Jun 7, 2017 - 07:51 am

Renault, China, FF, India, Greentech, Buick.

Renault home batteries: The French team up with British Powervault to introduce their own Powerwall. Unlike Mercedes or Tesla though, Renault wants to give its own EV batteries a second life and stationery home rather than building entirely new energy storage units. A pilot project is about to start in the UK, where 50 such batteries will go to houses and schools with a PV set up. The initiative makes twofold sense for the French group as it owns most of the powerpacks running the Zoe & Co. anyway.
electrek.co, autocar.co.uk, renault.com

NEVs in excess? China is to halt handing out permits for EV production, insiders reveal, after the government admits fears it would lead to an overpopulated market. So far 15 such licenses have been granted through the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) since March 2016 with VW’s being the last. The policy is under review and if a ban comes to pass, newcomers like LeEco would be excluded for the time being.
bloomberg.com

Talking about LeEco: Problems prevail for the business and so Faraday Future is looking for new backers. The EV start-up plans to raise no less than 1bn dollars and says it has already met with investors as well as advisors. LeEco boss Jia Yueting has over 300m dollars of his own money invested in FF but will not put anymore.
bloomberg.com

National e-bus making: India’s Tata Motors, Mahindra and Ashok Leyland plan to build electric buses together. They thus move away from the initial idea to cooperate in electric car development as the bus market is believed to be the more profitable playing field, especially as the Indian government shifts its support to public rather than individual transport.
moneycontrol.com

Croatian EV in the making? Rimac may soon face a local competitor albeit one backed by Chinese money. Billionaire Karl Soong, CEO of Poly International Group, had wanted to take over Rimac some time ago but was rejected. He now plans to set up his own electric car production in Croatia under the Greentech Group label. Metkovic is his chosen site with its nearby port and the first phase of investment will be worth 10m euros given the local councils agree.
total-croatia-news.com

Mild-hybrid standard: Buick brings its 2018 LaCrosse with eAssist, a mild-hybrid as standard version. Prices in the States start from 30,490 dollars.
autoblog.com, automotiveworld.com

Sep 24, 2014 - 08:29 am

Nissan, GreenTech, Toyota, Fiat, Zero Motorcycles.

Electric VIP transport: Today at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Nissan will show a premium version of its electrified E-NV200 van. The luxury demonstrator will be equipped with a 21.5-inch DSP monitor, LED lighting and a pair of club class seats for increased leg room.
green.autoblog.com

GreenTech prices: GreenTech Automotive (GTA) has issued pricing for its two electric cars manufactured in Mississippi. The GTA MyCar starts at 17,140 dollars while the GTA G2 is available for 21,250 dollars. Both EVs have a limited speed of 35 mph and come with a range of around 60 miles.
insideevs.com

Pricing for 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid: Pricing starts at 26,790 dollars for the base LE and goes up to 29,980 dollars for the XLE premium version. The new models are to become available this autumn. Michael Harley was lucky enough to review the new Camry Hybrid SE, which is now facing worthy competition from Ford, Hyundai or Volkswagen.
hybridcars.com (pricing), autoblog.com (review)

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New hybrid GT-R: The next generation Nissan GT-R will be available from 2018 with a hybrid drivetrain, German Auto Bild reports. A first optical impression is delivered by the Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo which was first shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year.
autobild.de (in German)

Fiat 500e in Oregon: The fully electric Italian small car is now available as 2015 model year at Fiat studios in Oregon for a monthly 199-dollar lease with 999 dollars down payment. Since its introduction in 2013, the Fiat 500e has only been on sale in California.
electriccarsreport.com

Zero at Intermot: American manufacturer Zero Motorcycles is to present its full range of electric bikes at the upcoming motorcycle show in Cologne, Germany stating next week. However, details on the new 2015 model year have not yet been revealed.
prnewswire.com

Sep 11, 2014 - 08:36 am

Honda, BMW, GreenTech, Audi, Mini, Mission Electric.

New Honda hybrid for Europe: Ahead of its presentation next month at the Paris Motor Show, Honda has released pictures of the HR-V crossover SUV. The car, which is sold as Vezel in Japan, will come with Honda’s new hybrid drivetrain and become available early 2015.
indianautosblog.com, welt.de (in German)

Schedule for Paris: Starting at October 4th, BMW will show its latest e-mobility advancements at the Paris Motor Show as follows: official French i8 introduction, BMW i remote apps for smartphones and smartwatches and the Concept X5 eDrive. Although, the latter had already been shown in New York earlier this year.
automotiveworld.com, press.bmwgroup.com

MyCar production: GreenTech Automotive finished constructions of its Tunica production plant. The U.S. automotive manufacturer will produce MyCar, a two-seat Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) at the site in Mississippi. Production is set to commence in the last quarter of 2014.
bizbuzz.djournal.com

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No Technik, no Vorsprung: Once more, Audi is not sticking to its famous claim “Vorsprung durch Technik.” In its latest press release about the updated Audi A6, which will debut in Paris soon, there is not a single word about a hybrid version anymore. Although, there is slight hope that Audi will stick to its promise to introduce a plug-in hybrid version with the next generation.
autoexpress.co.uk, audi-mediaservices.com

BMW is uncertain whether to build the Mini Superleggera or not. According to a BMW board member, a decision towards the electric two-door roadster is at least six months away. Mini is currently evaluating several different options including the question whether the Superleggera should be produced in-house or by somebody else.
uk.reuters.com

New Mission: Electric. At least that is what latest developments at Mission Motorcycles and Mission Motors could mean. On one hand, they might have to delay their first deliveries of electric motorcycles by as much as ten months, on the other hand they obviously plan on entering the automotive and marine space under the new enterprise Mission Electric.
autoblog.com