FILE PHOTO: The GM logo is seen at the General Motors Warren Transmission Operations Plant in Warren, Michigan October 26, 2015. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) said on Tuesday it plans to cut 50 jobs at a suburban Detroit lithium-ion battery assembly plant after the largest U.S. automaker announced last… Continue reading GM cutting 50 jobs at U.S. battery plant tied to Chevy Volt
Tag: Electric vehicles
EVgo launches first public 350-kw fast charger
EVgo 350-kw DC fast-charge station, Baker, Calif.
The desert is full of apparitions. The latest is a high-powered DC fast charger for electric cars that don't yet exist.
This apparition is an EVgo charging station in Baker, California, the “Gateway to Death Valley” on Interstate 40, halfway between L.A. and Las Vegas, installed last week.
DON'T MISS: Porsche already has a prototype that will charge faster than its 350-kw Taycan
The new station is equipped with every electric-car charging buzzword, including a solar canopy—both to collect 20 kilowatts of energy from the blazing desert sun and to shield drivers from it—battery storage, and fast charging that can reach speeds of up to 350 kilowatts—a speed no electric cars yet on the market can handle.
A 350-kw DC fast charger can replenish about 240 miles in a long-range, 300-mile electric car in less than half an hour.
EVgo isn't the only charging network that has begun installing 350-kw fast chargers. Electrify America installed one two weeks ago in Livermore, in northern California. Ionity, a charging network in Europe supported by that continent's major automakers, has installed several in Germany. Porsche and BMW even opened a 450-kw demonstration site in Dresden last week.
READ MORE: Porsche's 800-Volt fast charging for electric cars: why it matters
Cars designed to use such fast chargers include the upcoming Porsche Taycan electric, its corporate stablemate the Audi e-tron GT, the Aston Martin Rapide-E, and some new cars from startup electric carmakers, such as the Lucid Air. None are on the market, but the Porsche, Audi, and Aston Martin are expected to be delivered to customers within two years.
The 350-kw fast charger can also slow down to speeds that today's cars can accept.
CHECK OUT: Electrify America switches on the first 350 KW fast charging station in Chicopee, Mass.
Along with the super-fast charger are two 50-kw DC fast chargers, and one new 150-kw and 175-kw station each. All have both CHAdeMO and CCS Combo plugs.
All five chargers at the site are connected to 88 kilowatt-hours of second-life batteries from BMW i3s which store power from the solar panels for use when cars need to charge. The station is similar to a smaller one that EVgo installed in a University of California, San Diego pilot project, though that station does not include a 350-kw charger.
Independent group aims to be for emissions what NCAP or IIHS is for crash safety
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Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) on a Peugeot 308
A newly formed organization called Allow Independent Road-testing (AIR) wants to make impartial emissions ratings available to vehicle shoppers.
Using a simple rating from A (best) to H (worst), they would tell you, at a quick glance, how much you’re endangering the health of your family with tailpipe pollutants.
Although the idea may seem new, it’s certainly not without precedent. Before the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) became more rigorous, comprehensive programs for occupant safety in the 2000s, it was difficult for shoppers to make an informed decision about the relative safety of vehicles. Shoppers know that a vehicle met minimums, but it wasn’t always readily apparent which ones went above and beyond.
DON’T MISS: EPA finally rules tailpipe emissions are harmful: Another reason to buy electric cars
For emissions, it remains a bit like that time, before crash-test programs became tougher and more transparent. And the Volkswagen diesel scandal has left the auto industry bruised and consumers distrustful.
Allow Independent Road-testing (AIR) infosheet
By providing impartial test results, such a plan could actually help automakers stabilize the downfall of diesel vehicles, restoring trust, to some degree, rather than leaving owners bracing for the next emissions scandal. And of course it would point out which diesels stay true to their efficiency and emissions promises.
Most U.S. emissions approvals are granted based on paperwork filed by automakers, from results measured in their own labs, possibly run on other continents with various conversion factors applied, and spot-checked only sporadically by the EPA.
