Local Motors, the maker of the autonomous electric shuttle Olli, will cease operations on Friday, according to several posts on LinkedIn by various employees. The company has not yet made an official announcement. The reason for the presumed shutdown of Local Motors is said to be a lack of capital.
Read more
Local Motors has placed a major order with British e-drive specialist Protean Electric as part of their existing cooperation. The new three-year contract calls for the supply of thousands of Protean’s in-wheel motors for use in Local Motors’ Olli 2.0 e-shuttles that run autonomously.
Read more
LM Industries, the parent company of Local Motors, has received $15 million in financing. The money will be used to advance product development, production and deployment of the 3D-printed Olli autonomous electric shuttle bus.
Read more- ADVERTISEMENT -
US Local Motors caught a lot of attention with a 3D-printed autonomous shuttle Olli as early as 2017. Fast-forward to 2020, and we sat down with Local Motors CEO John B. Rogers and his UK partners from Protean.
Read more
BMW to take on Model 3? Even in Bavaria they feel the reverberations of Tesla targeting the mass market and thus insiders predict BMW may fully electrify the 4-series GT. They aim for the economy segment albeit at a price around 47,000 euros but below 40k pounds in the UK. Here, the 4-series GT EV is to hit the stores from 2020 with a range of 500 km delivered by a battery between 70 – 90 kWh. Currently, two motor set-ups are being pondered, one with just a front-rear drive and another that combines two electric motors for an AWD option.
autocar.co.uk
Audi readies itself to fight the Model 3 as well with what will be its third electric model as announced. Details just emerged that tell of a launch by 2019 and a car that is a bit bigger than the A3. Two electric motors are to provide the drive over up to 500 km on a single charge.
caranddriver.com
Low cost compact EV: German start-up e.Go Mobile has opened the order books for its small electric car of the same name. Each pre-order is worth a 1,000 euro deposit with production to start early next year. The e.Go Life aims for a retail price of 15,900 euros and works with technology by Bosch, who will also take over after sales services. Two battery options gurantee a range between 130 and 170 km and e.Go hopes the car will find fans among city dwellers aware of their realistic cruising needs.
electrek.co
This is Olli: Local Motors has 3D-printed its first autonomous electric shuttle aka Olli in its micro-factory in Tennessee. Ollie carries up to twelve passengers and is scheduled to go on trial in both Denmark and Germany. The latter’s capital even plans to install a dedicated facility to print the EV.
3ders.org, 3dprint.com, launchforth.io
Porsche kills 911 PHEV: There will be no plug-in hybrid icon from Porsche, August Achleitner, head of 911 development revealed, saying “the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.” The former literally have to do with weight and effectively the 911’s dynamics as well as cost.
caranddriver.com
Mercedes EQ Concept review: Sure, the first in what will hopefully be a long line of electric cars by Daimler is still at concept stage and that did show during the first test rides. Yet, the interior lighting was dressed to impress as was the interface. Production is due to start by 2019.
autoexpress.co.uk
The Gigafactory already employs 850 Tesla workers, not counting those on Panasonic’s payroll. Gearing up for a growing demand of its electric cars and Tesla Energy products, the Californians plan to add another 1,000 workers in the first half of 2017.
sacbee.com via electrek.co
- ADVERTISEMENT -
Six new electric VWs by 2025: Auto Motor und Sport reports that the carmaker wants to introduce a new series of electric vehicles from 2019 – three compact and three larger EVs. The NUVe will be the first to hit the road, followed by a Jetta-like car and a crossover by 2020. After that, VW plans an electric SUV, coupé and electric Bulli. In terms of batteries, it seems clients will be able to choose from different sizes.
auto-motor-sport.de (in German)
Olli get production site: U.S. start-up Local Motors will build ist highly automated electric bus in Berlin from early next year. A rent agreement for the 4,000 square metre facility has been signed. Production will begin with a small series of 50 units. If the vehicle gets permission to drive on the road, the Olli could conquer Berlin’s roads street as early as 2017.
wiwo.de (in German)
South Koreans choose E-plates: The government is getting people involved in the choosing of the special license plates for electric cars, which will be introduced next year. For the next eleven days, they can vote for their favourite version on- and offline. First test will kick off on the island of Jeju at the end of October.
koreatimes.co.kr, yonhapnews.co.kr
Hyundai stick to conditions: Next year, Californians can continue to lease the Tucson Fuel Cell for 499 dollars per month, including hydrogen and service. The rate applies to a 36-month lease after a 2,999 dollar down payment.
electriccarsreport.com
LaFerrari for earthquake victims: Only 499 units of the hybrid supercar were to be sold. Now the carmaker announced a 500th unit that will be auctioned off. The proceeds will go to the earthquake victims in Italy. The car is expected to sell for 3 to 4m euros (or more).
carscoops.com
Range anxiety: According to Japan’s Transportation Ministry, Mitsubishi could have falsified milage data for another eight models, including the i-MiEV. That means, the little EV could go less on one charge than officially noted.
businessinsider.de
Gigafactory more costly and delayed? The cost of operating the giant battery facility in Nevada might exceed current expactations, Tesla told the SEC in a filing. The EV maker further stated that the start will likely be delayed as well. Although the Gigafactory officially opened last week, only 14 percent are complete to date. Partner Panasonic previously voiced its readiness to increase its 1.6bn dollar investment if needed (we reported).
fortune.com, usatoday.com
Just a little silicon has the potential to increase Li-ion battery capacity by six times, researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) find. They looked at the migration of lithium ions into silicon. It showed that thin silicon films would suffice to achieve the max load of lithium.
helmholtz-berlin.de
EV ready to go to print: Local Motors is to start selling its 3D printed electric cars this September. Prices for the LM3D series start at 12,000 dollars but can go up to 60,000 if all options are chosen.
detroit.cbslocal.com
Investor wanted: Semcon is actively looking to finance the commercialisation of its electric drive that turns any bicycle into an e-bike (we reported). The system can connect to yet to be developed apps.
insideevs.com, semcon.com
High battery sale expectations: Panasonic expects sales of their electric vehicle batters to double in the next three years. The increased demand will be generated mostly by the opening of the Tesla Gigafactory and the rising demand for the EV maker’s Model 3 – in both cases, Panasonic will be the exclusive supplier of battery cells.
reuters.com
Olli bus in Berlin: Olli, the autonomous all-electric bus from Local Motors, equipped with IBM’s Watson technology, will be also produced in Berlin once a suitable manufacturing facility has been found. It should hit the streets of the German capital early 2017.
wiwo.de (in German), meetolli.auto
Rechargeable nanowire: Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have developed a nanowire-based battery material that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times. They a gold nanowire in a manganese dioxide shell placed in an electrolyte made of a Plexiglass-like gel. This could mean that EV batteries would never have to be replaced.
electriccarsreport.com
Charging station investments: Richmond-based wireless charging station maker Evatran Group has received another 2.3m dollar investment from Zhejiang VIE Science and Technology. Evatran will shift to working with auto manufacturers to sell their charging system under the brand name Plugless.
richmond.com
Olli and Watson: Local Motors and IBM have developed a self-driving electric bus called Olli. It sits 12 and thanks to the integrated computer system Watson, passengers can ask the bus questions (and get an answer). The electric Olli is now on the road in Washington, D.C. and is said to also come to Miami and Las Vegas.
popularmechanics.com
Tel Aviv tests electric road: Israeli start-up ElectRoad has developed a technology that charges EVs while driving, using copper wire embedded in the asphalt. Test are currently under way on a specially prepared route. The embedding of the copper wire is said to take about one day per kilometre.
