Tata Motors, an Indian car manufacturer has partnered with what3words so drivers can enter a 3 word address by voice or text and get directions to that exact location. India is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but the absence of an addressing standard can make it difficult to conduct business efficiently and can get… Continue reading Tata Motors partners with what3words for enhanced navigation services
Tag: JLR
Ineos set to choose Bridgend to build new 4×4
Ineos Automotive has chosen Bridgend for the production of its new 4×4 vehicle, according to industry reports. Ford will close its plant in the town in 2020 with the loss of 1,700 jobs, but it is understood 500 new jobs could be created through Ineos. The firm has been looking at Bridgend and an unknown… Continue reading Ineos set to choose Bridgend to build new 4×4
Voyage Completes $31M Series B Funding
Voyage, a Palo Alto, California-based autonomous vehicle manufacturer, completed a $31m Series B funding. The round, which brought total capital raised to date to $52m, was led by Franklin Templeton with participation from Khosla Ventures, Jaguar Land-Rover’s InMotion Ventures, and Chevron Technology Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to ready its self-driving technology… Continue reading Voyage Completes $31M Series B Funding
CATL considers U.S. plant, targets 45 percent energy-density boost in 5 years
China’s Contemporary Amerex Technology Co., better known as CATL, has in the past several years become a global battery giant.
Last week one of its senior executives revealed to Reuters that the company is considering a manufacturing expansion into North America, even though the market for EVs will lag that of China and Europe.
The company is already planning a battery “gigafactory” of its own in Erfurt, Germany—a facility that will start production in 2021 and be one of the largest battery plants in Europe.
The plant will make cells and modules, which is part of CATL’s plan to mastermind the whole pack and save size and weight. Through its cell-to-pack technology, it says it can increase mass energy density by 10-15 percent and increase volume utilization efficiency by 15-20 percent.
CATL products – 2019
CATL announced firm numbers for the improvements. It can now accomplish more than 200 watt-hours per kilogram with its automotive lithium-ion batteries for EVS (up from 180 wh/kg).
Energy density with its current chemistries has reached 240 watt-hours per kilogram, and it’s targeting 350 wh/kg—a 45 percent improvement—by 2024.
The battery company also announced that it’s working to improve its total battery life to 373,000 miles (600,000 km), with other improvements including uniform self-heating technology built into the battery for better cold-weather performance plus a “turbo charging solution” for larger (C/D-class) vehicles that would allow 0-80 percent charging in just 9 minutes.
2020 Mini Cooper SE Hardtop
CATL recently announced a collaboration with Bosch, in which the battery supplier will supply cells for Bosch’s 48-volt systems globally. It’s already forged supply partnerships with Volkswagen, Daimler, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Honda, and Toyota, and it will be making cells for upcoming BMW and VW models, as well as the 2020 Mini Cooper SE, at the plant in Germany.
Earlier this summer it was reported that LG Chem was considering a second U.S. manufacturing plant to supply Volvo, among other potential customers. And earlier this year South Korean rival SK Innovation broke ground on a $1.7 billion battery plant in Georgia, expected to supply Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, among others.
General Motors partners with Tata Consultancy Services for global vehicle engineering
As part of the agreement, more than 1,300 employees of GMTC-I will transfer to TCS, including teams focused on propulsion systems, vehicle engineering, controls development, testing, creative design and special projects. New Delhi: General Motors and Tata Consultancy Services have joined hands for global vehicle engineering in future. According to a release, under this partnership,… Continue reading General Motors partners with Tata Consultancy Services for global vehicle engineering
China’s CATL unveils cell-to-pack battery platform
FUZHOU, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) — Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), China's largest automotive lithium-ion battery maker, unveiled its focus on the development of cell-to-pack (CTP) batteries to improve efficiency and lower costs.
To safely and efficiently manage the battery cells mounted in an electric vehicle (EV), battery cells are installed in modules and packs. Generally, a cluster of cells make up a module and a cluster of modules make up a pack. Ultimately, each electric vehicle is installed with one pack.
CTP, the company's latest product platform, skips the process of battery modules and allows cells to be directly integrated into packs.
Using the CTP technology, which includes more than 70 core patents, CATL can increase mass-energy density by 10 to 15 percent, improve volume utilization efficiency by 15 to 20 percent and reduce the amount of parts for battery packs by 40 percent.
A CTP battery can increase the system energy density from 180 Wh/kg to more..
Why we invested in Voyage, a self-driving car company.
Voyage, our self-driving car portfolio company, has announced their $31 million Series B funding round, here. We’re proud to continue backing Oliver Cameron and his team alongside existing investors and welcome new investors Franklin Templeton and Chevron Technology Ventures to the journey! Sam Clifton explores why we invested in Voyage and why we continue to… Continue reading Why we invested in Voyage, a self-driving car company.
INMOTION VENTURES BACKS SELF-DRIVING CAR COMPANY VOYAGE IN $31M RAISE
InMotion Ventures has announced its follow-on investment into autonomous vehicle manufacturer Voyage. The investment is part of a $31m Series B fundraiser, led by Franklin Templeton, with participation from Khosla Ventures and Chevron Technology Ventures – bringing its total capital raised to $52m. Voyage will be using the fresh funding to bring its technology to… Continue reading INMOTION VENTURES BACKS SELF-DRIVING CAR COMPANY VOYAGE IN $31M RAISE
AV startup Voyage on how low speeds and older customers will help it win the self-driving race
Voyage CEO Oliver Cameron isn’t in any hurry to conquer self-driving cars. The former Udacity vice president for engineering oversees a fleet of low-speed autonomous vehicles providing trips to residents of two retirement communities. His vehicles aren’t fully driverless; they include safety drivers. He’ll remove them when he’s ready. And Cameron’s not interested in tackling… Continue reading AV startup Voyage on how low speeds and older customers will help it win the self-driving race
Land Rover’s rock-climbing Defender will come in a PHEV version
After shelving the model in the US, Land Rover has brought back the rugged Defender and will soon launch a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the vehicle. The all-new model is far from the capable, but spartan 4×4 that last appeared in the US in 1997. It can still tackle any terrain, including 42-degree hills,… Continue reading Land Rover’s rock-climbing Defender will come in a PHEV version