Posts Tagged ‘battery cars’
Automaker abandoning unique platforms to offer electric options on all models.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.22, 2018
The BMW i4, due to market around 2020, will offer a battery range of more than 400 miles.
BMW made headlines when it launched the industry’s first unique electrified vehicle sub-brand with the debut of its i3 and 15 models five years ago and its getting ready to expand the line-up with several new offerings, including a production version of the coupe-like i4 sedan that debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show last autumn.
Set to reach showrooms by 2020, BMW CEO Harald Kruger said the i4 will offer a range of up to 435 miles per charge, nearly a third better than the industry’s current long-range champ, the Tesla Model S P100D – and more than triple what the all-electric i3 model today delivers. But the debut of the i4 will also mark another critical milestone for BMW’s push into electrification.
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On Wednesday, as TheDetroitBureau.com reports in a separate story, BMW announced a major increase in spending on both electrified and autonomous vehicle programs. The i4 will be one of 25 electrified models by 2025, 12 of them pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. According to an earlier statement by Kruger, “all fully-electric BMWs will belong to BMW i,” but, that said, there will be some major changes to that electric brand going forward. Most importantly, future products, like the i4, will no longer be based on unique, standalone platforms like those use for the i3 and 15 models.
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Tags: BMW EV, auto news, battery cars, bmw electric, bmw hybrid, bmw i, bmw i4, bmw i4 bmw vision, bmw news, bmw plug-in, bmw vision next, car news, ev, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Battery power “plays an important role in Morgan’s future.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.20, 2017
The Morgan EV3 blends old and new, including ashwood framing, composite panels and electric drive.
It’s hard to find an automaker these days that isn’t going electric – even exotic brands like Aston-Martin, Bentley and Lamborghini. But Morgan?
The tiny British maker has made a handsome business out of being decidedly retro, even retaining the classic wood frames of yesteryear. So, when it unveiled a quirky, three-wheeled EV prototype in 2015 few took it seriously, even when it followed with a more production-ready version at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
Global Auto News!
But the Morgan EV3 is about to become a reality with the help of Frazer-Nash Energy Systems, says Morgan Managing Director Steve Morris. “We have been working closely on optimizing the EV3’s architecture in every way to develop a car which will offer proven reliability range and cooling performance, combined with the pure driving experience that is expected of every hand-crafted Morgan.”
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Tags: EVs, auto news, battery cars, british car, car news, electric vehicles, handmade car, morgan, morgan electric, morgan ev3, morgan news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Proposal would cut exhaust emissions by 30% -- which automakers label “overly challenging.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.09, 2017
The EU's current target for 2021 would equal 54 mpg. That would jump 30% by 2030.
With some of the world’s toughest emissions rules already in place, the European Commission wants to crack down even harder on CO2, the gas primarily blamed for global warming.
This week’s announcement comes at a time when a number of European countries, as well as some major cities, are planning their own crackdowns on emissions. Several nations, including Norway, the UK and France, have either laid out plans to ban the internal combustion engine entirely or are studying such moves.
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Currently, the EU is set to trim CO2 emissions to just 95 grams per kilometer by 2021, equal to fuel economy of about 57.4 miles per gallon, for passenger cars. For light commercial vehicles the target is 147 grams.
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Tags: auto emissions, auto news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, electrification, eu charging stations, eu cutting auto emissions, eu emissions, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, vw battery car, vw news
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Will motorists continue to do most charging at home or office?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.03, 2017
An EV charging station the size of a Costco or freeway truck stop gas station would require an electric substation to provide enough power.
The auto industry is getting ready to plug into battery power in a big way. In recent months, virtually every major automaker has announced some form of “electrification” and, by the middle of the coming decade, conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles could account for nearly a third of all new vehicle sales – even more if California regulators ban the internal combustion engine entirely, as they’re now considering.
Charge!
But this dramatic shift raises plenty of questions, including one of the most basic: where will American motorists plug in? And where will all the energy come from to charge up millions of new plug-based vehicles?
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Tags: auto news, battery car infrastructure, battery cars, car news, chargers, electric vehicles, ev charging, ev infrastructure, fast charger, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, supercharger, thedetroitbureau
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New BCG study sees explosive growth as battery prices fall, range grows.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.02, 2017
The Chevrolet Bolt will soon by joined by "at least" 20 more battery-electric vehicles from GM.
While battery-based vehicles still account for only a miniscule share of the global automotive market, a new study forecasts explosive growth over the coming decade or so, with as much as half of the vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 expected to be using some form of electrification.
In the relative near-term, government incentives, including the $7,500 federal tax credit offered in the U.S., will be needed to build momentum, said Xavier Mosquet, the lead author of the study for the Boston Consulting Group. But as battery prices fall and range increases, the technology will become increasingly attractive to consumers without government assistance, he said.
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“We see an economically sustainable market for electric vehicles somewhere between 2025 and 2030,” said Mosquet, who heads BCG’s Detroit office. And the faster battery prices fall – and the more oil costs rise – the more the equation shifts from the internal combustion engine to electrified vehicles.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, battery-electric vehicles, bcg electric cars, bcg electrification study, car news, chevrolet bolt, electrification, electrified vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla model 3, thedetroitbureau, xavier mosquet
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
“A very difficult objective,” admits Environment Minister.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.07, 2017
Even before the latest proposal, Paris was considering a ban on diesel vehicles.
