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Volkswagen Group’s new importer contracts pave the way for digitalization

The Audi, ŠKODA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Passenger Cars brands, together with their partners from ten European importers, signed the new importer contracts in Wolfsburg this week. Contracts with the Group’s own companies in a further 15 markets were also exchanged. As a result, the Volkswagen Group has agreed new contracts for almost all… Continue reading Volkswagen Group’s new importer contracts pave the way for digitalization

Chinese EV Maker NIO Raises $1B In US IPO

Chinese electric vehicle start-up NIO Inc. officially entered the U.S. stock market with a US$1 billion initial public offering (IPO), becoming the first Chinese electric vehicle firm to go public in America. NIO announced the pricing of its IPO of 160 million American depositary shares (ADSs) at a price to the public of US$6.26 per… Continue reading Chinese EV Maker NIO Raises $1B In US IPO

Low-cost Lidar technology acquisition announced

NRG Systems has announced that it has acquired a portfolio of advanced technology developed by Pentalum, an Israeli company that specialised in remote sensing solutions for wind measurement. Founded in 2009, Pentalum pioneered low-cost Lidar solutions that have been deployed by customers in the wind resource assessment, wind farm operations, forecasting and research markets globally. Pentalum’s… Continue reading Low-cost Lidar technology acquisition announced

Anchor Vans to expand car and van dealership

Anchor Vans is to expand its dealership on the A4 at Padworth, near Reading. It acquired a two- acre site adjacent to its existing three-acre Padworth site. Development work will begin later this year. The new space will provide a permanent location for the valeting department, an area for transporters to unload away from the… Continue reading Anchor Vans to expand car and van dealership

MWCA: Verizon 5G Home coming to more cities

Verizon’s 5G Home service will be launching in many more cities, Verizon chief network engineering officer and head of wireless networks Nicki Palmer has told ZDNet, with the carrier showing off its “ultra wideband” network. Speaking with ZDNet during Mobile World Congress Americas (MWCA) in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Palmer said a 5G mobile service… Continue reading MWCA: Verizon 5G Home coming to more cities

Chinese electric car maker listing on NYSE says its cars are faster and cheaper than Tesla’s

Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Chinese electric vehicle start-up Nio Inc's first employee Tianshu LI, and company's leadership team celebrate at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Opening Bell to commemorate the company's initial public offering (IPO) at the NYSE in New York, September 12, 2018.

Chinese electric car company Nio is listing shares on Tesla's home turf and wants to squeeze market share away from Elon Musk and the company in China.

Nio listed its shares Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange, and wants to expand into Europe and the United States, the company's chief financial officer, Louis Hsieh, said.

It has not been an easy journey toward the initial public offering, Hsieh said, partly due to trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Shares of Nio were up slightly Wednesday afternoon.

Chinese electric car company Nio makes its Wall Street debut
2 Hours Ago | 03:40

Still, there is plenty of upside, Hsieh said.

“We're telling investors the opportunity in front of Nio is huge,” he said. “China is 60 percent of the global market and growing even this year 80 percent a year even though the auto market is down.”

In addition, Nio is the only premium electric vehicle in China besides Tesla, and Nio's seven-seat SUV is a better product at a cheaper price than the Tesla Model X, Hsieh said.

“Ours comes in at less than half the price, better features, a faster car,” he said.

Nio is also coming out with a model that will be comparable to the Tesla Model 3 at about two-thirds the price, and that will have longer range and quicker acceleration.
Tesla was not immediately available for comment.

WATCH: Nio's electric car half the price of Tesla Model X in China

Nio's all-electric car is half the price of a Tesla Model X in China
8:36 PM ET Mon, 18 Dec 2017 | 00:52

Chinese electric carmaker NIO recovers from bumpy U.S. debut

(Reuters) – Shares of Chinese electric carmaker NIO Inc (NIO.N) bounced back from a 15 percent plunge in their market debut on Wednesday, a day after the company’s IPO was priced at the lower end of the expected range. Bin Li, CEO of Chinese electric vehicle start-up NIO Inc., rings a ceremonial bell as NIO… Continue reading Chinese electric carmaker NIO recovers from bumpy U.S. debut

MWCA: VMware pushes into 5G with Service Assurance Suite

VMware has announced that it will be integrating its new Service Assurance Suite into its network function virtualisation (NFV) portfolio to assist carriers in launching 5G mobile networks. “5G deployments will not be possible without virtualisation, service assurance, and a solid multi-cloud strategy,” VMware EVP of Strategy and Corporate Development and GM of Telco NFV… Continue reading MWCA: VMware pushes into 5G with Service Assurance Suite

Zoox is offering autonomous rides in SF this week

Zoox, the self-driving car startup worth a reported $3.2 billion post-money valuation, is offering autonomous rides this week as part of the Global Climate Action Summit. The Global Climate Action Summit convenes state and local leaders, scientists, non-profits and others to discuss climate action opportunities. In partnership with the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco, Zoox will… Continue reading Zoox is offering autonomous rides in SF this week

Rapide E: Secrets of first all-electric Aston Martin revealed

Published: Sep 12, 2018

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by
Neil Allison

With development of Aston Martin’s first all-electric production car – the Rapide E – progressing apace, the luxury British marque has today confirmed a raft of technical details for the strictly limited 155-unit special edition.

