Tesla is increasing its focus on perfecting its manufacturing process. As Zachary Shahan writes in a recent CleanTechnica article, “the machine that builds the machine” just may be Elon Musk’s favorite phrase these days. In fact, Musk expects Tesla’s manufacturing prowess to give it an edge over other EV-makers. “Tesla’s long-term competitive advantage will be… Read more »
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Michigan awards $1.7 million in grants for DC fast chargers
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has awarded $1.7 million in grants for DC fast chargers along well-traveled routes around the state. The EGLE Charge Up Michigan Program grants will partially fund 36 EV DC fast charging stations with a total of 76 charging points. Charging stations have recently come online… Read more »
Startup Verkor plans to build 16 GWh battery gigafactory in France
After at least a year in stealth mode, French startup Verkor has announced plans to build a battery gigafactory in France. The facility, which is to open in 2023, will have an initial annual capacity of 16 GWh, which could be expanded to 50 GWh at a later date. The new company says it will… Read more »
Seat Cupra el-Born: a hatchback so hot, it’s electric
Seat, a Spanish brand owned by the Volkswagen Group, has unveiled the production version of a new electric “hot hatch,” and car guys are salivating. The Cupra el-Born, first shown as a concept last year, is built on VW’s MEB platform. It boasts an aggressive design, and a sporty and minimalist interior. “Besides the attention… Read more »
Two new Audi EVs coming in 2021: Q4 e-tron SUV and Sportback SUV Coupé
Audi’s Q4 e-tron concept, first displayed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, is a compact electric SUV—a bit smaller than the original e-tron mid-size crossover SUV, which has been on sale since May 2019. Now the company has presented two more Q4 variants: the Q4 Sportback e-tron and SUV Coupé. Audi says the newly revealed… Read more »
A sneak peek at VW’s ID.4 electric crossover
In Europe, the buzz is all about Volkswagen’s upcoming ID.3, but we Yanks are much more excited about the next vehicle in the pipeline, the ID.4, because, unlike so many of the current generation of EVs, it’s slated to be sold here in the US. Few details of VW’s electric crossover have been released, beyond… Read more »
Will Europe emerge from the pandemic as the world’s EV powerhouse?
We’ve been reading a raft of articles speculating on how the COVID-19 health crisis will affect the EV industry. So far, the consensus is that, while the overall auto industry is heading for a very rough time, the e-mobility transformation will experience only a temporary setback, and Tesla, the world’s main producer of EVs, is… Read more »
Audi’s new Artemis project will focus on new EV technologies
Two months after taking office as Audi’s new CEO, Markus Duesmann is setting up a new unit that will be tasked with “the accelerated development of additional automobile models.” The Artemis project will focus on “new technologies for electric, highly automated driving.” Its first task is to create “a highly efficient electric car” to be… Read more »
VW to shift to dealer agency model for EV sales
It’s no secret that auto dealerships are a major bottleneck for EV sales. Legacy automakers may cast an envious eye on Tesla’s direct-to-customer sales model, but they cannot practically (or legally) cut the dealers out of the equation. Now Volkswagen may have found a way to solve this dilemma, at least in Germany. VW has… Read more »
COVID-19 vs EVs: What happens?
EVs may experience minor hiccups, but they shouldn’t suffer much more than the rest of the auto industry. It’s the question everyone has to ask: How will the Covid-19 pandemic affect my business? For those in the electric-car world, the question is more pointed: Will the pandemic hurt the growth of electric vehicles over the… Read more »