Chief Product Officer (CEO)…

Chinese car company, Beijing Estech Technology Co. plans to evoke a classic Mini car with an electric touch. This was revealed after the image of the proposed patent spread on the internet. In the image, Beijing Estech Technology looks as if it cloned the first-generation Mini classic. Even some of the elements found in the British car were brought back, such as retro wheels to number plates with old designs. The Drive website states that Beijing Estech Technology will install the battery in the front of the car. It’s just not clear what the strength of the battery that will…

Mercedes-Benz has received orders for 450 eVito electric vans from two of its customers in the UK and Switzerland. Northgate Vehicle Hire, UK-based vehicle rental company Northgate Vehicle Hire, has ordered 350 eVito electric vans. Meanwhile Swiss parcel service Quickpac placed an order for 150 eVito electric vans for their fleet. Northgate will be the first rental company to offer the Mercedes eVito to its customers in the UK. Northgate already offers the Volkswagen Abt E-Transporter, Peugeot e-Expert and Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. With the addition of eVito to its fleet, Northgate is offering its UK customers another electric transporter option. See…

Volta Trucks, as a leading manufacturer of fully electric commercial vehicles confirms that it has selected Carrier Transicold as the sole supplier of refrigerated equipment for the 16 ton Volta Zero electric truck model. Carrier Transicold is a leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cooling solutions part of Carrier Global Corporation. This agreement follows a project in which Carrier Transicold engineers worked closely with the Volta Trucks development team to integrate a fully electric ‘Iceland’ model without the engine and PowerBox technology into the new Volta Zero. See also: Volta Trucks bring urban delivery EVs…

As part of their electrification plan, US food delivery company Sysco has agreed to purchase 800 Freightliner eCascadia electric trucks from Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) The first units of eCascadia will arrive at the Sysco’s Riverside, California location later this year. All units are planned to be delivered to Sysco by 2026. Sysco targets 35 percent of their fleet in the US to use electric powertrains by 2030. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and responsible growth and will ultimately help us reach our goal of reducing our direct carbon emissions by 27.5 per cent by 2030,” said…

The Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid features a 100 kW electric motor, with power supplied from a larger 17.9 kWh battery. The electric powertrain is accompanied by 325 hp from a 2,900 cc twin-turbo V6 engine, with a total power of 455 hp. The new Panamera 4 E-Hybrid can be ridden without emissions for up to 64 km according to the NEDC. This power is channeled to an 8-speed dual clutch transmission (PDK). The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid takes 4.4 seconds (0.2 seconds faster than the previous generation) to reach speeds of 100 kph from a standstill. The top speed is claimed…

Hyundai India announced a partnership with Tata Power to upgrade its electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Hyundai India also offers customers complete in-home electric vehicle charging. Reporting from Autocar India, Thursday (19/5/2022) Hyundai India currently has 34 electric vehicle charging networks spread across 29 cities in India. Hyundai India also plans to install 60kWh DC fast chargers across its charging network. All these charging stations will be operated by Tata Power. Users who will use it can use the charging application owned by Hyundai and Tata Power. Hyundai will also offer in-home charging solutions through this partnership. In India Hyundai only…

Solo AVT has just revealed the design and specifications of a new Class 8 electric truck with autonomous capabilities. The SD1 electric truck has a range of 500+ miles with an integrated electric motor that delivers a total power of 600 kW. The truck is said to be able to carry a weight equivalent to the current Class 8 truck. The makers say that the sensor setup will allow for easy integration of any autonomous driver system and features a proprietary software control interface. “We look forward to being the step change this massive industry needs as we develop innovative…

Segway has just introduced their high performance electric scooter called the GT Series. The GT Series scooter is capable of reaching a maximum speed of up to 70 km/h, a speed high enough for a standing electric scooter. The GT1 is the first of two GT series models, has a 1,400 watt motor and a maximum output of 3 kW. The GT1 has a maximum speed of 37.5 miles per hour and a range of 44 miles from a 1-kWh battery under extra-wide floorboards. Electrek reports, the appearance and design are not like most scooters, because the Segway GT2 does…

Mitsubishi launched the All New eK X EV tiny electric car, Friday, May 20, 2022. This car is included in the electric kei car segment and will be sold starting in the summer in Japan. The all-new eK X EV is offered with prices ranging from 2,398,000 yen ($18,756) to 2,932,600 yen ($22,937). The price includes a 10 percent consumption tax imposed by the Japanese government. The All New eK X EV is a Mitsubishi Motors kei car series with an SUV taste, and offers sufficient mileage for daily use, which is 180 km on a single charge (WLTC5 method).…

Volkswagen is exploring cooperation with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd to supply electric vehicle components. The two companies are evaluating the scope of the collaboration and hope to finalize a supply agreement by the end of 2022, they said. Mahindra itself is building the ‘Born Electric’ which is an electric vehicle platform. Mahindra plans to use components such as electric motors, battery system parts and battery cells from Volkswagen. This collaboration comes at a time when the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is offering companies billions of dollars in incentives to build electric vehicles and their parts locally. “Together with…

