Hyundai Motor Group has formed New Horizons Studio, a new unit focused on the development of Ultimate Mobility Vehicles (UMVs), including the concept Hyundai Elevate walking car introduced at CES 2019 (earlier post). Hyundai Elevate does not rely solely on wheels and is expected to address challenging driving situations—for example,... Read more →

At the 16th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2020), Beijing Hyundai Motor Company showcased its RM20e electric racing midship sports car prototype and Prophecy concept EV model, demonstrating the reach of its EV ambitions. The new Tucson as well as new Elantra also made their debuts to Chinese customers.... Read more →

Volkswagen of America revealed the all-new ID.4 electric SUV—the brand’s first long-range EV to be sold in the US. This compact SUV, which will be available in rear-wheel drive 201-hp 82 kWh (launching first) and all-wheel-drive 302-hp 82 kWh configurations, offers three years of fast charging with Electrify America for... Read more →

Elon Musk used Tesla’s much-anticipated Battery Day presentation not to disclose some super cell, but to outline an aggressive, comprehensive and radically innovative approach to battery design, manufacturing and vehicle integration that he projected will result in a 56% reduction in cost/kWh and a $25,000 electric vehicle in about three... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company is partnering with Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. and KT Corp. to accelerate the development of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) (earlier post) and work together to conduct test flights. With a memorandum of understanding signed on 18 September, the four parties will... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) released a first look at the redesigned Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, the next step in the company’s commitment to delivering a showroom full of new and extensively redesigned vehicles in the United States by the second quarter of 2021. The new Eclipse Cross will offer a plug-in... Read more →

Denyo Co., Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corporation have jointly developed a fuel cell power supply vehicle that uses hydrogen to generate electricity. As a leading manufacturer of mobile (portable) generators, Denyo will work with Toyota to start verification tests with the aim of commercializing it. The project has been selected... Read more →

Daimler Trucks unveiled the concept Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck, marking the beginning of a fuel-cell push by Daimler for the long-haul transport segment. The premiere was staged during a presentation at STATION-Berlin of the company’s technology strategy for the electrification of its vehicles, with a focus on the technology for hydrogen-based... Read more →

Kia Motors Corporation previewed its global electric vehicle (EV) business strategy; the brand will launch seven new dedicated BEVs by 2027 across several vehicle segments. Kia also released an early sketch of several of the brand’s future dedicated Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Details of Kia’s future EV product strategy were... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USDepartment of Justice (DOJ), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced a proposed settlement with Daimler AG and its American subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and California law associated with emissions cheating. Under the proposed settlement, lodged... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems launched the FCgen-HPS, a high-performance, zero-emission, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack, to provide propulsion for a range of light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in an industry-leading volumetric high-power density of 4.3 kilowatts per liter (4.3 kW/L). This marks another power density milestone for Ballard over... Read more →

Groupe Renault has developed the XCEED (eXtended Compliance End-to-End Distributed) blockchain project to certify the compliance of all vehicle components, from design to production. Designed and implemented in collaboration with leading automotive industry players, this tool enables greater responsiveness and efficiency at a time of ever-greater regulatory stringency. New market... Read more →

Worldwide, Daimler battery-electric trucks and buses have already logged more than seven million customer kilometers (4.3 million miles). As part of its electrification strategy, Daimler Trucks plans to offer electric vehicles in all its main sales regions by 2022: from the FUSO eCanter in the light-duty segment, the Freightliner eM2... Read more →

Lucid Motors unveiled the Lucid Air battery-electric luxury sedan, which will start at less than US$80,000. With up to 1,080 horsepower available in a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive architecture, the Lucid Air is able to achieve quarter-mile times as quick as 9.9 seconds on a consistent, repeatable basis. To date, it is... Read more →

Nikola Corporation and General Motors Co. announced a strategic partnership that begins with the Nikola Badger and carries cost reductions through Nikola’s programs, including: Nikola Badger, Nikola Tre, Nikola One, Nikola Two and NZT. As part of the agreement, Nikola will utilize General Motors’ Ultium battery system and Hydrotec fuel... Read more →

Groupe PSA/Opel and Total/Saft have signed an agreement for the creation of the joint venture Automotive Cells Company (ACC). Yann Vincent has been appointed Chief Executive in order to implement and develop it. Ghislain Lescuyer has been appointed Chairman of the Board. With this partnership, the parties are setting up... Read more →

