General Motors and LG Chem have announced plans to establish a battery cell assembly plant on a greenfield site in the Lordstown area of Northeast Ohio. The companies will invest up to $2.3 billion in the facility through a new joint venture. The new factory will eventually provide batteries for GM’s electric pickup truck, expected… Read more »
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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 »
California joins boycott of Trump-allied automakers
Following the disappointing decision by Toyota, GM and Fiat Chrysler to side with the Trump administration’s campaign to strip California of its authority to set stringent fuel economy standards, some pundits and influencers began calling for a boycott. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted, “Toyota, goodbye. The environmental goodwill you’ve built by pioneering hybrid cars… Read more »
Trump backs down on fuel economy standards, proposes compromise figures
The War on Fuel Economy Standards took another twist, as the Trump administration backed down from its plan to freeze fuel economy standards. “People familiar with the process” told the Wall Street Journal that the administration is now considering calling for a 1.5% annual increase in corporate average fuel efficiency. This target would be a… Read more »
Unions fear electrification will vaporize their jobs
As the legacy automakers finally begin to get serious about electrification, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the accelerating transition will result in a major restructuring of the industry, which seems likely to include substantial job losses. As a recent Bloomberg article reports, fear of the electric future is an underlying reason for the United Auto… 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 »
Be careful what you wish for department: Automakers now say Trump rollback of emissions standards goes too far
The legacy automakers are like a hopelessly lost driver, stuck at a fork in the road with no clue which direction to take. Two days after Trump’s election in 2016, they sent him a letter asking for previously-agreed fuel economy standards to be watered down. The new administration enthusiastically agreed, and began dismantling these and… Read more »
Letter from Italy: Tiny EVs rule, cops get charged
Tourists love Europe for its endless variety: just cross a border and you’ll encounter a different language, different architecture, different food – and a different mix of electric vehicles. On this summer’s trip, I visited Amsterdam, which has a huge variety of electrified transportation options; Switzerland, a car-loving country where Teslas are slowly but surely… Read more »
USABC awards $4.8-million battery tech contract to Zenlabs Energy
Battery company Zenlabs Energy has received a $4.8-million contract from the US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to develop low-cost, fast-charging batteries. The goal of the contract is to develop optimized cell designs and a scalable pre-Li method for high-capacity silicon oxide anodes. The 50 percent share contract funds a 30-month project. USABC is a subsidiary… Read more »
Bosch acquires motor maker EM-motive from Daimler
Bosch has acquired electric motor manufacturer EM-motive from Daimler. Since Bosch and Daimler set up EM-motive as a fifty-fifty joint venture in 2011, the company has manufactured some 450,000 electric motors. “For Bosch, the complete acquisition of EM-motive is the next logical step on the path to becoming the market leader for electromobility,” said Stefan Hartung,… Read more »