Announced in autumn, the first self-driving electric shuttle called Gacha, which has been made for all weather conditions, has now been presented in Helsinki. The electric shuttle will be available to the general public in pilot projects as of April this year in the Finnish city of Espoo and will also be available in Hämeenlinna, […]
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The development and manufacturing service provider Valmet Automotive is planning to set up large-scale production of battery packs for the automotive industry in Salo, Finland. The facility is said to open this year with more than 300 employees.
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The UK battery developer Hyperdrive Innovation and Hybria, an electric drive specialist firm from Finland have agreed to develop an all-weather series of prototypes of non-road mobile machinery and special vehicles such as snowmobiles or boats.
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Finnish company Aurora eMotion has developed fully electric snowmobiles, with which you can take a safari through the frozen tundra of Lapland.
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The Finnish Ministry of Transport had asked a Task Force to analyse how the country may reach its goal to eliminate CO2 emissions in the transport sector by 2045. Their final report is out and proposes a range of measures that alternate between the carrot and the stick.
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BASF is attempting to lower the nickel ratio in battery chemistry and also to work towards zero cobalt content. The goal is to reduce costs while supplying the growing market for cathode materials for electric vehicle batteries.
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Ryohin Keikaku of Japan designed a mini electric bus called the Gacha Shuttle Bus. It is said to ride through any weather and autonomously so and shall go into operation for the first time in Finland in 2020.
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The first high power charger of Fortum Charge & Drive in Finland is live. The 150 kW station is located at a gas station and is part of the Nordic ultra fast charging corridor between Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki.
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BASF has now officially selected Harjavalta in Finland as their first location to manufacture battery materials for the European automobile market. The facility will be built nearby the refinery belonging to Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel).
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E.On is introducing the IT platform of service provider Virta of Finland as a digital backbone of the utility’s network in Europe. The cloud solution is to manage peaks and prices while increasing usability for E.On clients.
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After a small electric plane was tested by the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel in Norway, it now took to the skies again in Finland for another test flight. This time the Pipistrel Alpha Electro took off from the Helsinki-Malmi airport.
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Finnish motorcycle maker RMK Vehicles is gearing up for the debut of their E2 before the year’s end. The most striking element awes through absence – the hubless electric motor good for 50 kW. Pre-orders are open but beware; the price may come to a whopping 24,000 euros in the end.
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Fortum will promote the pleasures of electric driving at the music festival Ruisrock in Finland this July. But rather than offering “just” a test ride in a BMW i3, the Fortum Singalong Shuttle requires fans to sing to set it in motion.
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Hyundai has found a user for their old electric car batteries. Finland’s Wärtsilä will reuse batteries from Hyundai EVs in their stationery energy storage facilities and wants to market their solution in 177 countries.
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Finland’s retailer K Group joins the IONITY high power charging network as they plan to install ultra-fast charging stations at three of their Kesko stores. The locations close to highways will complement the K-Charge network and deliver up to 350 kW.
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Porsche is kicking off a digital EV charging service, that can even be used by drivers of EVs and PHEVs by other manufacturers. Currently, the service is bundled with Hubject’s roaming network. Other options and international roll-out are currently being tested as well.
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The Finnish arm of Danish Danfoss has joined Paus Maschinenfabrik from Germany in their drive to electrify mine vehicles. The first fruit of their cooperation is the MinCa 5.1 that has gone serial and is available as either hybrid or all-electric vehicle.
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Finnish K Group wants to install a network of EV charging stations at its convenience stores across Finland. Labelled K Charge, 70 stations are to form a network of 400 charge points being installed throughout 2019 in support of the nation’s EV effort.
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Bavaria’s startup Magment has patented a new material with the properties of cement that at the same time can create a magnetic field in order to enable both static and dynamic charging of electric vehicles. First projects are underway.
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After hitting the London Taxi scene, the London Electric Vehicle Company has signed a statement of intent detailing a cooperation for charging ports and infrastructure with Fortum Charge & Drive, which is planned to cover Norway, Sweden and Finland.
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Allego and Fortum Charge & Drive join forces to set up a pan-European high-power charging (HPC) network called MEGA-E and thus to erect 322 ultra-fast charging stations and 27 so-called e-charging hubs throughout Europe.
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More than 7,000 people tested the solar-powered EV Sion by German start-up Sono Motors during last year’s test driving sessions. Now the Munich-based company starts another tour through Europe.
WeiterlesenEU initiative for more electric buses: Representatives of numerous cities and regions, of OEMS and transportation authorities seek to deploy at least 2,000 electric buses by 2019 and just signed a respective MoU. Within the next 8 years, the share of alternatively fuelled buses in the European bus fleet shall rise from currently 10 – 12 percent to 30%.
ec.europa.eu via ec.europa.eu
7 EU member states miss strategy: The EU Commission has reminded Greece, Ireland, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Great Britain to present their national strategies concerning infrastructure for alternative fuels (e.g. charging stations, H2 stations) to comply with EU regulations. Another letter will reach the Swedish government as its current strategic framework does not meet the guideline’s minimum requirements. The governments in question now have two months left to carry out their duty, if not the Commission can appeal to the ECJ.
europa.eu (point 13), europa.eu
Mandtory charging points? Finland’s National Coalition Party wants to write EV fast-charging points at all service stations located along the country’s major roadways into law. The party promised it will push the proposal during upcoming budget talks.
yle.fi
9 electric buses to run in Iceland: Several electric buses are to commute between Reykjavík main bus terminal and the Breiðholt neighbourhood by early autumn. The island’s bus authority Strætó bs. ordered nine units from Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong.
icelandreview.com
Video tip: Charging a battery in 5 minutes – we heard this promise from StoreDot first in 2015 and both Samsung and Roman Abramovich invested. The company now presented such rapid “live charging” at a conference but the demo is a bit sketchy. Believe it or not…
pscp.tv (video) via engadget.com
Reading tip: Finland is last when it comes to EV adoption if compared to the electric heavyweights Sweden and Norway that count ten and a 100 times more EVs respectively. This articles highlights reasons for the Fins’ reluctance such as price and infrastructure.
yle.fi
Optimised charging: BMW i introduces the Digital Charging Service designed to enable tariff- and solar-optimized vehicle charging. It shall integrate EVs into the energy market as drivers will be able to work with utilities. Pilot markets are Germany and the Netherlands, where the service will start in spring 2017.
greencarcongress.com, bmwgroup.com
Berlin electric buses are there to stay, says public transport provider BVG. The four pilot buses charge inductively and operation has improved over the year. Plus, they will not stay alone for long as BVG plans to acquire more electric models in a buying community with Hamburg Hochbahn.
tagesspiegel.de (in German)
EV leasing in Finland: OP Financial Group is to launch an electric car leasing service in Finland. Rates start at almost 500 euros per month but clients must sign a two-year contract to be eligible.
yle.fi
Free EV parking: Dundee City Council will offer free parking for electric cars. The scheme will allow EV drivers to use any of the council run facilities, not just those with charging points. Funding comes through the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme.
eveningtelegraph.co.uk
South American EV: Argentinian Sero Electric is an electric vehicle for up to two people that comes as a sedan and in two van versions. Each car uses a gel acid battery, which lasts for about 70 km. 150 Sero Electric have been build and another 500 – 600 units shall be added in 2017. Orders have been taken from Chile, Brasil and Mexico. Price varies from 12,000 to 15,000 dollars.
telesurtv.net
NextEV unveils 1.000 kW racer: Curtain call for the Nio EP9, the Chinese company’s long awaited electric supercar. Four electric 250 kW motors catapulted the EV around the Nürburgring at a top speed of 313 kph, topping lap times set by the Porsche 918. The first units built by hand have already been sold. A small series production is set to kick off in China soon.
autocar.co.uk, carthrottle.com, electricautosport.com
First Chevy Bolt arrive at dealerships: Next week, the Chevy Bolt will arrive at dealerships in California and Oregon. However – many other U.S. states may have to wait another six months, as GM will roll out its EV step by step. But why so hesitant? GM says, they want to do it right and have had good experiences with the delayed availability of its second generation Chevy Volt.
insideevs.com (First Bolts), insideevs.com (delayed availability)
Finland to introduce subsidies? Helsinki seems to want push green cars and ponders a 100m euro incentive scheme. The goal is to have 250,000 EVs on the road by 2030, while the initial 25,000 buyers could benefit from 4,000 euros in subsidies. More details will be announced Thursday.
yle.fi
A city car, but not for all: Fun to drive, great turning radius, “zippy on steroids” – that’s how Autocar and Autoblog describe the new all-electric Smart Fortwo. Still, it is obvious to them that this EV only fits a particular lifestyle and with a realistic range of 75 miles, a charger should never be too far out of reach.
