Specialized is launching a more affordable electric bicycle line focusing on utility e-bikes

Specialized’s electric bikes are many things: Quality, highly engineered, covering a wide range of riding styles. But one thing they aren’t is low cost – at least, not until now. That’s because Specialized has just announced that it is launching a new and more affordable line of e-bikes known as Globe, which will focus on utility and cargo electric bikes designed as car replacements for city use.

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Source: Charge Forward

Volkswagen Group and bp partner to roll out EV fast charging in Europe

The fossil fuel industry’s takeover of public charging infrastructure continues. This week, ABB announced plans to supply charging stations to Shell, and Volkswagen and bp unveiled a charger in Dusseldorf, Germany that will be the first unit in a planned network of fast chargers across Europe.

Volkswagen’s Flexpole 150 kW charging unit features two charge points, along with an integrated battery energy storage system. The Flexpole is designed to be directly connected to a low-voltage grid, removing the requirement for a dedicated substation and costly construction work.

In the first phase of the project, the companies will deploy 4,000 charge points at bp’s Aral retail sites in Germany and bp retail sites in the UK over the next 24 months. By the end of 2024, up to 8,000 charge points could be available across Germany, the UK and other European countries.

The charger locations will be integrated into the navigation and other in-car apps of Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda vehicles as well as into Volkswagen’s charging application, Elli. All EV drivers will be able to use the new chargers as part of the bp pulse and Aral pulse networks.

“EV charging is one of the key engines driving bp’s transformation to an integrated energy company,” said bp CEO Bernard Looney. “That’s why we’re so excited by our partnership with Volkswagen. When you bring together one of the world’s leading carmakers and one of the world’s leading energy companies, the opportunity is huge. This is a significant step forward on our journey to accelerate the electrification of transport in Europe.”

“Investing in everything from software to batteries and charging is part of our strategy to make individual mobility safer, more convenient and fully climate-neutral,” said Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess. “The decarbonization of Europe’s economy requires close collaboration across borders and sectors.”

LG Magna e-Powertrain breaks ground on new EV component plant in Mexico

Executives from LG Magna e-Powertrain, LG Electronics, Magna, GM, and local government officials gathered together to break ground at LG Magna e-Powertrain’s new plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. The new facility will be the company’s first production base in North America.

The 260,000-square-foot plant will be complete by 2023, and will begin producing inverters, motors and on-board chargers for GM EVs.

LG Magna e-Powertrain is a joint venture launched in July of 2021 by electronics company LG Electronics and Canadian automotive parts supplier and manufacturer Magna. The new JV “combines LG’s expertise in developing components for motors, inverters, and on-board chargers with Magna’s prowess in electric powertrain systems and automotive manufacturing.”

Canoo files lawsuit against its second largest shareholder citing suspicious share sales

EV startup Canoo is reportedly using a lawsuit to recoup profits made by DD Global Holdings and lead beneficiary Pak Tam Li, a significant stakeholder in Canoo with ties to China. In the lawsuit, Canoo is accusing DD Global of selling its shares in March while simultaneously doing an equity swap for the same amount of shares with an unknown buyer.

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Source: Charge Forward

Hybrid ferry to use Leclanché’s 10 MWh battery system

Swiss energy storage specialist Leclanché will provide a 10 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for Scandlines’s Puttgarden Rødby 2024 hybrid ferry project. The company expects to begin the delivery in January 2023. According to Leclanché, the ferry will be the “world’s largest electric-powered hybrid ferry.”

The new roll-on/roll-off ferry will provide service between Puttgarden, Germany and Rødby, Denmark. Leclanché says it will make the crossing in 45 minutes in hybrid mode and 70 minutes in fully-electric mode. The ferry has a capacity of 66 freight units and 140 passengers. It will be constructed at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, and is expected to enter service in 2024.

Leclanché’s BESS is composed of a Marine Rack System (MRS) that the company says helps vessels to meet international marine emissions regulations, G/NMC batteries in 48 battery strings distributed across 8 switchboards, an active safety system and a liquid-cooling system. The company says “Leclanché’s liquid-cooled battery systems provide numerous advantages over air-cooled batteries, including improved safety, faster charging, longer lifetime, smaller footprint and lower energy consumption.”

The BESS offers a 10,028 kWh capacity and a maximum voltage of 864 V, and Leclanché guarantees these specs for 10 years.

“Our team has been delivering large-capacity marine battery systems for customers as diverse as Grimaldi Lines, Damen and Wasaline—and breakthrough projects, including the e-ferry Ellen, funded by the municipality of Aerø, Denmark and the European Union as well as the recently launched Yara Birkeland, the world’s first autonomous and fully electric container ship,” said Leclanché CEO Anil Srivastava.

Penske Truck Leasing adds Orange EV electric terminal trucks to its fleet offerings

Many commercial fleets choose to lease, rather than buy, their trucks, and drayage trucks (aka terminal tractors or yard goats) represent an ideal use case for EVs—so the news that Penske Truck Leasing is now offering Orange EV electric terminal trucks to its fleet customers could portend a significant boost to electrification of trailer-handling operations.

Penske will lease and maintain the e-trucks, which will be offered to customers across the US. They’re designed for service at port facilities, truck yards, warehousing and distribution centers, container terminals and related operations where short-distance moves are required.

Missouri-based Orange EV was founded in 2012, and says it has deployed over 370 trucks to some 100 fleet customers in 24 states.

The Orange EV terminal trucks can operate up to 24 hours on a single charge, and feature a digital cab architecture and remote diagnostic capabilities.

“After spending significant time understanding this equipment’s capabilities, we are very pleased to make it a new product offering for our sales force in the US,” said Penske Senior VP Paul Rosa. “We currently have several customers placing orders for these units and taking delivery of their equipment.”

2025 BMW electric sedan could split 3-Series, while i5 and i7 preserve ICE form

2023 BMW i7The first dedicated electric vehicle platform for BMW, called Neue Klasse within the company, won’t arrive until 2025, but it will focus around a size or segment of the market that’s always been very important to the German automaker: the 3-Series. According to BMW CEO Oliver Zipse, in comments made during the company’s…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews