Electric Vehicles & Cars - Page 16

Hennessey Performance has taken the factory Ford Bronco Raptor and heavily modified it to create the all-new VelociRaptor 500 Bronco. Admittedly not something required to do for a new vehicle, though Hennessey prides itself on adjusting and allowing a vehicle to really stand out on its own.

The improved Ford Bronco now has 20 percent more output, including 500 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque total. The stock Bronco Raptor delivers 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque, so the modifications aren't necessarily needed - but Hennessey just elevates every vehicle that the company touches.

Custom VelociRaptor bumpers are installed, new 10-spoke alloy wheels, custom VelociRaptor 500 Bronco badging, and Hennessey Heritage graphics are added. For the interior, embroidered head restraints and all-weather floor mats are included, along with a numbered plaque.

There is no argument that autonomous vehicles are hitting the road in higher volume, though it brings up safety issues related to both drivers and pedestrians. To improve pedestrian safety, installing robotic eyes on autonomous vehicles may improve safety for people out on the street, according to research from the University of Tokyo.

Once properly programmed, the robotic eyes either look at a pedestrian or look away, so each person on the street is aware of where the vehicle is effectively looking. Even with autonomous technology advancing, the interaction between self-driving cars and the environment around them - not including other vehicles on the roadway - is something that must be looked at more closely.

If everyone in a self-driving vehicle is not paying direct attention to the road around them, pedestrians have even less to gauge whether a vehicle is aware of their presence. As part of testing, researchers had two scenarios with the eyes and two without. The test vehicle either noticed the pedestrian and was going to keep driving or would stop. With the eyes, they were either actively engaged with the pedestrian or looking somewhere else.

Commercial production of the Endurance electric light-duty pickup truck from Lordstown Motors has officially started, with the company aiming to deliver 50 units to customers by the end of the year. So far, two Endurance trucks have rolled off the line, with another unit expected to be completed in the immediate future.

Manufacturing will take place at Foxconn's EV Ohio factory, which Lordstown purchased from General Motors - but later sold to Foxconn for $230 million. Foxconn will produce the Endurance truck and EVs for automaker Fisker.

Lordstown aims to build at least 500 vehicles and will spend around $85 million during Q4 - and have only $110 million cash and equivalents available to finish 2022. The company is going to start slowly and hopefully ramp up production, based on supply chain constraints ranging from engineering readiness, quality, and parts availability.

Italian luxury automaker Maserati has shared additional details about its GranTurismo Folgore, an all-electric luxury sports car.

The GranTurismo Folgore utilizes a 100 percent electric battery-based powertrain with 760 horsepower and 996 pound-feet of torque. The car can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.7 seconds and reach 124 mph in 8.8 seconds - with a top speed of 199 mph.

There is a normal battery capacity of 92.5 kWh with a discharge capacity of 560 kW, with the "T-bone" battery modules not located under the seats. New manufacturing processes were needed because Folgore has high-performance steel and lightweight materials that include aluminum and magnesium.

Electric car maker Tesla produced more than 365,000 vehicles and delivered over 343,000 vehicles during its fiscal Q3. Financial Wall Street analysts expected the company to deliver more than 364,000 vehicles throughout the quarter, though still had better year-over-year success.

Tesla doesn't offer public sales reports - or vehicle production or delivery breakdowns by region - so delivery rates are the most accurate way to predict overall sales health.

The leading electric automaker noted that delivery volumes tend to peak towards the end of each quarter because of "regional batch" manufacturing of its vehicles. Due to this surge, it's more difficult for low-cost transportation capacity, so the company had to change its strategy, which Tesla noted:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the Clean School Bus Program rebate awards have been doubled up to $1 billion. Last May, the EPA announced $500 million in rewards, but US school districts showed so much interest in the program, the US government has decided to boost the amount of funding available.

Replacing a single diesel school bus can greatly help the environment, reducing greenhouse emissions by a whopping 54,000 pounds per year, according to Dominion Energy. In addition, toxic diesel fumes emitted by the bus while it idles find ways inside the cabin, putting the health of the passengers at risk.

School districts also have a keen interest in reducing the cost of fuel and repair costs through the operating life of each bus.

Subaru recently announced starting prices for its 2023 Forester SUV, one of the Japanese automaker's most popular models based on overall sales figures.

Subaru will also offer the 2023 Forester in six different trim levels starting in December: Base, Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring.

All models will include the EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, an active safety system, along with Automatic Emergency Steering, Blind-Spot Detection with Lane Keep Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.

Although it's a positive sign that more drivers are purchasing electric vehicles, the long stretches of US highways without proper EV charging infrastructure tend to be a rather worrisome sign. In the future, the goal will be to see EV chargers replace traditional gas stations, which have existed over a century in the US.

Major metropolitan areas have made greater strides in EV charging than states with smaller populations, such as Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, according to a recent study from CNN. There are 6,500 public fast-charging stations spread across the US, but more work must be done to cover sparsely covered remote areas, as EV sales continue to increase in the future.

Both California and New York plan to restrict gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035, with other states also considering similar bans as there is a push to go electric. Infrastructure to support all these new EVs is ongoing, with 500,000 new chargers set for installation across the United States by 2030.

Kodiak Robotics and Werner Enterprises announced they are collaborating to create autonomous trucking lanes for use by driverless big rigs. The two companies want to put the spotlight on the effectiveness of truckport transfer hubs.

During the initial pilot, Kodiak had 100% on-time delivery over 152 hours of total driving time. Trailers were available at both end hubs for the autonomous trucks to pickup and drop-off, with local drivers responsible for first mile and last-mile deliveries. The average speed of the 7,957-mile pilot had an average speed of 65 mph.

As noted by Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak, in a press statement:

Well, concept cars are meant to be groundbreaking, and Citroen has something that is both unique and eco-friendly, with the Oli cardboard all-electric vehicle.

The company worked alongside German chemical specialist BASF to develop the car that with a top speed of 68 miles per hour - and 20% to 80% charging takes only 23 minutes. The vehicle weighs a metric ton and has almost a range near 250 miles. Citroen wanted to keep the weight down and show that it's possible to make a quality vehicle and "more can be achieved with less."

Oli owners can make use of vehicle parts that are "reused or recycled" throughout the lifetime of the vehicle, and has a "flat bonnet, roof and pick-up bed panels" made of custom cardboard.

There is no question that automatic emergency braking (AEB) has helped reduced accidents which may have caused injuries, property damage, or death to drivers and passengers. However, the American Automobile Association (AAA) wanted to take testing up a notch to provide a better overall analysis of how helpful AEB can be - and where it struggles the most.

Previous studies found vehicles with AEB were in 50% fewer rear-end collisions, and it's a common safety feature in new cars sold now. However, AAA wanted to run the system through the paces at higher speeds than what the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) currently do. AAA tested rear-end crashes with vehicle speeds of 30 mph and 40 mph, with IIHS testing standards currently at 12 and 25 mph.

Success rate was 17 of 20 test runs (85%) at 30 mph, but was far less helpful at 40 mph, with AEB successful just 6 out of 20 test runs (30%).

Toyota, the No. 1 largest car company in the world based on sales, is under criticism for a lagging electric vehicle strategy that still relies heavily on Prius and other hybrid models. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda still has a cautious approach to EVs, while the Japanese automaker still has its sights set on new hybrid models.

As stricter regulations related to engines are on the horizon, including banning new sales of vehicles with internal combustion engines, Toyota wants to make a dent in the on-board hydrogen fuel cell market. The only emissions would be water vapor, and that complies with these new rules that all automakers will have to adhere to once bans begin to go into effect.

The auto industry is extremely competitive, so financial analysts expect fast movement in a rather fluid industry. Toyota set itself apart from its competitors when it released the Prius hybrid more than 20 years ago, adapting to a market that forced its rivals to keep up. This time around, however, Toyota is earning criticism from its reluctance to heavily support the battery-powered future of the auto industry.

Tesla has been developing its highly anticipated Cybertruck since it was revealed back in 2019, and now Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed a new unique feature.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken to his personal Twitter account to announce that Tesla's Cybertruck, that's currently in development, will have a level of waterproof that will enable it to serve as a boat briefly. This new feature, previously mentioned by Musk in 2020, where he said that the Cybertruck is able to "float for awhile", has seemingly been expanded upon and further developed as Musk is now stating that Cybertruck can temporarily double as a boat.

Musk explains in the above tweet that Cybertruck will be capable of traversing rivers, lakes, and even seas that "aren't too choppy", with the Tesla CEO further explaining that the new feature came from the requirement of Cybertruck being able to get from Starbase spaceport, located at Boca Chica, Texas to South Padre Island.

Chevrolet has more than 60 years of experience manufacturing vehicles for law enforcement, but last month introduced its first all-electric vehicle for police use. The 2024 Blazer EV Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV), based off the Chevy Blazer EV SS, will include police-grade tires, underbody skid plates, emergency medical supplies, and other features that make it ideal for police use.

