EVs use twice as much copper as legacy vehicles, and smart phones, tablets and other popular consumer electronics are also consuming increasing amounts of the conductive metal. Growing demand and tight supply could soon lead to shortages of copper, nickel and other key minerals used in EV batteries. As Reuters reports, Sarah Maryssael, Tesla’s Global… Read more »
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A look at Volkswagen’s MEB architecture
The all-electric underpinnings that the VW Group will use to build dozens of EVs A few weeks before the end of 2019, if all goes according to plan, the first Volkswagen I.D. Neo electric car will roll off the assembly line at the company’s plant in Zwickau, Germany. Different versions will offer ranges from 160… Read more »
Tesla closes on $2.7 billion in new debt and stock offerings
Tesla has a plethora of projects in the pipeline – the Tesla Semi, Model Y, the Tesla Pickup – and making these real will require vast sums of cash – as much as $2.5 billion in capital expenditures this year, according to Bloomberg. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when the company announced last… Read more »
Scaling EV charging infrastructure: Standards and interoperability
Sponsored by ABB. Download a PDF version of this article. A steeper growth curve for electric vehicles will depend on continuous technological development, further commercialization and practical regulatory policies. Standards and interoperability underscore all of these trends, across vehicles, charging systems and communication networks – and are a key driving force for electric vehicle adoption…. Read more »
Tough times for Tesla – Q1 earnings report lays out large loss
Tesla had a rough week. In its first-quarter 2019 earnings report, it described a loss of $702 million, or $4.10 per share – quite large even by Tesla’s standards, and greater than the $1.81 per share that Wall Street analysts (surveyed by FactSet) had forecast. Q1 revenue of $4.54 billion also fell short of expectations,… Read more »
Elon Musk: Model 3 production constrained by Panasonic battery cell capacity
After Tesla and Panasonic announced that they were freezing expansion plans for the Nevada Gigafactory, several news outlets reported that the partners had postponed expansion because of shrinking demand for Tesla’s vehicles, but to the best of our knowledge, none presented any evidence that this was the reason for the decision. Now Elon Musk says… Read more »
AxleTech launches new line of electric powertrain systems
AxleTech is exhibiting a new line of electric powertrain systems for off-highway applications at the Bauma construction machinery trade show in Munich. AxleTech’s new AFE Series eAxle integrates interchangeable water-glycol cooled motors and a single-, 2-, or 4-speed gearbox. The eAxle also includes the company’s new modular eCarrier system. The AFE Series eAxle is compatible… Read more »
Motor maker YASA launches 200 kVA controller
YASA, a UK manufacturer of axial-flux electric motors, has announced availability of the first in a new series of motor controllers for EVs and PHEVs. The Si400 controller delivers 200 kVA from a 5-liter package. The 12.8 lb controller features thermal management, including dielectric oil cooling, and is compatible with induction, permanent magnet and axial-flux… Read more »
Tesla and Panasonic reported to be reconsidering Gigafactory expansion plans
Earlier this week, Nikkei reported that Tesla and Panasonic have suspended plans to expand the capacity of Gigafactory 1. The two companies had planned to increase capacity at the Nevada plant by about 50 percent by 2020, but financial problems have forced them to put those plans on hold, the newspaper said. Panasonic will “study… Read more »
Tesla’s Model 3 was the top-selling car in Switzerland in March
I’ve written so many articles about Switzerland being an EV laggard in Europe that it’s only fair to trumpet the news that the Swiss auto market has been “struck by Tesla lightning,” as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, one of the country’s top daily newspapers, put it. Tesla’s Model 3 was the best-selling car of any… Read more »