Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Thierry Bolloré, is resigning from the company for personal reasons and will leave JLR on 31st December 2022. His successor will be taking over from today and is a veteran of Jaguar Land Rover.
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Jaguar Land Rover and Wolfspeed have announced a strategic partnership for the supply of silicon carbide semiconductors. The technology is expected to increase powertrain efficiency and range for JLR’s next-generation electric cars from 2024.
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Jaguar Land Rover UK has partnered with Plugsurfing to offer JLR customers access to the charging network. Jaguar Charging and Land Rover Charging clients can now charge at over 300,000 charging points stretching across 27 countries and integrating 700 separate CPOs.
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Jaguar Land Rover has opened the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) laboratory at Gaydon in the UK. The town already holds JLR’s battery assembly centre. The EMC lab will ensure future vehicles meet current and future legislation and quality standards for connectivity and electronics, said JLR.
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In the UK, Thomas Müller is to take over responsibility for the technical development of all new Jaguar and Land Rover models, including hardware and software, with immediate effect. Müller wants to “usher in a new era of electric drive and digitalisation” at JLR.
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Jaguar Land Rover is preparing for future electric vehicles with advanced lightweight composite research in the four-year programme Tucana. They aim to deliver electric cars with increased range, greater performance and a more dynamic drive.
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Audi and Jaguar are the first manufacturers to have presented their Formula E racing cars for the coming season. For the first time, Season 7 will only be held in 2021 instead of across the calendar due to the Corona pandemic. Audi will be starting with its own powertrain for the first time.
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A British consortium looks to establish a circular end-of-life supply chain ending in the UK’s first recycling facility for automotive battery packs on a commercial scale. Granted support through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), project RECOVAS collects most of Britain’s remaining automotive players and specialists.
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Jaguar Land Rover has revealed details on electric models to follow the Jaguar I-Pace to investors. New cars will share a new platform called Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) that accommodates all-electric drives, plug-in hybrids and mild hybrids.
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Jaguar Land Rover will be investing in Samsung battery cells soon, according to insiders. Apparently the Brits are interested in the cylindrical battery cells from Samsung SDI for future models as of 2020. The Korean battery manufacturer will reportedly upgrade their Hungary factory with a new production line for 21700 cells.
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After previously showing much interest in electric vehicles, prince Charles of the UK has finally gotten around to purchasing his own Jaguar I-Pace.
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Jaguar and Google’s Waymo have announced a long-term strategic partnership to launch a 20,000 strong fleet of self-driving taxis based on the I-Pace. Testing is to start this year with the final autonomous electric cars to arrive by 2020.
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The British car manufacturer intends to launch its next-gen luxury sedan XJ with an all-electric drivetrain, according to “Autocar”. Related design works shall be already completed.
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British car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover is about to open a new R&D site in Shannon, Ireland. The centre shall focus on software engineering and provide 150 new jobs.
Read moreBMW strategy bullish: 25 electrified new models until 2025 and 12 of them all-electric, such is the battle cry sounding from Bavaria all the way to Frankfurt. Expect to see an EV concept on display there for which BMW claims a range of 500 – 700 kilometres. CEO Harald Krüger has just made e-mobility an “absolute priority” and his head developer Klaus Fröhlich was overheard expressing doubts whether Tesla would be able to offer 12 different models. BMW however is preparing to remodel all facilities so that they can accommodate for any motor set-up. The new models, including the X3 (from 2020), the electric Mini (2019) and the iNext (2021), will all run under the BMWi label. The overarching new strategy though is dubbed ‘ACES’ for Automated, Connected, Electrified and Services.
autonews.com, electrek.co, bmwgroup.com, electrive.net (in German)
JLR is increasing the pace too as the Brits renew their promise to electrify each and every model comes 2020, CEO Ralf Speth confirms. Demand will have to tell but customers may choose from the full palette ranging from mild hybrid over plug-in hybrids to purely electric variants. Already it looks like clients got a taste for the latter: 25,000 reservations for the I-Pace have reached Jaguar ahead of the EVs launch next year, Speth said.
theguardian.com, autocar.co.uk, bloomberg.com (video, I-Pace orders)
Range extended van revealed: Ford officially presents the Transit Custom PHEV and offered some details on its powertrain. The battery is supported by a 1-litre petrol engine so that the van has an electric range of 50 km. Development has progressed enough for 20 Ford vans to serve in a trial in London to inform final engineering before serial production is to commence by 2019.
