NVIDIA announced two new automotive clients for their DRIVE self-driving platform, EV startup Lucid Motors and Chinese EV giant BYD. BYD will use the system in their next-generation vehicles, and Lucid revealed that they are already powering their DreamDrive ADAS system with NVIDIA’s DRIVE Hyperion platform.
The post Lucid and BYD will use NVIDIA’s DRIVE self-driving platform appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
The UK’s total pipeline of offshore wind projects has now reached 86 gigawatts (GW), according to new research published today by not-for-profit renewable energy trade association RenewableUK.
The post The UK’s offshore wind pipeline reaches 86 GW, sees a 60% increase in 12 months appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
This basic information will come in handy for anybody that’s new to the EV world.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
The “Proterra Powered” moniker continues to expand throughout the commercial EV industry, as The Shyft Group is the latest OEM to sign a multi-year supply agreement to use Proterra battery systems in its vehicles. Shyft Group will implement Proterra’s battery technology into its modular EV chassis and Blue Arc electric delivery vans.
The post The Shyft Group signs multi-year agreement with Proterra to power its Blue Arc electric delivery vans appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Tesla’s CEO has shown some of his dance floor moves to the audience at Giga Berlin that included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov says more terminals are still showing up every other day.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
This is what the manufacturer says about the software that is now better and more feature-packed.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV is by no means an efficiency exemplar. In recent weeks, EPA certification documents were made available for the Hummer EV, and they put exact numbers on what we already knew would be this big electric truck’s Super Size dimensions, capacities, and consumption. That brought on another round of very critical assessments…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
Tire manufacturer Hankook Tire has introduced a new EV tire product line.
The new iON tires are designed for high-performance and premium EVs, and will be available in sizes ranging from 18 to 22 inches. The company says the tires are composed of sustainable natural oils and aramid fibers that counteract the deformation forces of high-torque EVs.
“With an improved range per battery charge, this new generation of tires will help to further optimize the efficiency of electric vehicles in everyday use,” said CEO and President of Hankook Tire & Technology Sooil Lee.
The lineup includes the Ventus iON S summer tire, which will be available in Europe starting in May of 2022, the Winter i*cept iON tire, which will be available beginning in September of 2022, and the Ventus iON A all-season tire, which will be sold in the North American market. “We are particularly proud that the new Hankook iON summer tire, for example, has achieved an A/A/A rating on the EU tire label. This corresponds to the highest performance in terms of rolling resistance, wet grip and tire noise,” says Executive Vice President and CTO of Hankook Tire Bonhee Ku.
Source: Hankook
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
Mercedes-Benz has opened a battery pack factory in Bibb County, Alabama, near a plant in Tuscaloosa where the company will soon be building its new EQE and EQS electric SUVs for the US market. The new plant will not be manufacturing cells, but rather assembling purchased cells into packs for the EQE and EQS.
The Stuttgart-based automaker has invested a cool billion bucks in Bammy to convert production lines to its EVA2 platform and build the battery assembly plant.
“The opening of our new battery plant in Alabama is a major milestone on our way to going all-electric,” says Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius, adding that the company’s “comprehensive approach” includes “a local cell sourcing and recycling strategy.”
At the new plant, “high-performance lithium-ion batteries are assembled into a complete system on a production line around 984 feet long with more than 70 work stations,” says Mercedes. “Using a fully digitalized production process, a variety of components are combined, including up to twelve cell modules and the EE compartment, for the intelligent integration of the power electronics.”
The battery system uses a modular design. The cell chemistry contains nickel, cobalt and manganese in a ratio of 8:1:1. Cobalt content has been reduced to around ten percent.
The US battery assembly facility is one of nine that Mercedes has built or is planning around the world, most of them situated near vehicle plants. Locations include Beijing, Bangkok and Jawor, Poland, as well as Hedelfingen and Kamenz in Germany.
Separately, Mercedes plans to build eight gigafactories for cell production, with a total annual capacity of more than 200 GWh, together with partners.
Mercedes says Envision AESC will supply battery modules to the Bibb County plant beginning around 2025, from a new cell plant to be built in the US. (The automaker hasn’t disclosed who will supply the cells until then.)
“Envision AESC will be a major supplier securing capacity for the next generations of our Mercedes-EQ products built in the US in the years to come,” Mercedes CTO Markus Schäfer said. “With Envision AESC’s net-zero carbon solutions and battery technology, this new cooperation underlines our holistic approach regarding our sustainable value chain.”
Emissions produced in the manufacture of batteries represent a sore point for automakers (and a subject of endless exaggeration and disingenuous distortion for EV-bashers), so it’s interesting that Mercedes claims that production of the batteries for the EQS and SUV will be CO2-neutral.
The new battery plant incorporates several energy-efficient features, including solar water heating, rainwater capture, LED lighting, environmentally friendly HVAC refrigerants and energy-saving process technology. Forklifts are powered by hydrogen. The automaker says the Bibb County site’s entire electricity needs will be met through renewable energy sources from 2024 onwards, once planned solar energy projects gain approval.
Mercedes is also focused on recycling. “With a view to the future return of lithium-ion battery systems from Mercedes-EQ vehicles, the company is expanding its global battery recycling strategy. Mercedes-Benz is starting to build its own battery recycling plant in Germany, based on hydrometallurgy.”
Sources: Mercedes-Benz, Electrive, Green Car Reports
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
