In connected car news are Tesla, Rivian, EVgo, Ford, Proterra, Volta Trucks, dSPACE, Hyundai, Continental and Valeo.
Tesla Banned for Official China Vehicles
Rivian Charging Network and Testing
EVgo Goes into Meijer
EVgo, the nation’s largest public fast charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) and only platform powered by 100% renewable electricity, today announced a new partnership with Meijer, a Midwestern retailer, to install EV charging stations at its supercenters.
The EVgo public fast charging stations will start rolling out this summer, providing Meijer customers with the convenience of reliable fast charging for their vehicles as they shop. The partnership will add to the more than 800 fast charging locations EVgo already owns and operates today, while growing EVgo’s footprint and base of more than 220,000 customers nationwide. EVgo charging stations are capable of powering all fast-charge capable vehicles on the road today, including Teslas, pick-up trucks, and newly announced vehicles scheduled to come to market in the next year.
Due to Semiconductor Shortage Ford F-150 Built on Hold ‘Til Later
The global semiconductor shortage – combined with parts shortages created by the central U.S. winter storm in February – is prompting Ford to build F-150 trucks and Edge SUVs in North America without certain parts, including some electronic modules that contain scarce semiconductors. Ford will build and hold the vehicles for a number of weeks, then ship the vehicles to dealers once the modules are available and comprehensive quality checks are complete
Ford is canceling the night shift today and both shifts Friday at Louisville Assembly Plant due to a semiconductor-related part shortage. Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair production is expected to resume Monday on short shifts, with full production scheduled to resume Tuesday.
Proterra to Power Lightning eMotors
Proterra, a leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology, and Lightning eMotors today announced a new collaboration to power the Generation 4 Lightning Electric Transit commercial van using Proterra’s industry-leading battery technology.
The Lightning Electric Transit commercial van is a purpose-built Class 3 commercial electric vehicle that is available in several popular configurations like last-mile cargo vans, passenger vans, shuttle buses, ambulances, school buses and RVs.
Lightning eMotors anticipates annual production of up to 3,000 vehicles by 2023. The first Lightning Electric Transit vans are expected to be delivered to customers later this year.
Volta Trucks Scales Up
Volta Trucks, the leading full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, has launched its latest customer and media website, as it transitions from a start-up and the launch of the Volta Zero, to a scale-up company with Pilot Fleet vehicles being evaluated by customers on European roads later this year. The new website reflects the people-focused approach Volta Trucks is taking to decarbonise urban logistics, and thus creating a better environment for city-centre populations.
The new English and French language websites give insights into the Volta Trucks brand pillars of Sustainability, Safety and Truck as a Service, including an immersive 360-degree experience of the cab environment. This clearly shows how the Volta Zero will exceed the recently launched Transport for London five-star Direct Vision Standard. The product pages also give an in-depth understanding and technical specification of the Volta Zero. The Media website and careers pages remain, with numerous new roles advertised as the company expands and searches for the next generation of electrification engineers and commercial experts.
dSPACE Offers Smart Charging Station Emulator
dSPACE expands its range of complete turnkey solutions for the development and testing of smart charging technologies with the Smart Charging Station Emulator. The new solution allows for the emulation of charging stations with a power of up to 85 kW. This enables manufacturers of electric vehicles and suppliers of battery systems to realistically test their new developments with different technical charging standards and protocols, simulate a large number of faults, and develop them quickly and efficiently in line with the requirements of international markets.
The Smart Charging Station Emulator is based on dSPACE’s Smart Charging Solution, which was launched last year. The Smart Charging Solution is used for testing onboard chargers, charging stations, and communication modules. Other components of the Smart Charging Station Emulator include a SCALEXIO real-time simulator, a dynamic and expandable model that runs on the simulator, and a power supply that enables DC charging and discharging at a maximum of 85 kW. This means that vehicle-to-grid (V2G) scenarios can also be simulated.
To make the system flexible and mobile, all components are contained in a robust rack with wheels. This means that the system can be used not only in the laboratory but also for tests on prototype vehicles in workshops. Operator safety is ensured by features such as automatic cable recognition, connecting communication and charge release, insulation monitoring and emergency stop switches.
