Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will join EV100, The Climate Group’s business initiative on electric vehicles. Through the initiative, AstraZeneca pledges to transition its fleet of 16,000 vehicles to EVs. AstraZeneca is the 50th business and first global healthcare company to join EV100, which now includes companies representing $900 billion in annual turnover and 2.8 million employees,… Read more »
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BYD and Toyota partner to develop sedans and SUVs for the Chinese market
Chinese EV maker BYD and Toyota have signed an agreement for the joint development of electric vehicles. The two companies will develop sedans and low-floor SUVs as well as the onboard batteries for these vehicles and others. They aim to launch the new models in the Chinese market under the Toyota brand in the first… Read more »
Bye Aerospace tests eFlyer 2 prototype with 90 kW Siemens motor
E-plane startup Bye Aerospace has begun flight tests of its two-seat eFlyer 2 prototype, equipped with a new 90 kW Siemens SP70D production motor. The new motor weighs 57 pounds and features a 90 kW peak rating (120 hp) and a continuous power rating of 70 kW (94 hp). In addition to the new motor,… Read more »
Protean’s corner module concept includes motor, suspension and 360-degree steering
In-wheel motor pioneer Protean Electric has introduced a new ‘corner module’ concept that integrates a vehicle’s powertrain, steering and suspension within a single product. The new Protean360+ module offers a limitless 360-degree steering capability combined with suspension, pneumatic ride-height control, and a ProteanDrive in-wheel electric motor. The 360-degree steering capability is made possible by a… Read more »
Hyperdrive opens new battery manufacturing facility in UK
UK-based battery maker Hyperdrive Innovation has opened the doors to HYVE, a new battery manufacturing facility at the company’s Sunderland UK home base. Hyperdrive says the new facility will allow it to produce up to 30,000 battery packs annually. Since moving to Sunderland in 2014, the company has invested £7 million in its manufacturing capabilities…. Read more »
MAHLE’s new EV thermal system is designed to cut winter range loss
Automotive supplier MAHLE has developed a compact heat pump system (Integrated Thermal System, or ITS) that it says can increase winter cruising range for EVs by up to 20%. Electric vehicles don’t produce the waste heat that ICE vehicles do, so most EVs today rely on direct resistive heating by electric heaters to heat the… Read more »
Volvo and Samsung SDI partner on battery packs for electric trucks
Volvo and Samsung SDI have partnered to develop battery packs for Volvo’s electric trucks. Samsung SDI will provide battery cells and modules. In December, Volvo announced plans to demonstrate its VNR electric regional-haul truck in 2019. The company has eyed commercialization in 2020. Volvo President and CEO Martin Lundstedt said, “With electromobility, the increasing needs… Read more »
Tritium to become sole supplier of rapid chargers for UK’s DRIVE ENERGI
Tritium, a manufacturer of fast chargers, has signed a deal with BOX ENERGI to be the sole supplier of rapid chargers for the DRIVE ENERGI charging network currently in development in the UK. DRIVE ENERGI aims to install 2,500 charging locations by 2025, with at least 100 sites live by the end of January 2020…. Read more »
Continental’s new power module is designed for electric SUVs
Automotive supply giant Continental has launched a third-generation power module designed for a broad range of EVs, including electric SUVs and race cars. The new generation delivers six times the performance of the company’s first-generation power electronics and a reduction in weight from 12 kilograms to 8 kilograms. Continental produces its new power electronics using… Read more »
Four automakers make a deal with California on fuel efficiency
In a setback for the Trump administration’s campaign of sweeping away environmental regulations, four automakers have forged a deal with California that imposes only a moderate relaxation of the Obama-era federal fuel economy standards, rather than the radical rollback requested by the Republican regime. Regular Charged readers will be familiar with the story so far:… Read more »