In Europe, Mars Logistics has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Trailer Dynamics to reserve and deploy 500 eTrailers for fully zero-emission routes from Turkey to Germany. The use of eTrailers enables intermodal transport between trains and trucks on a route that spans over 2,500 kilometres.

The first part of the entire 2,500-kilometre route will be covered by electrified trains. The eTrailers will then be combined with electrified trucks and complete the final section of the route from Luxembourg to Mannheim in Germany.

The eTrailers are ideal for intermodal transport because the drive control of the eTrailer works independently, so no interface to the tractor is necessary. The Trailer Dynamics’ eTrailers are suitable for tractors from all manufacturers and support diesel, gas, electric and hydrogen-powered tractor units.

The eTrailers can be equipped with model type 400 kWh or type 600 kWh batteries as required. This can extend the range of electric tractors by up to 600 km.  For companies who have not yet transitioned their fleets off fossil fuels, the Trailer can significantly reduce the fuel consumption of conventional diesel tractors.

Mars Logistics says it will gradually roll out these 500 eTrailers across its European network from 2025 onwards.

Source vial email

The French government is supporting the domestic hybrid aircraft developer VoltAero with a grant of 5.6 million euros. The money is to go towards the development of the Cassio 330 hybrid aircraft.

VoltAero is planning three variants: The five-seat Cassio 330, the six-seat Cassio 480 and the twelve-seat Cassio 600. The number in the model designations stands for the propulsion power in kilowatts in each case.

The VoltAero aircraft is a completely new development and not a converted aircraft. A defining characteristic of the Cassio aircraft is a hybrid propulsion system with a pusher propeller located at the rear of the fuselage. The slender fuselage has fixed auxiliary wings called canards at the front and a wing set aft with twin booms supporting a raised horizontal tail.

“This grant is another important vote of confidence in VoltAero and our vision to develop the unique family of Cassio electric-hybrid general aviation airplanes for safe, quiet, efficient and eco-friendly flight,” says VoltAero CEO and Chief Technical Officer Jean Botti.

According to VoltAero, the funding was provided as part of the ‘France 2030’ investment plan. The latter was launched by the French government to sustainably transform key sectors of the French economy – including aviation.

In May, the company had already announced Kawasaki as a new strategic investor and started building an assembly plant at Rochefort-Charente-Maritime airport, where the hybrid planes will be built in the future.

voltaero.aero

A guarantee from UK Export Finance (UKEF) has provided Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus with £50 million in financing to support its export strategy.

The Export Development Guarantee sees the UK’s export credit agency guarantee 80 per cent of the loan from Barclays Bank. The financing will enable Wrightbus to deliver orders to new markets, such as Germany and North America, as well as additional orders in existing markets, like Singapore and Hong Kong.

Last week the Minister for Investment Lord Johnson, visited Wrightbus’ site in Ballymena, County Antrim, when meeting with investors and leading businesses ahead of the Northern Ireland Investment Summit later in the year.

Lord Johnson noted, “UK Export Finance support for Wrightbus will be a great boost to its exporting journey, helping the company to create more local growth and jobs.”

Last month, Wrightbus was awarded funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to develop battery and fuel-cell technology for multi-axle vehicles. Wrightbus was one of seven UK-based automotive collaborative research and development projects to benefit from the investment fund total of £77 million.

gov.uk

The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro hydrogen fuel cell electric bus will be used in northern Italy from the end of this year. The public transport operator SASA has ordered nine examples of the 18-metre-long articulated version of the electric bus with a fuel cell range extender.

Daimler only just presented the eCitaro fuel cell bus a few days ago. SASA intends to use longer-range electric buses in the Italian region of South Tyrol between Merano and Bolzano.

Deliveries are scheduled between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. The northern Italian public transport operator is Daimler’s first publically-announced customer for the new eCitaro variant. The market launch of the 18-metre variant of the eCitaro fuel cell coincided with its first appearance at the Global Public Transport Summit in Madrid and is not yet available for order as a solo bus. All technical details on the new range extender version of the Mercedes-Benz city bus are available here.

In its own statement, SASA is very brief about the purchase: “The eCitaro fuel cell has a range of 350 kilometres and offers space for up to 128 passengers. Due to the interaction of two technologies, it is, according to experts, ideal for the requirements in South Tyrol,” it says. Other public transport operators and hydrogen vehicle manufacturers, when considering both purely electric bus technologies and hydrogen fuel cell electric drives, commonly find that fuel cell vehicles are ideal for the kind of hilly landscapes typical in South Tyrol between Merano and Bolzano.

In the USA, Toyota is investing almost 50 million US dollars in a new battery laboratory. This will be built at the research and development headquarters in York Township and will go into operation in 2025.

The investment illustrates Toyota’s “change of direction towards electrification”, says Shinichi Yasui, Vice President at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), Research and Development.

The goal is to evaluate the development of batteries for electric vehicles from cell to package. This is to assist Toyota’s battery plant in North Carolina and the recently announced production of BEV SUVs in Kentucky. In 2021, Toyota announced investments in EV production and development with a new company in the United States to drive the localisation of battery production.

“By adding these critical evaluation capabilities around automotive batteries, our team is positioned to better serve the needs of our customers, including Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, the latter of which will soon be assembling the recently announced all-new, three-row, battery-electric SUV,” Yasui added.

The team at the new battery lab will also work with North American suppliers to integrate locally produced battery components and materials. Beyond battery development, the lab will also evaluate charging infrastructure. In addition, chassis dynamometers at Toyota’s research and development sites in York Township and Ann Arbor will be upgraded to allow the evaluation of BEVs.

In addition to working with current battery production, Toyota says engineers will explore new battery configurations for future products. These could contribute to Toyota’s development of new electrified vehicle architectures, among other things.

