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Austria to let drivers of electric cars go faster

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2019 Jaguar I-Pace S
Austria is offering would-be electric-car owners (and current ones) a tempting incentive to go tailpipe-emissions-free: permission to drive faster than those with gasoline, diesel, or hybrid vehicles.

Under a recently approved amendment to the country’s speed limits, aimed at rewarding those who choose electric vehicles, they will be given a legal exemption. Owners of EVs will be allowed to go 81 mph (130 km/h), versus 62 mph (100 km/h), in a particular speed region that includes 273 miles (440 km) of roadways.

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Electric vehicles currently comprise 2.5 percent of new-vehicle registrations in Austria; that’s more than Germany, according to Austria’s Federal Ministry of Transport. The Jaguar I-Pace, the first long-range electric vehicle from an established luxury brand, is built in Graz, Austria.

Although the idea would likely result in more shoppers making the leap to fully electric vehicles, it’s not without some concerns—and tradeoffs.

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Higher speeds and wider speed differentials generally correspond to higher highway fatality rates; and the vehicles themselves won’t be as efficient and will, as a result, contribute to more upstream emissions.

Highway Lights from Drive Change consumer survey

In 1996, an EPA memo cited data finding that just increasing urban interstates from 55 to 65 would produce a net increase in vehicle emissions of 20.7 percent more carbon monoxide and 1.3 percent more nitrogen oxides.

Anecdotally, the efficiency and range of most of the electric vehicles Green Car Reports has driven has been significantly lower at 80 mph than at 60 mph. So electric-car drivers who take advantage of the higher speed limits won't be able to do it for as long.

READ MORE: Teslas will start paying to drive in L.A.'s “Lexus lanes”

Allowing electric vehicles to drive faster on the highway might also put more pressure on DC fast-charging network infrastructure, because they'll need to charge more often.

The new policy, which so far lacks an enforcement strategy, also encourages cities and municipalities to provide free parking to electric vehicles.

The move is in accord with the EU’s 2030 climate targets and the Paris Climate Agreement, with aims to cut Austria’s transport-sector carbon-dioxide emissions by 7.9 million U.S. tons.

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Henrik Fisker Relaunches Fisker Inc.

ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF ALL-ELECTRIC PREMIUM VEHICLE DELIVERING WORLD’S LONGEST ELECTRIC RANGE

Henrik Fisker, entrepreneur and world-renowned automotive designer, founder of Fisker Automotive in 2007, and creator of the 2012 Fisker Karma, the world’s first premium electric car with a range extender, today announced the relaunch of his eponymous company, Fisker Inc., and the development of a new, all-electric premium vehicle featuring a battery technology that will deliver the world’s longest electric range of any production car previously developed. Scheduled to showcase its first premium, all-electric vehicle, a spiritual successor to the Fisker Karma, in the second half of 2017, the newly launched Fisker Inc. will create electric vehicles that break the mold of what’s currently available to consumers. The vehicle will feature a patented battery that will deliver a significantly longer life and range than any battery currently on the market.

“Fisker Inc. will spearhead a revolution in electric cars that will disrupt the electric vehicle market and change the world,”said Henrik Fisker, who serves as Chairman and CEO. “Both the technology and the market are more mature now than when we first started out as pioneers in the electric vehicle industry, and our new vehicle will be the most innovative and cutting-edge electric car ever created.”

The battery chemistry is unlike anything used by an electric vehicle to date, designed to increase power and provide a longer battery life, while introducing a new packaging methodology and lightweight materials in the battery pack.

Fisker Inc.’s debut vehicle will include dynamic, never-before -seen design features, combining advanced materials with the use of the latest optimization software. The car will have more rear legroom and headroom than any of its closest competitors. In addition to launching a first-of-its-kind premium vehicle, Fisker is developing a mass-market, affordable electric vehicle that will retail for less than its competitors, but will feature a longer electric range.

ABOUT HENRIK FISKER

Henrik Fisker is one of the world’s leading automotive designers and entrepreneurs. Founder, Chairman and CEO of the newly launched Fisker Inc., Fisker previously founded Fisker Automotive in 2007, where he served as Chairman and CEO until 2013 and launched the world’s first premium electric vehicle with a range extender – the 2012 Fisker Karma. In January 2016, Fisker co-founded VLF Automotive, an American luxury sports car manufacturer based in Auburn Hills, Michigan that focuses on low volume, specialty cars, with Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal. Fisker is head of design and product strategy at VLF, which currently boasts three models: the VLF Destino V8, VLF Force 1 V10 and VLF Rocket. In June 2013, he founded and currently serves as the CEO of HF Design, a design and innovation company developing a number of first-to-market consumer products in categories ranging from automotive, lifestyle, homeware, education and smart devices. The company announced a partnership with Benetti Yachts in April 2016, launching a 164-foot super yacht series called the Benetti Fisker 50. From 2001-2005, Fisker was design director and board member of Aston Martin and also held various senior roles at Ford Motor Company. From 1989- 2000, Fisker held various prominent positions at BMW including President and CEO of BMW Designworks USA. Fisker is known for designing iconic cars such as the BMW Z8, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Aston Martin DB9.

