Electric Vehicles & Cars - Page 15

Enel X Way and Sunrun have teamed up to bring smart Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations designed for EV owners to charge at home.

Level 2 chargers traditionally use 208-240v power sources and can deliver electrical current from a traditional household outlet. The grid-connected model also helps the local power grid because it's able to maximize off-peak and automated charging times.

The companies made sure the co-branded charger is compatible for use with all EV cars and trucks. Sunrun is the official charging partner for Ford, and looks to expand EV charging options for owners.

Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz announced a working partnership to connect the MO360 data platform to Microsoft's cloud service. The German automaker is looking to greatly boost its car manufacturing efficiency and thinks connecting its global car plants together can help a more seamless production pipeline.

MO360 is a digital production ecosystem made up of multiple software applications that are able to share interfaces and standardized user interfaces. Many elements of MO360 were already in place at various factories, but will now be consolidated for a more holistic approach to utilizing digital solutions.

When implemented properly, the data platform can identify supply chain bottlenecks when information is collected through the entire production lifecycle - from logistics and supplies to the assembly line, and then finally when the vehicles hit the dealerships. This virtual simulation allows operations managers to test different processes before trying them on the shop floor.

Ford recently announced the opening of its Ford Atlanta Research and Innovation Center (FARIC) facility to develop digital transformation in the auto industry. The new office is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and also serves as a recruiting tool for developers in the local area.

Ford says it is currently undergoing the "most profound transformation" in the company's history, so preparing for future demands in tech-focused vehicles is extremely important.

As said by Jim Buczkowski, executive director for Ford Research, Advanced Engineering, in a statement:

Korean automaker Hyundai wants to connect as many as 20 million vehicles to a custom platform tailored to their personal services. Hyundai has an ambitious road map for the program as they want to reach 20M software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with over-the-air (OTA) software updates that are tailored based on data from the connected car.

Car owners will be able to modify and upgrade performance and functionality without visiting an official service center. Starting next year, feature-on-demand services will be added, so car owners can select and purchase the technology that best fits their needs - and offers a unique layer of customization to every Hyundai on the road.

Beginning in 2023, all new launches from Hyundai will ship with the OTA software updates ready to go - and isn't just for electric vehicles, but internal combustion engines will also have their own software to offer customized functionality.

Startup Synop aims to provide electric vehicle operations and energy management to a single platform, so it becomes easier for buses, trucks, and EV fleets to make use of that energy. The company has specific interest in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, allowing electric vehicles to reverse the power and send energy back into their local power grid.

Snop understands companies are switching to electric to run their fleet, but there is still work to be done to make sure mass adoption leads to a sustainable infrastructure.

As said by Andrew Blejde, co-founder of Synop, in a statement published by CNBC: "We helped deliver 10 megawatt hours of energy back into the grid, and we did that every single day for the entire duration of the summer. Really that's about charging when it's cheap and selling energy back when it's most advantageous."

The newly-formed company, Sony Honda Mobility, became official when executives from Sony and Honda met with one another during a press conference. The company will become software-oriented and reach customers through a focus on online sales.

Automakers pairing with software and tech companies isn't anything new, but this announcement shows how blurred together both verticals are. Sony will bring experience and knowledge about software and technology, while Honda brings its car R&D and production to the table. For example, Sony reportedly wants to offer a monthly subscription for its software system, so the company will need to step up its functionality and customization to make it worthwhile.

Interested customers can look ahead to Q1 and Q2 of 2025, when pre-orders for the first vehicle are expected to launch. Sony Honda didn't offer details about the vehicle, pricing, or battery range - those details will hopefully be available sometime in 2023.

Automaker Lucid Motors announced it has produced 2,282 units during Q3 2022 and is still on track to meet its yearly production estimates. Lucid aims to manufacture upwards of 7,000 units in 20022, and we'll have to wait to see how productive the company will be to close out the year.

The San Francisco Bay Area-based company manufactures its vehicles at a production facility in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Lucid became more conservative with its production goals, cutting production guidance during 2022. The company wanted to produce 20,000 Air cars, but that number was quickly reduced in February between 12,000 and 14,000 vehicles. That number was once again trimmed back, this time with a production goal of 6,000 to 7,000 vehicles.