Toyota is keeping an open mind as to whether other tasks and competencies will be located in the new battery lab in the coming years to “support the needs of the battery and BEV ecosystem”.

prnewswire.com

Li-Metal, a Canadian developer of lithium metal and lithium metal anode technologies for next-generation batteries, has been awarded over CAD$1.4 million (approx 975,000 euros) from the Government of Ontario to develop and commercialise its lithium metal production technology.

The Canadian company will use the funds, which have been granted by two Ontario government funds, to support the scale-up of its production and refining capabilities for battery-grade lithium metal. Li-Metal says it will also use the funding to advance the piloting of new lithium metal products, such as speciality lithium alloy ingots for next-generation batteries.

Li-Metal says that Lithium alloys have significant potential for improving cycle life and charging/discharging rates, which could make it suitable for a next-generation battery material. The company says the development of alloy products should enhance its ability to support its growing customer network’s “unique needs” as it builds out its product portfolio.

“We are pleased to have been awarded this non-dilutive funding from the Government of Ontario,” said Srini Godavarthy, CEO of Li-Metal. “Li-Metal continues to advance the commercialisation of a patented, cleaner and improved lithium metal production technology to establish ourselves as a domestic supplier of lithium metal for the broader North American market.” He summarised: “We believe these grants further validate the technology we are commercialising and endorse the role that Li-Metal is poised to play in building a next-generation battery supply chain.”

The funding awarded to Li-Metal consists of a CAD$930,826 grant from the R&D Partnership Fund – Electric Vehicle, administered by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and a CAD$500,000 grant from the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund (CMIF), funded by the Ontario Ministry of Mines.

The CMIF supports the development of critical minerals through investments in the domestic battery supply chain, including battery materials production, deep exploration and mining, recovery of minerals and “other innovative projects”. Li-Metal says it will use CMIF funds to advance its lithium metal production technology, which, in turn, should support the development of a next-generation battery supply chain in Canada.

South Korea’s capital Seoul wants to replace a total of 1,300 existing buses with new fuel-cell buses from Hyundai by 2026. This was agreed upon by Hyundai Motor, the Seoul city government, the South Korean Ministry of the Environment and the companies SK E&S and Tmap Mobility.

The concrete plan is to replace 1,000 city and commuter buses as well as 300 airport buses. By 2030, all of Seoul’s 451 airport buses are to be replaced by hydrogen-powered buses. Seoul had converted all 7,400 city buses to run on natural gas by 2011. Since then, about 830 of these have been replaced by battery buses and 27 by H2 buses. The South Korean city of Incheon, located near Seoul, also plans to introduce a total of 700 Hyundai fuel cell buses by the end of 2024, as reported.

The port cities of Busan and Ulsan as well as the province of South Gyeongsang are planning to use a total of 624 Hyundai hydrogen buses as a replacement for combustion engines by 2025. And on the South Korean island of Jeju, hydrogen infrastructure is being built to operate a total of 1,700 fuel cell vehicles by 2030. The 1,200 passenger cars, 200 rubbish trucks and 300 public transport buses will also come from the Hyundai Group.

Seoul’s ultimate goal with the initiative is to achieve a complete replacement by 2030. Additionally, the city plans to replace around 1,000 city and commuter buses with hydrogen buses by 2026, while establishing dedicated refilling stations in public garages. By 2025, Seoul also doesn’t want any diesel vehicles present in public sector fleets. Since 2020, Hyundai Motor has been supplying hydrogen buses to Seoul and has further plans to introduce high-floor hydrogen airport limousines this year. That is also the year when Seoul declared its goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

“Hyundai will continue to develop hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks to introduce various portfolios to the market,” said Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon.

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com, koreabizwire.com, koreaherald.com

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that more than 80 new rapid charging points are to be delivered across the capital.

Before launching the initiative, TfL will be inviting bids from suppliers for two delivery contracts which include 51 sites in total across North and South London and will deliver 83 charging bays, adding to the initial lot of sites which went out to market in November 2022. In May 2023, a delivery contract was awarded to Zest, with 39 rapid charging bays expected to be delivered by the end of 2024.

This will mean that TfL released 122 rapid charging bays to the market in total, exceeding the initial target of 100. Subject to the supplier and agreed contracts, the remaining sites could all be delivered by the end of 2025.

The announcement was made by Khan as he visited Volta Trucks on the occasion of the UK market launch of their electric heavy goods vehicle trucks. “Zero-emission freight is an area which has been considered a significant barrier in the shift to decarbonising road transport. That is why I’m delighted to support Volta Trucks, who have recently launched the London trial of their first fully electric heavy goods vehicle,” said Mayor Khan, adding: “As more electric vehicles come onto our roads, it’s vital that London has the infrastructure to support them. TfL will be releasing another two batches of sites to the market to deliver public rapid and ultra-rapid charge points across its road network. These sites will play a huge part in supporting high mileage, essential road users such as commercial vehicles and businesses and will help us work towards building a greener and more prosperous London for everyone.”

london.gov.uk

EVBox has presented its currently most powerful charging station: The EVBox Troniq High Power can deliver up to 400 kW of power. It has a scalable architecture with up to ten 40 kW power modules and is available with 320 kW, 360 kW or 400 kW output power.

The EVBox Troniq High Power can be ordered now and is expected to be available from the fourth quarter of 2023. EVBox plans to produce up to 2,000 units this year. The market launch of the EVBox Troniq High Power follows a successful test phase at two locations in France and the Netherlands.

According to the manufacturer, the new device has a scalable architecture with up to ten 40 kW power modules and is available with 320 kW, 360 kW or 400 kW output power. The column can theoretically recharge a range of 100 kilometres in just three minutes, if supported by the vehicle. Alternatively, the charging power can also be shared dynamically between two vehicles, with 200 kW power allocated to each vehicle, for example. The latter is likely to be the much more common case, as no series-production vehicle can currently charge at 400 kW.

