EDITOR'S CHOICE

In-road Inductive Charging Tests Demonstrate Unlimited EV Range

14 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"[Stellantis]...has built and tested a charge-as-you-drive system - a loop of road in Italy with wireless EV charging coils embedded under the surface, so that electric cars can charge as they drive and unlock unlimited range.

"When active, the coils send power to vehicles passing overhead, provided that they've been fitted with a receiver. Interestingly, at this stage it appears the energy is sent straight to the motor..."

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This New All-Electric Motorcycle Will Add a Dose of Style to Your Off-Road Adventure

14 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"Triumph announced its first battery-powered model... Ducatti is hard at work on one of its own.

OX Motorcycles of Spain offers their version called Patagonia. It "is powered by a rear-mounted 11-kW in-hub motor connected to a removable 72-volt battery pack. Ox says that this setup the bike can reach a top speed of 68 mph, which is respectable. What isn’t, though, is a range of 100km (62 mi)."

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Toyota Courts Harsh Criticism from Large European Pensions

13 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"From Anglican priests to Swedish asset managers, Toyota Motor Corporation is fielding increased criticism for its lack of investment in electric vehicles.

"In our view - and in the view of many other investors - the lobbying work undertaken by Toyota Motor has given the company a global laggard status on climate action within the auto sector...

[European pension] "funds holds hundreds of millions of dollars in shares of the automaker."

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Your Car Is Tracking You Just as Much as Your Smartphone Is - and Your Data Is at Risk

13 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"In 2021, 90 percent of cars sold in the United States - and around 130 million total cars sold worldwide - contained some form of embedded connectivity...

"...a case study by the Washington Post on a 2018 Chevrolet Volt showed that the car generated up to 25 gigabytes per hour of data across every category imaginable..."

"Ford's Sync infotainment system...generated events also generated GPS coordinates..."

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Cruise Driverless Taxi Now Fully Operational In San Francisco

13 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"...Cruise is free to operate the driverless taxi services in San Francisco, the operations will be so tightly controlled. These cars will have a sluggish maximum speed of 30 miles per hour. The cars are only limited to roads that avoid downtown. Also, in its initial phase, the robotic taxis will only offer hauling services between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., ensuring that the roads are partially empty when the cars roam the streets."

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EV-Truck Startup Electric Last Mile Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Plans to Liquidate

13 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"Electric Last Mile has struggled since the shakeup. Just one week after Taylor and Luo resigned, the startup's auditor -- BDO LLP -- also quit. Electric Last Mile has operated without an auditor ever since...

"The company cut 24 percent of its workforce in March and disclosed that it was under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission."

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European Car Manufacturers Pre-Empt Fossil Fuel Ban by Switching to Electric

12 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

With proposed 2035 ban "...car manufacturers believe that consumer habits will change before the 13-year deadline and many have anticipated this shift by already announcing an end of production of petrol and diesel cars.

All of Volvo's "models are now electrified, 100% electric or plug-in hybrid. This should also be the case at DS, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati and Mercedes by 2026...Renault has long been a pioneer of 100% electric models..."

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GM and Lockheed Expanding Commercial Moon Buggy Lineup

12 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"The desire to sell moon cars to multiple different customers comes with its own challenges, though. Different national space programs and for-profit companies might use different space suits, for instance. Because of that, "universal, intuitive controls and restraint systems are necessary.."

[The companies want it] to drive autonomously. That will make it much more useful because the rover will be able to drop off cargo or astronauts.."

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I Thought I Knew Why They're Making Electric Tractors. I Didn't

12 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"Monarch hopes its tractor becomes a platform for apps and AI that use its visual data gathering and detailed process recording to create better harvests..

"The tractor will work as long as 10 hours on a charge or as little as six during particularly high-load operations; Recharging takes 4 to 5 hours on a Level II connection. Each farmer will have to decide how well an electric duty cycle dovetails with their work."

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Oil Companies Are Suing to Block Climate Action -- With 72% Success

12 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"Fossil fuel investors are adopting a bold new legal tactic in response to efforts to limit global warming: they are going to private international tribunals to argue that climate change policies are illegally cutting into their profits and they must therefore be compensated.

"...fossil fuel investors emerged victorious 72% of the time – earning, on average, $600 million in compensation."

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'Heritage' Won't Be Enough in the Great Electric Car Transformation

11 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"We in the car bubble like to think every great automotive marque is a sacred covenant between some genius engine builder and a winning racing driver made six decades ago. But there's no entry on companies' balance sheets for enthusiasm.

As unconscionable as it may seem, nearly every global automaking enterprise has in the past year rolled out a plan to stop selling vehicles with internal combustion engines and go all-electric by mid-2030s"

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First Drive with the XPeng P7 and P5 Through the Netherlands

11 Jun 2022 | Synopsis

"XPeng's EU strategy includes a direct-sales/local agency network inside branded showrooms called 'XPeng Experience Stores,' one of which I got the chance to visit at the Hague in the Netherlands. Currently, XPeng is selling two EV models in Norway - the G3i SUV and the aforementioned P7 (including a special wing-door edition).

"They have long-term goals for Europe and have every intention of becoming a mainstay in its growing EV market."

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