Author: Sibley Presley

Tesla’s 2023 Investor Day event brought many exciting updates for the company’s future, but the most significant announcement was the commitment to reducing assembly costs by 50%. Tesla Chief Engineer, Lars Moravy, explained the company’s innovative approach, called the “Unboxed Process,” which will revolutionize car manufacturing. Traditionally, a vehicle’s body-in-white is constructed from hundreds of stamped panels that are welded together with robots. However, Tesla’s Unboxed Process will use large single-body casting and 4680 structural battery packs, bringing them together in a more streamlined process. Even the seats are raised up into position alongside the floor, mounted directly to the…

A new Model Y with updated design, enhanced powertrain, and refreshed interior decoration is expected to be released next year. Internally called ‘Project Juniper’, this mid-cycle upgrade of Tesla’s Model Y will follow the new ‘Highland’ Model 3 release in September this year. According to Sandy Munro’s analysis, the manufacturing cost of a Model Y is US$39,393, but it is expected to decrease further with the release of the 2024 Model Y upgrade. Tesla is reportedly working on a new body design, interior decoration, and powertrain upgrades for this upgrade, following the example of the ‘Project Highland’ Model 3 refresh.…

SK Innovation, the battery supplier for Ford’s F-150 Lightning, has confirmed that the fire incident that caused a production halt at the automaker’s Dearborn factory earlier this month was not due to a fundamental design flaw in the battery. The company stated that the incident was a rare occurrence and that it is implementing a fix to address the issue. “We believe this was a rare occurrence, not a fundamental issue with the technology of the battery cells or our overall manufacturing systems… Working with Ford, SK On identified the root cause of the issue and implemented measures of improvement…

Rivian has announced that they will be adding a new R1S variant to their lineup this fall. According to CEO RJ Scaringe, the new model will feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive system and a max battery pack, offering a range of 390 miles (628 km). Despite retaining its seven-seat configuration, the new R1S variant is expected to outperform its predecessors, including the current quad-motor version with a large battery pack, which has an EPA range of up to 321 miles (517 km). Additionally, the new model will travel much further than the projected 260+ miles (418 km) of the R1S…

Stellantis, the world’s third-largest automotive group by sales, announced on Monday that it had invested $155 million to purchase a 14.2% minority stake in McEwen Copper, a subsidiary of Canada’s McEwen Mining, which owns the Los Azules copper mine in Argentina. The move is part of Stellantis’ global strategy to secure raw materials for its electric vehicle (EV) batteries. With this investment, Stellantis becomes the second-largest shareholder in McEwen Copper, along with Rio Tinto. The Los Azules project is expected to produce 100,000 tons per year of cathode copper with 99.9% purity, a crucial component in EV batteries, starting in…

Tesla has recently announced that it will no longer be deploying Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software to new buyers or subscribers due to a recent recall by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada. This decision was made after the two regulatory bodies published recall notices covering over 380,000 Tesla cars in the US and Canada, citing four scenarios where the “operational characteristics” of FSD Beta could potentially infringe upon local traffic laws. According to the NHTSA recall notice, the fix for these issues is a software update, but there is currently no timeline for its release.…

Tesla has recently started to roll out its Magic Dock adapter, which enables non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) owners to charge at its charging stations. The development is part of a deal between Tesla and the US government, which saw the former agree to make parts of its supercharger network available to non-Tesla EV owners. This required Tesla to create an adapter that would work with the CCS plug standard used by almost all non-Tesla EVs. The Magic Dock adapter was Tesla’s solution to this challenge. The charging process with the Magic Dock adapter is straightforward. Non-Tesla EV owners must have…

Antonio Felix da Costa emerged victorious in the inaugural Cape Town ePrix, the fifth race of the current Formula E season, with some daring overtaking maneuvers on Saturday. Da Costa, who started the race in the 11th position, secured his first win of the campaign and climbed to fourth overall in the standings, lifting the 2019-20 champion’s spirits. Meanwhile, Pascal Wehrlein, Da Costa’s Porsche teammate and championship leader, failed to score any points due to a collision on the first lap. Jean-Eric Vergne finished second for DS Penske, while Nick Cassidy secured the third position for Envision Racing. However, the…

Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, is set to receive 20 new zero-emission buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells. These buses will be operated by Rheinbahn, the regional public transport service provider, and will run on line 732, which connects the port, main station, and district of Eller. The hydrogen will be produced by electrolysers from Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, the regional utility company. The first ten buses are expected to be delivered in the coming weeks, with the remaining ten currently in the ordering process. Test operation is set to begin in the second quarter of 2023, and…

The global shift towards renewable energy sources and decarbonization has led to an increasing demand for low-carbon hydrogen. As a versatile fuel that can be used across a wide range of industries, hydrogen is seen as indispensable in achieving the goals of the energy transition. According to data from GlobalData, green hydrogen production capacity reached over 109 kilotons per annum (ktpa) worldwide in 2022, representing a 44% growth compared to 2021. In addition, there was a significant increase in deals related to hydrogen in 2022, with over 393 deals closed compared to 277 in the previous year. This shows a…

Ford’s recent agreement with China’s CATL to construct a $3.5 billion battery factory in Michigan has raised concerns among senior Chinese officials. The deal could provide Ford with access to CATL’s cutting-edge technologies, resulting in an unfair advantage over its competitors. However, tensions between the US and China are already running high, and the Chinese government is now investigating the extent of Ford’s agreement with CATL, which is currently under review. The Blue Oval Battery Park Michigan, set to begin production in 2026, will be the first battery factory in the US to produce lithium-ion phosphate batteries, providing Ford with…

Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 is the latest addition to the automaker’s EV-dedicated line-up, and has already secured a five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). The Ioniq 6 is set to go on sale for the first time in Australia on Wednesday, alongside the Ioniq 5, and is already creating buzz for its record-breaking performance. ANCAP announced that the Ioniq 6 had achieved high scores across all four assessment categories, with a record high 97% in the Adult Occupant Protection category, matching only the Tesla Model Y. The Ioniq 6 also performed well in the Child Occupant…