Author: Robin Cannon

ABT e-Line, a company based in Kempten, Germany, has announced a partnership with WiTricity to offer inductive charging for electric cars in the European aftermarket. The first vehicle to be upgraded with the technology will be the VW ID.4, which is expected to launch in early 2024. Other models from the VW Group, such as the VW ID. Buzz, Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan, are also expected to receive the aftermarket solution. While the exact details of the aftermarket solution are not yet clear, ABT e-Line claims that the WiTricity magnetic resonance technology enables charging processes “with the same…

Volkswagen has announced its plan to manufacture three million fully electric small cars at its Spanish plants in Martorell and Pamplona between 2025 and 2030. This comes as part of Seat’s annual press conference, where the company stated it is investing three billion euros to convert its Martorell plant near Barcelona in order to begin production of the recently unveiled VW ID.2 and the Cupra offshoot in 2025. The Pamplona plant will reportedly produce the VW ID.2 X crossover variant and Skoda’s offshoot called Elroq. The company is aiming for annual sales of 100,000 units per model, but it would…

Surrey County Council and Connected Kerb, an EV charge point provider, have announced a partnership that will result in the largest deployment of EV chargers by a local authority in the UK. Under this partnership, Connected Kerb will install 10,000 new public chargers across Surrey by 2030. The rollout will see Connected Kerb install their on-street charge points at over 1,500 locations across streets and public car parks in the county. This initiative will increase the number of EV chargers dramatically, with one charger per 9,000 residents in Surrey, and is expected to deliver over 5,000 fast charging points by…

In a major step towards achieving its ambitious goal of being 100% green by 2050, United Airlines is set to launch the first electric air taxi route in Chicago. The company has partnered with Archer Aviation, which has developed an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The air taxi service will be flown from O’Hare International Airport to Vertiport Chicago, which is the largest vertical takeoff and landing facility in North America. Passengers will be able to travel from point to point in just 10 minutes, as opposed to the one-hour-plus it can take during rush hour. Archer’s Midnight…

Cake, the innovative Swedish manufacturer of lightweight electric motorcycles, is set to make a big impact in China, Mexico, and Greece, thanks to a series of new distribution and production partnerships. In total, Cake plans to sell over 200,000 electric motorcycles in these countries, reflecting the growing global demand for sustainable mobility solutions. The most significant deal is with Shanghai Forever, a leading two-wheeler manufacturer and distributor based in China. This collaboration will see 150,000 Cake bikes manufactured and sold in China over the next four years, providing an excellent opportunity to tap into one of the world’s largest markets.…

Volvo Buses has made the decision to close its plant in Wroclaw, Poland, in Q1 of 2024. The facility, which produces electric buses and other vehicles, will be transitioned to Vargas Holding, a non-industry company, according to a recently signed letter of intent. Volvo will shift its focus to chassis production in Europe, a successful business model in other markets, in order to improve profitability and long-term competitiveness. The President of Volvo Buses, Anna Westerberg, explained, “Our business in Europe has been loss-making for years. With this business model that we already today apply successfully in many markets, we will…

Cabot, a US specialty chemicals company, has announced its plans to establish a technology centre in Münster, Germany. The centre will focus on technical collaboration with customers to accelerate the development of its battery materials products in Europe. Cabot develops solutions for current and future battery technologies such as cathodes with high nickel content, silicon-containing anodes, and solid-state battery materials. These solutions will now also be developed in Münster for the entire EMEA region. Cabot already has production capacities for conductive carbon additives (CCA) in Europe. Therefore, the EMEA technology centre will support the development of Cabot’s entire CCA product…

Tesla has once again demonstrated its commitment to innovation by updating its mobile application to version 4.19, which includes several new features aimed at improving the driving experience for Tesla owners. The app, which has been praised for its excellent integration with Tesla vehicles, allows owners to control and customize their driving experience. With this update, the company has introduced several new features, including “Drive on Sunshine,” improved charging information, and a new section for non-Tesla charging membership. See also: Tesla App Update Allows Drivers to Purchase Features With Credits One of the most exciting features of the updated app…

The automotive industry is gearing up to leverage quantum computing technology, with the market expected to be worth $143 million by 2026 and an astounding $5.2 billion by 2035, according to a report by market research firm MarketsandMarkets. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 49%, fueled by government investments in quantum computing infrastructure and strategic collaborations between automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), auto component manufacturers, and technology providers. One of the key drivers of this growth is the ability of quantum computers to contribute to more effective route and traffic management. Early use cases have demonstrated this potential,…

Blink Charging, one of the leading electric vehicle (EV) charging companies, has secured a significant contract with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide up to 41,500 EV chargers. This marks a major milestone in the USPS’s plans to fully electrify its fleet of delivery vehicles by 2026. The contract was awarded through an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) program, which enables the USPS to purchase a maximum of 41,500 EV chargers from Blink Charging. The charging stations will be used to support the USPS’s growing fleet of electric vehicles, which is set to include 165,000 new vehicles in total.…

The Swedish automaker Polestar has recently teased what appears to be the 2024 version of its high-performance electric vehicle, the Polestar 2. CEO Thomas Ingenlath took to Twitter to announce the new edition, stating that it will be unveiled later this month. The teaser video shared by Polestar gives very few hints about the upcoming vehicle. However, the automaker did tease that “something thrilling is about to be unleashed on March 21”, with a glimpse of the vehicle’s front end featuring a beautiful gold brake caliper. See also: Everything You should know about Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 specifications https://twitter.com/ThomasIngenlath/status/1636393690263441409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1636393690263441409%7Ctwgr%5E8d9dea6555991de9bd0d125b87fed04e258f5b24%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teslarati.com%2Fpolestar-2-bst-2024-tease-video%2F…

Mississippi has recently passed a new state law that restricts electric car manufacturers from selling their vehicles in person unless they open franchised dealerships. This means that companies like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid will be required to enter into franchise agreements before they can open new retail locations to sell their cars. The bill, named House Bill 401, was signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves on Tuesday. In a post to Twitter, the Governor stated that the bill was necessary to protect the almost 200 small businesses in the state that would be threatened by large manufacturers entering the…