autocar.co.uk, autoblog.com
Trying out the Model S: Tesla kicked off its scheme “Drive to Believe” to convince western European buyers of its all-electric sedan. The EV maker will trade a Model S for a person’s car for one week. But there are only 25 spots – and the challenge ends December 31st.
teslarati.com tesla.com (application)
Hybrid Audi says goodbye with a win: The carmaker secured a one-two win at its last World Endurance Championship in Bahrain. Porsche secured the driver’s title, after the number two Porsche team of Neel Jani, Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb managed to place sixth in the championship.
motorsport.com, autosport.com, youtube.com (highlights)
Exactly 15,771 EV and PHEV were acquired in the Nordic countries in the third quarter of 2016, according to Insero. Altogether, PEV sales in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark stand at more than 145,000 units. Three quarters were bought in Norway.
insero.com
Tesla comes cheaper: Both the Model S and Model X can be leased over 2 years. The offer is valid until September, 12 and rates start at 593 dollars (Model S) and 730 dollar (Model X) per month. Koreans are now able to pre-order all Tesla models online as the EV maker launched the website.
electrek.co, insideevs.com (leasing), pulsenews.co.kr (Korea)
After the Roadster SP:01 there will be more electric models made by Detroit Electric. The Dutch firm’s CEO Albert Lam ensured the press, the company would not just follow Tesla. Yet, it plans a sedan EV in 2019, followed by an electric SUV. He did not mention an electric truck – yet.
rb.no (in Norwegian) via electrek.co
EV subsidies in Finland? The Centre Party proposed a 4,000 euro grant for buyers of electric cars and already three ministries are discussing the idea. Compared to its Nordic neighbours Sweden or Norway, the Finnish EV share lags behind. In the first half of 2016, only 122 EV were sold.
yle.fi
Tuning the Leaf? Nissan’s head of EV in Europe, Gareth Dunsmore hinted at a faster Leaf similar to the Nismo RC concept car. While he claims it to be “a on-off prototype” he did mention its potential to point to “where the vehicle’s spirit could go.”
carmagazine.co.uk
World’s cheapest electric SUV: Mahindra is working on what is to become the most affordable electric SUV on the global market. Obviously, it will be compact but no more details are known. The Indian firm plans to increasingly electrify its model range.
indiatimes.com
Finns may cut EV taxes: A working group at the Finnish Ministry of Transport is looking at lowering or even eliminating the sales tax on electric cars, hoping to push EV sales. So far, no decision has been reached. There are currently only an estimated one thousand electric cars on the roads of Finland.
yle.fi
Free the road for EVs: Beijing has implemented a further incentive for electric vehicles. A rule dating back to 2008 that only either cars with odd or even numbers are allowed to drive during rush hours was lifted for electric cars as of June 1st. The acceptation will be in place until April 10th, 2016.
wsj.com
Tesla outsources in Germany: Tesla is working with information-technology services company NetSol Technologies to manage auto leasing for customers in Germany. The company will manage all of Tesla´s financing and leasing back-office operations in the country.
bloomberg.com
Money back: Some 825 plug-in electric vehicle owners in the U.S. state of Georgia are being notified that the state wrongly denied them a 5,000 dollar tax credit last year for owning a zero-emission due to a data entry error. The mistake will of course be rectified.
myajc.com
Pajero outlook: Patent drawings have emerged online, showing the design of the new Mitsubishi Pajero for the first time. It was confirmed that the vehicle will also become available as a plug-in hybrid.
indianautosblog.com
Accord headed to India: Honda confirmed that it will offer its 2016 Accord in India. In addition, a hybrid version of the sedan might follow.
autocarindia.com
“Hardware is not the only thing that is important,” says Juha Stenberg, Managing Director of Ensto Chago. The Finish manufacturer of EV charging infrastructure now offers its third generation of chargers and Stenberg says it will also increasingly focus on services for EV drivers. Ensto Chago has a diverse portfolio of charging stations and “they all have their role in the whole charging network that we are now building,” says Stenberg during our exclusive interview at the Hanover Trade Fair. AC chargers, for instance, are needed in Finland and Sweden where plug-in hybrids are more popular than purely electric cars, while 20 kW DC fast charging stations are a better fit for restaurants and shopping centres, because they are easy to install and easier on the grid than stations with a higher output. Still, Stenberg agrees that there is a trend towards faster charging and hints that it is not the end of the line in terms of development of EV infrastructure made in Finland. Enjoy the video!
