Archive for the ‘Electrified Vehicles’ Category
Being 1st could put EV maker at a disadvantage going forward.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.13, 2018
Even when it wins, it loses. Tesla just passed the 200,000 vehicle mark, the most ever by an EV maker, but that brings to an end the tax credit.
Tesla is not just the country’s best-selling EV maker, but the first to sell more than 200,000 electric vehicles in the U.S. market. But that might not necessarily give the carmaker reason to celebrate.
Under guidelines set up by the Obama Administration and retained by Congress as part of last year’s tax overhaul, federal tax credits of up to $7,500 per vehicle apply only on the first 200,000 battery vehicles sold by an individual manufacturer. After that they begin to phase out, meaning that Tesla could be at a financial disadvantage once the company loses the incentives entirely by the end of next year.
The Last Word!
Other companies, including General Motors, Nissan and Ford, are approaching the threshold but their buyers will likely continue to receive some incentives well into 2020, barring any move by Congress – something considered unlikely – to extend the tax credits. (more…)
Tags: 000 cars, Tesla 200, Tesla biggest EV seller, Tesla losing $7500 tax credit, Tesla reaches tax milestone, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, ev news, paul a. eisenstein, tesla news, tesla prices, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Chevrolet, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, GM, Markets, Nissan, Personalities, Politicians, Sales, Sales, Technology, Tesla, Trends, U.S./North America | No Comments »
Canadian company produces single-passenger battery-electric.
by Joseph Szczesny on Jul.12, 2018
Electra Meccanica is producing its one-passenger electric vehicle called the Solo.
Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corp., one of the emerging companies building electric vehicles, has launched production of its new three-wheeled EV.
The first single-passenger, all-electric Solo rolled off the assembly line in Canada and arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia. The new vehicle will now undergo consumer testing and verification in anticipation of commencing commercial manufacturing in September 2018 with the goal of delivering 5,000 Solos to customers by September 2019.
Insight!
“This is a hugely significant day for Electra Meccanica and our talented design, engineer and production teams,” said Jerry Kroll, the company’s chief executive officer. (more…)
Tags: Canadian EV maker, Electra Meccanica Solo, Solo electric vehicle, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, ev news, joseph szczesny, new single passenger EV, thedetroitbureau, three-wheeled EV
Posted in Automobiles, Business, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Markets, Sales, Technology, U.S./North America | 1 Comment »
Set to debut in late 2019 in Silicon Valley.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.11, 2018
Initially, Daimler will use the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan for the pilot ride-sharing project.
Mercedes-Benz is teaming up with German mega-supplier Bosch to launch a new ride-sharing service in Silicon Valley next year that will rely on self-driving vehicles.
The project marks the latest entry into the fast-expanding field that, by some estimates, could eventually account for as much as a quarter or more of the miles Americans travel by automobile. Other planning to launch ride-sharing services using self-driving vehicles include General Motors, Google spin-off Waymo and Uber, the country’s largest ride-sharing service.
Making Sense of the Brave New World!
While Mercedes’ parent Daimler AG is referring to the vehicles it will use as “automated shuttle(s),” customers will be able to ride in style. When the project initially gets underway during the second half of 2019, it will rely on modified versions of the luxurious S-Class Sedan. Eventually, the goal is to switch to a production version of the edgy Mercedes concept vehicle, the F 015.
(more…)
Tags: Mercedes F 015, auto news, car news, mercedes autonomous, mercedes autonomous ride-sharing, mercedes bosch, mercedes bosch ride-sharing, mercedes news, mercedes ride-sharing, mercedes s-calls, mercedes-Benz, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, self-driving ride-sharing, thedetroitbureau, waymo
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Autonomous Driving, Business, Chrysler, Concept Cars, Daimler, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, FCA, GM, Markets, Maven, Ride-Sharing, Safety, Semi-autonomous Driving, Technology, Traffic Fatalities, U.S./North America, Uber, Waymo, waymo | No Comments »
Battery-carmaker is 1st from U.S. to raise prices as trade war escalates.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.10, 2018
Tesla's new Shanghai plant is expected to be at least as large as its factory in Fremont, California - and include battery production, as well.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
Pres. Donald Trump’s trade war has claimed its first automotive victim, Tesla announcing it will raise prices on some models on sale in China by $20,000 or more to reflect the impact of new tariffs on American-made vehicles.
