Author: Tyne Rodriquez

Kuehne+Nagel, the logistics company, has received 23 electric trucks from Renault Trucks in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint. The vehicles are part of a larger electrification effort and will be used at eight locations across France. The 16-tonne trucks are capable of carrying either 18 or 21 pallets and have a range of up to 235 kilometres. Kuehne+Nagel expects the new electric vehicles to save them 730 tonnes in CO2 emissions. While the new vehicles will be used primarily for domestic routes, Kuehne+Nagel still sees the challenges of range and infrastructure as the main hurdles for electric vehicles.…

Parisians have voted overwhelmingly to ban rental electric scooters from the French capital, following a referendum organised by the city’s mayor. The ban will come into effect in September when contracts expire for the city’s scooter operators. The private owners of e-scooters will not be affected by the ban. On Sunday, almost 90% of those who turned out for the referendum voted in favour of the ban. However, the turnout was low, with only 7.46% of registered voters casting their ballots. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said at a press conference over the weekend that “This is a victory for local…

Mullen Automotive, a US-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, is making strides in battery technology integration. The company has announced plans to incorporate solid-state polymer battery technology into their Class 1 EV cargo van program. Beginning in Q4 2023, Mullen will test the new technology to evaluate its potential. Currently, Mullen’s Class 1 EV cargo van features a 46-killowatt lithium-ion battery pack with a 110-mile range. However, with the integration of solid-state polymer technology, the van’s range is expected to exceed 200 miles on a full charge. Mullen will be using Linghang Guochuang Holding Group Co., Ltd’s next-generation LH solid-state battery…

The US government has provided an extensive update on electric fleet and charging infrastructure projects in the US, including self-commitment statements from large companies. According to a fact sheet released by the White House, federal agencies have already purchased 13,000 light- and medium-duty electric vehicles in the fiscal year 2023, four times more than in the previous year. The US government has mandated that federal authorities can only purchase zero-emission passenger cars and light commercial vehicles from 2027 and all new vehicles, including medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, by 2035. In addition to the federal commitments, private sector companies have…

Plug Power, a leading provider of hydrogen fuel cell solutions, is expanding its GenKey solution to enable small warehouses to switch to hydrogen-powered forklifts. The company is offering a modular H2 storage solution that is designed to be installed easily and quickly on the warehouse’s property, providing a more affordable and sustainable source of fuel to meet their business goals. The decision to expand its product line comes after Plug Power realized that the switch to hydrogen-powered forklifts had not been financially feasible for fleets of 40 to 100 vehicles, even with the supply of green hydrogen. The company aims…

Infineon Technologies, a German chip manufacturer, and Delta Electronics, a Taiwanese energy and power management provider, are expanding their cooperation from industrial to automotive applications. The two companies will collaborate to develop more efficient and powerful solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), covering a wide range of components such as high and low-voltage semiconductors and power modules as well as microcontrollers used in EV drive applications such as the inverter, DC-DC converter, and onboard chargers. To further advance their collaboration, Infineon and Delta will establish a joint innovation lab for automotive applications, called the Delta-Infineon Automotive Innovation Center. The center is…

BYD, a major Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, has reported an 11-fold increase in net profit for the fourth quarter of 2022, reaching 7.3 billion yuan ($1.06 billion) compared to 602 million yuan a year earlier. This significant growth in profit is largely attributed to BYD’s successful expansion in the domestic market, as well as the release of a wide range of products. For the entirety of 2022, the company’s net profit increased by 446%, totaling 16.6 billion yuan. The gross profit margin for automobiles and related products, which accounted for 77% of BYD’s total revenue in 2022, also saw a…

As Tesla prepares for the start of production for the highly anticipated Cybertruck, a new beta prototype has been spotted in California without a visible wiper. This has reignited the “megawiper” debate among prospective buyers. The Cybertruck beta prototypes have been used for testing purposes and are said to be close to the production version. However, there have been several changes made along the way, and the wiper has been a particularly hot topic among fans of the electric pickup truck. Early prototypes featured a large, visible wiper that looked out of place and unlike traditional vehicles where it stays…

North Carolina’s House Transportation Committee has approved a bill that would impose a $100 fine on combustion-engined vehicle drivers who park in spots designated specifically for EV charging, according to The Charlotte Observer. The practice, known as ICE-ing, has become increasingly common throughout the country and the world in recent years. Some Tesla owners even fought back by blocking gas pumps. Now, some state-level governments are taking action against ICE vehicle owners. “The intent of the bill is to keep combustion engines out of those EV charging spots,” said Rep. Harry Warren, a Republican. The bill would limit the use…

EVBox, a global leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, has achieved a major milestone by shipping 500,000 charging ports to customers and partners worldwide. This achievement is a testament to EVBox’s commitment to providing flexible and scalable charging solutions that empower forward-thinking businesses to build a sustainable future. As the world transitions to a more sustainable future, electric vehicles have become increasingly important. However, one of the major uncertainties that drivers face is the availability of EV charging stations. A recent study conducted by EVBox in 2022 found that this is a significant barrier to EV adoption. To address this…

