Toyota says it isn’t anti-EV, suggests it’ll build more EVs if demand exists

Toyota BZ4X concept - 2021 Shanghai auto showToyota in April revealed bZ4X SUV Concept, which leads the way to the first Toyota battery-electric vehicle in years for the U.S. market, set to arrive in 2022. About the size of the very much in-demand Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, the bZ4X will be one of seven electric vehicles to arrive as part of the bZ (Beyond Zero) electric-vehicle…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Infinitum Electric raises $40 million to scale ultra-high-efficiency motors

Infinitum Electric, creator of the air-core motor, has secured $40 million in Series C funding to scale production of its ultra-high-efficiency, lightweight motors. The investment will be used to expand production of the company’s IEs Series motors for commercial and industrial applications, and to complete development of its IEm Series EV motors.

Infinitum says its motors use lightweight materials and modular design to generate the same power as traditional motors in half the size and weight, and at a fraction of the carbon footprint. 

“Infinitum Electric’s innovative technology approach and pragmatic design has resulted in a motor made for the next 100 years,” said Kevin Skillern, managing partner of Energy Innovation Capital, one of the investors. 

Infinitum’s motor design replaces the copper wire and laminated iron core found in conventional motors with a printed circuit board stator, making the motor smaller, lighter and more efficient. Infinitum Electric says its motors are 10 percent more efficient, 50 percent lighter and smaller, and significantly quieter than conventional motors. Infinitum offers a fully integrated system: motor, variable frequency drive (VFD) and embedded IoT in a single compact package.

Scientists have cost-effectively harvested lithium from seawater

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have figured out how to extract lithium, an essential part of electric vehicle batteries, from seawater in a more cost-effective way.

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Source: Charge Forward

California makes $17.5 million available for public charging in 13 rural counties

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has announced the availability of $17.5 million in incentives to install public EV chargers in 13 rural counties. Incentives available through the new Inland Communities Incentive Project will cover up to 75 percent of EVSE costs. More than a third of the funding is dedicated to installations in under-resourced communities.

Eligible counties include Butte, El Dorado, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare and Yolo.

The effort is one of 10 regional initiatives established under the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), which provides incentive funds for new charging stations at local businesses, shopping centers, gas stations, public facilities, multifamily housing and other community locations throughout the state.

“CALeVIP incentives are crucial to equitably expanding electric vehicle infrastructure to every corner of the state,” said CEC Commissioner Patty Monahan. “More ready access to charging means Californians can have confidence that EVs can meet their transportation needs, whether in urban or rural areas.”

Currently, the majority of California’s public EV charging stations are located in urban and suburban population centers.

“To achieve California’s ambitious EV adoption goals, we must incentivize and install charging stations in all areas of the state,” said Andy Hoskinson, CSE’s Senior Manager for EV Infrastructure. “CALeVIP’s expansion of public charging makes sure our rural communities, which often have limited funding, are not left behind.”

Applicants for the Inland Communities Incentive Project can receive $3,500 to $6,000 per connector for a commercial-grade Level 2 EV charger, and $30,000 to $80,000 for a high-powered DC fast charger. Rebate funds can cover the purchase and installation of charging equipment, electrical infrastructure, utility costs, network agreements and other related costs.

Property owners and managers interested in installing EV chargers can apply for funding online at the website www.CALeVIP.org.

Audi pilots concept for premium-level fast charging hubs

Audi has big plans to ramp up its EV offerings, introducing more than 20 fully electric models by 2025, and it’s working on a concept for premium-level charging infrastructure in keeping with its market position as a luxury brand.

Audi plans to implement a pilot project in the second half of this year, which will provide a practical test for a possible serial rollout. The Audi charging hub will offer high-power charging stations that can be reserved in advance, and a lounge area that provides an attractive, premium place to pass the time. In the pilot phase, drivers of non-Audi EVs will be able to use unreserved charging stations, as well as parts of the lounge.

The foundation of the Audi charging hub will be flexible container cubes housing charging pillars as well as used lithium-ion batteries for energy storage. The use of second-life modules from disassembled development vehicles will help to reduce the need for complex infrastructure with high-voltage lines and expensive transformers.

The hub will have six charging stations, each with a power output of up to 300 kW. Thanks to a “huge” amount of interim storage—roughly 2.45 MWh—a standard 400-volt electrical service should suffice. Photovoltaic modules on the roof will provide additional green energy. The combination of renewable generation and storage is designed to makes it easier to select possible locations, and to reduce planning time and costs.

The hub can be transported, installed and adapted to an individual location quickly, independent of local network capacities.

“A flexible high-performing HPC charging park like this does not require much from the local electricity grid, and uses a sustainable battery concept,” says Oliver Hoffmann, a Member of Audi’s Board for Technical Development. “Our customers benefit in numerous ways: from the ability to make exclusive reservations, a lounge area and short waiting times thanks to high-performance charging. This is consistent with the premium concept.”

Audi is currently searching for a location in Germany for the charging hub pilot project, and talking with possible partners. It plans to put the hub into service in the second half of the year, and will use the findings about customer acceptance to direct further implementation of the concept.

“We are testing what the optimal technical solution is in a very realistic way. The focus in doing so is firmly on the needs of our customers,” Hoffmann adds.

With $438,000 in pre-orders, Raine One electric scooter founders bail, won’t issue refunds

The Raine One electric scooter was supposed to be a giant leap forward for the industry, promising higher performance and a sexier design at a lower price. But after collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in pre-orders on Kickstarter and running over a year past the original delivery date, the Enova design team behind the Raine One scooter announced today that they would be stopping development work on the scooter without issuing refunds.

Backers, as you may imagine, are not pleased.

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Source: Charge Forward

Ford producing more Mach-Es than legacy ‘Stangs

When will the production of EVs surpass that of legacy vehicles? Well, for one particular model, that day has arrived—at least temporarily. Bloomberg reports that, so far this year, Ford has produced more units of its new Mustang Mach-E EV than it has gas-powered Mustangs.

Ford has built 27,816 Mustang Mach-Es at a plant in Mexico this year, and 26,089 legacy Mustangs at its Flat Rock, Michigan factory, according to recently released production data. Is this game over for gasoline? Well, not just yet—the main motivation for the Mach-E manufacturing mania is that Ford is prioritizing its newest models as it struggles with the global semiconductor shortage.

“We have purposely protected our launches—Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mach-E, F-150,” CEO Jim Farley told Bloomberg. “If we can switch a module over to one of those launch vehicles, we have. We’re very protective of the launches because they are so important for our business.”

Ford’s Michigan factory built not a single gas Mustang last month—that’s how bad the chip shortage is. The demand for gas-powered ponies has not gone away—far from it. The supply of traditional ‘Stangs is down to 24 days, about a third of the usual inventory. In terms of US sales, the gas Mustang is still outselling the electric version by nearly three to one, according to Business Insider.

The good news is that demand for the Mach-E is impressive. “Mach-E has been much stronger than we expected, so we’ve totally run out of stock,” said Farley at the recent F-150 Lightning launch event, adding that the wait for a Mach-E is currently measured in months. Meanwhile, the Mach-E was the top-selling vehicle in Norway in May, its first full month of sales in the world’s strongest EV market.

“We are really excited about the success that we are having with our launch of the all-new Mustang Mach-E, not just here in America, but globally too,” said Ford Sales Analyst Erich Merkle.

Early reservations for the F-150 Lightning look promising, too, and the stock market seems to approve of Ford’s foray into electrification. The company’s stock recently surged to a six-year high after it reported May sales figures that showed a massive 184% jump in EV deliveries.