Volvo, FCA, PSA and Jaguar In Talks To Join IONITY, Tesla Too

39 M BY MARK KANE The IONITY ultra fast charging network, launched in Europe by BMW, Daimler, Ford, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche, soon could be reinforced by more automakers. IONITY fast charging station in Brohltal-Ost, Germany (source: electrive.com) The idea of 400 stations (with about six 350 kW charging stalls each, on average) by the… Continue reading Volvo, FCA, PSA and Jaguar In Talks To Join IONITY, Tesla Too

China-Backed SF Motors Debuts Electric SUVs As Rival Tesla Hits Rocky Patch

SF Motors will start taking orders for its SF5 SUV in late 2018, with initial deliveries to begin in 2019. Detailed pricing isn’t yet available. Surely it’s a coincidence that Silicon Valley-based Chinese EV maker SF Motors chose to unveil two elegant battery-powered crossovers just as Elon Musk tries to stem Tesla’s plunging stock price.… Continue reading China-Backed SF Motors Debuts Electric SUVs As Rival Tesla Hits Rocky Patch

Audi E-tron SUV to charge faster than Tesla Supercharger network

E-tron was shown to the press at a Siemens heavy-duty electrical engineering test centre in Berlin. Battery cooling happens via aluminium extrusions Charging at home or mainstream-roadside will be AC and rated at 11kW. Audi will build the E-Tron in Brussels. The production version will be powered by a two-motor powertrain. The E-tron will be… Continue reading Audi E-tron SUV to charge faster than Tesla Supercharger network

Aston Martin’s e-Lagonda to challenge Rolls-Royce and Bentley “duopoly”

Andy Palmer: “In powertrain technology, we want to keep complete control over our V12 engine, and we want to keep control of the electrical motor because we think this is important going forward.” Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin reveals how the British sports car maker aims to be the first luxury car maker to… Continue reading Aston Martin’s e-Lagonda to challenge Rolls-Royce and Bentley “duopoly”

Tesla: Workplace safety, unions and the color yellow

Tesla’s troubles with media reports on working conditions and union organizing took a hard right turn on Monday. In response to Reveal’s report on Tesla’s workplace safety, the auto manufacturer accused the Pulitzer-finalist of being “an extremist organization working directly with union supporters to create a calculated disinformation campaign against Tesla.” When reached for response… Continue reading Tesla: Workplace safety, unions and the color yellow

Too radical, too innovative, too fast: why Tesla could fail

All articles and backgrounds 04/20/2018 Too radical, too innovative, too fast For what Tesla could fail An opinion made by Jens-Uwe Meyer SpaceX Tesla Roadster in space: Will Elon Musk too much at once? The term “digital disruption” – the radical change of business models and markets through the digitization – may currently be missing… Continue reading Too radical, too innovative, too fast: why Tesla could fail

China’s state-owned FAW Group to invest in electric vehicle startup Byton

April 20, 2018 China’s state-owned automaker FAW Group agreed to invest a “significant amount of money” in Chinese-funded electric vehicle startup Byton, the startup’s co-founder and chief executive, Carsten Breitfeld, said on Friday.  Byton would not disclose the scale of FAW’s investment, but Breitfeld, a former BMW executive, said FAW’s stake in Byton “will be… Continue reading China’s state-owned FAW Group to invest in electric vehicle startup Byton

Peugeot boss faces toughest adversary yet in IG Metall

PARIS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – PSA Group (PEUP.PA) boss Carlos Tavares, whose career has seen him thrash out margin-boosting labor deals for two carmakers in several countries, is now taking on Germany’s IG Metall union, which has been the undoing of many a cost cutter. FILE PHOTO: Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA Group Carlos Tavares… Continue reading Peugeot boss faces toughest adversary yet in IG Metall

Daimler open to buying small stake in Volvo cars: Report

FRANKFURT: Daimler is open to supplying Volvo with engines and could even take a small stake in the Swedish carmaker, Manager Magazin said, raising the possibility of increased cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and China’s Geely. Daimler could buy “a couple of percent” in Volvo Cars, Manager Magazin said on Thursday, without citing sources. Volvo declined to… Continue reading Daimler open to buying small stake in Volvo cars: Report

How Tesla and Waymo are tackling a major problem for self-driving cars: data

There’s a race happening right now that stretches from Silicon Valley to Detroit and back: who can make a self-driving car that behaves better than a human driver? It’s a far harder task than it sounded even a few years ago because human drivers know a lot — not just about their cars but about… Continue reading How Tesla and Waymo are tackling a major problem for self-driving cars: data