BMW recently revealed the 2021 330e plug-in hybrid, along with an all-wheel-drive variant, the 330e xDrive. The new sedan sports a 2.0-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo engine with 181 hp and 258 lb-ft (350 N·m) of torque, paired with an electric motor cranking out 107 hp and 77 lb-ft (104 N·m) of torque. A 12 kWh… Read more »
Tag: The Vehicles
Elon Musk says a network of a million self-driving Tesla taxis is still on schedule to launch this year
Tesla’s plan for a network of self-driving taxis (then called The Tesla Network) was first mentioned in July 2016, as part of the company’s Master Plan, Part Deux: When true self-driving is approved by regulators, it will mean that you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere. Once it picks you… Read more »
Genoa transport operator to purchase 14 Irizar electric buses
Transport operator ATM Genoa has acquired 14 Irizar ie 10.8-meter electric buses. Each bus has 350 kWh of battery capacity, 220 km of range, three doors, 20 seats, and a capacity of 81 passengers. A 180 kW motor provides 1,500 Nm of torque. The buses will be charged overnight via nine interoperable chargers with Combo… Read more »
Electric aircraft maker Lilium completes $240-million funding round
Munich-based aviation company Lilium is developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to serve regional air travel markets. The company recently completed a $240-million funding round led by Tencent, with participation from other existing investors, including Atomico, Freigeist and LGT. The new funds bring the total sum raised to date to over… Read more »
GM and Honda to jointly develop two new EVs for North America
General Motors and Honda have agreed to jointly develop two all-new EVs—and not just for China! The two new models will be based on GM’s new global EV platform and Ultium batteries, and will be produced at GM plants in North America. They will bear Honda nameplates, and the exteriors and interiors will be designed… Read more »
Audi plans battery assembly plant in Germany
German automakers know they need to establish a European battery industry, and they’re taking steps to chip away at the stranglehold Asian firms have on the market. Audi is reportedly planning an assembly plant for EV battery packs near its plant in Ingolstadt, Germany. Electrive, citing the Korean blog Guru, tells us that Audi intends… Read more »
California hospitals order 12 electric cargo vans from Lightning Systems
Lightning Systems has received an order from the California Department of State Hospitals for 12 all-electric Ford Transit 350HD Class 3 delivery vans. Fleet dealer Wondries Fleet Group will deliver the Lightning Electric e-vans to the hospital system. Lightning’s powertrain for the Ford Transit offers peak power of 160 kW (215 hp), a torque rating… Read more »
As overall Chevrolet sales fall, Bolt EV sales are up 36 percent
Tesla isn’t the only automaker that sold a surprising number of EVs in the first quarter. Chevrolet sold 5,873 Bolt EVs in Q1 2020, an increase of 36.1% compared to a year ago. The Bolt may just be the second most popular EV in the US at the moment, behind only the Tesla Model 3… Read more »
Tesla China shipments soar as Shanghai Gigafactory ramps up
A report from a Chinese trade group seems to confirm what we all suspected: Tesla’s impressive delivery numbers for the first quarter were boosted by a surge of shipments in China. The company’s wholesale March deliveries in China were 10,160 units, according to Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Passenger Car Association (via Bloomberg)…. Read more »
Tesla builds ventilators from Model 3 parts
Tesla, along with many other industrial firms, is working on multiple fronts to help alleviate a shortage of ventilators. The company has bought surplus ventilators from China, and distributed them to medical personnel around the US, and is also reportedly working with medical device manufacturer Medtronic to build ventilators at the New York Gigafactory. Now… Read more »
