Category: News Type

Audi developing dramatic A5-sized luxury electric coupé – Autocar

Audi hasn’t given performance details of the new PPE platform, but says it is “generally similar to that of the MEB”.  The new four-door coupé previewed by the firm is roughly A4-sized, with styling similar to the swooping A7 Sportback, and a front grille and bumper design that echoes the E-tron GT.  Audi wouldn’t confirm… Continue reading Audi developing dramatic A5-sized luxury electric coupé – Autocar

Parking Gone Wrong: Watch Honda Accord Flip During Wild Parking Attempt

The Accord driver must’ve slammed the accelerator rather than the brake pedal. Watch as this Honda Accord driver attempts to parallel park between two Teslas. The Accord wildly accelerates and then flips onto its roof after jumping the curb and rolling. We’ve seen our fair share of unintended acceleration (typically driver error) cases when it… Continue reading Parking Gone Wrong: Watch Honda Accord Flip During Wild Parking Attempt

Ford dealership giving away guns, Bibles to lure in customers

CLOSE New compact SUV has surprising handling, more room and a fuel-efficient hybrid model. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press Auto Critic Derrick Hughes and his team will do whatever it takes to sell trucks and cars during the slow months of deer hunting season, so they’re giving away guns along with Bibles and flags at their Ford dealership… Continue reading Ford dealership giving away guns, Bibles to lure in customers

RapidSOS Closes $55M Series B Funding Round

RapidSOS, a New York-based emergency technology company, closed a $55M funding round. The round, which adds $25M to an initial close of $30M, was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP). The company intends to use the funds to launch new data partners and expand its emergency response platform globally. Led by Michael Martin, CEO, RapidSOS… Continue reading RapidSOS Closes $55M Series B Funding Round

The most powerful DC charging station in Europe (for cars) can deliver 400 kw

The energy company Repsol has opened what it says is the most powerful electric-vehicle charging station in Europe—and it happens to be in Spain, a part of Europe that’s so far been largely skipped over by the fastest charging.

Higher-power DC fast charging is what makes electric-vehicle road-tripping viable. And while 100- and 150-kw stations may charge vehicles with smaller batteries quickly enough, performance and luxury EVs are going to need higher-power charging.

That’s where new “ultra-fast” 350-kw stations come into play, led in Europe by the Ionity network, which is the equivalent of our Electrify America. Ionity is aiming to build 400 350-kw stations in Europe by the end of 2020 and already had more than 100 up and running by the middle of this year.

Those latest Ionity stations only go up to 350 kw. And while charging a big luxury EV’s battery to 80 percent in as little as 10 or 15 minutes sounds quick, some automakers already see an even higher-power future. For instance, Joachim Kramer, Porsche’s director for electrics and electronics in the Taycan, explained last month that while the carmaker is limiting Taycan charging to 270 kw, it may allow 400 or even 500 kw of charging power with larger, next-generation batteries.

Repsol fast-charging levels

The 400-kw station has been installed by Ibil, a charging network that is jointly owned by Repsol and the Basque Energy Board (EVE). It’s only the second ultra-fast DC fast charging station to be opened in Spain, located on the A8 motorway at the Ugaldebieta service station, near Bilbao, and has four 400-kw DC CCS fast-charge points.

All equipment at the facility has been sourced within Spain, and the stations integrate solar panels and energy storage to either reduce or eliminate emissions.

Ibil has a network that includes more than 1,700 charge points, of which 230 are publicly accessible

Pricing and more details for Polestar 2, Performance Pack version

Volvo's high-performance subsidiary confirmed more about pricing for the Polestar 2 this week, setting the stage for a showdown with the Tesla Model 3.

The all-electric Polestar 2 has its sights set on the Long Range variants of the smaller Tesla sedan, and thanks to this week's announcement, we now know they'll be very similarly priced in Europe, where the Polestar 2 is now available for order.