israelbetweenthelines.com (with video), jewishbusinessnews.com
New UQM drivetrain: UQM Technologies announced a new electric drivetrain for utility vehicles, called UQM PowerPhaseDT, and which is said to be available from this autumn. Eaton has been picked to supply the transmission, while Pi Innovo will contribute the transmission control unit.
greencarcongress.com, businesswire.com
Meeting demand: Japanese Showa Denko (SDK) announced an increase in production capacities for its carbon-based anode material for Li-ion batteries from the end of 2016. Production capacities will be raised 50 percent to annually 1,500 tonnes. Part of the production will be moved to China.
acnnewswire.com
H2 utility vehicle alliance: Hydrogenics and SinoHytec have signed a strategic partnership for the development of fuel cell systems for the Chinese market. The FCs are destined for buses and trucks.
gasworld.com
Shared EV platform: PSA and Dongfeng officially agreed to jointly build a platform for electric cars. The e-CMP, based on the common modular platform, will be the base for compact and subcompact electric cars for the Peugeot, Citroen, DS, and Dongfeng brands.
autonews.com, businesswire.com
Electric VTOL: ESA is backing Lilium, a Munich-based start-up intending to launch an electric jet by 2018. The two-seater shall start and land vertically, while flying at speeds of up to 400 kph. In cruising mode, range is given at 500 km and batteries are said to charge via a household socket.
siliconrepublic.com, inverse.com, esa.int
Panasonic increased its investment in the Tesla Gigafactory by 35 percent this last quarter. With 64m dollars, the Japanese paid more in Q1 2016, than they have since the start of the project. It is a good indicator that production of battery cells is about to start very soon.
electrek.co
3D car printing: Siemens partners with Local Motors to advance large scale 3D printing of cars. Siemens’ Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software, which creates digital twins, will be combined with Local Motors’ experience in a process called Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM).
siemens.com
BMW enters power storage market: The move was already suggested when BMW announced its joint venture with Viessmann. German WirtschaftsWoche now reports that the carmaker will definitely begin selling new and used i3 batteries to power homes this year. Moreover, the batteries will not need to be modified to be used as storage in combination with a photovoltaic system.
handelsblatt.com, wiwo.de (in German)
Wanxiang invests: The Chinese company says that in the coming ten years, it wants to pour some 200bn yuan (30bn dollars) in the research and development of electric cars and buses, as well as batteries and other components for electric vehicles. The goal is the decrease battery prices by two thirds in three years, while doubling production.
nikkei.com
FF gets cash injection: Faraday Future will officially receive 215.9m dollars in subsidies for its electric car factory in Nevada. Construction is said to begin at the end of the months, with the production site scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2017.
lasvegassun.com
Honda Clarity FC priced: In the U.S., the fuel cell vehicle will be available from 60,000 dollars and can be leased for less than 500 dollars per month, the Japanese carmaker announced. The Clarity Fuel Cell will hit the road in California this year already and can initially be leased only.
carscoops.com, worldcarfans.com, electriccarsreport.com
Made in Thailand: Mercedes announced that it will begin producing its S500e and C350e plug-in hybrids in its factory in Thailand. The production site has a capacity of 19,000 units per year, but currently only produces 4,500, including three of the carmaker’s hybrid models.
bangkokpost.com
Local Motors gets wings: Airbus is investing 150m dollars in the U.S. company known for its 3-D printed electric vehicles. According to Airbus, the vehicle model and especially the speed of production could be interesting to the aerospace industry as well.
wsj.com, geekwire.com
EV upcycling: For Local Motors, updates are recycling. The firm plans to offer customers to renew their 3D-printed car by melting the old one down and use the material to print a new model. The hardware might still require a more oldschool update and will need to be replaced.
autoblog.com, carscoops.com
On point: A new method developed and patented by Stuttgart University’s BIPoLplus project allows electric cars to be parked above inductive charge pads more accurately. A low frequency magnetic field avoids interfering interactions with the metallic underbody of the EV and thus enables exact positioning.
