In the bad old days when the only batteries suitable for traction applications were flooded lead-acid and Ni-Cd types, the battery was the least efficient component of an EV powertrain, routinely delivering back only 50-70% of the amp-hours that went into charging it (aka the Coulometric efficiency). When you knew you were going to be… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Tesla"
Nissan announces pricing for the new longer-range LEAF PLUS
Springtime is at hand, and two long-awaited EVs have finally sprung forth – first the $35,000 Tesla Model 3, and now the 200-mile Nissan LEAF. Nissan has announced that the new LEAF PLUS will go on sale at retailers across the US this month. The LEAF PLUS sports a new 62 kWh battery pack that… Read more »
Volvo unveils fully electric Polestar 2
Polestar, Volvo’s electric performance sub-brand, has unveiled its first pure EV. The Polestar 2 is an “avant-garde 5-door fastback” that offers all-wheel drive, 300 kW of power, 660 Nm of torque, an estimated range of 275 miles, and a 0-100 km/h time of less than five seconds. It sports front and rear DC-AC inverters, a… Read more »
Lucid Motors said to be working on electric SUV
Lucid Motors is one of the most interesting of a crop of young EV startups that are hoping to duplicate Tesla’s formula of launching a luxury EV as the first step towards bringing EVs to the mainstream (see our interview with CTO Peter Rawlinson in the March/April 2018 issue of Charged). A prototype of that… Read more »
Daimler and BMW to invest a billion euros in ride-hailing JV to compete with Uber
The combination of autonomous vehicles and ride-hailing services is expected to be an extraordinarily disruptive development. Someday, providers of Transportation as a Service (TaaS) could be sitting atop the value chain, while traditional automakers end up as producers of a commodity product. Automakers aren’t sitting idly by and waiting for the market to develop. Just… Read more »
Spy photo shows plug-in Ford F-150 pickup truck
What are the two most important stories in today’s automotive world? Electrification and pickup trucks. The former represents a developing trend that’s going to disrupt and completely rearrange the industry. The second isn’t a news story, but it is the most popular product the industry has ever produced (at least in the US), a vehicle… Read more »
Global automakers planning to invest over $300 billion in electrification
Global automakers are planning an unprecedented level of investment to develop electrified vehicles and procure batteries over the next five to 10 years, according to a Reuters analysis of public data. Carmakers have announced plans to spend at least $300 billion on electrification projects. The lion’s share – some $136 billion – will be directed… Read more »
Ford hints at electric version of F-Series pickup truck
The electrification of transport is accelerating, but industry observers agree that it won’t be a truly mass-market trend until there’s an electric version of America’s favorite vehicle: the pickup truck. Now Ford has hinted at plans to launch an all-electric version of the F-Series pickup truck, which has been called the most successful consumer product… Read more »
Daimler delivers first Freightliner electric commercial truck to Penske
Daimler Trucks North America has delivered the first vehicle in its Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet – a Freightliner eM2 – to Penske Truck Leasing. Next year, Penske will put an additional 9 medium-duty electric eM2 trucks and 10 heavy-duty eCascadia electric trucks into service in California and the Pacific Northwest. Penske will place the EVs… Read more »
Audi joins the class of 2019 with the e-tron
A new generation of EVs is beginning to appear on the roads, and these cars have what it takes to compete head-to-head with fossil fuel vehicles. They offer more than enough range to cover anyone’s daily commute, and thanks to vast new charging networks such as Electrify America and Europe’s Ionity, they are increasingly able to… Read more »