The Swiss company Climeworks is building the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) and storage facility for converting atmospheric CO2 to rock in Iceland. Audi is partnering with the Zurich-based environmental start-up and promoting a future technology with the project. The facility will filter 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide... Read more →

Nissan reports developing a new process that speeds up the development of car parts made from carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Lightweight yet extremely strong, the material can be used to make cars that are safer and more fuel efficient. It can also lower a car’s center of gravity when... Read more →

General Motors and Honda today signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) following extensive preliminary discussions toward establishing a North American automotive alliance. The scope of the proposed alliance includes a range of vehicles to be sold under each company’s distinct brands, as well as cooperation in purchasing, research and... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda R&D Co., Ltd. will create a mobile power generation/output system—Moving e—that comprises a fuel cell bus that can carry a large amount of hydrogen; portable external power output devices; and portable batteries. The partners will begin demonstration testing of the system’s ability to deliver electricity... Read more →

Ford Motor Company, Bedrock and Bosch are launching a demonstration project with connected Ford Escape test vehicles that can drive and park themselves inside Bedrock’s Assembly Garage in Detroit using Bosch smart infrastructure. This is the first US infrastructure-based solution for automated valet parking where the vehicle will park itself... Read more →

While California is challenging the Federal government in court to overturn the revocation of California’s waiver enabling the state to issue greenhouse gas restrictions on light-duty vehicles, it has finalized with six participating automakers individual bilateral agreements based upon a Framework unveiled last year. Under the framework agreements, gasoline and... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company, are expanding their global collaboration, applying AWS’ portfolio of services to expand Toyota’s Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), an ecosystem to help Toyota engineers develop, deploy, and manage the next generation of data-driven mobility services for driver and passenger... Read more →

Daimler AG and its subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA LLC (MBUSA) have reached an agreement in principle with US authorities to settle civil and environmental claims regarding emission control systems of approximately 250,000 diesel passenger cars and vans in the United States. The involved US authorities are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),... Read more →

Kia Motors Corporation plans to expand its partnerships with global mobility companies to meet the needs of a diverse range of customers worldwide. Kia’s President and CEO Ho Sung Song shared the company’s strategy for global mobility during his visit to the company’s Sohari plant in Korea to review launch... Read more →

Volkswagen has begun expanding its Chattanooga factory to build a North American center for electric vehicles—not only for assembly, but for engineering the EVs of the future. To power those efforts, Volkswagen’s Engineering and Planning Center in Chattanooga will soon feature a high-voltage laboratory designed to develop and test electric... Read more →

Daimler Trucks’ Japan-based subsidiary FUSO recently introduced the eCanter SensorCollect concept truck with a demonstration run at its Kawasaki headquarters. The FUSO eCanter SensorCollect is a concept garbage collection truck based on the all-electric eCanter. The vehicle proposes an application of the emissions-free light-duty truck to make essential garbage collection... Read more →

Nikola Corporation announced a minimum order of 2,500 electric refuse trucks from Republic Services, expandable up to 5,000. This order is to begin full production deliveries in 2023 with on-road testing likely to begin in early 2022. The refuse trucks are anticipated to carry up to an industry-leading 720 kWh... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company has launched the IONIQ brand, which will be dedicated to battery electric vehicles. Under the IONIQ brand, Hyundai Motor will introduce three new dedicated models over the next four years with more innovative models to follow. The creation of IONIQ brand is in response to fast-growing market... Read more →

Bentley Motors has launched a three-year research study on electric vehicle powertrains, utilizing a fully integrated, free from rare-earth magnet e-axle that supports electric vehicle architectures. This reinforces Bentley’s ambition to lead sustainable luxury mobility and introduce the first fully electric Bentley by 2026. The study, titled OCTOPUS (Optimized Components,... Read more →

BASF and Toyota Motor North America Research & Development partnered on lightweighting with the new 2021 Toyota Sienna. The vehicle, scheduled to launch later this year, just won the prestigious Altair Enlighten Award for achievements in vehicle weight savings for reduced mass of the third row seat. In the previous... Read more →

After about a year of intensive practical use by ten customers in Germany and Switzerland, eight of the purely battery-powered Mercedes-Benz eActros trucks are now successively going to new customers in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. They also will put the eActros through its paces in tough everyday transport operations... Read more →

The 2021 Audi e-tron SUV family receives a number of updates and a new price point for the 2021 model year. The Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback are the first and second fully electric vehicles in the Audi lineup, laddering up to the brand’s commitment to 30% of the US... Read more →