idw-online.de
Electric custom chopper: The Serbia-made Archont electro is a hand-built electric bike with chopper aesthetics. The e-bike features a 7 kW rear electric hub motor and has a range of up to 60 miles – more, if you pedal. Ono Bikes is taking pre-orders for about 7,094 dollars a piece.
gizmag.com
Self-folding e-scooter: Israeli Green Ride will introduce the Inu in New York and Europe next year. The small electric scooter folds itself electrically and can be charged at home for a 25-mile range. The prototype is limited to a top speed of 15 kmh. Made for the last mile, a 4,000-dollar price tag may be a bit hefty.
theverge.com
BMW shows electric road racer concept: The eRR motorbike is based on the S 1000 RR sports bike and features an all-electric drivetrain. The prototype was developed together with the University of Munich. Technical details will only be released at a later date.
bmwgroup.com
0.4l hybrid in the making? According to Autocar, newly revealed BMW patent images could show a highly efficient hybrid (we reported) that will consume a mere 0.4 litres/100 km. However, due to the project’s low profitableness, the car will probably never make it to serial production.
autocar.co.uk
Apple executive joins VW: Volkswagen has appointed Johann Jungwirth as its new Head of Digitalization Strategy. Jungwirth is said to have worked on the electric car project Titan while at Apple, after working as chief of Mercedes’ Silicon Valley research and development division, where he also pushed connected and autonomous driving vehicles.
autoblog.com, volkswagen-media-services.com
3D series: Local Motors says it will present a number of models of the recently presented LM3D Swim series next year. The 3D-printed EV will be built at the microfactory in Knoxville, Tennessee, which will be completed by the end of the year. First deliveries are scheduled for early 2017.
greencarcongress.com
Autonomous shuttle: French Navya‘s autonomous electric mini bus has caught the eye of the Swiss. Public transport provider PostBus intends to deploy two of the EVs in the city of Sion in a joint project with EPFL and start-up BestMile. The trial is said to run until spring 2016 without passengers and on a closed site.
phys.org
3D-printed EV: Local Motors presents its next electric car fresh from the 3D-printers at SEMA. The LM3D Swim will become the world’s first serial “printed” EV and will go on sale in spring 2016 for about 53,000 dollars.
gizmag.com, slashgear.com, youtube.com
3D-printed EV motors: Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using 3D printing to produce active components of advanced prototype traction motors for electric and hybrid vehicles. The aim is to accelerate testing and production processes.
greencarcongress.com
Revived: The 13 MWh energy storage project using old electric Smart batteries is fully operational since yesterday. It is the largest second-life project to date. The facility was built by Daimler, Getec Energie, and The Mobility House in the German town of Lünen (we reported).
autocarpro.in, pv-magazine.com
An European EV battery plant will be build by LG Chem. The South Korean company is looking for a suitable location. A most likely site is Polish Wroclaw, where LG Electronics, LG Display and LG Innotek already have branches. Planned annual production capacity is 50,000 batteries. It looks like European companies are ultimately too late to join the game.
chosun.com, insideevs.com
Autonomous Chevy Volt: GM is to deploy a fleet of self-driving Volts at its Warren Technical Center in late 2016. The Volts with Super Cruise control will be available for rent by employees to get around campus. GM will also launch a ride-sharing program in New York but did not say if it will be electric.
autoblog.com, insideevs.com
New battery lab: The University of Michigan opened the ‘Battery Fabrication and Characterization User Facility.’ The battery lab is funded with 2m dollars from U-M, 5m dollars come from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and another 2.1m dollars from Ford. The facility has open access.
ns.umich.edu
EV print facility: Local Motors is putting the finishing touches on its micro-factory in Knoxville, Tennessee. Here, the company is to 3D-print components for its Reload Swim and Sport EV models. Orders can be placed via Indiegogo from next month (we reported).
knoxnews.com
Most clicked link on Monday was GM’s confirmation that the Bolt EV would indeed arrive next year and with cheaper batteries than ever – 145 dollars/kWh was the word on the conference.