autocar.co.uk, greencarcongress.com, ford.com
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Electric utility scooter: RedE, an electric cargo scooter developed by two French men with contacts to suppliers like Bosch for the e-drive and Lenovo for the battery, has made its debut in France. It targets delivery services with its hold and exchangeable battery good for 60 km. Price stands at 2,300 euros and the firm says it has sold 70 so far and aims for another 100 within this year.
technologicvehicles.com
Chevy Bolt goes nationwide: General Motors’ has made its electric car available in all states of North America and thus ends the exclusive supply. 12,249 Chevy Bolt have found buyers since the start of sales in December 2016.
greencarcongress.com, chevrolet.com
Chery-SUV 3in1: The Chinese manufacturer confirms reports predicting three variants of its SUV, all-electric, PHEV and hybrid to go on sale in Europe soon after the IAA.
automotiveworld.com
Conti operates an electric shuttle at Frankfurt Airport to gain insights into the practicalities of autonomous passenger transport. The CUbE (Continental Urban mobility Experience) is based on the EZ10 shuttle by French EasyMile of which Continental owns a minority share (we reported).
continental-corporation.com
British e-mobility research: Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Warwick have been granted 5.7m pounds for the development of electric vehicle technologies. They will focus on improved drives as well as energy storage and take a look into bearing and gear surfaces and power electronics as well. The research will also be embedded into learning within skills programmes. The initial funding comes from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) but JLR is to match the grant.
coventrytelegraph.net, thebusinessdesk.com
High-voltage battery testing: Warwickshire-based Horiba Mira has begun to build its Advanced Battery Development Suite for the testing and development of high voltage battery systems for 2m pounds. The company also just opened its 8m GBP vehicle emissions testing centre at Nuneaton.
airqualitynews.com
Battery500 in the making: North Amerciacan consortium Battery500 wants to develop a battery with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg (we reported). 15 projects have been chosen by now that share funding from the DoE worth 5.7m dollars. The iniiative is led by led by DOE’s PNNL.
pnnl.gov, energy.gov (list of projects, pdf)
Facelifted e-Golf unveiled: VW now presented the e-Golf’s overhauled design and technology. With 100 kW, the new version boasts more power and the 35.8 kWh battery pack (up from 24.2 kWh) allows for a real 200 km of range. Pricing will stay the same. Meanwhile, the carmaker confirmed that it moved EV production to the glass-walled manufacturing site in Dresden.
autocar.co.uk (e-Golf), automobil-produktion.de (Dresden; in German)
Shareholders approve SolarCity takeover: Shareholders from both companies have given the green light for the merger, worth about 2bn dollars. The deal therefore cleared the last and final hurdle and the transaction will be completed in the coming days.
businessinsider.de, marketwatch.com, techcrunch.com
JLR electrifies 50% of its fleet: Jaguar Land Rover wants to offer electric models for half of its portfolio by 2020. That includes battery-powered cars, as well as plug-in and mild hybrids. The carmaker is staying away from fuel cell technology, because of its poor energy efficiency.
autocar.co.uk, ibtimes.co.uk
First images of the Buick PHEV: The plug-in hybrid study was not supposed to be unveiled until the Guangzhou Auto Show, but first images a camouflaged Buick Velite have now been leaked. They show a striking similarity to the Opel Astra.
carscoops.com
Curtain call for plug-in Countryman: Under the long title “Cooper S E Countryman ALL4,” Mini now officially presented the brand’s first electrified model. It shares a 165 kW drivetrain with the BMW 225x and will hit the road in February. According to CEO Peter Schwarzenbach, an all-electric Mini is in the pipeline for 2019 and will be based on an existing model.
autocar.co.uk, carscoops.com (Countryman), autocar.co.uk (E-Mini)
New Toyota unit for EVs: To follow through with the recently announced fully electric addition to its portfolio, the Japanese has set up a small in-house think tank. It includes only four people – one from Toyota, and one each from Toyota Industries, Aisin Seiki and Denso. Together, they are charged with developing innovative and quick solutions.
