Tag: Electric vehicles

Audi E-tron recalled for battery seal, potential “thermal event”

Audi confirmed Monday that it is recalling 1,644 E-tron electric SUVs, including 544 vehicles that have been delivered to customers, due to an issue with the battery pack’s seal that it says could lead to “a short circuit or thermal event.”

Audi is not aware of any such shorts or thermal events, it says, insisting that the move to recall its first electric car was made “out of an abundance of caution.” According to Audi, there have only been five cases globally of the battery warning light illuminating that are related to this potential pack-seal issue.

The cause isn’t related to the cells or modules themselves in the Audi E-tron battery pack. Specifically, a defective grommet could leave a portion of the battery’s seal vulnerable to a breach, where moisture could enter the pack.

2019 Audi e-tron battery pack

Moisture entering the pack could lead to corrosion, and the increased chance of a short over time. It could also lead to the increased chances of a fire during a thermal runaway issue within the pack—the most likely after a severe collision.

Provided the yellow battery warning light on the instrument panel hasn’t signaled an issue, the vehicle is safe to continue driving until Audi is ready with a remedy for the affected vehicles—expected to arrive in August.

The warning light is something to take very seriously, however: “Should a yellow battery warning light appear, appropriate actions should be taken to stop and park the vehicle in the open, do not charge and contact roadside assistance to make arrangements to have the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection/service without delay,” instructs Audi.

2019 Audi E-tron

Audi says that E-tron vehicles that are unaffected by the recall remain available for delivery, and their reservation system remains open. As of the time this was published, recall documents hadn't yet been posted by the federal government.

The company has been proactively reaching out to customers over the past week. If customers do see the warning light, or if they choose not to drive their vehicle affected by the recall, Audi will pick up their vehicle at a place of their choice and replace it with an unaffected E-tron whenever possible. Otherwise it will substitute in an ICE vehicle as well as an $800 cash card to help cover the higher fuel expenses and any additional expenses the owner may incur.

The “abundance of caution” statement speaks volumes about the approach for battery packs being taken by Audi, and by Volkswagen and the entire VW Group. While Audi may have already encountered issues with LG Chem in cell supply, it’s treating the battery pack, its energy and power management, and its cooling to be an entirely proprietary component designed and engineered in-house—a choice that’s likely given Audi an advantage in troubleshooting and fixing issues like this when they arise.

Audi recalls its electric SUV over battery fire risk

Audi today issued a voluntary recall in the U.S. for the E-Tron SUV due to the risk of battery fire. An Audi spokesperson told Bloomberg that no fires had been reported over the 1,644 E-Trons Audi has sold. According to the recall, Audi found moisture can seep into the battery cell through a wiring harness.… Continue reading Audi recalls its electric SUV over battery fire risk

JCT600 to open new Mitsubishi dealership in Bradford

JCT600 has appointed a new Mitsubishi Motors dealership in Bradford. The dealership will be fully open from 1 July, but a pop-up sales office is currently open for enquiries. Located at 99 Sticker Lane, the addition of a Mitsubishi Motors dealership will expand customer choice with a full range of cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks… Continue reading JCT600 to open new Mitsubishi dealership in Bradford

Workhorse Group Secures $25 Million Financing

New Capital Enables Workhorse to Finalize N-GEN R&D and Scale Production in 2019 CINCINNATI, June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ:WKHS) (“Workhorse” or “the Company”), an American technology company focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective electric-mobility solutions to the transportation sector, has entered into subscription agreements for a private offering with a group… Continue reading Workhorse Group Secures $25 Million Financing

Honeywell And DENSO Collaborate On Electric Propulsion Systems For Urban Air Mobility

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier, are collaborating to propel the future of urban air mobility and other aerospace market segments by combining their expertise to develop hybrid-electric and fully electric powertrains. By leveraging their deep experience in both the aerospace and automotive sectors, Honeywell and… Continue reading Honeywell And DENSO Collaborate On Electric Propulsion Systems For Urban Air Mobility

CORRECTED-Employees sour on Tesla amid cost-cutting, layoffs

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tesla Inc’s rankings at two high-profile job websites have declined, suggesting that job dissatisfaction at the electric car company is intensifying amid layoffs, strategy shifts and executive turnover. FILE PHOTO: Tesla workers examine a Model S used for training and tool calibration at the company’s factory in Fremont, California, June 22,… Continue reading CORRECTED-Employees sour on Tesla amid cost-cutting, layoffs

Tesla opens first 250-kw charging stations at Fremont factory

With Tesla's Supercharger fast charging network, Tesla vehicles can now be charged faster than any other currently available electric car.

That status comes courtesy of eight new Version 3 Superchargers that the company opened at its Fremont, California, factory, which can charge a Model 3 at up to 250 kilowatts. That can give the car, which is rated at 3.86 miles per kilowatt-hour (or 130 mpg equivalent, for a typical Long Range Model 3,) up to 180 miles of charge in as little as 15 minutes.

Of course, it comes with a few caveats, primarily that it only works for the Model 3, and only for drivers who are within range of those eight Superchargers in Fremont. The company opened the Superchargers to some Tesla drivers in its Early Access test program in March, but as of Friday it has enabled any Tesla driver to use them.

Tesla plans to begin rolling out the fast Version 3 Superchargers across the country.

