A Finnish-American start-up with ambitious goals wants to change how we think about batteries. The concept of an EV that supports the quick removal and replacement of a discharged battery pack was all the rage about 5 years ago. Since then, however, various systems have been attempted and subsequently abandoned by companies like BetterPlace, Renault,… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Fisker"
Karma announces supply agreement with BMW
Karma Automotive (formerly Fisker) has announced that BMW will supply a wide range of hybrid and EV components, including high-voltage battery charging systems, for Karma’s new vehicle that’s now in development. Karma will integrate BMW components into its flagship PHEV, which it plans to re-launch in 2016. The company says it already a next generation… Read more »
Under new Chinese owners, A123 finds promising niche in micro-hybrid market
Most Charged readers will certainly remember A123, the company that was founded in 2001 on the basis of promising battery technology developed at MIT; received a $249-million grant from the DOE and $100 million in tax breaks from the state of Michigan; raised $380 million in a 2009 IPO; made a bad bet on Fisker… Read more »
Another Chinese-backed startup announces plans for an electric supercar
New EV companies are cropping up like dendrites on a lithium metal anode. The latest startup to emerge from stealth mode is called NextEV. Like many of the current crop (see Faraday Future, Atieva, Fisker, Leshi), NextEV is backed by Chinese investors, and is not affiliated with a traditional automaker, although it has recruited execs… Read more »
Tesla: US should pressure China to lower barriers to US automakers
Chinese president Xi Jinping will be visiting the US next month, and Tesla, for one, thinks the Obama administration should talk to him about about making it easier for US automakers to do business in China. All the big global OEMs produce vehicles in China, mostly through joint ventures, as foreign carmakers are prohibited from… Read more »
New independent EV builder makes the scene
The difficulty of starting up a car company, and the unlikelihood of anyone duplicating Tesla’s success, are so well known as to require no repetition here. Suffice it to say that Faraday Future’s recent colorfully-worded announcement that it intends to bring a new EV to the market has been greeted with predictable skepticism. However, the… Read more »
Tesla’s batteries – past, present and future
This article is an excerpt from Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution by Charged Senior Editor Charles Morris. Tesla seems to make a point of doing things differently than other automakers, and its battery pack – the most critical component of any EV –… Read more »
Johnson Matthey acquires A123’s cathode materials plant
Johnson Matthey has completed its acquisition of A123 Systems’ cathode materials manufacturing facility in Changzhou, China. The plant produces lithium iron phosphate (LFP), the cathode material that A123 has been using. The companies have signed a long-term supply agreement by which Johnson Matthey will supply all of A123’s LFP requirements. Johnson Matthey will produce A123’s… Read more »
BYD chief: Electric buses and PHEV consumer cars will lead the Chinese boom
The head of Chinese automaker BYD sees a major plug-in boom on the horizon, but has some definite ideas about the proper roles of PHEVs vis a vis pure EVs. Some would say the party has already started – BYD’s share price has nearly doubled this year, as the company delivered 6,600 units of its… Read more »
$16 billion in DOE loans still available for auto suppliers
The DOE is encouraging auto suppliers to step forward for a share of $16 billion in low-interest financing that’s still available under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program. Congress created the ATVM program in 2007, and it famously lent about $8.4 billion to Ford, Nissan, Tesla and Fisker. Although the program hasn’t approved… Read more »