The electromobility revolution is gathering speed, but the world’s EV-makers have fallen behind popular tastes in terms of the form factors auto buyers want, and this has emerged as a roadblock to mass adoption. Buyers love SUVs and pickups, and automakers love the high profit margins associated with these models. Electric SUVs are starting to… Read more »
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Rivian raises $1.3 billion in funding
Rivian, an automaker that revealed its prototype electric pickup and SUV in November 2018, has raised $1.3 billion in a recent funding round led by T. Rowe Price Associates. Amazon and Ford also participated in the funding round. Designed as all-terrain EVs, Rivian’s launch products, the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, are notable for their… Read more »
Rivian’s VP of Propulsion: Thermal issues are the dominant limiting factor for maximizing EV performance
Charged recently chatted with Rivian’s VP of Propulsion Richard Farquhar to learn more about the design and development of the company’s unique electric platform (read the whole story in our upcoming issue). Farquhar spent 15 years as Powertrain Director at McLaren Automotive, designing and developing some of the highest-performance propulsion systems in the world for… Read more »
Fraunhofer developing die-cast aluminum coils for e-motors
Researchers at Germany’s esteemed Fraunhofer research organization have developed a casting technique to produce lightweight aluminum windings with a higher groove fill factor than conventional copper wire. The coils are composed of cast aluminum, and are based on a flat conductor arrangement, which leads to a higher slot fill factor and thus better use of… Read more »
Volkswagen motorsport goes electric
Volkswagen is by far the most charged of the legacy automakers. In November, the company announced that it would increase its planned investment in electrification. Now the German giant says it will revamp its motorsport programs to focus on electric mobility. From now on, the emphasis will be on fully electric racing cars, and ICE… Read more »
Rivian to provide skateboard chassis for electric Lincoln SUV
Last November, Rivian turned heads with its prototype pickup and SUV. Among those impressed was Ford, which invested $500 million in the EV startup and said it would use Rivian’s custom “skateboard” chassis, which includes electric motors, batteries, controls and suspension, to develop its own EV. Now Ford has announced that its first skateboard vehicle… Read more »
UPS partners with TEVVA Motors to introduce new PHEV vans to UK fleet
UPS is an electrification pioneer – the company has invested over $1 billion in alternative fuel projects since 2009, and currently has more than 10,000 alternative fuel vehicles in its global fleet. The logistics giant has teamed up with TEVVA Motors to develop a new class of electric delivery vehicles that addresses a particular problem:… Read more »
Ford’s collaboration with Rivian is just one of three paths to electrification
The American automakers’ plug-in programs may seem to have stalled, but both GM and Ford have exciting things bubbling beneath the surface, which are expected to burst forth sometime in the next couple of years. Ford has said it plans to invest $11.5 billion to introduce 40 electrified vehicles by 2022, of which 16 will… Read more »
SF Motors changes name to SERES, opens pre-orders for EV crossover
SF Motors is now SERES. The rechristened EV-maker began taking pre-orders for its crossover EV, the SF5, in April. The crossover will be available in two variants. The SF5 EV will feature 510 kW of maximum power, 1,040 Nm of torque, a top speed of 155 mph, and a 3.5-second zero-to-60 time. The SF5 EVR… Read more »
Rivian reveals impressive electric pickup truck and SUV
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, pickup trucks are popular – they made up 16% of US auto sales in 2017 (per Trucks.com). If EVs are to move into the mainstream, somebody needs to produce a mass-market pickup. Startups Workhorse, Havelaar and Bollinger have pickups in the pipeline; Tesla has been talking; and Ford finally feels… Read more »