1382: 21 Feb 2022 | Volkswagen ID.Buzz Microbus Reviews Are Out - a podcast by EV News Daily

Show #1382

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- the Europe-spec prototype was only partially representative of the bus that will come to the States. It was a commercial van rather than a people hauler, with a bulkhead behind the front seats fully partitioning the cargo area; all of ours will be passenger versions. It also sat on the shorter 117.6-inch wheelbase that will be offered in Europe, while the plan is to bring only the longer-wheelbase variant to America. The U.S. version will also have a bigger battery pack than the prototype's 77.0-kWh unit.

- The prototype used what will be the entry-level powertrain consisting of a single electric motor driving the rear wheels

- Like the ID.4, it makes 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. Volkswagen engineers say an all-wheel-drive version using a second motor to power the front axle will also be offered. Beyond basic dimensions

- We're also promised that the finished car will support forthcoming Plug & Charge technology, which will allow cars to communicate directly with chargers to eliminate the need for cards or apps. We don't have official range figures yet, but the engineering team says they would be happy with a 250-mile rating under the European WLTP testing protocol

- We haven’t been given a peak charging speed either but are assured that rapid DC charging will be supported (the ID.4 supports rates of up to 125 kilowatts).

Original Source : https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a39152293/2024-volkswagen-idbuzz-microbus-ev-prototype-drive/

- Ford is looking at ways to separate its electric-vehicle operation from its century-old legacy business

- CEO Jim Farley wants to wall off Ford's electric operations from its internal combustion engine business and has even considered spinning off one or the other, people familiar with the effort said. A spinoff could generate the kind of earnings multiples that have given Tesla a market value approaching $1 trillion.

- Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo said last week it could split off its electric and internal combustion drivetrain activities into two “dedicated entities,” as the automaker targets a 100 percent full-electric lineup in Europe by 2030.

- Investors have awarded immense value to pure EV makers, such as Rivian Automotive, whose market value briefly topped Ford's late last year despite producing relatively few vehicles.

- As Farley sought to maximize the value of Ford's EV operations, his vision evolved over time, from initially considering a smaller spinoff, to contemplating a full breakup, to now looking at an internal split, the people familiar with the effort said.

- Analysts have said Ford needs to shed its legacy business model to achieve the profit margins that Tesla commands, which Farley has estimated top $10,000 a car. To offset the higher cost of electric vehicles, analysts say, automakers need a direct sales model, like at Tesla and Rivian, that bypasses dealers and the cut of revenue they receive. Automakers also need to lower labor costs.

Original Source : https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/fords-ceo-explores-ways-separate-ev-business

- Jaguar Land Rover will work with Magna International on a new platform for its forthcoming electric Jaguar range, a job ad posted by the U.K. automaker has revealed.

- The job ad, posted on Linkedin, offers candidates the chance to be involved in the platform project and "work closely with JLR, Jaguar and Magna" on an "outsourced engineering service relationship."

- The platform is called Panthera, JLR Chief Financial Officer Adrian Mardell

- Jaguar will now head significantly upmarket to create a rival to Bentley with the launch of the first electric model on the new platform, due in 2025.

- Magna Steyr works with a variety of customers engineering vehicle platforms, including U.S. EV maker Fisker, which will also use the company to build its electric Ocean in Graz.

Original Source : https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/jaguar-magnas-joint-ev-platform-plans-revealed-job-ad

- A number of Rivian executives in charge of production and battery development have visited Korea recently to prepare for a pilot production run in local facilities. After the battery development and production partnership with Samsung fell through, Rivian was reportedly still left with Korean suppliers as the only option to gain know-how and speed its American battery factory plans.

- Rivian intends to build its own battery Gigafactory in America instead of depending on the whims of suppliers and aims to expand power cells production for its electric vehicles there to a 100 GWh capacity by 2030.

Original Source : https://www.notebookcheck.net/Rivian-running-pilot-production-tests-for-its-own-battery-factory.600832.0.html

- SK On, the battery-making subsidiary of South Korean energy firm SK Innovation, is planning to accelerate the start of production of its planned new battery factory in the US with Ford by three months, TheElec has learned.

- Blue Oval SK, the South Korean battery maker’s joint venture with the US car giant, is planning to place orders for production equipment in the planned factory in Kentucky, called BOSK1, within the year, sources said.

- Equipment will be delivered and start installation at BOSK2 during the second half of 2023, with commercial production beginning in 2024.

- The two factories are planned to have an annual production capacity of 43GWh each.

- BOSK3 will have a similar design and capacity but equipment installation will begin for this factory during the second half of 2024 at the earliest.

Original Source : http://www.thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=3848

- GAC Aion, the electric car offshoot of China’s GAC Group, has completed the expansion of its existing production facility to an annual capacity of now 200,000 electric cars. When the second plant comes on stream in December, production capacity will rise to 400,000 cars per year.

- The first plant started production in April 2019 when GAC unveiled the Aion sub-brand for its electric cars.

- The construction of a second plant for another 200,000 electric cars per year should be completed by December this year.

- GAC Aion was spun off as a separate brand from GAC in November 2020, replacing the previous GAC New Energy division. The brand has since launched five all-electric models: the Aion S, Aion LX, Aion V, Aion Y and Aion LX Plus.

- The battery has an energy content of 144.4 kWh and an energy density of 205 Wh/kg.

- NEDC range of around 1,000 km

Original Source : https://www.electrive.com/2022/02/20/gac-aion-finishes-first-of-two-projects-of-factory-expansion/

EUROPE’S NEW EMISSIONS STANDARDS ARE ACCELERATING THE EV RACE | OILPRICE.COM

 

Original Source : https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Europes-New-Emissions-Standards-Are-Accelerating-The-EV-Race.html

Original Source : https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/36Kr-KrASIA/Chinese-startup-to-put-two-way-charging-system-into-practical-use

Original Source : https://tfltruck.com/2022/02/video-first-ever-gas-vs-ev-heavy-duty-truck-drag-race-it-was-over-from-the-beginning/

Original Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/19/business/car-buyers-sticker-shock/index.html

Original Source : https://cnevpost.com/2022/02/21/used-tesla-model-y-selling-for-more-than-initial-purchase-price-in-china/

GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS OPEN INVESTIGATION OF TESLA AUTOPILOT

 

Original Source : https://jalopnik.com/germany-is-the-latest-country-investigating-the-safety-1848577005

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