Delivery and cargo vans represent an excellent use case for electrification, but US buyers have a limited selection of electric options, so it’s welcome news that Ram has unveiled its first EV for the US—the Ram ProMaster electric van. The new Ram ProMaster EV will eventually be offered in five configurations. The delivery model is… Read more »
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New report: automakers have secured less than a fifth of battery metals required for 2030 EV production
When it comes to electrifying by the magic date of 2030, automakers talk a great game—but if you want to know which companies are serious about electrification, look into which ones are lining up supplies of critical battery minerals. According to a recent report from Transport & Environment (T&E), automakers in the European market have… Read more »
Cummins to pay $1.6-billion fine for installing VW-style emissions cheating devices
Here we go again. The scandal that we dubbed VW’s Dirty Diesel Debacle opened a lot of folks’ eyes to the true priorities of automakers and other corporations. As reported in these pages, VW was truly sorry that it got caught, and performed several acts of contrition—it bought back a fraction of the defective cars,… Read more »
6K Energy wins $50-million DOE grant for PlusCAM battery material production plant in Tennessee
6K Energy, a provider of critical materials for lithium-ion batteries, has won a $50-million grant from the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains for its PlusCAM battery material production plant located in Jackson, Tennessee. The company will apply the 50 big ones to the estimated $200-million construction cost for the factory. The PlusCAM… Read more »
Archer Aviation and Abu Dhabi Investment aim to launch electric air taxi service in UAE
California-headquartered Archer Aviation, a designer and developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), an independent economic development agency of the UAE government, to jointly work toward commencing air taxi operations in Abu Dhabi in 2026. Archer’s goal is to replace… Read more »
Next Jeep Wrangler to be available only as a plug-in vehicle
Fans of Jeeps, with their rugged, noisy, militaristic image, would seem to be unlikely buyers of EVs. But if you look at vehicle performance rather than demographic identity, a different picture emerges. As prolific EV writer John Voelcker recently noted, off-roading is actually an ideal application for EVs. “Maximum torque at extremely low motor speeds,… Read more »
Winners and losers from GM’s rollback of its EV plans
When GM agreed to unionize its EV battery plants, we applauded the move, believing that the destructive UAW strike would end with the US Big Three legacy automakers and their unions beginning to come to terms with the EV future. We were wrong. As of this writing, the UAW has reached a tentative agreement with… Read more »
GM agrees to unionize EV battery plants. Will other US automakers follow suit?
The United Autoworkers’ strike doubtless has multiple causes, but the transition to EVs is certainly one bone of contention. EVs are simpler machines than legacy vehicles, and many expect this to translate into less demand for human labor. A wave of new battery plants will surely create new jobs, but some fear that automakers will… Read more »
LG Energy Solution will invest $3 billion in US plant to supply Toyota with EV batteries
Another sign that the sleeping Japanese giant is starting to stir: Toyota has signed a supply agreement with Korean battery-maker LG Energy Solution for lithium-ion batteries that Toyota will use in its US-built EVs starting in 2025. LGES will invest $3 billion in its Holland, Michigan battery facility for dedicated production lines to supply a… Read more »
As 2023 wanes, legacy automakers fall farther behind Tesla and BYD
Ever since Tesla’s 2003 founding, industry observers (and even the company’s own execs) have been predicting that the giant global automakers would respond to the new company’s challenge, produce their own compelling EVs, and surpass (or perhaps even acquire) the upstart. Two decades later, that scenario seems more unlikely than ever. As Tom Randall writes… Read more »