Stoffel Vandoorne has won the Formula E championship. At the final race weekend in Seoul, a fifth and a second place were enough for the Mercedes EQ driver to win the title. The manufacturers’ championship also went to Mercedes for the second year in a row.
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Edoardo Mortara has taken the lead in the drivers’ standings with a victory in the tenth race of the Formula E season. The Venturi driver finished ahead of Antonio Felix da Costa (DS Techeetah) and Mitch Evans (Jaguar) at the ePrix in Marrakech, Morocco.
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Last weekend, Formula E made another guest appearance in Berlin. While Venturi driver Edoardo Mortara won Saturday’s race, Mercedes driver Nyck de Vries was victorious on Sunday. Formula E will also race in Berlin in the next two years.
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The new Formula E season in Saudi Arabia began with a one-two for Team Mercedes-EQ with Nyck de Vries in first place. The second race in Diriyah was won by Edoardo Mortara (ROKiT Venturi Racing) in a Mercedes customer car.
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Electric motorcycle brand Voxan, owned by high-performance electric vehicle specialist Venturi, presents the new Wattman. With world champion Max Biaggi at the controls, the brand is setting out to conquer yet more world speed records.
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The manufacturer Voxan Motors, which belongs to the Venturi Group, presents its electric high-speed motorcycle Wattman, built to set a new world speed record for electric two-wheelers on Bolivia’s legendary salt lake in 2021. And, the machine’s key spec is indeed impressive.
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As the second team in the racing series, HWA Racelab has announced that it is aiming to start in the Extreme E, the race series for all-electric SUVs starting in 2021. ABT Sportsline will also be competing in the electric SUV race.
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Venturi Automobiles has now been officially confirmed as the first team for the planned off-road racing series with electric SUVs called Extreme E. Venturi has also been active in Formula E since the 2014/15 debut season and will now compete in the new racing series from 2021.
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And the winner of the Hong Kong E-Prix is Venturi. The team has won for the first time in what was the 50th Formula E race. Swiss Edoardo Mortara celebrated his maiden win, benefiting from a five-second penalty to finisher Sam Bird.
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Automobile company Venturi has introduced an electric vehicle designed to withstand the most extreme conditions on Earth. The Antarctica EV is specifically made for polar expeditions and said to still roll in temperatures as low as -50°C.
Read moreNanowire system: UC Irvine researchers have developed a nanowire-based hybrid energy storage system with reported reversible cycle stability for up to 200,000 cycles and a 94-96 percent average Coulombic efficiency. The battery/capacitor could theoretically be recharged hundreds of thousands of times. The project is funded by Nanostructures for Electrical Energy Storage.
greencarcongress.com
Venturi tech: Formula E team Venturi will be working with Japan’s Rohm Semiconductor to introduce silicon carbide technology at the start of season three. A Venturi Fomula E show car will be displayed by Rohm at this week’s Hanover trade fair, alongside examples of the relevant SiC technology.
vehicle-electronics.biz
Formula E partnership: Italian technology company Magneti Marelli teamed up with Mahindra for the FIA Formula E Championship’s third season. Mahindra’s M3Electro will feature Magneti Marelli motors and branding. The motor weighs just over 23 kg, and the Italian company may work with at least one more Formula E team next season.
motorsport.com
Tesla Easter egg: Entering the access code “performance” into a Model S or X, lets drivers test out other model versions. Teslarati downgraded and test drove their P90D at a 90D and 70 level, toggling back and forth between energy consumption values for the different modes. However, they suspect the egg is only for fun and does not provide a real service.
teslarati.com, insidedevs.com
2nd life at Renault: EV batteries will become useful after retiring from powering an EV. Renault cooperates with Connected Energy to supply stationery storage units. E-STOR technology will be offered as 50 kW version by July, while the companies have promised later versions with higher capacity.
greencarcongress.com, renault.com
Rocket-like record ahead: Venturi plans to set a new speed record on land, aiming to surpass 600 kph or 372 mph. The 3,000 hp electric Venturi Buckeye Bullet (VBB-3) was developed together with the Ohio State University Center for Automotive and will take off this summer.
electricautosport.com
Driving demand: Japanese battery makers like Sumitomo or Central Glass are ramping up production of Li-ion batteries as demand is expected to grow considerably. Sumitomo looks to double production of anode material deemed particularly safe and also eyes the U.S. market.
asia.nikkei.com
Electric tractors: American ATC presents a retro-fit option for tractors. The electrification serves as platform for autonomous farming with self-driving tractors. In Ukraine, too, electric tractors are becoming more common. Local produce model Edison sold out in a month.
