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Beta Technologies Pops Out Of Stealth, Is Gearing Up To Be More Than An eVTOL Startup

It seems not a week goes by without the introduction of another electric vertical take-off & landing (eVTOL) startup. Today is no exception, with Beta Technologies, an eVTOL startup from Vermont, joining the crowd

Tesla Model 3 CCS Charging @ 126 kW — Higher Power Coming Soon …

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Cars Published on February 9th, 2019 | by Dr. Maximilian Holland
Tesla Model 3 CCS Charging @ 126 kW — Higher Power Coming Soon …TwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 9th, 2019 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

European DC fast charging company Fastned yesterday released images from the Netherlands of the newly arrived Tesla Model 3 Long Range charging at 126 kW on its CCS chargers. This is just a teaser of even higher charging speeds to come.As we’ve seen previously, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range’s hardware has been designed to be able to handle charging speeds up to a theoretical 183.75 kW, with this conclusion based on an EPA document that records its ability to handle 525 amps of current (and with the battery pack being 350 volts):

Whilst 183.75 kW is the theoretical hardware limit, the practical cap, governed by Tesla’s software, will more likely be set in the region of 160 to 175 kW.
Tesla’s Superchargers are currently maxing out at 120 kW, but will soon be upgraded to the version 3 (V3) technology that will give all of Tesla’s current vehicles a big step up in power. Though, we can only speculate on the precise power levels.
We can expect the Tesla Model 3 Mid Range to also achieve charging rates significantly above 120 kW, but perhaps at rates slightly lower than the Long Range’s peak rates. We’ll have to wait that one out.

For now, Fastened has just set the record for highest charging power of any Tesla so far, with its test charging session briefly peaking at 126 kW, and a decently high power charging from around 10% state of charge (SOC) to 47–48% SOC.
We can expect the full charging potential of the Model 3 to be on display after Tesla’s Supercharger V3 is officially launched sometime in the next few months.
The current Tesla Model S and X vehicles will also get a boost to accept power levels at least as high as the Model 3 Long Range.
Our friends over at ABRP have provided us with a lot of good data on Tesla charging speeds, so let’s overlay the new Fastned charging curve (solid red) onto the classic Model 3 charging curve (dotted red) from ABRP’s Supercharging data:
Original data courtesy of ABRP and Fastned. Composite image: author’s own work.
Notice that — for now — the shape of the taper remains similar. This could change slightly when Supercharger V3 is released, but likely not dramatically, since the taper is there to protect the battery’s health.
The expected future peak charging rate of ~160 kW will allow the 10–80% DC charging duration to drop from the current 30–35 minutes to around 24–27 minutes (perhaps less, depending on curve shape).
What are your thoughts? How long before we see the Supercharger V3 officially launched? Let us know in the comments!
Editor’s note: If you ordered a Model 3, Model S, or Model X before February 2 but didn’t use a referral code in order to get 6–9 months of free Supercharging, you can still use my referral code — http://ts.la/tomasz7234 — in order to get that bonus/discount.
Just send an email to buildmy3EMEA@tesla.com with the word “Referral” in the subject line. Put the following in the body of the email: your name, contact information, reservation number (starts with RN), and the referral code you’d like to use (for example, tomasz7234 if you’re using mine).

About the AuthorDr. Maximilian Holland Max is an anthropologist, social theorist and international political economist, trying to ask questions and encourage critical thinking about social and environmental justice, sustainability and the human condition. He has lived and worked in Europe and Asia, and is currently based in Barcelona.

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Shell Acquires sonnen!

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Batteries Published on February 15th, 2019 | by Kyle Field
Shell Acquires sonnen!TwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 15th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Shell is diving off the deep end into energy storage with the acquisition of 100% of Germany energy storage and solution provider sonnen.
The acquisition builds on Shell’s investment into the company last year through its Shell Ventures arm and shows that Royal Dutch Shell sees an energy future that is not dependent on its current portfolio of oil and gas products. Acquiring one of the leading energy storage solution providers gives Shell a platform through which it can explore the potential of stationary energy storage and, more importantly, leap to the cutting edge of intelligent energy storage products.