Swedish automaker Polestar officially unveiled the Polestar 3 electric performance SUV, a five-passenger EV that will have 517 horsepower and 300 miles charge range. The car is priced near $84,000 and will ship packed full of technology for drivers and passengers to make use of.

Polestar is a company jointly owned by Volvo and Chinese automaker Geely, which has relied on manufacturing vehicles in China. However, Polestar expects to start Polestar 3 assembly in the United beginning in mid-2024.

The Polestar 3 has a top speed of 130 miles per hour and will reach 0 to 60 mph in five seconds.

Automaker giant General Motors wants businesses and electric vehicle owners to make use of GM Energy, a new effort that will maximize energy management services. It looks like GM wants to connect homes and businesses with EV chargers to create optimized energy storage that can benefit the towns EV owners currently live and work in.

GM hopes the Ultium Home, Ultium Commercial, and Ultium Charge 360 platforms will help customers with integrated energy management that can help mitigate the effects of power outages. The company also will work with SunPower, a leading US solar technology company, along with other companies interested in providing energy solutions while receiving product and service offerings in return.

As stated by Travis Hester, VP of EV growth operations at GM: "The reliability of the U.S. electrical power grid has never been more important. GM Energy has the opportunity to help deliver sustainable energy products and services that can help mitigate the effect of power outages and provide customers with resilient and cost-effective energy management."

Japanese automaker Lexus has premiered the all-electric UX 300e, a shiny new battery electric vehicle that will start being delivered in spring 2023.

The UX 300e first launched in 2020, marking Lexus' first full all-electric vehicle, though understood the car's storage capacity and range were two aspects that would need to be improved. Lexus was able to improve upon both features this time around:

The car has a cruising range of more than 275 miles, with a battery capacity of 72.8 kWh. Lexus developed a new battery pack that greatly increased the cruising range by over 40%. The front-mounted electric motor generates 201 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque.

Japanese automaker Honda and South Korean tech company LG announced $3.5 billion in joint funding for an electric vehicle battery plant in Ohio. The facility will create more than 2,200 jobs once both companies receive government approvals for the facility - and upwards of $4.4 billion in total investment from both companies.

If all goes according to plan, construction will begin sometime in early 2023, with the facility finished by the end of 2024. Earlier in the year, Honda said it was interested in creating a joint venture for battery production somewhere in North America, with Ohio - because of the company's resources already in place - seemed like a strong candidate, though partner companies remained unknown.

As said by Dong-Myung Kim, Executive Vice President of Advanced Automotive Battery Division at LG Energy Solution:

Blink Charging, a company known for its electric vehicle chargers and support equipment, has launched its revamped Blink Network of driver and host platforms. Site hosts are able to create a pricing protocol with optimized scheduling - and increased control and visibility across Blink's network.

Blink has around 30,000 charging stations spread across the world, and is a leader in EV charging solutions. The company continues its international expansion and hopes its latest offerings set it apart from rivals in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.

As said by Michael Farkas, chairman and CEO at Blink Charging, in a press statement:

Amazon plans to invest more than $970 million into its effort to add electric vans, cargo bikes, and long-haul trucks to its fleet across Europe. Finding solutions that are eco-friendly and cost-effective both remain ambitious goals for the major retailer - and plans to have more than 10,000 EV delivery vans, a drastic rise from the 3,000 in use in Europe.

Amazon wants its electric van fleet to increase from 3,000 to more than 10,000 by 2025. To keep up with the demand from this effort, the US company plans to install hundreds of fast chargers at its facilities, with each one able to charge an EV in two hours or less.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy had this to say: "Our transportation network is one of the most challenging areas of our business to decarbonize. Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks and bikes will help us shift further away from traditional fossil fuels."

It was only last month that Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that the highly anticipated Tesla Cybertruck will double as a boat.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO took to his personal Twitter account last month to announce that the Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, enabling it to cross rivers, lakes, and seas that aren't too choppy. Musk didn't go into further detail during these September 30 tweets but did mention that the motivation behind making the Cybertruck waterproof enough to serve as a boat was the need to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the ship channel.

