This is a meeting that promises to be fascinating for any EV fan—Elon Musk speaks to auto manufacturing expert Sandy Munro for over 45 minutes. Sandy has become something of an internet star of late for his insightful comments (both positive and negative) about Teslas and other EVs. In this new video on the Munro… Read more »
If urban drivers who lack garages or assigned parking spaces are to go electric, some sort of easily accessible public charging infrastructure will need to be developed. One proposed solution is a network of local “superhubs” of DC fast chargers. Electric transportation company Revel is building just such a Superhub at the historic former Pfizer… Read more »
Ford’s Q4 2020 earnings report included an announcement that the automaker will increase its investments in electrification to at least $22 billion through 2025, nearly twice the previously-announced level (the company also committed an additional $7 billion to autonomous vehicle tech). As auto analyst John Voelcker pointed out, Ford’s figure tops GM’s announced investment of… Read more »
Hydrogen fuel cells are controversial—several automakers, including Daimler, Honda, GM and Volkswagen, have abandoned the technology, while Toyota continues to pursue it. Hydrogen opponents cite its inefficiency relative to batteries, and question the wisdom of building a complex and costly new infrastructure. On the other hand, many believe that hydrogen may have a role to… Read more »
ODOS, a developer of IoT cloud platforms for remote real-time data streaming, and Eatron, a developer of AI-powered BMS and analytics software, have just signed a partnership agreement to provide EV battery analytics. The partnership will integrate a connected intelligent BMS with cloud analytics services to offer vehicle manufacturers and fleet owners full visibility of… Read more »
U.S. Gain, a specialist in the development of alternative fuels, now plans to offer “credit generation” to electric “fleets and forklifts” in California, which the company says will open a new revenue stream for customers. U.S. Gain touts its experience with credit generation programs such as the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), California’s Low Carbon… Read more »
Merchants Fleet, a national fleet management company, plans to procure 12,600 light commercial EVs from BrightDrop, GM’s recently-announced business venture. Merchants Fleet expects the BrightDrop EV600, an electric van optimized for last-mile goods delivery, to enter its clients’ fleets starting in early 2023. BrightDrop’s EV600 will be built on GM’s Ultium platform. The new e-van… Read more »
AEM EV plans to release a comprehensive control system for EV conversions using a Tesla Large Drive Unit (LDU) Base Drive that increases horsepower over the factory output. AEM’s Inverter Control Board was co-developed with Cascadia Motion, a maker of EV propulsion systems, and is intended to be combined with AEM EV’s VCU200 vehicle control… Read more »
China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, a Hong Kong-listed unit of the real-estate giant Evergrande Group, has raised HK$26 billion ($3.35 billion US) in an offering of 952 million new shares. The company will use the new funding for R&D, vehicle production, and to retire older debt. China Evergrande NEV is controlled by Hui Ka-yan,… Read more »
Palo Alto-based Archer has teamed up with Fiat Chrysler (FCA) to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with the intent of starting production in 2023. FCA has already collaborated on cockpit design elements of Archer’s first aircraft, which is expected to be unveiled early this year. Archer’s goal is to create a vertically… Read more »
