Electric Vehicles & Cars - Page 14

BMW will invest $1.7 billion into its US operations, with a heavy focus on building electric vehicles in the United States.

A total of $1 billion will be invested towards EV production at Plant Spartanburg, while the remaining $700 million going toward a high-voltage battery assembly facility. The German automaker plans to use its Plant Spartanburg facility in South Carolina as the main hub to manufacture at least six fully electric BMW X models by 2030.

The hybrid-electric BMW XM is expected to begin at Plant Spartanburg later this year. Meanwhile, the company also produces the X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and four BMW M models at the South Carolina factory.

GMC has introduced the 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, the automaker's first Sierra electric vehicle, as EV trucks continue to gain traction.

GMC hopes its customers will fully embrace the technology, capability, and luxury that the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 will have to offer. The truck has a 400-mile range on a full charge, with public fast charging capacity of up to 350 kW - so 100 miles of range capacity is available after just 10 minutes of charging.

The Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 has a dual motor powertrain to support 754 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque when driven in Max Power mode. Up to 9,500 pounds of maximum towing capacity is available. The car has a 0-60 mph acceleration time of fewer than 4.5 seconds.

German automaker Mercedes-Benz has a long track record of research and development focused on keeping drivers and passengers safe. In the future, Mercedes aims to make accident-free driving a reality, even if it's something that won't happen overnight.

Everything from brake control and lane assist has undergone continuous improvements, and that should only accelerate with the ongoing push toward electric vehicles. The Mercedes plug-in hybrid S-class features regenerative braking paired with a vacuum-independent electromechanical brake booster - and the systems are able to automatically switch between each other.

The PRE-SAFE platform is able to anticipate a traffic collision, which will adjust seat belt tightness, adjust headrests, windows close, and other safety protocols happen automatically. These types of solutions are becoming more commonplace, and will only continue to advance with new generations of vehicles.

Are we moving toward an era where the gas station will become extinct? The auto industry might be moving away from gas engines - so gas stations will dwindle - but it won't happen any time soon.

Instead, standalone gas stations will need to find ways to innovate or struggle - and just adding some EV chargers alone won't get the job done. Along with EVs needing more time than pumping gas for an internal combustion engine, there are some massive costs to consider. Residential customers usually avoid them, but businesses are hit with demand charges - and those could rack up quickly.

Up to 80 percent of gas stations in California could be unprofitable by 2035, which will leave thousands of station owners - and employees - left wondering what's next.

The new Jeep Avenger was unveiled during the Paris Motor show, the company's first-ever battery electric vehicle (BEV). There is an effort to roll out Jeep models to Europe that are designed to fit best on European highways and city streets - and the compact SUV points towards the future.

The 400-volt electric powertrain supplies 115 kW, 156 horsepower, and 260 Nm maximum torque. The WLTP guidelines resulted in an almost 250 mile range - which increased to 340 miles when the Jeep is in the urban cycle. Using a fast charger for only three minutes provides enough charge to cover almost 20 miles - and 24 minutes of charge time takes the battery from 20% up to 80% charge.

In addition, the battery has been tested for over 1.2 million miles. The extremely compact, non-intrusive battery is located under the front and rear seats - an underbody skid plate and high ground clearance help protect it from significant damage.

Teaching teenagers how to drive - and be responsible behind the wheel - is a daunting task, but electric vehicle adoption could greatly assist because of modern safety standards. Young people learning to drive behind the wheel for the first time may not get much experience driving an internal combustion engine in favor of an EV.

A recent Cars.com survey discovered that 74% of drivers feel it is somewhat important for teens to learn to drive an EV - and 56% believe all teen drivers will learn to drive an EV model within the next decade. Apparently, it's something that driver's education classes also teach to students, with 36% of teens receiving hybrid and EV operation instructions.

Also of interest is that 52% of teens are driving used cars, while 38% learn to drive in new vehicles. The study didn't break down how old the used cars were, though a major plus side of EV driving is related to safety.

IKEA is working with Kodiak Robotics to ship products from a distribution center to a store, offering both companies data from their test runs. This isn't necessarily an attempt to wipe out human truck drivers, but to free up those interested in switching to local short routes.

