The BMW Group and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. (CBA) announced the early extension of the joint venture contract for BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) and the further deepening of the existing successful collaboration. The extended contract is valid for 22 years (from 2018 to 2040). Furthermore, the BMW Group intends... Read more →

Bollinger Motors previewed the all-electric, all-wheel-drive B2 pickup truck. The new street-legal B2 Pickup truck leverages the company’s development of the B1 Sport Utility Truck. (Earlier post.) As Bollinger Motors moves through the final stages of the B1, the B2 Pickup became a natural addition to their upcoming vehicle suite... Read more →

Researchers at North Carolina State University have built an electric vehicle fast charger that is at least 10 times smaller than existing systems and wastes 60% less power during the charging process, without sacrificing the charging time. The team is now building a version that is capable of charging vehicles... Read more →

Global clean energy investment was $67.8 billion in the third quarter of 2018, down 6% from the same period last year, according to the latest Clean Energy Investment Trends report from research company Bloomberg NEF (BNEF). The slip in the July-September quarter leaves clean energy investment for the year so... Read more →

EU-funded researchers have developed an innovative climate control system (CCS) that extends the range of electric vehicles while enhancing passenger comfort. At present a substantial amount of energy is required to run the CCS within electric vehicles, creating a major drain on the battery and limiting the range of the... Read more →

Volkswagen intends to sell 150,000 e-cars—of which 100,000 will be the ID and ID SUV—by 2020, according to Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management, E-Mobility division. As one point of comparison, customers bought 54,451 Nissan LEAFs EVs in fiscal year 2017—a 15% increase from 47,423 a... Read more →

Audi unveiled the newly developed Audi e-tron FE05 for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Because of the new electric racers’ greater range, the drivers will compete with only one race car for the first time. Since the batteries now have the capacity to last the entire 45-minute race distance,... Read more →

DEUTZ AG and Manitou Group—a world leading OEM in rough-terrain handling equipment—are partnering on the electrification of the drive line. DEUTZ has incorporated prototype electric drives into Manitou equipment for the first time. Manitou Group, the first E-DEUTZ partner, has fitted one of its telehandlers with a hybrid drive and... Read more →

Electrify America announced its next $200-million investment in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure as well as education and awareness in California which is outlined in its Cycle 2 California ZEV Investment Plan submitted to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Cycle 2 is a 30-month investment period, which begins in... Read more →

In California, public and private stakeholders in the transportation sector launched a new organization—Veloz—to accelerate the adoption of EVs. Its first project, “Electric For All,” is the largest multi-stakeholder, multi-million dollar public awareness campaign in North America. Veloz also announced major commitments from utilities and Electrify America. Veloz members include:... Read more →

Cruise and General Motors have joined forces with Honda to pursue the shared goal of transforming mobility through the large-scale deployment of autonomous vehicle technology. Honda will work jointly with Cruise and General Motors to fund and to develop a purpose-built autonomous vehicle for Cruise that can serve a wide... Read more →

At the Paris Motor Show, Groupe Renault unveiled EZ-ULTIMO, its robo-vehicle concept, an autonomous, electric, connected, and shared mobility service solution offering a premium travel experience. EZ-ULTIMO concludes a concept-car trilogy illustrating Renault’s vision of the future of urban shared mobility, following on EZ-GO, with its vision of shared mobility,... Read more →

Mazda Motor Corporation announced electrification and connectivity strategies, based on Mazda’s long-term vision for technology development, “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030.” Mazda said that overall, it will deploy compact, lightweight electrification technologies while further refining the internal combustion engine. The company will introduce electric vehicles as the optimal solution in regions that... Read more →

Renault will introduce a new, affordable urban electric vehicle in 2019, coming first to China, and new hybrid and plug-in hybrid options on three of its popular vehicles in 2020. The showcar Renault K-ZE, a new global A-segment, SUV-inspired electric vehicle, is capable of 250 km NEDC (155 miles). Renault... Read more →

Groupe Renault and ADA, a subsidiary of the Rousselet Group, are launching the Moov’In.Paris application, which will provide access to their free-floating car-sharing service for electric vehicles. The Moov’in.Paris application is available for download from the Apple Store and Google Play. The new user can create his or her account... Read more →

Elon Musk, CEO and Chairman of Tesla, Inc., has agreed to settle the securities fraud charge brought by the SEC against him last week. (Earlier post.) The SEC also today charged Tesla with failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk’s tweets, a charge that Tesla has... Read more →

