EDITOR'S PICK

Virgin Atlantic Partners With Joby Aviation For UK Electric Air Taxi Launch

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"The partnership builds on an existing agreement between Joby and Delta Air Lines, which owns a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic...electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds reaching 200 mph...vertical take-off and landing with significantly less noise than conventional helicopters..optimised for rapid, back-to-back flights and could operate on routes up to 100 miles."

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Driverless Electric Bus With L4 Autonomy Runs On Barcelona Streets

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"Two autonomous electric minibuses are operating on a 2.2-kilometer (1.36-mile) open road loop in the heart of Barcelona's streets...With 1,000 km covered and nearly 700 people transported, this first full-scale test [in Valence, France] demonstrated the maturity of the technology

"...the electric bus can run for 120 kilometers (74 miles) without a recharge and reach 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph). It is equipped with 10 cameras and eight lidars..."

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BYD Unveils New Super-Charging EV Tech To Rival Gasoline Fill-Up Time

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"The so-called 'super e-platform' will be capable of peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling cars that use it to travel 400 km (249 miles) on a 5-minute charge...Charging speeds of 1,000 kW would be twice as fast as Tesla's superchargers whose latest version offers up to 500 kw charging speeds.

"The new charging architecture will be initially available in two new EVs - Han L sedan and Tang L SUV priced from 270,000 yuan ($37,328.91)."

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Tesla FSD Cameras Vs. LIDAR In the Ultimate Wile E. Coyote Test

17 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

Youtuber Mark Rober LIDAR maps Disneyland's Space Mountain ride and uses the same technology to test Tesla's camera-based FSD against Lexus' LIDAR-based driving system in the ultimate Wile E. Coyote challenge. Will Musk's car tell the difference between a real road and a projection of the road and the "child" hidden behind it, and will he capture and build a 3D model of the secretive Disney ride?

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Can Leapmotor Save Stellantis In The Shift To Electric Vehicles?

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"...the company's profits fell 70% in 2024, and its outspoken CEO Carlos Tavares quit at the end of the year...Leapmotor joins the other 14 members of the Stellantis group (although only eight are active in Europe)

"Leapmotor potentially plugs a gap like nothing else in its portfolio. When the current battery-electric (BEV) transition started around 2020, Stellantis appeared to have mostly one drivetrain on offer..they were platforms shared with internal combustion engine (ICE) versions..."

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Northvolt Bankruptcy: Europe's Chances Of Beating China In The EV Race Just Got Slimmer

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"...Swedish battery company owned in part by Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs has filed for bankruptcy in its own country...deathblow for the battery maker, established in 2016, following its American interest in filing for bankruptcy in November last year."

"The big hope was that Nothvolt could go up against Chinese bands like CATL and BYD...Plans to build EV batteries in Europe have been bogged down by bureaucratic hurdles, production problems and slower EV demand than expected."

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Geothermal Is Having A Moment In The Sun, But Black Swans Are Casting Shade

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"Geothermal energy is once again capturing attention, hailed by some as the stable, reliable renewable resource that can balance the intermittency of wind and solar power...enthusiasm often overlooks historical realities, especially when measured against criteria I consistently use to assess energy solutions

"Recent advances in battery storage, demand response technologies, and grid flexibility are increasingly undermining geothermal's claim of unique baseload capability."

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Owner Discovers Hidden Tesla Warranty Issue That Started With Replacement of a 12V Battery

16 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"A battery replacement became a five-figure nightmare for one Tesla owner after the company classified the vehicle as "salvage" without warning.

"According to Tesla's official guidelines, any vehicle deemed a total loss by an insurance company, often due to significant damage from accidents, floods, fires, or other hazards, is classified as a salvage vehicle.... Tesla must conduct tests before potentially reinstating supercharging...costing at least $1,600 upfront."

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China's High-Speed Rail Linked To Boosted EV Adoption

14 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"Fears of getting stranded in EVs seem to dissipate when high-speed rail is near."

"University of Pennsylvania recently analyzed China's decade-long push for electric vehicle (EV) adoption and found that it coincided with the country's expansion of high-speed rail. Regions with the fastest and most accessible rail networks also saw the highest increases in EV adoption."

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VW's Next-Gen EV Batteries Arrive Soon: How They'll Cut Costs, Boost Range

14 Mar 2025 | Synopsis

"...simplification is the keyword...plans to focus on a single EV battery cell format...the next-generation battery arriving as soon as late this year for Europe will have the cells directly mounted into the battery housing...EV batteries still account for more than a third of EV cost - so the cells represent competitiveness not just on cost but on performance versus vehicle weight...The unified cell format aims to reduce the complexity"

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