Charged has been reporting on electric trucks for a decade, but the electrification of real-world fleets has been frustratingly slow, and several would-be e-truck builders have gone bust waiting for fleet operators to conduct years-long pilots. Now we’re finally starting to see some large orders. Will 2021 be the year of the electric truck? A
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The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released a report by Roskill that analyzes the EU’s nickel requirements for EV batteries within the context of the global market over a twenty-year forecast horizon to 2040. Against this demand backdrop, Roskill critically assessed the EU’s internal supply capabilities and identified the risk of future shortages.
Wisconsin-based hot rod builders Ring Brothers are known for their resto mods. Mike and Jim Ring specialize in taking old cars and revitalizing them with modern components. Their latest project is a 1968 Mercury Cougar. The badge may say “Cougar,” but there’s a Coyote under the hood, as in Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8. It produces 460
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling venture founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, has signed an agreement to recycle scrap and defective battery cells for Envision AESC, which manufactures batteries for the Nissan LEAF in Smyrna, Tennessee. Recycling batteries is not only environmentally sound, but it may soon become an economic necessity, as demand for
Driving home the point that cars are computers, the global auto industry is reeling from a global shortage of microchips. Several major automakers have announced shutdowns or slowdowns because of the supply bottleneck. The shortage appears to have forced Tesla to briefly shut down its Model 3 production line at Fremont. An unnamed source told
The new Volkswagen ID.3 has set its first range record: The electric car covered the 531km, equal to 330 miles from Zwickau to Schaffhausen (Switzerland) on a single charge. Officially, the model has a range of up to 420km or 260 miles when calculated using the WLTP method. This mark was topped by more than
Aptera Motors has a very different strategy from that of most EV startups. Rather than a luxury sedan or a crowd-pleasing pickup truck, the San Diego-based company is building what it says will be the world’s most efficient vehicle—an EV with a solar panel on the roof, and as much as 1,000 miles of range.
Hyundai officially launched its upcoming IONIQ 5 midsize CUV at a virtual press event. The IONIQ 5 will be the first model built on Hyundai’s new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). It’s based on the previously-unveiled Concept 45 vehicle. The IONIQ 5 will be available with two battery pack options—the Standard Range model will have a
Ever since the modern Land Rover Defender‘s reveal in 2019, fans have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of a V-8 option. Well, we can confirm that Land Rover will finally deliver with the 2022 Defender which will offer up Jaguar Land Rover’s familiar 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 as the range-topping powertrain. Here, it will be rated
After deliberating about a long-overdue modernization of its vehicle fleet for nearly a decade, the US Postal Service has awarded a 10-year contract to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a new generation of postal delivery vehicles. Under the contract’s initial $482-million investment, Oshkosh will finalize the production design of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV),
Schaeffler, a manufacturer of electric drivetrain technology, will begin mass production of hybrid modules, hybrid drive units and all-electric axle transmissions. Along with a series of mass production orders for electric motors in the passenger car sector, Schaeffler has recently entered the heavy-duty applications segment for commercial vehicles. The company has announced a mass production
Zap-Map, the well know. Electric vehicle (EV) mapping service, has today launched Zap-Pay, a new service that enables drivers to use a single app to pay for charging across different networks. Engenie, the UK-wide rapid charging network, will be the first network available on Zap-Pay. Drivers currently need to use multiple apps and cards to
Lucid Motors has confirmed that it is going public through a merger with Churchill Capital IV (CCIV). The deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter, is said to be the largest to date between a SPAC and an EV startup. The transaction values Lucid at an initial pro-forma equity value of about
Sponsored by TRUMPF This whitepaper provides guidelines to select laser welding and cleaning equipment, as well as process control, in the context of battery box manufacturing for battery electric vehicles (BEV) in mass production. The battery box, as an integral part of the chassis of a BEV, not only protects the battery and BMS, but
Buckle up racing fans, “Formula One: Drive to Survive” will soon return to Netflix with fresh episodes. On Friday, Netflix released a trailer for season three of its behind-the-scenes series, “Formula One: Drive to Survive,” and announced it will kick off on March 19. While the first season followed most of the F1 teams, it