The biggest divide in EU pricing is in Germany, where the Polestar 2 will start at 58,800 euros (vs. 54,800 euros for the Model 3 Long Range AWD); the gap in The Netherlands and Belgium is a bit smaller (around 1,000 euros). In the UK, Polestar's 49,900-British-pound price tag is 2,000 pounds dearer than the Tesla's.

Those prices equate to $64,600 in Germany and $61,000 in the UK. That's not far from what Polestar has said about U.S. pricing—that it will cost $63,000 for the first year’s Launch Edition of the model, which will be eligible for the full $7,500 federal plug-in tax credit.

Some time after that, a base version is expected to join the lineup at $43k to $45k, or about $45,400 (39,900 euros) in Europe—or be available by subscription—but both of those things are more than a year out.

Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 will boast more than 400 horsepower and do 0-60 mph in less than five seconds. Those specs fall short compared to the Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD Performance, which offers more than 450 hp and accelerates to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds.

While potential buyers may be disappointed by these shortcomings, it's important to note that the Polestar 2 is pretty much a by-the-numbers match for the Long-Range AWD variant of Tesla's small sedan, which offers a little over 400 horsepower and does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. Both Tesla variants pack a 75-kwh battery pack, which yields a sliver of capacity to the Polestar 2's 78 kwh.

Polestar bundles three years of service and maintenance as part of its out-the-door pricing, which should provide peace of mind for early adopters. The launch markets for Polestar 2 will be Norway, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. We won't see any versions of the Polestar 2 in the United States until late in 2020.

Polestar also outlined the new sedan's available Performance Pack, which includes 4-piston Brembo brakes, an adjustable suspension and 20-inch forged alloy wheels. The result, its engineers say, is “a car that wants to be driven.”

“We spent a lot of time obsessing over the finest details of the Performance Pack chassis set-up to find the car’s sweet spot; we call it the 'Golden Ride,'” said Chassis engineer Joakim Rydholm.

Polestar 2 pricing, Tata EV for India, commute times: Today’s Car News

India has a new domestic-brand electric vehicle on the way. The Polestar 2 electric car is priced for Europe, and we have a few more details about its Performance Pack. Commute times surge. And Spain claims what might be the speediest fast charger for cars—if only there were a car that could use it at its potential. This and more, today at Green Car Reports.

American commute times reached another record high in 2018. Although our cars might have become cleaner and more efficient, it’s a dark cloud that hangs over those gains.

Polestar, the electric-car brand that taps into resources from Volvo and Geely, has announced European pricing for its upcoming Polestar 2, which is shaping up to be the closest potential rival to the Tesla Model 3 yet. It’s also revealed pricing and more details regarding the Polestar 2 Performance Pack version.

India will soon have a home-grown affordable electric car: the Tata Nexon EV. With the same parent company as Jaguar and, likely, some technology-sharing between the companies, it could mean serious competition for other brands setting India as the next big market for electric vehicles.

Spain has hardly been a hub for DC fast charging and electric vehicles, however a charging network there is claiming the highest-power DC charging station—intended for cars and passenger vehicles—anywhere in Europe.

And Waymo is laying out the foundation for sending its self-driving cars out to the busy streets of Los Angeles—by having human drivers map out the streets of some portions of the city.

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Tesla electric pickup truck unveiling is still planned for next month

We haven’t heard much about Tesla’s plans to unveil its electric pickup truck prototype lately, but CEO Elon Musk insists that they are still planning to unveil it next month. While Model Y is Tesla’s next vehicle to come to market, the upcoming pickup truck is currently getting more attention ahead of a planned unveiling.… Continue reading Tesla electric pickup truck unveiling is still planned for next month

Tesla Model 3 takes over the UK with a record quarter

Tesla had another record month and quarter of deliveries in the UK, thanks to Model 3, which is quickly becoming a best-selling car in the market. Tesla’s sales of Model S and Model X vehicles grew steadily in the UK, but they peaked in 2017, with 4,756 units based on registration data. Last year, Tesla… Continue reading Tesla Model 3 takes over the UK with a record quarter