Plug-in sales in China are going wild – annual sales for 2016 are expected to exceed 350,000. The country now has the largest plug-in fleet in the world: over 650,000 vehicles, surpassing Europe (630,000) and the US (560,000). Upcoming changes to government incentive programs contributed to a sales surge for small EVs in November. The… Read more »
Ford has announced that it plans to introduce 13 new electrified vehicles over the next five years, including hybrid versions of the F-150 pickup and Mustang. The automaker will invest $700 million to equip its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan to produce autonomous and electric vehicles, part of a $4.5-billion investment in electrified vehicles… Read more »
The powertrain joint venture announced in April by tech giants Valeo and Siemens has begun operations. Valeo Siemens eAutomotive is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, and is expected to have some 1,000 employees. It has plans to establish R&D centers in Europe and China. The JV’s portfolio includes motors, range extenders, onboard chargers, inverters and DC/DC… Read more »
The DOE is issuing a funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001629) for the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) of up to $19.7 million to support research and development of advanced vehicle technologies. The funding opportunity seeks projects in four areas, including Battery500 Seedling Projects. The VTO Battery500 Consortium has set a goal of doubling the specific energy of lithium… Read more »
Japanese EV startup GLM displayed two vehicles, the GLM-G4 and GLM-ZZ, at a recent charity party in Hong Kong. Kyoto-based GLM was established in 2010, and has established partnerships with over 100 tech companies to develop “new forms of vehicles and transportation.” GLM provides a packaged solution that includes chassis, power systems and vehicle control… Read more »
As the Aloha State registers its 5,000th EV, a new group has been formed to accelerate the adoption of EVs and coordinate integration with renewable energy. Charter members of Drive Electric Hawaii include the state’s DOT, several electric utilities and the Rocky Mountain Institute. “The primary focus of the Drive Electric Hawaii Initiative is to… Read more »
Transmission specialist Oerlikon Graziano introduced a new EV transmission and the concept of a new modular front-wheel-drive hybrid transmission at the recent CTI Symposium and Transmission Expo in Berlin. The new single-speed EV transmission is designed for maximum input torque of 270 N·m (199 lb-ft) and maximum input speed of 14,000 rpm. A new lubrication… Read more »
Hubject is a Berlin-based company that provides a solution for the exchange of data among charging networks. Hubject’s eRoaming platform is analogous to the networks that enable ATMs, mobile phones and other conveniences of modern life to work together smoothly. Hubject was founded in 2012 by a group of companies including BMW, Daimler, Bosch and… Read more »
As EV ranges increase, charging levels are on the way up too. Phoenix Contact, EVgo and Porsche are among the companies developing more powerful charging systems. Naturally, Tesla has plans to outdo them all. In a recent tweet, Elon Musk hinted at something called Supercharger V3, which presumably will offer charging levels higher than the… Read more »
Nissan has introduced a fully automated vehicle towing system at its Oppama Plant in Japan. The Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT) system uses a modified LEAF with autonomous capability to tow trollies carrying finished vehicles between loading and unloading points at the plant. The plant’s existing logistics system uses human drivers to transport finished vehicles from… Read more »
