Biodegradable Seat Covers: Lenzing on the Latest in Circular Auto Parts – Sustainable Brands

Through a partnership with Swiss automaker Rinspeed, textile giant Lenzing is expanding into auto upholstery — and changing what it feels like to sit on wood. Wood is one of our most versatile natural materials. We use it for everything from paper, packaging and furniture to houses — and wood-based textiles such as lyocell and… Continue reading Biodegradable Seat Covers: Lenzing on the Latest in Circular Auto Parts – Sustainable Brands

Dyson patents show possible Tesla Model X competitor

Patent drawing for Dyson electric car due in 2021
Dyson, the maker of snazzy, high-tech vacuum cleaners, has said for two years that it will build electric cars starting in 2020.

Now the company has released patent drawings that give a hint of what at least the first one may look like.

READ THIS: Dyson plans to build its electric car in Singapore

The drawings show a long, low crossover SUV—call it a wagon if you must—reminiscent of the former Mercedes-Benz R-Class or the original version of the Chrysler Pacifica.
It shows three rows of forward facing seats in a relatively low-slung body that should allow it to move plenty of passengers relatively efficiently, within its sleek shape.

CHECK OUT: Dyson plans to build electric-car test track in Britain

That sounds a lot like the mission of the Tesla Model X.
Patent drawing for Dyson electric car due in 2021

James Dyson, the company's namesake founder, sent a memo to staff, obtained by Bloomberg, saying that the patents, “don't reveal what our vehicle will really look like or give any specifics around what it will do.” It went on to say, they do “provide a glimpse of some of the inventive steps,” the company is considering.

The patent shows a battery under the floor and large, relatively narrow tires that could be used to reduce rolling resistance.

READ MORE: Battery tech may be getting a big solid-state boost soon

Dyson, known as a somewhat eccentric inventor, has also said that the company will build a range of new models in the coming years.
Last year, Dyson acquired land in Britain to set up a test track at a former British air force base and announced it would build its new electric cars in Singapore at a new factory to be constructed by 2020, and start production in 2021. The company has committed to spending $2.6 billion to launch its automotive business and plans to hire 500 staff members.

In January, it hired former Infiniti executive Roland Krueger to head up its automotive operations and moved its automotive headquarters to Singapore.

Maserati joins ranks of EV holdouts among exotic automakers

Teaser for Maserati Alfieri sports car
Although it announced the end of using Ferrari engines in its cars last week, Italian luxury-carmaker Maserati won't be going all-electric any time soon.

“This is a brand that needs combustion engines,” Maserati's North American chief, Al Gardner, told Motor Trend in an interview earlier this month. “It needs that raw emotion,” he said.

As if electric cars can't deliver raw emotion. Just ask any Tesla Model S P100D or original Roadster owner.

And Tesla's electric cars have been running over the rest of the luxury passenger-car sector in sales, to become the top selling car in both the luxury sedan and premium sedan markets.

READ THIS: Jeep Grand Commander EV leads FCA electrification push

Gardner is adding Maserati's voice to a chorus of classic sports-car makers saying electric is not for them. Although Porsche's parent, the VW Group is going all-in on electric cars and has said that it will transition to an all-electric automaker and is currently developing its last combustion engine, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said last November that the 911 would never become an EV. (Although two hybrid variants of the 911 are reportedly under development.)

And Gardner made his statement in the face of Fiat Chrysler's business plan announced last June, showing that Maserati planned to launch eight new plug-in hybrids and four new battery electric vehicles by 2022, and that those vehicles would cover 68 percent of the company's lineup.

Maserati 2022 roadmap

At least some of the electric models would use 800-volt battery architecture for the fastest possible charging—up to 350 kilowatts, or an 80 percent, or bulk, charge in less than 10 minutes.

The company at the time said that the electric models would use three motors to provide torque-vectoring control, and have 50 percent more power than today's models.

Those plans aren't necessarily off the table, but according to Gardner, it won't be enough for the brand.

Just as Tesla wanted to stand out from the mass of internal-combustion cars when the company launched the Model S, Maserati and others are counting on the individualized character of internal combustion engines to stand out from the nearly silent crowd in the mainly-electric future.

EVgo fast-charge network commits to 100 percent renewable power

2019 Jaguar I-Pace at EVgo charger
If electric cars are supposed to clean up the environment and reduce global warming—and they are—EV drivers would like to rely on 100 percent renewable energy to do charge. And charging networks are striving to provide it.

Many, including Tesla with its Supercharger stations, are building new charging stations with solar canopies or stations with battery storage, or both.

READ MORE: Charging network EVgo goes tagless, tests battery buffers at stations

But there's more than one way to deliver clean power. Charging network EVgo announced last week that it signed contracts with all its power providers to deliver clean energy to all its chargers.

The company claims it will be the first charging network in the U.S. to provide 100 percent renewable electricity, and that it already receives all its electricity in California from wind and solar power. It did not specify whether all the new renewable power it will buy elsewhere will come only from wind and solar or whether it could include energy from other renewable sources such as hydro power or biomass.

