Electric vehicles – Page 8554 – I wish I had more to offer

This VC just raised $150 million to invest in ground transportation startups. He says there are better opportunities than trying to find the next Tesla. (AAPL, LYFT, TSLA)

Quin Garcia’s venture firm, Autotech Ventures, is on the lookout for new deals. Autotech focuses on startups that are involved in ground transportation in some way, but instead of looking for the next Tesla, it invests in those making software or services or that are developing marketplaces. It’s already had some notable successes — it… Continue reading This VC just raised $150 million to invest in ground transportation startups. He says there are better opportunities than trying to find the next Tesla. (AAPL, LYFT, TSLA)

Chinese EV maker Li Auto files for U.S. listing

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc, backed by food delivery giant Meituan Dianping (3690.HK), has filed for a U.S. initial public offering. The move, announced on Friday, comes as share prices of EV makers including Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and Nio Inc (NIO.N) have surged in recent months. Five-year-old Li Auto,… Continue reading Chinese EV maker Li Auto files for U.S. listing

Elon Musk On The Berlin Tesla Model Y: “A Revolution In Automotive Body Engineering”

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Published on July 11th, 2020 |

by Johnna Crider

Elon Musk On The Berlin Tesla Model Y: “A Revolution In Automotive Body Engineering”

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July 11th, 2020 by Johnna Crider

The Berlin-produced Tesla Model Y is going to be a revolution in automotive body engineering, according to Elon Musk. He just noted this in response to Tesmanian’s Eva Fox, who wrote an article covering Volvo reverse engineering a Model Y in Sweden.

The first Model Y in Sweden was registered and is owned by Volvo. The Model Y isn’t going to enter the European market before the Berlin gigafactory (Giga Berlin) is built, but Volvo imported the vehicle from the US in order to try to learn about it immediately, as is customary in this industry.

The beauty of it is that Tesla isn’t in the auto industry to own it. The company just wants to speed up the world’s transition to sustainable energy. The more that automakers reverse engineer a Tesla so that they can make their own version of a compelling EV, the better.

German Engineering and Tesla Model Y
When I read Elon’s tweet, what was clear to me is that he is seeing something a couple of years ahead into the future. As Giga Berlin’s construction swiftly continues, Elon’s tweets showed me that he and Tesla’s design team have been continuously working to make Tesla vehicles more aerodynamic, more efficient, and safer while keeping the cost low.

Think about the Cybertruck — each design element emphasizes the efficiency of Tesla while keeping the cost low and providing efficiency, yet looking unique in its own style. Each Tesla vehicle has its own special element of style.

Elon Musk stated at the WAIC conference that Tesla China has its own engineering team. The same will most likely be the case for Giga Berlin. Germany is known for its superiority in engineering, and with Tesla having a factory in Berlin, it will attract German engineers to create even better versions of Tesla, which will then speed up the transition to sustainable energy — Tesla’s ultimate goal.

An article from Car and Driver took a deep dive into VW’s meaning of, “German engineering,” and Stefan Gies, head of chassis development at VW, told them, “From my perspective, German engineering stands for precision in all that we do — precision in the design and what you feel in the car. Everything the driver touches and controls must instill this feeling of confidence and precision. We want that person to feel that they have the car under control, and that it will do exactly what they desire it to do.”

Giga Berlin Construction
Yesterday, Tesmanian noted that the speed of Giga Berlin’s construction could surpass what many anticipated. The pace is unexpectedly fast and the German factory is well ahead of Giga Shanghai’s construction process. In the video below, Tobias Lindh showed the location of the buildings in Giga Berlin.

Today’s progress on Giga Berlin showed the railway unloading station being prepared and a storage area being built that will hold building materials.

The Effect Giga Berlin Could Have On Tesla’s Auto Predecessors
Tesla started small not that long ago. However, it has grown into an industry giant.

When Tesla chose Giga Berlin, many thought the company was either flexing or joking around. However, Tesla has proven many times that one should take it seriously. When Elon Musk said he would make fart sounds in a car possible, Tesla did just that. Even while being goofy, Elon Musk means business. And in its quest to transition the world to sustainable energy, Tesla is very serious.

The challenge that many saw Tesla issue to Europe’s automakers is misunderstood. Tesla isn’t saying, “I’m gonna come to Germany and steal all of your customers,” as many perceived the challenge to be. No, it’s more critical than that. Tesla is demanding that Europe’s automakers wake up before it’s too late — not for their businesses but for humanity. Tesla is saying, “Evolve or die.”

By setting up a plant in Germany, Tesla is bringing its mission into the front yards of the European automakers and won’t be ignored. The fact that Volvo bought a Tesla Model Y to reverse engineer shows that at least one automaker is listening.

While the Model Y will be a revolution in automotive body engineering, Tesla’s presence in Germany will also continue to speed up the EV revolution worldwide.

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About the Author

Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem, and mineral collector, member of the International Gem Society, and a Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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Elon Musk: Tesla German-built Model Y is going to be ‘a revolution in auto body engineering’

Elon Musk is hyping up the upcoming German-built Tesla Model Y, which he claims is going to be “a revolution in automotive body engineering.” As we explained this morning in our post about Volvo importing a Model Y in Europe to reverse engineer it, the electric SUV is Tesla’s first vehicle that will only launch… Continue reading Elon Musk: Tesla German-built Model Y is going to be ‘a revolution in auto body engineering’

@Mazda: Mazda UK selects NewMotion as its preferred EV charge point partner

Ahead of the UK arrival of the Mazda MX-30 in early 2021, Mazda UK has announced that leading European smart charging solutions provider NewMotion will be its preferred charging partner in the UK, supporting the introduction of charging infrastructure to Mazda’s dealer network and being the recommended supplier for home charging for MX-30 owners. … Continue reading @Mazda: Mazda UK selects NewMotion as its preferred EV charge point partner