France could become one of the first countries to ban the sale of vehicles running on fossil fuels, the country’s Environment Minister this week proposing a complete transition to zero-emissions vehicles.
But it won’t happen quickly, Nicolas Hulot’s plan expected to take until 2040 to roll out. And the minister admitted the “revolution” he is proposing would create some serious challenges for the auto industry. It does help that both French-based automakers have already made major commitments to shift to electric propulsion.
The Last Word!
A number of countries are focusing on alternative powertrain technologies, ranging from hybrids to pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, as well as hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. That includes China, the world’s largest automotive market. But none have yet gone as far as to actively consider plans to eliminate gas and diesel vehicle sales entirely.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, countries barring gas vehicles, countries going to electric vehicles, electric vehicle sales, ev sales, france electric vehicles, france ev, france going all electric, nissan news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, psa news, renault news, thedetroitbureau, volvo news
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Corridors will cover 25,000 miles, 55 routes in 35 states.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.04, 2016
The new project should make it much easier for owners to find places to charge up on the road.
With the upcoming launch of longer-range, more affordable electric vehicles the auto industry is taking several critical steps towards making alternative power mainstream, but range anxiety isn’t yet a thing of the past.
Now, the federal government is taking steps to address the other big problem: a lack of places to charge electric vehicles. The plan announced by the Obama Administration will include 55 different interstates, covering 25,000 miles of highway in 35 states. Add in efforts to boost the availability of natural gas and other alternative fuels and the network grows to 85,000 miles of roadway.
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“Alternative fuels and electric vehicles will play an integral part in the future of America’s transportation system,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We have a duty to help drivers identify routes that will help them refuel and recharge those vehicles and designating these corridors on our highways is a first step.”
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Tags: EVs, alt-fuel corridor, alternative-fuel network, auto news, battery cars, battery charger, car news, chevrolet news, electric vehicle charger, ev charger, fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen station, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla news, thedetroitbureau
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Could ultracapacitor system obsolete battery technology?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.01, 2016
The Fisker EMotion could be in production by some time later next year.
If at first you don’t succeed…if you’re Henrik Fisker, it seems, you try and try again.
Best known for the sleek and iconic Aston Martin DB9, Henrik Fisker has attempted to launch two car companies since going out on his own a decade ago, including the ill-fated Fisker Automotive, the Danish designer is about get back into the business with a new pure battery-electric vehicle that could go beyond just being a Tesla-fighter. If the newly released images and specs prove accurate, the Fisker Emotion could rewrite the rules for the zero-emissions segment.
Tech News!
Beyond the car’s sleek design, the real breakthrough appears to be an alternative to the lithium-ion batteries used in most of today’s battery-based vehicles. Instead, the Emotion will use an ultracapacitor to store enough energy, the start-up claims, to run a “theoretical” 400 miles per charge.
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Tags: Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, car news, fisker automotive, fisker emotion, fisker inc, fisker karma, fisker nanotech, fisker news, graphene, karma revero, mercedes battery plant, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla model 3, thedetroitbureau, ultracapacitor
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Other battery models may now go to mainstream BMW brand.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.17, 2016
The i8 Spyder concept will likely undergo significant changes before the Roadster debuts in 2018.
BMW will launch two more models for its cutting-edge i brand over the next five years, starting with a 2018 roadster based on the next-generation i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. A version of the iNext concept vehicle will follow three years later.
That falls well short of the broad, electrified product line-up the maker had hinted was in the works only a few years ago, however. There are no signs of the i4 and i5 models that some sources once reported were in the works.
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Is BMW just keeping them under tight wraps? Have they been abandoned? Or has the maker simply shifted strategy, preferring to put more of its battery-based models – including pure electric and plug-in hybrids – into the mainstream BMW brand, rather than into the niche i marque?
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Tags: BMW iNext, auto news, battery cars, bmw battery, bmw electric, bmw i, bmw i3, bmw i8, bmw i8 roadster, bmw news, bmw vision next 100, car news, harald krueger, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Chinese-owned battery-carmaker signs up Korean battery supplier.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.04, 2016
The Faraday Future FF Zero1 concept made its debut at CES Las Vegas last January.
Faraday Future, the mysterious, Chinese-owned automotive start-up, has taken a critical step closer to getting something on the road.
Based in the old Nissan headquarters in suburban Los Angeles, Faraday has signed up the Korean-owned LG Chem to provide the lithium-ion batteries that will power its planned line-up of electric vehicles. LG Chem is the same battery supplier used for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Chevy Bolt battery-electric vehicle.
Electrifying!
“LG Chem worked closely with Faraday Future to develop a tailored cell chemistry to optimize the range and safety of our mass production battery hardware,” said Tom Wessner, Faraday Future’s vice president of global supply chain.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, chevrolet bolt, electric vehicles, ev, faraday ff zero1, faraday future, faraday lg chem, ff zero1, lg chem, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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