farmindustrynews.com (USA), itsukraine.com (Ukraine)
Driving an average 386.757 kph (240.320 mph), Venturi cracked the one mile speed record in its VBB-3 electric racer. The rocket-shaped car has a whopping 3000 hp. The carmaker had set out to beat its previous electric FIA World Land Speed Record, set in 2010.
electriccarsreport.com, youtube.com (Video)
Powered by the sun: Bochum University of Applied Sciences and ThyssenKrupp unveiled their SunRiser. The solar-powered car will take part in the World Solar Challenge in Australia in October. It only weighs 360 kg, despite its 60-kg battery and comfort features, such as distance control, heated seats or central locking. The solar panels produce up to 870 W.
idw-online.de, emobilserver.de (articles in German)
Powered by Venturi: Rumor has it that Dragon Racing will partner with Venturi as their new powertrain supplier. The Dragon team is believed to have concluded a deal last month and is set to test its new package shortly. An official announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
motorsport.com
Reed leaves drop battery price? A Chinese-German research team has fabricated a 3D porous silicon-based anode material from natural reed leaves using calcination and magnesiothermic reduction. The material exhibits high specific capacity, very good rate capability, and cycling stability.
greencarcongress.com
Saft head to Mars: Battery maker Saft has signed a contract worth over one million euros from Airbus Defence and Space Ltd (UK) to develop, qualify and test a specific lithium-ion battery system to power the ExoMars Rover vehicle. The programme will launch in 2018.
electricvehiclesresearch.com, saftbatteries.com
Most clicked link on Thursday was Italian electric motorcycle company Energica kicking off production of its electric superbike Ego.
greencarreports.com
Venturi hopes to hit a top speed of 600 kph with its “Venturi Jamais Contente” electric racer this August. If successful, driver Roger Schroer will break his own 2010 FIA speed record of 515 kph. This year’s vehicle boots 3,000 hp.
electricautosport.com
Is it the Porsche 717? Porsche released a teaser image of a sports car under wraps with the titel “Mission: Future Sportscars.” Since it is placed next to the Le Mans racer 919 hybrid, German Auto Bild is certain that under the cover waits the all-electric Porsche 717 with a 500 kilometre range.
autobild.de (in German), facebook.com
Prius SUV: Through its joint collaboration with Mazda, Toyota could be working on a SUV version of its Prius, AutoGuide reports. It would be based on the C-HR Concept, which debuted in Paris last year and could combine Mazda’s 1.5 litre SkyActiv diesel engine and an electric motor. Earlier rumours also pointed to a joint electric car project.
autoguide.com
Venturi changes game: The Monegasque-based electric car manufacturer announced that it will stop producing vehicles and will instead focus on the Formula E and attempts to speed records. At the same time, engineers working on the vehicle production terminate their contracts by the end of the month. A total of 17 of the company’s 33 employees were sacked.
autoplus.fr, avem.fr (articles in French)
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GM invests in Bolt production plant: General Motors says it will pour 245 million dollars into its production facility in Orion near Detroit, as well as eventually hire 300 workers. The factory is where the upcoming Chevrolet Bolt and an unnamed new model will be built.
freep.com
New name: Germany-based energy storage company Kolibri Power Systems will continue operating under the new name of Colibri Energy. Colibri reports that despite the ongoing insolvency proceedings, new products are being marketed and existing orders processed, including a 200 kWh battery system for a transport vehicle in Hamburg.
pv-magazine.com
Pre-orders accepted: Kia says it will now take pre-orders for the new K5 (also known as Optima), which will arrive at dealerships in South Korea by mid-July. The hybrid variant has been announced for the end of the year, with a plug-in hybrid version to follow early 2016.
koreaherald.com
Ready for the cold: Venturi’s all-electric vehicle Antarctica with caterpillar tracks stood up against snow and ice in the Alps, showing that it is fit to support research teams at the South Pole. It will be used to reach research areas; distances that are currently covered by ski. Apparently, the idea for the vehicle came from Prince Albert II of Monaco on his last trip to the snow covered region.
electricvehiclesresearch.com
Drive eO racer: The Latvian company announces the world’s first one megawatt electric race car, the eO PP03. The six YASA-400 electric motors provide a total of 1020 kW, allowing the car to reach 260 kph. Drive eO says that it will compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the U.S. in June.
electricvehiclesresearch.com
The Babel Bike is said to be safest bike out there. It features a Shimano electric motor to support the rider during acceleration and seatbelts as well as a rolling cage in case of an accident. While it looks slightly odd, the safety argument could get some back in the saddle.