BMW has released the new 2019 i3 and i3s electric vehicles with 120 Ah batteries. Since launch in 2014, the battery capacity and range of the i3 has grown from the original 60Ah / 81 miles to 94Ah / 115 miles in 2017 and now 120Ah for 2019. With the... Read more →

As part of an innovative partnership between the Volvo Group, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), and industry leaders in transportation and electrical charging infrastructure (earlier post), Volvo Trucks will introduce all-electric truck demonstrators in California next year, and commercialize them in North America in 2020. The California... Read more →

At IAA Commercial Vehicles, Dutch truck manufacturer DAF—a division of Paccar—is showcasing the LF Electric, CF Electric and CF Hybrid Innovation trucks. vocational product range that set the standard in quality, low operating cost and vehicle performance. The DAF LF series if for distribution transport, while the versatile CF is... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced up to $205 million in grants for projects designed to accelerate the adoption of clean freight technologies and reduce air pollution caused by the movement of goods throughout the state. Eleven projects will receive $150 million from California Climate Investments—using proceeds from the... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded MIT associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore a $1.9-million grant to run larger scale tests of a new one-step, molten electrolysis process (earlier post) to produce copper from sulfur-based minerals—the main source of copper. One of Allanore’s primary goals is to make... Read more →

The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development has released its ZEV Action Plan Priorities Update. The plan updates the 2016 report, directing State of California departments to coordinate and implement specific actions that advance the uptake of electric vehicles. Governor Brown’s Executive Order B-48-18, signed in January, reaffirmed... Read more →

BYD has completed its latest US investment, a new $5-million 100,000-square-foot warehouse for its Lancaster manufacturing plant. This is the firm’s fourth expansion of its current manufacturing campus in Los Angeles County, bringing its total investment in Lancaster facilities to more than $53 million. The new warehouse provides additional space... Read more →

Groupe Renault is launching its “Advanced Battery Storage” program, which aims to build the biggest energy stationary storage system using EV batteries yet designed in Europe by 2020 (power: 70 MW / energy: 60MWh). It will have a storage capacity of at least 60 MWh, making it the biggest system... Read more →

The Nissan Note e-POWER NISMO S has gone on sale in Japan, offering buyers of the country’s best-selling car more power and sportiness. With a maximum power of 100 kW and 320 N·m of torque, the model is a higher-spec version of the Nissan Note e-POWER NISMO, released in December... Read more →

Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emission drivetrains for commercial fleets, announced new battery-electric powertrain options for the Ford E-450 Shuttle Bus and Ford E-450 Cutaway. The new Lightning Electric models for the Ford E-450 will be available in 14,500-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) with an all-electric range of... Read more →

Demand for cobalt has been on the increase due to its many applications. The metal is a crucial component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for smartphones and electric cars. Around 60% of the world’s cobalt supply comes from the mineral-rich Katanga Copper belt, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Researchers... Read more →

Brazil-based Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, part of the TRATON Group, introduced the e-Delivery electric truck (earlier post)—a battery electric version of the company’s Delivery mode—at IAA Commercial vehicles. The model is in the test phase and is to go into production by 2020. The company also introduced the e-Flex flexible... Read more →

On Sunday, Porsche AG announced that it will in the future no longer offer diesel-powered models. By 2022, Porsche will have invested more than €6 billion (US$7 billion) in e-mobility, creating the basis for sustainable growth into the future. Interest in hybrid Porsche models is already taking off; 63% of... Read more →

The Renault Master Z.E. (earlier post) is now available for sale in Renault Trucks’ dealerships. The Renault Master Z.E. is suited to last-mile deliveries. This all-electric utility vehicle comes in six variants—four panel vans and two platform cabs—to meet the varied requirements of professionals working in urban environments. It provides... Read more →

Cummins Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KAMAZ for the development of electrified power solutions for a new product line of KAMAZ battery-powered vehicles. Currently, KAMAZ, a Russia-based truck manufacturer, is actively developing a new electrified portfolio of battery-powered trucks and buses, while Cummins continues to expand its... Read more →

Daimler held an opening ceremony for its new €200-million Immendingen Test and Technology Center in the municipality northwest of Lake Constance. A particular focus is placed on the four strategic future areas of connectivity (connected), autonomous driving (autonomous), flexible use (shared) and electric drive (electric). Daimler has summarized these under... Read more →

Volkswagen has presented the chassis of its new electric model family ID to the public for the first time, and offered an initial look at its platform strategy for electric cars. The company says that the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) that serves as the foundation of the ID chassis... Read more →

