Kia may be the auto brand with the biggest disconnect between perception and reality in the US today. It makes stylish, modern vehicles – passenger cars plus a growing range of crossover utilities – packed with advanced features. It’s a legitimate competitor to Toyota, Honda, and others. But ask the average buyer if he or… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "tesla lg chem"
EU regulators charge BMW, Daimler and VW with colluding to evade emissions rules
Are the authorities “piling on” the Volkswagen Group? In 2017, the poor little automaker pleaded guilty to fraud and obstruction of justice in the dirty diesel debacle, and has already agreed to shell out some $30 billion in atonement. Now the mean old US Securities and Exchange Commission has sued the company and ex-CEO Martin… Read more »
Audi joins the class of 2019 with the e-tron
A new generation of EVs is beginning to appear on the roads, and these cars have what it takes to compete head-to-head with fossil fuel vehicles. They offer more than enough range to cover anyone’s daily commute, and thanks to vast new charging networks such as Electrify America and Europe’s Ionity, they are increasingly able to… Read more »
Bullish on batteries, Daimler to invest more than $23 billion in battery cells by 2030
To support its goal of electrifying the entire Mercedes portfolio by 2022, Daimler plans to invest more than €20 billion ($23 billion) in battery cells by 2030. The company will also invest €10 billion in expanding the Mercedes-Benz electric fleet and €1 billion in its global battery production network. Daimler currently has battery supply deals… Read more »
VW chooses SK Innovations as additional battery supplier for North America and Europe
The Volkswagen Group has added South Korean battery cell manufacturer SK Innovation (SKI) to its stable of battery suppliers. SKI will supply the batteries for VW’s North American sales and a portion of the batteries for its European pure EVs. VW’s Roadmap E strategy calls for the Group to bring 50 new fully electric models… Read more »
Ghosn scandal causes Nissan to postpone launch of next-gen LEAF
For the last couple of years, EV fans have been eagerly awaiting a new version of the LEAF with a 200-mile range to match that of the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan did launch a redesigned 2018 LEAF, with a 40 kWh battery pack and 150 miles of range, early this year, but… Read more »
2019 Audi e-tron feels like the real thing
This time, it feels different. We long-suffering EV journalists have been snookered time and again – automakers have launched new EVs, and we’ve covered them with enthusiasm and optimism, only to be disappointed when the companies failed to market them, and turned them into low-volume compliance cars. Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Kia, Audi and others have… Read more »
A look at Lucid Motors: Q&A with CTO Peter Rawlinson
The legacy automakers are slowly and methodically developing new EVs, with various levels of enthusiasm, but the most ambitious plans for new vehicles are coming from a handful of EV startups. Most of these pioneers of the new auto industry share a formula: deep-pocketed investors (many from China), former Tesla employees on staff, and plans… Read more »
BMW takes steps to ensure more responsible production of cobalt
And the dirty little secret of EVs is…cobalt. The metallic element is used in significant quantities in EV batteries. Unfortunately, about half the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a war-torn land in which working conditions are bad, and child labor is common. In 2014, as many as 40,000 children worked… Read more »
Southwest Research Institute consortium conducts independent battery benchmarking
Comparing the spec sheets from different parts manufacturers is tricky business for engineers in any industry. However, the advanced battery market seems to be uniquely challenged in this regard. As Tesla CEO Elon Musk often points out, when it comes to batteries, the BS factor is outrageous. Even if you assume that every vendor provides… Read more »