AIR, which is currently seeking members, aims to build trust in the wake of dieselgate and provide “genuinely independent information.” It’s pushing for a “prompt and cost-effective approach to emissions that can also immediately address the diesel NOx emissions crisis, and do so in an accessible, transparent, and accountable way.”
CHECK OUT: Mixed messages on future of diesel at Geneva auto show
AIR’s solution to the issue is to create an independent, on-the-road vehicle test and rating system—with the test process transparent and the data available to everyone. There is one corporate partner built into this test—the UK’s Emissions Analytics, a maker of Portable Emissions Measuring Systems (PEMS).
Allow Independent Road-testing (AIR) infosheet
Using PEMS equipment, each vehicle will be given a four-hour test through the same driving loop. After the test, vehicles will be rated into those eight different letter-grade categories. AIR sees the results as helping consumers make the right vehicle choice, helping municipalities and governments develop policies, and allowing automakers to regain consumer trust.
Most immediately, the group is casting its attention toward diesel. It claims to be “the only global initiative that provides a prompt and cost-effective approach to the current diesel NOx emissions crisis.”
AIR argues that the laboratory-based Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test that the EU has introduced doesn’t go far enough, as it still allows automakers to perform their own tests, isn’t standardized to a particular driving cycle, and only affects vehicles that are entirely new.
READ MORE: 8 things you should know about EPA plan to let cars emit more (cutting fuel economy as well)
So far AIR is only for Europe, but it’s a global effort—one that includes emissions expert Dan Gardner, who was the leader of the West Virginia University group that first broke the news, in published form, that Volkswagen’s TDI diesel engines weren’t even coming close to meeting their meeting their emissions claims in real-world use.
The group aims to push automakers to provide a reduction in harmful urban emissions by ensuring that vehicle fleet emissions are the lowest possible. It ultimately hopes to test 1500 vehicle models.
Because of crash-test programs like NCAP and the IIHS and their sought-after five-star and Top Safety Pick+ accolades, automakers no longer aim to merely meet the minimum occupant protection required by the law. The formation of AIR, likewise, should encourage automakers to produce vehicles that don’t just comply, but actually pollute as little as possible—because the details of how far above and beyond they actually went will no longer be lost in the smoggy haze.
Electric cars “not going to work,” Trump says of GM’s plan
Donald Trump
In an interview with Fox News last week, President Trump revealed his inner thoughts about electric cars—not that many had any doubts.
“All-electric is not going to work,” he said, referring to General Motors' stated goal to transition to “a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion.” The company announced last year that it will launch 20 new hybrid, plug-in, and electric cars by 2023 to meet more stringent emissions standards in China, Europe, California, and elsewhere.
READ THIS: GM to kill Chevy Volt production in 2019
Referring to GM CEO Mary Barra's announcement of the plan, Trump said, ““They’ve changed the whole model of General Motors. They’ve gone to all-electric. All-electric is not going to work … It’s wonderful to have it as a percentage of your cars, but going into this model that she’s doing I think is a mistake.”
DON'T MISS: Trump vows retaliation against GM for layoffs
GM announced last month that it would shut down five assembly plants, including the Detroit Hamtramck factory that builds the Chevy Volt and the Lordstown, Ohio, factory that builds the compact Chevrolet Cruze that underpins the Volt. At the same time, the company plans to lay off 15,000 workers. Those workers, in Michigan and Ohio were some of the supporters that handed Trump the election in 2016.
CHECK OUT: Is Trump presidency the real market test for electric cars?
When GM made the announcement in the end of November, Trump vowed retaliation against the company, and he reiterated that stance last week. “I don’t like what she did,” Trump told Fox News, referring to Barra. “It was nasty. To tell me a couple of weeks before Christmas that she’s going to close in Ohio and Michigan, not acceptable to me. General Motors is not going to be treated well.”
As GM as looked to ramp up production in China to meet the country's demand for electric cars, Trump has imposed new tariffs on Chinese-made products to make them harder to import. That has thrown a monkey wrench into GM's plans (and those of other automakers) to sell some of those cars in the U.S.
