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Europcar’s Mobility Joins Smart Cities Platform

Nicolas Bailleux, who recently joined Europcar Mobility Group as head of the Mobility Lab, will oversee the partnership. Photo courtesy of Europcar. Europcar Mobility Group is forming a partnership between its Mobility Lab and Plug And Play, a long-standing incubator with roots in Silicon Valley. Europcar Mobility Group intends to leverage the Plug And Play… Continue reading Europcar’s Mobility Joins Smart Cities Platform

Solar Roofing Is The Focus Of Standard Industries’ New GAF Energy Unit

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Clean Power Published on January 19th, 2019 | by Charles W. Thurston
Solar Roofing Is The Focus Of Standard Industries’ New GAF Energy UnitTwitterLinkedInFacebookJanuary 19th, 2019 by Charles W. Thurston
Boosting solar roofing growth with the DecoTech is the mandate of GAF Energy, a new company formed under the Standard Industries wing. The new entity will assist customers with planning, financing, permitting with utilities, and installation in a streamlined approach, the company says.

“As the largest global player in roofing and waterproofing, we will reshape the way clean solar energy becomes a reality for everyone,” said David Millstone, co-CEO of Standard Industries. The new unit will help focus on the DecoTech product, which GAF began developing in 2008 and first installed in 2017.
The DecoTech is a product midway between a very low-profile Tesla solar shingle and a mounting-bracket supported add-on system. The DecoTech is installed at the same time as a home is partially re-roofed, so that the new roofing helps hide the solar panel. The patented installation process renders the roof watertight.
Unlike Tesla or RGS shingles that are integrated components, the DecoTech system relies on off-the-shelf 60-cell solar panels, to avoid the cost of proprietary manufacturing, the company says. The DecoTech carries a 25-year warranty. An additional lifetime guarantee also is available, which offers extended coverage for labor.
“Our unique design does allow for module level power electronics and we have installs already with MIs and DC optimizers. We will standardize on a power electronics solution but all options are available to us based on our superior engineering,” says Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy. .
The cost of the DecoTech roof is expected to be on par with standalone solar. “Our unique technology that allows solar to be sold and installed by roofers enables cost savings in sales and install that offsets the increased costs of a solar roof,” says DeBono. That cost is expected to decline with volume to parity, the company suggests.
The cost may also be defrayed with additional offerings from the company, such as monitoring, EV connections, and energy management. “Distributed generation of the future will require seamless integration across storage and EVs and we will have an offering to satisfy that requirement,” says DeBono.
The system will be sold through networks of certified roofers. “We are best positioned to accelerate the growth of residential solar with over a century of waterproofing experience and the largest network of roofing distributors and contractors in the world,” said David Winter, co-CEO of Standard Industries in a January 10 statement.
Using roofers to offer solar will tap the large annual US market for new roofs, a potential pool of 5 million roofs, according to one industry estimate. Of this number only about 300,000 customers opt for solar as well, according to Energy Sage. The US demand for roofing was projected to amount to 268 million squares (a 10 foot by 10 foot area) in 2017, valued at $27.2 billion,” said the Freedonia Group in a 2017 study.
Sageworks, a financial information company, was cited by Forbes recently as saying sales among privately held roofing contractors have increased, on average, 14% in the 12 months ended May 1, 2018.
“The scale of the roofing industry is an order of magnitude greater than the solar industry,” says DeBono. “GAF Energy can now give those customers a simple option: a roof or a solar roof.” While the dollar amount of the roofing market is greater than solar, it also is growing faster; the growth of solar was flat during 2018, although recovery is widely anticipated.
“GAF Energy capitalizes on the historic challenges facing the rooftop solar industry – acquisition and installation costs – and turns them into demonstrable strengths – making it easy for customers to say ‘yes’ to solar rooftops,” said DeBono, in the statement.
The DecoTech system should help retrofit part of the US historic stock of homes roofed with sub-standard roofing material. “The US experienced a number of severe weather events in 2016 that caused extensive roof damage in many parts of the country, necessitating the repair and replacement of thousands of roofs. This surge in re-roofing jobs was in large part due to the fact that many structures are outfitted with roofing materials that do not meet modern building codes for storm resistance,” says a July market analysis of US residential roofing by Research and Markets.
“Going forward, home and business owners will undertake roof renovation projects to replace these older products with more durable materials – such as laminated asphalt shingles, metal roofing, and polymer-modified bituminous membranes – that can better withstand high winds and heavy precipitation,” the study says.
GAF began operations in 1886 and has a network of 5,000 certified contractors. The company manufactures well over 1 million roofs annually in North America. GAF Energy works in partnership with North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, GAF, offering affordable, integrated and aesthetic rooftop solar options to residential and commercial customers.

