Automotive supplier Robert Bosch has acquired Daimler’s stake in EM-motive, a manufacturer of motors for electric and hybrid cars set up as a joint venture by both companies. For Bosch, the acquisition is the “next logical step on the path to market leadership in electromobility”, said Stefan Hartung, member of the company’s board of management… Continue reading Bosch buys out Daimler at EM-motive
Tag: VW
Volkswagen customers order more diesel vehicles
Customers of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in Germany are once again placing more orders for diesel vehicles. In 2018, the share of incoming orders for vehicles equipped with the latest diesel technology as a proportion of the overall vehicle portfolio was 43 percent compared to 39 percent in 2017. Demand for diesel cars was… Continue reading Volkswagen customers order more diesel vehicles
Avinew Raises $5M in Seed Funding
Dan Peate Avinew, a Westlake Village, Calif.-based insurtech company focused on autonomous and semi-autonomous auto insurance, raised $5M in seed funding. The round was led by Crosscut, with participation from American Family Ventures, Draper Frontier, and RPM Ventures. Led by Dan Peate, Founder and CEO, Jeremy Snyder, COO, Mike Cassanego, General Counsel and Co-founder, and… Continue reading Avinew Raises $5M in Seed Funding
VW aims to open e-vehicle platform to competitors – Tagesspiegel
FILE PHOTO: Volkswagen logos are pictured during the media day of the Salao do Automovel International Auto Show in Sao Paulo, Brazil November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen is in advanced talks with competitors over opening its modular MEB platform for the mass production of electric vehicles to rivals, German paper… Continue reading VW aims to open e-vehicle platform to competitors – Tagesspiegel
Elli.eco’s first product called Volkswagen Naturstrom® is now available across Germany: 100 percent CO2-free electricity from wind, solar or hydroelectric power
Volkswagen Naturstrom® is produced from sustainable sources.
WOLFSBURG, 30-Jan-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — Elli, which stands for Electric life, is a newly established company (2018) part of Volkswagen Group that aims to be the first provider on the market to offer a seamless energy and charging experience for electric car drivers and fleet managers. Elli plans to manage all customer needs at the interface between energy and mobility. Elli Group GmbH is currently with 3 offices across Germany: Wolfsburg, Berlin and Munich.
Now the company offers eco-power tariff that is already available throughout Germany. It is its first product and is branded as “Volkswagen Naturstrom®” and will come from 100-percent renewable sources and is intended for private households and small businesses. The electricity offered through the new tariff for your home and electric vehicle is 100% green energy with TÜV-certified origin from wind, solar and hydropower facilities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Elli.eco is convinced that e-mobility can only be really sustainable if vehicles are powered by electricity generated on a CO2-free basis.
Elli is gradually working on portfolio of smart charging solutions ranging from hardware via invoicing and additional digital services through to comprehensive consultancy packages. The range will include wallboxes, charging stations and IT-based energy management systems as well as customer cards for charging on the road.
A typical household of three persons, for example in central Berlin, with an annual consumption of 3,500 kilowatt-hours could save about €280 compared with the standard tariff of the local general supplier over the contract term of 24 months.
Elli tariff calculator’s special feature is that it can include the consumption of an electric car in addition to a household, if the customer so wishes.
The latest information on Elli’s tariff is available on the website naturstrom.elli.eco.
Elli’s minimum contract term is 24 months, with a full price guarantee for the first 12 months. For the second period of 12 months, Elli guarantees that there will be no price adjustments as a result of changes in invoicing, procurement, sales and other administrative expenses.
Thorsten Nicklass, CEO of Elli:
“With our Naturstrom offering, we want to make eco-power easy and inexpensive to buy and to establish ourselves as a reliable partner for innovative, sustainable energy solutions for households and electric vehicles.”
Karsten Miede, project manager for Volkswagen Naturstrom® and Head of E-Mobility Services with VW Kraftwerk GmbH:
“As the supplier of Volkswagen Naturstrom®, we are opening up an entirely new business area for the Group. In the new world of mobility, the topics of energy and the automobile will become increasingly closely linked – we intend to grasp this opportunity.”
Elli.eco is also supporting the construction of the Salzgitter wind farm with an output of 12 MW and annual generation of 35 GWh – equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 10,000 households using 3,500 kWh on average. It is planned that some of the power generated there should be included in the power mix for Volkswagen Naturstrom®.
SOURCE: Elli.eco / Volkswagen Group
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Enel now with 130 Fast Recharge charging stations installed along long-distance roads in Italy and Austria – Enel has installed 130 Fast Recharge charging stations, equal to 260 recharging points, which are now operating along the long-distance roads of Italy and Austria as part of the EVA+ project (Electric Vehicles Arteries…
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ENGIE and Arval launch new green transport offer that aims to simplify access to electric vehicles – ENGIE, the global energy company and major player in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, and Arval, the global specialist in corporate vehicle fleet leasing, have announced the launch of a new green transport offer that aims to simplify access to electric vehicles for companies, local communities and private individuals…
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Renault-Nissan group sold most cars last year, but VW’s No.1 including trucks
FILE PHOTO: An attendee takes a photograph of Volkswagen cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook TOKYO (Reuters) – Volkswagen Group has held on to its position as the world’s top-selling automaker for the fifth year in a row, although the German group was edged… Continue reading Renault-Nissan group sold most cars last year, but VW’s No.1 including trucks
Porsche Taycan, Electrify America shutdown, Mazda plans: Today’s Car News
Porsche Taycan prototype
Porsche plans to include three years of free DC fast charging from Electrify America with its new Taycan electric car. For now, it's a good thing the car isn't arriving too soon, as Electrify America has had to shut down many of its CCS Combo fast charge plugs over safety concerns. Mazda balances conflicting priorities (and regulators) in its strategy for fuel-efficient and electric cars. And a new study reveals which countries are leading the race for electric cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports.
