Nothing here but dreams
Networks
Eionet
Network of the Heads of Environment Protection Agencies (EPA network)
Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS)
More networks
EU partners
International cooperation
European Topic Centres (ETCs)
Air pollution and Climate Change mitigation (ACM)
Biological Diversity (BD)
Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation (CCA)
Inland, Coastal and Marine waters (ICM)
Urban, Land and Soil systems (ULS)
Waste and Materials in a Green Economy (WMGE)
BRUSSELS, May 16 (Xinhua) — The European Investment Bank (EIB) gave its approval in principle on Thursday to help finance Europe's first home-grown gigafactory for lithium-ion battery cells, Northvolt Ett, in Sweden.
The batteries from Northvolt Ett's batteries are used in automotive, grid storage, and industrial and portable applications. Ramping up to full capacity, Northvolt Ett will produce 32 GWh of battery capacity per year.
“The development of a competitive and green battery value chain within Europe can not only cut greenhouse gas emissions by decarbonising power generation and transport, but can also help protect millions of well paid jobs in European industries in the face of increasing global competition,” said EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell.
According to him, the 350-million-euro loan to Northvolt approved in-principle on Thursday “is the largest ever direct EIB financing approval for battery technology, and we look forward to working with Northvolt over the ..
Searching for your content…
No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
Kapten, the French ride-hailing app backed by Daimler and BMW, has today launched in London, coupled with a feisty ad campaign taking a swipe at Uber’s tax arrangements. It follows Kapten (formerly called “Chauffeur Prive”) obtaining a license from TfL, London’s transport regulator, to operate its private-hire vehicle (PHV) service in the U.K. capital city.… Continue reading Daimler and BMW-backed Kapten rides into London with anti-Uber ad campaign
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC Edition 1886
Mercedes-Benz's CEO-apparent Ola Källenius laid out a plan Monday, just after the Norway launch of its EQC electric SUV, that outlines the development of an entire “carbon-neutral” passenger-car fleet.
Källenius, currently the head of product development at Mercedes, has been named future Chairman of the Board of management of Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz starting later this year.
Part of the plan, called Vision 2039, calls to make half the company's models plug in by 2030—either plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles.
READ THIS: First Mercedes-Benz EQC rolls off assembly line in Germany
According to a transcript of his speech, Källenius said, “Let’s be clear what this means for us: a fundamental transformation of our company within less than three product cycles. That’s not much time when you consider that fossil fuels have dominated our business since the invention of the car by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler some 130 years ago. But as a company founded by engineers, we believe technology can also help to engineer a better future.”
He laid out plans to electrify the company's vans, trucks, and buses as well as its cars, and said the Mercedes is focusing first on building better electric cars, by bringing “EV performance up and costs down,” he said.
Källenius also doubled-down on Daimler's commitment to developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. “There’s also room and need to continue to work on other solutions,” he said, “for example, the fuel cell or eFuels…. Today, no one knows for sure which drivetrain mix will best serve our customers’ needs 20 years from now. That’s why we encourage policy makers to pave the way for tech neutrality: Let’s fix the target, but not the means to achieve it.”
He noted that in addition to electric buses, the company will also build city buses with fuel cells.
READ MORE: Mercedes joins forces with BMW to build an electric ecosystem
Källenius pointed to the company's car-sharing efforts such as Car2Go as a means to help customers reduce their carbon footprint, and said the company will be making new efforts to encourage its customers who buy EVs to charge them using renewable energy. The company launched an effort in March, in conjunction with BMW's Reach Now, to provide clean power to chargers, and smart home chargers, similar programs at Tesla and Volkswagen.
Of course, electric cars are only as carbon-neutral as the factories that build them. The company plans to convert all of its European factories to renewable energy by 2022, starting with an extension of its main plant in Sindelfingen, Germany, and including the factory in Bremen that builds the EQC and the Kamenz factory in Saxony where the EQC's battery is built.
By 2039, the year that gives the plan its name, the company intends to propagate the changes throughout its worldwide factories as well as its suppliers, using incentives as motivation.
Volkswagen ID Buzz Concept
In an announcement last month, Volkswagen joined Nissan and Tesla as the only automakers to explicitly warranty not just the batteries in its cars but specifically how much life it expects them to retain.
Frank Blome, the head of VW's Center of Excellence in Battery Cells, said in an outward facing internal marketing interview that the company expects the battery packs in its upcoming line of ID cars to last “the life of the cars,” he said.
READ THIS: Here's the battery pack behind VW's global electric-vehicle push
Of course, for a key component of the car that costs five figures to replace it's an open question whether a dead battery becomes a self-fulfilling condition of a dead car.
Volkswagen has previously said—at several points—that its batteries will retain 70 percent of their original capacity for 8 years or 100,000 miles. That's the standard time frame for an EV battery warranty, though not all companies go so far as to provide a definition of how much capacity the battery needs to retain at that point.
