Nikola Partners with Bosch & Quinn Co.
Nikola Corporation , a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles (BEV), fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) and energy infrastructure solutions, tannounced agreements with the Bosch Group of companies for Nikola Class 7 and 8 fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) which will enable Nikola to build the Bosch fuel-cell power modules at its Coolidge, Arizona facility.
The agreements will allow the adaptation of the fuel-cell power modules for the Nikola Tre and US Nikola Two fuel-cell applications. Under the agreements, Bosch will supply both fully assembled fuel-cell power modules as well as major components to Nikola, including the fuel-cell stack, for Nikola to assemble at its manufacturing facility in Coolidge. The parties will work together for sourcing of remaining components for the assemblies.
Nikola and Bosch have defined together a scalable and modular approach for the Nikola Tre and Two truck applications based upon use of multiple fuel-cell power modules utilizing the Bosch heavy-duty commercial vehicle fuel-cell stack. The fuel-cell power modules are expected to launch in 2023, with the first application being the Class 8 regional-haul Nikola Tre FCEV. Nikola anticipates that the overall vehicle design will result in a range of up to approximately 500 miles. Nikola plans to further expand capacity for use in the Class 8 long-haul Nikola Two FCEV with an anticipated range of up to approximately 900 miles.
The vehicles are planned to utilize common fuel-cell power modules in 200 kW and 300 kW configurations. The fuel-cell power modules and components are being designed and validated for the demands of commercial vehicle power. The Nikola Tre FCEV will also be launched in the EU, utilizing the same fuel-cell power modules supporting vehicle manufacturing planned at Nikola’s joint venture with IVECO in Ulm, Germany.
– Nikola Corporation announced the continued expansion of its Class 8 truck sales and service coverage with the addition of Quinn Company, a leading provider of on-highway truck service and construction equipment in the Central and Southern California regions. The addition of Quinn Company to the Nikola dealer network will include sales and service facilities across 15 counties.
Quinn Company is uniquely positioned via its infrastructure, expertise and sales and service coverage to support the rapid growth of zero-emission commercial vehicles for all classes of trucks in an area of the country that is experiencing rapid testing and adoption of this technology.
Wallbox Will Manufacture in TX
Wallbox, a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, announced the selection of Arlington, Texas as the location of its first U.S. manufacturing facility. The 130,000 square foot high-tech plant will have enough capacity to fully support Wallbox’s expansion plans in North America for the next decade. Production is expected to start as early as June 2022 with production lines for Wallbox’s Pulsar Plus AC chargers; lines for Quasar, its DC bidirectional charger, and Supernova, its DC fast charger for public use, are anticipated to follow in the first half of 2023. Wallbox expects to manufacture a total of 290,000 units annually in this facility by 2027 and reach its full capacity of 500,000 units by 2030.
The Arlington facility will be Wallbox’s fourth manufacturing site, additive to two facilities in Europe and one in China. A global company with a presence in 68 countries, Wallbox operates with a vertically integrated supply chain and does its product manufacturing in-house from design to production. The U.S.-based facility will play a vital role in expanding the company’s presence in North America, a market that is making a big push into automotive electrification with the Biden Administration targeting 50% of all new car sales to be electric by 2030. The new facility is anticipated to create approximately 250 direct jobs in the region by 2030, with local hiring for the facility to begin immediately and on-site retooling beginning in October of this year.
ZEV Building in AZ
ZEV has worked extensively with EastGroup Properties to architect the facility and production workflow to maximize space and power utilization, while delivering an innovative and modern work experience for ZEV employees, contractors and partners.
ZEV’s location is strategically positioned to capitalize on their partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) to build on their incredible talent pool while developing new relationships with Grand Canyon University (GCU) and Maricopa County Community Colleges. “ZEV values the incredible talent coming through these college programs, we have over four graduates with patent filings in less than 6 months of development – that is rapid innovation,” said Jim Maury, ZEV President.
ZEV will be expanding their fleet vehicle conversion production to 40 vehicles per day by Spring of 2022. This expansion will deliver over 300 new jobs to the city of Gilbert and surrounding area. ZEV has allocated 10K square feet to accelerate battery module design, development, certification and assembly to support fleet and passenger vehicle applications. This will bring high tech jobs, with expertise in battery cell chemistries, packaging, thermal management, and control interfaces to maximize energy density, configurability and safety through the vehicle lifecycle.
14K RSVP for Sonos Motors
The mobility provider Sono Motors has announced the achievement of reaching 14,000 private reservations of its Sion, the world’s first Solar Electric Vehicle (SEV) for the masses, with an average down-payment of $3,300. Even prior to the commencement of production, the company booked a total order value of more than $350 million. With the Sion, Sono Motors aims to be an attractive price-value leader in the medium size segment, at an estimated net sales price point of just $25,670.
The Sion is expected to have the lowest TCO (total cost of ownership) in its category at the commencement of production, scheduled for the first half of 2023. Production of the Sion will take place in Trollhätten, Sweden, in the former SAAB plant in cooperation with partner NEVS. After the commencement of production alongside the increase to maximum capacity within the same year, the company intends to produce 43,000 vehicles per year in a 2-shift operation. Sono Motors is currently planning a production volume of 257,000 Sion vehicles over the first full lifecycle.
