Volkswagen is moving forward on automation at its electric vehicle plants. VW Passenger Cars and VW Commercial Vehicles divisions have ordered more than 2,200 new robots for the planned production of EVs at the German plants and the US plant in Chattanooga.
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Volkswagen has begun to expand its Chattanooga plant in the USA in preparation for the production of the VW ID.4 before series production begins in 2022. The expansion not only applies not only to the assembly of electric cars but also to the development of new electric models.
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According to Elon Musk, Tesla is currently looking for a location for another plant in the USA. The Cybertruck is to be produced there, as well as the Model Y for customers on the US East Coast. Texas is apparently a hot contender in the competition.
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Volkswagen is cooperating with the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy to establish its first innovation centre in North America. Research at the “Innovation Hub” will include research into electrification.
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Volkswagen America today began construction of its electric vehicle production facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Production should begin at the site in 2022, and it will be the German carmaking giant’s North American EV assembly base.
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With the ID.3 just out, Volkswagen had further announcements to make at the IAA and said the VW ID. Crozz concept will be called ID.4 once it hits the markets in series. The model is destined for the US first next year and will be the first MEB-based model in the USA.
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Volkswagen has found the first production site for electric cars in North America: The Chattanooga plant in the US state of Tennessee will expand to build vehicles based on the modular electrification platform MEB. VW is investing around 700 million euros in the extension of the plant.
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After production kick-off in its home market in Japan earlier this year, the second-gen Nissan Leaf is now rolling off the lines in Smyrna, Tennessee, too. From January on, the model shall hit the stores across the States. Pricing starts at 29,990 dollars.
Read moreSkunkLock is born out of frustration over a stolen electric bike. To prevent or at least punish any future theft, the bike lock emits a very special formula when it is being cut. One so potent, it makes a bicycle thief cry if not vomit on the spot.
theguardian.com
Charging corridors in China: State-owned utility State Grid further developed the country’s fast charging network alongside eight of China’s main motorways, including the connection Beijing-Shanghai. Until 2020, a total of 36,000 km of motorway will be equipped with chargers.
chinadaily.com
Rapid-chargers for the West Coast: The California Energy Commission earmarked some 8.9m dollars for the installation of fast-charging infrastructure along Interstate 5, Route 99 and Highway 101.
greencarcongress.com
Emirates push e-mobility: The small state of Ajman is the first in the United Arab Emirates to allow electric cars to park for free. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai are also looking into similar regulations. Dubai meanwhile completed the installation of 100 EV chargers (we reported).
khaleejtimes.com (park), gulfnews.com (charge)
Less money down: China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, issued a directive for financial institutions to lower down payments of loans for new energy vehicles. While some believe that it could increase sales, others say it will do very little, as the NEV uptake is driven by policies, not cash.
chinadaily.com
Fee free EV: A bill in the U.S. state of Tennessee that would have called for a 150 dollar licence fee for electric cars and 75 dollar fee for hybrids, is off the table. Even though it would have added some 2m dollars to the state’s highway fund, lawmakers never debated the issue and it died quietly in the Senate committee.
knoxnews.com
CL finale electrified: Nissan will provide 100 electric vehicles for the shuttle service during the UEFA Champions League finale in Berlin, and will set up 129 charging stations around Tegel International Airport, various Berlin hotels and the Olympia stadion for the event on June 6th, several of which will remain as a lasting legacy for the city. Electrive.com has learned that the installation of DC chargers from Nissan and AC chargers from RWE has already kicked off this weekend.
electriccarsreport.com
Flexible charging in Holland: The New Motion and other providers have kicked off a pilot project for flexible charging tariffs in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. Until November, EV drivers will be able to choose from different energy suppliers at 150 charging points and charge at a lower rate at night.
thenewmotion.pr.co
Croatian Post to get e-bikes: The Croatian postal service has called for bids to deliver more than 180 e-bikes to replace petrol-powered scooters. The e-bikes should be delivered in autumn this year and begin operation in early 2016.
eltis.org
New rebates in Tennessee: The U.S. state earmarked nearly 700,000 dollars in funding for plug-in vehicles, with each buyer of an electric vehicle qualifying for 2,500 dollars in rebates, and buyers of plug-in hybrids for 1,500 dollars. The deal will last only until the funds are depleted.
bradenton.com, hybridcars.com
Four EVs for Fife: The council area has added four new Nissan e-NV200 to its fleet as part of the ‘Switched on Fleets’ initiative. The vehicles are partly funded by Transport Scotland. The Council had purchased its first EVs in 2011 and is now counting 18.
fifetoday.co.uk
Georgia creates incentive programme for charging stations: The U.S. state earmarked 281,000 dollars for rebates for state agencies and authorities, local governments and educational institutions looking to install charging points. Each organisation or campus can apply for up to 40,000 dollars in government aid. The goal is to install 20 to 30 new stations with the allocated funding.
bizjournals.com
Car Charging Group wins service and operations deal: The company will operate the 27 Blink level-2 chargers in Nashville, Tennessee, and neighbouring Davidson county. According to the Car Charging Group, it is the largest nationwide provider of public EV charging services in the U.S.
money.cnn.com
New Supercharger for California: According to the local newspaper Sierra Sun, six charging posts have been delivered to the town of Truckee. It is a mere 45 miles from Reno, Nevada, one of the sites where the manufacturer broke ground on what could become the Gigafactory. The exact location has yet to be confirmed.
wallstreetpit.com, winnipegfreepress.com
Tesla to build Superchargers on theme park grounds: The carmaker has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Chinese theme park operator Haichang Holdings. The latter agreed to identify location on its grounds for the installation of two Supercharger stations in the northeast of the country. The agreement also foresees the installation of further stations in the future.
forbes.com
First Nissan Leaf delivered in Puerto Rico: A family business focused on renewable projects purchased two of the EVs. Just recently, the car became available in Mexico. The Leaf, which has been sold about 135,000 times worldwide so far, is now available in 35 countries.
electriccarsreport.com