ABOUT FISKER INC.

California-based Fisker Inc. is an American automaker revolutionizing the development of electric vehicles with game-changing battery solutions. The brainchild of EV pioneer and world-leading automotive designer, Henrik Fisker, Fisker Inc.’s mission is to set a new standard of excellence and performance in the electric vehicle industry, developing unique, high-performance electric vehicles.

ABOUT FISKER AUTOMOTIVE

Henrik Fisker founded Fisker Automotive, introducing the first-ever green lifestyle automotive company, in 2007. In 2012, Fisker Automotive boasted a team of 600 people, raised more than $1 billion in capital and skyrocketed from concept to a full-scale production, sales and marketing company, launching the critically acclaimed Fisker Karma. Fisker Automotive won numerous awards and honors for the Karma, including Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year in 2012, and sold more than 2000 vehicles. On the heels of its battery supplier filing for bankruptcy after two battery recalls, Fisker Automotive Inc. filed for bankruptcy in November 2013. Its assets, excluding the Fisker brand, were subsequently sold in a structured bankruptcy auction to China-based Wanxiang Group in February 2014.

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Faraday Future loses the last of its founding executive team as problems deepen

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China’s Youon expands into Europe as other bike startups backpedal worldwide

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UPDATE 3-VW and Ford in talks on self-driving and electric vehicles -source

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Plant opens for electric air conditioning compressors: MAHLE strengthens its systems competence in electric vehicles

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Plant opens for electric air conditioning compressors: MAHLE strengthens its systems competence in electric vehiclesStuttgart, October 31, 2018 – MAHLE has opened its first production plant for electric compressors. MAHLE will manufacture e-compressors for international automobile manufacturers at the production location in Balassagyarmat/Hungary and has already obtained several customer projects. Series production will start in 2019.
Presse releaseDownload [PDF; 43 KB] First MAHLE production line for e-compressorsElectric compressors remove the link between air conditioning systems and combustion enginesSeveral customer projects have already been wonCompressors are the heart of air conditioning systems—and the e-compressor will remove the link between air conditioning systems and combustion engines. Its role in the air conditioning of electric vehicles is therefore critical. “Electric compressors are of major strategic importance to MAHLE, because they enable us to build on our position as a complete systems provider in the field of air conditioning for electric vehicles too,” explains Dr. Jörg Stratmann, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of the MAHLE Group. MAHLE also develops and produces the necessary electric drives as well as electronics and software.
The plant in Balassagyarmat will be particularly important when it comes to production rollout. “This location will help to further strengthen our existing market position,” adds Bernd Eckl, Member of the Management Board of the MAHLE Group and responsible for the Thermal Management business unit. At the same time, the opening of the production plant is a green light for the additional e-compressor production locations that will follow.
With the consistent implementation of its dual strategy—the further optimization of the internal combustion engine on the one hand and the simultaneous development of solutions for the widespread adoption of e-mobility on the other—MAHLE is instrumental in shaping the future of mobility as a key player in the automotive industry.
About MAHLEMAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. The MAHLE Group is committed to making transportation more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and more comfortable by continuously optimizing the combustion engine, driving forward the use of alternative fuels, and laying the foundation for the worldwide introduction of e-mobility. The group’s product portfolio addresses all the crucial issues relating to the powertrain and air conditioning technology—both for drives with combustion engines and for e-mobility. MAHLE products are fitted in at least every second vehicle worldwide. Components and systems from MAHLE are also used off the road—in stationary applications, for mobile machinery, rail transport, as well as marine applications.
In 2017, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 12.8 billion with about 78,000 employees and is represented in more than 30 countries with 170 production locations. At 16 major research and development centers in Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovenia, the USA, Brazil, Japan, China, and India, around 6,100 development engineers and technicians are working on innovative solutions for the mobility of the future.
For further information, contact:MAHLE GmbH
Margarete Dinger
Corporate Communications/Public Relations
Pragstraße 26–46
70376 Stuttgart/Germany
Phone: +49 711 501-12369
margarete.dinger@mahle.com