Lithium producers must wait as pandemic slows electric vehicle revolution

JOHANNESBURG/HOUSTON (Reuters) – The coronavirus pandemic has paused the electric vehicle revolution, forcing producers of battery metal lithium into survival mode with output cuts, expansion delays and sales of major assets. FILE PHOTO: A parking sign for electric vehicles is pictured, where U.S. electric vehicle pioneer Tesla announced to build its first European factory and… Continue reading Lithium producers must wait as pandemic slows electric vehicle revolution

China’s SVOLT to become first automotive battery supplier to launch Cobalt-free battery

Chinese battery supplier, SVOLT has announced that it will launch two Cobalt-free batteries for automotive application with start-of-production slated to begin from June 2021. The company says American EV maker Tesla had earlier revealed its plan to use cobalt-free batteries on Made-in-China Tesla Models. However, Tesla’s cobalt-free battery is still being launched a little late.… Continue reading China’s SVOLT to become first automotive battery supplier to launch Cobalt-free battery

Car dealerships are taking Tesla’s lead by embracing online sales in the wake of COVID-19. Now industry insiders say salespeople will have less power over customers because of it. (CVNA, KMX)

Online car sales and home deliveries have become more popular in the wake of the novel coronavirus. That trend will continue well into the future, auto industry executives told Business Insider. “Customers will welcome the power shifting back in their direction, and they deserve that,” said Laura Schwab, president of Aston Martin in the Americas.… Continue reading Car dealerships are taking Tesla’s lead by embracing online sales in the wake of COVID-19. Now industry insiders say salespeople will have less power over customers because of it. (CVNA, KMX)

@Tata-JLR: By Miles, the pay-by-mile car insurance provider, raises £15 million in Series B funding

By Miles, the UK’s first real-time pay-by-mile car insurance provider and InMotion Ventures portfolio company, has successfully raised £15m in a Series B funding round led by CommerzVentures. The insurtech company is on a mission to make car insurance fairer for the UK’s 19 million lower mileage drivers – those who drive less than 7,000… Continue reading @Tata-JLR: By Miles, the pay-by-mile car insurance provider, raises £15 million in Series B funding

Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai expansion is back in full swing

Construction work at Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai appears to be back in full swing as new buildings come up super quickly to produce Model Y in less than a year. As we reported earlier this week, Tao Lin, vice president of Tesla China, is saying that Tesla will ramp up Model 3 production by more than… Continue reading Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai expansion is back in full swing

Tesla installs more production robots at Fremont factory

Tesla is installing more production robots at its Fremont factory in order to increase capacity, according to new construction permits. Due to the shelter-in-place order in the Bay Area, Tesla had to shut down its Fremont factory for about a month and a half before restarting production last week. The factory had been in operation… Continue reading Tesla installs more production robots at Fremont factory

GM working on semi-autonomous Ultra Cruise to operate on all roads

General Motors Co. is working on a comprehensive Tesla-fighting Ultra Cruise semi-autonomous system for its passenger cars. And its fully autonomous Cruise Origin vehicle may moonlight delivering packages in addition to delivering people to their destinations. The revelations came from global product development chief Doug Parks, as he promised that GM’s vision for self-driving transportation is on track during the COVID crisis. GM’s Super… Continue reading GM working on semi-autonomous Ultra Cruise to operate on all roads

UK’s first car battery ‘gigafactory’ to be built by two startups

Automotive industry AMTE Power and Britishvolt to invest up to £4bn in plant similar to Tesla facility in US The Tesla-Panasonic Gigafactory in Nevada, whose annual battery production has a total capacity of up to 30GWh. The new facility will produce roughly the same. Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters Two British startups have announced plans to invest… Continue reading UK’s first car battery ‘gigafactory’ to be built by two startups

US survey: autonomous driving is not yet there

The organization PAVE carried out a survey on autonomous driving in the USA. PAVE is an abbreviation for Partners for Automated Vehicle Education and consists of representatives from industry, research and non-profit organizations. The organization’s survey was aimed at around 1,200 people in the United States and had that Autonomous driving on the subject. Autonomous… Continue reading US survey: autonomous driving is not yet there