VW says €30bn electric car investment not enough for EU targets
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Volkswagen may have to step up electric car plans to meet EU CO2 targets
BERLIN/FRANKFURT/MUNICH (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) may have to step up its plans for mass production of electric vehicles in order to meet tougher-than-expected European targets to cut greenhouse emissions from cars, its chief executive said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: A car with the Volkswagen VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American… Continue reading Volkswagen may have to step up electric car plans to meet EU CO2 targets
UPDATE 2-VW may have to step up electric car plans to meet EU CO2 targets
BERLIN/FRANKFURT/MUNICH (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) may have to step up its plans for mass production of electric vehicles in order to meet tougher-than-expected European targets to cut greenhouse emissions from cars, its chief executive said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: A car with the Volkswagen VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American… Continue reading UPDATE 2-VW may have to step up electric car plans to meet EU CO2 targets
24M Raises Almost $22 Million For Semi Solid-State Battery Development
24M attract more investors to its SemiSolid lithium-ion battery design 24M – co-founded in 2010 by Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang, who previously co-founded A123 Systems – has raised $24 million $21.8 million in Series D funding with a goal to scale up solid-state battery production and develop affordable, high energy density batteries for electric vehicles. We heard… Continue reading 24M Raises Almost $22 Million For Semi Solid-State Battery Development
Elon Musk says Tesla would consider buying idled GM plants, takes swing at the SEC on ’60 Minutes’
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Elon Musk
Tesla would consider buying the factories that General Motors intends to idle, CEO Elon Musk said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' “60 Minutes.”
“It's possible that we would be interested. If they were going to sell a plant or not use it that we would take it over,” he said.
In a wide-ranging interview with Lesley Stahl, Musk made no apologies for his erratic behavior over the summer and reiterated his lack of respect for the Securities and Exchange Commission, which sued him in September for allegedly defrauding investors after tweeting that he wanted to take the company public at $420 a share and had “funding secured.” He didn't and pulled back on those plans a few weeks later.
“Nobody's perfect,” he said.
Musk acknowledged that he was “somewhat impulsive,” adding that he “didn't really want to try to adhere to some CEO template.” He stoked controversy all summer with his erratic behavior, taunting the SEC, calling a diver in the Thai cave rescue a “pedo” and capping the summer by appearing to smoke pot on the Joe Rogan podcast.
“I'm just being me. I mean, I was certainly under insane stress and crazy, crazy hours. But the system would have failed if I was truly erratic,” Musk said.
The SEC forced Musk to step down as chairman of the board for three years. The company named Robyn Denholm, who was already on the board, as chairwoman.
“I want to be clear: I do not respect the SEC,” Musk said. “I do not respect them.” But he said he was adhering to the agreement because he respects the U.S. justice system.
He scoffed at the idea that Denholm was put in place to keep him in line. “Yeah. It, it's not realistic in the sense that I am the largest shareholder in the company. And I can just call for a shareholder vote and get anything done that I want,” Musk said.
He said he does not want to return to the role of chairman. “I actually just prefer to have no titles at all.”
Tesla has struggled to ramp up production of its much hyped Model 3 midsize sedan. The company resorted to building a second assembly line inside a tent-like structure next to its main assembly plant in Fremont, California. The decision, like many Tesla has made, was ridiculed by some in the industry.
The last-minute push increased production by 50 percent, Musk told CBS.
“Those betting against the company were right by all conventional standards that we would fail,” he said, “but they just did not count on this unconventional situation of creating a second assembly in the parking lot in a tent.”
Musk said the long-awaited $35,000 version of the Model 3 will “probably” be available in five to six months. That is the price of the vehicle Tesla originally promised would be an electric sedan for the masses when it was first unveiled in March 2016. Since then, however, Tesla has only made higher-priced versions of the car.
Musk admitted he is notorious for missing deadlines.
