Tag: FCA

Lightyear unveils the first long-range solar car on June 25

Lightyear unveils the first long-range solar car on June 25

Press release:
Helmond, The Netherlands, May 14, 2019 – The prototype of the first long-range solar car will be unveiled in the Netherlands on June 25th. The announcement was made today by Lightyear, the Dutch pioneer in clean mobility. The Lightyear One, their proof of concept car, will be the first concrete step towards Lightyear’s mission of making clean mobility available for everyone, everywhere.

Designed to maximize solar and battery range
Lightyear’s approach uses several innovations to free the driver and take the car anywhere. The Lightyear One was designed from the ground up to solve two of the biggest drawbacks of electric cars: range and charging. The 4-wheel drive car is designed to go for long periods without cable-charging. The battery alone has a range of 600-800 kilometers, depending on the usage. When it does need to be charged, the model’s energy efficiency makes it charge two or three times faster th..

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.

Daimler CEO says successor will have tough job

Zetsche took over as CEO of DaimlerChrysler in 2006 and took the decision to sell Chrysler. OSLO: Daimler’s next chief executive will have a tough job to restore margins at Mercedes-Benz, current boss Dieter Zetsche told Reuters on Wednesday, as Mercedes-Benz launched a new luxury electric car to rival Tesla. Zetsche, who bows out as… Continue reading Daimler CEO says successor will have tough job

Volvo’s Polestar 2 with Android Automotive is how all car software should be designed

The native Android Auto saga has a long and winding road, but we’re finally approaching the finish line. Google’s custom-built software for automobiles, now called Android Automotive OS and not to be confused with standard Android Auto mirrored from your smartphone, was first announced a couple of years back as a kind of compromise with… Continue reading Volvo’s Polestar 2 with Android Automotive is how all car software should be designed

Mercedes-Benz EQC, VW ID 3, FCA emissions boost Tesla: Today’s Car News

Tesla Model Y – introduction, Hawthorne CA, March 2019
Electric cars are starting to roll out from German automakers. Volkswagen gave a name to its new electric hatchback, and started taking orders. And Mercedes-Benz rolled the first electric EQC SUV off its assembly line in Germany. Details emerged of Fiat Chrysler's deal with Tesla to share emissions credits. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

Volkswagen opened its order banks for its first of a new generation of electric cars, the ID 3 electric hatchback, albeit only in Europe.

Mercedes-Benz also launched its new EQC electric SUV in Europe, with the first example rolling off the assembly line this week.

The emissions deal between Tesla and FCA announced last month could be worth a surprising amount to Tesla's bottom line.

And in our latest Twitter poll, most readers reported realizing the full amount of the federal tax credit if they bought an electric car last year. A sizable minority, however, didn't.

Google is revamping its Android Auto driving interface to give it a cleaner look, more flexibility, and simpler operation.

Finally, BMW says it will roll out a fleet of 500 fully-self-driving SUVs based on its iNext electric SUV concept, in 2021.

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