Liberty Access Technologies

Episode 125.
Source: Electric Vehicle News

Tesla is going into a hiring spree for motor and actuator designers and engineers for its humanoid Optimus robot program. The automaker is actually hiring more for the robot program than for its electric vehicles.

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The post Tesla goes on motor design hiring spree for humanoid Optimus robot appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

We’re not sure why, but there does seem to be an affinity between coffee and driving electric. Starbucks has long offered EV charging at some of its stores, and now the chain, in partnership with Volvo Cars, is planning to install chargers along a 1,350-mile route between the hypercaffeinated cities of Denver and Seattle.

By the end of the year, up to 60 DC fast chargers, powered by ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT), will be installed at some 15 Starbucks stores approximately every 100 miles along the route. Four charging stations have been installed at a Starbucks location in Provo, Utah, and future stations will be located in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

The public chargers will be open to all EV drivers for a fee. Owners of Volvo Cars will get access at no charge or at preferential rates.

“Access to EV charging should be as easy as getting a great cup of coffee—and now, it can be,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks Chief Sustainability Officer.

“With Volvo and Starbucks, we’re creating a premium EV driving experience between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “EV drivers will have the opportunity to quickly fuel their vehicles at Starbucks locations along one of America’s most scenic byways.”

Electric bus and commercial vehicle builder Switch Mobility has unveiled a new electric double-decker, air-conditioned bus designed, developed and manufactured in India specifically for the Indian market.

Switch says its EiV 22 is equipped with “the latest technology, ultra-modern design, highest safety and best-in-class comfort features.” It can carry 65 passengers—nearly twice the number of seated passengers as a comparable single-decker bus with just an 18% increase in curb weight, according to Switch.

The EiV 22 bus uses a 650 V architecture, and the same platform as the Switch EiV 12, which the company launched in June. Its battery pack features a capacity of 231 kWh, liquid cooling, NMC chemistry, and a “dual-gun” charging system. It boasts a range of up to 250 km.

Bus components are manufactured in India, and Switch says it has already secured an order for 200 of the electric double-decker buses in Mumbai.

“It’s an extremely proud moment for us as we bring back the iconic double-decker to India,” said Mr. Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Switch Mobility. “Ashok Leyland was a pioneer among Indian manufacturers when it first launched the double-decker in 1967 in Mumbai. With our strong expertise in double-deckers, both in India and UK, and with over 100 Switch electric double-deckers in service on UK roads, we are happy to bring this icon back to life.” 

“As a carbon-neutral mobility company, Switch is focused on delivering innovative solutions to help authorities and operators decarbonize their public transport systems,” said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Switch Mobility. “The Switch EiV 22 is our latest innovation, and builds on our expertise in the electric double-decker segment to deliver a product with class-leading efficiency for the Indian market.”

“The Switch EiV 22 is designed and developed to meet Indian conditions, while at the same time provide superior customer comfort and delight,” said Mr. Mahesh Babu, CEO of Switch Mobility India. “Mumbai and double-deckers are synonymous with public transport, and we are certain that Switch EiV 22 will not only bring back fond memories for Mumbaikars, but will transform the public transport space in terms of sustainability and footprint which is the need of the hour in India.”

SK On, a battery company and subsidiary of SK innovation, has secured $2 billion in investment resources from export credit agencies, which it plans to devote to an under-construction battery plant in Iváncsa, Hungary.

“Euler Hermes and Korea Trade Insurance Corporation will provide insurance worth $800 million and $700 million respectively, and the Export-Import Bank of Korea will guarantee a $200-million loan,” says SK innovation. “At the same time, the Export-Import Bank of Korea will loan $300 million directly to SK. With this, SK On is set to withdraw the resource sequentially from seven overseas commercial banks starting next month.”

According to SK innovation, SK On’s Plant No. 3 in Europe “will annually be producing a 30 gigawatt-hours (GWh) scale of batteries from 2024.”

Also, SK On has new plants under construction in the US, Europe and China. “From the 1.7 GWh production capacity in 2017, these new plants will increase the company’s production capacities to 77 GWh by the end of this year, to 220 GWh by 2025, and to 500 GWh by 2030,” says SK innovation.

According to SK innovation: “The large volume of supply orders SK On has already received from automaker companies, as well as the fact that the company has been approved by the ECAs to be a representative green business to reduce carbon, have made this funding scale possible.”

Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant program is being piloted in partnership with PG&E and Southern California Edison.
Source: Electric Vehicle News

This isn’t just a set of renderings as Zyrus Engineering will offer this carbon kit come 2023.
Source: Electric Vehicle News

Exro Technologies’ mission is to use its power electronics products to “expand the capabilities of electric motors and batteries.” Now the company has signed an initial purchase order and multiyear sales and service agreement to supply 1,500 Coil Drive System units to commercial EV builder SEA Electric.

Pilot vehicle integration will begin as early as November of this year, followed by track and on-road testing in 2023. Exro will deliver up to 25 Coil Drive System sample units, each comprised of a high-voltage Coil Driver and an electric motor, for a joint nine-to-twelve-month pilot program as part of SEA Electric’s on-road testing of its F-59 Class 5/6 delivery vehicles. After successful in-field validation, deliveries are expected to begin in Q4 2023. Automotive-grade Coil Driver units will be manufactured at Exro’s facility in Calgary, Alberta.

Exro and SEA Electric have collaborated on a wide range of projects since early 2020, and are currently working together to develop a SiC 800 V application for a Mack LR heavy-duty truck.

Exro’s Coil Driver technology is designed to optimize the performance and efficiency of electric motors and batteries. “This proprietary control technology utilizes the physics of coil-switching to expand the capabilities of motors by enabling two separate torque profiles (low speed torque, and torque at speed), effectively acting as an electronic gear,” says Exro. “This provides the opportunity for manufacturers to reduce the number of motors, the size of batteries and eliminate the need for mechanical gearing, allowing electric vehicles to achieve better acceleration, gradeability, high-speed torque and improved efficiencies for a lower cost.”

Now might be your chance if you’ve been waiting to buy the Genesis GV60 EV SUV. The Korean luxury automaker announced Tuesday that its flagship electric SUV, the GV60, will be available in four more US states starting in the fall.

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The post Genesis expands GV60, an electric SUV, availability to four more US states appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward