Piet Andries, Author at newmobility.news

Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today

Tesla’s record profit beats all expectations

Piet Andries Posted On January 27, 2022

“2021 was a breakthrough year for Tesla and electric vehicles in general,” announced Tesla CEO Elon Musk while commenting on the earnings results of his company. It was indeed a record year.

It’s the second consecutive year that Tesla is in the black, but the rise in income is nothing less than spectacular. Compared to the $721 million made in 2020, net profit for 2021 peaked at 5,5 billion, a whole different league.

The car manufacturer managed to deliver 936 172 vehicles over the entire year in an adverse industrial climate. Output nearly doubled.

The result is a few figures shy of what Elon Musk predicted. He aimed at 1 million vehicles, but it’s nevertheless an increase of a stunning 87% compared to the previous year. Despite the supply chain pressure, analysts had forecast a sunny outlook for Tesla, but with a result of $2,54 per share, the company beat the prophets at Wall Street.

Established name

In the last quarter, which traditionally forms a bridge toward the new year, Tesla assembled more than 300 000 units. That’s an increase of 70% compared to 2020, and with a profit of 2,3 billion, it accounts for almost half of the year’s earnings.

Tesla is shooting itself rapidly into the territory of established names like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, with a forecast of further production growth of 50% soon. Other premium brands like Alfa Romeo, Jaguar/Land Rover, and Volvo are in the back mirror.

Two key models

Two key models account for the surge in deliveries. With deliveries totaling 911 208 units, the Model 3 and Model Y have become top players worldwide. The European market confirms that popularity. The Tesla Model 3 is the best sold BEV in the EU, with sales double as high as the Renault Zoe, which ranks second. The Model 3 accounted for 139 600 units last year.

Despite these flourishing financial results, the American manufacturer of premium EVs takes a cautious attitude toward the year to come. To avoid putting brakes on its delivery pipeline, it was decided not to produce any new models in 2022. This means that the Cybertruck, the Roadster, and the promised budget car have all been delayed.

Nonetheless, the company is looking for new locations to build additional plants. The factory in Berlin is still painstakingly waiting for permits to get going.

Autonomous driving / Europe / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today

Bosch and VW to accelerate autonomous driving

Piet Andries Posted On January 26, 2022

Practice makes perfect. Only a week after Bosch and Volkswagen announced a collaboration for equipment solutions in battery factories, the two German giants are teaming up for another technology roll-out.

This time the supplier and car-maker will join forces to scale up autonomous driving. Basically, they want to accelerate the market launch, for which both parties signed a memorandum of understanding. Volkswagen did this through its dedicated branch, Cariad.

For everyone

“This cooperation will strengthen Germany’s reputation for innovativeness,” says Bosch. Its board of management member Dr. Markus Heyn added that the collaboration aims “to make the technology available for everyone, across all vehicle classes”. The German supplier has been piling up years of research into autonomous technology and believes the time is due to ramp up the speed.

However, don’t expect to see autonomous driving Volkswagens with Bosch technology anywhere soon. The transition to self-driving cars is very much a gradual process, performed in steps.

Dedicated environment

As such, both parties will start with a development program. Teams from Bosch Cross-Domain Computing Solutions and Cariad will work together on various proving grounds all over the world, putting the software to the test. The most important locations where these mixed teams will be active are Stuttgart and Ingolstadt. It goes hand in hand with the creation of a dedicated and challenging environment, suited to provide the relevant data needed for market-ready offerings.

In the next phase, the proving ground will be swapped for real-traffic situations, enlarging the data pool. That’s one of the shackles where Volkswagen’s contribution is of most importance. That, and their expertise in mass-production and marketing. Supposedly, the partnership should last all the way up to reaching SAE Level 4, or fully automated driving.

Unique alliance

According to Bosch, this alliance is unique in the business. However, due to the extensive reliance on software, partnerships between OEMs and third parties for autonomous driving are happening all over the globe.

An important name missing in this announcement is Ford. Volkswagen has an extensive industrial agreement with its American counterpart, stretching from jointly developed commercial vehicles, licensing their electric-only MEB-platform to the joint development of autonomous drive. If and how this strategic partnership will benefit from the new alliance, remains unclear.

Product / Services / Technology / Top Stories Today

Renault’s electric revolution kicks off with a… touch screen

Piet Andries Posted On January 21, 2022

Screens are the real motors driving the car of the 21st century. With Renault launching its all-electric Mégane E-Tech, firestarter of the so-called Renaulution reform, another example is added to the list.

On the inside, the French compact crossover features a vertical touch screen for infotainment with a diameter of 12 inches. A flipped vent in between is attached to the 12,3-inches wide cockpit screen, forming an L-shape. It’s simply the biggest screen Renault has ever built (although Continental provides the unit). Is it really the ‘crowning jewel’ as the company nicknames it?

Omnipresence

In its omnipresence, the OpenR dubbed system doesn’t fail to impress. It has even given the Tesla Model 3 a run for its money and reminds more premium players. The competition is keeping a close watch, also, as it has already been leaked that the Volkswagen ID.3 will soon get an update. With – guess what? – a larger infotainment display of… 12 inches.

The industry has come a long way from the point where it regarded too much TFT in the interior as distracting and disturbing. Still, Renault doesn’t give all reign to the touch screen, which uses aluminosilicate-based Gorilla-type glass-like iPhones. But, unlike a smartphone, there’s still a row of classical buttons underneath the screen for the ‘important’ functions.

With a bit of help from Google

Renault says that getting the screen right even put technical premises to the development of the underlying platform. Engineers moved the air conditioning into the motor compartment, freeing up the necessary space in the cockpit.

But while size matters these days, the most significant leap forward comes from the operating system. Like its old alliance partner Volvo and Polestar, Renault has handed over the software architecture to Google.

So the OpenR system runs on Android OS, benefitting from their map services and their complete ecosystem of apps. But the good thing is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remain available for those who like the alternative options those platforms can offer when it comes to navigation and entertainment.

List of expert names

And as a bonus, the system reacts seven times faster than the previous R-Link 2, which is less spectacular than it seems because R-Link was just slow.

The list of expert names doesn’t end with Google. Wireless technology innovator Qualcomm took care of the hardware and processing speed, while LG Electronics was responsible for pairing the two screens.

Who will follow?

As for now, Renault is one of the first general OEMs turning so extensively to third-party expertise for their onboard digital interface. Stellantis, which has signed a deal with Apple’s partner Foxconn, is also moving down the same lane but has put forward stronger ambitions to provide and sell digital services.

With the glitches at Volkswagen in mind while developing the ID.3, ultimately leading to the lay-off of their head of software Christian Senger, that move might prove a wise one. And indeed a Renaulution, that will be picked up by more mainstream contenders.

Product / Technology / Top Stories Today

Porsche presents a new Taycan – well, sort of…

Piet Andries Posted On January 19, 2022

You might want to have a closer look while gazing at this picture. But, indeed, the Porsche presented here is not a Cross Turismo, even though it resembles that model in almost every inch. This Taycan is called the Sport Turismo, and if we are to believe the German sports car brand, it’s an entirely different animal. It’s not.

Basically, Porsche has scraped off all the outdoor accessories from its Cross Turismo and renamed the model to add a third variant to the Taycan family. Obviously, there should be a market for those who like the added practicality or look bestowed by the Cross Turismo but dislike the plastic wheel covers and other leisurely inspired add-ons. Those that want their regular Taycan simply as a station wagon.

Being similar under the skin to a great extent, not all is interchangeable. Whereas the Cross Turismo is always a four-wheel drive and cannot be configured as a base Taycan, its less adventurous sibling can also have rear-wheel drive only. And as the omission of rugged plastics implies, the air suspension has a more modest setting. Meaning it can’t be raised as high to tackle rough terrain.

GTS first

The Sport Turismo was first unveiled as a GTS. A sign of its stronger dedication to asphalt. That will also be the badge that in February precedes the other Sport Turismo’s, coming later in spring. Next to the regular version (326 PS), there will also be a 4S (517 PS), a Turbo (680 PS), and a Turbo S (760 PS).

The base model and the 4S can be upgraded with a Performance Battery Plus, standard on the Turbo models. It adds range, as well as a fistful of horsepower. The Sport Turismo models are also capable of fast charging at 270 kW, reclaiming 100 kilometers of range in a mere five minutes under optimum conditions.

More popular than 911

Even though the Sport Turismo isn’t a big novelty, its added presence can’t be underestimated. Last year, sales of the Taycan overtook those of the emblematic 911. It’s Porsche’s third most popular model, with 41 296 units sold worldwide. That’s about half as much as Porsche’s most significant success, the Macan. But this Sport Turismo will surely close the gap.

Retail prices are about 4 percent less expensive than the Cross Turismo and lie by the same margin higher than the sedan version of the Taycan. So, it slots nicely in the middle.

Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

European car sales take a historical deep dive, but why?

Piet Andries Posted On January 19, 2022

Since the beginning of the registrations, dating from 1990, the European market never performed so weakly. According to the federation of European car manufacturers (ACEA), sales fell back in 2021 to 9,7 million units across the EU, a further decline of -2,4 percent compared to the year before. And 2020, heavily affected by Covid-19, was already a record low.

The chip shortage seems to have hit Europe and its car manufacturers harder than China and the United States. The EU pays the price by setting a target to have 30 million EVs on the road by 2030. High prices of electric vehicles make European customers hold their breath and keep their wallets closed.

Belgium second-biggest loser

The end result is 3,3 million units short of the sales figures from 2019, which was the last pre-corona year. December 2021 was the sixth consecutive month of decline with a free fall of -22,8%. Especially the big German market accounts for the loss, with an annual recess of more than 10 percent.

Belgium even saw a decline with 11,2%, falling back from 431 491 cars sold in 2020 to 383,123 in 2021. Apart from Lithuania (-22%), Belgium saw the biggest loss in the EU. Other major markets such as Italy (+5,5%), France (+0,5%), and Spain (1,0%) showed a mild increase. But these countries are saved by a good first half of the year. In the last months, the dip in sales was alarming across Europe.

China and US grow

ACEA points to the global chip crisis as one of the main drivers behind the all-time low results. Next to the pandemic, of course. However, it seems that Europe is suffering from a particular crisis compared to other continents.

Those haven’t remained unaffected by the semi-conductor bottleneck, either. However, both the Chinese and the North-American markets accomplished to bend the curve and grow by respectively 3,7 and 4,4 percent in 2021. This year, China even expects to grow further with 5,4 percent in 2022.

Why, then, didn’t Europe regain traction? Several explanations are heard. One of them is that the Old Continent is a much more competitive marketplace, with a higher penetration of advanced cars, relying to a greater extent on semi-conductors.

Another argument is Europe’s weak geographical position in relation to the chip manufacturers. Those are primarily based in Asia and North America, the two regions that coped better with the negative side-effects of the shortage.

BMW withstands

The sales figures per brand also illustrate this trend. Manufacturers like Toyota (+9,1%) and Hyundai (+18,4%) managed to progress in a declining market. Mercedes, Stellantis, Renault, and Volkswagen all saw their sales slipping. The one exception is BMW, which grew by 1,5 percent. With Belgium as an example, Newmobility provided a backgrounder to that case here.

But there’s more to the European conundrum. The 2030 target of putting 30 million EVs on the road claims its prize. As for now, customers that can afford electric cars (or plug-in hybrids) are found in higher classes with bigger wages.

The democracy of electrification isn’t yet in place, with many people reluctant to spend 50 000 euros on a family car with a battery pack. Even the edge of 30 000 euros, which would give them nothing bigger than a city car with a plug, doesn’t persuade on a big scale. Consequently, most European customers are holding their breath and keeping their wallets closed, waiting for better times.

End of conductor crisis?

2022 might bring a sunnier outlook. But it won’t happen before the second half of the year when the first signs of a recovery from the conductor crisis are to be expected. And there’s another problem looming since the soaring price of lithium carbonate might reverse the declining price of EVs for the first time in ten years.

Europe / Industry / Product / Technology / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

D’Ieteren Belgian importer for Rimac electric supercar

Piet Andries Posted On January 14, 2022

Already the most established player in the field of performance cars, with Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti, the Belgian car importer D’Ieteren is adding one more name to its portfolio of exclusive brands: Rimac Automobili.

David Favest, General Manager of Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti at D’Ieteren, explains: “We are very proud of becoming one of the first European importers for Rimac. The company is both financially and technologically very solid, while its founder, Mate Rimac, is very dynamic and passionate.”

Acquisition of Bugatti

Rimac is a Croatian manufacturer of high-performance electric cars. When Mate Rimac founded the company he was only in his early twenties. His ambition succeeded in drawing ownership interest from major car brands like Porsche and Hyundai. A decade later, Porsche owns 45% of the shares.

The rise of Rimac was climaxed by the acquisition of Bugatti last year from Volkswagen. The German group, which was struggling to synchronize its hypercar brand with its electric reshuffle, turned to Rimac for a suitable exit strategy. And so Bugatti Rimac was born.

The latest product from Rimac is the hyper-exclusive Nevera. It is limited to 150 units with an output of 1 900 PS and a price tag of 2 million euros, a true contender for the upcoming Lotus Evija. The Croatian company also delivers the platform and driveline for the Pininfarina Battista. Its 1 300 employees develop solutions and ancillaries for large car brands concerning battery-electric vehicles.

Baffling fast

Since Rimac has carved out a venerable name for itself over a short span of time, the company is often referred to as ‘Tesla from Croatia’. Not in the least because its founder is driven by technological avant-garde and innovation. With pride Mate Rimac posted some pictures of the Nevera charging at an Ionity station, consistently maintaining a level of more than 300 kW. That’s baffling fast.

According to the company, their sports car is even able to go up to 500 kW, if only infrastructure was up to it.

Stiff competition

However, in this field, Rimac faces stiff competition from Chinese car-makers. Xpeng has a G9 that can fast-charge at 480 kW, while GAC developed a graphene battery that can be charged at 600 kW, ready for a refill from 0-80% state-of-charge in no more than eight minutes. But these cars don’t go from 0-100 km/h under two seconds…

Energy / Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

In 2022 Volvo will triple BEV production in Ghent

Piet Andries Posted On January 12, 2022

The chip shortage put a dent in the production of Volvo Car Gent last year. But for 2022, the company is looking forward. The plant plans to triple its output of all-electric models and take its final steps to become a climate-neutral site.

2021 wasn’t the best of years for Volvo Car Gent. While output dropped back from 194 890 units in 2020 to 183 238 (- 6%, the lowest in more than ten years), the headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, confirmed that it withdrew its plans to build a battery factory nearby. In particular, the supply chain problems caused worries, halting the assembly lines for about 40 days over the whole year.

The order book isn’t the issue. On the contrary, the new challenge for the manufacturing plant, which counts Europe as its biggest market, is to meet surging EV sales.

Boosting BEV production

In 2022, Volvo Car Gent plans to build 135 000 all-electric cars. Currently, it assembles two such models: the XC40 Recharge and the C40 Recharge. In 2021, the first one accounted for 24 519 units (13,4 % of total production), while the latter, which went into production as of October last year, weighed in on 3 533 units. Or 1,9% of the total output.

The forecasted figures imply that more than half of the factory production will be BEV vehicles next year.

Towards climate neutrality

In the second half of 2022, Volvo Car Gent aims to become climate neutral. It hopes to reach this goal by further extracting green electricity from solar panels and wind turbines on its site. The factory will also replace its consumption of natural methane with bio-methane. Extracted from organic materials, this renewable energy source is net zero-carbon.

Energy / Sports / Technology

Maserati returns to single-seater racing joining Formula E

Piet Andries Posted On January 12, 2022

Maserati is the first Italian brand to join the ABB Formula E championship. The sports car brand announced on Tuesday that it will be joining as of 2023, the ninth season of the electric single-seater competition, which organizes its races primarily in big cities.

When Maserati will join the playing field is lining up with Gen3-cars. Around 40% of the electric energy of this formula car comes from regenerative braking. It’s the fastest, lightest, and most efficient racer the series has seen. It is net zero-carbon and has a highly recyclable degree for the carbon fiber parts and the tires.

Folgore program

Joining Formula E is an essential part of Maserati’s Folgore (Italian for lightning) program. This includes all the models that the brand will launch as a BEV: the new Granturismo and Grancabrio, the Grecale, and the MC20 sports car. The brand hopes to gather technological expertise in the series, which can, later on, be applied to the showroom models. It’s the same function Formula 1 has served for over more than a century.

The return to single-seater racing is a weighty step for Maserati. The brand never really left the track, with a persistent engagement in GT racing, but during its long history, it has gathered a venerable reputation in Formula 1. In 1957, Maserati won the championship with Juan Manual Fangio behind the wheel.

Maserati was also the first brand to qualify a woman driver for an F1 GP. Maria Teresa De Filippis succeeded in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix in 1958.

Dropping out

Mother company Stellantis has two brands with a strong legacy in single-seater series. Although her boss, Jean-Philippe Imparato, remains skeptical against the investment, Alfa Romeo is active in Formule 1, now leaving Formula E to Maserati.

The news is good for a motorsport series that is regarded as the pinnacle of electric racing. Formula E, founded by Alejandro Agag (right on the picture), took a serious beating last year, when next to Audi and BMW winner Mercedes announced it was pulling the plug by the end of the season. These drop-outs seemed to be plaguing FE.

Under the big brands, Maserati will be lining up next to Porsche, DS, Nissan, and Jaguar.

Energy / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

CEO says electrification will add 6.000 jobs at BMW

Piet Andries Posted On December 30, 2021

In an interview with the German daily München Merkur, BMW CEO, Oliver Zipse, shed some light on the challenges his company faces in the woke of electrification. “Demand for EVs is very high,” he stated. “The i4 and iX are sold out for months.” Zipse also explained that the company would increase its workforce up to 5% next year, corresponding to 6 000 employees.

These new employees don’t come on top of the workforce BMW has employed over the last couple of years. The company is in a transient phase and has reduced its human capital in more traditional departments through natural attrition and voluntary agreements.

Heavily IT-driven

The skills BMW is after are different than before and directly related to the EV transition. “This is heavily IT-driven,” Zipse told Merkur, “but it’s not just programmers. It’s about the application of programs, for example on artificial intelligence.”

“We are also hiring many new developers in Munich, for example, experts in battery cell chemistry. The competition for these talents is fierce (…). What you can’t underestimate is that software engineers are also thrilled when their applications are showcased in an emotional product like the iX or the new 7 Series.”

Flexible factories

Zipse continued showing faith that his company is on a perfect path through the transformation. “We have prepared our plants for e-mobility and expect further growth in sales in 2022.” The next BEV from BMW is the i7, followed by an all-electric 5 Series, and an iX1.

BMW is ready to respond to market demands without delay. If needed, the factory in hometown Münich can switch to 100% EV production by 2026. And it’s likely to happen, according to the BMW CEO, as long as charging infrastructure is developed adequately. If not, the plant is flexible enough to continue assembling more conventional drivelines.

Buffer in place

And then there’s the chip crisis, of course. A few days ago, the Bavarian company announced a deal with INOVA Semiconductors and GlobalFoundries, a manufacturer of feature-rich semiconductors. This guarantees the group a supply of several million micro-chips per year, functioning as a buffer.

About such strategical components, Zipse concluded: “The problem is not the shortage in itself, but rather the unpredictability. That would be less of a problem if we knew three months in advance that certain chips would not be available. But in some cases, we only know a few days in advance.”

Environment / Hydrogen / Industry / Product / Technology

Hyundai winds down development of new fuel cell

Piet Andries Posted On December 30, 2021

Just days after Hyundai announced that it is shutting down its internal combustion engine development team, the company is also pushing the pause button on its hydrogen car project. The company was developing its third-generation fuel cell at luxury brand Genesis. But the South Korean economic newspaper Cosun unveiled that the project has now been stalled.

Only a few months ago, the Korean carmaker had presented a hydrogen road map, which showed that its latest fuel cell would go into production by 2025. Compared to the second generation, which features in the current Hyundai Nexo, the focus was much more on lower production costs and reducing the price by half. Hence, making the fuel cell smaller but more efficient than the previous one.

It seems that the company has concluded that the stringent objective can’t be met, to which it responded by reorganizing the involved team and reducing the role of the hydrogen department.

Reboot remains unclear

According to the original plan, that team was supposed to be working on the third-generation fuel cell for four years to come. Whether Hyundai will reboot the program remains unclear.

Together with the national government, the Korean car manufacturer wants to prepare for a hydrogen society with a significant role for the energy carrier in mind by the end of the decade. But the questionable feasibility of hydrogen cars has come to the attention of CEO Chung Eui-sun, following an audit.

Modest projections

The sales figures aren’t great. The ambition of the Korean government was to have 80 000 hydrogen cars on the road by the end of 2022. As for now, only a mere 20 000 have been dispatched, export included.

Catching up on those numbers would be a gargantuan task, further complicated by an expansion of the fueling infrastructure that is dragging. Only half of the projected number of stations in Korea have been built.

Projections for the commercialization of hydrogen cars remain modest, with about 3% of the global car fleet by 2030, according to the other major hydrogen player Toyota. Hyundai’s decision seems another blow for the uptake of the novelty technology.

Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Rivian delays biggest pickup and SUV battery models to 2023

Piet Andries Posted On December 29, 2021

Production woos at electric start-up Rivian have forced the American company to reshuffle its model mix. In an e-mail, CEO JC Scaringe has addressed customers who preordered their R1T pickup and R1S SUV with the Max battery pack explaining to them that their vehicles won’t be built before 2023.

Rivian, based in Irvine, California, is producing in Normal, Illinois, but announced it would build a second factory in Georgia, east of Atlanta, to ramp up production with 400 000 cars a year by 2024. Meanwhile, news broke Rivan is talking with Dutch VDL Nedcar for possible extra production capacity in Europe.

71 000 preorders

Initially, Rivian customers were promised to have their vehicles with a large battery capacity delivered in the course of next year. In his letter, Scaringe explained that Rivian wants to prioritize the largest number of preorder holders.

Of those 71 000 preorders, roughly 80 percent chose the Adventure Package and a Large battery pack. Also, those customers who opted for the cheaper level equipment pack Explore will have to deal with a delayed timeline. Basically, Rivian tucks back to a single model assembly.

The Max pack consists of a 180 kWh battery, supplying more than 640 kilometers on a single charge, according to EPA. For the reputation of Rivian, the top model is of great importance in North America, where every last mile counts seen the vast distances. At the same time, the pickup fan base regularly uses their vehicles off-road.

Ramp up quickly

The affected customers are offered the opportunity to reconfigure their car to a version with lower equipment and a smaller battery pack so that the order can be filled quicker.

Scaringe underlined in his email that “we optimized our build sequence around the build combination that would support us ramping as quickly as possible and, therefore, have the largest possible positive climate impact.” The company also takes into account teething problems during the first phase of production, which will affect output.

Indeed, after its successful IPO earlier this month, Rivian wants to scale up rapidly, but it currently lacks the capacity. Therefore, the company has announced that it will start building a second manufacturing plant near Atlanta in the State of Georgia as of next year. Once ramped, the site will have an output of 400 000 vehicles a year. Production is assumed to start in 2024.

Production in Born?

Rivian is also in talks with VDL Nedcar for assembly at their site in Born, the Netherlands, to further expand that capacity. The rumor was officially confirmed by a Dutch province parliament member last week.

Currently, the Dutch firm runs on a contract with BMW, which will be terminated by the end of 2023 without extension. To preserve labor for its workforce, VDL Nedcar is in dire need of a new agreement. It turned to Rivian after a deal with the American start-up Canoo fell through.

Industry / Product / Technology

Project Arrow will be Canada’s first homemade EV

Piet Andries Posted On December 23, 2021

Canada has a long list of automotive suppliers, and all that time, they have been dragging along a dream to build their own car. That dream is about to happen with Project Arrow, a mid-sized SUV with an all-electric powertrain scheduled for market launch in 2025.

Project Arrow is still very much an idea – or should we say rendering? – but since it is backed by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA), development and assembly seem feasible. The Canadian government supports the birth of its first national car with nearly $4 million (€2,7 million).

Sliding doors

APMA wants to demonstrate a full-size running prototype in the course of next year. The definitive model will be shown at CES in January 2023. The target price aims for a fork between $40 000 and $60 000 (€27 500-41 000).

However, not too many details have yet emerged, but the size of the SUV seems to fit in above the Tesla Model Y. There’s no lack of innovative thinking either since renderings show that the car has four sliding doors. Whether that’s folly or realism remains to be seen. But remember, the guys behind Project Arrow know their parts better than anybody else does.

Uncluttered design

In an interview with Automotive News Canada, the Chief Technical Officer at APMA, Fraser Dunn, disclosed some extra information. He stated that the car would have an uncluttered design as a reaction to contemporary SUVs that carry too much plastic on their bodywork.

He further added that SAE Level 3 is in the works. The battery pack will consist of cylindrical cells from the Canadian joint venture VoltaXplore – remarkable since most start-ups rely on the Asian market for their batteries.

Old dream

But it shows that the project draws in significant interest from other Canadian companies. Apparently, more than 400 of them are willing to collaborate.

The old dream of Canada possessing its own car and brand can be traced back to 2008 when supplier Magna International nearly acquired Opel from GM. Because of their less complex and more digital technology, the transition to EVs has made a genesis, with a car developed from scratch, a lot easier now.

As for now, it seems likely that Project Arrow will follow in the footsteps of other start-ups like Nio, Rivian, Karma, Lightyear, Canoo, Nikola Motors, and so on that are reshaping the automotive field.

Energy / Mobility / Services / Technology / Top Stories Today

Audi makes charging experience premium at low cost

Piet Andries Posted On December 22, 2021

Recharging isn’t always the most pleasant of pastimes. Hardly shelter, no beverages, no desk, stuck in your EV… Audi wants to lift the experience and started a pilot project in Nuremberg. It has installed a comfortable executive ‘road office’ with six reservable fast-charging points available around the clock.

But the real clue is that the office doesn’t demand a high voltage connection to the grid using a stationary backup of second-life batteries. “We want to use it to test flexible and premium-oriented quick-charging infrastructure in urban space,” says Ralph Hollmig, Audi charging hub project manager.

A matter of days

The hub is built up around cubes, which can be erected and disassembled in a matter of days. The six quick-charging stations can deliver up to 320 kW and on the first floor an executive lounge has been created, where clients can rest or work in a connected environment and in tranquillity. The hub aims at urban dwellers which don’t always get up in the morning with a fully charged car.

Therefore, Audi has made sure that the charging price doesn’t differ too much from a regular wall box at home. Fast-charging in Nuremberg comes at a discount price of 31 cents per kWh (prices at Ionity are at 79 cents per kWh without a subscription). The tariffs are made possible through powering the site by second-life batteries coming from old dismantled development vehicles.

80 cars per day

Thanks to these old batteries, the only connection to the grid is a green power link of 200 kW to an available low-voltage network. That’s actually quite clever. Audi sees these flexible hubs as a solution where the grid can’t be easily adapted to high voltage networks.

That flexibility also makes these cubes very different from the stationary superhubs companies like Fastned are developing. Those are highly dependent on utilities and demand a strong grid development. The storage systems in Nuremberg can handle up to 80 cars per day.

Revenge on Ionity?

On the other side, we wonder if there’s a connection to a LinkedIn post by the group CEO Herbert Diess last summer. About the so-called premium charging experience Ionity has claimed from the beginning, he stated “It was anything but a premium charging experience, IONITY!” Diess complained about the lack of any hospitality infrastructure (no coffee, no toilet…) when he wanted to recharge at the Brennerpass.

Could it be that it inspired him to take matters in-house and phone up Audi boss Markus Deusmann?

Energy / Europe / Industry / Product / Technology / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Lightyear wants an affordable solar car by 2025

Piet Andries Posted On December 17, 2021

Is it driving on sunshine for less than € 30 000 within a few years? That’s the new target for Dutch start-up Lightyear, a specialist in solar cars. The news breaks shortly after the company secured the necessary fundings for its pioneering car, the One (pictured above), which will be offered for a retail price of about € 150 000.

It seems that the brand wants to move fast into the mass market since the more affordable car is set to go on sale in 2024 or 2025 at the latest. Due to the woos concerning chip shortage, the company doesn’t want to get hooked on a precise date.

By subscription

The plans about the new car were referred to when the directors of the company announced a commercial deal with Dutch leasing and fleet company LeasePlan this week. The latter ordered a batch of 5 000 models of the forthcoming Lightyear Two. They will be offered to its customers on a monthly subscription basis. It is referred to as the first solar subscription service worldwide.

Not too many details on the cheaper model were released. But it is clear that it will be based on the technology of the One, which is being prepared for assembly by Valmet in Finland.

Very frugal

The Lightyear One, which will be in Leaseplan’s portfolio as well, is a trailblazer in aerodynamics (a path that is also followed by Mercedes with the soon to be unveiled EQXX). It has a long sweeping roofline, a surface that is maximized for capturing solar energy while reducing drag at the same time. The hood is also completely covered with solar panels, amounting to 5 square metres in total.

According to the official statement, the One can cover 725 kilometers (WLTP) on a single charge. It has in-wheel electric motors on every corner. The specifications don’t mention the size of the battery pack, but it is supposed to be significantly smaller than usual. Due to its streamlined design, the One has a very frugal consumption of no more than 8,3 kWh per 100 kilometers, according to WLTP.

Lightyear says the panels are sufficient to cover the daily commute of the majority of European drivers and claims you can drive for months without charging.

TIME Magazine

Lightyear was founded in 2016 by alumni of Solar Team Eindhoven. As students, the company members competed in four World Solar Challenges, of which they won three. Next to their cars, Lightyear also produces solar roofs for automotive applications. They tested them on Teslas, for example.

Two years ago, the Lightyear One was heralded by TIME Magazine as one of the “100 Best Inventions.” In 2020, Lightyear won the “Rising Star” and “Most Disruptive Innovator” Award of the Technology Fast 50 program organized by Deloitte.

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Has Toyota yielded in favor of EVs?

Piet Andries Posted On December 15, 2021

On a podium floor flooded with EVs, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda addressed the media on Tuesday to outline the new EV plans of his company. The Japanese car manufacturer is accelerating its efforts.

A boosted total investment of 8 trillion yen (€31 billion) is foreseen to get 30 EV models in the overall line-up by 2030. On top of that, Lexus turns fully electric by then (at least in North America, Europe, and China).

Previously announced targets were 15 Toyota and Lexus models with battery power by 2025. Doubling that amount in the showroom means that the group’s plants will assemble 3,5 million BEV cars, roughly 30% of Toyota’s global production, by 2030.

Impressive line-up

Toyoda was flanked by more than a dozen EV models in his showroom of the future. They ranged from city cars, small LCV models for last-mile solutions, SUVs, a baby Land Cruiser, a zero-emission successor to the MR2, and even a Lexus sports car that seemed to be the LFA of times to come, which Toyoda confirmed. Impressive is the least you could say.

Far from every car was presented in detail. Officially, it was only announced that the bZ4x would get a little brother. While Lexus will get its own version of the bZ4x, called the RZ.

No binding agreements

With an “EV for everyone” on show, one would think that the Japanese car manufacturer has finally yielded in favor of the electric car. Initially, it took a rather lukewarm stance in the matter. For example, the company turned down several invitations for signing a binding agreement on a ban for producing ICE cars.

But even now, a closer look unveils that the ICE technology isn’t vanishing for the biggest car manufacturer in the world. The most important carmakers are aiming at 50% BEV production in 2030. Not a third, like Toyota.

In his speech, Toyoda explained: “It is not us but local markets and our customers who decide which options to choose. As for why we try to keep so many options, in terms of business management, one might think it’d be more efficient to focus on fewer choices.”

Developing continents

In contrast to a rival like Volkswagen, Toyota’s business experiences a more substantial exposure in developing countries that will struggle decisively more with the energy transition. For those regions, it wants to hold on to internal combustion engines, although in more advanced versions than today.

And there will be multiple hybrid options, too, of course. Bear in mind that this is also one of the reasons why Lexus will be only fully electric in certain parts of the world by 2030.

Keep the workforce

More precisely, Toyota also still intends to invest in the hydrogen conversion of ICE, next to e-fuels. As such, it can make old-school technology emission-free and, more importantly, keep a significant amount of the workforce on board that has been working with conventional engines in the past.

Toyota is not the only Japanese car manufacturer to persist in developing the internal combustion engine. Mazda, Subaru, Yamaha, and Kawasaki joined in the plans as well.

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How Stellantis wants to become the automotive Microsoft

Piet Andries Posted On December 8, 2021

Software is the new gold in the automotive industry. Stellantis Group has unveiled its digital ambitions and wants to generate 4 billion euros by 2026 from software products and subscriptions. These revenues are expected to fivefold (20 billion euros) by the end of the decade.

Replacing the old system of making money through the options on a car by offering customers software applications, gradually turns car companies into tech providers with similarly high margins. Immense growth is expected in the field of connected vehicles.

Stellantis is rolling out three AI platforms alongside strengthening its collaborations with three already signed big names in the industry to meet these goals.

Open-sourced

The first is called STLA brain. As of 2024, this new software platform enables over-the-air updates and subscriptions. Think of RAM owners getting more payload, Alfa customers paying for a more engaging drive or receiving more horsepower (within the restrictions for emissions compliance). It comes as open-sourced, in contrast to the current closed system.

STLA SmartCockpit builds around human-interface environments for cars, jointly developed with Apple’s assembly partner Foxconn. Its primary task is to shape ultra-modern but diverse digital landscapes for the interiors across its eleven brands.

Lastly, there’s AutoDrive. This entails an earlier agreement from 2017 with BMW on developing an architecture for autonomous drive. Stellantis also has a project with Google subsidiary Waymo in this field. For its professional branches, they will work on autonomous commercial vehicles.

Microchips

A second preliminary agreement with Foxconn arose in the wake of Software Day, where the digital plans were announced. With the Taiwanese company, the car group will develop four families of microcontrollers, which should suffice to cover 80 percent of its car production.

The deal is supposed to protect better against shortages as experienced today, while it leverages Foxconn as a supplier of semiconductors in the automotive industry. Its know-how mainly lies in microcontrollers for consumer electronics.

In May of this year, both parties agreed to work together on the above mentioned smart cockpit technology under a new company called Mobile Drive. A jointly developed EV primarily for the Chinese market is expected. in a later phase

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Tesla Cyberquad: kids want one for Christmas, but they can’t

Piet Andries Posted On December 3, 2021

Do you remember the unveiling of the Cybertruck two years ago, when there was a Cyberquad in the load bay? Well, Tesla has now cautiously launched a smaller version of the futuristic quad in its shop this week. It’s actually being offered as a toy for kids.

The Cyberquad costs about 1 675 euros ($1 900) and is a Tesla. It is, of course, fully electric. It can’t be supercharged, though. You need to plug it in at a domestic socket, after which it takes five hours to refill the lithium-ion battery pack.

From 8 years and up

Fear of your kids getting lost with it seems ungrounded. A full charge takes the Cyberquad over a distance of 20 kilometers, and the top speed of 16 km/hour is manageable for less experienced or younger drivers. Technically, Tesla’s toy ATV is equipped with disc brakes, suspension, and some seriously cool looks.

The Cyberquad carries an age disclaimer of 8 years and up. Theoretically, more adventurous parents can ride with it as well – it’s not thát small – but they can’t weigh more than 68 kilograms, which might be a tough limit to meet.

There’s a hitch

We know it’s a great idea to park one under the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, shipping takes 2-4 weeks, while the shop section mentions that the product is already “out of stock”. Europe is not listed as an available shipping destination.

And oh, there’s one hitch. There’s not a factory for it yet. So father and son (or mother and daughter) need to assemble the 18 parts it is made of by themselves.

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Toyota’s product show is not an all battery-electric future

Piet Andries Posted On December 3, 2021

Toyota’s idea of our electric future is not just about battery-electric cars. That was the bottom line of the Kenshiki (translated as ‘Insight’) forum held in Brussels on Thursday. The brand showcased the new production model Corolla Cross Hybrid, some European premieres, and further outlined its path toward carbon-neutrality in Europe by 2035.

Alongside the European debut of the all-electric bZ4x and limited-run sports car, the GR86 – vehicles that we previously got to see – the company’s take on the future put an undeniable accent on hydrogen.

Fuel cell 2.0

The Japanese company remains a strong believer. As of January 2022, its second-generation fuel cell will be produced. It will also be assembled in Zaventem. The new modules now come in two forms (cube and rectangular), work more efficiently, and the stack has a higher density than before. It will not be solely used for cars. Toyota is also building it for third partners.

Toyota believes that Europe will be a crucial adopter for hydrogen, which explains why it starts production locally.

The toolbox

The company brought along a version of its successful rally car, the Yaris GR, emitting only water vapor to make its stance on hydrogen a bit more exciting. Engineers had transferred the powertrain from the Corolla Sport, which competes in the Japanese Super Taikyu Race Series with a combustion engine running on hydrogen. Together with some other Japanese brands, the company wants to promote racing on alternative fuels.

That’s fitting because Toyota outlined at the Kenshiki forum once more why it didn’t sign the treaty at COP26 to end sales of combustion engines by 2040. Gill Prat, TMC Chief Scientist, explained: “While Toyota is committed to making millions of Battery Electric Vehicles available to customers, the way to reduce the most net carbon emissions globally is to use every item in our toolbox, including Hybrid Electric, Plug-in Hybrid Electric, Battery Electric, and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles […].”

In other words, the diversity of markets worldwide will still demand a myriad of powertrains in the future.

Fifth-generation self-charging hybrid

The all-new Corolla Cross showcased Toyota’s expertise in hybrid drivelines. The SUV version of its compact car introduced the fifth generation of the self-charging hybrid powertrain (HSD), with now a 40% lighter lithium-ion battery assisting the 2.0-liter combustion engine. It will be made available as a front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, while total system output has been boosted to 197 hp.

As for electric vehicles, Toyota expects that by 2030 the sales mix will be a minimum of 50% in Western Europe, with the capacity and capability to increase further should customer demand go even higher.

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BMW M’s most powerful model ever is a PHEV-SUV

Piet Andries Posted On December 1, 2021

BMW gave its performance branch M Motorsport a birthday present at Art Basel’s 2021 Miami Beach show on Tuesday. By the end of 2022, the year in which the sports arm turns 50, its catalog will feature its own exclusive model rolling off the assembly line in the U.S. plant of Spartanburg.

Moreover, when the Concept XM (well, hi there Citroën!) becomes a reality, it will be the most powerful model ever that M put its badge on.

Traditionally, the M department addresses already existing BMW models. However, this time, it receives a model in its own right, for the first time in its history since the legendary M1 from the late seventies.

New territory

If that’s a cheer for die-hard fans remains to be seen. While the Concept’s style is overtly expressive, the XM is, in fact, an SUV – not a vehicle type blending effortlessly with the values of a sportscar division.

Moreover, the XM will only be on offer with a PHEV powertrain. This is even newer territory for the M brand, which currently concentrates strictly on six and eight cylinders running on gasoline. Conservatively serving adrenaline, indeed.

So, the XM breaks molds for the M division. “It underlines the ability of BMW M GmbH to break with established conventions and push boundaries to offer fans of the brand the ultimate driving experience,” explains Franciscus van Meel, Managing Director BMW M GmbH.

The looks of the car are prophetic. Especially the front, with its peeping headlights and superlarge illuminated kidneys, flags the new facia for the X range. So it will appear on future BMW models as well. The style of the Concept will coincide pretty closely with the production model, as is usually the case with the brand.

Record output

The time has come for BMW’s coveted sports brand to make a move to electrification gradually. So when the XM comes to market, it will feature an electrically assisted V8, pushing peak output to 750 PS and delivering 1 000 Nm of torque. That’s a record for any M – and any BMW.

Details on the size and capacity of the battery and the electric motor are clarified. But the estimation of the purely electric driving range is 80 kilometers. So the battery capacity should at least be around 25 kWh.

With assembly planned for the American site in South Carolina, the XM sits on the same CLAR architecture as the large X7. However, it is worth noting that the latter has no plug-in hybrid version.

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Mercedes, Stellantis step into same solid state battery company

Piet Andries Posted On December 1, 2021

Stellantis, the mother company of the former FCA and PSA groups, is deepening its battery relationship with Mercedes. Both car manufacturers are taking an equity stake in Factorial Energy, an American start-up focused on the R&D of solid-state batteries.

Previously the French company took Mercedes on board the Automotive Cells Company (ACC) for the development and production of vehicle batteries.

Strategic investment

Both car manufacturers call it a strategic investment, intending to introduce solid-state batteries in their cars by 2026. In the first phase, the collaboration will develop battery cells, proceeding to the production of complete modules and vehicle integration later on.

Mercedes has in-house expertise in the production of battery modules. It produces the packs for the EQS in its plant in Hedelfingen. It hopes to bring some of that expertise to Factorial.

Joint development of cells will start as of next year. The German car manufacturer added that it wants to integrate the technology into a limited number of vehicles as part of a small series within the next five years.

FEST technology

The size of the investment remained undisclosed by Stellantis as well as Mercedes. However, Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, commented that “to this end, we are investing a high double-digit million dollar amount in Factorial.”

Solid-state batteries are regarded as the next big thing for electric vehicles. It replaces the liquid electrolyte with solid material, enhancing the safety – the usual liquid is very flammable – while boosting range and charging times.

Factorial says that its FEST technology (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) can provide 50% more range from a single charge. At the same time, using some controversial rare earth materials like cobalt is avoided.

Other OEMs

Furthermore, Factorial says that it is validating their ‘breakthrough’ battery with several other OEMs. However, the identity of those partners is not unveiled.

These types of partnerships are becoming widespread in the automotive industry. As car manufacturers are gearing up for a fully electric car portfolio, they spend billions on innovative battery start-ups. Ford and BMW are placing their bets on Solid Power; the Volkswagen Group is backing QuantumScape.

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Musk turns down €1 billion and starts Berlin proof production

Piet Andries Posted On November 30, 2021

There’s no Tesla without constant enigma. Another big question mark has arisen, now that Elon Musk officially declined 1 billion euros of subsidies from the German state for constructing the planned Gigafactory for battery production near Berlin. Though the European Commission and the German parliament had approved of the support, Tesla’s boss pulled the trigger on the offer.

Dropping the funds doesn’t affect plans to erect the Gigafactory, according to Tesla. The plant, to be built in the surroundings of Berlin, is needed to supply the nearby factory of Grünheide, which has commenced proof assembly as of Monday.

On Twitter Musk explained that it’s always been his opinion that all sorts of subsidies should be abolished and that it should apply to the oil and gas business in particular. He further noted that for some reason governments don’t act that way.

Spying on high-tech

Still, only speculation can explain why Elon Musk turned down the investment money. Because if it was not on a par with the corporate ideology, no company would have filed for it in the first place. One possible explanation is that Musk didn’t approve of the government becoming a stakeholder, looking over his shoulder and spying on the battery high-tech.

Or it might be that some conditions weren’t met. The state of Germany put the lights on green only for the production of so-called state-of-the-art battery technology which couldn’t be found elsewhere. But Tesla’s Giga 5 factory in Austin Texas will outpace its German counterpart.

Production starts at Grünheide

At the factory of Grünheide (Berlin) the first batch of Tesla cars, not intended for commercial use, was assembled as a runner-up to customer production by the end of the year. This put an end to a delay of half a year.

In its first phase, the plant will churn out a thousand models a week, gradually ramping up production over the course of next year. Eventually, the output can reach half a million units per year, divided over Model 3 and Model Y.

Still not all permits

The deadline for production at Grünheide has been pushed forward several times due to problems with permits. The province of Brandenburg still has to hand over some of them, which is expected to happen over the coming days. The construction of Tesla’s first European factory hasn’t been without hitches. Green opponents denounced deforestation and problems with water shortage.

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New bold Kia Niro is ready for 2022 launch

Piet Andries Posted On November 25, 2021

Kia has unveiled the second iteration of the Niro on Thursday in its hometown Seoul on the first day of the biannual Mobility Show. The new model takes on some bold design clues of the Habaniro concept as a statement for Kia’s more sustainable product development. The commercial debut for the new Niro is planned for next year.

Though Kia hasn’t specified any details on the powertrains, expectations are that the focus will shift more on the part-time and fully electrified versions. Hence, the show model wears the number plate ‘Niro EV’.

The first generation of the Niro offered plentiful powertrain options, ranging from gasoline to diesel, all sorts of hybrids, and battery-electric. The Korean brand will still be using a mixed platform that can take battery packs as well as combustion engines.

Greenzone Drive Mode

An interesting innovation on the Niro is a smart powertrain switch called Greenzone Drive Mode. Taking clues from driving data and the navigation system, the PHEV model can switch automatically to electric drive. An advantage for drivers living in or frequenting low-emission zones.

As with the Sportage, the Niro is dressed to impress. It follows Kia’s new design language, Opposites United, and retains its blended form of a cross-over without four-wheel drive. The classic Tiger Nose grille featured on so many Kia’s has more or less disappeared. Though the brand rather says that it has ‘transformed’.

The most striking part is the darkened C-pillar. The Korean brand claims that it actually helps aerodynamics. Probably through its narrowing shape. And, clearly, the versions relying on electric propulsion could prove beneficial for emission-free autonomy.

Recycled finishing

It is not easy to look past those daunting looks, but it’s exactly there where a lot of progress has been made. In the interior, where a two-spoke steering wheel is supplemented by a clean dashboard and an easily accessible infotainment screen, the roofline is made of recycled wallpaper, with seat upholstery from Bio Pu with Tencel, which is processed from eucalyptus leaves.

So, the Niro is catching up with the trend set by so many EVs to adopt recycled finishing. For example, the door panels are colored using water-based paint that doesn’t contain any benzene or other polluting chemicals.

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Lightning-fast charging Xpeng G9 is coming (update)

Piet Andries Posted On November 25, 2021

Chinese car brand Xpeng has unveiled its fourth model. The G9 is an all-electric high-end luxury SUV, sitting on top of its portfolio that can charge at 480 kW. The car will, of course, be available for the domestic market, but it’s the first time that the manufacturer has developed a vehicle specifically for export.

And after Norway, in 2022 it will come to the Netherlands first with Sweden and Denmark following. The latter was confirmed by Xpeng’s Vice-Chairman Brian Gu in an interview with American channel CNBC. In the long-term Xpeng wants to make half its return on the home market, the rest internationally.

The G9 should obtain top results in crash tests from the European Union. And oh, it charges like lightning, at record-breaking DC charging of 480 kW (with 800 volts). That’s more than double of Kia’s latest, the EV6 or the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

SUV version of P7 sedan

The G9 was unveiled at Auto Guangzhou and could be interpreted as the SUV version of the P7 sedan. It sits on the same platform, called Edward, but introduces its new XPower 3.0 powertrain. That features record-breaking DC charging.

With this architecture, the battery pack of 80 kWh can regain 200 kilometers in just five minutes. The only drawback is that there are currently no fast-chargers available in Europe with such a high peak output. Ionity and Fastned currently provide up to 350 kW, with Swiss ABB claiming the fastest charger at 360 kW.

But it’s more ready for the future of charging than any other EV on the market today, while Xpeng is rolling out its own piles supplying 480 kW (only in China, where the company has the largest charging infrastructure of all domestic brands).

Sensors from DJI

The top version of the P9 gets two electric motors for all-wheel drive, delivering 430 hp and 655 Nm of torque. Reaching 100 km/hour shouldn’t take more than five seconds, while the range is estimated at 500 kilometers, according to WLTP.

Since the P9 offers the latest hardware and software Xpeng developed, it comes with Xpilot 4.0. It’s an advanced version of automated driving, which is already under development for version 5.0.

Updating won’t be an issue since it occurs over the air. Notable fact: the lidar sensors come from DJI, the company famous for producing professional and household camera equipment.

Designed for abroad

Xpeng has not yet shown the inside of the car. So it remains to be seen how the SUV deals with infotainment and connectivity. A 5G antenna will be standard. The vehicle also has a Gigabit Ethernet communications architecture, making it ready for big data transfer, fast connections with other cars, and speedy updates.

From a design point of view, the company underscores that it took foreign taste as a guideline. It has resulted in a sleek-looking body, with big 21-inch wheels, small headlight clusters, and flush door handles. The latter boosting aerodynamics, which is always helpful for range.

Debuting in the US

Xpeng cautiously launched itself on the European market. As an all-electric brand, it landed in Norway first, from where it gradually wants to expand its business all over the continent. The G9 should join the line-up in the second half of 2022. It is set to launch the brand in the States as well, but a specific date has not been communicated.

Industry / Top Stories Today

Covid-19 paralyzes Audi Brussels factory

Piet Andries Posted On November 24, 2021

Shortly after Volvo announced halting its production for two days, Audi Brussels was also forced to close the gates. However, the reasons are quite different. The Ghent plant stalled because of a shortage of battery modules. In Brussels, an outbreak of the coronavirus among the workforce is causing draconical measures.

‘The sanitary condition of our workforce is a top concern,” comments Peter D’Hoore, spokesperson for the factory. He adds that management will evaluate later this week when the factory will reopen. Some union delegates put forth the date of December 5th, but officially no timing has been acknowledged.

If the deadline is correct, the plant will be missing out on a production of more than 2 400 e-trons, piling up a loss of at least 175 million euros. By shutting down the assembly line, the factory board hopes to quench the outbreak.

Several clusters

The fourth wave of the pandemic is putting a lot of pressure on several production units in the capital of Belgium. Audi Brussels is one of the biggest affected. The outbreak was initiated on Monday when twelve workers of the morning shift tested positive on Covid-19.

The ABVV-MWB union’s principal delegate, Franky De Schrijver, said several infection clusters were detected during the day. People started to worry; the medical staff couldn’t keep up. In a first attempt to redeem the situation, the factory board decided to dismiss the morning shift for the rest of the week.

They were put under quarantine with an end date of 5 December. The afternoon shift was supposed to remain in place for the rest of the week, but the laborers refused to take up work when arriving on-site. They claimed the situation was unsafe, though all machinery had been cleaned.

Lack of parking space

After a reunion with the board, Audi decided to shut down the whole plant. Corona measures are reputably and at a very high standard at Audi Brussels, but the unions keep pointing at essential pitfalls.

“Carpooling has been reduced to two persons per car, which means there’s not enough parking space,” says Franky De Schrijver. “And how will management deal with the crowded buses? From an organizational point of view, the situation remains very difficult.”

The morning shift at Volvo Cars Ghent restarted production as of today. According to spokesperson Barbara Blomme, the factory has to deal with quarantined workers, as well, but can count on the return of earlier affected people and its structural flexibility to keep the stations served. As such, the factory should be able to get the three shifts up and running, despite the complications.

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ACEA: weakest October car sales ever (update)

Piet Andries Posted On November 19, 2021

The chip crisis isn’t going anywhere soon, and it shows in the latest registration figures. In Belgium, 25 045 cars were registered for October, 35,3 percent less than last year’s comparable month. According to the European manufacturers association ACEA, October was the worst month in European car sales since recording sales figures.

Overall the year performs 9 percent worse than 2020, which already suffered severely under the lockdown effects of the worldwide pandemic. In the light of the last ‘normal’ year, 2019, the market slips about one-third.

Delivery pipeline

There are no signs of recovery yet since the chip shortage is persistent and expected to reach deep into the following year. It has the auto industry calling out for more EU-based chip manufacturers. Keep in mind that the current results reflect the huge problems with the delivery pipeline, not the actual demand.

The Belgian market for light commercial vehicles is resisting a little better. Though registrations in October dropped by 16,3 percent, the figures for the whole year remain black, showing an increase of 3,9 percent. The registrations of motorcycles are even in the plus for October, with +3,9%.

France is diving too

Similar patterns are troubling France. Their October month was hit by a drop of 30,7 percent compared to last year and amounts up to 37,3% compared to the last corona-free year, 2019. The tipping was clearly at the beginning of summer.

The French market took off pretty well at the beginning of the year, giving the country a headstart, resulting in growth for the overall year (+3,1 percent). But the outlook for the remaining months is bleak.

All the big car groups have to cede a lot of territories. At Stellantis, the national number one in France, the fallback in October was at 37,6 percent. In second place comes Renault, confronted with the evaporation of 38,1 percent of its results. Sister-brand Dacia holds a firm foot, though, and was able to deliver 2,8 percent more cars.

The first foreign car group in France is Volkswagen, suffering from a dip in registrations at more than 40 percent in October. On the other hand, the amount of all-electric cars has risen to 8,9 percent.

Germany: fourth month in decline

In Germany, 178 683 cars were sold in October, 34,9% less than last year’s same month. It makes the yearly sales fall lower than in the pandemic year 2020 for the first ten months. Ernst and Young are betting on 2,6 million sales for 2021, 10% less than last year.

The only positive point is the continued progression of electrified cars, representing 30% of the total market right now. Of course, all brands sell less, but with -16%, BMW is far less hurt than rivals like Volkswagen (-40%) and Mercedes (-45%).

The domestic car production in Germany has also regressed by 38%, according to the German manufacturers federation VDA. The federation claims that most of this is due to the worldwide chip shortage that has hit the industry hard.

United Kingdom: lowest October since 20 years

October also has been relatively disastrous for new car registrations in the UK. With 106 265 registered vehicles last month, this is the lowest figure since 1991 and almost a 25% reduction. The sector of the fleet cars even saw a drawback of 40%.

Electrified cars continue to progress. Since the beginning of the year, they represent 16,6% of the market, a figure rising to 25,7% if you count in PHEVs and ‘normal’ hybrids. The British SMMT foresees a total of 1,66 million car sales for 2021, only 1,9% higher than the pandemic year 2020 and 38,5% less than in 2019.

Europe in general

According to the European manufacturers association ACEA’s figures, new passenger car registrations in the European Union contracted further (-30,3%) in October, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline this year.

With 665 001 units sold across the region, this was the weakest result in volume terms for a month of October since records began. Most EU markets suffered double-digit losses, including the four largest ones: Italy (-35,7%), Germany (-34,9%), France (-30,7%), and Spain (-20,5%).

Over the first ten months of 2021, new car registrations in the EU were up 2,2% compared to one year earlier, totaling around 8,2 million units. Despite the recent drop in sales due to the ongoing impact of the semiconductor supply crisis, substantial gains earlier in the year helped to keep cumulative volumes in positive territory.

70 percent all-electric in Norway

It is worth noting that in Norway, Europe’s leading country in the electrification of its national car fleet, the share of battery-electric cars was a little more than 70 percent during October.

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Kia and Hyundai showcase future electric SUVs in LA

Piet Andries Posted On November 18, 2021

At the Automobility motor show in Los Angeles sister companies Kia and Hyundai each unveiled their vision of a future large all-electric SUV. The Kia EV9 (see picture below) and the Hyundai Seven are separate concepts, but they build very strongly on the same technology and ideas.

Coach doors and a long wheelbase put a lot of accent on the inside, where the designers have tried to attract the attention of American customers with a grand interior space, filled with luxury and clever arrangements.

Same architecture

In both models the design language is very sturdy, underlining the big proportions very typical of a North-American SUV. While designer Karim Habib at Kia has opted for a more rugged, muscular look, the Hyundai style outlines the passenger compartment a tad more, even resulting in a tail design reminding of the Codatronca technique. For Hyundai, the Seven will be offered in the Ioniq range, the Kia files under the EV family.

These slight differences in approach are also reflected in the wheelbase. While both concepts sit on the same E-GMP architecture (Electric Global Modular Platform) the Hyundai offers fractionally more space than the Kia (3,2 versus 3,1 meters).

Living rooms on the move

Entry to the passenger compartment happens in both SUVs through oppositely opening pillarless coach doors. Both cars have pivoting seats on the inside. Hyundai, however, went one step further and has not only turned the seats into sofa’s but also transformed the third row into a bench, stretching all over the trunk. Your SUV becomes a living room.

In the front, a wide-screen layout is seen in both models, though the most remarkable feature is the pop-up steering wheel. Hinting clearly at autonomous driving, the Korean brands refer to the classic steering wheel as a standalone subsystem, only present when needed. That’s, of course, still very visionary.

Kia has developed different modes for the interior. In Active Mode the car is moving and the layout remains very classical. In Pause mode, the seats swivel for a more interactive decor, and in Enjoy mode the third row is turned with the tailgate opened so that the passenger can experience the view.

No inductive charging

Neither manufacturer has released any specifications on the battery, nor the power of the electric motors – supposedly two – so that remains very conceptual as well. For the charging Kia and Hyundai state that the Seven and EV9 can be fast-charged up to 350 kW, enabling a refill from 10-80% in 20-30 minutes.

On top of that, the EV9 has hood vents acting as solar panels. Somehow, we would have expected inductive charging, as seen on the GV60 from sister company Genesis.

Entry to the passenger compartment happens in the Kia through oppositely opening pillarless coach doors /Kia

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Northvolt produces breakthrough battery cell from 100% recycled materials

Piet Andries Posted On November 16, 2021

The latest battery cell from Northvolt answers to one of the most important criticisms against battery production: the unethical and ecologically questionable mining process. The Swedish battery manufacturer has successfully produced its first lithium-ion battery cell made entirely from precious recycled metals. The nickel, cobalt, and manganese used in this cell came from the waste of other used batteries.

As such, Northvolt has reached a milestone in finalizing a closed-loop process for battery production. In a unique fashion. In contrast to other companies, like Umicore (see further down), the mining and production of the recycled metals were all done at the same site, at Northvolt Labs in Västerås, Sweden. The company says it will now prepare to scale up the process and turn it into a business.

Operational in 2023

To do so, a new giga-scale recycling plant is under development adjacent to Northvolt Ett gigafactory in Skellefteå, Sweden. But it will be expanded beyond its initial design to recycle more batteries (125 000 tons) per year than initially intended.

Construction will start in the first quarter of 2022. One year later, it will be operational. It will be the largest facility of its kind in Europe and the only one that recycles lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and other metals.

Emma Nehrenheim, Northvolt’s Chief Environmental Officer, commented: “What we have shown here is a clear pathway to closing the loop on batteries and that there exists a sustainable, environmentally-preferable alternative to conventional mining to source raw materials for battery production.”

A matter of purity

The crucial part is to distract metals that are pure enough for re-use. Nehrenheim says they succeeded in doing that through the process of a low-energy hydrometallurgical treatment, which involves the use of an aqueous solution to isolate the metals. In the end, purity was on a par with comparable cells made from conventionally mined materials.

Northvolt started back in 2019 with its closed-loop initiative under the name Revolt. In the last few years, the technology was prepared for an annual production of 25 GWh of recycled battery cells. That goal has now been modified.

The company believes it will be able to produce 30 GWh of recycled cells per year, with materials derived from the waste at their production plant (Northvolt Ett) and batteries of used EVs. By 2030, the battery cell chemistry of the entire production chain (60 GWh per year) should consist of at least 50% of recycled metals.

Gaining traction

The recycling of used battery materials is gaining traction, also for other major players. At the Belgian raw materials handler Umicore the recycling division has grown into the most beneficial branch for the company’s profits.

Though the company doesn’t produce cells or assemble battery packs, it is also betting strongly on closing the materials loop for batteries. Umicore has an agreement with both BMW and Audi to recycle 95% of the batteries from their BEV models. Afterward, the precious metals obtained are brought into the supply chain again.

Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Subaru’s first BEV is a poorly disguised Toyota

Piet Andries Posted On November 12, 2021

This is the Solterra, Subaru’s first battery-electric vehicle that marks the start of goodbye to the brand’s famed boxer engines. If you experience a deja vu from the picture, that’s because the car is almost a mirror model of the recently unveiled Toyota bZ4x.

Subaru, which is partly owned by Toyota, worked together with its stakeholder to develop the compact SUV. Don’t expect an electrified XV. At Subaru, the architecture is called e-SGP (e-Subaru Global Platform), but the module and its tech are intrinsically the same as Toyota’s e-TNGA platform (electric Toyota New Global Architecture).

Like its sister model, there’s only one battery on offer (71,4 kWh) with either one or two electric motors of 80 kW each, though the output of both powertrains is quite similar.

In the field of AWD

As such the model will be available as front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive when it hits the market in mid-2022. The first model offers a range of 530 kilometers, the latter 460 kilometers. Heralded for its all-wheel-drive technology, Subaru underlines that its greatest contributions to the joint project were exactly in this field.

With maximum DC charging power at 150 kW and an optional AC charger of 6,6 kW, the Solterra possesses the same charging times as its sister model. It takes half an hour to fill the battery from 0 to 80% in the first case. It seems likely that the three-phase charging of the bZ4x will be made available as well, particularly in Europe, but that remains to be confirmed.

Carbon copy

Subaru didn’t even follow its own path for the outside dimensions nor the interior design. Except for a slightly different facia and a twist in the styling of the rear lights, the Solterra is basically a carbon copy of the bZ4x. Wheelbase, roof, spoiler in the back, black plastic plates on the bodywork, you can easily swap between both.

The cockpit is dominated by a large infotainment screen. Outside Europe, the Toyota bz4x is available with steering-by-wire in the form of a yoke-style steering wheel. However, there’s no trace of such in the Solterra as of now.

Skepticism

The official debut is planned for the 2nd of December. Regardless of its offspring, the Solterra is a crucial start for the Japanese brand that wants to cut its CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

It’s also important for partner Toyota to further broaden its all-electric strategy, which has been lagging behind, through ‘sub-brands’ like Subaru.

Though Toyota is catching up, the company still holds skepticism toward the switch. At COP26, it didn’t sign the charter that binds car manufacturers to sell only emission-free vehicles by 2040. One of Toyota’s directors of the board stated that “there are many ways to become CO2 neutral. We need to look at the particular situation for each region and every country.”

It seems the company has a hard time abandoning its beloved hybrid technology, it has been pioneering for over 15 years..

As a small brand, Subaru will be hugely dependant on Toyota’s EV strategy. Due to the enormous investment, it seems unlikely that it will develop its own BEV vehicle. The question remains if the brand will be able to maintain its idiosyncratic and unique reputation in car building under those premises.

Climate / Energy / Hydrogen / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today

Training facility for hydrogen garages opens in Belgium

Piet Andries Posted On November 10, 2021

EDUCAM, a sectorial organization for the training of the workforce in the automotive branch, had yesterday opened its first training facility for future garages repairing hydrogen cars.

The center, located in Lokeren, wants to prepare professionals for this new challenge that it believes will arrive alongside the massive switch to battery-electric cars.

Highly explosive

The center focuses on the training of the mechanics and consults repair shops on how to organize their infrastructure. As with battery-electric cars, it is all about obtaining the appropriate safety certificate, which has been made obligatory by the social partners in the sector.

Hydrogen is a highly explosive gas, which should be treated with the highest care. The center fulfills all the requirements so that the teachers and their students can operate under the safest conditions. Working with hydrogen, but especially managing the production process, should not be met without precaution.

In Norway, one of the leading distribution companies, Uno-X, experienced a disaster at its pioneering filling station in Sandviken, where hydrogen was produced on-site, and a leak caused a blast. The company has sold its stake in hydrogen development since the accident.

Modest offerings

The training facility in Lokeren takes an early start. Only a few car companies have a commercial offering with hydrogen power. Toyota has launched the second generation of the Mirai, while Hyundai pushes forward with the Nexo.

Belgium’s sales figures are not exactly in the thousands yet, mainly due to poor infrastructure (three publicly accessible filling stations yet).

Though the technology is under debate – especially the difficulties of renewable production – and experiences slow take-up, it is not abandoned.

Mercedes quit on its hydrogen SUV, but BMW showcased a spin-off of the X5 emitting only water vapor at the latest motor show in Münich. And the European Union is still running a program for the expansion of the appropriate infrastructure.

For long-haul carriers

EDUCAM admits that the chances for hydrogen as an energy carrier lie primarily in long-haul and heavy-duty carriers, where there’s lots of room for gas tanks, and current battery technology weighs too heavy. In the transition toward climate-neutral mobility, it believes that hydrogen has a significant role to play.

As regulations evolve faster and faster, and climate goals are getting more ambitious and compelling, a momentum that can change a lot over a short period of time could be around the corner. Thus, though the center might be anticipating and investing at an early stage, the inauguration of the training facility might prove worthwhile in the medium run.

Sjoerd Zijlstra, director at EDUCAM, explains: “It may be too early at this point to talk about a major breakthrough in the use of hydrogen in the mobility sector, but we are seeing a lot of movement.”

He added that for green hydrogen, there’s still a long way to go. However: “The decisiveness we are showing at EDUCAM by investing and innovating ourselves to prepare the sector for the future is already a big step in the right direction.”

Industry / Mobility / Product / Services / Top Stories Today

As from 2022 your Mercedes car will be a credit card

Piet Andries Posted On November 9, 2021

Together with its sub-brand Smart, Mercedes is the first automotive manufacturer that turns its cars into credit cards. It is the next step in facilitating digital payments related to mobility for their car owners or users.

The innovation comes from Daimler Mobility, which has teamed up with American credit card company Visa to enable so-called native in-car payments. This means that the vehicle itself is morphing into a credit card, pretty much like a wearable.

Both companies are rolling out their technology partnership in 2022, starting in the UK and Germany. From there, the convenience will be launched step-by-step over the rest of the world, beginning in Europe.

Bye-bye smartphone

Native in-car payments don’t require an extra app on a smartphone or the classic card swipe. When a driver leaves a parking lot, he will pay by touching the fingerprint sensor installed in the car.

As for now, Mercedes has three models with such a sensory device: the EQS, the S-Class, and the latest C-Class. This solution for purchases can also be used for fuelling or charging.

“There is nothing more convenient than authorizing a payment with your fingerprint,” Franz Reiner, CEO of Daimler Mobility explains, “A luxury customer experience, of course, includes the aspect of safety, and we fulfill that through native in-car payment. We offer our customers security not only when driving, but also when paying.”

