Cargo capacity has always been a sore point with legacy-brand (non-Tesla) EVs. The already limited cargo space in hatchbacks such as the LEAF and Bolt has been cannibalized for the battery, and the rear seats are not designed to fold flat. Well, if you’re willing to sacrifice the rear seats entirely, you may be able… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "VIA Motors"
Tesla files patent for new type of stator
The diversity of electric motors used in today’s EVs is quite striking. Motor-makers have a huge range of choices, from materials to rotor and stator designs, and they’ve explored many different possibilities. In April, teardown specialist Sandy Munro analyzed 10 leading EV motors and developed a comprehensive side-by-side comparison report. Designing a motor involves trade-offs… Read more »
Buick launches Velite 6 PHEV in China
China is Buick’s largest market, and the brand seems to be GM’s chosen channel to introduce its new energy vehicles. Buick offers a wide range of electrified models, from 48 V mild-hybrids to pure EVs, in China. Last October, Buick launched the Velite 6 Plus, an EV with a range of 255 miles. Now Buick… Read more »
Hyundai/Kia’s new EV heat pump technology
Hyundai and Kia have revealed the details of their new heat pump system, which is designed to maximize EV driving range in low temperatures. The automakers say the heat pump maximizes the distance that EVs can travel on a single charge by scavenging waste heat to warm the cabin. The original technology was introduced in… Read more »
China sales and impending Semi production send Tesla shares into the stratosphere
Tesla’s stock briefly cracked the thousand-dollar mark, setting a new all-time high and raising the company’s market valuation to over $180 billion, making it the world’s most valuable automaker, after Toyota. The main impetus for the stock surge seems to have been a stellar sales report from China. Tesla sold 11,095 Shanghai-made Model 3s in… Read more »
Download EV Charging Product Guide for designing safer, more efficient and reliable charging stations
Sponsored by Littelfuse The adoption of electric and hybrid electric vehicles depends on a network of charging stations. Consumers don’t want to run out of juice in a place where they cannot recharge their vehicles. Adoption also depends on reductions in charging time, the goal being to get EV charging time on par with a… Read more »
Seven future electric pickup trucks. Maybe.
Over the first 10 years of their existence, most modern battery-electric cars have been compact hatchbacks or Teslas. While a few are marketed as crossover utility vehicles, none have been the full-size pickup trucks that make up a huge and very profitable segment of US vehicle sales. That’s about to change. What follows is a… Read more »
Specialized motor materials and constructions (Part 1)
When demand drives innovation, the state of the art can progress quite rapidly, but if the demand is not there yet, the end result is often the proverbial “solution in search of a problem.” One of the most prominent examples of this is the lithium-ion battery, which was developed in the 1970s, but didn’t really… Read more »
GM exec: There will be “no slowdown” to EV programs
GM is one of several automakers that had ambitious EV plans in the pipeline before the global health crisis hit. Now lockdowns are being lifted, but the outlook for the auto industry is bleak. Will GM’s EV programs fall victim to cost-cutting, as a planned Lincoln/Rivian collaboration already has? Ken Morris, a 31-year GM veteran… Read more »
NASA releases concept images of electric X-57 Maxwell airplane
NASA has released a series of concept images of the X-57 Maxwell electric airplane, showcasing aspects of its final Mod IV configuration during different flight modes. The artist’s concept image shows the Maxwell in its final configuration. This configuration, known as Mod IV, features a high-aspect ratio wing, relocation of the cruise motors to the… Read more »