The system supports international standards for charging communication such as ISO 15118 and DIN SPEC 70121, GB/T 27930, GB/T 18487, and CHAdeMO, and emulates a wide variety of charging stations and charging scenarios in real time. New charging standards such as CHAdeMO 3.0 or ChaoJi can be easily implemented.
The Smart Charging Station Emulator supports AC charging up to 63 A and DC charging up to a maximum of 200 A or 85 kW. It is also flexibly adaptable to customer-specific charging supply requirements. In addition, the system offers almost unlimited options for manipulating electrical parameters and communication.
Hyundai Offers 250 kwh Free Charging
Continuing its commitment to accelerate mainstream adoption of electric vehicles, Hyundai Motor America will provide 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging on Electrify America’s ultra-fast charging network for owners of 2021 Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric models.
Customers can access their complimentary charging by the easy-to-use Electrify America mobile app that will also help drivers find and navigate to Electrify America stations and to start a charging session. 250 kilowatt-hours equals about 1,000 miles of EPA estimated driving range in a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric or Ioniq Electric.
Continental Engineering Services Expanding in Euroope
Continental Engineering Services (CES) is expanding and opening three new sites in England, Germany and Italy. The international development and production service provider is thus significantly expanding its capacities. In particular, the new branch in Burgess Hill in England has a major strategic significance for Continental’s subsidiary. The site’s focus is on the development and adaptation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). ADAS technologies are playing an increasingly important role in modern vehicles. From 2022, all new cars in the European Union must be equipped with various assistance systems. These include emergency braking and lane departure warning systems as well as warning systems that detect driver fatigue. The new EU regulations are intended to help better protect vehicle occupants, pedestrians and cyclists and increase trust in automated driving functions.
At the new Continental Engineering Services site in Burgess Hill near London, around 100 engineers are developing solutions for advanced driver assistance systems. CES customers benefit from well-established processes. The branch in Burgess Hill was part of the ADAS Business Unit of the Continental Group until the end of 2020. “The development teams in Burgess Hill strengthen our expertise in key disciplines,” explains Dr. Christoph Falk-Gierlinger, General Manager of CES. “The development of assistance systems and their integration into an increasingly digital vehicle architectures are rapidly becoming increasingly important. We offer intelligent solutions that meet the requirements of specific vehicle architecture and international legal requirements.” The expertise of the Burgess Hill site includes software and image recognition as well as the development and adaptation of technologies for parking and turning maneuvers.
CarMax Commits to Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050
CarMax, Inc. the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, today announced its commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The commitment is part of CarMax’s overall efforts to reduce its environmental impact and to align with the climate change mitigation goals set out by the Paris Agreement. The company has already made meaningful reductions to its carbon footprint and is targeting a 50% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2025, compared with a 2018 baseline.
CarMax is focusing its initial efforts on a two-pronged strategy: Scope 1 emissions: Reducing the company’s own emissions; and Scope 2 emissions: Increasing the share of renewable energy in the company’s overall electricity supply (Scopes 1 and 2 as defined by the Paris Agreement1).
These efforts are expected to include:
- Avoiding and reducing emissions through energy conservation measures;
- Applying on and off-site renewable energy generation;
- Implementing renewable energy procurement strategies, i.e.; renewable supply contracts, power purchase agreements; and
- If necessary, purchasing verified and socially beneficial offsets.
Valeo ClimSpray Disinfects Cars in 15 Minutes
Valeo ClimSpray™ has just been awarded the “Voted Product of the Year” logo. With a simple spray, Valeo ClimSpray™ disinfects a vehicle cabin in 15 minutes and renders any coronavirus-like viruses, bacteria and fungi inactive. The solution contained in the product has been certified by an independent medical laboratory, demonstrating its compliance with European anti-microbial efficacy standards*.
The product has the dual advantage of not only preventing the spread of infectious microbes at the source, but also releasing a pleasant fragrance. Valeo ClimSpray™ is trace- and stain-free**.