In-car commerce

That payment protection is provided by Visa’s Cloud Token Framework (CTF), which will be incorporated inside the cars. It’s a cloud-based security system, converting sensitive data and storing it encrypted.

The goal is to minimize fraud risk. Also, it allows the connection of multiple devices – of which the car will be one – and it performs the approval of payments by two-factor authentification.

Atony Cahill, CEO of Visa Europe, commented: “This is a powerful example of how the world’s leader in digital payments and the inventor of the automobile can combine their technologies to create the next generation of smart solutions for the automobility sector, providing the driver and passengers with a completely new in-car connected commerce experience.”

Part of Mercedes pay

As car manufacturers are increasingly transforming into service providers, the German builder of luxury cars has made the Visa technology a more advanced step within the Mercedes pay platform.

That makes it already possible to purchase several services (navigation, over-the-air options, parking, Mercedes me), but by using the MBUX infotainment system or the in-house app for smartphones.

With the rise of connected vehicles, experts project a prosperous future for these in-vehicle payments. They believe that the market value could be as significant as $86 billion in 2025.

Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Why Herbert Diess walks on hot coals in Wolfsburg

Piet Andries Posted On November 5, 2021

“Today is the right time for a revolution at Volkswagen” were the words of CEO Herbert Diess in a speech on Thursday to the workforce at Wolfsburg, the heart of the company. His words hit the crowd like a wall, as he continued with a warning: “A never seen before competition awaits you.”

The German manager, who has been the head of Volkswagen since 2018, was pointing at Tesla, calling them a “reference” in the electric transition. At a meeting with 200 of his top managers in October, Diess took everyone by surprise, featuring Elon Musk himself in a live online link.

Adress the future

But he also pointed to “other start-ups that are arriving on the market”. Diess unveiled how he had driven some cars of Chinese rivals over the past few weeks, reporting that “one has to admit that they’re not at all bad.” His message was clear that the workforce of his company needs to be aware of and address this future.

As an example, the Volkswagen CEO pointed at Tesla’s outstanding production performance. Its spank new factory in Berlin, which is opening in a few months, will need 10 hours to produce one car. For the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, it takes 30 hours. Now, the German company wants to adjust that performance to 20 hours.

Job cuts

“Yes, I am worried about Wolfsburg,” Diess continued in his plea to his employees, playing on emotional effect. “I want your kids and grandchildren to have a job in Wolfsburg as well. But the jobs we have right now in administration, production, and development will surely wind down.”

According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Diess presented the board of Volkswagen with a job cut of about 30 000 employees.

Beautiful travel pictures

The plan has created huge tensions with the trade unions, which are presented on the board. They filed for a motion of mistrust against the top manager and asked for him to leave. A mediating commité has been appointed to determine whether the CEO can still keep his post.

Meanwhile, the IG Metall Union’s leader, Daniela Cavallo, lashed out at Diess, confronting him that despite him providing on social media “beautiful pictures of his travels, there are unfortunately still no semi-conductors.” Due to the chip shortage, Volkswagen has produced 27% less this year. Diess said that the crisis will reach well into 2022.

On 9 December the company will unveil its Vision 2030 for the plant in Wolfsburg.

Cavallo added that “there’s not one person too many here”. She also demands that her company produces its first electric car in Wolfsburg ahead of the Trinity project, an all-electric flagship planned for production in 2026, which will kick off a line of new connected vehicles with a VW logo.

Devoted cost-cutter

It remains to be seen if Diess reaches the other end of his hot coal walk with his feet unburned. But it’s not the first time he encounters fiery opposition. Somehow he always managed to surface. His reputation is that of a devoted cost-cutter, preferring to headhunt talent outside the firm instead of promoting internal managers.

Diess is also a strong admirer of Elon Musk, with whom he keeps close contact. On a meeting with 200 of his top managers in October, Diess bluntly invited Musk in a conference call to bring some insight and inspiration for the team in how to handle the electric transition.

Europe / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Mini pinpoints the end of its combustion engine

Piet Andries Posted On November 4, 2021

More details have emerged on Mini’s plans to become a fully electric brand by 2030. As of next year, BMW’s sub-company will launch a new generation of an all-electric platform, and in the year 2025, its showrooms will see the last model equipped with a combustion engine. The target is that by 2027 half of the sold Mini cars are BEVs.

As for now, Mini only has the Cooper SE on offer as a pure electric offering. That car might be fun to drive, its small battery and modest range are being eclipsed by newer models from the competition. Not strange in fact, because the technology underneath, based on the BMW i3, is more than a decade old.

All-electric Countryman

Mini’s new electric underpinnings are most likely to debut on the next generation of the Countryman, planned for next year. The brand already announced that the new Countryman would be launched with both electrified and classical propulsion. And ‘electrified’ doesn’t merely imply hybrids, because the company also vowed that it would have at least one BEV version of every new model it launches in the future. So one and one is two.

As for combustion engines, that future ends in 2025 when the last Mini with such a powertrain will be released. How long Mini intends to keep that engine on sale, is not officially communicated. Presumably, it will coincide with the lifecycle of that particular model, usually six to eight years.

Great Wall Motors

On the BEV side, Mini further confirms a new all-electric version of its three-door Hatchback, as well as the planned arrival of two battery-driven cross-overs. One in the smaller and the other in the medium segment. For the technical development of some of these models, the German-British brand is teaming up with Chinese Great Wall Motors. A shared architecture will result from their collaboration.

It would seem that the Chinese teamwork would be applicable for the smaller city car versions. For the all-electric Countryman, Mini is turning to parent BMW. It will ride on the platform and propulsion systems of the iX1. Both will be produced in Leipzig, Germany.

80% less CO2

Aside product planning Mini further confirmed its engagement to produce in a more CO2 efficient manner. The supply chain must emit 20 percent less CO2 by 2030 while the production plants will gradually shift toward green electricity exclusively. That should make it possible for the brand to cut its CO2 emissions by 80 percent by the end of the decade.

Lastly, a quick historical note that puts the electrification of the brand Mini into an interesting perspective. Did you know that the transition actually forms a bridge to its roots? The classic version of the Mini arose amidst the era of the Suez crisis when the world was confronted with its first important oil shortage. As for now, the brand is keen to be once again the appropriate answer to a global energy challenge.

Energy / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

bZ4x kickstarts Toyota’s full-electric offensive

Piet Andries Posted On October 29, 2021

Toyota has unveiled the production version of the bZ4x, its first serious attempt at a BEV car for a broad public. And it’s more than the kickstart of an all-electric product offensive because, in one breath, the Japanese carmaker launches an entirely new sub-brand, called bZ or ‘Beyond Zero’.

From the start, the new bZ4x, which should be pitched against Tesla’s bestseller the Model Y, will be available with only one battery pack. With a capacity of 71,4 kWh, it is set to provide an autonomy of about 450 kilometers.

Customers have a choice between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive and are to be wooed with technological benefits, such as a solar panel roof, a steer-by-wire system, and a new generation of Toyota’s Safety Sense.

Hammerhead

Previewed by the concept, which was staged at the Shanghai Motor Show earlier this year, the final version of the bZ4x retains most of the daunting design features. Dark panels on the sides up front and a small led light signature, called Hammerhead, characterize the face of the car.

An understated feel inspires the inside, and, of course, there’s a large TFT screen on the center console, with an operating system that supports over-the-air updates (OTA).

A much more surprising novelty on the inside is the One Motion Grip steering wheel, which looks more like two connected handles than an actual wheel. As first seen on the Tesla Model X.

But here, it functions by wire, so there’s no longer a mechanical connection with the wheels, resulting in more legroom for the driver. Unfortunately, the system is not ready yet for the European market.

Liquid-cooled battery pack

It’s tempting to call the bZ4x an all-electric RAV4, but its stance is more prominent, while the roofline and hood are lower, with a remarkably larger wheelbase for a roomier interior, as typical for BEVs. Moreover, it stands on Toyota’s dedicated electric architecture, e-TNGA.

Toyota, which makes its own batteries, is pursuing solid-state technology, but the pack in the floor pan of the bZ4x stems from the lithium-ion family. The figures for range are still under evaluation but are expected to surpass the Tesla Model Y (Performance version: 430 kilometers).

The pack is liquid-cooled – a first for the Japanese manufacturer – making it possible to fast-charge at 150 kW and perform a refill to 80% in half an hour. According to the brand, the solar roof provides 1 800 kilometers extra per year.

X-Mode system

The version with dual motor and all-wheel drive (AWD), a system developed together with partner Subaru, isn’t notably stronger than its counterpart with driven front wheels only. The first one produces 218 hp, the latter 204 hp. There’s also an X-Mode system on the AWD, enhancing grip on slippery surfaces by choice.

The next model from the Toyota group building on this technology will be the Lexus LF-Z. But the pipeline is filled with much more. The Japanese manufacturer will launch 15 BEV models by 2025 and is investing €11,5 billion to ramp up its battery production to 180 GWh by 2030.

The bZ4X will debut officially in Europe on December 2nd.

Industry / Mobility / Product / Technology / Top Stories Today

Hyundai has reinvented the wheel

Piet Andries Posted On October 27, 2021

One wheel that does it all. Hyundai’s component division Mobis has unveiled the ‘e-Corner Module’, a wheel that doesn’t only steer but has incorporated suspension, braking, and driving systems.

And above all, it can turn 90 degrees making it possible for vehicles to move ‘like a crab’, meaning they can drive sideways. Ever imagined an easier way for parallel parking? This is it.

Parent company Hyundai already hinted at this technology before on studies for purpose-built vehicles (PBV) and at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, it showcased a detailed concept of the technology. Now the company says it has successfully developed the idea and is looking into the feasibility of mass production.

More room overall

The e-Corner Module does away with the mechanical connection of a shaft. Everything goes by wire, for which Mobis announces that it has developed a special ECU unit, so there’s no trace of a steering column.

The technology doesn’t only improve the kinetics of a car when mounted in an electric vehicle, it frees up space that can be used for improving the wheelbase and creating more room overall.

Though pictures were released of a Genesis GV60 with similar wheel action, Hyundai says it wants to use its magical invention for those PBVs first. Think of delivery vehicles, that will play an even bigger role in our urbanized future.

Traditional cars, that have a wheel corner of 30 degrees, would benefit though since the e-Corner can make them spin in place, tighten the turning radius and improve dynamics to a great extent.

Platform provider

This crabwalk technology is under investigation by several other manufacturers. Elon Musk mentioned it for the Tesla Cybertruck, Hummer showed it on their new EV model and leaked patents unveiled that Toyota is working on very similar technology.

The eCorner Module is a step for Mobis in transforming from a supplier of hardware and software into a platform provider. In the medium term, the company’s ambition is to serve other carmakers than Hyundai Motor Company, Genesis Motors, and Kia Motors.

Energy / Industry / Top Stories Today

Stellantis electrifies two French plants

Piet Andries Posted On October 27, 2021

Stellantis has announced that it will transform some of its French plants to make the electric shift. The group says that “it anticipates the effects of the energy transition by assigning new activities to sites that were until now mostly dependent on the combustion engine.”

The sites involved are Trémery-Metz (a site for combustion engines), which will be reformed into a production plant for electric motors. Included is also the Sept-Fons foundry, which makes cases but turns into a specialist for the manufacture of braking components.

The La Janais site in Rennes, which builds the C5 Aircross SUV, is prepared for a switch to an all-electric replacement, based on the Stella Medium platform which is currently under development.

A quarter of jobs at stake?

The changes are being carried out in cooperation with the unions, while financial support from local authorities is involved. Stellantis will use the money for extensive training plans to recalibrate the workforce. Stellantis is in a process of reshuffling its industrial apparatus. In Germany, it wants to spin-off its Opel plants, leading to clashes with IG Metall.

The new plans for the French activities arise at a symbolic moment. France struggles to address its problems with competitiveness on an international scale, and on Tuesday, at the ‘Journée de la Filière Automobile’ (Day of the Automotive Sector), a congress was held in Paris this week. There, concerns were raised that the country risks losing up to a quarter of the jobs in the automotive industry due to electrification.

30% higher labor cost

Scenarios vary, but it is believed that between 65 000 to 100 000 people will be out of work after the transition because building an electric car is much less complex and demands a different type of workforce.

And then there’s cost. Luc Chalet from la Platforme Automobile calculated that the labor costs in France are 30% higher than the European average, leading to a production cost for cars that is one-fifth more expensive than the rest.

Beaten by China and US

Chalet was backed by Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault, who pointed further to the fact that China is beating Europe in electrification while the US is doing the same in digitalization. “We have the feeling that the whole sector is in intensive care,” Chalet concluded, while he further reminded that the automobile was invented in France.

President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has already stepped into action. Keen on warding off the industrial crisis in his country, he committed to a plan earlier this month to inject 30 billion euros into the electrification strategy of the automotive business.

This includes the ambition of producing 2 million electric and hybrid cars in the end, a goal that coincides more or less with the current national output (2,2 million cars).

eBikes / Energy / Industry / Product / Technology

Ducati to be single manufacturer for MotoE GP but has no e-bike

Piet Andries Posted On October 22, 2021

As announced earlier this week that Energica would end its contract as the exclusive manufacturer for the MotoE, the all-electric racing class of the MotoGP World Championship, speculation began about who would fill the gap.

Mystery solved. As of 2023, Ducati will step in and provide the zero-emission racing bikes for the championship. The deal reaches for three seasons, to 2026 inclusive. There’s only one small catch: Ducati hasn’t got an e-bike.

‘Future is electric’

The Italian performance brand will need to hurry. But CEO Claudio Domenicali remains confident, stating that “the agreement comes at the right time for Ducati, which has been studying the situation of electric powertrains for years because it will allow us to experiment in a well-known controlled field like that of racing competition.”

In fact, over the years, Ducati has been blowing hot and cold on the matter, in heavy contrast to previous supplier Energica, who has been making waves on electric bikes for over a decade. However, back in 2019, Domenicali proclaimed that “the future is electric” and that the company would soon unveil a production version of such an e-bike. When the news broke, ‘tifosi’ all over the world started imagining such a bike through renderings.

E-bikes for cyclists

But nothing was shown officially (until now, the above picture is a Ducati rendering of their all-electric GP-bike for 2023), and aside from a joint project with Thok E-Bikes, some adventurous pedal-assist e-bikes for cyclists were made. Nothing more. Recently, Ducati’s VP of Sales and marketing, Francesco Milicia, revealed nostalgically in an interview with the British magazine MCN that “we have a machine over 100 years old that we need to respect.”

On elaborating that statement, Milicia continued to say that his brand wouldn’t produce an electric motorcycle anywhere soon because of penalties in “range, weight, and driving pleasure”. However, the company was – and still is – looking into the case of synthetic fuels with great interest.

Hand of Volkswagen?

The sudden change of heart most likely carries a German stamp. Since the Volkswagen Group owns the Borgo Panigale motorcycle manufacturer, the chances are that there has been some pressure from Wolfsburg. In their press statement, Ducati explicitly refers to the parent company and their expertise in the field of electric powertrains, claiming an “extraordinary exchange of expertise”.

In that light, the three-year contract with MotoE might be a prelude to a range of street products after all.

Riders of the MotoE show enthusiasm about the legendary brand, famous for its fearsome bikes, stepping in. They are already nicknaming the soon to be unveiled bike ‘Desmoelectric”.

Industry / Top Stories Today

Which shortage? Tesla posts record profit again

Piet Andries Posted On October 22, 2021

Tesla beat analysts’ expectations with its Q3 results. The net income of the American electric car company rose to $1,62 billion (€1,39 billion), which is almost five times higher than the earnings in the same period last year ($331 million or €284 million, + 389 percent).

The results were announced on Wednesday after the stock exchange had closed. The profit is realized by record sales, the vast majority coming from mass-oriented models as the Model Y and Model 3.

Thanks to the widespread adoption of these cars, operating income grew 54% from the $1,3 billion (€1,1 billion) reported in the second quarter to $2 billion (€1,7 billion). The operating margin has surged to an enviable 14,6 percent, which is astonishing since the average sales price has slid by 6 percent. Moreover, that margin lies higher than what the company initially forecasted (11-13 percent).

Profit streaks

Though the company is active in other fields, such as solar panels and battery storage, it is clear that its financial success still relies heavily on the sales of electric cars. In the third quarter, the company delivered 241 391 units of them, increasing 71 percent compared to last year. Investors didn’t fail to respond. Tesla’s stock rose 4 percent, breaking through the barrier of 900 dollars per share.

