Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
The post Quick Charge Podcast: August 9, 2022 appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Waymo One is Alphabet’s autonomous ride-hailing service, and work to upgrade the passenger experience is happening hand-in-hand with expanding availability. The latest Waymo autonomous vehicle (AV) improvements focus on the pickup experience and include a new melody.
The post Waymo AVs can play a melody instead of honking to help you find your ride appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Solid-state battery manufacturer Solid Power has posted its financial results for Q2 of 2022, highlighting significant revenue increases compared to 2021 as well as continued progress to deliver 20 Ah silicon anode cells to automotive partners like Ford and BMW. Additionally, Solid Power intends to begin production of EV-scale solid-state battery cells for internal testing this coming quarter.
The post Solid Power (SLDP) Q2 results: $2.6M in revenue, EV-scale solid-state cell testing starts in Q3 appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
The Meyers Manx, the iconic 1960s dune buggy, is returning as the new all-electric Meyers Manx 2.0.
The post The Meyers Manx is coming back in 2024 as a hot electric dune buggy appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Volvo Trucks is joining up with Shell and three truck dealerships to develop a public medium- and heavy-duty EV charging network that connects several of California’s largest metropolitan areas. The Electrified Charging Corridor Project has scored $2 million in funding from the California Energy Commission, and is expected to get underway in 2022. All five stations should be online by the end of 2023.
“This project will open the door to a truly electrified freight future in which zero-tailpipe emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks are no longer limited to short-mileage, return-to-base operations, and can reach far and wide across the state,” said Peter Voorhoeve, President of Volvo Trucks North America. “We are excited to begin construction of the Electrified Charging Corridor Project this year in collaboration with these pioneering truck dealerships so that we can further support fleets in successfully integrating battery-electric trucks into their operations, including our Volvo VNR Electric model.”
During the next 18 months, the project will deploy high-powered chargers at several existing Volvo Trucks dealership locations in Central and Northern California, including TEC Equipment Oakland, TEC Equipment Dixon, Western Truck Center in Stockton, and Affinity Truck Centers in Fresno and Bakersfield.
The goal of the project is to enable convenient charging for small fleets that want to avoid making major financial investments in charging infrastructure at their sites; fleets looking to pilot EVs through rentals or leases; and any fleets that wants an OEM-neutral location for opportunity charging along their routes.
“This investment for an electric truck charging corridor is critical to accelerate customer confidence in today’s commercial battery-electric offerings,” said Matt Androski, Chief Commercial Officer, Shell Recharge Solutions.
Source: Volvo Trucks
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
Mercedes-Benz Trucks has launched a new phase of practical tests for the eActros, which has now approved as a truck-and-trailer combination with a total weight of 40 tons. The combination has been handed over to transport firm Logistik Schmitt in the northern Black Forest for endurance testing. The vehicle is already available to order for customers in this configuration.
“Starting an intensive exchange with customers at an early stage is an integral part of our vehicles’ development,” said Steffen Maier, Head of Customer Testing, Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “For this reason, our team has been supporting the practical stage of eActros testing at Logistik Schmitt since 2019. Following the successful launch of series production last October, we are now gradually expanding the range of applications for the eActros.”
Since the start of testing in 2019, the eActros has covered more than 70,000 kilometers on more than 7,000 trips. As part this process, it will continue to transport transmission housings and axle components to Daimler Truck plants in Rastatt and Gaggenau.
“The eActros as a truck-and-trailer combination is ideal for our purposes,” said Rainer Schmitt, Managing Partner at Logistik Schmitt. “In combination with the trailer, the electric truck now not only offers a higher total weight, but also significantly more transport volume. This means we can transport twice as many load carriers on the same trips.”
According to German law, in order to tow trailers over 10 tons, tractor vehicles of heavy-duty truck-and-trailer combinations must use a continuous braking system. In the eActros, this is provided by a special trailer brake (high power brake resistor) for battery-electric vehicles.
The eActros is available with either three (eActros 300) or four battery packs (eActros 400), each of which offers an installed capacity of 112 kWh and a usable capacity of around 97 kWh. The eActros 400 version has a range of up to 400 kilometers.
The drive unit sports an electric rigid axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission. Each of the liquid-cooled motors generates a continuous output of 330 kW and peak output of 400 kW.
The eActros can be DC fast charged at rates up to 160 kW.
Source: Daimler Truck
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
A new quest is underway due to the melting ice caps in Greenland. The world’s richest billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg, are funding a campaign to search for resources critical to the EV industry and climate change.
The post How billionaires’ quest for key EV resources under melting ice caps can boost industry appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
An oft-cited obstacle to the electrification of municipal vehicle fleets is that electric versions of specialty vehicles such as refuse trucks and fire trucks are not available. Now Daimler Truck has taken a step toward filling this niche with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz eEconic, a new e-truck designed for municipal use.
The key technical specifications of the eEconic are largely identical to those of the eActros urban delivery truck, which went into series production last October.
The eEconic has been undergoing real-world trials with customers since May, and it will soon go into series production at the company’s Wörth site in southern Germany. The first unit will be handed over to Urbaser A/S, a waste disposal company in Denmark, and other customer deliveries are to follow over the course of the year.
The eEconic will be manufactured on the existing Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks assembly line, alongside legacy ICE trucks. After the vehicle has been largely assembled, the eEconic’s electrification continues in the Future Truck Center, where it is equipped with the electric drive components.
“With the eEconic, we are putting the first electrically powered and series-produced Mercedes-Benz Special Truck on the road,” said Dr. Ralf Forcher, Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks. “The exchange with our customers has shown: cities and municipalities want CO2-neutral vehicles for their fleets. Especially with regard to large cities, there is a need for quiet, clean and safe logistics and waste disposal solutions. And we offer just the right truck for this.”
“In the fall of 2021, we were giving the go-ahead for series production of our electric trucks here at the Wörth plant with the eActros, and now we’re following up with the eEconic,” said Dr. Andreas Bachhofer, Head of Production and Plant Manager at the Wörth plant. “This is made possible by our flexible production and our highly motivated team at the site, which has integrated the eEconic into line production in a very short time.”
Source: Daimler Truck
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
The Tesla Model Y was California’s best-selling vehicle overall in the first half of the year, with the Model 3 a close second.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor has announced its next steps in previously laid out plans to expand EV sales to markets in Europe. Beginning with Germany, Great Wall has recruited the services of Emil Frey – the EU’s largest car dealer group to help distribute vehicles from the Ora and Wey marques.
The post Chinese automaker Great Wall taps Emil Frey to distribute its EVs in Europe, beginning with Germany appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