Other Tesla models still get a faster charge on the new Version 3 Superchargers, just not as fast. With both lower charging speeds and lower efficiency ratings (fewer miles from the same number of kilowatt-hours), the Model S can refill about 130 miles in 15 minutes, and the Model X about 115. That's still faster than cars can recharge at standard (V2) Supercharger stations.

Tesla's goal, the company said in a blog post, is to reduce wait times at existing Supercharger stations by charging each car more quickly. (The company has also instituted new idle-time fees for cars that remain parked and plugged in at Superchargers once their batteries are full.)

Other networks include even faster chargers, such as Electrify America and EVgo, both of which have installed several 350-kw DC fast chargers on their networks. However, no other cars today are designed to accept such a fast charge. The fastest, so far, is the Audi E-tron quattro, which can charge at a maximum of 150 kilowatts.

The first new electric car that will be able to take advantage of the new 350-kilowatt speed will likely be the Porsche Taycan, which is due out at the end of the year. In the meantime, Model 3 owners can rejoice that their cars can charge faster than any other car on the road—as long as they're in Fremont.

Rivian CEO confirms auxiliary batteries, truck-to-truck charging

The U.S.-based startup electric automaker Rivian is already showing plenty of signs that it's doing things differently than Tesla. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk discusses potential features of the company's new cars on Twitter, Rivian has held back on boasting about some of its most innovative ideas.

The latest, according to a wide-ranging new interview with Rivian founder RJ Scaringe, published last week in The Drive is the ability for Rivian trucks to charge each other.

Scaringe said the company's models would have the “capability you'd have in a Land Rover, with a lot of off-road capability….” Deep in the wilderness off-road, however, there are few gas stations, much less electric-car fast chargers. Off-roaders often carry extra gas cans, and often have to buddy up to help each other out.

In the Drive interview, Scaringe confirmed that Rivian trucks will be able to do that.

Scaringe confirmed earlier reports based on patent filings that the Rivian R1T pickup will be designed to accept accessory battery packs that fit into the bed like a toolbox or a false bed floor. The company still hasn't specified how big those accessory packs might be, but they will come on top of the truck's largest 180-kilowatt-hour, 400-mile battery pack. The R1T is will also be available with smaller internal battery options including 135 kwh and 105 kwh, though the company has not released range estimates for those battery packs. Adding the accessory battery packs would allow the truck to venture farther into the wilderness off the beaten path.

Rivian auxiliary battery
Rivian auxiliary flat battery for R1T

The CEO also announced that Rivian models will be able to share a charge, with one truck charging another on a peer-to-peer basis. If one truck runs out of range off-road, and another has the accessory batteries and enough juice to get home, the second driver could directly lend the first a charge, for example, like siphoning gas from one car to another or lending a gas can. That would be a first for electric vehicles.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, Scaringe also threw a little shade at other electric automakers announcing plans for ever faster charge rates. “There's a lot of misinformation on this, unfortunately,” he said. “The speed at which you charge has a huge impact on the life of the batteries. Regardless of what they're telling you, everyone is working with very similar sets in chemistry…. In the next five years, you’ll see a lot of demonstrations where things are charged in 15 minutes, but if you do that 30 times, the battery is shot. Those demos are not realistic or repeatable and we'll start to see those get replaced with real world charging speeds and rates.”

Ineos considering hydrogen version of Projekt Grenadier 4×4 – Autocar

The Projekt Grenadier 4×4, the heavy-duty off-roader by British firm Ineos, is being planned with a potential hydrogen fuel cell version. An engineering study is scheduled to be started shortly to “assess the feasibility and production of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered 4×4” according to documents seen by Autocar. The description is included in a list of… Continue reading Ineos considering hydrogen version of Projekt Grenadier 4×4 – Autocar

Fiat Chrysler teams up with Amazon-backed driverless car start-up Aurora

Source: AuroraFiat Chrysler is joining forces with Silicon Valley-based technology upstart Aurora to build driverless cars.
The two companies said Monday they had signed an agreement that lays the groundwork for a “powerful partnership in self-driving commercial vehicles.”
The deal will enable Aurora to expand the scope of its self-driving software, the firm said, “allowing us to offer a variety of solutions to strategic customers in logistics, transit, and other use cases.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The news comes just under a week after the Italian-American automaker dropped its merger offer for French rival Renault.
The deal could have helped the two align their strategy on innovations like electric and self-driving cars, a space that has become a central battleground for major carmakers worldwide.
“As part of FCA's autonomous vehicle strategy we will continue to work with strategic partners in this space to address the needs of consumers in a rapidly changing industry,” Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley said in a statement Monday.
“Aurora brings a unique skillset combined with advanced and purposeful technology that complements and enhances our philosophy on self-driving.”
Aurora is already partnered with household names in the industry like Volkswagen and Hyundai. The firm boasts talent from founders who all previously worked at tech giants including Alphabet, Tesla and Uber.
The Palo Alto, California-based company raised $530 million earlier this year, in a round that was backed by leading venture capital firm Sequoia and e-commerce titan Amazon.
The race toward full self-driving capability has become a heated one, with tech firms and automakers alike looking to make waves in the field.
Just last week, it was reported that Apple was looking to buy driverless shuttle service Drive.ai. The firm's autonomous driving division, known as Project Titan, underwent a big restructuring earlier this year, laying off over 200 employees.