Volta Charging, the San Francisco-based company that combines outdoor digital advertising with charging stations to give electric vehicle owners free power, has added another $20 million in a follow-on to its Series C round. The company’s Series C round is now closed at $100 million. Schneider Electric Ventures, SK Innovation, Energize Ventures and a number… Continue reading Volta Charging raises another $20 million to expand ad-supported EV charging network
Category: Automotive
Uber lays off 435 people across engineering and product teams
Uber has laid off 435 employees across its product and engineering teams, the company announced today. Combined, the layoffs represent about 8% of the organization, with 170 people leaving the product team and 265 people leaving the engineering team. The layoffs had no effect on Eats, which is one of Uber’s top-performing products, and Freight,… Continue reading Uber lays off 435 people across engineering and product teams
Audi unveils Mars rover-looking electric off-roader with insane specs
Audi unveiled a new electric off-roader concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show today, and it looks like it should be a Mars rover. The concept vehicle is called AI:TRAIL, and Audi uses it to communicate its vision of a future vehicle segment where a vehicle would drive autonomously on the road and then could be… Continue reading Audi unveils Mars rover-looking electric off-roader with insane specs
Tesla is working on 5th assembly line at Fremont factory ahead of Model Y production
Tesla is preparing a fifth assembly line at its Fremont, California, factory as it prepares to add Model Y production to the already very busy plant. There have been a lot of talks about how many cars Tesla could produce at the Fremont factory. When it was operated by Toyota and GM, the plant had… Continue reading Tesla is working on 5th assembly line at Fremont factory ahead of Model Y production
Time for personalisation!
We’ve all been there. You go into a shop, an assistant asks you “Are you looking for something?” and before you have a chance to answer they start banging on about a product that doesn’t suit you at all. Gets right on your nerves, doesn’t it? We’re the same. Let’s be straight, we all like… Continue reading Time for personalisation!
BESPOKE MOBILITY, DESIGNED WITH YOU IN MIND
Sometimes, it’s just a short step from an ultra-personalised phone case to an almost unique colour scheme for your bodywork… Nowadays, we always expect even more: we want to choose from a wide range of products or services, then we want to personalise our choice to suit our tastes and needs, or better still, make… Continue reading BESPOKE MOBILITY, DESIGNED WITH YOU IN MIND
THE ALL-NEW RENAULT CAPTUR PRESENTED AT THE FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW
At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Thierry Bolloré, CEO of Groupe Renault, and Laurens van den Acker, EVP Corporate Design, presented the All-new Renault Captur, the latest version of the best-selling urban SUV, with 1.5 million units sold in more than 90 countries. The best-seller in its category for seven years, the Renault Captur has… Continue reading THE ALL-NEW RENAULT CAPTUR PRESENTED AT THE FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW
German automotive supplier Continental announces CO2-neutral production by 2040
BERLIN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) — Continental is planning to be CO2-neutral “in all of its production processes” by 2040, Elmar Degenhardt, chief executive officer (CEO) of the second largest automotive supplier in Germany, announced at the international motor show IAA in Frankfurt on Tuesday.
In addition, Degenhart was optimistic that the automotive industry would be able to achieve CO2-neutrality “across the entire supply chain” by 2050.
The automotive industry would need to be CO2-neutral by 2050 “at the latest”, which would be “feasible if business and politics tackle it together”, noted Degenhart.
At the IAA, one of the largest automotive trade fairs in the world, Degenhart urged the German government to relieve the tax burden on Germany's automotive industry since “lower taxes and costs allow for higher investments and thus more innovations”.
In order to achieve carbon neutrality, Continental is aiming “in a first step” to solely use electricity from renewable energy sources in a..
Press: ZF and Maxion Team up to Present Smart Wheel Connectivity Solution
Companies present world’s first fully integrated, multi-service wheel sensor System helps to improve road safety and efficiency while driving down costs for fleet operators and others Smart Wheel Connectivity Solution is suited for heavy commercial vehicles like buses, trucks and agricultural machinery Frankfurt / Friedrichshafen. ZF OPENMATICS and Maxion Wheels announced today the joint development… Continue reading Press: ZF and Maxion Team up to Present Smart Wheel Connectivity Solution
Hyundai and Kia invest in Europe’s high-power fast-charging network
Hyundai and Kia announced Monday that they are investing in Ionity, Europe's 350-kilowatt charging network. They will join BMW Group, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen/Porsche in expanding charging station availability for vehicles with 800 volt on-board systems.
This partnership gives Hyundai the opportunity to develop vehicles with 800-volt systems that will be able to utilize the 350-kilowatt capacity of Ionity's network, which currently comprises 140 stations. Another 50 are currently under construction and the company plans to expand to an addition 200 sites by 2020.
It's Ionity's goal that its stations be no more than 120 km (75 miles) apart along major highways, guaranteeing that even small city cars will have sufficient range to travel between stations.
“Our participation in this joint venture reaffirms the Group’s commitment to future electromobility. I am confident that our work with Ionity will open a new era of high-power charging experiences, where charging will be seamless and easier than refueling for our customers,” said Hyundai Product VP Thomas Schemera.
Ionity was formed in 2017 with the mission of developing a connected, high-output charging network for European EVs. The coalition was formed with 800-volt systems in mind, allowing for quicker charge times for vehicles like the Porsche Taycan and a forthcoming Hyundai EV.
Europe remains well ahead of the United States with respect to DC fast charging. Tesla's V3 Superchargers charge at up to 250 kw and have recently arrived in some markets. Most U.S. hardware caps at 150 kw.