News

The BMW i3 electric hatch is on its way out (it’s already been dropped in the U.S.), but its nameplate will live on by being utilized by an electric version of the 3-Series. Prototypes for the electric 3-Series have been spotted for over a year and now the car has been revealed as an i3

London-based startup Breathe Battery Technologies has raised £1.5 million ($2 million) in a new funding round led by Speedinvest. Breathe will use the new capital to scale up and accelerate the deployment of its intelligent battery management algorithms. Launched in 2019 as a spin-out from Imperial College London’s Electrochemical Science & Engineering group, Breathe has

The UK government has announced the first five winners of its Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) funding program, which is designed to enable transport authorities outside London to fund zero-emission buses. According to Route One, “Kent County Council will get £9.5 million ($12.6 million); Milton Keynes Council £16 million ($21.3 million); and Warrington Borough

Farasis Energy and Group14 Technologies have developed a new silicon-based anode for an EV-scale battery. In cells built and tested by Farasis using Group14’s silicon-carbon anode material SCC55, the company says it can reach a specific energy of 330 Wh/kg (750 Wh/L energy density) in typical automotive cells, and deliver more than 1,000 charge-discharge cycles.

Utility vehicle manufacturer Polaris (NYSE: PII) has launched a new electric 4-wheeler that it calls “the hardest-working, smoothest-riding UTV ever built.” The RANGER XP Kinetic features a new electric powertrain that Polaris developed in partnership with Zero Motorcycles. Polaris points out that an electric powertrain offers many advantages for off-road utility vehicles. “It delivers smooth,

A prototype for a redesigned Audi A4 has been spotted for the first time. The prototype is for the A4 Avant wagon body style, but testers for the sedan should be out and about shortly. While Audi doesn’t offer the A4 Avant in the U.S., we still get the wagon body in A4 Allroad soft-roader

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed and tested a new concept for simultaneous coating and drying of two-layered electrodes. Drying times can be reduced to less than 20 seconds—one half to one third of the usual production time—without capacity losses.  The institute continues to focus its research on coating and subsequent

EV technology developer Voltempo has launched a new charging system called HyperCharging, which it claims can deliver 1,000 kW of power, and can charge up to 24 vehicles at the same time. HyperCharging technology is designed to serve the needs of service stations and fleets. According to the company, its modular system enables it to

The 1960s are considered the golden age of the American muscle car, but the 1968 Pontiac Firebird Sprint featured on this episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage” shows that Detroit automakers weren’t only focused on V-8s and quarter-mile times. Instead of the V-8 engines offered in other performance versions of the Firebird, the Sprint had an

Sponsored by Fluke Test the functionality and safety of electrical vehicle charging stations, easily and reliably Test the safety and performance of type 1, level 1 or level 2 electric vehicle ac charging stations (EVSEs) with the Fluke FEV100. This test adapter simulates the presence of an electrical vehicle, allowing you to conduct tests in

Nissan, an early EV pioneer that later seemed to lose interest, has become the latest automaker to announce a new electrification plan. The company’s Nissan Ambition 2030 strategy calls for investments of 2 trillion yen (around $17.6 billion) over the next five years. “With Nissan Ambition 2030, we will drive the new age of electrification,

Stellantis and Massachusetts-based solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy have signed a joint development agreement to advance Factorial’s high-voltage solid-state battery technology. The agreement also includes a strategic investment from Stellantis.  Factorial says its solid-state batteries offer 20 to 50 percent more range and increased safety, at the same cost as conventional lithium-ion batteries. The company’s

Sponsored by TTI By Gijs Werner, Director of Distribution & Marketing FCI Basics BU, Amphenol ICC Electric vehicles are becoming the new norm on the road—earlier this year, Americans bought more electric vehicles than ever before, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Consumers purchased more than 122,000 electric vehicles in March 2021 alone, making

We drove the 2022 Honda Civic Si, the BMW Concept XM debuted, and we spotted the 2024 Volkswagen ID.Buzz. It’s the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority. We drove the redesigned 2022 Honda Civic Si and found you don’t need to be rich or have access to a racetrack to have fun in

National Instruments (NI) has announced a collaboration with German power supply manufacturer EA Elektro-Automatik to offer bidirectional power supplies that support battery cycling and power-level tests. EA’s power supplies will be integrated into NI’s software-connected toolchain as part of NI’s power electronics.  Integrating EA’s devices into NI’s toolchain gives test engineers and lab managers more

Tesla’s megacasting technique—using giant casting machines to make car bodies with just a few massive cast parts—greatly reduces the complexity of the body assembly process, saving costs and improving efficiency. Tesla is producing Model Y at Gigafactory Texas using an enormous Giga Press to cast a single rear body piece, which replaced 70 different parts.