insideevs.com
PSA partners with Dongfeng: Together, French PSA Peugeot Citroen and Chinese Dongfeng plan an electric vehicle for 2020. Furthermore, they will co-develop a shared platform for compact cars. Nonetheless, PSA will continue its current EV collaboration with Mitsubishi.
reuters.com
Up for the challenge: The start-up NextEV has raised half of the one billion dollars it seeks for its ‘Tesla-fighter,’ winning over Sequoia Capital and Joy Capital as investors. By the end of the year, the company plans to partner with two unnamed car manufacturers for production.
bloomberg.com
3-D printed car ready to order: Local Motors will take pre-orders for the first-generation of its Reload Redacted EV from next month via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Deliveries are set for the beginning of next year, while a high-speed version might be ready by the end of 2016.
3dprint.com, kpho.com
— Text Ad —
Evaluation of integrated electric mobility: In the framework of the new project of the leading edge cluster Electric Mobility South-West “BIE”, cluster partners from industry and research develop supporting systems to enhance the integration and acceptance of electric vehicles. As an outcome, dedicated forecast models will allow, amongst other things, an enhanced range prediction for entire vehicle fleets and provide a comprehensive decision basis for individual users. emobilbw-sw.de
Free to register: The Jordanian government has now exempted electric cars from registration fees, amounting to about 9,000 dinar (12 dollars). Already last month, EVs were freed from custom duties and sales tax.
jordantimes.com
e2o review: This inspection of Mahindra Reva’s electric compact car concluded that it is lifestyle product. Writer Nithyanandh Karuppaswamy describes the e2o is “quirky, “saying that it “appeals to those that question the status-quo.”
rushlane.com
3D-printed EV update: Local Motors has priced its recent EV design and winner of the Project Redacted design contest. Both versions of the Reload Redacted – the Swim and Sport – will cost between 18,000-30,000 dollars and will be offered as a low speed EV starting next year.
cnbc.com, 3dprint.com
Asynchronous e-bike drive: Viktor Arestov has developed an asynchronous wheel hub motor with combined windings for pedelecs and e-bikes, which is said to be superior to current models and does not make use of rare earth metals. The 3 kW electric motor is designed for low energy consumption, allowing for more range.
arestov.de
Aguri takes proven approach: Team Amlin Aguri will stick to what it knows during the second season of the Formula E and will neither develop nor buy a new drivetrain. Instead, the extra money and time will be spend on developing software and optimising the current system.
motorsport-total.com, electricautosport.com
You can now read all about the Smart Urban Vehicle of ZF TRW in English. Powered by a traction battery, the compact city car has a small radius and can park itself – even with the driver standing outside (we reported).
electriccarsreport.com
e-Genius: An electric plane has crossed the Alps, flying 320 and 365 kilometres back and forth for 21 euros worth of charge (83 kWh). The two-seater e-Genius was built by the University of Stuttgart that has been working on the project since May 2011.
idw-online.de, ifb.uni-stuttgart.de (project’s website)
Gigafactory to double in size? Tesla already acquired 1,200 more acres of land right next to its enormous battery factory. The new acquisition more than doubles the EV maker’s property and Tesla asked for an additional 350 acres adjacent to its current factory site.
electrek.co, youtube.com (County official)
3D-printed vehicle design: Local Motors presents the ‘Reload Redacted – Swim/Sport’ design that won the contest Project Redacted. It will thus become the base for the first 3D-printed road-ready electric vehicle to be launched next year.
testing.automotive-business-review.com
Electric autonomous cabs could prove climate savers, research by Berkeley Lab suggests. Per-mile greenhouse gas emissions of such a taxi in 2030 would be 90% lower than that of a private car in 2014, as the cab’s effectiveness increases with more miles travelled and right choice of size for occupancy.