At the same time, CEO Elon Musk is on his way to China, numerous reports indicating Tesla is set to lock down a deal with authorities in Shanghai to set up the company’s first foreign assembly plant. Musk confirmed construction will begin in about three months and the facility will produce 500,000 vehicles annually once it is ramped up to full production.
Breaking News!
Despite the news about tariffs – which could depress sales in the world’s largest battery-car market in the near-term – investors appear to be buoyed by reports that Tesla will move forward on a Chinese assembly plant. Musk has also indicated that the automaker is working on plans to set up a second foreign plant somewhere in Europe.
(more…)
Tags: Tesla China, Trump tariff, Trump trade war, auto news, car news, elon musk china, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla china plant, tesla china price, tesla china tariff, tesla news, tesla price hike china, tesla shanghai plant, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, China, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, Financials, Fuel Economy, Investors, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Sales, Technology, Tesla, Trade, Trends | 9 Comments »
Companies working to enhance fuel cell technology.
by Joseph Szczesny on Jul.09, 2018
While the emphasis is on battery power, Utah start-up Nikola is focused on hydrogen.
The promise of fuel cells has intrigued carmakers for years because they promise to liberate the automotive business from the petroleum industry but expensive batteries needing rare minerals and complicated manufacturing processes.
But as the well-worn joke about fuel cells goes the breakthrough in fuel-cell technology always seems to be about 10 years in the future despite the best efforts by companies such Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Daimler AG among others.
Stay in the Loop!
However, the Bosch Group thinks that commercial vehicles, particularly heavy trucks that run long distances over fixed routes, could be ideal candidates. Not only can fuel cells easily fit into large Class 8 trucks in many cases, the users of big trucks can supply the hydrogen required to run the electricity generating fuel cells, according to Jason Roycht, vice president, North America Regional Business Leader. (more…)
Tags: Nikola and Bosch, Nikola and Bosch partnering, Nikola electric semi-truck, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, fuel cell technology, fuel cell trucks, joseph szczesny, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Fuel Cell, Technology | No Comments »
Move raises questions about Trump Administration plans to roll back mileage regs.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.05, 2018
EPA Chief Scott Pruitt has long been a controversial figure within the environmental community.
Facing an escalating series of scandals, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has become the latest member of the Trump Administration to resign, the president announced on Thursday afternoon.
The 50-year-old Cabinet member has been a controversial figure since he was nominated as head of the nation’s top environmental protection office. As Oklahoma Attorney-General, Pruitt had repeatedly sued the EPA and had called for its elimination. Once in office, he began rolling back a series of measures enacted not only by the Obama Administration but previous Republican presidents. Among other things, the EPA has begun moving forward with plans that were expected to roll back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.
Beyond the Headlines!
“Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this,” President Trump said in a Thursday afternoon tweet announcing Pruitt’s departure. It did not, however, mention the reasons why the controversial head of the Environmental Protection Agency resigned.
(more…)
Tags: EPA, auto news, cafe rollback, car news, ford news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, pruitt cafe, pruitt mileage, pruitt resigns, scott pruitt, thedetroitbureau, trump epa, trump fuel economy, trump mileage
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, Ford, Markets, Personalities, U.S./North America | 1 Comment »
Bolt sales are up in first half, production to increase.
by Michael Strong on Jul.05, 2018
Sales of the Chevy Bolt rose 3.5% in the first half of 2018.
Rising gas prices and improved range appear to be creating an appealing environment for plug-in electric vehicle sales with no company reaping better results than General Motors in the first half of the year.