Since early August, Kodiak and IKEA move freight daily from a Baytown-based IKEA distribution center to a brick-and-mortar store in Frisco. The trip is around 300 miles. The semi-truck runs Kodiak's autonomous driving system, though a human truck driver is responsible for picking up the loaded trailer each morning. Once connected, the truck driver is responsible for supervising the autonomous trip until a successful delivery in the late afternoon.

As stated by Dariusz Mroczek, Category Area Transport Manager for IKEA Supply Chain Operations: "We are proud to be working with Kodiak to achieve our ambitious goals of being at the forefront of innovation and building capabilities for future transportation. Kodiak's technology will contribute towards our objective to put the driver in focus in the transition towards automated transportation and towards our road safety agenda."

Foxconn is jumping into the electric vehicle market with its Model B crossover hatchback and Model V all-terrain electric pickup.

Exact details about both self-developed concept prototype electric vehicles remain scarce, and we'll likely have to wait until next year for additional details.

The Model B will have a maximum range of around 280 miles and is a compact car model, though Foxconn hasn't said much else about the car. It has an "innovative" air curtain and streamlined roof to reduce air turbulence to contribute to the low drag coefficient of 0.26.

Audi has high hopes that its Connected Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology can greatly help reduce possible collisions between vehicles and cyclists.

Cellular communication is used to support C-V2X, which alerts drivers on the cockpit display to pay attention to possible safety issues. Everything from surrounding vehicles to traffic obstacles, pedestrians, and cyclists are accounted for - and can be customized to include traffic lights, school buses, crosswalks, road signs, and other features in the system.

Future software versions might be deployed so the car is able to identify - and react - to possible hazards with little to no driver interaction.

Luxury automaker Rolls-Royce publicly debuted the Spectre, its first foray into full-electric vehicles. The upcoming model is the "spiritual" successor to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.

The 6,559-pound coupe goes 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, with 577 horsepower and 664 ft-lb torque. More than 1,500 pounds of the car's total weight is sound-deafening insulation Rolls-Royce used to maintain its prestige of silent, comfortable vehicles to ride in.

The fully-electric car is being taken through its paces by Rolls-Royce, a 2.5 million kilometer test to simulate 400 years of use. An all-electric range of 320 miles is expected, though final power, acceleration, and confirmed range numbers will be released Q2 2023.

Audi has released the sportiest compact car from Audio Sport, the RS 3 performance edition, which has 407 horsepower and a top speed of 186 mph. This car is faster and more powerful than any other edition in the previous series.

The performance edition also uses a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine like the standard trim but generates extra horsepower with an altered sports exhaust system. Audi stepped it up with a sportier feel with bucket seats, ceramic brakes, and adaptive chassis standard in the performance edition.

Interested owners will find several colors available: Nogaro Blue, Arrow Gray, Daytona Gray, Sebring Black Crystal Effect, and Glacier White Metallic.

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the first "electrified" Taco Bell fast food restaurant, with EV chargers available in the parking lot. The grand opening for the event will take place later this morning to publicly unveil the charging stations and open them for public use.

Something that appears like a simple novelty could be the groundwork for similar partnerships between business chains and EV charger companies. ChargeNet Stations also is going to offset utility costs for host restaurants by leveraging solar panels to collect and store energy that customers use for their vehicles.

Of course, nothing is free in this world - the six chargers sit underneath a solar array that takes up 10 parking spots - and around $20 will provide 100+ mile charge in 20 minutes or less. Any other pricing information wasn't disclosed.

Cadillac is banking on a rich history of luxury and prestige with its hand-crafted, large bespoke fully electric vehicle, the Celestiq. The car will start north of $300,000 and may be extremely challenging to get your hands-on one.

The two-motor, all-wheel-drive vehicle is powered by a 111-kWH battery pack with 600 horsepower and 640 lb-ft torque. Using a 200 kW DC fast charging system can provide 78 miles of range in just 10 minutes of charging time.

General Motors estimates a 300-mile driving range on a single charge. The Celestiq can accelerate 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

Mercedes-AMG recently presented the 2024 AMG EQE SUV, the first all-electric SUV from the performance sports brand.