About the AuthorCharles W. Thurston Charles specializes in renewable energy, from finance to technological processes. Among key areas of focus are bifacial panels and solar tracking. He has been active in the industry for over 25 years, living and working in locations ranging from Brazil to Papua New Guinea.

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Anning Chen

Anning Chen is appointed president and CEO of Ford China, effective November 1, 2018. Chen will report directly to Jim Farley, president of global markets, Ford Motor Company. In this newly-created role, Chen will lead the company’s operations in Greater China, including all import and joint venture operations. He will also implement the company’s global… Continue reading Anning Chen

China’s Mobike will rename to Meituan Bike as its parent takes the wheel

One of China’s top bike-rental apps is entering a new phase. Mobike, which neighborhood services giant Meituan-Dianping gobbled up last April, is changing its name to Meituan Bike as part of an ongoing integration with its parent, according to an internal letter from Meituan senior vice president Wang Huiwen to staff. There’s no timeline for when the new… Continue reading China’s Mobike will rename to Meituan Bike as its parent takes the wheel

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess says in interview that German automaker is actively looking to add US manufacturing capacity and that talks with Ford Motor Company could expand – Automotive News

Diess confirmed discussions with Ford, which has been an occasional partner in past decades, and spoke glowingly of strategies on which the automakers could collaborate, but he dismissed any notion of VW growing bigger through consolidations or mergers. The VW board of supervisors will consider its strategic relationship with Ford on Nov. 16, Reuters reported.… Continue reading Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess says in interview that German automaker is actively looking to add US manufacturing capacity and that talks with Ford Motor Company could expand – Automotive News

Tesla may use new battery supplier for cars made in China factory

Tour of Tesla battery gigafactory for invited owners, Reno, Nevada, July 2016
Tesla is reportedly exploring the idea of buying local batteries for its factory in China, from a supplier other than Panasonic.

Panasonic has been Tesla's partner in creating batteries for its electric cars from the outset of Model S production and co-owns the Nevada battery-production Gigafactory that produces far more electric-car batteries any other.

According to a new Reuters report, Tesla has signed a preliminary agreement with Chinese battery manufacturer Lishen to supply batteries for the Model 3 sedans that will be made at Tesla's new Chinese factory as soon as later this year. The report cites two people familiar with the agreement, speaking Chinese, which could indicate anything from a preliminary agreement, as the U.S. business community might understand it, to a mere formal acknowledgement.

READ THIS: Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y

One said it was a preliminary agreement, while the other indicated that Lishen and its batteries still have to go through Tesla's lengthy supplier certification.

Both companies denied to Reuters that they had signed such an agreement, though Tesla acknowledged it gathered a quote from Lishen to supply batteries for the Chinese Model 3.

Tour of Tesla battery gigafactory for invited owners, Reno, Nevada, July 2016

In a tweet in November, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company would source batteries locally for cars made in China and that it planned to diversify its supply sources, including batteries.

One of the Reuters sources said that Lishen was still working out what size cells Tesla would need, and neither knew how many the company might order.

Lishen currently produces batteries for some Hyundai hybrid and electric cars, as well as for Apple and Samsung electronics.

CHECK OUT: Tesla Model S catches fire—twice—after flat tire in California

Tesla's batteries, up until now supplied exclusively by Panasonic from the Nevada Gigafactory, have become known for their performance and longevity, if also for their occasional flammable properties in accidents and sometimes otherwise.