sonnen’s ecoLinx product line, which was unveiled in the back half of last year, brought revolutionary new integration into the entire home. The energy storage hub allowed homeowners to not only control the energy flowing into and out of their home, but thanks to their breakthrough integration with Eaton’s smart breakers, also provided granular control over individual circuits within the home.
Shell acquiring sonnen opens up a much larger piggy bank of funding that could allow sonnen to scale that technology into new geographies and into new markets.
“Shell New Energies is the perfect partner for helping us grow in a market that is expanding rapidly,” said Christoph Ostermann, CEO and co-founder of sonnen .”With this investment we’re excited to help more households to become energy independent and benefit from new opportunities in the energy market. Shell will help drive the growth of sonnen to a new level and help speed up the transformation of the energy system.”
For two CleanTechnica interviews with Ostermann, see: “sonnen — the utility of the future?” and “sonnen’s Global Energy Solar Leadership” for the text summaries or watch the videos below.

The real secret sauce with sonnen is its ability to innovate beyond just the hardware. Building a smart energy storage appliance is neat and noteworthy, but sonnen has demonstrated its ability to innovate beyond the box and has shaken the foundations of the industry with its disruptive innovations in neighborhood energy storage and whole home energy storage that includes smart automation technology.
For example, when the system detects that a storm is rolling in, it automagically charges the battery up to full capacity, to give the homeowner as much power as possible in the event of a storm-induced power outage. If the power does go out, the system then automatically throttles down energy usage on non-essential circuits in the home to maximize the value of the stored energy for the homeowner.
The intelligence sonnen brings to the table is the true differentiator, with only Tesla competing on a similar level with its class-leading energy storage solutions. This innovation has led sonnen to stretch beyond the home, bundling its network of energy storage products into a virtual power plant that allows sonnen to move from playing with energy storage in the home to buying and selling grid services to large multinational grid operators.
After its early investment in the company last year, Shell clearly saw the writing on the wall for renewables and the potential that sonnen’s breakthrough solutions have in the flexible, dynamic electrical grid of tomorrow.
Shell has recently been on a tear, with investments in renewable wind energy through direct investments in offshore wind farms, joining the Global Wind Energy Council, and partnering with wind startup Makani. It also jumped into electric vehicle charging with its acquisition of Greenlots and Europe’s giant NewMotion EV charging network.
The writing is on the wall that the world is on a course for disaster thanks to catastrophic climate change, and Shell is gearing up to not just talk about the transition away from fossil fuels, but to lead it.

About the AuthorKyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

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Sentry Mode Keeps Watch Over Your Tesla While It’s Parked

