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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

McLaren Automotive marks building its 20,000th car

McLaren Automotive, the luxury British sportscar and supercar company, has celebrated the 20,000th car to be hand-assembled at its McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey. The 20,000th car built was a right-hand drive 600LT Spider in Chicane Grey from the brand’s Sports Series line-up. Launched only last summer as the next chapter in the McLaren… Continue reading McLaren Automotive marks building its 20,000th car

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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Fiat Chrysler completes $6.5B sale of Magneti Marelli, which has Michigan operations

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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

EU on track to launch its most ambitious ever European research and innovation programme in 2021

BRUSSELS, 20-Mar-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — EU institutions have just reached to partial political agreement on Horizon Europe. Horizon Europe is the future EU research and innovation programme and aims at facilitating the investment in research and innovation to maintain and improve the European way of life. The provisional agreement is subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council.

Horizon Europe’s budgetary aspects are part of the overall agreement on the EU’s next long-term budget, proposed by the Commission last year.

The proposed budget by the Commission for the next research framework funding programme (2021-2027) is €100 billion.

Further discussions are yet to be made on the provisions on international association agreements as well as on potential synergies with other future EU programmes and policies depending on the progress made with other sectoral proposals within the EU’s long-term budget.

The Juncker Commission has worked on new level of ambition and commitment aimed at deepening Europe’s innovation capability that can provide lasting prosperity and preserve the EU global competitiveness.

The Horizon Europe programme was originally proposed by the Commission in June 2018 as part of the EU-long-term-budget for the years 2021-2027. Horizon Europe is in fact the most ambitious research and innovation programme ever and aim at keeping the EU at the forefront of global research and innovation.

Commissioner Carlos Moedas, responsible for Research, Science, and Innovation:

”I warmly welcome this agreement with the strong support for the new European Innovation Council and our mission driven research agendas. We are now on track to launch the most ambitious ever European research and innovation programme in 2021, shaping the future for a strong, sustainable and competitive European economy and benefiting all regions in Europe.”

Horizon Europe will step on Horizon 2020’s achievements and success and will continue to drive scientific excellence through the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships and exchanges. The Horizon Europe programme will benefit from the scientific advice, technical support and dedicated research of the Horizon Europe, which is the Commission’s science and knowledge service.

The European Innovation Council (EIC), which currently runs in a pilot phase, will be introduced as part of the new Horizon Europe programme, will bring bring disruptive and breakthrough innovations from lab to market application, and help start-ups and SMEs scale up their ideas. Under the EIC, innovators will receive direct support through two main funding instruments, one for early stages and the other for development and market deployment. The European Innovation Council (EIC) will be complementary to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

The European Commission will now start preparing Horizon Europe’s implementation in order to have the first draft work programmes published in time for the programme’s launch on 1 January 2021.

Europe, relying on only 7% of the world’s population, produces one third of all the high-quality scientific publications and holds a world leading position in the pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mechanical engineering and fashion as well as accounts for 20% of global R&D investment.

Funding from the EU helped teams across countries and scientific disciplines to work together and make unthinkable discoveries, making Europe a world-class leader in research and innovation.

While inheriting the tested funding rules and procedures of Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe is optimised to maximise its impact, its relevance to society and its potential for breakthrough innovation.

Horizon Europe is a crucial part of the implementation of “A renewed European Agenda for Research and Innovation – Europe’s chance to shape its future“. This agenda highlighted the steps needed to ensure Europe’s global competitiveness and was discussed at the EU Leaders’ meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria in May 2018.

SOURCE: European Commission

MORE ON Horizon 2020, EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (ERC), MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE:

EBN: Startups and SMEs in green economy, smart cities, social inclusivity invited to apply for HORIZON 2020 SME INSTRUMENT – As a part of the Horizon 2020 program, the SME Instrument will invest almost 3 billion euros in 7500 projects by 2020 in highly innovative SMEs…

Russell Group on Gov’s commitments for Horizon 2020: The vote to leave EU creates significant uncertainty for our universities – “The Chancellor’s commitment to underwrite competitive bids for Horizon 2020 funding, while we are still a member of the EU, will go a long way towards maintaining the networks…

The University of Aberdeen’s Public Engagement with Research Unit awarded EUR 4m grant from the Horizon 2020 programme to embed responsible research across Europe – The Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) agenda has become a cornerstone for the European Commission’s €70 billion Horizon 2020 funding programme, promoting ethics, gender equality, public engagement, education and open access…

Heidelberg University scientists are key participants in two research teams that received 16.9 million euros funding from the European Research Council – Scientists of Heidelberg University are key participants in two research teams, each of which has obtained an ERC Synergy Grant, a highly-endowed grant from the European Research Council…

University of Exeter: Dr Bertram Daum, Dr David Phillips and Dr Muireann Maguire have receive grants from the European Research Council (ERC) – Three rising research stars at the University of Exeter have received a significant funding boost from the European Research Council (ERC), it has been announced…

University of Bristol recipients of the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants – Five early-career researchers from the University of Bristol have been awarded over €7M in European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants in recognition of their ‘excellent science’ and potentially ground-breaking research…

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Driving innovation and Growth in Europe – This is the reason why the Commission has proposed within the global envelop of Horizon 2020, an increase in the budget – from €4.7b to €5.75b – for the future Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to give more support to the career development and training of researchers in all scientific disciplines…

Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth to meet Marie Curie scientists at CERN – The programme will be maintained under Horizon 2020 and will be renamed the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The MSCA will become the main EU programme offering support for excellent doctoral training, supporting 25 000 PhDs…

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