Regarding the tests in France and the Netherlands, EXBox sums up that within five months, the “early adopter” programme near Amsterdam and Toulouse registered more than 4,000 successful charges and over 1,700 hours of active charging. And: “More than 91 MWh of energy has been delivered to electric vehicles, confirming the charging station’s performance and compatibility with different vehicle types, battery types, weather conditions and use cases.”

“As the majority of early adopters already drive an EV, we need to make charging faster and more widespread than ever to convince the next segment of drivers to switch to electric. High-power charging and the launch of EVBox Troniq High Power is a huge stepping stone on the path to electric mobility becoming the new normal. We’re excited to push the industry forwards with this announcement,” said Remco Samuels, CEO at EVBox, said Remco Samuels, CEO of EVBox.

news.evbox.com, evbox.com

Sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids in China increased again in May. Around 717,000 of the so-called New Energy Vehicles (NEV) were sold, according to data published by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

As reported, 636,000 new NEVs hit the roads in China in April, up 12.7 per cent in the current month. Compared to May 2022 (421,000 NEVs), the 2023 result represents a 60 per cent increase. The share of New Energy Vehicles in total sales increased from 29.5 to 30.1 per cent in May compared to April. Basically, both the 30.1 per cent market share and the 717,000 NEVs registered in China are year-to-date highs. However, they do not come close to NEV sales figures achieved in part in 2022 – at that time still with purchase subsidies.

Specifically, about 522,000 battery-electric vehicles and 194,000 plug-in hybrids were sold in May, representing year-on-year growth of about 50 per cent (BEV) and 94 per cent (PHEV). Sales of fuel cell vehicles even increased by 311 per cent compared to May 2022, but remain at an extremely low level of around 400 units.

Across all drive types, 2.38 million new vehicles hit the roads in China in May. Compared to May 2022, this is an increase of almost 28 per cent. Compared to April, sales increased by 10.3 per cent, and by 12.7 per cent in the case of new energy vehicles – a figure that is almost in line with the overall market average.

A look at the manufacturers shows – almost – the usual picture: BYD is the lonely leader with 239,092 NEVs. BEVs and PHEVs continue to balance each other out – 119,603 BEVs and 119,489 PHEVs were sold in May. BYD thus breaks the one-million mark in cumulative NEV sales this year – the majority of which are passenger cars, but commercial vehicles also fall into this statistic. BYD wants to sell at least 3 million vehicles this year – this was announced by the company’s chairman and president, Wang Chuanfu, at the end of March. By the way, 10,203 of BYD’s NEVs were exported in May.

Porsche has revealed Mission X, a study of an all-electric hypercar, to mark the company’s 75th anniversary. Statements from Porsche on the possible road approval of the model suggest the two-seater with gullwing doors is likely to be more than just a design concept.

The German sportscar maker has only revealed a few technical details for the Mission X study. The two-seater measures 4.5 x 2.0 x just under 1.2 metres – with a wheelbase of 2.73 metres. The battery, which has not been specified in detail, is installed behind the seats in accordance with the so-called e-core layout to “centre the mass in the vehicle”, which is supposed to provide the basis for “outstanding agility”.

The Mission X should be able to charge about twice as fast as Porsche’s current front-runner, the Taycan Turbo S thanks to 900-volt system architecture. The aforementioned Taycan charges up to 275 kW; ergo, the new hypercar is supposed to advance into the range beyond 500 kW in terms of charging power. Porsche also indicates performance, with the Mission X said to have a power-to-weight ratio (horsepower to kilograms) of 1:1, significantly outperforming the drive figures of the current Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Porsche appears to be deliberately fuelling speculation about the study’s market launch, writing that, for example, “If the Mission X were to go into series production, it would be the fastest road-legal vehicle on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife”. The luxury carmaker also disguises the above-mentioned references to performance and charging power with the condition “If the Mission X went into series production…”.

The publication Auto, Motor, Sport interprets the reference to “the fastest road-legal vehicle” to mean that there is likely to be a production version of the hypercar and reports that on the fringes of the anniversary event. During the presentation of the model, the carmaker said that Mission X will be able to accelerate to 100 km/h in less than 1.9 seconds. This, in turn, is a sign that Porsche is progressing with development at Customcells in the German town of Tübingen. The Cellforce & Porsche joint venture, the Cellforce Group, is known to be working on high-performance batteries. Auto, Motor, Sport writes that Porsche has not yet decided on using these cells in Mission X.

The materials to be used in Mission X consist of a lot of carbon fibre. As special interior features, Porsche names seat shells made of carbon fibre integrated into the monocoque, gullwing doors attached to the A-pillar and the roof, a steering wheel open at the top in motorsport style and mixed tyres in the form of 20-inch wheels on the front and 21-inch wheels on the rear axle. The concept study is meant to symbolise a symbiosis of clearly recognisable motorsport DNA with a luxurious overall impression.

Commenting on the unveiling of Mission X, Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, said: “The Porsche Mission X is a technology beacon for the sports car of the future. It picks up the torch of iconic sports cars of decades past: like the 959, the Carrera GT and the 918 Spyder before it, the Mission X provides critical impetus for the evolutionary development of future vehicle concepts.” He concluded, “Daring to dream and dream cars are two sides of the same coin for us: Porsche has only remained Porsche by constantly changing.”

porsche.com

The German vehicle tuner Irmscher also modifies the electric VW ID. Buzz. Now the electric van can be completely revamped by the Remshalden-based company, turning it into a more leisurely version of the electric van.

