Monday, February 3

Tag: evs and hybrids

How China’s EV Boom Caught Western Car Companies Asleep at the Wheel
14Oct By adminNo Comments
Technology

How China’s EV Boom Caught Western Car Companies Asleep at the Wheel

David Tyfield, a professor of political economy at Lancaster University and author of the 2019 book Liberalism 2.0 and the Rise of China, tells me there is “no future for the EV which does not feature significant, if not disproportionate, Chinese presence. Chinese companies are just too far in the lead across the whole supply chain of the electric vehicle: from the minerals to the batteries to the building of the cars.”Policymakers worldwide fret over China’s ambition to control entire supply chains—for instance, the minerals inside EV batteries. Such domination by China is claimed to threaten individual economies and the (Western-led) global innovation system.“Global markets are now flooded with cheaper electric cars. And their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies,” com...
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Jeep Avenger EV 2023: Specs, Prices, Performance, Range
20Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Jeep Avenger EV 2023: Specs, Prices, Performance, Range

Let's start with three very important things worth mentioning about Jeep's Avenger. One, this is Jeep's very first fully electric car. Two, it has already been named European Car of the Year for 2023. Three—and somewhat staggeringly, considering these first two significant details—it's not going on sale in the US.Why? Jeep thinks it's not big enough for the Americans. “While the B segment, in which the Jeep Avenger competes, is popular in markets such as Europe, the US consumer tends to favor vehicles in the midsize and large SUV segments,” a Jeep brand spokesperson tells WIRED. “This is why we are launching other all-electric vehicles, such as Wagoneer S and Jeep Recon, which will compete in the midsize segment globally, including the US.”This might go some way to explaining why the Aven...
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Autoworkers Prepare to Strike for a Place in the EV Future
14Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Autoworkers Prepare to Strike for a Place in the EV Future

Like GM, Ford and Stellantis have launched their own joint EV battery ventures with South Korean electronics companies. The UAW says the new businesses are offering jobs with lower pay and safety protections than at established unionized auto plants. Last month, the recently unionized Ultium workers inked an interim agreement to raise wages by an average of 25 percent, but the union wants to bring battery plants to the same standards as at the Big Three. Experts say that may be a tall order, but a strong contract could help win over new workers and reverse a decades-long decline in the union’s membership. The future of US automotive jobs may depend on it.“The combustion engines used to be built within the Big Three,” says Harry Katz, a professor at Cornell University’s School of Industria...
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EV Mania Hasn’t Killed Hunger for Hybrid Trucks
13Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

EV Mania Hasn’t Killed Hunger for Hybrid Trucks

This may not be great news for the climate. A person who swaps a gas truck for a hybrid one will reduce their emissions. An analysis of 2020 pickup trucks found that a hybrid truck emits almost 30 percent less greenhouse gas over its lifetime than a solely gas-powered counterpart. But global climate goals generally require not only fully electrifying most driving but also driving significantly less. In the short term, hybrids may help car companies meet more stringent emissions regulations. But ultimately, “the hybrid is a gas car,” says Gil Tal, who directs the Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis. Moving more people into battery electric vehicles and hybrids that plug in should be the goal, he says.Right now, though, the hybrid truck push is rooted in recognition that many car b...
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Fisker Alaska Pickup, Fisker Ronin Convertible: Specs, Price, Release Date
5Aug By adminNo Comments
Technology

Fisker Alaska Pickup, Fisker Ronin Convertible: Specs, Price, Release Date

Fresh from letting us take a first drive in its Ocean midsize electric SUV as well as making its first customer deliveries of the car, Fisker has unveiled its EV lineup for the next few years.At an event in Huntington Beach, California, on yesterday night, the company revealed four new models that will be coming soon: the Alaska pickup truck, the Ronin sports car, a final design for its previously announced subcompact Pear, and a rugged iteration of the Ocean, the Force E.The Fisker Alaska. Photograph: FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty ImagesThe Alaska is a canny entry into the popular pickup market, one Tesla has been trying to join now for some time. The Alaska shares its architecture with the Magna-manufactured Ocean SUV, but in keeping with Henrik Fisker's philosophy of offering three or four u...
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Fisker Ocean 2023 EV First Drive: Not Ready Yet
1Aug By adminNo Comments
Technology

Fisker Ocean 2023 EV First Drive: Not Ready Yet

There are other wonderful touches, though, such as the fold-out “taco tray” that Henrik himself insisted on adding. Again, these details will sell the Ocean. It's immensely handy to have such features, especially in an EV where you might be spending considerable time as it charges. Hyundai knows this, too, and also made a USP of having “laptop resting space” in its Ioniq 6.Lastly, the Fisker Ocean’s SolarSky roof option means you can harvest the sun’s rays to generate free power for the vehicle’s battery. Fisker says that when fully exposed to the sun, this can produce up to 1,500 extra miles per year, perhaps more in “ideal conditions”. The UI team are sensibly thinking of adding a live data point to the central screen showing how much power the solar roof is producing at any given momen...
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EV Sales Hit a Record in the US. Now Their Popularity May Be Waning
14Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

EV Sales Hit a Record in the US. Now Their Popularity May Be Waning

This story first appeared on Grist, a nonprofit media organization covering climate justice and solutions.Electric vehicle sales in the United States set a record this past quarter and are on track to break the 1 million mark in 2023, which would be a milestone for the industry. This surge comes even as many vehicle models have lost their eligibility for federal, and some state, incentives.Analysts at Wards Intelligence and Cox Automotive reported that consumers bought nearly 300,000 EVs between the beginning of April and the end of June. That represents a year-over-year jump of roughly 50 percent and included growth in May and June, the first two months after federal tax credit rules became more stringent. Plug-in hybrid sales climbed as well.“​​There are some vehicles that are intriguin...
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Lotus Eletre 2023 Review: Prices, Specs, Pros and Cons
10Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

Lotus Eletre 2023 Review: Prices, Specs, Pros and Cons

What would Colin Chapman say? The late founder of Lotus was a restless innovator whose famous mantra was “Simplify, then add lightness.” Surely the new Eletre, a complex and heavy electric SUV, is the antithesis of everything Chapman stood for?Maybe, maybe not. For starters, Chapman was also a pragmatist. He introduced commercial sponsorship to F1 racing with the Gold Leaf Lotus 49 in 1968. And he sold the rights to his most enduring creation, the Lotus 7, to Caterham Cars in 1973. Before the Eletre, the carmaker’s range consisted solely of two-seat sports cars. Now it’s poised to become a volume-selling—and potentially very profitable—premium brand.While the 2,490-kg Eletre may lack a certain “lightness,” it is full of clever design features, including active aerodynamics, 5G-capable inf...
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