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Cars Published on February 14th, 2019 | by Kyle Field
Sentry Mode Keeps Watch Over Your Tesla While It’s ParkedTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 14th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Tesla has been under fire for a rash of break-ins to the Tesla Model 3, but now the company is firing back with an upgrade to the security system that will be pushed down to the deployed fleet by way of a software update.
The new Sentry Mode taps into the existing exterior cameras on the vehicle to continuously monitor its surroundings for threats in Standby mode. If the system detects a threat, like someone leaning on the car, it moves from a passive standby state into Alert mode. The increase in security level triggers the car to display a message on the in-car display that notifies people near the car that the cameras are rolling.
Intruder alert! Grayson attempting to make off with a Model S from the Santa Barbara Service Center. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
If any other actions are taken, like a window being broken or a thief attempting to steal the car, the car goes full on bananas over the event and turns everything up to 11 in a bid to ward off the attackers. For starters, the car does indeed have a recording of footage from the car. It saves the last 10 minutes of footage prior to the event onboard, which can be extracted by the owner by inserting a USB drive into the car.
As would be expected, the alert sets off the car alarm and sends a notification to the owner via the Tesla app. To increase the visual profile of the car, it cranks up the brightness on the center console (imagine a bright phone in a dark movie theater) to brighten up the space. This also provides some nice studio lighting for whatever miscreants are in the car attempting to remove your valuables as they are caught on camera.
The icing on top comes from the audio system as the car cranks the volume up to 11 and blasts music. I’m hoping that it blasts the “Cops” theme song, or maybe just some outrageously aggressive Pantera to really scare the pants off whoever is in there. Bonus points if the song makes the intruders pucker up just a bit before they roll out of the car. I’m sure 9 times out of 10 the alarm goes off in my car, it will be me setting it off after waking up from a power nap.
The new Sentry Mode adds a very dynamic and active safety system that will give owners more peace of mind as they run errands, grab a meal, or get a night’s rest. I know I will appreciate the extra layer of security when I’m out and about in my car.
It will be interesting to see if the feature increases the vampire drain on the car. It is clearly incremental power usage, but will it be noticeable? Also, the capability to upload the video to the cloud would make the solution much more durable in the event that the car was actually stolen.
The Tesla Model 3 just keeps getting better as Tesla keeps pushing more features out to the car. When I picked mine up ~7 months ago, it did not have a dashcam, Sentry mode, video games, a fireplace, or Fart Mode for that matter.
The full release from Tesla’s Blog about Sentry Mode is below. It will not show up on cars overnight, but expect it to trickle down to owners over the next few days or weeks.
Sentry Mode: Guarding Your TeslaThe Tesla Team
February 13, 2019
According to federal statistics, there was an estimated one motor vehicle theft or attempted theft every 40.8 seconds in the United States in 2017 — and that doesn’t even include the vast number of car break-ins that happen nationwide. To further enhance the security of our vehicles and give our customers additional peace of mind, today we’re starting to roll out a new safeguard — Sentry Mode — to protect against break-ins and theft.
Sentry Mode adds a unique layer of protection to Tesla vehicles by continuously monitoring the environment around a car when it’s left unattended. When enabled, Sentry Mode enters a “Standby” state, like many home alarm systems, which uses the car’s external cameras to detect potential threats. If a minimal threat is detected, such as someone leaning on a car, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alert” state and displays a message on the touchscreen warning that its cameras are recording. If a more severe threat is detected, such as someone breaking a window, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alarm” state, which activates the car alarm, increases the brightness of the center display, and plays music at maximum volume from the car’s audio system.
If a car switches to “Alarm” state, owners will also receive an alert from their Tesla mobile app notifying them that an incident has occurred. They’ll be able to download a video recording of an incident (which begins 10 minutes prior to the time a threat was detected) by inserting a formatted USB drive into their car before they enable Sentry Mode.
Sentry Mode must be enabled each time a driver wants to use the feature by going to Controls > Safety & Security > Sentry Mode. The feature will begin rolling out today to U.S. Model 3 vehicles, followed by Model S and Model X vehicles that were built after August 2017.
While no alarm system can prevent against all vehicle thefts, break-ins and threats, we hope that with Sentry Mode and our other security features, your Tesla will be even more secure.

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Powertrain Deals Between Tesla & Big Auto In The Past … And In The Future?

I published an article early this morning about a potential partnership between GM and Tesla in which GM would build electric trucks using Tesla powertrains. Tesla denied such a partnership and GM declined to comment on the story

EVBox Electrifies Port Of Zeebrugge With 300 Charge Points For Inbound Teslas

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Cars Published on February 11th, 2019 | by Kyle Field
EVBox Electrifies Port Of Zeebrugge With 300 Charge Points For Inbound TeslasTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 11th, 2019 by Kyle Field

The Belgian port city of Zeebrugge has been getting a lot of attention in the last few weeks as it has become the destination for all of the inbound Tesla Model 3s headed for continental Europe. To prepare for the arrival of the Tesla Model 3, the port of Zeebrugge (double E, double G) installed 300 EVBox chargers in a dockside parking lot that hints at a future where charging stations are everywhere.The new chargers were installed in a new 4,000 square meter (43,000 square foot) parking lot adjacent to the dock to allow for the vehicles to be charged up to 80% before being sent off to customers. The infrastructure was included in the contract for Tesla’s business at the port in addition to an expansion of the “Vehicle Processing Center,” according to New Mobility.
Tesla has stated that it plans to send 3,000 vehicles through the port every two weeks to supply European demand for its vehicles. That’s the current plan, at least, as Tesla has also stated that it plans to build a fourth Gigafactory in Europe, somewhere near the French–German border. The company stated that it would announce the location of the fourth Gigafactory last year, but the plans never materialized as the company focused its efforts on stabilizing Model 3 production in the US and laying the groundwork for its third Gigafactory in Shanghai, China.
The first shipment of Tesla Model 3s arrived last week, and the lineup of inbound shipments is stacked up to the horizon as European customers continue to salivate for the electric car that is bound to blow the lid off of demand for electric cars in Europe — if its market share in the US is any indicator. The Model 3 has already consumed the vast majority of electric vehicle market share in the US, owning 80% of the market. Only available in two countries in 2018, the Model 3 rose to the #1 spot globally in terms of EV sales.
Source: Reddit