The battery-electric MAN eTGE 4.140 van is celebrating its world première at the IAA 2018 Commercial Vehicles in Hanover. The MAN plant in Września will start production in July 2019. With a range of around 160 kilometers and a payload of 1 t–1.75 t (depending on type approval), it is... Read more →

During the IAA 2018 from 20th to 27th September 2018 in Hanover, MAN will present a fully electric eTruck solo distributor chassis with a swap body frame and a 6x2 axle configuration. The 26-tonne truck, based on the MAN TGM, incorporates batteries that can be installed under the cab and... Read more →

At the IAA 2018, MAN Truck & Bus is presenting the MAN CitE 15-tonne electric truck concept, designed specifically for city cargo traffic. MAN engineers developed the concept in 18 months, leveraging the concepts of the short product development cycles of the software industry. A cross-functional team was drafted on... Read more →

The A35 Brebemi autostrada in northern Italy will become the latest location for road electrification technology, and Scania trucks fitted with Siemens pantographs and power connections are in line to carry out the initial trials. The trucks receive electricity from a pantograph power collector that is mounted on the frame... Read more →

Maxus is presenting a range of zero emission EV80 battery electric vans at the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover. The light commercial vehicle manufacturer, a subsidiary of China’s largest vehicle manufacturer SAIC Motor, is also announcing LeasePlan as its exclusive partner in Europe, as it prepares for its... Read more →

At the 69th IAA Commercial Vehicles show, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is unveiling five new zero-emission vehicles:the I.D. BUZZ CARGO, ABT e-Transporter, ABT e-Caddy, the Cargo e-Bike and the Crafter HyMotion which is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell drive system. I.D. BUZZ CARGO. One month ago, Volkswagen introduced the first... Read more →

Daimler Trucks & Buses is investing in the US company Proterra Inc. Martin Daum, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Daimler Trucks & Buses, made the announcement at the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover. Proterra was founded in 2004 with headquarters in California... Read more →

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $5 million is available as part of the first rebate designed specifically for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at workplaces, office buildings, multi-family apartment buildings, and public locations such as theaters, malls, parks and retail locations. Administered by the New... Read more →

Audi unveiled its all-electric Audi e-tron mid-size SUV—its first fully electric production model—in an event in San Francisco. The Audi e-tron is a premium electric SUV designed for sport, family and leisure, and will enter the US market with a suggested retail price of $74,800, with initial arrival in the... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Trucks is starting practical trials for its all-electric heavy-duty eActros truck. The retail and logistics service provider Hermes is the first of 20 customers in different sectors who will integrate the electric truck into their fleets. Each customer will use a near-series 18 or 25-tonner in their normal operations... Read more →

With the world premiere of the Audi e-tron Monday night in San Francisco, Audi also marked the launch of its electrification offensive. By 2025 Audi will offer twelve automobiles with all-electric drive in the most important markets worldwide and achieve roughly one-third of its sales with electrified models. The SUVs... Read more →

TRATON AG—formerly Volkswagen Truck & Bus—and Hino Motors Ltd. announced new details on their strategic partnership, announced earlier this year (earlier post). Both partners have agreed on two strategic initiatives: to join forces in e-mobility and the plan to establish a procurement joint venture. In e-mobility, TRATON and Hino plan... Read more →

Volkswagen is launching its “Electric for All” campaign—a strategic effort to put attractive electric vehicles at affordable prices on the road, paving the way for the breakthrough of electric vehicles. Volkswagen’s electric offensive is based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB), a technology platform developed specifically for electric vehicles.... Read more →

At the BMW AG Annual General Meeting in May 2018, Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management at the BMW Group, said that the iNext would provide its building blocks for the future, from which the entire company and all of its brands are set to benefit. BMW is... Read more →

UK-based Revolve Technologies has revealed the successful completion of a project to develop novel fuel cell technology using printed circuit board (PCB) construction (PCBFC). This is the first time that a PCB-based fuel cell has been developed for use in an automotive environment. Compared with conventional systems, the PCB fuel... Read more →

With the opening of three new FAW-Volkswagen vehicle plants at three locations—in Qingdao, Foshan and Tianjin—as well as the Volkswagen FAW Platform Tianjin Branch component plant, the Volkswagen Group is strengthening its localization strategy in China. With the opening of a second vehicle production plant in Foshan, a mega plant... Read more →

A new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study by Ricardo for the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) across a broad range of vehicle sectors finds that the relative contribution of each vehicle life cycle stage is highly dependent on the vehicle type and powertrain technology as well as what assumptions are... Read more →