When he announced the groundbreaking for the new Chinese factory, Musk said it would produce lower-end, more affordable versions of the Model 3 there, and eventually the company's upcoming Model Y smaller SUV.

If the cars are to be more affordable, more affordable batteries may be in order too.

Kilian: “E-mobility and digitalization mean profound structural change”

The New Year sees Volkswagen systematically forging ahead with its electric offensive and the transformation of the factories in Zwickau, Dresden, Emden and Hanover to become production locations for electric vehicles. The Zwickau facility is the trailblazer for this transformation, with the compact ID. already going into production there at the end of this year.… Continue reading Kilian: “E-mobility and digitalization mean profound structural change”

Audi e-tron hits Munich Airport with full force

Audi is preparing a very special showcase for the e-tron prior to its official launch on the German market: The all-electric Audi has landed at Munich Airport in a multi-storey meteorite that covers a 630-square-meter (6,781.3 sq ft) footprint. Until mid-March, visitors and passengers can experience the new model for themselves along with its technology,… Continue reading Audi e-tron hits Munich Airport with full force

As GM Plant Closure Looms In Ohio, Interest In Tesla Grows

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Autonomous Vehicles Published on January 23rd, 2019 | by Guest Contributor
As GM Plant Closure Looms In Ohio, Interest In Tesla GrowsTwitterLinkedInFacebookJanuary 23rd, 2019 by Guest Contributor
Originally published on EVANNEX
By Charles Morris
In November, GM announced plans to stop producing most of its sedans and close down five North American factories, including a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, that produces the doomed Chevrolet Cruze. Some have speculated that Tesla might be interested in buying some of the soon-to-be-shuttered plants, perhaps repeating the coup the company scored when it purchased its Fremont factory from Toyota for a song in 2010. Elon Musk and Ohio Governor John Kasich batted the possibility around on Twitter, but GM CEO Mary Barra recently threw cold water on the idea, saying that Tesla wouldn’t want to buy a unionized factory.
Tesla Model S (Image: EVANNEX)It remains to be seen whether a Tesla takeover of GM’s Lordstown Complex is a realistic possibility or not. However, it’s safe to assume that folks who live in the area of the plant, which employs some 4,500 people (nearly 1,000 more than live in the village of Lordstown) are deeply concerned about its future, and many are interested in learning more about Tesla.
“After GM builds its last Cruze in Lordstown, no one knows what will come next,” says news anchor Dave Sess of Youngstown TV station WKBN in in a recent segment. “The automaker does plan a shift into electric cars, though. I found a local Tesla driver and wondered what an all-electric car was like on the road, so I went for a ride with him to find out.”

New Castle resident Russ Carley talks about his Tesla (Youtube: WKBN27)
New Castle resident Russ Carley is a high-mileage driver — he put 100,000 miles on two Toyota Prii before ordering his Model S in July 2017. He says he had to wait 14 months for delivery, but so far he’s a happy customer — he loves “the smoothness, the modern technology and all the whizzes and bangs and bells,” and finds that “for all the miles I drive, [it is] really cost-effective.”
Regular readers of this column may smile at the gee-whiz tone of WKBN’s report, but keep in mind that it’s aimed at viewers who may be entirely unfamiliar with Tesla, and may not even be aware that an electric car is a viable option. “There’s plenty of mystique when you see a Tesla on the road,” says WKBN’s Sess. “It’s so quiet you only hear the tires on the road.”
Image: Chevy Bolt by Tina Casey
Carley bought his Tesla for its cutting-edge technology, and he loves it when people recognize the car. He believes electric cars are the wave of the future, and that building them could be a long-term answer for the workers of Lordstown.

About the AuthorGuest Contributor is many, many people. We publish a number of guest posts from experts in a large variety of fields. This is our contributor account for those special people. 😀

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Volkswagen invests in US start-up Forge Nano

The Volkswagen Group is investing US$10 million in the startup “Forge Nano Inc.” with a view to reinforcing its specialist knowledge in the field of battery research. Forge Nano is investigating a material coating technology that could further improve the performance of battery materials. As a partner, Volkswagen will provide support for industrial trials of… Continue reading Volkswagen invests in US start-up Forge Nano