The Irmscher conversion includes a revised front apron, side skirts, a roof spoiler, rims from the Irmscher range and a newly developed spring set (-30mm) for better suspension, with which the ID.Buzz drives “like on rails”. In addition, there are further customisation options.

irmscher.com

]]> https://www.electrive.com/2023/06/09/id-buzz-headed-to-the-tuners/feed/ 0 https://www.electrive.com/2023/06/09/general-motors-to-use-tesla-charging-standard-from-2025/ https://www.electrive.com/2023/06/09/general-motors-to-use-tesla-charging-standard-from-2025/#respond Fri, 09 Jun 2023 09:21:30 +0000 https://www.electrive.com/?p=199068 From 2025, General Motors will rely on Tesla’s charging port in the USA and Canada – exclusively. GM wants to provide adapters so that all cars equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) can also charge at CCS stations. This makes GM the second major US carmaker to commit to Tesla’s charging standard. As […]]]>

From 2025, General Motors will rely on Tesla’s charging port in the USA and Canada – exclusively. GM wants to provide adapters so that all cars equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) can also charge at CCS stations. This makes GM the second major US carmaker to commit to Tesla’s charging standard.

As early as next year, GM drivers will have access to Tesla’s approximately 12,000 Superchargers in the USA and Canada. Initially, an adapter will be needed, he said. “GM will begin to integrate the North American Charging Standard (NACS) in new EVs starting in 2025,” the press release says. It is unclear whether GM plans to integrate the Tesla charging port into vehicles from the 2025 model year onwards, or into vehicles launched from 2025 onwards.

GM CEO Mary Barra says the collaboration will accelerate the “mass adoption of electric cars”. “This collaboration is a key part of our strategy and an important next step in quickly expanding access to fast chargers for our customers. Not only will it help make the transition to electric vehicles more seamless for our customers, but it could help move the industry toward a single North American charging standard’,” Barra said. The GM CEO thus adopts the NCAS designation created by Tesla, as Ford has done before, but in her statement, she goes even further than its domestic rival by holding out the prospect of NACS becoming a uniform standard in North America.

Tesla released the design of its proprietary Supercharger connector in North America in November 2022 and invited car manufacturers and charging network operators to use Supercharger plugs and sockets in the future to make its system the charging standard in North America.

And it seems to be working. However, it should be noted that the US government had only recently made the use of the CCS fast-charging standard a condition for its charging infrastructure funding. Tesla then announced that it would make at least 7,500 of its Superchargers and Destination Chargers “available to all electric vehicles” by the end of 2024 and began equipping Superchargers in the US with CCS adapters in March.

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) has announced a funding pot of $2 million for the recycling and reuse of Li-ion batteries, administered through the ReCell Center located at Argonne National Laboratory.

Both institutions answer to the US Department of Energy. Through this investment announced today, AMMTO aims to encourage what it calls ‘Cooperative Research and Development Agreements’ between the National Laboratories that are part of the ReCell Center and industry partners. These ‘CRADA’ projects will require a 50% cost share between the DoE and private partners, although RD&D projects outside these agreements will also be considered for funding.

A total of up to eight projects will be funded, likely for one year. The selected projects will focus on research, education, and workforce development, and will be tasked with de-risking and scaling up novel processes for the recycling and reuse of materials from the more than two million tons of Li-ion batteries projected to be available in the next ten years.

Focus areas will include the development of a room temperature process for recycling and reuse of electrodes, rejuvenation (re-manufacturing) of electrodes for direct reuse, recycling of electrolytes, and education and workforce development.

energy.gov

The Climate Agency of Oslo has selected the Czech company ChargeUp to supply a control system for the city’s charging network. ChargeUp will remotely manage and monitor more than 2,300 public charging points in Oslo and all future charging stations.

The company expects Olso to increase the number of charge points by 200 per year until 2031, which is also the length of the contract – provided both sites are satisfied.

ChargeUp’s CPO software will replace another charging station management solution in Oslo starting this summer. The cloud-based software service (SaaS) can integrate any third-party apps.

The rollout follows ChargeUp winning a tender issued by Oslo, and the Environmental agency stated they considered the CPO software a modern and functional solution ready for immediate use, with a clear user interface. “It will give us a complete overview of the charging process and allow us to operate the stations remotely. The supplier has also attached a detailed project plan and implementation plan. We consider the team assigned to the project as qualified, with relevant experience from similar projects,” the Oslo Environment Agency said when announcing the tender result.

Daniel Ševčík, CEO of ChargeUp, added, winning the tender was a “great achievement” since Oslo is considered the world’s capital of electromobility – “nowhere else are there so many electric cars and such a high density of charging infrastructure,” he said. Moreover, ChargeUp beat the biggest European and global players in the tender process. “The robustness, scalability and functionality of our solution were the decisive criteria,” said Ševčík.

While the company appears like a relative newcomer and is listed as a European Unicorn business, the ChargeUp website references an impressive list of clients, including Stellantis, VW, DPD, TotalEnergies or Göteborg Energi.

As for Oslo, public transport, including trams, buses and boats, will transition to fully electric in the Norwegian capital by the end of this year. By 2030, Oslo aims to be the world’s first emission-free city.

chargeup.cz

In urban transportation, electric buses are no longer a rarity. The Global Public Transport Summit (GPTS), the meeting of the international public transport scene, is expected to boost the industry further because there has never been so much “E” before.

There were rows of new electric city buses, new services, new charging solutions, and promises of premieres in electrifying longer routes. We summarise the highlights from Barcelona.

***

At the Global Public Transport Summit (GPTS) organized by the UITP association, everything and everyone with a reputation in the European and international public transportation industry gathered this week. It was the show’s 64th edition, and the Spanish capital served as the venue for the third time.

Manufacturer MAN used the spotlight to make a groundbreaking statement, announcing that it will no longer invest in Euro-7 technologies and that from 2030, it will only offer emission-free buses in its portfolio for cities and municipalities. In addition, MAN presented its latest electric model: the Lion’s City 10 E. With this slightly shorter bus, the company completes its fully electric Lion’s City E bus range, which now consists of variants measuring 10.5, 12.2, and 18.1 meters in length. The “new” bus has been produced since the beginning of 2023 at MAN’s city bus plant in Starachowice, Poland. While the midibus is based on many aspects of its 12-meter equivalent, its maximum energy capacity is slightly lower at 400 kWh. MAN states a full range of 300 kilometres for the Lion’s City 10 E.

