Can new electric entries in a hugely popular segment convince US buyers to buy EVs from Nissan and VW as family vehicles? Two new battery-electric models from major global car brands are about to bring electric cars into a category where they’ve been notably absent: family crossover utility vehicles. The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 and 2022… Read more »
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Indianapolis EV-sharing project folds after four years
In 2015, French conglomerate the Bolloré Group opened an all-EV car-sharing service called BlueIndy in Indianapolis. Alas, BlueIndy announced plans to close last December, and terminated operations in May. “This difficult decision to end the service has been made because we did not reach the level of activity required to be economically viable,” said BlueIndy… Read more »
France’s 8-billion-euro auto industry bailout includes support for EVs
France has announced an auto industry bailout package worth some 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion), and it includes substantial support for electrification. The new funds are in addition to a 5-billion-euro loan guarantee being considered for struggling Renault, and the many millions already spent on temporary unemployment payments to auto workers. According to Le Monde,… Read more »
Monthly EV market share in Germany tops 9 percent, led by Tesla Model 3
Germany, Europe’s largest auto market, has been slower than some of its neighbors to embrace EVs, but things seem to be changing fast. In March, plug-in vehicles accounted for a record 9.2% of the total auto market (as reported by CleanTechnica). The balance between pure EVs and PHEVs was about even. For the first time,… Read more »
Tesla Fremont factory stays open, workers can stay home if they choose
As the San Francisco Bay Area goes into near-lockdown mode, Tesla’s manufacturing facility in Fremont will remain open. Alameda County’s “shelter-in-place” order makes exceptions for “essential businesses,” and a county spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that Tesla falls into this category. UPDATE: Tesla forced to shut down production at Fremont factory The Palo Alto-based… Read more »
Enevate says its silicon-dominant anode technology is ready for EV production
Q&A with Enevate’s Founder and CTO Dr. Benjamin Park Introducing silicon into automotive-grade lithium-ion cells has been a major topic in the EV industry in the past decade. Silicon is widely considered to be the next big thing in anode technology, because it has a theoretical charge capacity ten times higher than that of typical graphite anodes…. Read more »
DiDi to launch shared EV fleet in Mexico
Chinese ridesharing company DiDi Chuxing plans to launch a fleet of electrified vehicles in Mexico. The rollout will include over 700 EVs and hybrids from OEMs such as BYD and Renault. Of these, 200 EVs will be for the exclusive use of DiDi drivers. DiDi claims to operate the world’s largest EV fleet, including nearly… Read more »
Is IONITY’s prodigious price increase designed to steer customers to “mobility services?”
EV advocates cheered the advent of IONITY, a European charging network owned by a joint venture of BMW, Daimler, Ford, and the Volkswagen Group. The network currently includes 205 DC fast charging stations in 18 European countries, and aims to have 400 in service by the end of 2020. However, the applause has recently been… Read more »
Letter from South America: electric buses rolling in Chile, Colombia and Ecuador
Electric buses are on a roll worldwide, thanks to their compelling economic and environmental benefits. South America, which is rapidly urbanizing, heavily dependent on bus transit and plagued by air pollution, is emerging as a major market for e-buses. According to Intelligent Transport, South American bus networks transport nearly 13 times more passengers than European… Read more »
Volkswagen CEO: electrification won’t hurt profit margins
Volkswagen, which has unveiled the most ambitious electrification plans of any of the legacy automakers, does not believe the transition to EVs will hurt its profit margins, CEO Herbert Diess said in an interview with la Repubblica (via Reuters). “We do not expect a deterioration in margins. Our advantage is that all our brands have… Read more »