Volkswagen quits Australian auto industry lobby over emissions standards

As regular Charged readers know, when it comes to EVs, legacy automakers tend to follow two tracks—while preparing for the transition, and telling the media about how committed they are to electrification, they simultaneously participate in trade groups that actively lobby against emissions standards and other pro-EV regulations.

Volkswagen Australia has broken with this trend—the business unit has distanced itself from the policies of Australia’s auto industry trade group, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which is waging a campaign against new emissions standards.

In February, the Australian government proposed a long-overdue New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, analogous to the emissions/fuel economy standards that prevail in the US, EU, UK and other wealthy countries (according to Reuters, Russia and Australia are among the only industrialized countries that currently have no vehicle efficiency standards).

The FCAI naturally wants the government to water down its policy. Toyota, the top seller of autos in Australia, backs the lobby group’s position. Tesla has accused the FCAI of making false claims, and quit the group. Polestar followed suit.

In an open letter to FCAI members, Volkswagen said it has resigned from the lobby group’s Policy Advisory Committee.

“Volkswagen Group Australia…speaks for itself on public and policy matters including the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard,” wrote a spokesperson. “A strong NVES is in the best interests of this country.”

Source: Reuters

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

Einride opens 65-plug heavy-duty EV charging site near California ports

Freight mobility company Einride has opened a charging hub for heavy-duty EVs in Lynwood, California. Einride’s Smartcharger Station has 65 chargers, and can charge up to 200 vehicles a day. The site was built in collaboration with charging infrastructure developer Voltera.

The charging station, which is strategically located near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach along I-710, currently serves Einride’s connected electric fleets, including routes for global shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk. Einride will make the station available for more customers in the future.

Einride’s Smartcharger Station offers truck drivers a lounge with key amenities, and is integrated with Einride’s Saga intelligent freight operating system, which provides customers with real-time updates on demand, location, timing and utilization of charging infrastructure.

This location is the first of many the company plans to build throughout the US. Future stations are planned for the West and East coasts, and construction is to begin on new sites later this year. Einride also recently opened a charging hub for heavy-duty EVs in Sweden.

“The launch of Einride’s first Smartcharger Station in the US marks a momentous stride in establishing digital, electric freight as an important enabler to a more resilient US freight system,” says Robert Falck, CEO and founder of Einride. “This facility will enable a key region to fast-track to electric, given its proximity to the Port of LA, one of the world’s busiest container ports and a driver of the US economy.”

“Our team was able to get Einride’s Lynwood site permitted, built, energized and operational in under 18 months—in the world of charging infrastructure, that’s pretty remarkable,” said Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera. “Our team learned a lot from this project that will help inform and guide our continued build-out of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure nationwide.”

Source: Einride

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

INFICON’s ELT Vmax enables individual leak testing for mass-produced EV battery cells

INFICON, a manufacturer of leak testing solutions, introduces the ELT Vmax—a leak detector specifically designed for integration into leak testing systems for the industrial high-speed mass production of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells.

The ELT Vmax tests the leak tightness of all battery cells filled with liquid electrolyte—lithium-ion or sodium-ion—in all formats, including prismatic, round and button cells with a rigid housing, or pouch cells with a soft, bag-like housing. The device uses INFICON’s patented method of direct electrolyte leakage testing—it detects electrolyte leaking from filled cells in a vacuum chamber.

While INFICON’s ELT3000 PLUS can be used as a stand-alone device, INFICON created the new ELT Vmax specifically for use in mass production, as a testing device for integrators’ individually designed, automatic leak testing stations. Designed to provide the same levels of accuracy and sensitivity as the ELT3000 PLUS, the ELT Vmax can identify the smallest leaks down to a helium equivalent leak rate of 5∙10-7 mbar∙l/s, equivalent to a diameter in the range of 1-5 micrometers for common battery designs.

The vacuum pumps are provided by the integrator to achieve industrial quality assurance. The ELT Vmax is designed for installation in 19-inch racks, making it easy to integrate into a mass battery cell assembly operation.

With its multi-chamber mode in test stations, the ELT Vmax is designed to operate in near-constant measuring mode, eliminating the waiting time during evacuation and ventilation processes and optimizing the production line for maximum throughput.

“When developing the new ELT Vmax, INFICON focused on providing maximum flexibility and ease of integration into individually designed leak-testing systems,” said Thomas Parker, North American Automotive Sales Manager at INFICON. “Combined with the automation know-how of our integrators, the ELT Vmax enables individually designed leak test stations that provide consistent quality assurance on every single battery cell at the pace of production.”

Source: INFICON

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine