Category: Automotive

Self-driving truck startup TuSimple raises additional $120 mln

DETROIT (Reuters) – Self-driving truck startup TuSimple said on Tuesday it raised an additional $120 million from investors to be used to expand long-haul services for truck fleets and jointly develop an autonomous commercial vehicle with truck makers and suppliers. TuSimple said the new funds were part of a round of fundraising that was oversubscribed… Continue reading Self-driving truck startup TuSimple raises additional $120 mln

Auto parts supplier Matador joins battery production project

Matador, the premium Slovak supplier of the automotive industry, is joining a local battery production project .Matador is expected to play a crucial role in the development phase of the InoBat Auto 100MWh demonstration production line.Having strong and experienced engineering and project management teams who have been designing state-of-art fully automated production lines for major automotive industry players, Matador will assist InoBat Auto during the construction period.

Forth to Start Electric Car Share Program Trial in Under Served Communities

Hood River presents an ideal opportunity to test, asses, and learn how to best offer an electric car sharing service in a rural setting. Photo via Pixabay. Forth announced that it has received funding for the Clean Rural Shared Electric Mobility (CRuSE) Project form the U.S. Department of Energy for Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research.  The… Continue reading Forth to Start Electric Car Share Program Trial in Under Served Communities

Volkswagen ID wall chargers revealed for Europe; US plans yet to come

As a companion to the launch of its new ID 3 electric car, Volkswagen is offering a series of at-home AC charging stations.

In three flavors, the new ID Charger series ranges in three levels from basic charging to a high-precision, connected suite. All of the versions will have the same 11 kw output, the upgraded models offer additional connectivity for users who want to program and monitor charger usage.

VW ID Charger

In its most basic form, the ID Charger is effectively just a good, old-fashioned plug. At $440 (399 euros), it's a very basic and affordable unit. Volkswagen says it will charge the 58-kwh battery in the ID 3 in six hours.

The next step up is the ID Charger Connect, which offers the first tier of connectivity options. It allows smart monitoring and remote operation via either wired or wireless network, with LTE available as an optional upgrade. Without LTE, it starts at $660 (599 euros), and includes remote management (via VW's App-Connect) and maintenance, access control management via charging card, and over-the-air software updates.

The top-tier unit is the ID Charger Pro. At this level, you get the features of the Connect model, plus an integrated electrical meter for high-precision monitoring of usage. The Pro will run you $940 (849 euros), but the upside is that it includes the Connect model's optional LTE upgrade along with a lifetime data subscription.

There's no word yet on availability in the U.S. market, but we expect that it will follow a formal announcement of VW's plans for bringing its ID vehicle lineup stateside.

News – ‘Future of the EU auto industry’ Summit brings together thought leaders on mobility transformation

The highly anticipated ‘Leading the mobility transformation: The future of the EU auto industry’ Summit organised by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) took place on Wednesday 4 September. More than 300 stakeholders in the field of mobility gathered in Brussels to discuss how the EU auto sector can take the global lead in the… Continue reading News – ‘Future of the EU auto industry’ Summit brings together thought leaders on mobility transformation

Nidec Research and Development Center, Japan Adopts a Green Electricity Certificate System

On August 01, 2019, Nidec Research and Development Center, Japan (NRC(J)) became the first Nidec Group organization to adopt the “green electricity certificate system*” provided by Japan Natural Energy Company Limited.

The adoption of this system proves that 450,000kWh, or approximately 25% of the electricity that NRC(J) consumes per year, is originated from renewable energies, and is expected to curb the facility’s CO2 emissions by approximately 200 tons every year.

Overview

Site
  Nidec Corporation’s Nidec Research and
　 Development Center, Japan (NRC(J))

Period
  August 01, 2019 – July 31, 2020

Electricity usage
  450,000kWh per year

CO2 reduction
  Approximately 200 tons per year

Reason to adopt
the system
  Generate electricity to operate a research facility

Active in implementing climate change measures to realize a carbon-free society, the Nidec Group launched a SMART 2030 project in April 2019 to curb the total amount of greenhouse gases generated directly f..

GM promises electric pickup truck production in union strike negotiation

GM’s union employees are currently on strike over a labor negotiation dispute and the automaker is using the promise of electric pickup truck production at a Detroit factory slated to close in 2020. The Union of Auto Workers has been protesting GM’s previously announced plans to close several factories and letting go thousands of employees.… Continue reading GM promises electric pickup truck production in union strike negotiation