The AMG EQE SUV is the first Mercedes-AMG SUV and is the third vehicle of the Mercedes-EQ electric platform. Two electric motors give it a 677 horsepower rated output with 738 lb-ft torque all-wheel drive luxury vehicle.

That extra oomph to deliver that horsepower comes at the expense of travel range: The battery range is estimated between 233 miles and 292 miles supported by the 90.6 kWh battery. Mercedes-AMG will make improvements in range but believes buyers understand the trade-off when they pick this SUV.

In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, trucking companies will greatly benefit from the expansion of battery electric (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) as a push away from diesel continues. Long-haul trucking also will benefit from operational requirements either meeting - or surpassing - similar diesel trucks.

It's not just electric cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs receiving attention for product launches, with delivery vans, moving trucks, and big rigs also gaining from EV advancements. Companies are anxious for the total cost of ownership (TCO) of electric to become more financially advantageous over current diesel models.

The majority of trucks on European roads travel less than 500 miles per day while in use, and truck battery range is improving.

Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz will become the first non-Apple devices to use Apple's Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, it was announced. The partnership also includes the Universal Music Group (UMG), so drivers will have a wider selection of music to listen to while out on the road.

Apple promotes Spatial Audio by saying it is able to deliver a listening experience that creates a theater-like sound that feels like it's coming from all around the listener. Apple said it is equipping Mercedes vehicles with "studio-quality sound" that is "better than in any concert hall, and giving drivers a fully immersive listening experience with unparalleled, multidimensional sound and clarity."

Over 70% of music consumers listen to their tunes mostly in a car, while the same number of people cannot imagine riding in a vehicle without music.

The United States trails behind European countries in electric vehicle adoption per capita, according to a Statista report. Although states deciding to ban the future sale of gas-powered vehicles will help spur increased EV growth over the next 15 years.

Norway has a sizable lead, with 81.0 electric vehicles per 1,000 residents, with No. 2 Iceland (36.8%), and No. 3 Sweden (20.6%) trailing far behind. The US trails further down the list, slotting in at No. 8 with just 5.2%.

By the end of September 2022, the US market had 32 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and 34 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) from a handful of different automakers available. As a growing number of individual states look to prohibit gas-powered car sales in the future, and automakers plan to switch to EVs, an even wider selection of models will be available in the future.

The automakers unwilling to wager on electric vehicles research and development on pace with rivals are now scrambling to catch back up. Although multiple foreign automakers are expanding their reach in the US, especially in the midwest and southeastern portions of the country.

Honda has big plans for the midwest, as the Japanese company recently announced it was teaming up with LG to bring a joint EV battery facility to Ohio. The automaker also showed off the Prologue, Honda's first electric SUV expected for release in 2024.

As said by Bob Nelson, EVP of corporate services at American Honda Motor Co: "We are proud of their efforts, but now is not the time to rest on our history. What we announced today represents a re-investment in the Honda associates who will take us from building vehicles utilizing the internal combustion engine to those powered by electrification."

It seems that drivers in a vehicle with partial automation are becoming too comfortable and treating their cars like it's fully self-driving, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

There are only a few cars that offer partial autonomy, but there is a change in the driving habits of people behind the wheel in a car with Tesla Autopilot, Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT, or Cadillac Super Cruise. Drivers can become easily distracted by texting, eating, or some other activity that raises safety risks.

It looks like proPILOT drivers were the least worrying, with 12% of drivers willing to treat their car as fully self-driving. However, 53% of Super Cruise users and 42 percent of Autopilot users treat their semi-autonomous vehicles as fully self-driving.

Google Cloud will use its artificial intelligence-based voice assistant services for new Toyota and Lexus models, regardless of Internet connectivity. Anyone looking for a 2023 model from Toyota or Lexus can look forward to using the voice assistant from their infotainment system.

As part of the Toyota Audio Multimedia and Lexus Interface infotainment systems, Google and Toyota both hope they're able to keep drivers hands-free and focused on the road.

Even though an Internet connection isn't required, the Toyota Voice Assistant's machine learning delivers more accurate voice interactions when connected. However, the next-generation system will still provide reliable natural-speech functions when a driver interacts with it. The AI runs directly through the multimedia system processors in a vehicle's infotainment system.