German wind turbine maker Nordex unveils its first 6 MW onshore turbine.
More than 200 health journals globally call for emergency climate change action.
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During IAA Mobility 2021 in Munich, Hyundai Motor Group has shared its goal to become completely carbon neutral by 2045. This will include its global product lineup and all company operations. Furthermore, Hyundai announced an end to all combustion engine vehicles in Europe beginning in 2035.
Great Wall Motors has announced it will be next Chinese automaker to test out the market in Europe by launching an all-electric compact and plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) SUV in 2022. The company shared the news at IAA Mobility in Munich today alongside plans to debut the EVs under its WEY brand and existing ORA marque, both under the Great Wall Umbrella.
Polestar has shared new versions of its Polestar 2 sedan with the public in Europe alongside pricing before deliveries begin this month. The expanded Polestar 2 now comes with three powertrain variations on display at IAA Mobility in Munich this week.
Urban mobility automaker smart has shared its vision for a sustainable future with the public at IAA Mobility in Munich by announcing its Concept #1 SUV. The all-electric Concept #1 sits as a “forerunner” for smart’s electrified future and represents many of the design elements and techniques drivers can expect to see on future models.
Banking giant NatWest plans to install 600 public chargers across its office locations in the UK.
EQUANS, a new autonomous business within the multinational electric utility ENGIE, will supply, commission and operate the Alfen Pro-Line 7.4 kW dual chargers, which will be part of EQUANS’s national GeniePoint network.
The chargers will be available to staff, visitors, and customers at NatWest offices, and will also support the company’s transition to 300 fleet EVs.
NatWest has strategically selected locations where power is readily available and EV demand is predicted to be high.
“The only way we will convince a greater proportion of the population to consider electric vehicles is by giving them greater options and better access to chargers,” said Jerry Moloney, Managing Director for EQUANS’s Futures business in the UK and Ireland.
“We are helping our staff decarbonise transport and achieve net zero commuting,” said NatWest Climate Solutions Lead Michael Lynch. “Working in partnership with EQUANS to provide EV charge points at key strategic office locations supports our staff in making the transition to electric vehicles and help reduce our carbon footprint.”
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has tested four Tesla models and certified them to be roadworthy. “The tests ensure the vehicle matches the requirements of the Indian market in terms of emission and safety and road worthiness,” states the ministry. The models tested appear to be variants of Models 3 and Y.
Tesla has been slowly but surely moving closer to entering the Indian auto market—the world’s fifth-largest. This January, the company registered Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited as a subsidiary, and set up an office and R&D facility in Bangalore.
Ignored by most Western media, there’s a surprising amount of EV activity stirring in India. Federal and local government incentives are on the rise, and several domestic OEMs, including Tata and Mahindra, are building EVs.
Elon Musk has said in the past that the company is “quite likely” to site a future Gigafactory in India. For the foreseeable future however, Teslas sold in India would probably come from Shanghai.
Some of the challenges Tesla will face in India are similar to those it has met in China. The market for high-end passenger cars is small—two- and three-wheeled vehicles are the most popular segments—and charging infrastructure is scarce. Steep excise and import duties can almost double the price of a luxury model.
Indian government officials have said they would consider relaxing onerous taxes and regulations, if Tesla works with local suppliers. Transportation Minister Nitin Gadkari told Reuters in March: “The government will make sure the production costs for Tesla will be the lowest when compared with the world, even China, when they start manufacturing cars in India. We will assure that.”
Automotive supplier Dana (NYSE: DAN) will begin production of its eS9000r e-Axle—the first in a line of Spicer Electrified Zero-6 e-Axles—to support the market launch of the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) all-electric MT50e medium-duty last-mile delivery vehicle.
Designed with a custom Spicer S130 rear drive axle, the propulsion system for the MT50e application is engineered as a fully integrated e-Axle, including a gearbox and motor, and provides up to 240 kW of power. The e-Axle also includes Dana’s patented, electronically controlled parking pawl system.
“As more and more vehicle manufacturers rely on Dana innovations for their electrified vehicle architectures, we continue to evaluate each application to provide the ideal electrodynamic system for the given vehicle, duty cycle, and customer requirements,” said Ryan Laskey, Dana’s Senior VP of Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems.
Dana has also announced an expansion of its Spicer Electrified e-Powertrain offerings to include a family of single and tandem e-Axles designed for a wide variety of Class 7 and 8 applications. The Spicer Electrified Zero-8 e-Axles complement Dana’s established heavy-duty e-Propulsion systems, which are currently powering thousands of vehicles around the world.
The new e-Axle portfolio is designed to support a diverse landscape of Class 7 and 8 EV architectures with multi-faceted electric powertrain solutions, including systems for direct drive, and now 4×2, 6×2, and 6×4 multi-speed e-Axle systems.
“Dana has leveraged its experience in global heavy-duty e-Powertrain systems to introduce a complementing family of e-Axles that offer maximum efficiency, performance and reliability,” said Ryan Laskey. “These new product platforms utilize our proven, vertically integrated motors and inverters, and provide our customer with improved packaging and efficiency for their electric vehicle needs.”
The new e-Axles are designed to easily integrate into most existing chassis. The platform includes Dana TM4 motors and inverters, Spicer high-efficiency axle gearing, Graziano synchronizers, transmission controllers, system software, and shift system and controls.
The 4×2, 6×2, and 6×4 configurations are compatible with drum or disc brakes, and are available as completely integrated fully dressed assemblies. The e-Axles range from 52,000 Nm to 69,000 Nm of nominal output torque, and support gross axle weight ratings from 21,000 to 30,000 pounds for single e-Axle configurations, and 40,000 to 52,000 pounds for tandem e-Axle propulsion.
“These new e-Axles are predicated on our most sought-after, field-proven technologies,” Laskey added. “They are currently undergoing testing around the world in both battery-electric and fuel-cell applications and are ready for full-scale adoption as the commercial-vehicle segment continues to progress to fully electrified platforms.”
Dana says it has commitments from global OEM customers, and deliveries will begin in late 2023.