reuters.com, toyota.co.jp
Second life: The ‘Battery 2nd Life‘ project of BMW, Bosch and Vattenfall consists of a large scale energy storage unit. As the design phase is completed, 2,600 used battery modules from over 100 electric vehicles have now merged into one unit to be used at Hamburg port for testing.
bosch-presse.de
Second life saver: Nissan presents the Navara EnGuard Concept, a rescue vehicle that carries two portable battery packs that can supply heavy machinery in hazardous places. A diesel itself, the power packs come from the Nissan EV and thus make a showcase for second life use.
autoblog.com, nissan-europe.com
JLR hybrids in the making: Jaguar Land Rover is developing two new hybrid drives, Autocar reports. The plug-in hybrid could soon power models like the Range Rover Sport, or the Jaguar F-Pace, XF and XJ. The mild-hybrid however would serve in the smaller range like the Evoque and Discovery Sport.
autocar.co.uk
Tesla v8.0 has arrived on electric cars worldwide. Apart from reportedly improved Autopilot functions, the update includes Cabin Overheat Protection to save children or pets left in a parked car in the sun.
electrek.co
Battery alliance in the works? Jaguar Land Rover may be talking with BMW about setting up a joint battery factory, The Times reports. The production facility could provide batteries for hundreds of thousands of EVs. However, neither manufactured commented on the rumours.
thetimes.co.uk, autocar.co.uk
More efficient trucks: The U.S. DOE’s Argonne Laboratory will head a consortium under the US-Chinese Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) to improve the efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 50 percent. The focus is i.e. on hybrid powertrains, light weighting and aerodynamics.
greencarcongress.com
Longer running times: Researchers at Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK) say they have found the reason for silicon-air batteries’ short running times – the consumption of electrodes. They developed a pump system to refill electrolyte fluid as part of the AlSiBat project, reaching running times of up to 1,100 hours. They are now looking for ways to keep the battery running without refilling the fluid.
fz-juelich.de
Hyundai mobility research: Hyundai has opened the Ioniq Lab in Pangyo in South Korea, where the carmaker works together with several universities to develop new ideas and concepts for future mobility. Electric mobility will play a major part – which is why the centre was named after Hyundai’s newest electric and hybrid model.
pulsenews.co.kr, hyundai.news
There are now over 100,000 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV on road around the world. It is only the fourth electric car to reach that milestone, following the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, and Chevrolet Volt.
hybridcars.com
Bubble up! Jaguar Land Rover is looking into “Air Bubbles” inside hybrid and electric vehicles, designed to decrease energy consumption for heating and cooling. Once “blown up,” temperature and quality of the bubble would be maintained using HVAC technologies like infra-red reflective (IRR) glass.
greencarcongress.com, alphr.com
JLR is gaining even more traction as it embarks on a research project together with Warwick University to create a new battery pack manufacturing research centre. It will develop next-geneneration traction batteries for electric vehicles and is backed by a 14m pound consortium (21.6m dollars).
sciencebusiness.net, insidermedia.com
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Customisable EV controller: TM4 launched the fully programmable controller TM4 NEURO 200. Specifically designed for electric and hybrid vehicles, it lets developers create and test control algorithms in a MATLAB/Simulink environment before using them to configure a unit.
greencarcongress.com
Power Y-splitter: Leoni will present a new power Y-splitter for high voltage wiring systems as found in EVs and hybrids at the IAA in Frankfurt. The component ensures a safe and low-resistance connection of auxiliary units and is currently set up for 800 volts.
automotiveworld.com
Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘SixthSense’ project measures a driver’s heart rate, respiration and brain activity in order to give him a nudge if it detects stress, fatigue and lack of concentration. They have also looked into reading brainwaves but so far it has been proven impractical. Still, better not let your mind wander too far when driving this Jaguar.
dailymail.co.uk
Coventry electrified: More details on London Taxi Company’s planned facility for building black cabs have surfaced. Chinese Geely will invest 250 million pounds to be able to produce 36,000 electric cabs annually. The electric taxis will first hit the market in 2017 and might even be exported a year later.
businessgreen.com, theguardian.com, standard.co.uk
JLR to expand R&D: Jaguar Land Rover says it will double the size of its current engineering and design centre in Whitley, Coventry. The company claims the expansion is due to increased development of “ultra-low-emission technologies” so expect (partly) electric Jaguars in the future.