nature.com via greencarcongress.com
Modular Li-ion cells: Varta Microbattery will be leading the new GIGA-LIB project to research production methods for modular lithium-ion cells, run by a consortium made up of companies Manz, M+W Germany, ThyssenKrupp and ZSW. The project is set to run for two years and is funded by the German Education and Research Ministry (BMBF) with about 5 million dollars.
bmbf.de (in German)
Integration platform for power electronics: In the project Hi-LEVEL lead by Continental, eight partners have developed an innovative high-current printed circuit board for electric vehciles. It is said to be smaller, more powerful and more efficient than current models. The project was funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Education and Research.
noodls.com (in German)
Local Motors tests electric offroader: The U.S. company mainly known for its 3-D printed electric cars, is already working on its next project. The video shows the first all-electric “Rally Fighter” still without a body, but already up to speed.
carscoops.com
Li-sulfur research: Researchers from Tsinghua University say they have developed a “promising strategy” to tackle the intrinsic problems of lithium metal anodes for Lithium sulfur batteries. Their graphene-modified Li anode coated by an in situ formed solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) improved the Coulombic efficiency to 97 percent for more than 100 cycles.
greencarcongress.com
Most clicked link on Monday was the world premiere of the VDL Citea SLFA Electric articulated bus at the UITP Mobility & City Transport trade fair in Milan.
vdlbuscoach.com
New Samsung SDI batteries: The Koreans show new batteries in Detroit. The 120Ah High Capacity Battery Cell is said to enable EVs to drive over 300 kilometers, while the height of the Compact Design Cell designed for HEVs has been reduced by over 20 mm while maintaining the same level of capacity.
electriccarsreport.com, koreajoongangdaily.com
3-D printed EV: Local Motors is printing an updated version of its Strati live at the NAIAS showcasing its micro-factory. Two of them will be built in Knoxville, Tennessee as well as in the area of Washington DC. There, the company hopes to start production of the first fleet of 3D-printed cars his fall.
greencarcongress.com, autoblog.com, autoworldnews.com
Li-S research: A team from Waterloo University is working on an EV battery that is said to have the potential to power electric cars three times further than current lithium-ion batteries for the same weight and at much lower cost. At the heart of the lithium-sulfur invention is an ultra-thin nanomaterial.
uwaterloo.ca, nature.com
eHighway monitoring: Siemens is developing an automatic monitoring system for pantographs. The system, made for electric and hybrid trucks on the company’s eHighways, uses cameras and sensors to check the condition of pantographs in order to prevent damage to the contact wire.
idw-online.de
Most clicked link on Tuesday was the Chevy Bolt EV unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
greencarcongress.com
Local Motors came up with the Verrado Drift Trike that might look like a children’s toy but is a lot more powerful. Logically, it was the boys (in a man’s body) of Mashable that took the electric tricycle for a literally quick spin – around their office…
mashable.com
Hybrid Golf SUV? According to Car Magazine, Volkswagen is working on a SUV version of its Golf. A plug-in hybrid could feature technology now used for the Golf GTE, which combines a 1.4-litre TSI engine with an electric motor. The Golf SUV is said to be available in 2018.
carmagazine.co.uk
Offroad hybrid: After making headlines with its 3D printed EV, Local Motors presents an all-wheel drive hybrid concept of its Rally Fighter, that is limited to 2,000 units. Whether the hybrid Rally Fighter will go on sale has not been revealed.
practicalmotoring.com.au, localmotors.com
BYD spy shots: The Chinese-made transporter M3 DM, that debuted as a concept on the Beijing Auto Show in April was caught on camera during test drives. It features a hybrid drivetrain with a combined output of 259 hp and will be available early 2015 starting at 150,000 yuan (24,500 dollars).
carnewschina.com
Tesla cuts options: On top of eliminating the Model S P85 and P85+ performance versions with rear-wheel drive, Tesla also pulls the 60D, the all-wheel drive version featuring a smaller 60 kWh battery pack. That leaves four possible editions of the electric sedan – the rear-wheel-drive 60 and 85 kWh versions and the dual-motor all-wheel-drive 85D and P85D.
