News

Australia’s largest motoring groups have taken full ownership of the country’s biggest EV charging network, Chargefox, a move which is expected to provide the capital for a massive rollout of fast charging stations across the country. The motoring groups, or mobility clubs, including the NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAC, RAA and RACT, already owned 40 percent

Toyota has redesigned its Crown and plans to sell it in the U.S. starting late this year. The version we’ll get is a high-riding sedan but there will be three other body styles, some of which we may also see in the U.S. Kia is close to launching an electric SUV with rugged looks and

Canada-based NEO Battery Materials has signed a collaboration agreement with Applied Carbon Nano Technology (ACN) to apply ACN’s carbon nanotube to NEO’s NBMSiDE silicon anode materials. The companies will also work together on opportunities in the CNT conductive additive market, and will appoint scientific advisors from ACN to assist the collaboration. “By attracting two new

CATL, a Chinese battery supplier, has launched a new cell-to-pack (CTP) battery system, and the company expects it to be available in 2023. The Qilin battery system meets the bollard test standard for safety, and includes NMC cells and an interlayer that the company says provides specific energy up to 255 Wh/kg and a volume

General Motors has teamed up with Pilot Company and EVgo to build and operate a network of high-speed chargers spanning the U.S. The initial phase will see the installation of 2,000 charging bays spread across 500 Pilot and Flying J roadside stops. The map below shows the locations expected to be operational during the course

BASF has introduced a new rubber binder designed for anodes, part of the company’s Licity product line. Licity 2698 X F is a styrene-butadiene rubber binder for anodes that have more than 20% silicon. The company says it has “excellent stress-strain properties and elasticity.” “Hurdles such as low range and long charging times can be

As the media never tires of reminding us, EVs do crash, and they do catch fire. Fire and emergency service providers need to be trained in how to respond to EV-related emergencies, and automakers and first-responder organizations have been doing so since the early days. Now, as its EV sales are rapidly growing, GM is

Jeep has filed trademark protection for “Jeep Xtreme Performance,” perhaps hinting at a replacement for the automaker’s previous Trackhawk performance branding. Jeep filed the trademark on June 30 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The automaker also filed the trademark “JXP” on the same day. According to The Drive, Jeep has previously used

BMW’s i3 was a ground-breaking EV that introduced a number of new technologies when it went on sale in 2014. It was always a bit of a niche vehicle—a small but classy city car—and sales in the US have been fairly modest. In some European markets, however, it’s been a pretty big hit, and BMW

Materials and surfaces developer Meta Materials has signed an agreement to acquire all the assets and intellectual property of Optodot, a nano-composite battery separator and coating technology company. The acquisition, valued at $48.5 million, includes 67 patents and 22 pending patents. One of Optodot’s patents is for its third-generation NPORE ECS (electrode-coated separator) technology. “Optodot

Flex Automotive is a Japanese company that specializes in converting contemporary Toyotas into something resembling earlier generations of the vehicles. The standout is Flex’s Land Cruiser offerings which are made to look like the 60 series Land Cruiser of the 1980s. Flex calls the converted cars Renocas, a portmanteau of “renovation” and “car.” Flex sees

Chinese battery supplier CATL has announced that it will provide lithium iron phosphate batteries for Solaris Bus & Coach electric buses produced for the European market. CATL says the batteries have “exceptionally long battery life and high thermal stability.” The batteries have Cell to Pack (CTP) technology. “By removing the conventional module parts, the innovative

Volvo Energy has acquired a 10% stake in UK-based second-life battery energy storage specialist Connected Energy for 50 million Swedish kroner ($4.93 million). Volvo Energy is one of five new investors in the company. Volvo Energy, a business area within the Volvo Group, is “dedicated to providing essential support and infrastructure during the first-life, i.e.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc returned to the winner’s circle after a three-month drought with an impressive drive on Sunday at the 2022 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, held at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring. Leclerc managed to overcome a throttle pedal issue in the final stage of the race to hold off Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen

Chinese equipment manufacturer LEAD has contracted with the Volkswagen Group to deliver lithium-ion battery manufacturing equipment for a 20 GWh factory in Salzgitter, Germany. Volkswagen recently announced a plan to invest €30 billion to build 6 battery factories in Europe. For the Salzgitter plant, LEAD will provide Volkswagen with manufacturing equipment including calendering, roll baking,

