Author: Tyne Rodriquez

Rivian, the American electric vehicle manufacturer, has filed a patent application for a new in-bed storage system for its pickup trucks. The patent, published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on April 6th, outlines an innovative design featuring storage bins built into the sides of the truck bed. While this concept is similar to the Ram Box system already available on Ram trucks, Rivian’s version is more elaborate. The patent application showcases how the entire outside bed panels of Rivian’s trucks can fold down, revealing multiple storage compartments and cutouts on either side of the bed for longer items.…

EVgo Inc. has been selected for proposed awards of $6.6 million from the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) 2.0 program. The program is designed to aid the deployment of fast charging infrastructure in the central and eastern regions of California through the Golden State Priority Project (GSPP), which focuses exclusively on disadvantaged or low-income communities. With the proposed funding, EVgo will build more than 100 DC fast charging stalls across 17 locations in central and eastern California, including Fresno, Hayward, Manteca, El Cerrito, Antioch and San Jose. The company will be deploying high-power 350kW chargers…

Nissan announced its plan to electrify a classic R32 Skyline GT-R in a bid to showcase its latest technology. Now, the automaker has shared a 44-second video of the car before the project kicks off. The car looks to be in great condition for its age, with its Gun Gray Metallic paint still looking pristine and the interior still in good shape. While there are some signs of age in the engine bay, these imperfections are minor. While some car enthusiasts might lament seeing a classic car being converted to electric power, the project was actually inspired by a Nissan…

A consortium of European partners has launched a new project aimed at developing innovative and sustainable lithium-ion cells for future battery-electric vehicles. The project, named ‘IntelLiGent,’ aims to bring these battery technologies to an industrial scale and achieve market maturity. The project brings together the expertise of various partners from across Europe, with the goal of creating high-performance and low-cost batteries for electric vehicles. Specifically, the project focuses on addressing challenges such as energy density, service life, and fast-charging capability, all while keeping manufacturing costs low. “The increasing demand for batteries for electric passenger cars in the EU requires striving…

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…