“Well, I mean punctuality's not my strong suit. I think, uh well, why would people think that if I've been late on all the other models, that'd I'd be suddenly on time with this one,” he said.
WATCH: How taxpayers have helped Elon Musk and Tesla
How taxpayers have boosted Elon Musk and Tesla
10:06 AM ET Mon, 22 Oct 2018 | 07:43
GM's decision to idle plants in Ohio, Michigan, Maryland and Ontario and eliminate 14,000 jobs has caused anger and worry among lawmakers, labor leaders and people in the regions that depend on the factories for work. Some say GM's decision is a necessary step to ensure the company's future as it grapples with changing consumer tastes, new technologies and new potential competitors, including Tesla.
The possible plant closures present an opportunity to Tesla. It wouldn't be the first time Tesla bought a GM plant. The Tesla Factory in Fremont, California is a former GM plant that closed in 2010 but reopened later that year under Musk.
Under the terms of the SEC settlement, Musk had to pay a $20 million fine and step down as chairman for at least three years. Tesla also put in place a system for monitoring Musk's statements to the public about the company, whether on Twitter, blog posts or any other medium.
Musk told CBS the only tweets that need to be approved are ones that can move the stock price. He said he uses Twitter to express himself. “Some people use their hair,” he said, “I used Twitter.”
Hyundai plans to take hydrogen fuel-cell systems beyond vehicles
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Hyundai Mobis fuel cell announcement
Hyundai sees a lot of potential in hydrogen fuel-cell technology. And it may find success with it by looking well past cars and SUVs—to other uses that could, as the company puts it, “transcend the transportation sector.”
With this week’s opening of a second plant making fuel-cell systems, in Chungju, South Korea, Hyundai's Mobis unit will increase its annual production of fuel-cell systems from its current 3,000 annual units to 40,000 units by 2022.
DON’T MISS: 2019 Hyundai Nexo: first drive of 380-mile fuel-cell crossover utility
The plan, called FCEV Vision 2030, highlights the parent company’s “commitment to accelerate the development of a hydrogen society.”
By 2030, Hyundai Motor Group aims to make 700,000 fuel-cell systems annually, of which 500,000 would be units for personal-use and commercial fuel-cell electric vehicles. That leaves 200,000 units for drones, vessels, and forklifts and other uses outside transportation such as power generation and energy storage systems.
That’s still a very small portion of what the company currently produces; in 2018 it expected 7.7 million worldwide vehicle sales across Hyundai and Kia.
CHECK OUT: 2019 Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle pricing: Puzzling economics
To accomplish this plan, Hyundai established a dedicated division for fuel-cell business this month. Under the program, the Hyundai Motor Group and its suppliers plan to invest $6.8 billion to expand R&D operations and facilities, with an estimated 51,000 new jobs created.
Hyundai justifies the very steep growth curve by citing a McKinsey & Company study, pointing to an estimated global demand for up to 6.5 million fuel cell systems by 2030.
Hyundai Nexo
The 2019 Hyundai Nexo, which showcases the potential of a new generation of fuel-cell tech from the brand, with an estimated 380-mile range, will be available by sale or lease starting in January—albeit only in California, where a nascent commercial fueling infrastructure exists. That model is going to be the first test vehicle for a Level 4 automated-driving project with the autonomous-vehicle tech company Aurora.
READ MORE: Toyota enters $82 million partnership to roll out hydrogen trucks in Los Angeles port
Honda and GM continue to work on a next-generation fuel-cell system that will be produced in Michigan, and Toyota has confirmed that it’s looking to put the technology into more affordable, mass-market vehicles as well as commercial trucks and buses.
There’s another reason why Hyundai should be so bullish on fuel cells. The South Korean government is subsidizing a $2.3 billion plan to support various stages of the hydrogen fuel-cell development chain, including automakers, as well as 310 new hydrogen fueling stations.
Given the biggest limitation for fuel-cell technology in the U.S. today—a lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure—aiming the growth of the technology toward commercial uses and very well-defined use cases could be a good plan to play on its strengths.