China-based premium EV-maker NIO reported that it delivered 3,533 vehicles in July 2020, representing a robust 322.1% growth year-over-year. The deliveries consisted of 2,610 ES6s, the Company’s 5-seater high-performance premium smart electric SUV, and 923 ES8s, the Company’s 6-seater and 7-seater flagship premium smart electric SUV. As of 31 July... Read more →

Volvo Car Group, including its strategic affiliates Lynk & Co and Polestar, produce vehicles based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, introduced in 2017. To the end of July more than 600,000 group vehicles based on the platform have been sold. The CMA platform, co-developed by Volvo Cars and... Read more →

General Motors and EVgo plan to triple the size of the US’ largest public fast charging network by adding more than 2,700 new fast chargers over the next five years. The two companies will add fast charging stations to cities and suburbs, intending to unlock new EV customer segments and... Read more →

BluE Nexus Corporation (earlier post) and Toyota Motor Corporation will collaborate to prepare for the accelerated adoption of electrified vehicles by working together to increase their competitiveness in products related to electrification as well as to fortify their sales structure, including their technical support and services, among others, rendered to... Read more →

Hyundai Motor is upgrading its Bluelink connected car services technology with a range of new features. The new i30 will be the company’s first model to be equipped with the upgraded Bluelink. Hyundai’s Bluelink combines intelligent automotive and IT technologies in order to provide greater comfort, safety and convenience for... Read more →

Between 2020 and 2025, Groupe PSA will gradually move from two multi-energy platforms to two 100% electrified platforms to support its e-mobility development. The newly introduced eVMP (Electric Vehicle Modular Platform) platform will serve as the basis for a wide range of electric vehicles for the C- and D- segments.... Read more →

The BMW Group has set itself the goal of creating a closed and sustainable material cycle for battery cells. With a new pilot plant that will produce lithium-ion battery cells, the company is taking the next step in addressing all aspects of the battery cell value chain: from selection of... Read more →

Tuesday marked the beginning of steel construction at the all-new Ultium Cells LLC battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown. Ultium Cells LLC is a joint venture that will mass-produce Ultium battery cells for electric vehicles (earlier post) and create more than 1,100 new jobs in Northeast Ohio. Since May 2020,... Read more →

BMW i Ventures has invested in GenXComm, a company with technology that improves the performance and capacity of communication networks, and which aims to increase significantly the speed of global 5G deployment. GenXComm is ushering in the next revolution of computing and connectivity. Autonomous systems, like self-driving cars, are essentially... Read more →

Effective January 2021, Toyota Research Institute - Advanced Development, Inc. will expand and improve its operations into a holding company and two operating companies. The holding company will be Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. and the two operating companies under it will be Woven CORE, Inc., which will develop, implement and... Read more →

The BMW Group is making sustainability and resource efficiency central to the company’s strategic direction. Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse announced initial details of this strategic direction in Munich on Monday and presented the targets the company has set itself for the phase up to 2030. The... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group Test Center California has finished an expansion project that furthers the state-of-the-art development center’s capabilities and encompasses additional entities within the company under a new name—the Oxnard Engineering Campus. Supporting Volkswagen Group brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley and Porsche, work at the Oxnard campus is focused on... Read more →

Volkswagen, together with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and integration partner Siemens, is opening up the Industrial Cloud (earlier post) to other manufacturing and technology companies. New partner companies will be able to connect with Volkswagen plants and to contribute their own software applications for optimizing production processes to the Industrial... Read more →

In preparation for production of the fully-electric BMW i4, BMW Group Plant Munich will pause vehicle production for six weeks this summer. No cars will be produced between the end of the late shift on 23 July and the start of the early shift on 7 September. Plant Munich will... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz AG is grouping all drive system competencies across the group in the new unit “Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems” within the company. The transformation of Mercedes-Benz AG and its products in line with CO2-free mobility for the future brings with it significant changes for the drive system in particular. Therefore, the... Read more →

FCA and Waymo have expanded their autonomous driving technology partnership; FCA became Waymo’s first OEM partner in 2016. Waymo will now work exclusively with FCA as its preferred partner for the development and testing of class 1-3 light commercial vehicles for goods movement for commercial delivery customers, including Waymo Via.... Read more →

Ford has introduced the Mustang Mach-E 1400, a performance prototype based on the Mustang Mach-E EV. Developed in collaboration with RTR and built off a Mustang Mach-E GT body-in-white, the prototype targets 1,400 peak horsepower. The chassis and powertrain work together for a multitude of setups offering capability unlike any... Read more →