The public transport authority Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego (ZTM) in Lublin has ordered 20 electric buses and 15 trolleybuses from Solaris. The value of the orders exceeds PLN 106 million (US$27.4 million). The new vehicles commissioned by public transport authority ZTM include 15 articulated Solaris Trollino 18 trolleybuses and 20 Solaris... Read more →
Ubitricity, a company offering alternative, low-cost electric vehicle (EV) charge points that can be integrated into streetlight posts and bollards, chose EDF Energy to be the electricity provider for its UK charging network, ensuring that EV drivers have access to 100 per cent renewable backed electricity through all 1,800 ubitricity... Read more →
SAE International plans to form an industry-led pre-competitive research project to strengthen electric vehicle (EV) charging system security, leading to a more secure implementation of Plug & Charge for ISO 15118 and CHAdeMO 2.0 protocols. The project will result in the creation a strong two-way authentication method between the EV,... Read more →
A new study by INRIX has identified the routes with greatest potential where Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (e-VTOL) services could instantly provide fast, reliable trips to broad geographic areas. While the e-VTOL market is still in its infancy, the potential is massive over the long run to reshape commuting... Read more →
Following a reduction of buyer incentives in China earlier this year, the resultant drop in global monthly EV sales continued through October 2019, which saw a 19% reduction in passenger EV sales versus the same month the year prior, according to Adamas Intelligence. The global sales-weighted average passenger EV’s battery... Read more →
General Motors and LG Chem are partnering to mass-produce battery cells for future battery-electric vehicles. Together, the companies will invest up to a total of $2.3 billion through a new, equally-owned joint venture company. The JV will establish a battery cell assembly plant on a greenfield manufacturing site in the... Read more →
Americans are much less likely than consumers in other major industrialized countries to purchase an electric vehicle or hybrid, largely because of concerns over access to charging stations away from home, according to a survey by global consulting firm OC&C Strategy Consultants. The survey, which included 10,000 respondents across five... Read more →
UK-based Drive System Design (DSD) is the lead partner in a new project that seeks to improve the efficiency of the integrated electric drive unit (EDU) of electric vehicles (EVs). The 12-month project, part-funded by Innovate UK and with the National Composites Center (NCC) as partner, will investigate the use... Read more →
Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Van Hool, a leading bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Belgium, for 20 FCveloCity-HD 85kW fuel cell modules to power buses in Groningen, the Netherlands, under the JIVE2 funding program. Ballard plans to deliver the 20 FCveloCity-HD 85kW modules in 2020.... Read more →
Hyundai Motor Company announced a new roadmap—Strategy 2025—intended to secure its position as a frontrunner in the future mobility industry. Under Strategy 2025, the company will foster Smart Mobility Device and Smart Mobility Service as two core business pillars; the synergy between the two pillars is expected to facilitate the... Read more →
China continues to be the leading country for e-mobility in terms of industry and market, according to the E-Mobility Index 2019 from fka GmbH and Roland Berger GmbH. Although Germany takes the lead from France in terms of technology for this latest report, China is catching up quickly and ranks... Read more →
In the UK, Western Power Distribution and Ricardo are leading a new project—DC share—that will develop and trial a novel solution to use latent capacity in distribution networks to power charging hubs. DC Share will share capacity across existing AC electricity distribution network substations, enabling increased numbers of high-power electric... Read more →
IVECO, FPT Industrial and Nikola unveiled the maquette of the Nikola TRE battery-electric truck, the first vehicle resulting from the joint venture between CNH Industrial and Nikola, which involves the commercial vehicle brand and the powertrain specialist. (Earlier post.) The battery electric Nikola TRE, which is based on the IVECO... Read more →
Colorado-based Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emission drivetrains, has raised $41 million in equity, debt, and working capital line funding from existing and new investors. The round was led by BP Ventures, with participation from other existing investors and new investor, Cupola Infrastructure Income Fund, LLLP, a private equity... Read more →
Rio Tinto has approved a $1.5-billion investment (100% basis) to continue production at its Kennecott copper operation in the United States. The investment over the next six years will extend operations at Kennecott to 2032. Rio Tinto Kennecott represents nearly 8% of US annual copper production. Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine... Read more →
The BMW Group is investing around €400 million in its Dingolfing vehicle plant for production of the BMW iNEXT. In doing this, it is preparing for the manufacture of pure battery-electric and highly automated BMW cars at its largest European production location. With the launch of the BMW iNEXT in... Read more →
The Norwegian operator Keolis Norge AS has ordered 10 Solaris Trollino articulated trolleybuses for Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city. Bergen, called ‘the gate to the fjords', a city on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is the only city in Norway and one of only two in entire Scandinavia with a trolleybus... Read more →
