For the last couple of years, EV fans have been eagerly awaiting a new version of the LEAF with a 200-mile range to match that of the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan did launch a redesigned 2018 LEAF, with a 40 kWh battery pack and 150 miles of range, early this year, but… Read more »
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Chinese lithium producer will supply a fifth of its production to Tesla
One of China’s top producers of lithium has agreed to supply a fifth of its lithium hydroxide production to Tesla’s battery suppliers. The agreement with Jiangxi-based Ganfeng Lithium runs from 2018 to 2020, and could be extended by three years. EV-makers have been scrambling to secure supplies of lithium for the past couple of years…. Read more »
2019 Audi e-tron feels like the real thing
This time, it feels different. We long-suffering EV journalists have been snookered time and again – automakers have launched new EVs, and we’ve covered them with enthusiasm and optimism, only to be disappointed when the companies failed to market them, and turned them into low-volume compliance cars. Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Kia, Audi and others have… Read more »
A look at Lucid Motors: Q&A with CTO Peter Rawlinson
The legacy automakers are slowly and methodically developing new EVs, with various levels of enthusiasm, but the most ambitious plans for new vehicles are coming from a handful of EV startups. Most of these pioneers of the new auto industry share a formula: deep-pocketed investors (many from China), former Tesla employees on staff, and plans… Read more »
VW secures battery supplies to support major EV expansion
Volkswagen says it has lined up 20 billion euros ($25 billion) worth of battery supplies to support a significant increase in EV production over the next few years. The world’s largest automaker will equip 16 factories to produce EVs by the end of 2022, compared with the three it has today. VW says it plans… Read more »
BMW takes steps to ensure more responsible production of cobalt
And the dirty little secret of EVs is…cobalt. The metallic element is used in significant quantities in EV batteries. Unfortunately, about half the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a war-torn land in which working conditions are bad, and child labor is common. In 2014, as many as 40,000 children worked… Read more »
Ricardo to integrate 800 V electric powertrain for Fisker EMotion
Fisker has selected global engineering firm Ricardo to integrate the electric powertrain for the upcoming Fisker EMotion. The partnership will include integration of Fisker’s proprietary charger, battery pack and e-axle systems. The EMotion powertrain, including the motors, inverters and power electronics, is based on an 800 V architecture, which, according to Fisker, delivers many benefits,… Read more »
Korean battery-makers to introduce NCM 811 cells
There’s a new battery cell in town, and everybody’s talking about its better energy density and lower costs. South Korean cell maker SK Innovation recently announced that its new NCM 811 cells would be available in December for stationary storage systems, and in the third quarter of 2018 for EVs. SK’s current cells use an… Read more »
Analyst predicts Tesla will have a near-monopoly in EVs
As Tesla soars and the legacy automakers waffle, a classic disruption scenario, unthinkable only a couple of years ago, seems ever more likely. The latest to reach this conclusion is analyst Alexander Haissl of Hamburg’s Berenberg Bank, who predicts in a recent report that Tesla will end up with a near-monopoly of the EV market…. Read more »
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV: The era of long-range, mid-priced EVs is here
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will surely be remembered as a milestone model in automotive history – and hopefully for more than just the hype that heralded it. For several years, the punditocracy has been saying that the “killer app” that would bring electromobility to a “tipping point” and build that all-important “critical mass” would… Read more »