Currently, to reach South Padre Island from Starbase, individuals need to drive approximately 49 minutes, but simply crossing the ship channel, which spans just 1,500 feet with a Cybertruck, would reduce that trip to an estimated 15-25 minute trip. It should be noted that the speed at which the Cybertruck can travel on water hasn't been disclosed, but Musk recently chimed in on that missing factor, posting on Twitter that Cybertruck would need an electric propeller mounted on the tow hitch to reach speeds of more than a few knots.

Uber and Motional have entered a 10-year partnership for the IONIQ 5 electric vehicle robotaxis to hit the streets, ferrying UberX and Uber Comfort Electric passengers.

Ideally, these robotaxis will help Uber reduce vehicle downtime while improving customer satisfaction as wait times and fees are both lowered. Public launch is expected to start before the end of 2022, and expand to cities across the United States on a wider scale moving forward.

Data-driven insights will be shared from Uber to Motional to maximize passenger satisfaction while riding in these autonomous vehicles. Both companies worked together in 2022 for autonomous food deliveries using the rideshare's Uber Eats service for select customers in California.

Volvo's upcoming EX90 has great potential with its bi-directional charging that allows a flow from the vehicle back to the energy grid.

The Volvo EX90 uses bi-directional charging and may have the ability for owners to make energy utilization cheaper, more efficient, and more sustainable. The bi-directional charging would make it possible for an EX90 owner to power a house if there is a blackout or some other issue that occurs.

Ideally, many other EVs could be used to create a "virtual powerplant" that would be able to ease the strain of an overloaded electric grid.

German automaker Mercedes-Benz has high expectations that luxury car buyers will help usher in the transition from internal-combustion engines towards electric vehicles in the years to come.

The company is witnessing a trend towards EVs and wants to be carbon dioxide neutral by 2039. All Mercedes models will have electric versions by 2025 and will go fully electric-only after that year. In addition to being better for the environment - as automakers look to reduce CO2 emissions - Mercedes understand that it very well may be a better business decision as well.

Mercedes delivered around 31,000 EVs during the first two quarters of 2022 but has admitted it's essentially sold out of EV models through the rest of the year. Meanwhile, production will continue to accelerate as fast as possible - a difficult feat considering current semiconductor shortages and other logistical problems - though the company expects an easier time in 2023.

Honda has unveiled the Prologue, its first electric SUV, as the Japanese automaker continues to show its efforts to transition towards electric vehicles. The all-wheel drive SUV

The Prologue includes an 11-inch driver display panel and 11.3-inch audio/connectivity display in the vehicle. Honda chose to use physical buttons for heating and air conditioning instead of relying on touch-sensitive controls on the touchscreen display.

Honda's Prologue will also be larger than Honda's popular CR-V and has a "modern and fresh design" that Honda hopes will look especially shiny in dealership showrooms.

Automaker Rivian Automotive manufactured 7,363 vehicles and delivered 6,584 vehicles during Q3, according to the company.

The company has the R1S SUV, R1T pickup truck, and delivery vans that Amazon is currently using - and remains focused on ramping up production numbers of these vehicles before drastically launching new models.

The Q3 production number is a strong 67% quarter-over-quarter increase when the company made right around 4,400 vehicles during the second quarter.

Korean automaker Hyundai understands range anxiety is a significant concern for potential electric vehicle buyers, worried they will need to stop and recharge too frequently to make a purchase worth it. The IONIQ 6 electrified streamliner will have an all-electric range of 381 miles with an energy consumption of 13.9 kWh per 60 miles.

Hyundai has ambitious goals in the EV market and delivering a strong EV range for vehicles is an important step to winning over possible shoppers. The Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) is a Hyundai-dedicated architecture and allows the IONIQ 6 to become a portable power bank on wheels - customers can effectively use the car as a mobile workstation if needed.

As noted by Byung Hoon Min, head of total vehicle performance development center at Hyundai: "We put every effort into designing the most efficient car in the EV segment. Our focus on improving aerodynamics helped to achieve one of the longest all-electric range vehicles available, which will reduce customers' EV range anxiety and help grow the segment."