SK Innovation Begins Construction Of Its 2nd U.S. Battery Plant

SK Innovation, as promised, has started construction of its second lithium-ion battery cell factory in the U.S., which was designed for 11.7 GWh annually (starting in 2023). The first 9.8 GWh factory, at the same site in Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, has been under construction since March 2019 and will start production in 2022. The… Continue reading SK Innovation Begins Construction Of Its 2nd U.S. Battery Plant

CATL and Honda Sign Agreement to Form Comprehensive Strategic Alliance on Batteries for New Energy Vehicles

Alliance will include joint development of batteries for new energy vehicles (NEVs) and joint R&D into next-generation fundamental technologies. Stable supply of NEV batteries from CATL to Honda. Two companies will further expand their discussion on a battery recycling and reuse. Honda has acquired CATL shares through CATL’s non-public issuance of stocks. NINGDE, China, July 10, 2020… Continue reading CATL and Honda Sign Agreement to Form Comprehensive Strategic Alliance on Batteries for New Energy Vehicles

69% of Autos Sold in Norway in 2020 Have a Plug

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Published on July 9th, 2020 |

by Zachary Shahan

69% of Autos Sold in Norway in 2020 Have a Plug

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July 9th, 2020 by Zachary Shahan

Norway continues to be a shining star in the electric vehicle world. In the first half of the year, 48% of automobiles sold in the country were fully electric, a global record for EV market share. Plug-in vehicles represented 69% of auto sales, another global record.

Due to its high level of maturation and the fact that almost every automaker that wants to sell cars in Norway tries to sell plug-ins, the sales split is particularly interesting between the various models.

As it turns out, Volkswagen Group has become king of Norway. (Whoops, Norway actually has a king, King Harald V, so maybe I shouldn’t use that metaphor.) The top selling Audi e-tron holds a whopping 9% of the auto market, showing that while the electric SUV from Germany may not be a favorite of Tesla fans, it is much loved in Norway. (Though, keep the e-tron in mind, because we’ll come back to it.)

The e-tron’s rather elderly cousin, the Volkswagen e-Golf, has a strong command of the #2 spot thanks to its 6% of the market in the first half of the year.

Korea’s Hyundai Kona EV, 2019 CleanTechnica Car of the Year, and Japan’s Nissan LEAF continue the popularity of cheaper, low-frills models for the next two spots, each with 4% auto market share. It’s not until you get to #5 that you hit your first automobile model that isn’t fully electric, with the evergreen Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV holding onto a top spot a bit longer.

The two most popular plug-in models in Europe, the Tesla Model 3 and Renault Zoe, round out the top 7 before you run into your first plug-less vehicle, the Skoda Octavia.

José Pontes of EV Volumes and CleanTechnica notes that the Skoda Octavia PHEV is coming, which one would assume to have very good sales in the country. Pontes also notes that fully electric vehicles saw their sales drop 32% in June 2020 versus June 2019 but plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) had sales increase 77%. A highly unusual phenomenon in this covid era.

June actually looked very different from the first half of the year as a whole. The top 5 is completely different. The Volkswagen e-Golf and Hyundai Kona EV each climbed one rung of the ladder to take gold and silver, respectively, while the Tesla Model 3 jumped to #3 (thanks to its usual end-of-quarter bump that comes from Tesla’s unusual delivery schedule). A much bigger jump, the Volvo XC40 PHEV jumps from outside the top 20 (year-to-date sales) to #4 in June! It’s not clear if there was a big fleet deal, a fire sale on the XC40 PHEV, or something else spurred on this surprise jump.

Where is the Audi e-tron in that top 5? Good question. We’ll see if it can recover to hold onto its enormous 2020 lead or if something happened that has turned the tide in Norway.

Getting back to the yearly ranking, Chinese automaker SAIC’s MG ZS EV rose into a top 20 spot (#18) and the Volvo S/V60 PHEV barely climbed to 20. However, Pontes points out that hot sibling XC40 PHEV is bound to boot the S/V60 duo off the list soon, as it is now in the #21 position.

Regarding overall brand market share, Pontes says, “Looking at the overall manufacturers ranking, Volkswagen (13%, up 1%) is now alone in the leadership, with Audi (10%, down 2%) dropping share, with the #3 Toyota (9%) in third.”

Expect Norway’s EV market to continue maturing and plug-in models to continue growing their market share as new plug-in models go on sale this year. Given how hard it is to sell a non-electric vehicle in the country, automakers have gotten the message and prioritize their electric models as much as they can.

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Zachary Shahan is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.

Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA] — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in this company and feels like it is a good cleantech company to invest in. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort on Tesla or any other company.

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Audi CEO Says German Carmaker Will Soon Catch Up With Tesla

Focus.de thought it would be a good idea to promote debate between Bavaria’s Prime Minister, Markus Söder, and Audi CEO, Markus Duesmann. One of the discussion topics was if Tesla had beaten the Germans in the electric car run. According to Duesmann, Audi is “catching up with seven-mile boots.” Seven League Boots are a familiar… Continue reading Audi CEO Says German Carmaker Will Soon Catch Up With Tesla

@niche: KARMA AND PATEO ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO DEVELOP AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

VIEW ALL () x Jul 09,2020 Highlights of Karma Automotive and PATEO strategic partnership overview Karma and PATEO to collaboratively work on integrating PATEO Qing Mobile in Karma product lines Karma and PATEO are seeking joint business opportunities to develop, operate and provide digital cockpit solutions Irvine, Calif. (July 9, 2020) – Karma Automotive, the… Continue reading @niche: KARMA AND PATEO ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO DEVELOP AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES