Some European feathers have recently been ruffled by the “Buy American” provisions of the US Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Some say the EU needs to respond by increasing its own support of the EV industry in order to meet the threat from Chinese automakers. So it’s encouraging to see two high-tech companies… Read more »
Author: Charles Morris
New Zealand firm offers improved LFP battery packs for Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is a historic and much-loved vehicle. First-generation (2011-2016) Leafs lack the range that current EV buyers expect, but thousands of owners (including your correspondent) still find them to be delightful daily drivers. One of the many nifty things about EVs is that it’s possible to replace a degraded or damaged battery pack… Read more »
EV price war! Ford responds to Tesla price cuts, boosts production of Mustang Mach-E
The greatest barrier to EV adoption is the steep price premium relative to legacy vehicles—and for the past couple of years, prices have been moving in the wrong direction, thanks to supply-chain constraints and general post-COVID inflation. When Tesla recently announced price cuts of up to 20 percent, the boo-birds crowed about softening demand, but… Read more »
EverCharge’s load balancing enables large-scale EV charging solution at Houston airport
EverCharge, an SK Group company, will deploy “a significant number” of EV charging stations at Houston’s George Bush International Airport for Avis Budget Group. The stations will power Avis and Budget’s rental fleet of plug-in vehicles at the airport. Intelligent load balancing allows fleet operators to install more charging stations without straining the existing electrical… Read more »
2024 Polestar 2 offers more power, more range and—surprise—lower emissions
Polestar (Nasdaq: PSNY) has given its Polestar 2 five-door fastback a major update for 2024, including new electric motors, rear-wheel drive, more battery capacity and—believe it or not, lower emissions. “With the new model year Polestar 2, we upgraded substantial tech and mechanical components of the electric drivetrain,” says Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. “This is… Read more »
Kaluza launches V2X trial with Volkswagen Group UK
Bidirectional charging and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) are two of the buzziest terms in the EV world these days—but the two aren’t quite the same thing. The former is an enabling technology for the latter, which is a package of applications that include using an EV as a backup power source and providing services to electric utilities… Read more »
Frito-Lay’s “sustainability showcase” features Tesla Semis, electric trucks, solar+storage
Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, is transforming its Modesto, California, facility into “a showcase for sustainable manufacturing, warehousing and distribution technologies.” The 80-acre, 500,000-square-foot Modesto site, one of Frito-Lay’s largest manufacturing facilities in the US, features several classes of EVs, along with on-site solar energy generation, storage and EV charging stations. Green goodies in service… Read more »
Automobili Estrema’s electric hypercar does 0-200 mph in 10 seconds
The area around Modena, Italy has a long history of producing some of the world’s most famous and prestigious cars. A new resident of this storied region is Automobili Estrema, which was founded in 2020 by industry veteran Gianfranco Pizzuto, and counts several other illustrious automotive professionals among its execs. For its first product, the… Read more »
EV charging station data provider Eco-Movement closes Series A funding round
Eco-Movement, a Netherlands-based provider of EV charging station data, has closed a Series A funding round. Investors included Dutch VC firm Ponooc and Dow Jones, a well-known provider of news and business information. As an independent B2B data platform, Eco-Movement provides charge point location and pricing information to navigation providers, online maps and fleet operators…. Read more »
Tesla to build Semis and expand battery production at Nevada Gigafactory
Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory is quite a place—since its 2014 opening, the company has invested $6.2 billion in the region, and the 5.4-million-square-foot, 11,000-employee facility has produced some 7.3 billion battery cells, 1.5 million battery packs and 3.6 million drive units. Now Tesla has announced plans to invest an additional $3.6 billion, hire 3,000 more team… Read more »