12 September 2018, Millbrook, England: With development of Aston Martin’s first all-electric production car – the Rapide E – progressing apace, the luxury British marque has today confirmed a raft of technical details for the strictly limited 155-unit special edition.
Working closely with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) as its development partner, Aston Martin has utilised the hugely successful leader in Electric Vehicle (EV) technology to kickstart a new era for Aston Martin’s powertrain technology and overcome the technical challenges associated with packaging the battery system and motors within the space available.
Throughout the development process, the engineering team have focused on achieving effective cooling of the batteries and motor to ensure consistent performance, while strict weight targets have been stringently observed using lightweight alloys and carbon composite materials.
Rapide E will be powered by an 800V battery electrical architecture with 65kWh installed capacity using over 5600 lithium ion 18650 format cylindrical cells. These are mounted in a bespoke battery pack where the original 6.0-litre V12, its gearbox and fuel tank were located. This battery system powers two rear mounted electric motors producing a combined target output of just over 610PS and a colossal 950Nm of torque.
Rapide E’s range target is over 200 miles under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), while the model is capable of charging at a rate of 1851,2 miles of range per hour using a typical 400V 50kW charger. However, the car’s 800V high-voltage battery system enables faster charging of 3101,2 miles of range per hour, using an 800V outlet delivering 100kW or higher.
Being an Aston Martin, the Rapide E is being developed with a high-performance objective. Projected top speed for the Rapide E is 155mph, with a sub-4.0sec 0-60mph time and a 50-70mph time of just 1.5sec. It’s important to stress that these figures are not restricted to a narrow window only when the batteries are fully-charged. Instead the target is for maximum performance on-demand throughout majority of the battery state of charge window, as would be expected from a conventional internal combustion-engined car. This includes the ability to drive a full lap of the Nürburgring with absolutely no derating of the battery and the ability to cope with the daily demands of repeated hard acceleration and braking.
The car’s exterior and underbody has also been aerodynamically optimised and complemented with newly-designed aerodynamic wheels. Shod with Pirelli P Zero™, Rapide E’s bespoke tyres aim to deliver a lower rolling-resistance and reduced cavity noise, while still delivering superior dynamic capability. Rapide E aims to achieve higher levels of aerodynamic, frictional loss and cooling performance over the standard Rapide S.
It has also been an objective of the project to retain and enhance the feel, character and delivery of the V12-engined Rapide S. To this end, careful attention will be paid to the development and tuning of both the electric powertrain and the chassis, with particular focus applied to software integration. The rear-wheel drive Rapide E’s twin electric motors will drive through a Limited-Slip Differential, which combined with revised spring and damper rates ensures the pure handling characteristics for which the petrol-powered Rapide S is already renowned.

Though the Rapide E will be built in low volumes, it is being subjected to Aston Martin’s stringent and exhaustive testing protocols, with the dedicated WAE team working closely alongside Aston Martin personnel to ensure every aspect of the prototype test programme follows the marque’s established procedures. Uniquely, customers will be an extended part of the ongoing Rapide E programme, with their comments and driving experiences providing an invaluable stream of feedback that will help shape and improve future Aston Martin EVs.
In addition to WAE, the Rapide E programme enjoys the support of other technical partners including Hyperbat Limited – a new joint venture company between Williams Advanced Engineering and Unipart Manufacturing Group – as the battery manufacturer, Integral Powertrain for the electric motors, Xtrac for the transmission and the H1PERBAT project consortium with grant funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
Speaking of the Rapide E programme, Andy Palmer, CEO Aston Martin, commented: “Environmental responsibility and sustainability is a global challenge faced by us all. As a career automotive engineer, I’m proud that the car industry is leading the way in finding long-term solutions and reducing harmful emissions. As Aston Martin’s CEO, I take particular satisfaction working with Williams Advanced Engineering and our other associated technology partners to bring Rapide E to reality. As our first all-electric production model, Rapide E will fast-track our knowledge and help us ensure the character and high-performance capabilities of our future EV models and enhance the unique qualities found in all Aston Martins as we know them today. Rapide E will also serve as a critical step on our path to re-launching Lagonda as the world’s first zero-emission luxury marque”.
Rapide E will be built at the upcoming St. Athan production facility, announced as the future ‘Home of Electrification’ for both the Aston Martin and Lagonda brands. Aston Martin is accepting expressions of interest via its global dealership network, with pricing available on application.
Customer deliveries are set for Q4 2019.

1Predicted figure
2WLTP figure