Another noteworthy moment at the summit was provided by German manufacturer Daimler Buses. The company took advantage of the attention to announce the establishment of a new charging infrastructure subsidiary, Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH, specifically for the European bus industry. The freshly unveiled eCitaro FC attracted attention at their booth. This is a new variant of the eCitaro with a fuel cell as a range extender. The solo bus has a capacity of up to 294 kWh and a 60 kW fuel cell, providing a range of up to 400 kilometres. The articulated bus has a capacity of up to 392 kWh with the same fuel cell and a range of up to 350 kilometres. The 18-meter variant has made its market debut with the premiere at the trade fair.

Among the premieres was also the work of the new manufacturer alliance BYD-Castrosua. According to the two partners, the 12-meter city bus model showcased in Barcelona has a battery capacity of 422 kWh, providing a range of over 450 kilometres. The model is based on an electric bus chassis by BYD, which the Chinese manufacturer introduced last autumn at the IAA Transportation in Hanover.

Iveco Bus also focused on its new electric variants in Barcelona, which the Italian manufacturer had recently unveiled at an event in Paris. In the exhibition hall, they showcased the 13-meter-long Crossway LE Elec and the revised E-Way in its smallest version (9.5 meters). Iveco offers the Crossway LE Elec in a 12-meter length as a city bus (Class 1 certification) or in a 13-meter length as a Class 2 certified bus for intercity travel. The latter is available with 416 and 485 kWh battery capacity. The company presented the updated version of the E-Way, which now features batteries from a different manufacturer. Although not present in Barcelona, Iveco recently announced an electric version of the Streetway.

These were the most significant premieres at the event. Many other established manufacturers also showcased their well-known electric models of the current generation. Among them was Turkish bus builder Karsan, which showcased various versions of its e-Atak model alongside the e-Jest minibus. This included the hydrogen-powered variant, the e-Ata Hydrogen, unveiled at last year’s IAA.

French oil and gas corporation TotalEnergies has signed an agreement with the city of Berlin to install up to 500 public AC charge points with a capacity of 11 kW over the next three years.

Under the deal, the petrochemical company will also operate these charging stations until 2030, as announced during the inauguration of the first site as part of the “Berliner Modell.” The inaugural station is located in Berlin-Schöneberg on Babelsberger Straße 46.

Total plans to carry out the rollout in close collaboration with the Berlin Senate and the local grid operator, Stromnetz Berlin. In addition to the 11 kW charging capacity, the stations will be powered by 100% renewable energy. However, the reason behind the 2030 operational period limit remains unclear.

The exact locations for the 500 charging points, whether in residential areas, the outskirts, or the city centre, have not been specified in the communication received via email from Total. Jan Petersen, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Charging Solutions Deutschland, expressed enthusiasm, saying, “We are very pleased to contribute to making electromobility more accessible to more people in Berlin. Our publicly accessible charging points offer an attractive and sustainable option for many Berlin households without private parking spaces to charge their electric vehicles with green energy. TotalEnergies is committed to expanding the charging infrastructure in Germany, including public street charging and partner locations.”

Since 2020, TotalEnergies has scored contracts to develop public charging networks in major urban areas, such as Greater Amsterdam (22,000 charging points), Antwerp (3,000), Flanders (4,400), Brussels (500), Ghent (800), London (2,100), Paris (2,300), Singapore (1,500), and Wuhan (11,000). In October 2022, TotalEnergies established its charging infrastructure subsidiary in Germany. In the hydrogen sector, the company is working with Air Liquide to build a European hydrogen network for trucks. By 2027, the company will operate over 150,000 charging stations in Europe and Asia.

The US company Ascend Elements, which specialises in sustainable battery materials, reports a major order worth up to $5 billion. The order is worth around $1 billion and will deliveries are expected to start at the end of the next year.

It is a multi-year contract to supply cathode precursor materials (high nickel NMC) for battery production to an unnamed major US company, initially worth around US$1 billion, starting in the fourth quarter of 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, the customer has the option to extend the contract to a larger quantity worth up to US$5 billion.

Ascend Elements is building a factory in Kentucky to produce sustainable battery materials. According to the current plan, this should be able to produce enough cathode material and precursors for up to 250,000 electric vehicle batteries per year after the planned completion at the end of 2023.

In the meantime, however, Ascend Elements cites an output three times as high for up to 750,000 electric vehicle batteries. In October 2022, the US Department of Energy awarded Ascend Elements two grants totalling $480 million to accelerate the construction of the Kentucky plant. In March 2023, Ascend Elements also opened its first commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling plant in the state of Georgia.

“Nearly 100% of the world’s pCAM is produced in Asia,” said Mike O’Kronley, CEO of Ascend Elements. “There is no reason we can’t manufacture critical battery materials like this in the United States. In fact, we need to manufacture our own battery materials to secure the supply chain in North America, reduce carbon emissions and ensure our energy independence.”

ascendelements.com

US logistics company Schneider National has announced the completion of a huge charging depot at its South El Monte Intermodal Operations Center in Southern California. The facility will support Schneider’s nearly 100 zero-emission trucks currently on order with Freightliner.

The new charging depot covers an area over half the size of a football field and is equipped with 16 charging columns, each capable of charging two trucks simultaneously with powers of up to 350 kW. The depot will enable Schneider to charge its growing fleet of eCascadia trucks on order with the US Daimler Truc subsidiary since September 2021. Schneider says the heavy-duty EVs will reach an 80% charge within just 90 minutes.

The South El Monte site strategically positions Schneider close to the metropolitan Los Angeles area and major highways. The company has already commenced deliveries for Frito-Lay North America and Goodyear using the new eCascadia fleet, which boasts an approximate range of 220 miles.

Schneider collaborated with industry partners, including clean transportation engineering and construction company Black & Veatch, to build the site.

Mark Rourke, President and CEO of Schneider, emphasized the significance of developing onsite charging infrastructure with partners, stating, “With the infrastructure deficiency, we found that we needed to collaborate with a wide array of experts to see our vision come to fruition.”

Dave Hallowell, President of the connectivity, commercial, and industrial sector at Black & Veatch, added the electric truck charging hub was a “monumental testament to innovation and collaboration”.

And the site received funding, first through the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI), to increase the number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks on the road.

Funding was also provided for the electric trucks on order with DNTA subsidiary Freightliner. From the incoming fleet of 92 trucks, JETSI helped fund 50, with the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission awarding $27 million for the initiative. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, the Port of Los Angeles, and Southern California Edison provided additional funding.

Beyond the JETSI-funded trucks, five of the additional 42 trucks in its fleet were jointly funded by the EPA and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP). The Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust supports seven trucks, while the remaining 30 also receive funding from HVIP.

The Luxembourg-based company Livista Energy Europe is planning a lithium refinery in Germany. This is to go into operation in 2026 and produce up to 40,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium products per year – enough for the batteries of around 850,000 electric vehicles.

According to Livista, it is the first chemical refinery for battery lithium in Europe. In the long term, the production capacity is to be doubled and a second plant built. In addition, it is planned that by 2030 half of the capacity of the first plant will consist of recycled raw materials.

Technip Energies, a French engineering and technology company for the energy and chemical sectors, was commissioned with the implementation. Technip Energies had won a corresponding tender process and will carry out the engineering, initial procurement activities, cost estimates and all permitting work required for the construction of the first plant as part of the FEED design. The company will also undertake the initial works for the expansion of the second plant at the same site.

The preliminary assessment for a second refinery based on the first refinery design will be carried out in parallel, according to Lavistas. However, Livista does not yet name a specific location – for either of the two planned plants.

The aim, according to Livista, is to “close a critical gap in Europe’s supply chains for electric vehicles and batteries, as currently all lithium refineries are operated in Asia”. The new facilities are intended to enable European car and battery manufacturers to meet EU requirements. According to this, “all batteries produced in Europe should contain a minimum proportion of lithium battery products from local production by 2030”.

“The capacity of our plants to accept recycled battery materials will make us a key part of the circular economy and will support our customers in sourcing lithium directly in Europe,” says Jean-Marc Ichbia, COO of Livista Energy. “Livista will also support the EU with its EV growth objectives, and sourcing of local materials, alongside moving towards energy independence.”

livista.energy

The Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten Norway has presented plans for an emission-free cruise ship. It is to become the most energy-efficient cruise ship in the world. The first ship is scheduled to set sail in 2030.

The electric cruise ship, which was now presented as a concept, is being developed under the project name ‘Sea Zero’ together with a consortium of twelve maritime partners and the research institute SINTEF. It is 135 metres long and has 270 cabins for 500 guests and 99 crew members.

It will also be equipped with three sails up to 50 metres high, which can be retracted and fitted with over 1,500 square metres of solar panels. The wind energy generated by the sails will be stored in batteries with a total capacity of 60 megawatt-hours. The latter will also be recharged in the ports along the route.

The Sea Zero project is now entering a two-year phase in which the proposed technologies will be tested and further developed with a view to the final zero-emission vessel. The current research and development phase focuses on battery production, propulsion technology, hull design and sustainable practices that reduce energy consumption to an absolute minimum.

Hurtigruten Norway plans to have the first smaller zero-emission ship in 2030 and to convert its entire fleet to zero-emission ships in the long term.

“When we initially announced the ‘Sea Zero’ project over a year ago, we were faced with the challenge of not knowing which technologies would be available to us in 2030,” explains Hurtigruten Norway CEO Hedda Felin. “Our task was to pave the way for new innovations and enhance existing ones to align with our sustainability objectives. While some of these technologies have reached a relatively advanced stage, they still necessitate dedicated research and development to ensure successful implementation within the maritime context,” Felin continues.

Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, is on track to replace its fleet of diesel buses with electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The first new buses have been ordered and will complement the existing electric bus fleets in several states.

Funding of €56 mn just granted by the Federal Ministry of Digital Infrastructure and Transport (BMDV) will enable Deutsche Bahn to purchase over 250 electric or hydrogen-powered buses by mid-2025.

The procurement will be done through collaborations between regional DB bus companies, public transport authorities, and local districts. This move brings Deutsche Bahn’s bus division closer to its goal of completely replacing diesel buses by 2038.

Specifically, fleets in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, and Lower Saxony will benefit from the first batch of orders. Starting from the end of this year, new buses will be deployed in Bocholt, Münster, and Viersen in NRW as Deutsche Bahn slated up to 115 new buses for the state. In northern Germany, 149 new emission-free buses could be put into service, with the first electric buses set to operate in Schleswig-Holstein’s Ostholstein region by the end of 2023. Additionally, 14 hydrogen-powered buses have already been ordered. They will be deployed in the districts of Friesland and Leer in Lower Saxony and the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district in Schleswig-Holstein.

The BMDV funding will also facilitate the installation of 230 charging stations to support the expanded bus fleet. Approximately eleven million euros have been allocated for the infrastructure required.

The Spanish electric scooter manufacturer Silence has started production of its first four-wheeled electric vehicle. The two-seater Silence S04, first shown in autumn 2021, is now being manufactured in a new plant of the parent company Acciona in Barcelona.

According to the company, the 60,000-square-metre production facility will also produce batteries in the future, which in the current first phase are still being delivered from a factory in the nearby town of Sant Boi de Llobregat.

The company does not provide any information on the planned output of the factory. The S04 is a light vehicle for city traffic similar to a Renault Twizy that was first shown a good one and a half years ago. With its appearance and closed doors, however, Silence is aiming at a more conventional car design. To improve space utilisation, the two seats are not arranged side by side or behind each other, but offset.