Then again, Tesla’s profits streaks remain remarkable. The global chip shortage, supply chain constraints, and rush on raw materials keep the industry in a tight grip. For example, it was unveiled this week that Volkswagen’s home factory in Wolfsburg is sputtering: annual output has fallen back to half of what’s usual.

Switching to LFP

But there was also a more cautious quote in Tesla’s report on Q3. It stated that a “variety of challenges, including semiconductor shortages, congestion at ports, and rolling blackouts, have been impacting our ability to keep factories running at full speed.” So, Tesla isn’t immune to the problems either. Still, it suggests that demand isn’t one of them.

To meet the challenge of raw material shortage due to the uptake of the global economy, Tesla announced that it would shift toward LFP batteries for its cheaper models. This lithium-iron-phosphate variant depends less on commodity and has more stable characteristics. However, it is less suited for more powerful cars. Therefore, the manufacturer will still be using nickel-based cells for its heavier, top-of-the-line cars.

Energy / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today

Both Stellantis and Toyota to build battery plants in US

Piet Andries Posted On October 20, 2021

Announced simultaneously, both Stellantis and Toyota have unveiled their plans to build a battery plant in the United States. Separately, that is. Both facilities will be producing cells and batteries from the lithium-ion family.

Stellantis is teaming up with Korean manufacturer LG Energy Solutions, formerly LG Chem, while Toyota will be co-building with its metals unit Toyota Tsusho under a new company.

Two big car groups making the same move at the same time merely shows how the sector is ramping up fast for mass-production of EVs and is upscaling the production to reach zero-emission mobility in the medium-term. Recently, Ford and General Motors laid out similar plans for battery production facilities in the U.S.

No exact location

The new jointly run factory of Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions will have a yearly output of 40-gigawatt hours. Construction will start in the second quarter of 2022. The exact location isn’t decided yet. If all goes by plan, the factory will start production at the beginning of 2024.

Stellantis needs the factory to reach its goal of more than 40% electrified sales in the U.S. by 2030. So the batteries coming from the new factory will also be used for plug-in hybrids.

Samsung also?

By that time total production capacity for batteries at the Stellantis group should be 260 gigawatt-hours annually. Rumour has it that a similar deal is on the table with Samsung SDI to reach that capacity. Industry insiders believe both parties have agreed and that a memorandum of understanding has already been signed to set up a joint factory.

In contrast to other American brands, this would mean that Stellantis won’t stick to an exclusive partnership concerning battery production. The relationship with LG goes a long way back, though. When the Chrysler Pacifica (by former FCA) was hybridized, LG was already on board as a supplier.

Apparently, Stellantis keeps an eye open to several partnerships. Over in Europe, they teamed up with Total Energies and Mercedes in the ACC giga-battery factory project.

Hybrids first

Toyota has been a relatively slow believer in BEVs but has overhauled that point of view completely. It now invests $ 1.3 billion (€ 1.1 billion) in constructing a battery factory on American soil, as part of a more significant investment on that continent of $ 3.4 billion (€ 2.9 billion).

Though Toyota already announced on several occasions that it is running testing prototypes of BEVs with solid-state batteries, the new facility will be concentrating on lithium-ion. In the beginning, the carmaker will primarily use the produced batteries for hybrids.

The site should be up and running by 2025, but the exact location is still under review.

On a worldwide scale, the Japanese car manufacturer is investing $ 13.5 billion (€ 11.6 billion) in battery production. It plans to launch 15 BEVs in the U.S. by 2025. By 2030 it targets a battery production of at least 200 gigawatt-hours.

Industry / Legislation / Top Stories Today

Opel settles dieselgate by paying €65 million fine

Piet Andries Posted On October 20, 2021

Opel escapes legal prosecution in Germany for an earlier investigation regarding manipulating some of its diesel engines. The company has coughed up a fine of 64,8 million euros to settle the case.

However, a spokesman underlined that this doesn’t imply a notion of guilt. The carmaker maintains its official position and states that all the involved vehicles comply with the legal requirements at all times.

‘Slightly guilty’

The fine was already imposed by the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office in February and has already been paid. However, details about the agreement only surfaced now.

Six Opel managers were also facing further investigation about their involvement in the scandal, but those actions were dropped in May. However, two of them were condemned for being ‘slightly guilty’ while the others had to make donations of about 5 000 to 10 000 euros to charitable institutions.

Parent company Stellantis now wants to pass on the general fine to General Motors, which, when the dieselgate scandal was breaking out, owned the company and was overseeing its operations. The Americans are liable for the models they developed under the purchase agreement terms, clarifies Stellantis.

Defeat device

According to the Frankfurt investigators, it is proven that Opel violated its documentation obligations at the ‘Kraftfahrtbundesamt‘, or Federal Motor Transport Authority, in the approval procedures for several diesel types.

In October 2018, the Flensburg-based authority had ordered the recall of the affected Zafira, Cascada, and Insignia models from the 2013 to 2016 model years. Of the nearly 100 000 cars, Opel had sold 31 200 in Germany.

Though the Kraftfahrtbundesamt referred to a defeat device used by Opel, this has always been denied by the car manufacturer. Instead, it responded by pointing at a so-called thermal window serving to protect the diesel engine.

Nevertheless, the company performed an obligatory software update on the referred models. And later, it offered a voluntary update on its other cars, involving the same engines.

Trail off the table

As the fine might seem monstrous, the carmaker gets off with a sigh, especially in the light of what happened to the largest carmaker of Germany, Volkswagen, after the dieselgate scandal.

Opel no longer faces allegations of fraud, nor criminal charges, so a possible trial is off the table. This concludes the investigation, which had led to a significant raid at the Opel headquarters in Rüsselsheim and the component plant in Kaiserslautern on October 15, 2018.

On the other hand, Volkswagen had to settle on a separate €830 million class-action suit involving 235 000 German car owners. On a worldwide scale, the carmaker from Wolfsburg has already paid €31,3 billion in fines, compensation, and buy-back schemes since the cheating scandal broke in 2015.

Their settlement in the U.S. is the largest one in the automotive industry between consumers and an OEM manufacturer.

Industry / Mobility / Services / Sharing / Top Stories Today

Rental and mobility company Leasys moves (softly) toward electrification

Piet Andries Posted On October 18, 2021

Leasys, a car rental and mobility branch within the Stellantis Group, has unveiled details about its electrification strategy for the near future. The starting point for the company is to turn their short-term rental fleet electric while pushing zero-emission mobility across its services along the line.

The electrification will be a step-by-step process, financed by a green bond, with an initial aim of 75% of the short-term fleet by 2024, successively expanding to all cars three years later. The transition will be guided by a tripling of the company’s charging infrastructure across Europe, climbing from 1 000 to 3 000 charging points.

Leasys operates in 12 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Spain.

No exact figures

The development ambitions, which is the epitaph in Leasys’ Mobility Revolution plan from 2020, need to be put in perspective since it also includes plug-in hybrids and doesn’t apply to the total fleet of half a million cars owned by the company. That includes medium and long-term rentals.

Leasys does not provide figures about the exact share of short-term rentals. That the plans also include PHEVs doesn’t come as a surprise. As far as all-electric cars go, Stellantis is primarily active in the city car segment.

Handful of markets

On the other hand, the mobility programs of Leasys are also integrated and will start adopting zero-emission cars from the Stellantis group. These services, however, have only been introduced on a handful of markets across Europe. Such as CarCloud, a subscription program for a monthly fee, only available in France, Spain, and Italy.

Leasys Miles (pay-per-use), Leasys Unlimited (care-free rental with unlimited kilometers), and Leasys-Go (car-sharing) will also step in. As for now, the latter is only active in Turin, Rome, and Milan but will be introduced in France later this year and in Spain by 2022.

Green bond

The issued green bond provides the company with €2,3 billion for investment in electrification of the fleet and charging infrastructure.

Leasys originated as a leasing company under the reigns of former FCA, as a subsidiary of FCA Bank. As a joint venture, it is co-owned by Crédit Agricole for 50%. The company is one of the major players in Europe in business car rentals and flexible mobility solutions. It occupies a leading position in its home country, Italy.

Product / Top Stories Today

Electrified Jeep Grand Cherokee is not afraid of trails

Piet Andries Posted On October 6, 2021

“Drive on sunshine.” That’s the punchline introducing the PHEV version of the new Grand Cherokee. Electrification is a first for the model.

However, the move toward such a driveline is nothing more than an obligation for the American off-road brand if it wants to continue to market cars in Europe, where emission rules are amongst the strictest in the world.

The PHEV technology in the new Grand Cherokee is not spanking new. The badge 4xe, accompanied by blue accents, already unveils that the powertrain has been transferred from the half-electric Wrangler. Over to the front, there’s a 2-liter combustion engine with turbo, assisted by a lithium-ion battery pack of 17,0 kWh.

40 electric kilometers

Homologation is still underway, so Jeep only gives preliminary data. However, the system’s total output is announced at 375 PS, with a maximum torque of 637 Nm, similar to the Wrangler.

The battery pack is a 400-volt unit installed under the vehicle floor. Jeep targets a consumption of 4,1 liters per 100 kilometers (WLTP), while it should be possible to cover 40 kilometers purely on electricity.

Waterproofed sealing and protection plates ensure that the module is well protected when the driver takes the vehicle over rugged terrain. Wading depth remains at 610 millimeters.

Rubicon Trail

During those landscape tours, the new Cherokee is also capable of pure electric off-roading. That’s because one electric motor is connected through the accessory belt while the other one replaces the classic torque converter. According to Jeep, the 4xe can tackle its benchmarked Rubicon Trail in an all-electric fashion. While charging it underway with solar power?

The electrified SUV will also be made available as a Trailhawk, armed with a front sway bar disconnect, rear locking differential, and all-terrain tires. In total, three all-wheel-drive systems are on the menu.

In addition, customers will be able to switch between different drive modes (Hybrid, Electric, and eSave) while they can monitor the power flow of the hybrid system on a 10,1-inch screen.

The new jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe will hit European markets somewhere in mid-2022. Unfortunately, prices are not yet fixed.

Energy / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Will luxury EVs soon be taxed in Norway?

Piet Andries Posted On October 6, 2021

According to Reuters news agency, Norway is installing a new cabinet, which most likely will affect the way EVs are taxed in the country. A center-left wing is set to take office in Oslo, under the supervision of Jonas Gahr Støre. His party favors a 25% added value tax for EVs for the part of the purchasing price above 60 000 euros.

Until now, all EVs were exempted from tax in Norway. And not without effect. The most recent sales figures show that the portion of newly registered electric cars soars far above 70% (see also below). The Norwegian twist is regarded as exemplary for EV adoption by the international community and is, therefore, closely watched.

Aimed at luxury brands

The new tax proposal targets luxury brands, such as Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Norway’s most popular EV brand, Tesla. It is regarded as a more fair system by the politicians of the Labor Party. Running for elections, the proposal of a 25% VAT on (a slice of the price of) luxury EVs, was part of their campaign.

The party refers to the fact that the present tax scheme – or rather the absence of it – was nothing more than a means to get the new technology of electric drivelines up and running but was never planned as a permanent benefit.

The rules must change since the objectives are almost met, according to their representatives. Norway’s ambition is to have a nationwide fully electric car fleet by 2025.

The Norwegian EV Association rejects the proposal. Its head, Christina Bu, points out that the timing still is premature, and that this change will slow down the electrification in Norway.

One in three for Tesla

As mentioned, the country is well underway at reaching its BEV target due to the favorable tax incentive. The registration figures for September showed an increase of nearly 46% for all-electric cars compared to the year before.

New electric cars represent a share of a staggering 77,5% in Norway. On the other hand, the percentage of plug-in hybrids is slipping and accounts for 13,9%.

Among Norwegian buyers, the new Tesla Model Y is the most popular EV (3 564 units), followed by its sibling, the Model 3 (2 218). As a result, one in three new cars registered in the country is now a Tesla.

In the BEV class, third place goes to the Skoda Enyaq (787), followed by the Audi e-Tron (672), VW ID.4 (659), Hyundai Ioniq (652), Ford Mustang Mach-E (600), VW ID.3 (456), and Nissan Leaf (410).

Mobility / Product / Top Stories Today

Lucid Air’s official 837 km range rating is baffling

Piet Andries Posted On September 20, 2021

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US’s official measurement and verification body for consumption figures of cars, has a new winner. According to the agency, the Lucid Air can cover a distance of 520 miles – or roughly 837 kilometers – in its Range version on a single charge, sitting on the standard 19-inch wheels.

That’s a record. For comparison, the Tesla Model S with the longest range can reach 405 miles or 652 kilometers. The model referred to is the Dream Edition Range, or the launch model sitting above the Grand Touring (516 mi) and the Touring (406 mi).

The battery has a capacity of a whopping 113 kWh, explaining the huge range. There’s also a Performance version of the Dream Edition, upping the horsepower from 933 to 1 111 hp. That blowing-off-your-socks Air still reaches 516 miles.

Both range figures are official estimates by the EPA, bearing in mind that the cars sit on 19-inch wheels. Opting for 20 inches eats away some driving distance (Range: 481 miles, Performance: 469 miles).

900-volt charging

In the field of electric car start-ups breaking down barriers is an important selling point. Lucid, who wants to become a high-end player, doesn’t fail to play along. Not only can the Air bear the title of the EV with the longest range, but it also has the largest frunk in its class, has a 0,21 coefficient of drag, and claims a charge of 300 miles in 20 minutes through an ultra-fast 900-Volt system. Moreover, the Air Performance can hit 0-60 mph in 2,5 seconds.

But the company has had its hick-ups. Production of the Air should have started in late spring but was delayed. The company now plans to deliver its first vehicles by the end of the year. Prices in the States start at $77 400 (€65 139). Reservations on the Dream Edition are already closed.

Mobility / Product / Top Stories Today

Ford forced to double production of electric F-150 Lightning

Piet Andries Posted On September 20, 2021

Ford has started pre-production of its first all-electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning. It is assembled in its specially erected Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, which Ford only started building one year ago in Michigan. The model should hit the market in spring 2022. Due to soaring demand, Ford will make an additional 250 million dollar investment in the plant.

The financial injection comes on top of earlier announced investments in electrification. Reservations for the F-150 Lightning are now at 150 000. “We knew the F-150 Lightning was special, but the interest from the public has surpassed our highest expectations and changed the conversation around electric vehicles. So we are doubling down, adding jobs and investment to increase production,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company.

Heart of the auto industry

More specifically, Ford will add an extra workforce of 450 people. This should make it possible to ramp up production to 80 0000 trucks a year, meaning that supply still won’t meet demand, but capacity is nevertheless doubled. If all goes well, Ford should reach peak production in 2023.

It demonstrates how the Lightning, together with the Cybertruck from Tesla or the offerings from Rivian, is at the heart of the U.S. auto industry and will play a major role in changing the minds of the American public.

The F-150 Lightning has an estimated price tag of $40 000 and a claimed EPA range of 300 miles. These characteristics are comparable to what the competition of Rivian and Tesla has on offer.

However, the latter plans to launch an edition with a triple engine and an elevated range of 500 miles. Investors and industry specialists are closely watching the uptake of all-electric pickups in America. They are regarded as key to success in the transition toward an electric future.

Sustainable production

The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center is a spearpoint for Ford to showcase sustainable production. The center uses a combination of natural and led-lightning and has a forklift fleet that runs on emission-free hydrogen. The site is built on the old Dearborn Assembly Plant, using its recycled foundation and construction materials.

The F-Series are America’s best-selling pickups, but so far, Ford didn’t make any announcements of offering the F150 Lightning in Europe too.

Product / Top Stories Today

Should we get excited about BMW’s all-electric 5 Series?

Piet Andries Posted On September 17, 2021

Of course, it’s no surprise that the upcoming 5 Series will get an all-electric version when BMW unveils the next generation in 2023. BMW already revealed plans about an i5 last time the IAA was held in Frankfurt.

In the wake of the new IAA, in BMW’s hometown of Münich, the German news site Focus Online has come up with new details about BMW’s rival for the Tesla Model S – after seeing the Mercedes EQE taking the stage, and BMW clinging to a very visionary stance at the motor show, somebody thought that it was a good idea to slip some future product info onto the web. This is what we know.

Sidestepping

Think of the i5 as a bigger i4. Just as the latter is an electric sidestep to the regular 4 Series, with more or less the same bodywork, it won’t be any different for the next 5, dubbed G60.

The i5 won’t be dedicated; instead, it will sit on the second generation of the Cluster Architecture Platform (CLAR), an evolution of the current underpinnings of the 5 Series, alongside sister models with traditional and PHEV powertrains. From the start, that architecture has been developed for a complete array of drivetrains, from ICE to BEV. But using it all-electric on the 5 Series will be a first.