greencarreports.com
Soul EV goes on sale in UK: There, the electric Kia can now be bought starting at 24,995 pounds (39,788 USD) after government incentives. The carmaker only expects to sell about 200 units per year in the UK, offering the Soul EV at only 13 dealerships nationwide.
transportevolved.com, autotrader.co.uk
No more “Electric Drive”: Starting next year, Mercedes will simplify the names of some of its models and the drivetrain designations. All electric and plug-in hybrid models will be marked with an ‘e’, hybrids without plugs will receive the letter ‘h’ and fuel cell vehicles the letter ‘f”.
autocar.co.uk, autoblog.com
Strati launch in 2015: This EV comprises only 50 parts and is printed using a 3D printer – and it’ll be on sale next year. Local Motors is currently seeking a license from US authorities to make it legal for use on public roads. Prices are slated to be around 18,000 US dollars (approx. 14,000 euros).
gasgoo.com
Tougher CO2 targets for cars: According to German business magazine “WirtschaftsWoche”, the EU is planning to further reduce CO2 thresholds for vehicles. Carmakers would need to cut their vehicles’ carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 75 grams per kilometer by 2030.
wiwo.de (in German)
Carbon-fiber EV gets US launch: US-based 2050 Motors will soon start importing the lightweight electric vehicle e-Go. The EV is built by a subsidiary of Dongfeng in China and will feature two drive versions and four sizes of battery packs offering a reported range of 200 miles (320 kilometers).
evworld.com
— Text Ad —
eCarTec 2014: Under Voltage! Visit TÜV SÜD in hall B4, booth 421. We support you with services for battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and their infrastructures.
More information…
BRD rebrands as Alta Motors: Californian startup BRD Motorcycles took us by surprise by recently changing its name into Alta Motors. The company has just displayed its RedShift MX and the street-legal RedShift SM electric motorcross bikes at the AIMExpo.
green.autoblog.com
Volt prototype spied: Several shots of the new Chevy Volt are doing the rounds on the internet. While still heavily camouflaged, we won’t have to wait long until its unveiling. The new edition of the Volt will get its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2015.
carscoops.com
Optare buses for India: From 2015 Optare buses will hit the roads in India – and they’ll also be produced there. The Indian firm Ashok Leyland owns a majority stake in Optare whose electric and hybrid buses have been successful in the UK. The Solo and Versa models will be the first Indian-made models and will be on show at the Bus Expo in Delhi in January.
just-auto.com
Video tip: Local Motors has 3D-printed the first their EV at the IMTS in Chicago. After just two days, the ‘Strati’ consisting of only 50 pieces was ready to ride.
youtube.com
Reading tip: Andrew English visited the Cenex LCV2014 Event at Millbrook where the latest low carbon vehicles were on display last week. He not only introduces the most stunning exhibits but puts them into the context of the UK government’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions.
telegraph.co.uk
Autonomous Humpty Dumpty: GM will present its podcar concept called Chevrolet EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) at the ITS World Congress in Detroit. Version 2.0 of the egg-like vehicle has an all-wheel drive and features cameras as well as laser sensors for semi-autonomous driving.
gm.com
Yamaha to lean in there: The Japanese company has filed patents for an electric trike in both Europe and the United States. The scooter has two rear wheels and an electric motor in each. Its front however, closely resembles the existing Yamaha EC-03 electric scooter.
visordown.com
Collaboration extended: Williams Advanced Engineering and Li-ion battery maker XALT Energy, which both work with the Formula E, will widen their cooperation. A new agreement will see them reach into applications beyond motor sport and makes XALT an official Williams partner.
