German auto giant Daimler has announced a new plan to invest €70 billion ($85 billion) in “research and development and in property, plant and equipment” between 2021 and 2025, the lion’s share of which will be used “to accelerate the transformation towards electrification and digitization.” Most of this investment will be at Mercedes-Benz Cars, but… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "mercedes-benz"
Mercedes eCitaro G electric bus to be available with solid-state batteries
Scientists around the world are hard at work on solid-state batteries, which could offer significant technical and safety advantages over current lithium-ion designs. However, while micro-solid-state batteries are already in commercial use in some applications, most experts believe that large-scale automotive solid-state batteries are still years away from commercialization. Apparently, Mercedes didn’t get the memo,… Read more »
Amazon reveals first of Rivian electric delivery vans
Amazon is pursuing a multi-track strategy to electrify its delivery fleet. The company already operates hundreds of EVs worldwide, including e-cargo bikes in New York City and Europe. It plans to add 1,800 electric delivery vehicles to its European fleet this year, and 10,000 in India by 2025. The retail/delivery/IT conglomerate has ordered electric vans… Read more »
New study reaffirms carbon emissions of EVs lower than ICEs, lists flaws in long-tailpipe arguments
Journalists sometimes have to write the same articles over and over, like teachers repeating the same lecture for a new class each semester. The myth of the “long tailpipe”—the notion that EVs generate just as much carbon emissions as ICE vehicles do—has been debunked by dozens of scientific studies (see below for a partial list)…. Read more »
Mercedes and CATL team up on future battery technology
Mercedes-Benz and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) are collaborating to create new battery technology for the high-volume electrification of Mercedes vehicles. The carmaker is accelerating its Electric First strategy, and plans to use carbon-neutral battery cells, modules and systems supplied by CATL. The agreement covers the full range of battery technologies, from cells to modules for… Read more »
BMW X3 PHEV—finally worth plugging in
One of a coming wave of low-volume luxury plug-in hybrid SUVs, the 2020 BMW X3 xDrive 30e offers 18 miles of electric range—and the ability to use it in the real world. The 2020 BMW X3 xDrive 30e is the first conventional plug-in hybrid model from BMW that’s actually worth plugging in. It’s one of… Read more »
Hyundai to deliver 50 fuel cell trucks to fleet customers in Switzerland
Even as automakers have been abandoning hydrogen fuel cells as a powertrain option for passenger cars, many believe that the technology will find its niche in the heavy-duty truck sector. Now Hyundai is moving beyond the pilot stage and beginning to deliver vehicles to customers. The company has shipped 10 units of the XCIENT Fuel… Read more »
Mercedes announces partnership with battery cell manufacturer Farasis
Mercedes-Benz has launched a strategic partnership with the Chinese battery cell manufacturer Farasis Energy, and taken an equity stake in the company. Key elements of the agreement include the development and industrialization of advanced cell technologies as well as goals for cost competitiveness. The technological focus is on significant increases in range through advances in… Read more »
Next EV hotspot: Alabama?
You may not think of Alabama as a center of the auto industry, but in fact, Mercedes-Benz opened an assembly plant in Tuscaloosa County back in 1993, and today Hyundai, Honda, Toyota and Mazda, as well as several Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, have operations in the Yellowhammer State. You may also think 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 »