LG Electronics has acquired AppleMango, an EV charger manufacturer from South Korea, together with GS Energy and GS Neotek. LG says the acquisition will help it create “fully-featured charging stations” and integrate the existing charging management system developed in-house.
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The UK government appears in talks with six companies to build gigawatt-scale battery factories for electric cars. The discussions include US carmaker Ford and Korean companies LG and Samsung, according to local media.
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The legal dispute between the two South Korean battery manufacturers LG Chem and SK Innovation in the USA has been decided – in favour of LG Chem or LG Energy Solution. The ruling also has consequences for Ford and Volkswagen.
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NHTSA, the US American Federal Highway and Vehicle Safety Administration, launched an investigation in response to complaints about Chevrolet Bolt electric cars catching fire. Again, there appears to be a problem with the batteries.
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Mahindra has signed a contract with LG Chem to supply batteries for the electric vehicles currently under development by Mahindra and SsanYong. They plan to use lithium ion batteries on the basis of NMC (Nickel, Mangan, Cobalt), as well as new concepts.
Read moreThat was fast: Just a few weeks after Tesla started delivery of its Model 3, an employee put his own one up for sale – for not less than 150,000 dollars. Meanwhile the offer has been removed from the internet. Maybe because Tesla explicitly forbid his employees to resell their cars for more than the original price.
electrek.co
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First vehicle-to-home unit: Cenex has announced the installation of the first domestic EV-to-grid unit in the UK. The appliance was developed through Ebbs and Flows of Energy Systems (EFES) project and allows the owner to power a home through the electric car. It serves as V2G demonstration for the project partners.
fleetnews.co.uk, cenex.co.uk
Rapid charging in Devon: InstaVolt is to install rapid electric vehicle charging points across Mid Devon. Eight PAYG rapid chargers will be installed in in Tiverton, Cullompton and Crediton during the first phase of the project that is led by Mid Devon District Council.
fleetworld.co.uk, renewableenergymagazine.com
Car2Go is valid for emission credits through the Spanish government, that has agreed to buy CO2 certificates Mercedes’ electric car sharing gathers in the capital Madrid. Daimler deployed 500 electric Smarts in town and is given credits for both their green nature as well as the sharing. Spain will put the emission credits forward to reach its climate protection obligations laid out in both EU treaties as well as the Kyoto protocol.
emobilserver.de (in German)
End of Source East: EV charging network Source East will cease to exist on 31st March. Its operators cite unsustainable running costs as main reason for its closure. The existing charge points mainly in the East of England will return to their owners, with others being transferred to other networks.
autovolt-magazine.com
LG workplace charging: 100 electric charge spots will be set up by LG Electronics at 16 locations in South Korea. Employees can use the hubs for free but the project receives state support.
pulsenews.co.kr
Golf line-up expanded: Volkswagen will unveil a new crossover SUV at the Geneva Motor Show in March, which is based on the VW-Golf-inspired T-Roc concept car. A plug-in hybrid T-Roc GTE and all-electric e-T-Roc are also under development, with the latter most likely featuring a new battery pack destined for its Golf siblings in 2017. Range can thus be expected around 186 miles (300 km).
autocar.co.uk
C-Max successor: According to German Autobild, Ford is working on a new SUV based on its Ford Focus, said to be unveiled next year and replace the Van Focus C-Max. The new car is to go head to head with the VW Tiguan, as it is especially designed to meet the demands of European customers. A plug-in hybrid version is in the pipelines.
autobild.de (in German)
The all-electric Hyundai Ioniq will make its debut in the U.S. before the end of the year and before the other versions will hit the road there. While Hyundai started with introducing the hybrid variant in Europe, that won’t arrive in the U.S. until early 2017, followed by the plug-in version in Q3.
autoguide.com, forbes.com
Bolt production capacity: Green Car Reports has done the math, reporting that some 35,000 units of the Chevy Bolt will roll off production lines at the GM factory in Orion Township, Michigan, per year. The plant’s total capacity is said to be 90,000 units per year, and as the Sonic is build there as well, it leaves about a third of capacity for GM’s new electric car. Meanwhile, the Chevy Bolt configurator is now online.