Silence will initially release the S04 as an L7e variant with 14 kW of power, which can reach speeds of up to 85 km/h and offers a homologated range of 149 kilometres. This version costs 10,180 euros including the two removable 5.6 kWh battery packs. Alternatively, according to the manufacturer, “almost 40 per cent of the purchase cost can be saved” by buying the S04 without batteries and subscribing to a battery exchange service instead. In this case, customers can use the Silence app to locate the nearest battery station where empty batteries are exchanged for charged ones.

Some of the performance figures for the 2.28-metre-long, 1.27-metre-wide and 1.57-metre-high City BEV were announced back in 2021. At that time, a top speed of 90 km/h was still mentioned. Among other things, it is now added that the small boot has a capacity of 247 litres capacity, and that charging takes seven to nine hours at a household socket and 30 minutes at an AC charging station. By the way, the batteries are equipped with wheels and a handle for swapping, given their weight of 41 kilograms each, so that they can be moved in the manner of a wheeled suitcase. As previously announced, an L6e version of the S04 with 6 kW of power and a top speed of 45 km/h is to follow later.

acciona.com, silence.eco

In a surprise move, the German government appears to have scrapped its target of establishing one million charging points by 2030, at least internally. News agencies quote insiders familiar with the matter, revealing that the goal is no longer being actively pursued within the government.

This, however, is for good reason in parts. Individuals privy to the plans told Bloomberg the significant growth of private charging infrastructure was the reason behind the change in strategy. According to the news agency, there are now approximately ten private charge points for every public one in Germany.

When approached for comment, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs did not directly address the one-million target and referred Bloomberg’s inquiry to the Ministry of Transport. A spokesperson from the liberal party FDP said that the goal still officially stands; there has been no further statement from the government regarding the reports.

According to Bloomberg, Germany has about 85,000 public charging stations, and nearly a fifth of those are classified as fast-charging points. Still, most drivers choose to charge at home, and German drivers are not alone. The shift highlights the challenge many European countries face when planning public infrastructure to encourage electric transport, writes Bloomberg.

Moreover, the one-million goal came after lobbying from the country’s car industry, according to two people familiar with the matter, which stands to benefit from a broader charging network. The target was further based on a 2020 study in which the number was one out of four scenarios assessed. When contacted by Bloomberg, Germany’s VDA car lobby also emphasized that other stakeholders helped calculate the number.

Critics had argued before that the target, established in the coalition agreement in 2021, fails to account for technological advancements, changing consumer preferences, and the risk of investing in underutilized public charging stations.

Among the opponents, the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) found one million public charging points outdated in a statement issued in January 2023. The BDEW emphasized the importance of a realistic demand assessment and usage patterns. The BDEW further suggested that if the government wishes to support the expansion of fast-charging infrastructure, it should prioritize the timely mobilization of state-owned land and simplify the approval processes. The association also believes that the detailed planning of charging station expansion should not be a government responsibility.

Mercedes-Benz has signed a supply contract with the Swedish start-up H2 Green Steel (H2GS) for around 50,000 tonnes of virtually CO2-free steel per year for its European press plants. The steel is to be used in various series models of the carmaker.

Mercedes-Benz has already held a stake in H2 Green Steel since 2021. The start-up plans to begin production in 2025 – and should thereupon enable the Stuttgart-based company to bring virtually CO2-free steel into series production. The above-mentioned delivery volume applies to the carmaker’s European press plants. At the same time, both sides have now additionally made public a signed letter of intent according to which they also aim to establish a supply chain for green steel produced in North America for the local Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plants.

H2 Green Steel uses hydrogen and electricity from 100 percent renewable energy sources instead of coking coal for its steel production. As a result, the manufacturing process is considered virtually CO₂-free. “By contrast, steel produced using a classic blast furnace, emits an average of more than two tons of CO₂ per ton” Mercedes-Benz points out in a statement. In the Swedish company’s new approach, hydrogen serves as a reducing gas that releases and binds the oxygen from the iron ore. Unlike the use of coking coal, no CO₂ is produced in the process, but water vapour. According to Mercedes, H2GS is aiming for a footprint of 0.4 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of steel at the start of delivery.

“With the supply deal of around 50,000 tonnes almost CO₂-free steel from H2 Green Steel for our manufacturing plants in Europe, Mercedes-Benz and H2 Green Steel are accelerating the creation of a decarbonised, regional and resilient steel supply chain,” expresses Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Member of the Board of Management for Engineering, Development and Procurement. “At the same time, we are taking our partnership to the next level with the aim of establishing a sustainable steel supply chain in North America, another important step towards making the auto industry more resilient and sustainable.”

Mercedes-Benz has made a voluntary commitment to establish a carbon-neutral supply chain by 2039 at the latest. The focus here is on avoiding and reducing CO₂ emissions and not on offsetting them, the German manufacturer emphasises. “Already today, the brand with the three-pointed star has introduced low-CO₂ steel, made from scrap, into four series models. This allows CO₂ emissions for the respective steel grades to be cut by more than 60%..” In addition, Mercedes-Benz recently announced that aluminium with a CO2 footprint reduced by almost 70 per cent from its partner Hydro would go into series production – for the EQE and EQS electric models, among others.

Volvo has taken several plug-in hybrid variants of some of its most popular models off the market in the UK as part of a major cull. The Swedish brand announced that it will affect PHEV variants of its XC40 SUV, as well as the S90 saloon and Cross Country-badged estates in the UK.

This means that British customers will no longer be able to order the V90 Cross Country, V60 Cross Country, plug-in hybrid versions of the XC40 Recharge and the S90. The T4 and T5 plug-in hybrids will no longer be available, however, the combustion versions of both the V90 and V60, as well as the standard and fully electric XC40, will not be pulled from the UK market, however.

