Tag: Volvo

4 Mar 2019 GKN trials world-first battery electric vehicle with two-speed …

GTD19’ technology demonstrator illustrates potential for industry-leading efficiency, acceleration and range Order book for GKN electrified drivelines up 40% in 2018, to £3 billion ICE all-wheel-drive SUV reengineered as pure electric vehicle with coaxial eAxle based on GKN’s award-winning Twinster technology Development of GTD19 showcases GKN’s vehicle integration expertise GKN Automotive has today unveiled the… Continue reading 4 Mar 2019 GKN trials world-first battery electric vehicle with two-speed …

Volvo to cut top speed on vehicles

Source: Volvo

At a time when automakers are pushing speed and acceleration to make their vehicles more appealing, Volvo is taking a different approach. The Swedish carmaker is cutting the top speed for all of its new models to 112 miles per hour starting next year.

Currently, the top speed for Volvo's is 130 mph.

“While a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it's worth doing if we can even l save one life,” Volvo President and CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement announcing the decision.

The move is part of Volvo's Vision 2020 initiative to eliminate fatalities or serious injuries by next year.

It's unclear how much limiting the top speed to 112 mph might curb accidents or fatalities given the speed is still high. Still, Volvo is venturing into an area automakers have been hesitant to approach: reducing the speed of cars and trucks.

The automaker is considering other possibilities to limit how fast its models travel in certain areas. For example, the company is looking at ways to use software and geofencing technology to limit the speed of Volvos when they drive by schools and hospitals.

“We want to start a conversation about whether car makers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver's behavior, to tackle things like speeding, intoxication or distraction,” said Samuelsson.

Safety advocates are increasingly warning higher speeds are a factor behind traffic and fatalities staying at high levels. The National Safety Council estimates 40,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. last year.

Jaguar’s Indian revival choked on European diesel, China slump

By Bruce Einhorn The purchase of the storied Jaguar and Land Rover auto brands in 2008 handed India’s Tata Group a challenge that had long frustrated Ford Motor Co., the British marques’ previous owner: How to eke out a profit. For a while, Tata seemed to have found the answer. Within a couple of years… Continue reading Jaguar’s Indian revival choked on European diesel, China slump

CATL, FAW Group Set Up Battery Joint Venture

49 M BY GASGOO CATL just keeps on growing. China-based power battery provider Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) and the state-owned carmaker FAW Group have set up a joint venture dubbed CATL-FAW Power Battery Company (CATL-FAW), according to tianyancha.com, a Chinese data search platform. More CATL News The joint venture was founded at the end… Continue reading CATL, FAW Group Set Up Battery Joint Venture

Zūm Raises $40M in Series C Financing

Zūm, a Redwood City, Calif.-based logistics platform for rides for school districts and busy families, received $40m in Series C funding. The round, which brought total funding to $67m, was led by BMW i Ventures with participation from new investors NGP Capital, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Clearvision, Draper Nexus and existing investors Sequoia Capital and… Continue reading Zūm Raises $40M in Series C Financing

Polestar unveils its all-electric response to the Tesla Model 3

Volvo’s standalone electric performance brand Polestar introduced Wednesday its first all-electric vehicle — a five-door fastback that is gunning for the Tesla Model 3. In the past few years, every time an electric vehicle — concept, prototype, or production version — has been unveiled, the term “Tesla killer” has been tossed about regardless of whether… Continue reading Polestar unveils its all-electric response to the Tesla Model 3

UPDATE 1-Volvo’s Polestar joins electric car race with rival to Tesla 3

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Volvo Cars’ luxury performance brand Polestar unveiled its first fully electric sedan on Wednesday, opening up online pre-orders for the five-seater fastback at a price and with a driving range to rival Tesla’s mass market Model 3. A Polestar 2 electric car is seen in Stockholm, Sweden in this undated photo obtained… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Volvo’s Polestar joins electric car race with rival to Tesla 3

Volvo unveils Tesla Model 3 rival Polestar 2

Polestar
The Polestar 2 electric performance car from Volvo

Electric performance brand Polestar unveiled its first fully electric vehicle on Wednesday in a bid to steal buyers away from Tesla's Model 3.

The car is the first volume model from Volvo's former performance sub-brand, which was spun out in 2017 to be a high-end electric vehicle brand.

Polestar
The Polestar 2 electric performance car

The Polestar 2 is the first electric car to compete with the Tesla Model 3, with a starting price of 39,900 euros ($45,400), the company said. There will also be a launch edition made during the vehicle's first 12 months of production that starts at 59,900 euros ($68,200).

Polestar
The interior of the Polestar 2 electric performance car from Volvo

The vehicle is a further step into the world of electrification for Polestar. The brand's first vehicle was the Polestar 1, a plug-in hybrid. The new vehicle has more than 400 horsepower, and can go from 0-100 kilometers per hour in 5 seconds.

It will also be one of the first cars in the world to base its infotainment system on Google's Android system, and will have Google Maps, and Google Assistant built into the system.

The vehicle will be built in China and will be available in 2020. The company said it will be taking the vehicle on a “road show” to promote it around the world starting in early March 2019.