Tesla seems to have settled into a sustainable Model 3 production rate of at least 5,000 units per week. In its recent shareholder letter, the company reported that it had eliminated some bottlenecks, and now hopes to produce over 50,000 Model 3s during the current quarter. Tesla’s friends were happy to hear that the frenzied… Read more »
Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), which recently announced a plan to be acquired by Cummins, has introduced its EDI PowerDrive 4000ev, suited for Type-A school buses. The Class 4 offering rounds out the company’s electric school bus solution portfolio for the North American market, which now includes Types C, D, and A. With a captive ridership… Read more »
A new report from non-profit think tank Next 10 explores how the power grid might be challenged or helped by the rise of EVs. Two related reports look at the effects of distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar panels, and of Community Choice Aggregators, a growing local alternative to investor-owned utilities. According to Next… Read more »
The Port of San Diego recently deployed two electric cargo vehicles as part of a project funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to accelerate the port’s transition to zero-emission transport. The CEC awarded nearly $6 million to the San Diego Port Tenants Association to demonstrate 10 vehicles and other sustainable freight technologies in and… Read more »
By this time, Tesla should have been firmly on a slow but steady upward trajectory. After the last earnings report, it felt as if a corner had been turned. Tesla says (and Evercore ISI analyst George Galliers has corroborated) that it should have no problem sustaining a production rate of 5,000 vehicles per week, and… Read more »
Auto tech specialist Dana has been working to create a drivetrain for the Mecalac e12 electric compact wheeled excavator. The vehicle will use Mecalac’s 12MTX as a base frame, Spicer 112 axles and a Spicer 367 shift-on-fly transmission. The e12 will be equipped with a 146 kWh LiFePO4 battery pack that can charge in seven… Read more »
Auto tech specialist BorgWarner has developed an exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) for hybrids and PHEVs that’s designed to reduce engine warm-up time. Because the EHRS reduces the time an engine is running cold, it also reduces emissions and can increase fuel economy by up to 8.5%, according to BorgWarner. Production will begin later this… Read more »
Horiba Automotive Test Systems, a Japan-based supplier in the fields of engine, driveline, brake and emissions test systems, has agreed to acquire FuelCon, a German manufacturer of R&D and end-of-line test beds and turnkey solutions for EV battery and fuel cell applications. For the Horiba group, this acquisition represents a move to increase its presence… Read more »
Engine and powertrain specialist Henkel aims to solidify its e-mobility commitment by investing in several new EV-oriented manufacturing processes. Henkel has chosen to focus on developing several adhesive and liquid gasketing materials as well as PCB technologies, part cleaners and lubricants. Here’s the breakdown: Liquid gasketing: Henkel offers a wide range of different gasketing technologies. Recent… Read more »
As a tree-hugging greenie, I tend to be prejudiced against SUVs, but after a week with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, I couldn’t really find anything not to like. This medium-size crossover drives great, it’s comfortable, and it has all the high-tech goodies we’ve come to expect. The electric range of 22 miles is enough to… Read more »