Note that the rivals from Audi (A6 e-tron) and Mercedes (EQE) use their own dedicated architecture.

i5 M is coming

In most respects, the i5 treads in the footsteps of the ix3, i4, and iX-models, which are all based around the same technology, the fifth generation of eDrive. Specific details about battery capacity, range, or charging remain unknown.

Still, the similarities across the i range make it feasible that some of the i5 models will aim for an autonomy of 500 kilometers and more. Obviously, there will be an option of four-wheel drive by adding an extra electric motor in the front.

Furthermore, Focus Online states that the most powerful version of the new 5 Series will be all-electric. The top-of-the-range i5 M is expected to develop more than 700 bhp, or 100 bhp more than currently found in the M5. For the interior, a dashboard very similar to the i4 is expected. In the absence of physical buttons, a long curved display integrates the main clusters and the infotainment system.

One last go

CEO of BMW, Oliver Zipse, announced earlier that the all-electric version of the 5 Series would be built in Dingolfing, alongside the other engine types. In the plant resides an E-Powertrain Competence Centre, which can manufacture batteries, assemble them and build electric motors. Production in China for the local market is under review.

Road-testing of the G60 generation of the BMW 5 has already started. Market launch is planned for 2024. BMW has not set a date for phasing out the combustion engine, but it considers that the deadline might fall sooner than expected. Therefore, it wants an electric version of every model in the line-up. Chances are very real that the 5 Series G60 will be the last generation on fossil fuels.

Energy / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Volvo Cars Ghent searches 500 employees to meet EV demand

Piet Andries Posted On September 15, 2021

Demand for electric Volvo’s is going strong. To meet that growing demand Volvo Cars Ghent is scouting for an extra workforce of 500 people More specifically, the factory is looking for operators and troubleshooting technicians who can fix the tooling.

“These profiles are in very high demand in the sector”, says Barbara Blomme, pr for the factory. So the news is good, but the search might be cumbersome. Therefore, also 700 interim contracts are being converted into fixed ones.

Key role

The plant in Ghent plays a key role in EV production for the brand, which vowed to become all-electric in 2030. Though the assembly of electric Volvo’s is also starting in China, the Flemish factory serves as a pioneer and plays a role model.

Earlier was announced that the production of all-electric cars would rise to 135 000 by mid-2022. “It’s clear that gradually the EV portion at our site will keep expanding. Expectations are that the mix next year will be 14% ICE and 86% hybrids and full-electric. But, corona and the chip crisis have shown us that we need to remain very cautious about what can happen.”, continues Blomme.

Two EVs

The most recent production data available stem from 2020. Of the total output of that year, 194 890 units, there were 30 844 electric vehicles (15,8%). With hybrids added that figure doubles. Blomme comments that in the year 2021 there was another doubling for electrified cars, leading up to a share of 60%.

At its peak, in 2011, the factory produced more than 265 000 cars annually. Hopes are that the EV push will step by step ramp the output back up to maximum capacity.

Currently, Volvo Cars Ghent produces two EVs: the XC40 Recharge and its coupe version, the C40 Recharge. The latter one is set for commercial launch next month in October.

Legislation / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Belgian Car-Pass needs upgrade and European adoption

Piet Andries Posted On September 15, 2021

The booming market for second-hand cars in Belgium demands new measurements. According to the Secretary of State for Consumer Protection, Eva De Bleeker (Open VLD), an upgraded version of the famous Car-Pass is needed. She announced her plans on Tuesday at the Eurostar 2000 used car garage in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

“We want to make the Car-Pass future-proof,” says Secretary of State De Bleeker: “The Car-Pass is the instrument for consumers who want to buy a Belgian used car in full confidence. To continue to protect consumers optimally, we will adapt the Car-Pass to the reality of today and tomorrow.”

Engine type and maintenance history

If De Bleeker has her way, the upgraded version should also state the type of engine in the car, making it easier for consumers to find out whether they are dealing with a hybrid, electric, or ICE car. There’s also the idea of setting up an online maintenance history.

In addition, the Secretary of State wants to get more out of the data from Car-Pass. She wants to track the info anonymously to learn more about used cars and the market around them. The bill is expected to be finalized by the end of 2021, beginning of 2022.

No Car-Pass in Germany

De Bleeker noted that there also lies a problem in the rise of imported second-hand cars, following the stronger demand. For example, a study by Car-Pass of used cars from Germany revealed that 30% of them were susceptible to mileage fraud.

Germany is one of the most important countries of origin for the Belgian second-hand car market, but the absence of a Car-Pass makes consumers vulnerable to this fraud.

De Bleeker has now asked the European Commission to introduce it throughout Europe. Michel Peelman, CEO of Car-Pass, added: “Hopefully, the European Commission will follow our request.”

Strong sales remain

Used car registrations are performing strongly in Belgium. In 2021 they have increased by 14.5% in the first 8 months compared to the year before. Looking back to the period before the pandemic, growth can be noted at 4.5%. These figures are in stark contrast to the evolution of the new vehicle market, which has declined by 3.5% and 28.9%, respectively.

The outlook for these figures is not likely to change much. The chip crisis, leading to higher prices for new cars and annoying delay times, is not expected to disappear before the end of 2022. Sales of second-hand cars will remain strong during the coming year.

This also implies that a lot of new customers, often untrusty about the connectivity of new cars due to the chip shortage, are finding their way to this market. All the more reason for a better safety net, according to Car-Pass.

eBikes / Product / Top Stories Today

Motorbike or bicycle? BMW reinvents two-wheeler with Amby

Piet Andries Posted On September 8, 2021

At the IAA in Münich, BMW doesn’t fail to meet the middle name ‘Mobility’ that the show carries. The German car brand and its motorbike department Motorrad both showed their take on the future for two-wheelers.

And that’s apart from the Concept CE2 that toes the line between a scooter and a motorbike. So yes, there’s something brewing in the kitchen where BMW is designing and fabricating their two-wheelers.

Amby

Aiming for the new trends in urban mobility, Amby is an acronym for Adaptive Mobility. The Motorrad Vision Amby is a sturdy concept, crossing a motorbike and a bicycle. It is flanked by the i Vision Amby (the ‘i’ makes the difference), which you could call a super speed pedelec for city dwellers with a nose for a premium image – and price tag, we suppose. BMW calls it “a visionary two-wheeled solution for the urban mobility of tomorrow”.

One with pedals, one not

Basically, these two ‘hyper bicycles’ rely on the same electric driveline, but they are propelled differently. The i bike needs to be pedaled by its owner, while the motorbike concept uses a classic handle on the steering and footrests. The difference is also reflected in the design, with one resembling a bicycle and the other a motorbike. Both are sturdy propositions, though.

The different speed settings of the two concepts are intelligent. Through geofencing, these two-wheelers can vary their speed, ranging from 25 kph on cycle tracks, up to 45 kph on city-center roads, and up to 60 kph (37 mph) on multi-lane roads and outside urban areas.

An appropriate helmet and insurance are applicable for the higher speeds. There’s also a manual mode for the speed settings. However, it needs to be noted that there’s no legal framework yet for mobility solutions with variable speeds.

Breaking down barriers

The battery sits in the middle of the frame and has a capacity of 2 kWh. It enables a range of no less than 300 kilometers on a full charge. Recharging it should be possible in three hours. Both speed-pedelecs also have larger tires than usual, ensuring more comfort and safety at higher speeds.

These concepts want to break down barriers. “In the future, classifications such as ‘car’, ‘bicycle’ and ‘motorcycle’ should not determine the nature of the products we think up, develop and offer,” explains Werner Haumayr, Vice President BMW Group Design Conception. And he continues: ‘The modes and clever route selection are intended to make it one of the fastest travel options through a city.”

“For us, the focus is on user behavior,” says Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design BMW Motorrad. “So the question is, how does the customer want to get around in the future? What demands do they place on their vehicle? This is exactly where we started our considerations,” he concludes.

eBikes / Environment / Mobility / Product / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Cargo-bikes in Brussels get incentive of 4 000 euros

Piet Andries Posted On September 8, 2021

The chances are that cargo bikes will become a much more common sight in Brussels and its surroundings. This is because the region of Brussels has launched the Cairgo Bike fee.

Companies that chose a cargo bike, or a bike trailer, can benefit from a fee of several thousands of euros. For cargo bikes, the maximum amount can rise to € 4 000; for trailers, the limit is € 2 000.

The incentive wants to boost soft mobility for small to medium businesses around town. Cargo bikes are already being tailor-made for a wide variety of professions, ranging from tree pruners, plumbers, delivery boys to garbage collectors.

Limited in time

As a leverage program, the Cairgo initiative is not without conditions. As the application window closes on the 30th of July of 2023, it is limited in time, and no company can exceed an attribution of € 12 000 per year. The total amount of the incentive is 500 000 euros, of which the European Union is funding 80%.

The region of Brussels hopes that the switch will not only improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions but sees these cargo bikes as a part of the solution to the problems with traffic jams.

When used for delivery, bikes don’t need to double park and help the traffic flow. The balance sheets of companies benefit likewise because delivery bikes are more cost-efficient and less time-consuming.

Confirmed by studies

The potential for cargo bikes is underlined by Brussels Minister for Mobility, Elke van den Brandt (Groen): “Several studies point out that cargo bikes can replace no less than half of the motorized urban transportation needs.” But as the incentive shows, companies need a little push in their back.

Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Four more EVs and new global HQ for Lotus

Piet Andries Posted On September 1, 2021

It was already announced that the British sports car manufacturer Lotus was moving its all-in focus to electric, but now more detailed plans have been released. A pervasive transformation is taking place. Lotus is going global and is preparing the products and infrastructure to make it happen.

First, the product strategy. Under the Vision80-plan (Lotus’ goals for its 80th birthday in 2028), four more EVs under the electric supercar Evija are added: a big as well as a medium-sized SUV, a four-door coupe, and a smaller sports car. The latter should weigh no more than the equivalent of a combustion engine and will be developed with Renault‘s sports branch, Alpine.

What we know from the timeline is that the so-called ‘lifestyle vehicles” come first. The big SUV will debut next year, followed by the four-door coupe in 2023. The small SUV is set for 2024. Lotus will build all of them in China. The small sports car follows later, in 2026.

Global headquarters in Wuhan

On top of that, parent-company Geely has unveiled plans during a ceremony for a whole new Technology headquarters and a new manufacturing facility in Wuhan, China. The first one should be ready by 2024, the second one already this year. All global operations will be run from there. The Chinese electric car brand NIO is also involved. Their founder Li Bin is co-investing in the technology center.

The new sites don’t mean that the company is leaving its hometown in Britain. Geely already invested £100 million in the site in Hethel, which was used for a new assembly hall. All assembly lines together Lotus should get an output of more than 150 000 vehicles in the long run. That’s a big jump from the 1 500 cars the brand is annually making today.

Bespoke architectures

Vehicle architecture will remain bespoke. Being part of the Geely family doesn’t mean that Lotus is obliged to do with Chinese technology. Future product planning is announced to be based around four architectures: the first one serves the four-dour vehicles.

It accommodates wheelbases ranging from 2,889 mm-3,100 mm, which according to Lotus, should coincide with C- to E-segment cars and will feature batteries from 92.0 to 120.0 kWh. For extremely fast charging, 800-volt is supported.

The second platform is built for all-electric sports cars. There’s no information on the remaining architectures. But none of them will be flexible to accommodate combustion engines. The Emira will be the very last classic Lotus.

New design chief

According to the American magazine Car and Driver also a new old face is showing up. Coming over from Geely is designer Peter Horbury. The 71-year Brit will head Group Lotus Design and become the new design chief for the iconic British brand.

Previously Peter Horbury carved out a name for himself as a designer for Ford America and Volvo. His position at Geely is filled by Stefann Sielaff, currently working for Bentley.

eBikes / Product / Technology / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Bike-by-wire is here: pedaling without chain

Piet Andries Posted On September 1, 2021

At Eurobike in Friedrichshafen, which is opening doors today, Schaeffler will be presenting a new ‘bike-by-wire’ system called Free Drive. It’s an innovative drive system for e-bikes that dispenses with the usual chain or belt. There’s no mechanical connection between the generator and motor anymore.

The new technology offers less wear, has compact dimensions, and opens up new possibilities for bike design and pedal configurations. Next to e-bikes, Free Drive could serve as a driveline for cargo vehicles with three or four wheels, offering last-mile mobility solutions.

The booming market of micro-mobility is where the new technology is made for. Schaeffler is not alone with this type of pioneering by-wire system. Pendix is expected to showcase its own version at the IAA Münich next week.

Serial hybrid

At the core of the Free Drive system is the Schaeffler generator. It constantly sets the resistance on the pedal while simultaneously absorbing the rider’s pedaling power. It’s a serial hybrid. The mechanical energy generated during pedaling is converted into electric energy, converted back into mechanical energy in the wheel hub motor. A battery stocks the excess energy.

Like cars, all the components communicate with each other through a CAN bus network. The continuous output of the system is 250 watts. There is also a human-machine interface next to the pedal generator, drive motor, and battery power pack.

Joint forces

“Free Drive can provide maximum flexibility in the bicycle architecture and a freely configurable pedaling sensation, which is tailored to the requirements of the bicycle and the needs of the rider while ensuring minimal wear,” says Dr. Jochen Schröder, President of the E-Mobility Division.

Schaeffler is not entirely new to the bike and micro-mobility market. In 2016, it introduced an automatic gearshift system for bikes, and it developed an interesting pedelec with four wheels, the Bio-Hybrid, a concept that it later sold.

But the focus of their main activities as a roll bearing specialist lies mainly in the automotive and aerospace business. To develop their new chainless drive system, the company joined forces with specialist Heinzmann, another German company in the automotive industry that wants to expand into the fast-growing market of e-bikes through innovative technology.

Energy / Product / Services / Sharing / Top Stories Today

Renault presents ride-hailing Limo at IAA Münich

Piet Andries Posted On August 30, 2021

At the motor show in Münich, Renault’s mobility arm, Mobilize, will reveal its first product. It’s called the Limo, and it’s an all-electric, D-segment-sized sedan that will be made exclusively available through subscription.

But whereas similar formulas, like Lynk&Co, aim at private customers, the Mobilize Limo should be regarded as a response to the ride-hailing market. In dedicated markets, the four-door car will be offered as a complete mobility and service package. But in a premium fashion, according to Mobilize.

The car has been conceived specifically for taxis, private hire, and fleet use. It will have a customer base, ranging from professional to occasional and one-off drivers and passengers.

Ambient mood

Despite its name, the Limo doesn’t measure more than 5 meters. Actually, it’s 4,7 meters long, but due to its electric driveline, the wheelbase of 2,75 meters is long enough to offer sufficient space for passengers.

Because the car has such a designated target group of customers, a lot of attention was put into specific matters like the ergonomics of the front seat or the ambient mood in the back.

The latter is enhanced by sophisticated light strips in the door panels, offering seven different colors, and satin-finished TEP leather, which is easy to clean. Also, when approaching the car, the door handles pop up as a welcome. The car can also be controlled (locked, unlocked, checked, booked) by an app.

Decorative carbon inserts give the dashboard a distinctive look. The digital interface reaches across the upper section of the dashboard and uses a 10.25-inch screen for the instrument panel. At the same time, a 12.3-inch touchscreen for multimedia and navigation controls sits in the center console.

Avant-garde as an idea

The 60 kWh lithium-ion battery pack offers Limo a driving range of 450 kilometers (WLTP). Mobilize claims that this is more than compliant with the daily drive of professional drivers before they can charge the car overnight.

Fast-charging means that 240 kilometers can be reached in 40 minutes. All in all, it seems that the Limo is avant-garde as an idea, not by technical features.

After its world debut in Münich, the Limo will be launched as a test fleet (40 vehicles) before it will be fully commercialized at the end of 2022.

Expected to double

Mobilize is a joint venture between Renault and Jiangling Motors. The sub-brand is aimed at mobility solutions, for which both manufacturers want to merge their expertise.

According to CEO Clotilde Delbos, the company’s goal is to “maximize car usage with simplified, more sustainable and accessible mobility journeys for people and goods while reducing the environmental impact.”

The European ride-hailing market is expected to almost double in revenue by 2030, growing from €28 billion today to €50 billion by the end of the decade.

Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Geneva International Motor Show gets spin-off in Qatar

Piet Andries Posted On August 26, 2021

No, it’s not a fata morgana. The organization behind the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), one of the oldest events in its genre worldwide, has agreed with Qatar Tourism to hold a similar motor show every two years in Doha.