In an effort to compete with Tesla—but without building its own complete fast-charge network—Porsche is planning to offer three years of free fast charging at Electrify America DC fast chargers for those who buy its upcoming Taycan electric car. The Taycan is expected to be the first car that can use 350-kilowatt fast chargers when it goes on sale late this year.
Electrify America had to shut down those chargers this week, however, after safety concerns arose over similar chargers in Switzerland.
At a recent preview drive, Mazda revealed more on its plans to bring diesels and an electric car to the U.S., but doesn't plan any hybrids for now.
A new study reveals that the U.S. places second after China in adoption of electric cars. Some other findings, however, are more surprising.
Mercedes-Benz revealed plans to show a new concept car later this year that will demonstrate how cars can avoid crashing altogether using artificial intelligence.
Finally, Ford plans to offer owners a new loyalty rewards program similar to those from airlines and grocery stores, to encourage customers to bring their cars back to the dealership for service.
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Some of the fastest electric-car chargers were down: Would anyone have noticed yet? (Updated)
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Electrify America DC fast chargers
UPDATE: As of Tuesday morning Electrify America said that it is “restoring full capacity to its entire network” after the potentially affected charging cables cleared extensive testing, and it called the original incident spurring the shutdown “an isolated event” at a private facility with a prototype cable. Thus, we updated the story title to reflect that they “were down” rather than “are down.”
Electric car owners who are planning to use the DC fast chargers that are part of the Electrify America network may want to allow a little extra time in their plans over the coming days and weeks.
That’s because on Friday, Electrify America made a decision to shut down all of its charging connectors that can run up to 150-kw and 350-kw on the CCS (Combo) standard.
DON’T MISS: Electrify America switches on the first 350 kw station
The list of vehicles that today can potentially use CCS fast charging above 50 kw is very limited. The Jaguar I-Pace charges at 100 kw, and the Hyundai Kona Electric peaks at just over 70 kw. Deliveries of the Audi e-tron, the first vehicle that can truly take advantage of the full 150 kw, don't start for another few months.
With I-Pace deliveries settling in at maybe a couple hundred a month and the Kona Electric just starting, that’s a total of just 600-700 vehicles currently in use in all of the U.S., by our estimates.
All of those 150-kw and 350-kw connectors are normally, however, perfectly compatible with a 50-kw charge. So in the present electric-car landscape, what it really means is that there will be fewer plugs available for a time.
CHECK OUT: Electrify America launches “Jetstones” ad campaign
It should be noted that this same issue affects charges on the Fastned and Ionity networks in Europe, where more vehicles are likely directly affected. Tesla for instance is already providing CCS compatibility for European vehicles, at up to 120 kw, but not in the U.S.
The higher-power hardware affected by the issue uses cooled charging cables supplied by Switzerland-based supplier Huber+Suhner, which notes that at a test site in Germany a short circuit occurred in the charging plug (connector). The liquid cooling system for the cables wasn’t the issue, and as of Monday was still troubleshooting the situation.
Electrify America DC fast chargers in Gulfport, Mississippi
The issue affects all DC fast chargers from Electrify America that can charge at more than 50 kw. It doesn’t affect 50-kw CCS fast chargers, or Level 2 chargers.
READ MORE: Electrify America lays out plans for second round of chargers in California
If you drive a Nissan Leaf, you’re also in luck. According to Electrify America, all 89 of its locations currently have charging up and running through their 50-kw CHAdeMO connectors. Most of those multi-connector stations also offer CCS (Combo) charging connectors at 50 kw that are unaffected by this issue as the cables are from another supplier, ITT Cannon.
The decision to shut down the U.S. chargers was made, as Electrify America CEO Giovanni Palazzo put it in an official statement, “out of an abundance of caution.”
Both Electrify America and Huber+Suhner indicated that they’re seeking to resolve this issue as quickly as possible—although the chargers won’t be available again until the Swiss supplier completes an investigation and makes a decision about the remedy.
SUVs hardest hit as used car values fall in January
Used car values dropped 0.7% in January as dealers saw lower retail demand for vehicles priced over £12,000. The drop was larger than the seasonal trend, where over the last five years the movement in Black Book Live for January was an average of -0.4%. A downward trend was seen for all mainstream sectors, but… Continue reading SUVs hardest hit as used car values fall in January
Public EV Charging Is Often Free: Observations From ChargePoint
There are still a lot of myths and misunderstandings about EV infrastructure. Few people in the EV business have as much experience as Darryll Harrison. Before becoming ChargePoint’s director of global communications in 2016, Harrison managed comms for the launch of three different electric vehicles. He worked at Nissan in 2008 and 2009 leading up… Continue reading Public EV Charging Is Often Free: Observations From ChargePoint