autocar.co.uk, gtspirit.com
Toyota heading for the title: Toyota Racing is ready to defeat its two WEC titles and has thus presented its new TS040 Hybrid. The update comes with revised aerodynamics, a new front-end design and changes to the suspension to improve tyre wear. Weight-saving measures have also been introduced.
autovolt-magazine.com
Solar scooter: Together, BASF and Floatility are developing the ‘e-floater.’ Weighing less than 12 kilograms, this solar-powered electric scooter aims at commuters wanting to float on the last mile. BASF will provide various composite and plastic materials which will be used for 80 percent of all components.
greencarcongress.com, basf.com
Most clicked link on Thursday was the Chinese 3D-printed EV which is said to cost just 1,770 dollars.
3dprint.com
Meet the new Audi R18 e-tron: The German diesel-hybrid racecar for Le Mans is to compete in the 4-megajoule class this WEC season and will feature a stronger electric drive, now delivering an output of more than 200 kW. Audi has increased the capacity of the energy storage system as well.
greencarcongress.com
Packing peanuts as anodes? Researchers from Purdue University say they have developed a process to make carbon-nanoparticle and microsheet anodes for Li-ion batteries from polystyrene and starch-based packing peanuts. The up-cycled material is said to be even better than graphite.
greencarcongress.com
Sino-American electric racer: U.S.-based Advanced Battery Technologies announced its strategic partnership with Chinese Jiangsu Duke New Energy Automobile. The latter intends to produce 20,000 electric sports car this year for which ABAT will supply its batteries.
marketwired.com, wallstreet-online.de
Jaguar Land Rover now laid the foundation stone for the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) located at Warwick University. Electrification will be one of the research area at the 150-million pound centre in Coventry that will open in 2017.
expressandstar.com
Most clicked link on Monday was the ‘String Battery’ technology from startup Tanktwo, which promises to swap battery cells for EVs in less than three minutes.
chargedevs.com
Electric Jag from Austria? Jaguar Land Rover may build its first electric car in Austria as soon as next year. Some 10,000 units per year could roll of the production line. British Autocar recently reported that the F-Pace will be electrified and that the same platform could be used for an all-electric Land Rover.
carwale.com, marketbusinessnews.com
Tesla layoffs in China: Tesla confirmed that it will cut a number of jobs in China since sales are significantly lower than expected. According to Chinese media, Tesla will eliminate 180 of the 600 positions at its China unit. Local executives including Veronica Wu, Tesla’s former China president, and June Jin, Tesla’s former vice president of communications, have recently left the company.
bloomberg.com, wantchinatimes.com, www.wsj.com
Solar plane takes flight: The Solar Impulse 2 has taken off for its flight around the world, powered solely by solar energy. Pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg plan on completing their 35,000 kilometre journey in 25 days, spread out over roughly five months.
eco-business.com, solarimpulse.com
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New EVs for China: Dongfeng has launched its electric mini car E30 as a two- and four-seater (E30L) in China, while Changan brings its electric sedan Eado EV to the Chinese market. Changan has ambitious plans as it wants to introduce a total of 27 all-electric models in China by 2025.
carnewschina.com (Dongfeng), carnewschina.com (Changan)
BYD E5 spotted: It is BYD’s second all-electric car, following its e6 model. The EV will be unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in April and launch in the second half of the year. Range will be about 200 kilometers and prices including subsidies are expected to start at around 140,000 yuan (22,344 USD)
carnewschina.com
BYD takes on Korea: The Chinese manufacturer wants to introduce its all-electric buses and taxis in South Korea this year. According to BYD, it sold 3,560 e6 taxis and 2,500 K9 buses worldwide in 2014.
cri.cn
PSA to build own EVs: The French corporation plans to develop its own electric cars, CEO Carlos Tavares told Le Monde. Built on PSA group’s small vehicle platform, the EVs are set for market entry around 2020. The cooperation with Mitsubishi (Peugeot i-On, Citroën C-Zero) will be discontinued.
lemonde.fr (in French), autolinknews.com
iCar by 2020? Apple goes full speed ahead on electric cars, as insiders quoted by Bloomberg believe the company is pushing its engineers in the Titan project to get the iCar ready for production within the next five years. Furthermore, a list of key employees hired by Apple for the project has been revealed.
