Electric Vehicle News

Tata Motors to operate 1,500 electric buses for Delhi Transport

Tata Motors and its subsidiary TML CV Mobility Solutions have signed an agreement with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to operate 1,500 electric buses in New Delhi.

According to the agreement, TML CV Mobility Solutions will supply, operate and maintain 1,500 12-meter low-floor Tata Starbus electric buses over the next 12 years. 

“We are pleased to have signed an agreement for the order of 1,500 electric buses in Delhi, which is a significant step towards embracing electric mobility in the capital city and will help improve air quality,” said Ms. Shilpa Shinde, Managing Director of DTC.

Source: Tata Motors


Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

TWAICE battery analytics software earns TISAX label for automotive cybersecurity

TWAICE, a provider of battery analytics software, has obtained the TISAX label for cybersecurity. TISAX (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) is a globally recognized standard for cybersecurity in the automotive and industrial automation sectors.

To earn the TISAX label, TWAICE completed an assessment process to verify that it meets TISAX’s standards for information security, including measures to protect against cyber-attacks and breaches, as well as compliance with industry-specific regulations and guidelines.

“Obtaining the TISAX label is a significant milestone for TWAICE and demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of cybersecurity,” says Dr. Stephan Rohr, Co-CEO of TWAICE. “It is more important than ever to ensure secure technology. We look forward to continuing to provide our customers with the most advanced and secure battery analytics solutions.”

TWAICE customers can request more information about the certification on the TISAX web site.

Bidgely EV Solution singles out high peak-charging EV drivers for incentive programs

An increasing number of utilities are offering time-of-use rate plans and other incentives to encourage EV owners to do their charging during off-peak hours. But what if a utility had a way to single out the troublemakers, identifying individual EV drivers who often charge during peak times in order to educate them about available incentive programs?

That’s what software provider Bidgely is offering with its Active Managed Charging feature, part of its UtilityAI EV Solution. Active Managed Charging (direct load control) is now part of Bidgely’s end-to-end EV Solution, which also includes EV Detection and Targeting, EV Passive Managed Charging (behavioral load shift) and EV Grid Analytics.

The company says Active Managed Charging can be launched in just weeks without data integration, as a turnkey standalone application. Over 25 OEMs are available for data connection, and 7 are available for active control: Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Toyota, Tesla and VW.

Bidgely’s EV Solution targets high-peak charging customers for incentive programs using its proprietary EV disaggregation technology. The company says its system can identify customers with EVs on the grid with 90-percent accuracy, and provide behind-the-meter visibility into their charging behaviors. This allows utilities to target their highest-value customers for load-shifting programs.

Bidgely says it has partnered with a range of utilities to help them realize sustainable load shifting. One investor-owned utility reported over 90 percent accuracy in EV detection and estimation, and was able to shift 75 percent of the charging load from on-peak to off-peak. Now, this utility says that 97 percent of all EV charging is occurring off-peak.

“The EV revolution is going to have a rapid and profound impact on load pressure, grid resilience and decarbonization,” said Bidgely CEO Abhay Gupta. “Utilities will need to take a smart and integrated approach to EV engagement and management, and the only way to do this rapidly at the scale this revolution demands is by harnessing the power of data and AI to empower smarter energy decisions.”

Porsche goes full electric bike: Greyp Bikes now Porsche eBike Performance

When it comes to electric bikes, many automakers have started tossing their hats in the ring. But Porsche is one of the most aggressive so far at targeting the booming e-bike industry. The company’s latest announcement sees it rebranding Croatian e-bike company Greyp as Porsche eBike Performance.

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The post Porsche goes full electric bike: Greyp Bikes now Porsche eBike Performance appeared first on Electrek.


Source: Charge Forward

Texas EV drivers who charge at home can now get a discount on their entire electric bill with this retailer

Renewable energy retailer Octopus Energy US today announced that it’s going to give Texas electric vehicle drivers cheaper electricity rates when they smart charge their EVs at home.

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The post Texas EV drivers who charge at home can now get a discount on their entire electric bill with this retailer appeared first on Electrek.


Source: Charge Forward

Ford CEO talks candidly about Ford’s problems with its Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning

Automakers are in the midst of what is arguably the largest technological shift since the birth of the industry, and it’s inevitable that they’re going to have problems. Despite their deep pockets and vast expertise in manufacturing, legacy brands are still struggling to catch up with industry gadfly Tesla—but as VW’s former CEO Herbert Diess might agree, any exec who has the candor to admit as much does so at great peril.

That’s why it was particularly refreshing to hear Ford CEO Jim Farley candidly describing some of the growing pains that his company has experienced in the transition to the new technology. On a recent call with investors (via CNN), Farley was forthcoming about some of the missteps Ford made as it rolled out its acclaimed new EVs, the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning pickup.

Customer demand isn’t a problem—both vehicles have long waiting lists—but ramping up production hasn’t been trouble-free.

“We didn’t know that our wiring harness for Mach-E was 1.6 kilometers longer than it needed to be. We didn’t know it’s 70 pounds heavier and that that’s [cost an extra] $300 a battery,” he said on the call. “We didn’t know that we underinvested in braking technology to save on the battery size.”

Farley admitted that production problems of this kind meant that Ford “left about $2 billion of profit on the table.”

Ford has set a target of increasing its EV sales from 3% of total US sales in 2022 (even that measly figure was enough to make it the number-two US EV-maker) to 40% by 2030. Along that road lie not only challenges, but opportunities—EVs are expected to require about 30% less labor to assemble than ICEs (although, as VW’s Mr. Diess learned, not all parties consider that a good thing).

Farley conceded that making the transition is hard work. “As with any transformation of this magnitude, certain parts are moving faster than I expected and other parts are taking longer.” He also promised that Ford is learning quickly, and that its next generation of EVs will be better for consumers as well as more efficient for the company to build.

The stock analysts on the recent call sounded more concerned about profit margins than about consumer prices. Ford and its colleagues have a long way to go before they can match Tesla’s industry-leading margins, which are reported to be as high as 25%. “Do you think you can sell a $40,000 electric crossover with a 20% gross margin?” asked Rod Lache of Wolfe Research.

Farley assured us that Ford has fixed the problems with the Mach-E’s wiring harness, and noted that the 70 pounds saved enabled it to increase range and lower cost. As production volumes grow, we can expect Ford and other legacy brands to discover other such cost-saving improvements, allowing them to lower prices, increase margins, or both.