greencarreports.com (production), insideevs.com (configurator)
LG moves to Germany: Early 2017, the electronics maker will move its headquarters from London to the Frankfurt region to pool and strengthen activities in Europe. According to LG, Germany has a lot of potential in terms of solar and lighting technology, while its main focus will be on electric cars.
msn.com (in German)
Marrakech ePrix: Sebastian Buemi (Renault e.dams) took his second first place in the Formula E race in Morocco’s capital over the weekend, followed by Sam Bird (DS Virgin) and Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist. Rosenqvist led for 27 out 33 laps, but was using slightly more energy than his competitors and was forced to pit early.
eurosport.com, ndtv.com, autosport.com
GM unveils electrification strategy for China: The Americans will introduce their Chevrolet Malibu XL Hybrid, the Buick LaCrosse Hybrid and Cadillac CT6 Plug-in Hybrid there before the end of the year. And it wants to fully localise battery production by investing in the SAIC-GM joint venture Shanghai assembly plant.
greencarcongress.com, gm.com
LG parts for the Chevy Bolt: LG has finished setting up a new production line at its plant in Incheon, South Korea, where it will produce components for the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt. The supplier will be responsible for ten key parts, including for the drivetrain and displays.
nikkei.com
Green light for SolarCity takeover: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has given the go ahead for Tesla to buy solar panel maker SolarCity for 2.6bn dollars. Following the end of the “go shop” period on September 14th, Tesla will still need the final blessing of stakeholders of both companies and the States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
digitaltrends.com, electrek.co
Karma news: Karma Automotive will move its headquarters to Irvine, California, before the end of the year; the same place, where the manufacturer will also open its first shop. Autocar meanwhile reports, that the Karma Revero won’t arrive in Europe before 2018.
ocregister.com (Irvine), autocar.co.uk (Revero)
Images of VW Crossblue leaked: The seven-seater will look similar to a concept first shown in 2013, while the production car is said to the sit between the Tiguan and Touareg. The Diesel-hybrid will most likely feature two electric motors (one in the front, one in the rear) and a 9.8 kWh battery. It is still not certain when the Crossblue will officially be revealed.
autocar.co.uk
Samsung to try EVs again? After Samsung first embarked on the car market together with Renault but had to sell 70 percent of its stakes to the French, it is time for another attempt. The technology corporation is in talks to get into business with Fiat Chrysler subsidiary Magneti Marelli. It is likely that this time Samsung would try to venture into electric vehicles just as its arch rival Apple.
androidheadlines.com via cleantechnica.com
EV market take over in China: AirCon maker Gree acquired Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy for 13bn yuan (2bn dollars). Yinlong has been making EV batteries since 2009 and builds a line of seven electric cars and 18 electric buses. The moves comes in the wake of Beijing’s push for green technologies.
bloomberg.com
LG is gearing up for Bolt: The Korean supplier is readying its lines for the mass production of GM’s mass market EV already this month. LG is to deliver the battery pack, the electric motor, and the power electronics. Officially, GM will start the Bolt production, or assembly rather, this October.
electrek.co, hybridcars.com
Taking EV sales global and online is the mission of Canadian start-up Even Electric. Its showroom will be virtual and in a cloud formed by Microsoft, yet the firm also plans to set up ‘education centres’ for customers to learn about and try EVs from different brands. A pilot in Iceland has yielded data.
theglobeandmail.com, autoblog.com
E-mobility expert move: Bosch has hired Daimler’s top electric motors development executive, Harald Kröger. For two years, he also served on Tesla’s board of directors. Bosch would not comment.
europe.autonews.com, fortune.com
BladeGlider first drive: As if being in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics is not enough, Leon Poultney got to drive the Nissan BladeGlider prototype on a race track – in a non-competitive fashion. Obviously, the three-seaters top was open and gliding allowed. “Bonkers and brilliant” – we can imagine indeed.