Cox buys Spiers
Focused on being the world’s best end-to-end caretaker for the electric vehicle (EV) future from storage and logistics to remanufacturing, reuse and pre-treatment recycling, Cox Automotive Mobility today announced a foundational investment for its new global EV battery service network with the acquisition of Spiers New Technologies (SNT), a leading service provider for EV battery lifecycle management.
As EVs take center stage, battery production, health and lifecycle management will become increasingly important and challenging for OEMs, dealers, fleet providers and consumers. The acquisition of Spiers New Technologies, which currently has operations in the U.S. and Europe (The Netherlands), will allow Cox Automotive Mobility to establish a comprehensive global offering of EV battery service capabilities to meet the needs of its customers across the U.S., UK and other continental European markets.
“Cox Automotive is the only company that’s connected to every pillar of the automotive industry and every stage of a vehicle’s life,” said Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive. “As an innovator and thought leader for more than 75 years, we don’t wait for things to change, we cause the change. Taking charge of the EV battery lifecycle and creating sustainable solutions for our planet is no exception.”
Investing and Innovating to Advance EV Market Growth
Electric vehicles have a different service and support profile than combustion vehicles – everything from cost, valuation, residual calculations, servicing and salvage differ and create challenges for the automotive ecosystem. Comparing cost alone, with the EV battery pack making up about 30-40% of the cost of an EV today, it’s a high-value asset that needs inspection, valuation and servicing. Cox Automotive Mobility has the passion, motivation, resources and expertise to set the industry standards for battery health and manage its lifecycle worldwide.
“Cox Automotive Mobility is committed to being the best battery health innovator and end-to-end solutions provider for the safe promotion and preservations of our electric future,” said Lea Malloy, head of research & development, Cox Automotive Mobility. “Our early investments in the space and EV battery health patent were just the start. Now, we’ve gone a step further with the acquisition of Spiers New Technologies, the world’s leading service provider of EV battery life cycle management.”
While passenger EVs in the U.S. market are forecast to grow to 32.8 million (15% of total auto market) and 6.5 million in new-vehicle sales (35% of total new-vehicle sales) in 20301, Cox Automotive research shows that 8 out of 10 non-EV considerers are skeptical about battery value and remaining useful life.
The new independent, third-party battery health diagnostic tool built by SNT and Cox Automotive Mobility is powered by SNT’s ALFRED battery decisioning platform. This battery health diagnostic tool is becoming the industry standard used globally to assess the condition and value of EV batteries, filling a void in the new and used EV category. With ALFRED and the health score, Cox Automotive will help drive greater transparency and confidence in EV transactions with consumers, much like the trusted vehicle valuations Kelley Blue Book has provided to the automotive industry for nearly 100 years. Cox Automotive is currently delivering EV battery health reports as part of its Manheim condition reports at select auction locations.
“As a pioneer and leader in electric vehicle 4R servicing, we are proud of the revolutionary progress we have made, but this is only the beginning of the journey,” said Dirk Spiers, founder of Spiers New Technologies. “Leveraging our combined strengths with Cox Automotive in engineering, technology and data, we are creating significant value and opportunity for those embracing the electric future.”
Cox Automotive Mobility’s efforts is a complement to the commitment of Cox Enterprises to drive positive environmental change through its Cleantech and Cox Conserves initiatives and the organization’s goal to achieve carbon and water neutrality by 2034 and zero waste to landfill by 2024. Cox believes in a closed-loop ecosystem for EV batteries to help reduce their environmental impact with more sustainable end-of-life reuse and recovery treatments.
SoCalGas Partners with Hyzon Motors
– Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), the nation’s largest gas distribution utility, and Hyzon Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: HZYN), a leading global supplier of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, announced t their plans to partner on a hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric utility truck. The partnership supports SoCalGas’ NetZero 2045 climate commitment, which includes replacing its over-the-road fleet with electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, achieving a 100% zero emissions fleet by 2035.
As part of the partnership, Hyzon will deliver a Class 3 commercial service body utility truck to SoCalGas by 2022. The truck is expected to reach a maximum power of 200 kilowatts, with a range of 300 miles and will be built on the existing chassis OEM used by SoCalGas, minimizing the updates needed for operations, servicing and training.
To celebrate the launch of its first line of electric vehicles, Mercedes-Benz USA has developed an activation at the 2021 US Open to educate fans about its electrification efforts. The luxury automotive brand will engage tournament attendees to create and harvest clean energy that will be used to help power an upcoming exclusive event with global partner Alicia Keys. The Mercedes-EQ family of vehicles will combine sophistication, sustainability, high-end technology and style for an unprecedented fully electric luxury experience. The first vehicle from the line, the all-new 2022 EQS Sedan, will launch later this year.