Vitesco Technologies achieved a significant milestone in 2022 by surpassing the one billion euro mark in turnover with electrification products. The company reported a turnover of 1.1 billion euros, up from 0.9 billion euros in the previous year, and incoming orders of 14 billion euros, of which electrification products accounted for 10.4 billion euros. With an order book of 58.5 billion euros as of December 31, 2022, 46 percent of which was in the electrification sector, Vitesco Technologies is poised to become a major player in the EV market. In a statement, Vitesco CEO Andreas Wolf said, “The transition to…

Italian manufacturer of high-performance electric motorcycles, Energica, has recently announced its expansion into multiple markets in the Asia and Asia Pacific regions. With the company already having made a name for itself in the European market, Energica’s move to the East is the logical next step for the company. Energica has already made a mark in the North American market, but with the current state of the motorcycle market in the U.S., the company’s electric motorcycles still have a long way to go. However, the story in Asia is quite different, with more and more people being incentivized to make…

After starting production late last year, Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin has finally achieved “volume production” by producing 5,000 electric cars in a single week. This milestone is significant for Tesla, as the company generally considers 5,000 units per week as the goal when ramping up a new vehicle to volume production at a new factory. Initially, Tesla aimed to achieve this goal by the end of 2022, but the ongoing global supply chain crisis made it a challenging target. Instead, the company announced a respectable production rate of 3,000 Model Y vehicles per week at Gigafactory Berlin in 2021, which increased…

The United States and the European Commission have reportedly reached a preliminary agreement to allow electric vehicles containing critical minerals extracted or processed within the European Union to qualify for US green subsidies. The deal would cover key minerals such as lithium, manganese, nickel, and cobalt, which are essential for battery production. If finalized, the move could enable electric vehicles with EU-sourced minerals to qualify for subsidies under the US$430 billion Inflation Reduction Act package. Under the current IRA rules, electric vehicles are only eligible for subsidies if at least 40% of their critical minerals come from the US or…

Grounded, a Detroit-based electric RV startup, is set to revolutionize the way people explore the outdoors with their new product launch. The company, established in 2022 by former Tesla and SpaceX engineers, aims to create amazing products that enable people to explore more without harming the planet. Their latest offering, the Grounded G1, is the world’s first fully customizable smart electric RV, based on the Ford E-Transit platform. The G1 features up to 108 miles of range, a comfortable ride and handling, and a spacious interior that includes a queen-size bed, bench seating with a pull-out table, a kitchen with…

The EU’s proposed ban on combustion engines in new cars from 2035 has been met with mixed reactions and ongoing debate. The EU Commission has submitted a compromise proposal to the German government regarding the use of e-fuels after 2035, but an agreement at the EU summit remains uncertain. The proposal from the EU Commission includes defining a new category of vehicles that can run on e-fuels, but with sensors that prevent them from running on conventional fuels. This would meet the German political party FDP’s demand that vehicles that can be proven to run on e-fuels may continue to…

Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, has recently completed a tender calling for bids to install 1,000 new AC charge points as part of its plan to build 4,100 new charging stations by late 2025. The Danish capital selected three suppliers, Clever, OK, and E.ON, out of seven companies that had applied. Clever will receive the largest funding, followed by OK and E.ON. The tender was divided into 12 sub-contracts, with Clever winning four and dealing with 162 charging stations, OK AmbA winning four partial contracts and dealing with 170 charging points, and E.ON Drive Infrastructure winning four sub-contracts for…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr has set its sights on expanding into Europe by the end of 2023, with plans to launch in the US in 2024. The brand, which has gained recognition in China for its dramatic designs, will also introduce five new models by 2025 to help it grow its appeal in these new markets. Zeekr CEO An Conghui commented on the company’s plans, stating, “Zeekr is a well-established product in China but will expand rapidly in international markets, which is our original goal.” One of the new models in the works is a compact sedan, currently known…

Energica Motor Company, an Italian motorbike manufacturer and subsidiary of Ideanomics, is expanding its horizons by developing all-electric solutions for ultra-light and light aircraft. The company has partnered with Phenix Air Corp and Pure Flight to test and integrate its powertrain into small aircraft, with the aim of achieving the highest possible range for all-electric intra-European air travel. As part of the partnership, Energica’s powertrain will first be used to power an airplane propeller for testing, followed by an ultralight seaplane to further test flight performance. If successful, the powertrain will be integrated into the Pure Flight ΦNIX airplane. The…

Mexico is poised to become a major hub for electric vehicle (EV) production with the opening of Tesla’s $5 billion Gigafactory in Nuevo Leon. But while the government has set ambitious targets for EV ownership, challenges including the high cost of EVs and a lack of charging infrastructure threaten to slow progress. According to the Auto Industry Association AMIA, EVs made up just 0.5% of domestic auto sales in Mexico last year, compared to 5.8% in the US. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has said that the government wants EVs to account for 50% of all cars sold domestically by 2030,…