greencarcongress.com, williamsf1.com
3-D printed electric car: Local Motors says it will print out and assemble its ‘Strati’ at the International Manufacturing Technology Show that started yesterday. While the vehicle will come out out the printer in one piece, components like the battery, wiring, or the motor are sourced by suppliers and also taken form the Renault Twizy.
venturebeat.com
Most clicked link on Monday was McKinsey’s latest Electric Vehicle Index looking at worldwide EV sales and production activities.
mckinsey.de (in German)
Danish lightweight chassis: ECOmove produced a carbon-fibre chassis specifically designed for EVs. The so called Qstrung technology will be used in a Porsche 356 Speedster replica which was converted to electric by German Turn-E.
ecomove.dk, turn-e.de (Speedster in German)
Local Motors found funding for its electric drift trike on Kickstarter easily, so expect to see grown-up men sliding past on very low bikes very soon. The Verrado is said to go 45 minutes on a charge.
green.autoblog.com (with video)
Prius battery replacement: The Prius is dead, long live the Prius was Tony Bradley’s motto, who did not want to give up on his hybrid Toyota when the battery died. Instead of going for a 4,000 dollar replacement, he went for a much cheaper, reconditioned battery.
forbes.com
Moonlight charging: Rawlemon from Barcelona, Spain, has designed a round, compact concentrator for sun and even moon rays. While the ‘Beta.ey’ is currently a small scale phone charger, it could soon be used to charge EVs. The crowdfunding campaign only ends in a week but has already collected more than the initial 124,000 dollars.
indiegogo.com (Campaign), periscopepost.com
New testing centre: Drive System Design (DSD) has opened a new testing facility for transmissions and drivetrains in Southam, UK. The new centre comes with workshops and equipment to test mechanical parts but also features two environmental chambers.
theengineer.co.uk
— Ad —
Every workday, “electrive.com today” delivers the latest electric-mobility news from around the world right to your inbox – short, to the point and free of charge. Made in Germany! We cover global stories but also keep a focus on relevant news from the German electric car industry! Anyone, that would like to receive a free subscription, just needs to email us at subscribe@electrive.com or visit www.electrive.com
Details about Motiv.e: At the Tokyo Motor Show 2013, Yamaha presented an electric city car concept. Its motor is a design by Zytek, a subsidiary of Continental, and weighs only 13 kilos while providing up to 25 kW. The lightweight Motiv.e is said to have a range of up to 100 kilometres.
greencarcongress.com
Print an electric car: This September, Local Motors will present the first 3-D printed production EV at IMTS in Chicago. Its first customer is the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and the electric car will be “manufactured” at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
hybridcars.com
Nissan ZEOD RC engine: The electric motor of the Japanese race car is complemented with a lightweight (40 kg), yet powerful (400 hp) and efficient (3-cylinder) gasoline engine. However, Nissan strives to go at least one round all-electric at the Le Mans race track before the new engine takes over.
technologicvehicles.com, electriccarsreport.com, youtube.com
Electric 4-wheel drive: EVDrive completed the development of its so-called Terra-Torque-Drive designed specifically for utility terrain vehicles (UTV). For demonstration EVDrive chose the Kawasaki Teryx4, turning it around on the spot. Each of the four motors can deliver a peak torque of 89 Nm and features regen braking.
greencarcongress.com, youtube.com (Video) via electric-vehiclenews.com
US Hybrid adds H2: Specialised in electric and hybrid powertrain components for mid to heavy duty vehicles, US Hybrid now signed a global licensing agreement with United Technologies Corporation (UTC). The aim is to commercialise UTC’s Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell technologies and to use it in H2 transit buses.
greencarcongress.com, marketwired.com
Open source vehicle design: Local Motors is a crowd-funding platform specialising in vehicle design by users. The first design to be funded is the Ariel Cruiser by Romanian member Ianis Vasilatos. The Ariel is a retro hybrid somewhere between a bicycle and a motorbike and comes in an electric and a gasoline version.
tstf.co, youtube.com (Video Local Motors)