A new report from the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) provides an overview of major developments in the managed charging field, and offers recommendations for designing utility managed charging programs, based on interviews with utility execs and case studies. “The State of Managed Charging in 2021,” which was produced in partnership with several charging industry

EV tech startup Diode has launched an EV suitability and charge point procurement software product called Charge Platform for Business. The platform is designed to educate drivers, assess EV readiness, make workplace and home charging recommendations, and simplify the EVSE purchasing process. Each employee completes a short questionnaire covering their home, current vehicle and trip

Few places are more demanding on a sports car than Sonoma Raceway just north of San Francisco, with its blind crests, limited runoff, and bumpy braking zones. But that’s where Hyundai chose to give the automotive media our first extended crack at both the 2022 Elantra N. That shows a lot of confidence in the

BAE Systems has launched its next-generation power and propulsion system for the marine market. The HybriGen Power and Propulsion system is designed to minimize emissions by improving electrical efficiency and vessel range, increasing propulsion power, and simplifying installation. Work on the HybriGen System will be conducted at the company’s facility in Endicott, New York. The

Sumitomo Metal Mining has developed a new proprietary process to extract high-grade metals from used EV batteries. Tapping its expertise in copper refining, Sumitomo says it can cheaply extract copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium from used EV batteries by crushing them, heating the resulting powder to specific temperatures, and adjusting oxygen levels. Sumitomo says competitors,

Sensata Technologies’s new i-BMS battery management system for applications up to 60 V is now available. The new system is a cell-chemistry-agnostic, compact, integrated BMS developed for the cost-optimized mass-production of applications such as two- and three-wheelers, automated guided vehicles and robotics. Hot-swap functionality and parallel battery pack support allow for the ability to quickly

Tesla has applied to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for regulatory approval for the first phase of Gigafactory Texas. The filed documents reveal Tesla’s planned completion date and budget. The next chapter in Tesla’s history will center on the company’s two new factories: Gigafactory Texas in Austin and Gigafactory Berlin in Germany. The

BMW is preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the M1 mid-engine sports car, but it’s going to do it with a crossover SUV. On Monday, at Art Basel’s 2021 Miami Beach show, the BMW Concept XM was unveiled with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and eye-grabbing design. It’s a preview of the production XM planned

Koch Strategic Platforms (KSP), a subsidiary of Koch Industries (yes, that Koch Industries) plans to make a $100-million investment in Standard Lithium (NYSE: SLI). The company will use the new funding to advance a commercial project at its Lanxess facility in southern Arkansas, accelerate development of the South West Arkansas Lithium Project, and develop and

American Axle will supply REE Automotive with its electric drive units (EDUs). AAM’s 3-in-1 electric drive technology—which incorporates the electric motor, gearbox and inverter into a single package—will be integrated into REEcorner technology. AAM’s high-speed, integrated 3-in-1 propulsion systems are designed to provide high levels of torque and power density, and REE’s compact and modular

BorgWarner will provide a high-voltage silicon carbide inverter to an unnamed German automaker for implementation in its EVs. The BorgWarner 800 V SiC inverter with proprietary power switches provides a compact and efficient power module designed to deliver higher EV range and enhanced driving performance. The inverter uses a scalable power switch for 800 V

The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has announced a $2-million lithium-ion recycling development program with American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) in Fernley, Nevada. The contract award, which includes a 75-percent cost share by the ABTC-led project team, funds a 30-month project. The program’s goal is to demonstrate a scaled, fully-domestic, integrated processing cycle for

A prototype for BMW’s next-generation 7-Series has been spotted again. The tester is for a battery-electric version that’s likely to feature some styling elements distinct to the rest of the 7-Series lineup, like a sealed-off grille. It may also have a unique name, such as “i7.” Other shots show prototypes with internal-combustion engines. 2023 BMW

First Cobalt is expanding its plans to provide battery-grade nickel and cobalt, recycled battery materials and precursor material to the North American supply chain. First Cobalt is also changing its name to Electra Battery Materials. Electra is expanding a permitted hydrometallurgical refinery north of Toronto, which is projected to produce 5,000 tons of cobalt per