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 »
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Tesla surprises with Q1 profit, has “record backlog” of orders
Tesla has extended its earnings streak, posting a surprise profit in the first quarter, typically a tough one for automakers. The company reported record levels of production, and says its vehicle order backlog is the highest it’s ever been. “Q1 2020 was the first time in our history that we achieved a positive GAAP net… Read more »
Daimler becomes the latest automaker to abandon hydrogen-powered passenger cars
Mercedes-Benz has ended its development of fuel cell-powered passenger cars, saying that they would be too expensive—around double the cost to produce of comparable battery-electric vehicles. The company has been working on fuel cell technology for over 30 years. Mercedes says it will wind down production of the GLC F-Cell, which was developed in a… Read more »
CaCharge’s EVSE solution is optimized for large-scale charging
CaCharge, a Swedish provider of smart charging solutions that was founded in 2015, is expanding its reach in Europe. The company expanded into Norway in 2019, and is now selling its charging solution in the Benelux countries through its partner Odyssey Impact Investments. CaCharge’s EV charging solution is designed to make large-scale charging possible and… Read more »
California hospitals order 12 electric cargo vans from Lightning Systems
Lightning Systems has received an order from the California Department of State Hospitals for 12 all-electric Ford Transit 350HD Class 3 delivery vans. Fleet dealer Wondries Fleet Group will deliver the Lightning Electric e-vans to the hospital system. Lightning’s powertrain for the Ford Transit offers peak power of 160 kW (215 hp), a torque rating… Read more »
As overall Chevrolet sales fall, Bolt EV sales are up 36 percent
Tesla isn’t the only automaker that sold a surprising number of EVs in the first quarter. Chevrolet sold 5,873 Bolt EVs in Q1 2020, an increase of 36.1% compared to a year ago. The Bolt may just be the second most popular EV in the US at the moment, behind only the Tesla Model 3… Read more »
Trump administration guts air pollution standards
As expected, the Trump administration has announced a rollback of federal fuel economy regulations, a move that some estimate will increase annual US carbon emissions by as much as 25 percent, as well as increasing fuel costs for consumers and putting the US auto industry at a competitive disadvantage. The administration says weakening the standards… Read more »
Volkswagen explains why batteries, not fuel cells, are the right choice for passenger cars
The debate over hydrogen fuel cells refuses to go away. The founders of Tesla considered hydrogen and other energy storage media before deciding that batteries were the best choice for electric powertrains, and have explained their reasoning in great detail several times since. Toyota, on the other hand, continues to insist that fuel cell vehicles… Read more »
BMZ Group ramps up production of Li-ion batteries for ventilators and other medical equipment
The BMZ Group, an international company headquartered in Germany, produces Li-ion batteries for everything from power tools to stationary storage to industrial vehicles such as forklifts. Now the company is seeing a surge in demand for its batteries from makers of a wide variety of medical equipment, especially ventilators. In some cases, the volume of… Read more »
Tesla announces shutdown of Fremont factory
Editor’s note: This information is current as of the evening of March 19. Further updates may follow. After several days of contradictory information, and what appears to have been a valiant attempt to keep the vehicle production lines open, Tesla issued the following statement Thursday: Despite taking all known health precautions, continued operations in certain… Read more »