Tritium and Electric Era
Tritium and Electric Era are partnering to deploy an energy storage system with direct current (DC) fast charging technology to provide an innovative way to deploy resilient charging infrastructure. Tritium has provided their RT175-S charger for integration with Electric Era’s PowerNode™ high-power stationary energy storage system to help site owners and operators achieve greater cost savings, more site resilience and accelerated build timelines.
New Toyoda Valve
Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has developed a cutoff valve with a novel structure that contributes to lighter vehicle weight. This cutoff valve is being used on the new Land Cruiser from Toyota Motor Corporation (vehicle specifications for some regions, including the Middle East).
Cutoff valves are plastic components of fuel tanks that prevent elevation of the internal pressure, which if excessive can lead to rupture of the tank, by releasing vaporized gasoline as the temperature in the tank rises. Gasoline more readily vaporizes in regions such as the Middle East, where temperatures are high, and in mountain areas where the atmospheric pressure is low. Higher ventilation performance is needed in such places.
New eGen from Allison Transmission
-Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional, electric hybrid and fully electric vehicle propulsion solutions, announces the addition of its eGen Power 100S and 130D e-Axles to its fully electric portfolio of propulsion.
“We believe there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to electrification and a variety of products are needed to address the wide range of applications and market segments Allison serves,” said John Coll, Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales and Service for Allison Transmission. “Thus we are currently and will continue to expand our family of electric axles.”
Allison first launched its eGen Power 100D in 2020 and has since spent time stringently validating and where necessary refining the e-Axle with most of the major OEMs in North America. This e-Axle features two electric motors, each capable of generating greater than 200 kilowatts of continuous power, with peak combined power of 648 kilowatts.
The eGen Power 100D also integrates a two-speed gearbox within the central housing, enabling the high torque required to get heavy loads moving, while also offering the benefit of superior efficiency at cruise speed. The eGen Power 100D is capable of supporting up to a 10.4 tonne or 23,000 pound gross axle weight rating and also includes differential lock functionality.
Additionally, Allison has expanded its dual motor offerings to include the eGen Power 130D, a variant of the 100D, specifically designed for the European and Asia Pacific markets, where many commercial vehicles require a heavier 13 tonne gross axle weight rating. The eGen Power 130D maintains the same core components, performance, and differentiated value as the eGen Power 100D, including the power ratings previously mentioned for the 100D, but with increased axle weight rating capability.
In further expanding the eGen Power product portfolio, Allison also announces the first single motor variant in the eGen Power series of e-Axles, the eGen Power 100S. Leveraging core components from the eGen Power 100D such as the motor, inverter and shifting mechanism, the 100S offers exceptional performance characteristics in both 4×2 and 6×4 configurations. The 100S uses a single motor to generate 212 kilowatts of continuous power, with a peak power of 324 kilowatts, and 23,500 newton meters of torque at the wheels. The 100S offers a 10.4 tonne gross axle weight rating and features a two-speed parallel axis gear architecture, efficiently meeting application launch and highway cruise demands, while maximizing energy recovery through 100% regenerative braking capability. The 100S expands the eGen Power addressable market to include school bus, medium duty, and heavy duty tractor and straight truck 6×2 and 6×4 applications, including refuse.
Like the 100D and 130D dual motor e-Axles, the 100S is a platform architecture upon which further variants will be developed, is simple to install and easily integrates into existing truck chassis. The eGen Power e-Axle family are designed to be 100% maintenance-free for the life of the vehicle, significantly reducing downtime and enhancing eGen Power’s total cost of ownership advantage.
Current Dealers
Current Dealers, a turnkey electric vehicle (EV) charging solution, announced the company is helping Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and other General Motors brands with automotive dealerships across the country that need to comply with new electric vehicle (EV) readiness requirements.
Industry experts project sustained growth towards mass-market adoption in the electric vehicle market, based on global sales, falling battery costs, more vehicle choices, increased range, and expansion of the charging infrastructure. The availability of public charging outlets in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. To prepare for an increase in sales nationwide, U.S. auto companies are asking local dealers to comply with new EV requirements.
Atlis Aussie Orders
Atlis Motor Vehicles (ATLIS), a startup mobility technology company, announced today the signing of a Collaboration Agreement with Australian Manufactured Vehicles Pty Ltd (AusMV) in which AusMV will buy ATLIS XT pickups and complete right-hand drive production in Australia for sale in the Oceania and Southeast Asia market under the ATLIS brand. AusMV will purchase over 19,000 XT pickups through 2025 and will provide expertise in compliance and certification, as well as support in service and charging infrastructure for the Australian market.
ATLIS is developing a fully electric vehicle platform, proprietary battery cells and packs, and the necessary charging infrastructure to recharge a 500-mile range battery in less than 15 minutes. The XT prototype will be revealed this year and production will begin in 2022.
Lion Electric
The Lion Electric Company , a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, has officially kicked off its participation in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) and Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Run on Less – Electric challenge in partnership with Day & Ross, a top North American transportation and logistics company.
The Lion6 trucks operated by Day & Ross have a range of 200 miles on a single charge and will be used for the company’s pickup and delivery routes. The company is currently conducting evaluation testing at its facilities to aid in future electric deployments.