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Scoop: GM Reportedly Working On Electric Pickup Truck With Tesla Powertrain

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Clean Transport Published on February 12th, 2019 | by Zachary Shahan
Scoop: GM Reportedly Working On Electric Pickup Truck With Tesla PowertrainTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 12th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

Not an electric pickup truck. But could it be infused with a Tesla powertrain soon?
For years, electric vehicle enthusiasts in the US have been begging for a solid electric pickup truck for consumers. I’ve long reported on monthly electric car sales and I put them in the context of broader US car sales, but looking at the number of gas-thirsty pickup trucks sold each month is a whole other level and is quite disturbing.
Elon Musk announced a while back that Tesla was working on a wicked electric pickup like nothing else we’ve seen. Just last month, Ford finally announced plans for an electric version of the F-150, which is the king of the US auto market — by far — with nearly a million sales a year. But what about GM, which currently has the #2 vehicle on the US auto market, the Chevy Silverado?
Remember, Chevrolet raced the Bolt to market in order to be the first US automaker offering a long-range, semi-affordable electric car. It cares about going electric, maybe.
A source somewhat close to the heart of a big new development at GM has informed CleanTechnica that GM is indeed working on an electric pickup truck, and it is based around a Tesla powertrain. As in, the majority of the guts of the truck will be made by Tesla.
I know, I know — it seems unlike GM to swallow its pride and tap Tesla for this job. However, I’d briefly note a few things.
LG reportedly designed and built much of the Chevy Bolt’s powertrain.GM doesn’t have to announce or acknowledge a Tesla partnership if it doesn’t want to look less than capable.If GM does announce or acknowledge a Tesla partnership, it is likely to get big props from consumers for being brave and using the world’s electric vehicle leader to make an awesome electric pickup. Tesla is cool. Being friends with Tesla is cool.If GM wants to make sure to compete well with an electric F-150, there’s a good chance this is its best avenue, and the company knows that.Batteries — batteries, batteries, batteries. Aside from Tesla’s skill at designing and producing high-performance electric motors, it has a giant source of batteries. If other automakers want to offer mass-market EVs in the coming years, they need a good source of batteries, and Tesla may be as good as it gets for the time being.GM is good at building trucks, at putting them together. It has massive, awesome truck brands. Even if Tesla develops an amazing electric pickup truck of its own, many buyers will want to stick with the brands they know and love, and a truck design they’re familiar with. They may not want a giant Tesla touchscreen, minimalist interior, and smooth, futuristic exterior. A Tesla–GM partnership is a win–win that would bring a lot more people into the electric fold.Yes, I get it, you’d like to see proof of this partnership before getting too excited. So don’t get too excited. Take it as a rumor and stay tuned for more info in the coming months. I don’t currently have hard proof of this truck (no definitive picture or document), but I received enough information to feel confident the tip is correct and to thus run this article. The core source of this information wants/needs to remain anonymous and doesn’t even want any hints of identity tossed around, so I’m not going to say more about that. But let yourself dream a little bit tonight and accept that GM might be making a brilliant move in its approach to electric trucking.
If this plan rolls as smoothly as an electric powertrain, we may well have a Tesla semi, Tesla pickup, and Tesla-powered pickup from GM (Sierra Electric?) getting close to the starting line before the end of 2019. It could be another exciting year for the electric revolution. (Well, how could it not be?)
Note: No, the source is not Elon Musk.

About the AuthorZachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself (and other species). He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the president of Important Media and the director/founder of EV Obsession and Solar Love. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada. Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG, & ABB — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in these particular companies and feels like they are good cleantech companies to invest in. But he offers no professional investment advice and would rather not be responsible for you losing money, so don't jump to conclusions.