pocket-lint.com
LG does business in Iran: LG International Corp. has signed a tentative agreement with the Iranian government to help develop electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in the country. According to local media, the deal includes the development of 20 EVs for manufacturer Iran Khodro by 2018, as well as to set up charging stations in Tehran and produce a total of 60,000 EVs by 2023.
mehrnews.com, greencarcongress.com
Apple invests in ride service: Apple has invested 1bn dollars in Chinese Uber competitor, Didi. Apple will help build up the platform, which already services 11m riders a day. Moreover, if Apple is already working with Didi on an IT level, it could make sense for them to include the iCar in its fleet once it hits road.
bloomberg.com, hybridcars.com
Powered by the sun: Peugeot Design Lab has designed a solar energy charging station for EVs, called the DRIVECO Parasol. The wooden structure is fitted with 88 solar panels and Li-ion batteries to store extra energy. Up to seven vehicles can charger there simultaneously. Paris has already commissioned one DRIVECO Parasol, and Ajaccio will likely commission another.
automotive-business-review.com
Delivery for Madrid: Volkswagen Group’s Scania will begin delivering 51 hybrid buses to Madrid starting in June. The buses meet EU suburban and short distance Class II regulations and will be used by seven operators, including Alsa, Samar, Avanza, and DBlas.
greencarcongress.com
LG inside: Not only will South Korean LG Chem deliver the batteries for the upcoming Chevy Bolt but the cooperation runs deeper. GM has also requested the electric drive, power inverter, on-board charger as well as components like air con or infotainment from LG.
autovolt-magazine.com, electriccarsreport.com, insideevs.com
E.ON to test wireless charging: The utility provider is testing inductive charging for electric vehicles in Berlin and the surrounding area. The charging technology is delivered by SEW Eurodrive. One of the electric cars charging without physically plugging is a converted Peugeot iOn.
eon.com
Integrated supercaps: Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed what is calls a Body Integrated Supercapacitor for electric vehicles. As the super-caps can be curved, they can be integrated into car body parts and are said to enable high capacity as well as fast-charging.
electricvehicleresearch.com
The Beast just got more fierce as Canadian Daymak improved its electric bike. Compared to the previous version, the overhauled Beast D features a dual 500W Motor and comes with an upgraded 60V 20ah Lithium Ion battery. Cost of the off-road creature is 4,299 dollars.
prnewswire.com
Most clicked link on Wednesday was the leaked scale model of the Volvo V90.
motorauthority.com
Google EV gets more real: The internet giant presented the first fully working prototype of its driverless electric car which is said to hit the road for testing in California this year. In order to do so legally, the car will be equipped with manual controls like a steering wheel and accelerator and brake pedals.
cnet.com, dailymail.co.uk, plus.google.com
In-flight charging: Researchers from Cambridge University and Boeing have have successfully tested the first aircraft to be powered by a parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system. The hybrid aircraft is said to use up to 30 percent less fuel and is the first able to recharge its batteries while flying.
electriccarsreport.com, cam.ac.uk
Li-Ion production subsidies: Boston Power has received 290 million dollars from two local governments in China to increase production of Li-Ion batteries at its two facilities in Liyang and Tianjin. The expansion is needed to fulfil increasing domestic demand by Chinese EV makers.
greencarcongress.com
LG on patent prowl: Steve Brachmann takes a look at recently filed patents by LG Electronics. Apparently, the South Korean company is looking to go beyond consumer electronics as battery cooling and battery management systems for EVs can also be found among the filed innovations.
ipwatchdog.com
Li-ion research: Nanyang Technical University has developed new VO2 nanoarray electrodes based on graphene foam to increase performance of lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. For Li-ion, the electrode is said to deliver a capacity more than 420 mAh/g and a capacity retention of 94 percent after 1,500 cycles.
greencarcongress.com