autoblog.com (with video), indiegogo.com (crowdfunding campaign)
Not gone with the wind: Bad weather is forcing the Solar Impulse 2 to remain grounded in China, where it has been for the past two and a half weeks. Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg had planned to stay for one night only, as they fly around the world only powered by the sun.
dailymail.co.uk
Venturi has gone to the Alps to tests its new prototype Antarctica, a new all-electric, all-terrain and joystick-controlled vehicle. The Antarctica was named after its future place of deployment as antarctic researchers will use it to collect and transport samples at -40° C.
gizmag.com, electricautosport.com
Venturi is up to speed: Besides braking electric speed records and participating at the Formula E, the Monegasque carmaker is also busy showing a new version of its America EV at the Paris Motor Show. This time, the buggy-like vehicle has doors and got its drivetrain and battery performance improved.
autoblog.com (America EV), fia.com (record)
BMW opened two new lines for the production of battery packs and motors at its Dingolfing plant. There, the carmaker expects to create more than 200 new jobs in the next few years. With the new facility, BMW is preparing for the launch of various plug-in hybrid vehicles such as the X5 PHEV starting next year.
greencarcongress.com, automobil-produktion.de (in German)
Photo-assisted charging: In a project funded by the Department of Energy at The Ohio State University, researchers developed a method to improve the efficiency and performance of Li-air batteries. They integrated photoelectrodes, which reduce greatly charging overpotentials otherwise lowering efficiency and causing degradation.
greencarcongress.com
Brake-problem recall: After Mitsubishi had to recall its electric i-MiEV in Japan earlier this year (we reported), cars in the US now have to follow. A total of 1,800 units face the risk of a malfunctioning vacuum brake pump, which could affect the braking distance and therefore increase the risk of a crash.
puregreencars.com
Really retro: German entrepreneur Charly Bosch is reviving the Loryc, a car that was build on the Spanish island Mallorca in 1920. His rebuild will feature an electric motor while the design will basically remain untouched. The first Loryc Electric Speedster is said to be unveiled in spring 2015 already.
motorauthority.com
Venturi ventures out again: And this time its eyes are fixed on the 400-mph mark. The Monaco-based company aims to set a new FIA electric world speed record with its VBB-3. Its four wheel drive delivers 2,200 kW of power and a total torque of up to 2,800 Nm.
electricautosport.com
Autonomous driving: Paul Ingrassia from Drive had the chance to be a passenger on board of Google’s autonomously driving Lexus RX 450h for a 25-minute test ride. He finds “the most remarkable thing about Google’s driverless car is that it is utterly unremarkable.”
drive.com.au
Electric lorry approved: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the ‘Workhorse E-Gen’ by AMP. The electric truck has a small range extender that only works in park-mode. It enabled the company to downsize the battery thus bringing down the price of the E-gen to a competitive level.
globenewswire.com
Most clicked link on Monday was the report on Copenhagen’s Tesla taxi, which could not meet expectations after almost one year in service.
politiken.dk
Cheap EV made in Taiwan: Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, is one of the world’s largest contract electronics makers. The company now announced that is working on building an electric car for less than 15,000 dollars. Details on how and when it will be complete have not been released.
wantchinatimes.com
Mitsubishi ramps up production at their Japanese facility in Okazaki. This means that annual production of the Outlander PHEV will be increased from 30,000 to 50,000 units. Fair enough, as the car is quickly becoming a bestseller in Europe (see our number of the day below).
insideevs.com, transportevolved.com
Detroit Electric to get real: The American carmaker decided to build the SP:01 in England and not in the States. The electric roadster will be sold in Asia and Europe by the end of 2014, before coming “home.” With a top speed of 155 mph, the SP:01 strives to become the world’s fastest series electric car.
electriccarsreport.com, puregreencars.com
Is China opening up? The governmental ‘China Automotive Technology and Research Center’ has issued a draft on policy changes regarding the automotive industry. Its proposal is asking the government to open up the EV industry to companies other than carmakers such as Fisker buyer or component manufacturer Wanxiang.
businessweek.com, inautonews.com
Green brand of the year: Interbrand has published its list of the 50 ‘Top Global Green Brands’ of 2014. Ford takes the spotlight away from Toyota, which comes in second, followed by Honda and Nissan. The list includes more corporations other than carmakers.
green.autoblog.com, interbrand.com (full list)
Team Venturi: German race driver Nick Heidfeld and Stéphane Sarrazin from France will join the Venturi Formula E racing team. The inaugural season of the new FIA Formula E Championship will start at September 13th, 2014 with its first race in Beijing.
fiaformulae.com