Electric drivetrain manufacturer Schaeffler has introduced a new 4-in-1 e-axle. “Such highly integrated complete systems are attractive for both established automobile manufacturers and new players,” says the head of Schaeffler’s E-Mobility business division, Dr. Jochen Schröder. The e-axle’s 4-in-1 layout combines the electric motor, power electronics, transmission and thermal management system into one unit. “This

Porsche has an electric Macan coming next year 2023. It won’t simply be an electrified version of the current Macan but a true next-generation design. However, it won’t immediately replace the current gas-powered model as Porsche plans to sell both versions side-by-side for a few years. 2023 Lamborghini Aventador successor spy shots – Photo credit: S.

Sponsored by Nordson Sealant Equipment The current supply chain situation of semiconductors and also many other, much simpler components shows how important the local production actually is. Not only car manufacturers but also suppliers, which after relocating production sites abroad or even continental relocation, are now experiencing delivery difficulties, some of them considerable. Companies like

Vehicle-to-grid specialist Nuvve has partnered with Switch, a London-based provider of charging management software, to integrate Nuvve’s GIVe V2G platform with Switch’s charging management platform for operations and maintenance (O&M). Switch’s cloud platform, built on an OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118-enabled operating system, is “fully native to future-proof capabilities like Plug & Charge, V1G and

We drove the 2023 Rivian R1S, we spotted the 2023 Lamborghini Aventador successor, and Hyundai teased the 2023 Ioniq 5 N. It’s the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority. We got our first stint behind the wheel of the 2023 Rivian R1S and experienced the future of family adventure vehicles. While not quite

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a streamlined approach to testing new battery designs which they say could cut the time for both simulation and physical testing by as much as 75%. The new study, “A generic battery cycling optimization framework with learned sampling and early stopping strategies,” was published in Patterns-Cell Press.

Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will use Sila’s silicon anode chemistry in EV batteries that will be optional in its upcoming electric G-Class SUV. The company says the batteries will be produced with 100% renewable energy and will be available at mid-decade. Mercedes-Benz says, “Compared to today’s commercially available cells with a comparable format, Sila’s

The Hyundai N model line is about to expand, again. On Monday, Hyundai teased three upcoming N models on its global N Instagram account. The teasers are part of the automaker’s N Day announcement, which will take place on July 15. One teaser places a blurred vehicle on a racetrack. Despite the fuzziness, the vehicle

UK electric car subscription service Onto plans to add 600 new Peugeot EVs to its fleet. 300 of these are e-208 Allure Premium models, and 300 are e-2008 GT models. Onto has been offering Peugeot EVs since 2018, and the brand is a popular choice among Onto subscribers. Onto currently has over 6,000 active subscribers,

Elli, a brand of the Volkswagen Group, and German grid manager Mitnetz Strom have launched a pilot project to test the integration of EVs with a smart electrical grid. The Innovation Impulse for Future-Proof Grid Integration of E-Mobility project is intended to provide insight into what a practical implementation of smart charging could look like.

Mecum will place under the hammer not one, not two, but three prototypes for the Ferrari LaFerrari at its auction coinciding with August’s 2022 Monterey Car Week. Prototypes are typically destroyed after they’ve fulfilled their purpose but it appears Ferrari sells them on from time to time. In most cases, registering them for road use

Sponsored by NI The battery is critical for all systems of an electric vehicle (EV) to function properly, but testing each component with a real battery can be impractical, expensive, and potentially dangerous. So why not use software with an emulated battery to test more efficiently and safely? Real batteries have physical limitations like charging/discharging

Each year, the International Energy Agency releases a report that assesses the state of the EV market. The latest edition notes that EV sales “powered through 2021 and have remained strong so far in 2022,” but cautions that “ensuring future growth will demand greater efforts to diversify battery manufacturing and critical mineral supplies to reduce

America’s Glickenhaus Racing has revealed a striking new livery for its 007 LMH race car that’s currently enjoying its second year in the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship. Glickenhaus fields two cars, both wearing a combination of red, white and black. The new blue and white livery unveiled on Monday adopts the sky

Measurement, inspection and test technology company Marposs has announced a new optical inspection system for stator hairpins. The company says, “Traditional contact systems, or use of reference profile masks/jigs, can easily deform the intended shape.” The new system is available in a manual-loaded test bench version for workshops and labs or in a version that