The interior is customized to support officers inside the vehicle, including front seats designed to accommodate an officer's duty belts and wearable gear. Final specifications and complete range information will be made available closer to the vehicle's launch for law enforcement.

The civilian Blazer EV features 557 horsepower and has a range of around 250 miles up to 320 miles on a single charge. Pricing starts at $44,995 for the standard version, and the SS has a starting price of $65,995.

Earlier this week, the Alice electric aircraft from Eviation took to the skies for its maiden voyage, hopefully opening the door to zero emission regional flights. Not only will the flights be more environmentally friendly, they'll also greatly reduce noise pollution for people living around airports.

The aircraft reached 3,500 feet maximum altitude and flew for eight minutes before landing back at the Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. After the MagniX engines were revved up, they sounded about as loud as electric grass trimmers, and provided a responsive experience to fly.

The passenger plane will hopefully support up to nine passengers and their luggage, and will need to finalize a design to be certified by US regulators.

The US Defense Innovation Unit and jet ski manufacturer T3MP3ST are working together to look for ways to make electric jet skis a suitable tool for elite military units. One day, it's possible the T3MP3ST could be fully autonomous drones that can be used without human operators for specific missions.

Jet skis might be fun to ride but haven't been suitable for military use because they simply aren't very efficient. In addition to producing "200 times the emissions of a single car," according to Nico Sell, CEO of T3MP3ST, in a statement published by Defense One, the gas-guzzling jet skis also create a logistical nightmare: "If you have gas, then you have guards. And you have mechanics. So we can get rid of all of those logistics."

The T3MP3ST Maverick GT Ski can be equipped with radar, sonar, cameras or lidar, along with autonomous functioning using GPS waypoints. The base model of the Maverick GT is $150,000, and the full RIB package is $500,000 - featuring a 350-horsepower 3D-printed electric engine that provides a top speed of more than 70 mph. Its electric range is 50 to 100 miles, and can navigate surf up to 100 feet high, developers claim.

As the auto industry continues its transition away from internal combustion engines towards electric vehicles, there are two major problems that must be addressed as soon as possible: limited battery range and slow recharging once a battery is low on charge.

Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin think an electrode can facilitate twice the range with one charge, compared to an EV with a battery that has commercially available electrodes. Researchers used magnets to create a unique alignment in a lithium-ion battery with thicker electrodes.

Early stages of research from UT Austin engineers are specific to a single type of battery electrode but offers a promising look towards the future. Ideally, the methodology may one day be consolidated so different types of electrodes can be made using different materials, so more EV makers and parts providers can adopt the strategy.

In the United States, there is a nationwide effort to ramp up the adoption of electric vehicles, with states creating ambitious plans to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles. To assist in this effort, the Biden Administration announced the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan for all 50 states has been approved.

The effort is designed to install EV chargers across 75,000 miles of highway spread across the US. The bipartisan infrastructure law aims for a charging station every 50 miles, with states able to select where these chargers are located. These chargers must be fast, able to recharge a vehicle's battery in 15 to o45 minutes, based on which car model is being serviced.

US states have access to $1.5 billion of a total $5 billion in funding designed for building EV charges over the next five years. Each charging station must have at least four fast-speed plug-ins and non-proprietary chargers able to connect to any type of EV.

German automaker BMW has shown off its XM plug-in hybrid that also is the first hybrid to be given the proud M badge. The twin-turbo V-8 engine has been designed as a performance Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) with an "extravagant" design and luxury ambience.

The BMW XM has an overall output of 480 kW and 653 HP that is generated by the combination of the combustion and electric drive system. The eight-cylinder engine feeds into an eight-speed M Steptropnic transmission with propulsive power with maximum overall torque of 590 lb-ft.

XM can accelerate 0 to 60mph in 4.3 seconds, with three different operating modes: ELECTRIC provides speeds up over 85 mph with zero local emissions and a maximum distance up to 55 miles.

Rental car giant Hertz has teamed up with oil giant BP to create a new network of electric vehicle charging stations spread across the United States. The stations will be powered by BP pulse, the company's electrification and charging solution, while Hertz continues to aim towards developing its own footprint in the EV market.

Obviously, BP relies heavily on fossil fuels, but has branched out towards electric and renewable products, understanding there is an ongoing market shift away from internal combustion engines. However, the company is stepping up acquisitions in EV technology, along with its own internal research to create new opportunities for itself.

BP Pulse will install the chargers and maintain software and services that Hertz will benefit from, though the general public, taxi and ride-hailing drivers will also have yet another place to recharge.