On Wednesday, both partners held a press conference at the capital of the Arabian peninsula, officially baptizing the Qatar Geneva International Motorshow, calling it a “new world-renowned motor show for the middle east”. Swiss mountain people might have little to do with desert people, but surely they share a profound interest in prestigious cars.

Biennale in Doha

When exactly the first edition in Doha is held is not yet decided. Only that it will be a biennale. The coming weeks will reveal whether the show will start in autumn 2022 or 2023. Certainly, the forthcoming GIMS in Switzerland will still be organized every year.

Geneva is gearing up to open its doors from the 19th to the 27th of February 2022. During that show, GIMS will explain the full concept behind the mirror event in full detail.

The Swiss organizers hailed Qatar for their ‘outstanding experience offer’ and ‘infrastructural capabilities’. In its turn, Qatar Tourism said that the new format fits in with their national strategy, which is “expanding our tourism proposition to position Qatar as a world-leading destination (…).”

Saved from bankruptcy?

The new tie-up can be related directly to the financial woes that have shadowed the GIMS over the last few years – and many other motor show organizers. In 2020, the motor show suffered a last-minute cancellation due to the pandemic, causing a perilous downturn that might have led to bankruptcy.

To save the edition of 2021, the Canton of Geneva offered a bailout package of 16,8 million francs. The organization could not come to terms with that. It stated that it was contradictory to the values of the motor show. The clock has been ticking from that point, and it seems Qatar Tourism eventually threw a lifeline.

Harsh outlook

The GIMS is not alone. The outlook for many motor shows is harsh. More and more car manufacturers questioning the huge investment and complaining about low or short exposure due to the number of exhibitors and the rise of digital communication tools. Withdrawals were already becoming a trend long before the ongoing pandemic served as a fire accelerator.

Motor shows around the globe are now taking up their business again but remain in survival mode. In Tokyo, a resize was put forth as a remedy, and Frankfurt moved completely to Münich. Detroit is reimagining the whole experience thinking of replacing it with an outdoor event and, now, Geneva needs a hand from the Saoudi’s to secure its future.

Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Free access on toll highways for Russian EV-drivers

Piet Andries Posted On August 25, 2021

New details have emerged on Russia’s ambitions regarding their adoption of a marketplace for EVs. Targets have been set about the development of production, the creation of infrastructure, and the built-up of competence. Also, an experiment is starting with free passage for electric cars on toll roads.

As we reported before, electric vehicles are a marginal phenomenon in the Russian streets. That’s even putting it mildly. The nation has been dragging behind severely in the transition toward emission-free mobility, with almost no local production, extremely modest charging infrastructure, and vague interest,

72 000 charging stations

Russian news agency TASS has now confirmed the objective that by 2030, all-electric vehicles should account for ten percent of the total vehicle production in the country. More specifically, that’s around 217 000 vehicles. Also, by that time frame, there should be 72 000 charging stations. As for now, there are only a few hundred in the country. Prime Minister Mikhael Mishustin has approved the plans.

In the medium term, Russia plans to open 9 000 charging stations within three years, and by that time, the production of electric vehicles should have reached 25 000 units annually. However, it remains unmentioned who is going to manufacture those EVs.

Apart from the Zetta, a peculiar small city car very uncharacteristic of the appetite for SUVs most Russians suffer from, there are almost no local manufacturers focusing on developing and producing battery-electric passenger cars.

Financial injection

The government hopes to change that with a financial injection. According to the press statement, producers of electric vehicles and batteries will have subsidies to co-finance the costs associated with the plant’s construction and special investment contracts.

Reportedly, the program is being backed by an investment of $1 million. Part of that will be used as a subsidy for those buying and driving a Russian-made car or vehicle. On top of that, the authorities have now announced that they will start an experiment, granting free access for EVs on toll roads as of 2022.

Besides battery-electric vehicles, there’s also an investment in hydrogen. There should be more than 1 000 filling stations by 2030. Within the coming months, further information will be released on how Russia aims to develop this sub-sector.

Europe / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Tesla minimizes delay on European deliveries of Model Y

Piet Andries Posted On August 25, 2021

Several customers in Europe took delivery of their Model Y on Tuesday. In Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, but also in Belgium, an excited Gunther Depooter was handed over his car. “It’s perfect. Much roomier than a Model 3, and it looks really great,” he added.

Deliveries for Europe have now officially started, one month later than initially promised. That’s a minimal delay since getting the Model Y here has been cumbersome. Production of the compact SUV was supposed to change the usual strategy completely.

Deliveries outside the US were postponed until the factory in Fremont had produced enough batches to satisfy the local market. For Chinese customers, a new factory in Shanghai has to fix that bottleneck in production; for Europe, a production unit in Berlin.

Surprise ramp-up

Not everything went according to plan. Due to permit problems, the German factory is suffering serious delays. It won’t open until October 2021 at the earliest. In contrast, the Gigafactory in Shanghai was erected in record time. Tesla has now made it the central hub for export outside of the US. Even the company itself was surprised at how fast it could ramp up the production in Shanghai.

The Chinese can manufacture no less than 8 000 Model Ys per month for export, of which the major part is being shipped to the harbor of Zeebrugge, Tesla’s main port for Europe. From there, they are distributed all over the continent.

High hopes

Tesla already announced the Model Y in March 2019. It’s an SUV version of the Model 3, also made in Shanghai, and shares the same main components. General comments were that the built quality has further improved.

The Y is available in two versions, built around the same battery of 75 kWh and two electric motors for four-wheel drive. The Long Range costs 63 000 euros in Belgium and can reach 507 kilometers, according to WLTP. The Performance version has a range of 480 kilometers. But it reaches 100 km/hour from a standstill in a swooping 3,7 seconds (5,0 seconds for the Long Range).

Hopes are really high for the Model Y. Not only does the compact SUV compete in Europe’s most popular car category, Elon Musk already stated before that it could become the best-selling car in 2023 by absolute numbers.

Environment / Hydrogen / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today

Volvo gets delivery of world’s first carbon-free steel

Piet Andries Posted On August 19, 2021

On Wednesday, the Volvo Group was handed over its first carbon-free steel. The supplier is Swedish steel company SSAB Öxelund who uses Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology (HYBRIT) to replace coal and coke during production.

SSAB’s goal is to decarbonize the steel industry and to commercialize green steel. They plan to have all their traditional furnaces replaced by carbon-neutral ones by 2040 at the latest. And together with Volvo Group, they want to make the first vehicle in the world made from sustainable steel, most likely a truck.

Breakthrough

“The first fossil-free steel in the world is not only a breakthrough for SSAB,” commented Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of SSAB, “it represents proof that it’s possible to make the transition and significantly reduce the global carbon footprint of the steel industry.”

Green steel is made through HYBRIT technology, a joint project involving two heavily state-owned partners: mining company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall. In this process, the blast furnace is replaced by an electric arc furnace fueled by hydrogen.

The previous stage, refining the raw material, is also conducted fossil-free. The resulting product is an iron sponge, which is then processed into steel.

‘In a few years’

Volvo Group will start using fossil-free steel this year, firstly for the construction of prototypes and machinery. As of 2022, it hopes to start a small series production for vehicles, gradually moving to mass production. The timeframe is referred to as “in a few years”. Newly-made green steel will also complement traditional and recycled steel in the truck branch of the Swedish manufacturer.

President and CEO of Volvo Group Martin Lundstedt calls it an important step in becoming a climate-neutral company by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement.

Skepticism

The HYBRIT technology is a prestigious case for Sweden. It wants this to be a world-leading climate project with significant export potential. But it is not met without skepticism. Producing the required hydrogen demands vast amounts of electricity – 15 TWh – according to Vattenfall, which needs to be produced in an alternative green manner. Easier for Scandinavia than the rest of the world.

And that’s where the largest steel producers are: China, India, the USA, and Russia. They all rely very heavily on fossil fuels for their production sites; converting these well-established processes will be very costly for them.

The steel industry is responsible for 7-9% of the worldwide carbon footprint. Therefore, switching SSAB to HYBRIT will help decarbonize Sweden by more or less 10%.

Energy / Industry / Product / Technology / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

BYD starts sales of its promising Dolphin in China

Piet Andries Posted On August 18, 2021

BYD has started sales of its new compact city car, the Dolphin, in its homeland China. Though the car itself has been unveiled before, the commercial launch gives more insight into its technical details. And we mustn’t be mistaken; it’s cheap but high-tech.

Underneath that small bodywork and the hugely affordable price tag resides technology with a competitive edge. Even Tesla is reportedly swimming with the Dolphins and buying its battery technology.

Two batteries

The Dolphin is offered in two versions: the base model gets a battery of just 30,7 kWh, driven by an electric motor of 70 kW. The range is just above 300 kilometers according to (optimistic) NEDC. More interesting: Chinese customers will pay no more than 96 800 yuan, or € 12 685, for the car (after subsidy by the government).

That’s a steal, so to say. And without compromise. Fast-charging the smaller battery can be performed at 40 kW, meaning it doesn’t take more than half an hour to reach 80% refill.

Above the base model, three more versions are being launched, all built around a 44,9 kWh power storage unit. This battery can be fast-charged at 60 kW, equaling the charging time of the base model but topping its range with 100 kilometers more.

The mid-versions get the same electric motor as the base model. But the top-of-the-range Dolphin can reach a slightly higher top speed (160 instead of 150 kph) thanks to its 130 kW electric motor.

800 volt

Prices for the versions with more autonomy remain attractive, from € 13 995 to € 16 355. All the Dolphins share that the electric motor is mounted on the front axle, a heat pump, whilst AC charging can be performed at the peak of 7 kW.

The new e-platform 3.0 being used is built around 800-volt technology. But due to the special chemistry of the cells, it doesn’t impact favorably charging times.

With its size of a city car (overall length measures a little above 4 meters), the Dolphin promises to be a practical people mover. Its wheelbase reaches 2,70 meters, which is just as long as a Volkswagen Passat.

Blade battery

Like the Tang, which found its first European customers only a few days ago, the Dolphin uses BYDs Blade-battery. A much safer and cobalt-free lithium-iron-phosphate variant (LFP) that doesn’t burn nor heat up when penetrated in a crash.

Moreover, this type of battery doesn’t need to be mounted in modules. Its so-called cell-to-pack technology means the packaging is more intelligent, boosting range (you can find more details here).

Producing the Blade battery is cheap, too. Remember when car brands said that EVs would cost the same as conventional cars as batteries reach a cost of 85 euros per kWh? Blade is at 55 euros per kWh.

Small doesn’t mean you can’t be clever.

Industry / Mobility / Product / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Is Bosch succumbing to battery technology for EVs after all?

Piet Andries Posted On August 13, 2021

Bosch, the world’s largest automotive supplier, announced that it wants to be a top tier in delivering industrial equipment for battery production. The company aims to more than double its sales in this field by 2025, good for a revenue of 250 million euros.

Next, it invests 70 million euros in its facility in Eisenach to produce a second-generation 48-volt battery, typically used for mild hybrids and e-bikes. “We know batteries like the back of our hand, as well as how they have to be manufactured,” says Rolf Najork, member of the Bosch board of management.

That might be very true since the company has been producing small batteries for a long time, but Bosch previously admitted that it had lost the market for cell production to the Chinese when it comes to electric cars.

Investing in a catch-up race would have never paid off, as the official explanation went. And so, the company shifted its focus toward fuel cell production. Is Bosch reversing from that point of view?

Extensive growth

Not exactly. It seems that it wants to take an alternative route. The battery market is expected to burst at the seams and grow substantially. Predictions are that demand for lithium-ion batteries will grow tenfold by 2030 compared to 2019, topping at 2 000 GWH. More than half of that (60%) will be used for mobility.

Through its branch Industrial Technologies – actually, a smaller department – Bosch wants to cling to that evolution. Not by making battery cells on its own but by furnishing manufacturing expertise, development, tools, and software.

Pilot project

Together with Webasto, the German supplier already ran a pilot project at their plant in Schierling. Bosch’s role there is to supply automated assembly lines for welding and to glue the battery cells.

But the company isn’t solely focusing on its function as a supplier of individual components and software solutions. As a general contractor, it also wants to offer the service of complete factory construction for those interested in making batteries.

It is tempting to see Bosch’s ambitions as a preferred partner in battery production in the light of the prior management shake-up. In June, the company replaced some of its long-serving key figures, like CEO Volkmar Denner, to pave the way for a fresh future in which there’s less room for powertrain and more focus on digitalization and electric mobility.

Product / Technology / Top Stories Today

Mercedes warns fellow-drivers for potholes and crosswinds

Piet Andries Posted On August 12, 2021

Mercedes is adding a new feature to its extensive list of Car-to-X-warnings. While its drivers are already alarmed when there’s a broken-down vehicle, a skiddy section, accidents, or heavy weather conditions along the route, the newest functions include potholes and crosswinds.

The chassis control can pick up these potentially dangerous road events on the latest C-Class, S-Class, and the all-electric EQS. The information, including the position data, is uploaded to the Mercedes’ cloud service through the mobile phone network, where it is processed and sent to any other Mercedes car nearby.

Artificial intelligence

As cars are getting more and more connected, their artificial intelligence (AI) is rising. Manufacturers want their vehicles to talk to each other, infrastructure, and the workshop and get them updated while they’re asleep in your garage.

The cloud is not only there for the beloved photographs of your children. It’s also keeping your car in shape and making it safer. It’s called Car-to-X by Mercedes or, more generally, V2X (vehicle to everything).

Here’s how it works

These surrounding Mercedes cars don’t need to be one of the three mentioned earlier to get these Car-to-X warnings. In fact, the info on these new hazards, which is displayed as an icon on the navigation screen, can be received worldwide by any Mercedes produced from 2016 onward.

An audible warning, available in 36 languages, is also given about ten seconds before the relevant section.

Mercedes-Me account

There’s just one catch – or should we say pothole? – the driver has to have a Mercedes Me account with activation of the Car-to-X functionality. Information is for those who subscribe.

Mercedes has been testing the new functionalities in-depth at its Immendingen Test and Technology Center (PTZ). Basically, the potholes are recognized by an algorithm that calculates the springs’ compression and rebound phase. So if it’s sudden and the rear axle shows the same pattern as the front axle, the system learns there’s a pothole.

Product / Technology / Top Stories Today

Pininfarina Battista to be heard during Californian maiden trip

Piet Andries Posted On August 12, 2021

Monterey Car Week is waking up the automotive industry during lazy summertime. On Wednesday, Audi opened up eyes around the globe with its grand tourer Skysphere; today, Pininfarina takes over with some nice shots of their Battista hypercar trashing along some coastal routes of California heading toward the stage of Monterey Car Week.

Apart from the high-speed tests at Nardo – with a prototype – there hasn’t been any dynamic footage of this 1.900 HP electric sports car. Pininfarina calls it “the first pure-electric hyper-GT”.

But while it hits the roads sooner than its rival from Britain, the Lotus Evija, there’s no secret that the longtime Ferrari coachbuilder has built its car around the technical basis of the Croatian Rimac C-Two, which came first. That hypercar has gone into production under the name Nevera.

‘Significant landmark’

Many visitors of Monterey Car Week can adorn for the first time the exquisitely crafted carbon bodywork, part of the personalization program, and the bespoke interior with its Pilota seats (in sustainable black leather) and quilted Alcantara upholstery. “This is a significant landmark,” added Paolo Dellachà, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at Automobili Pininfarina, “and hugely rewarding moment, as we count down toward making the first client deliveries later this year”.

For those clients, the arrival of the Battista in the US gives them a chance to experience the Pure Sound philosophy that the Italians created. A huge part of sports car sensation sits between the ears, quite a challenge for EVs. But Pininfarina, even citing the likes of Italian composer Verdi, says it managed to create a unique aural signature.

Reinventing opera?

In technical terms, the voicing is based around a core frequency of 54 Hz, an organic frequency of a multiple of 432 Hz (known as Verdi’s A), which is, according to music theory, mathematically consistent with the universe. As a result, it’s one of the most pristine sounds. Apparently, a lot of thought crept into it, but what else can you expect from a country that has invented opera?

Pininfarina will use the feedback it gathers at Monterey to finalize the acoustics of its Pure Sound. So, unfortunately, it is not being showcased in the accompanying video.

Battista ‘spreading its wings’ in California / Pininfarina

150 units

It’s no wonder Pininfarina has elected North America as the playground for the dynamic launch. Soon after the unveiling of the supercar, CEO Michael Perschke already announced that interest from the United States was strong, and deposits were made in a satisfyingly fast manner.

In the end, Pininfarina will build only 150 units of the Battista, equally split between Europe, the US, and the rest of the world.

Underneath is a video of the car hitting some open road in California:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oGiphAGivY

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