Newswire

Kratzer Automation launches new battery test and simulation device

Kratzer Automation has developed the VES4.1-c, a new battery test and simulation device. The VES4.1-c features an increased rated current and overload capability, as well as Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT) interface. The device has a maximum current of 1,000 amps and maximum electrical output of up to 300 kW. Dirk Stübener, Product Manager… Read more »

Volkswagen begins EV pre-production at Chinese plant

Volkswagen has begun pre-production in its plant in Anting, Shanghai, which will be singularly focused on manufacturing the automaker’s all-electric Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) models for the Chinese market. The first vehicle produced will be the China-specific Volkswagen ID. model. Full-scale production at the Anting plant is scheduled for October 2020, at which point… Read more »

Ford and Webasto reveal one-off Mustang EV prototype with 900 hp

Ford and parts supplier Webasto have revealed the Mustang Lithium, a one-off high-performance electric Mustang fastback prototype that boasts more than 1,000 ft-lbs of torque and more than 900 hp. With the unveiling, Ford says it hopes to gauge customer interest in electric sports cars. It is also using the vehicle as a test bed… Read more »

Honda turns up the voltage in Europe: another new EV, no more diesels, no more hydrogen

Red-blooded Americans were disappointed at Honda’s announcement that its new Honda E city car will not be coming to the US, but we have to compliment the company on its electrifying plans for the European market. The E is scheduled to go on sale on the Continent in summer 2020 with a $33,000 price tag,… Read more »

Owner video: Tesla mobile team retrofits Model X with new Full Self-Driving computer

Earlier this year, Tesla revealed the Full Self-Driving (FSD) computer, with a proprietary Tesla chip. The company says the new board outperforms the older Nvidia-based hardware by a factor of 21. Since April, the new computer has been installed in every new Tesla. Owners of older vehicles who have paid for the Full Self-Driving package… Read more »

Chinese EV maker to use BorgWarner’s iDM e-axle in upcoming vehicle

Michigan-based parts supplier BorgWarner has announced a partnership with an unnamed Chinese EV maker to supply its fully-integrated e-axle, the iDM, for an upcoming EV. This partnership is BorgWarner’s first iDM project in China. The automaker expects the EV to go into mass production in 2021. BorgWarner’s e-axle system integrates the power electronics, transmission, and… Read more »

Formula E picks battery pack from Lucid subsidiary Atieva for a second season

Atieva, the technology wing of Silicon Valley-based Lucid Motors, has earned an impressive vote of confidence. The Formula E electric racing series has chosen Atieva’s battery pack for a second consecutive season. The Atieva pack will power the entire 24-car Formula E field for the upcoming 2019/20 season, which will consist of 14 races. Atieva’s… Read more »

Everybody’s talking about Tesla’s Cybertruck

In show business, when you don’t like an act, but you don’t want to say anything negative, you say it’s “interesting.” Well, the word “interesting” is getting a lot of use today, after Tesla unveiled what is definitely its most radical-looking vehicle, and perhaps the most radical-looking production vehicle in automotive history. I think the… Read more »

Cree to supply SiC semiconductors to ZF for electric drives

Cree, a US maker of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors, has partnered with German parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen to supply SiC semiconductors for electric drives. ZF will initially use Cree’s technology to fulfill pre-existing orders from several auto manufacturers for silicon carbide-based electric drives, but ZF hopes to make silicon carbide electric drivelines available to the… Read more »