The first Solaris Urbino electric buses ordered by MPK Poznań last December are now in service. A total of 21 Solaris electric buses will be delivered to Poznań. 15 of them are Solaris Urbino 18 electric articulated vehicles, the other 6 are the 12 meter-long Solaris Urbino 12 electric. The... Read more →
Four purely electrically powered Mercedes-Benz urban buses were handed over to Reutlinger Stadtverkehr (RSV) on 29 November. The eCitaro buses will operate on Reutlingen’s number 7 route, which is the town’s first E-line, from a new and purpose-built electric bus depot. The line concept provides for the eCitaro to be... Read more →
The BMW Group and Great Wall Motor have launched a new joint venture—Spotlight Automotive Limited—and are building a joint plant in China, where the BMW Group will produce future fully-electric models of its MINI brand. The plant will have a standard capacity of up to 160,000 vehicles per year, which... Read more →
Audi AG plans an outlay of approximately €37 billion for research and development expenditure and investment in property, plant and equipment over the next five years (2020 to 2024). The current planning reflects a significant improvement in investment and cost discipline, as well as the strong prioritization of investments in... Read more →
Audi is introducing a standard technical update for its first all-electric product, the e-tron. This combines optimized drive system hardware with software adjustments to improve efficiency. As a result, all versions of the e-tron SUV will come off the assembly line with an extra 25 kilometers (15.5 mi) or so... Read more →
Fisker Inc. opened reservations for the Ocean electric luxury SUV, arriving in 2022, through its website and native mobile app—available globally on the App Store and Google Play store. Reservations are set at US$250 per vehicle and are fully refundable. The all-electric SUV will come standard with a range target... Read more →
XALT Energy is powering the US’ first, long-distance, all-electric passenger coach in tests with private and public transportation providers in the United States. XALT Energy, a company of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, is a Midland, Michigan-based global developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion technology solutions. XALT Energy is working in partnership with... Read more →
Collaboration to advance development of urban mobility extended to 2022 Focus on support for e-mobility, innovative mobility services, intelligent transport networking and autonomous driving WeShare, Volkswagen’s full-electric car sharing service, to start in Hamburg next spring with over 1,000 electric vehicles From end of 2019, MAN electric buses to make... Read more →
The estimated annual fuel costs for model year (MY) 2019 all-electric light-duty vehicles are the lowest of all the different vehicle technologies, ranging from a low of $500 to a high of $900 per year, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). The annual fuel costs for plug-in hybrid-electric... Read more →
“Insights into Future Mobility,” a multidisciplinary report released by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), explores how individual travel decisions will be shaped by complex interactions between technologies, markets, business models, government policies, and consumer preferences—and the potential consequences as personal mobility undergoes tremendous changes in the years ahead. The report... Read more →
Volkswagen is focusing its motorsport strategy on electric mobility. A clear emphasis on fully electric racing cars will be backed up by the farewell to factory-backed commitments using internal combustion engines. The role as a technological pioneer will continue to be taken over by the ID.R electric race car, which... Read more →
Valmet Automotive has started the production of EV battery packs in its new plant in Salo, Finland. The battery plant project has progressed on schedule, and with the ramp up of production volumes, Valmet Automotive will continue recruiting more employees to the Salo plant. Valmet Automotive has completed the first... Read more →
At a livestreamed event in Los Angeles, Elon Musk unveiled his company’s latest creation, the electric pickup Cybertruck. The idiosyncratically designed truck will come in three powertrain versions: single-motor RWD; dual-motor AWD; and tri-motor AWD. Three ranges will be offered corresponding to the different powertrains, ranging from 250 miles to... Read more →
Lexus is introducing its first battery electric vehicle (BEV), the UX 300e, at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. The UX 300e is scheduled to go on sale in the Chinese and European markets in 2020, and in Japan early in 2021. Lexus engineers kept the distinctive design and the utility... Read more →
Showcasing the possibilities of the e-Golf powertrain to motivate classic VW models, Volkswagen of America recently commissioned west coast electric vehicle conversion specialist EV West to construct an electrified Volkswagen Type 2 Bus. The professionally harvested stock powertrain and 35.8 kWh battery system from the donor 2017 e-Golf gives the... Read more →
BYD will provide the Colombian capital of Bogotá with a fleet of 379 pure electric buses, in a deal awarded by the capital’s TransMilenio SA mass transport authority. This fleet will begin operations in September 2020, giving Bogotá the largest electric bus fleet on the continent and one of the... Read more →