Volvo says that the decision has been taken in order to focus on ‘full electrification’ as the outfit looks to “rapidly transform” its vehicle range. “We will naturally need to evolve and consolidate our line-up as we prioritise fully electric cars and make this technological transition,” said  a spokesperson, adding: “As a result, and based on existing orders and available production for the UK market, plug-in hybrid versions of the XC40 Recharge, along with all V60 Cross Country, V90 Cross Country and S90 variants have been removed from the UK line-up.”

To reach its goal of having 50 per cent of its sales fully electric by 2025, Volvo will likely be making more of these announcements soon. Tesla had also struggled with the right-hand drive market, as it requires specialized production lines, and coupled with the expiry of the UK’s subsidy programme last year, this has spelled a difficult combination for manufacturers. Tesla had even gone so far as to introduce a new scrappage scheme to help balance things out, while Fiat introduced its own “grant” for the purchase of a Fiat 500e or 500e Convertible.

cardealermagazine.co.uk, am-online.com

Battery cell manufacturer AESC (formerly Envision AESC) has begun construction of its new factory in the US state of South Carolina, which will supply BMW with cylindrical cells in the future. Announced in December 2022, the production facility in Florence County is scheduled to come on stream in 2026.

AESC is planning an annual capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours for the plant, which is estimated to cost 810 million US dollars, and wants to supply the BMW plant in Spartanburg with cylindrical cells from Florence County. BMW aims to produce at least six all-electric BMW X models there by 2030. Envision AESC is one of three battery partners for BMW’s New Class, along with Chinese manufacturers CATL and Eve Energy.

Through these partnerships, BMW wants to purchase the battery cells where the production also takes place (“local for local”). In the USA, the plans come together in South Carolina, where BMW operates the Spartanburg vehicle plant (primarily for SUV models).

As is known, BMW’s round cells will have a uniform diameter of 46 millimetres and two different heights. According to as yet unconfirmed information, the cells will be 95 and 120 millimetres high. One thing is clear: according to BMW, the module level will be omitted during installation. The round cells will be “flexibly integrated into the installation space in a space-saving manner”. The storage system takes on a supporting role in the body structure. In technical jargon, this battery concept is called “pack-to-open-body”.

It has been known for some time that the vehicles of the ‘New Class’ will use an 800-volt system with up to 350 kW charging power in addition to this battery concept. In this way, a significantly increased charging performance can be achieved with direct current charging at a current strength of up to 500 amperes, BMW recently specified. “The time required for charging from ten to 80 per cent is reduced by up to 30 per cent.”

Leadership change at LiveWire, the electric motorbike brand of Harley-Davidson: Karim Donnez is appointed as the new CEO with effect from 12 June 2023 and replaces Jochen Zeitz in this function, who will, however, remain Chairman of the LiveWire Group.

Donnez joins LiveWire from Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). Previously, he worked for Rio Tinto and Accenture. He is expected to act as an “entrepreneurial business leader with a demonstrable track record of driving transformational growth through both strategy development and implementation”, in the words of Jochen Zeitz, who previously held the positions of chairman and CEO in parallel.

“Having successfully stood-up LiveWire as a brand and listed the Company on the NYSE, I’m excited to pass the baton to Karim and to welcome him as LiveWire’s new CEO, following an extensive global search process,” Zeitz added.

LiveWire was initially the model name of the first electric Harley, but later became the name of the entire electric sub-brand. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire – first unveiled for the US market in 2019 – was renamed LiveWire One in the process.

This spring, Harley-Davidson also launched its LiveWire electric motorbike brand in Europe. The LiveWire One has been available for reservation in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK since mid-March. Deliveries have been underway since April.

businesswire.com

Dutch oil and gas corporation Shell has been banned from running certain advertisements in the UK. In the campaign, Shell advertises its efforts to provide renewable energy and expand charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

According to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the ads are misleading about Shell’s overall environmental impact. It said the adverts did not provide material information about Shell’s involvement in more polluting fossil fuel-related activities.

The ban includes a television advert, a billboard displayed in Bristol and a YouTube advert.

Shell was not impressed with the decision, as a spokesperson told reporters: “We strongly disagree with the ASA’s decision, which could slow the UK’s drive towards renewable energy. People are already well aware that Shell produces the oil and gas they depend on today. No energy transition can be successful if people are not aware of the alternatives available to them. That is what our adverts set out to show, and that is why we’re concerned by this short-sighted decision.”

The company is not the only rebranded “energy company” facing these charges. In France, legal action is currently underway as Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France and Notre Affaire a Tous, supported by ClientEarth, filed a lawsuit in March 2022 against Total, arguing that the company’s ‘reinvention’ ad campaign violates European consumer law as it misleads the public on what the company’s plans mean for the climate crisis. TotalEnergies in May, failed to stop the net zero greenwashing case from proceeding, which ClientEarth considers “historic”.

energylivenews.com

AVL presents the new AVL Battery Cell TS ACORA system. This is intended to examine the behaviour of battery cells under different climatic conditions and operating states. The system is suitable for both prismatic and pouch cells.

The AVL Battery Cell TS ACORA system works with direct cooling. ACORA stands for “Active Cooling Rack”. This means that in contrast to other processes with climate chambers, AVL relies on thermal conditioning of the cells via conditioning plates. According to the company, batteries can thus be conditioned much faster and more energy-efficiently, which shortens the testing time by up to 60 per cent compared to other methods.

Another advantage, according to AVL, is that direct cooling also improves test precision and repeatability, as temperature deviations are only in the range of +/-0.5 Kelvin.

In addition, the test series can be fully automated with the support of robots. “In a test lab, you quickly reach 25 to 30 mating cycles per hour. Here, the use of such a robot solution is already worthwhile,” explains Urs Gerspach, Executive Vice President of AVL List GmbH.

This makes the scalability of test labs more flexible, because thanks to the robot solution, ACORA racks can also be stacked on top of each other and the available space can be used optimally. “In a fully automated ACORA Lab, you can operate double the amount of test channels per test system that would be possible in a test lab with climate chambers,” says Gerspach.

avl.com