Cargo ships, powered by heavy fuel oil with a high sulfur content, are some of the largest and most polluting vehicles on the planet, so electrifying them could be very cost-effective in terms of reducing air pollution. Last year, a consortium of Japanese companies announced a collaboration to develop an all-electric oil tanker. Now Asahi
A game of one-upmanship seems to be developing between America’s top two legacy automakers, and we’re cheering them on. In January, GM made a weaselly (but still significant) announcement of its “aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.” A week later, Ford announced that it would double its planned investments in
Teaming up with leading Drive-In Cinema specialists, YouTube sensation Fully Charged will be hosting multiple screenings of Christopher Nolan’s latest film, the much anticipated spy thriller, TENET, starring John David Washington. This – the first in a series of drive-in events – will be held at Farnborough International, approximately 30 minutes from London Heathrow, and
Image caption: In the first stage, the silicon film exists as a rigid but wobbly columnar structure. In the second stage, the columns touch at the top, forming a vaulted structure, which is strong due to arch action. In the third stage, further deposition of silicon atoms results in a sponge-like structure. The red dashed
In 2015, Israeli battery developer StoreDot announced plans to enter the EV market with battery cells that it said could enable a 300-mile battery pack to be charged in 5 minutes. Now the company has launched engineering samples of its first-generation batteries that are designed to be manufactured at scale on traditional Li-lion production lines.
McLaren’s newest supercar is the Artura, and it’s a plug-in hybrid that relies on a V-6 as its internal-combustion component. Peak power is 671 hp and there’s enough battery capacity for a small electric range. 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Another new car revealed this week was the 992-generation 911’s GT3 variant. We’re glad to report
The Virginia Senate has passed a bill that would establish California-style clean car standards in the state. The bill, HB 1965, creates low-emission vehicle (LEV) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) programs. It will strengthen regulations on tailpipe emissions, and require automakers to sell a certain number of ZEVs in Virginia. Governor Ralph Northam is expected to
The French city of Triel-sur-Seine has launched a trial of an electric shuttle service that uses a six-meter electric bus made by Bluebus, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group. The minibuses, which will be delivered this summer, are part of an order for up to 800 e-buses from three manufacturers by Île-de-France Mobilités, an agency
Vauxhall is offering potential buyers a 48-hour test drive in the all-electric Corsa-e for a limited time only. The ‘Switch it up’ test drive offer runs from now until 1stNovember, and gives potential buyers two full days to experience the all-electric Corsa-e. The offer will particularly help potential first-time electric buyers to find out how
BorgWarner and AKASOL have signed an agreement to position BorgWarner to expand its commercial vehicle electrification capabilities. As part of the agreement, a subsidiary of BorgWarner will pay €120 per share in cash for all outstanding shares of AKASOL. Headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, AKASOL designs and manufactures customizable battery packs for buses, commercial vehicles, rail
A new report from the United States Public Interest Research Group (US-PIRG) outlines ways that utility companies and school districts can come together to deploy electric school buses across the country. Electric school buses are ready to roll—the technology is here, and protecting school children from noxious diesel fumes is a cause that draws a
Mercedes-Benz’s iconic SL is currently into its sixth generation, with the car’s last redesign introduced for the 2013 model year. A new SL is coming up shortly, only this time it is being developed by the Mercedes-Benz AMG performance skunkworks and not Mercedes-Benz. A prototype has been spotted and is likely for the new SL63
The European Commission recently approved a multinational project to support battery innovation, which will involve 42 companies, including several automakers. One of those automakers is Tesla, which may receive a cool billion euros ($1.2 billion) in public funding from the federal government of Germany and the state of Brandenburg, the site of the company’s Gigafactory
BorgWarner’s latest High Voltage Hairpin (HVH) electric motor, the HVH 320, is designed to power a variety of commercial EVs. Production of the HVH 320, which is equipped with 800-volt capabilities and is available in four variants, is expected to kick off in 2024. Its multifaceted platform will deliver over 400 kW of power at
The IPT Group, a holding company that owns wireless charging solution manufacturer IPT Technology, has acquired the inductive charging technology portfolio Primove from Bombardier. “By acquiring Primove we’re complementing our existing IP and product portfolio and speeding up our product-to-market plans,” says IPT CEO Richard van den Dool. Both IPT Technology and Primove are conducting