The city of Paks, located in the central part of Hungary, has ordered 10 zero-emission electric buses from Solaris: six Solaris Urbino 12 electric vehicles and four 8.9-meter electric buses with five stationary chargers. Six Urbino 12 electric and four Urbino 8.9 LE electric will be delivered to Hungary within... Read more →
Volkswagen Group China, together with its Chinese partners, plans to invest more than €4 billion next year, with around 40% of this investment going towards e-mobility. This will accelerate the Group’s electrification strategy, which will be strengthened next year through the start of production of models based on the modular... Read more →
The BMW Group is deepening its existing business relationships with battery cell manufacturers CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) and Samsung SDI. The original CATL order volume of four billion euros announced in mid-2018 will now be increased to €7.3 billion (contract duration from 2020 to 2031), with €4.5 billion... Read more →
The first fully electric Mercedes-Benz vehicle to launch globally under the new EQ brand, the EQC 400 4MATIC will arrive in US dealerships in early 2020, with prices starting from $67,900. The EQC features an all-new advanced drive system with compact electric drivetrains at each axle. To reduce power consumption,... Read more →
Hyundai introduced its refreshed IONIQ car lineup in a North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. IONIQ Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid and Electric cars all receive refreshed exterior and interior designs, added infotainment technology and new Hyundai SmartSense active safety features and driving assistance systems. Drivers of the new... Read more →
Anheuser-Busch, in partnership with Nikola Motor Company and BYD Motors LLC, completed its first Zero-Emission Beer Delivery in its hometown of St. Louis. The company delivered beer from the local Anheuser-Busch brewery to the Enterprise Center using only zero-emission trucks. A Nikola hydrogen-electric truck picked up the load of beer,... Read more →
Audi unveiled the second model in its e-tron product line. The Audi e-tron Sportback is a battery-electric SUV coupé offering up to 300 kW of power and a range of up to 446 kilometers (277.1 miles) (WLTP) from a single battery charge. Combined electric power consumption is 26.3 - 21.6... Read more →
Volkswagen unveiled the ID. SPACE VIZZION electric concept—the seventh concept built off of the MEB platform—at a special event in Los Angeles. The Volkswagen ID. SPACE VIZZION electric concept combines the aerodynamic design of a Gran Turismo with the spaciousness and versatility of an SUV. With an 82 kWh battery... Read more →
Nikola Corporation said that it has developed a new battery that has a record energy density of 1,100 Wh kg-1 on the material level and 500 Wh kg-1 on the production cell level—including casing, terminals and separator—more than double current lithium-ion battery cells. The Nikola prototype cell eliminates binder material... Read more →
At the 9th edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, SEAT announced the creation of a new strategic business unit focused on urban mobility and presented its new e-Kickscooter concept and its first electric e-Scooter concept. The SEAT Urban Mobility business unit will integrate all the product,... Read more →
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has launched a new funded program to help speed the commercialization of clean energy technologies. The California Test Bed (CalTestBed) initiative is designed to reduce the stumbling blocks of time, cost, and bureaucracy most entrepreneurs face when trying to bring breakthrough concepts to market. The... Read more →
Atieva, the Silicon Valley-based technology wing of Lucid Motors, announced that the spec battery pack of its own design will power the entire 24-car Formula E field for the upcoming 2019/20 race season in association with its partners. The Formula E battery pack was conceptualized, designed, tested, and manufactured by... Read more →
Researchers at Fraunhofer IFAM have developed a casting technique that can be used to produce lightweight aluminum windings with a higher groove fill factor to replace copper windings in electric motors. In one study, they found that the aluminum coils increase the continuous output of the electrical machines compared to... Read more →
On Friday, the California Department of General Services (DGS) that, effective immediately, it is prohibiting purchasing by state agencies of any sedans solely powered by an internal combustion engine, with exemptions for certain public safety vehicles. A second policy, currently being developed by DGS, will require state agencies, starting on... Read more →
Volkswagen will assemble its ID.3 EV at the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden in addition to the Zwickau plant. The ID.3 is the first model in the latest generation that Volkswagen is putting on the road under its global electric offensive. Following on from Zwickau, Dresden now becomes the second assembly... Read more →
The first fully-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro city buses were handed over on 18 November 2019 to ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (ESWE Verkehr) in Wiesbaden. The vehicles are part of a large-scale order for 56 units of the battery-powered city bus which is series-produced in Mannheim, Germany. Each delivery of one of our... Read more →
Cree, Inc. and ABB’s Power Grids business are partnering to expand the rollout of silicon carbide in the rapidly-growing high-power semiconductor market. The agreement incorporates the use of Cree’s Wolfspeed silicon carbide-based semiconductors into ABB’s comprehensive product portfolio, enabling Cree to broaden its customer base while accelerating ABB’s entry into... Read more →