CHECK OUT: EVgo launches first curbside fast chargers

Of course, that doesn't mean that every electron that flows into the battery came only from a windmill or solar panel. It only means that the money drivers pay to charge flows back to support such endeavors. As such systems expand, though, it pumps larger buckets of funding to building new renewable energy sources.
EVgo has also installed a variety of types of battery backups at several of its California stations to test what types of systems remain the most cost effective over the long run. It installed its first fast-charging solar-array canopy at a fast-charge station in Baker, California, in the desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas last year.

Dyson EV takes form, Maserati keeps engines, EVgo going all-renewable: Today’s Car News

2020 Opel Grandland X Hybrid4
British vacuum-cleaner maker Dyson patents some designs for a future electric car. Maserati boss says not all carmakers will go all-electric. EVgo commits to all-renewable energy sources. And an annual AAA survey on electric cars shows that more Americans think cars will drive themselves in 2030 than will be all-electric. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

New patent filings from electric-car hopeful and famous British vacuum maker Dyson show its first electric car could be an efficient crossover people-mover to compete with the Tesla Model X.

Maserati's North American boss says the brand won't go all electric, but will retain some gas engines to give its cars “character.”

EVgo, the largest network of fast-charge stations for electric cars, will commit to buying all renewable power for its chargers, going forward.

A new AAA survey shows that 40 percent of Americans think all cars will be electric by 2030—and 50 percent think they will be self-driving by then.

Rich Benoit, who became famous on YouTube for rebuilding a flooded, salvage Tesla and helping others with their Tesla problems, plans to expand his service by building his own shop.

Opel introduces its first extended-range electric vehicle in Europe, the Granland X Hybrid4 SUV.

Finally, BMW is teaming up with Microsoft to develop the next-generation voice assistant for cars. The two plan to develop an open-source voice recognition system that others could build on.

_______________________________________

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GM CEO Barra Confirms Electric Pickups Are Coming

General Motors will have a complete line of electric vehicles and that includes pickup trucks, CEO Mary Barra confirmed today. GM will not cede leadership in trucks or electric vehicles, Barra told investors on a call to discuss first-quarter earnings. Barra said further details on the development of its electric trucks will come later, but… Continue reading GM CEO Barra Confirms Electric Pickups Are Coming

UPDATE 1-VW plans summer IPO of its Traton truck unit

(Adds details of Traton unit, Navistar investment, background) By Nick Carey May 13 (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG said on Monday it plans an initial public offering of its Traton trucks unit before the 2019 summer break and will invest nearly 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) in an electric vehicle battery cell plant in Europe. The… Continue reading UPDATE 1-VW plans summer IPO of its Traton truck unit

Volkswagen to make batteries in Germany, slim down

FILE PHOTO: People pass in front of a Volkswagen logo ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show, in Shanghai, China April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen will invest almost 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in battery cell production at a facility in western Germany and is seeking to simplify the group by… Continue reading Volkswagen to make batteries in Germany, slim down

Land Rover Cancels Range Rover SV Coupe

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Land Rover Cancels Range Rover SV Coupe

31 Jan 2019, 9:16 UTC ·
by Mircea Panait

Home > News > Car Profile

Revealed in March 2018 at the Geneva Motor Show, the SV Coupe is SUV royalty even for Range Rover. But the three-door luxobarge with frameless doors has been discontinued despite the fact Land Rover has been testing the SV Coupe both on the road and at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
28 photosPart of the reason has something to do with the starting price. £240,000 from the get-go and 575 ponies might seem too much for too little, but the 999-vehicle production run does ensure exclusivity. On the flip side, Land Rover had to develop a different stamping process for the SV Coupe.
A statement from Land Rover – published by Autocar.co.uk – informs that the British automaker has taken the difficult decision “to inform our customers that the Range Rover SV Coupe will not proceed into production.” Looking at the bigger picture, that’s money down the drain right there!
“Land Rover is focusing its resources and investment on the next generation of world-class products,” including all-new platforms and electrification ranging from mild- to hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles. Nevertheless, the Special Vehicle Operations division has nothing to do because of this unexpected announcement.
“SVO is continuing to develop exciting cars that push the boundaries of luxury, performance, and capability.” As much as the British automaker tries to sugarcoat this matter, Special Vehicle Operations was looking forward to introducing the SV Coupe as the first nameplate to be manufactured from the ground up at the Technical Center in Coventry.
Their latest product is the XE SV Project 8, a compact executive sedan with 600 ponies from the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 that develops 575 horsepower in the F-Type SVR. The go-faster model is limited to 300 examples of the breed, which makes it more common than the F-Type Project 7 (250 units delivered worldwide).
Instead of an ending note, think for a moment about the competitors of the Range Rover SV Coupe. There’s the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and plenty more in the pipeline, including the Ferrari Purosangue. Although Land Rover didn’t specify it, we have a sneaking suspicion the SV Coupe was too late to the party.

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LAND ROVER models:LAND ROVER Range Rover Sport HST Medium SUVLAND ROVER Range Rover Evoque Large SUVLAND ROVER SV COUPE Large SUVLAND ROVER Defender 90 Works V8 Medium SUVLAND ROVER Range Rover Hybrid Large SUVAll LAND ROVER models

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