bloomberg.com, 9to5mac.com (Titan team)
Electric JLRs: Rumour had it that Jaguar Land Rover is working on an all-electric SUV. Now Autocar reports that Jaguar plans to electrify the F-Pace from 2018. The same platform could also be used for an electric Range Rover soon to follow.
autocar.co.uk
New BAIC facility: Chinese carmaker BAIC is currently constructing a new production facility for electric cars in the city of Laixi in Eastern China. The first models to roll off the line will be the E150EV and Weiwang 306. Up to 5,000 units could be produced annually.
insideevs.com
Pathfinder Hybrid soon to be lost? Nissan’s website lists the 2015 Pathfinder but an updated version of its mild hybrid sibling is nowhere to be seen. When asked by Green Car Reports, the company was evasive at best, so the Pathfinder Hybrid’s destiny remains unclear.
greencarreports.com
First drive: John Voelcker took the 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 “Twin Engine” plug-in hybrid on a 96-mile trip through the Spanish countryside. The Swedes’ SUV is set to go on sale in the States this autumn and Voelcker believes the market will receive the seven-seater hybrid well.
greencarreports.com
JLR’s electric plans: An all-electric Jaguar Land Rover SUV is getting more concrete, German auto motor und sport reports. Under which brand the new model will be offered has not been said, however, earlier rumours hint at an electric Range Rover. A plug-in hybrid can be expected already in 2017.
auto-motor-und-sport.de (in German)
Megacar from Sweden: “The Regera will reign as the king of the road, as the fastest accelerating, most powerful production car ever.” This is how sports carmaker Koenigsegg promotes its hybrid super car, ahead of its debut in Geneva. Obviously, it is designed to compete against Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari but strives to top them all. So far, “only” about 500 kW delievered by electric motors are confirmed but as it is dubbed a “megacar,” expect more than 1,000 kW from the hybrid system.
carscoops.com, hybridcars.com, jalopnik.com
Transatlantic innovation: California and the Netherlands have agreed on initiating joint funding for innovative electric vehicle development. While the Dutch will spend 6 million euros, the rest of the total of 24 millions is to come from the Golden state and other investors.
telegraaf.nl, rijksoverheid.nl (both in Dutch)
1,000 hp McLaren: While the official premiere is only set for the Geneva Motor Show, the Brits could not wait to show the production-ready super hybrid P1 GTR. The race track version of the P1 boast 1,000 hp instead of the 916 hp of the standard version, while its weight was decreased by 50 kilos.
electriccarsreport.com, worldcarfans.com, indianautosblog.com
Kia estate: The Koreans will present the Sportspace Concept in Geneva which is said to give an outlook on the 2016 Optima station wagon. The latter is likely to be offered as plug-in hybrid, too.
autoexpress.co.uk, indianautosblog.com
Tesla inspired e-Rover? According to Autocar, Jaguar Land Rover is considering an all-electric model. It could be based on a new crossover version of the Range Rover and be ready to take on the Tesla Model X. After all, what is more inspiring than the others’ success?
autocar.co.uk
Hybrid system for Porsche 911: Porsche CEO Matthias Müller now confirmed that the 911 model will be hybridised. He did not mention if it will be a plug-in hybrid, but for Porsche it´s most likely. When the hybrid 911 will become available was not confirmed.
bilanz.ch (in German)
Luxury hybrid for Japanese businessmen: Toyota introduces the Esquire, which will also be available with a hybrid drive unit with a combined 134 hp. This comes after potential customers in Japan had complained that their current luxury SUVs do not seat enough people.
autoblog.com (with promo video)
Audi Q7 caught on camera: New, heavily camouflaged images of the Audi Q7 have emerged on the internet. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler had confirmed that the new model will also be available as a plug-in hybrid, soon after being launched in early 2015 (we reported).
motorauthority.com
New e-bikes for India: Hero Electric launches a new range of pedelecs called Avior. The AMX model is meant for male cyclists and the AFX for female cyclists. Both will feature a 24 V Li-ion battery and will be available at the 250 dealerships in India as well as online.
indianautosblog.com, indiancarsbikes.in
Driving the B-Class ED: The Telegraph calls it “the most enjoyable model in the range,” also because of the extra 260 kilos positioned down low balance out the vehicle’s height, making it more “agile and stable.” The author says the electric B-Class may be a better deal than VW e-Golf or BMW i3.
telegraph.co.uk