Wayne, a British start-up, has announced that it will use Microsoft’s supercomputer in developing autonomous vehicle technology. The supercomputer will be used to process massive amounts of data to develop machine learning-based models for autonomous vehicles. Wayve technology relies on machine learning where data is obtained from camera sensors installed in vehicles. The system will look at traffic patterns and visible driver behavior, rather than using conventional methods that rely on detailed digital maps and coding to tell the vehicle how to operate. See also: Japan successfully develops autonomous ferries “Microsoft is providing supercomputing muscle,” Wayve Chief Executive Alex Kendall.…

Mercedes-Benz has announced that the G-Class EV will be offered with with silicon-based electric vehicle (EV) battery technology manufactured by US startup Sila Nanotechnologies from 2025. According to the German manufacturer, this high silicon anode material will increase the battery’s energy density without compromising safety or other performance parameters. When compared to currently commercially available cells, Sila technology enables a 20-40% increase in energy density reaching over 800 Wh/l at the cellular level. The sizable upgrade will allow future vehicles to store more energy in the same space, thereby increasing range by a significant amount. In a statement, Mercedes Chief…

Volvo Trucks officially opened its first battery assembly plant located in Ghent, Belgium. The plant will supply ready-to-use batteries for Volvo’s heavy-duty electric trucks. President of Volvo Trucks, Roger Alm, said that this investment is a form of Volvo Trucks’ strong commitment to electrification-based truck transportation. “By 2030, at least 50 percent of all trucks we sell globally will be electric trucks and by 2040, we will be a carbon neutral company,” he said in his official statement, Tuesday (17/5/2022). At the new battery plant, cells and modules from Samsung SDI will be assembled into a custom battery pack for…

MAN Truck & Bus, as an automotive manufacturer from Germany, has ambitions to become a greenhouse gas-free vehicle brand by 2050. It is also committed to being part of the Science Based Targets (SBTi) climate protection initiative since 2021. As a first step, the commercial vehicle manufacturer will save up to 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. In contrast, the fleet’s greenhouse gas emissions from both trucks and buses will be reduced by up to 28% per kilometer in the same year. Reported by its official website on Tuesday (17/5/2022), MAN Truck & Bus has also set the…

South Korean smartphone manufacturer, Samsung has decided not to produce its own electric vehicle (EV) brand. The electric vehicle segment was judged not to be generating sustainable profits, and Samsung avoided potential conflicts with its major clients. Just like Samsung, Apple itself will not mass-launch electric vehicles, as Apple aims to manufacture its electric vehicles in the high-end segment of the market, which may cost $100,000 or even more than the Tesla Model S. “I would say, yes, Apple will launch its EV only for high-end users. What it wants is to prove itself as a true content creator and…

In recent years, Australians have flocked to electric cars, resulting in a three-fold surge in EV sales throughout 2021. This figure is even predicted to continue to increase in line with various subsidies from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which are intended for electric vehicle users. According to the State of EVs in Australia report, EV sales in 2021 will reach 20,665 vehicles, which is much higher than the 2018 period. This increase has also affected the emergence of a wide selection of plug-in models available, during 2019 to the end of 2020 the plug-in models offered in the Australian automotive…

After going through a fairly tough negotiation process, Tesla finally officially announced that they had canceled to enter the Indian market because the negotiations between the two parties did not find a common ground. In actual business, Tesla had set up a small office in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. But unfortunately, Tesla’s proposal asking for a reduction in import duties for electric cars has not been responded to by the Indian government. See also: India says no to Tesla importing EVs from Giga Shanghai The Indian government’s decision to maintain high tariffs on imported…

The sophisticated future is now increasingly felt at Mercedes-Benz. This is because the German manufacturer has now received a production-worthy certification for its Level 3 semi-autonomous driving system. Known as the Drive Pilot feature, this system will reportedly only be available for the S-Class and EQS from 17 May at an additional cost of €5,000. However, to get this technology, customers will also have to purchase the Driver Assistance Package Plus for €2,430. By using this new autonomous feature, Mercedes will offer “automation” which is ready to take over the steering wheel in a much safer and more stable manner.…

Supporting mobility without exhaust emissions, Deutsche Post DHL Group cooperates with Volvo Trucks in a cooperation agreement. DHL had originally planned to use 44 electric commercial vehicles for Volvo trucks as shipping services in the European region. The 40 electric trucks, namely the Volvo FE and Volvo FL, are used to deliver packages in urban areas. While the electric trucks are large in scope, DHL ensures that they use those that can cross regions, relying on four Volvo FM Electric units in the UK. “We are committed to meeting our customers’ growing demand for green and sustainable solutions and achieving…