The company’s Chevy Bolt EV saw sales rise during the second quarter of the year.
Plug In!
U.S. and global demand for the Chevrolet Bolt EV has been very strong in 2018, with global sales estimated to be up more than 35% year over year in the second quarter and up more than 40% in the first half. (more…)
Tags: EV sales U.S., TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, chevy bolt sales, electric vehicle news, electric vehicle sales, michael strong, plug-in battery electric sales, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Asia Pacific, Automakers, Automobiles, Chevrolet, China, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Europe, GM, Markets, NAFTA, Nissan, Sales, South America, Technology, Tesla, Trends, U.S./North America | No Comments »
Tesla now “a real car company.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.02, 2018
"We did it," proclaimed Tesla's Elon Musk in an email to employees regarding Model 3 production.
“We did it,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk proclaimed in a weekend e-mail to employees, declaring that the struggling automaker had hit its target of producing 5,000 Model 3 battery sedans in a single week, making it “a real car company.”
Though actually a fair bit less than what Tesla had hoped to be doing by now, nearly a year after its first mainstream electric vehicle went into production, it nonetheless marks a significant milestone and a sign that the company is finally working its way out of what Musk had described as “production hell” at its Fremont, California assembly plant.
News Now!
“We either found a way or, by will and inventiveness, created entirely new solutions that were thought impossible,” the South African-born executive said in an e-mail sent just days after he spent his 47th birthday at the Tesla plant overseeing efforts to speed up production. (more…)
Tags: Model 3 news, Model 3 production at 5K per week, Musk proclaims we did it, Tesla hits 5K production, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, paul a. eisenstein, tesla news, thedetroitbureau, weekly Model 3 production at 5K
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, Financials, Investors, Markets, Personalities, Technology, Tesla, U.S./North America | 3 Comments »
New model charges twice as fast.
by Joseph Szczesny on Jul.02, 2018
Surviving its much-rumored death, the new 2019 Chevy Volt arrives this fall.
For months word has circulated that General Motors was preparing to kill one of the cars that helped launch the company’s resurgence from bankruptcy, the Chevrolet Volt.
But GM is making a game effort to silence the chatter with the announcement of a series of technical and equipment changes to what will be the 2019 version of the Chevrolet Volt, starting with a new 7.2 kW charging system the cuts recharging times nearly in half and power seats. The change in the charging system will almost double the all-electric driving range per hour of electric charge, Chevrolet said.
We Keep You In the Know!
The changes will take effect this fall and could be one last effort to save the Volt from extinction. (more…)
Tags: 2019 Chevrolet Volt, Chevy readies newest Volt, TheDetroitBureau.com., Volt changes, auto news, chevy news, joseph szczesny, new Volt, thedetroitbureau, volt hybrid, volt news
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Chevrolet, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, GM, Hybrids, Markets, Technology, U.S./North America | No Comments »
New report says carmaker well short of 5,000 weekly target.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jun.29, 2018
Tesla CEO Elon Musk needed to add a fourth line to the company's plant. He didn't have room inside so he built a tent.
Stung by the slow rollout of its critical Model 3, Tesla has pulled out all the stops to try to boost production, even setting up a fourth assembly line under a tent alongside its Fremont, California plant.
CEO Elon Musk has promised to have 5,000 Model 3 sedans rolling out of the Fremont factory each week by the end of June, something critical to achieve his other stated goals of having Tesla in the black, with a positive cashflow, during the second half of 2018. The “production hell” of the Model 3 launch resulted in record losses for Tesla during the first quarter of the year.
Plug In!
But there are growing doubts that Tesla will meet its production target. And that would raise new concerns about its finances – including the potential need to go back for more capital this year as the company’s cash reserves dwindle. (more…)
Tags: 5K Model 3 weekly production, Model 3 news, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Tesla missing production goal, Tesla production goal, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, paul a. eisenstein, tesla model 3 production, tesla news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, EVs, Earnings, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, Financials, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Technology, Tesla, U.S./North America | Comments Off