CHECK OUT: Volkswagen details the foundation for 10 million electric vehicles
Batteries for the Audi E-tron quattro, the first all-electric car from the Volkswagen Group's luxury division come from Korean supplier LG Chem. LG's South Korean rival, SK Innovation, which was just sued by LG Chem at the International Trade Commission, will supply batteries for VW's new products in Europe as well as the U.S.
SKI is building new battery factories in Hungary and the U.S. state of Georgia to supply the batteries. In China, VW will rely on local batteries from CATL.
DON'T MISS: VW Group has nailed down $25 billion of batteries for electric cars, it said today
Blome confirmed that Volkswagen continues to work with Silicon Valley startup QuantumScape to develop solid-state batteries for its next generation of batteries for electric cars sometime between 2025 and 2030.
He also affirmed that he expects VW's European Battery Union partnership with Swedish battery maker Northvolt to produce more and better batteries, and to promote more battery production in Europe. The EBU is expected to begin research in 2020. “This new consortium will cover the entire battery value chain,” he said. “The primary aim is to gain broader expertise in battery cell production.”
Published May 6, 2019 7:00 am, Via NYC
Via and SamTrans Launch On-Demand Public Transportation in Pacifica, California
The new partnership with SamTrans brings another shared, on-demand service powered by Via to the San Francisco Bay area.
May 6, 2019 (Pacifica, CA) — Via, the world’s leading provider and developer of on-demand shared mobility solutions, today announced a new microtransit deployment in the San Francisco Bay Area, operated in partnership with public transportation leader SamTrans. The new service brings corner-to-corner shuttle service to Pacifica, California.
Starting May 6, SamTrans will offer on-demand shared transportation within the coverage area for the standard SamTrans fare. The new on-demand service replaces the fixed-route FLX Pacifica bus service, offering customers a more convenient public transportation solution.
SamTrans OnDemand is powered by Via’s advanced algorithm, which enables multiple riders to seamlessly share a single vehicle. The powerful technology directs passengers to a nearby corner — a virtual bus stop — for pick up and drop off, and dynamically routes the vehicle in real-time, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours, or inconvenient fixed routes and schedules.
“Via’s powerful technology is redefining mobility across the globe, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to provide on-demand dynamic transportation solutions,” said Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via. “We are delighted to be partnering with SamTrans to help Pacifica lead the way in mobility innovation through the launch of this convenient, affordable, and eco-friendly service.”
SamTrans operates 70 routes throughout San Mateo County. Funded in part by a half-cent sales tax, the San Mateo County Transit District also provides administrative support for Caltrain and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.
“SamTrans OnDemand is an innovative service that will better serve Pacifica residents by providing a flexible and affordable transportation option,” said SamTrans Chief Planning Officer April Chan. “If this way of delivering service works well, we hope to extend this to other neighborhoods in San Mateo County that can take advantage of this service.”
“Pacifica has unique challenges regarding transportation that result in congested roads and needless stress,” said Pacifica Mayor Sue Vaterlauss. “SamTrans OnDemand offers an alternative that will appeal to students, seniors and people that want options beyond owning a car.”
SamTrans OnDemand allows riders to request a trip through an iOS or Android app operated by Via, or through the SamTrans Customer Service Call Center. Once a trip is booked, a shuttle is routed to the pickup location and can be tracked through the app in real-time.
Via has been tapped by cities and transportation players around the world to help re-engineer public transit from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via now has more than 70 launched and pending deployments in more than 15 countries. To learn more about Via, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.
About Via
Via is re-engineering public transit, from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via’s mobile app connects multiple passengers who are headed the same way, allowing riders to seamlessly share a premium vehicle. First launched in New York City in September 2013, the Via platform operates in the United States and in Europe through its joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans, ViaVan. Via’s technology is also deployed worldwide through dozens of partner projects with public transportation agencies, private transit operators, taxi fleets, private companies, and universities, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to power cutting-edge on-demand mobility. For more information, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.
Read more
Recurring BYD customer orders 40 electric buses of all sizes from 30-foot to 60-foot long. BYD scored one of its biggest electric bus order in North America as Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) just placed an order for 40 vehicles. ATN is a recurring customer for BYD, as the company already used four 40-foot BYD K9M… Continue reading BYD To Deliver 40 EV Buses To Anaheim Transportation Network
Is it all too good to be true moving forward? There’s definitely a chance that Tesla’s advantageous partnership with Panasonic could come to an end at some point. As we previously reported, sometimes it seems the Japanese battery cell maker is enamored with its Tesla partnership, but other times it appears that’s not necessarily the… Continue reading Will Tesla’s Advantageous Panasonic Partnership Come To An End?
The NTSB investigation reveals that Autopilot was active at the time of the fatal crash. Preliminary findings indicate the Autopilot system was indeed on at the time of the fatal crash involving a Model 3. The accident occurred in Delray Beach, Florida back on March 1, 2019. ***See video below for additional background information on… Continue reading NTSB: Tesla Autopilot Was On When Model 3 Hit Semi Resulting In Death