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The Latest News From The Tesla Gigafactory 2 In Buffalo Isn’t Good

People are starting to worry about Tesla's Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York. More than two years after the reveal of the SolarRoof, it seems no closer to volume production than it was in 2016. Elon Musk needs to get involved or risk an embarrassing failure.

Tesla & Mercedes Talking About Electric Van Collaboration

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Cars Published on February 8th, 2019 | by Steve Hanley
Tesla & Mercedes Talking About Electric Van CollaborationTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 8th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Tesla and Mercedes-Benz have a history together. In May of 2009, Mercedes bought a 9% stake in the fledgling Tesla Motors for $50 million. Two months later, it transferred 40% of its Tesla shares to the investment arm of the government of Abu Dhabi, according to CCN.com. Tesla provided battery and electric propulsion technology to Mercedes for its early electric Smart as well as electrified versions of its A Class and B Class cars. In 2014, Mercedes severed its relationship with Tesla and sold the remainder of its shares to an undisclosed buyer for $780 million.
No one can ever say definitively whether the investment by Mercedes in 2009 was the difference between Tesla surviving or not, but it certainly came at a crucial time for the Silicon Valley startup. Since then, Tesla has gone on to accomplish things in the world of electric cars that few outside of Elon Musk and his closest associates ever thought possible. Among other things, it has knocked the mighty Mercedes S-Class off its perch as the best selling large luxury car in the US and in Germany, something that must make Dieter Zetsche and the Daimler board of directors wince every month when the sales numbers are released.

The romance between Tesla and Mercedes may have soured some years ago, but business is business. Last fall, Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche indicated his company might be interested in working with Tesla again, and in November Elon tweeted, “Maybe interesting to work with Daimler/Mercedes on an electric Sprinter. That’s a great van. We will inquire.”
But Musk went on to say in a subsequent tweet, “Lot on our plate, so it’s either get van gliders (no battery, powertrain or compute tech) from Daimler & produce sooner or do all & produce later. Not a big difference to total vehicles produced either way. Priority list is Model Y, solar roof tiles, pickup, semi, Roadster.”
Be that as it may, CNBC reports that Zetsche told Bloomberg on February 7 there is a possibility of the two companies cooperating in some capacity on a planned electric version of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. “These talks are happening,” Zetsche said, but added the “outcome is open.”
Mercedes has just spent $500 million to expand its factory in South Carolina to build more Sprinter vans and has snagged an order for 20,000 of them from Amazon. The Sprinter is available in a dizzying array of chassis lengths, roof heights, powertrain options, and interior fitments in order to meet the requirements of delivery companies and tradespeople. In all, some 1,700 combinations are possible. Many of those vans are powered by diesel engines.

As much as Tesla is doing to electrify the private passenger car segment of the transportation sector, medium- and light-duty trucks are responsible for more emissions over the course of a year than passenger cars. Electrifying the Sprinter vans is already underway, but a link up with Tesla could accelerate that process. Zetsche also said Tesla might be interested in using electric Sprinter vans for its on the road service vehicles.
Does a collaboration between Tesla and Mercedes hint at other collaborations down the road? For instance, instead of designing and building its own pickup truck, might Tesla be able to push its goal of getting people out of trucks with gasoline and diesel engines faster by working with an established manufacturer that has factories already configured to build such vehicles in massive quantities?
Volkswagen and Ford are already planning to work together on developing pickup trucks and electric powertrain technology. Waymo is seeking a linkup with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance for self-driving taxis in Japan (if the Alliance survives). There is a definite movement toward convergence in the world of automobile manufacturing. If Tesla is truly committed to weaning the world off of fossil fuels, it might be able to accomplish that goal more quickly by working with others than by charting its own course for building every type of vehicle under the sun.
On the other hand, Tesla could wind up being the sole surviving global manufacturer once all the consolidations and mergers take place. Time will tell.

About the AuthorSteve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!” You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

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Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes, VW, Honda, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, & Audi Sales Drop In USA, While Ford & GM Hide

We have a weird situation. Not that long after GM decided to stop sharing monthly US sales figures, Ford has now followed suit and done the same. This is making monthly market sales report quite challenging. Of course, underneath the GM and Ford brands are Chevrolet, Lincoln, Buick, and Cadillac