Show #1507
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of EV information. It’s Wednesday 22nd June, it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to.
MUNRO LIVE TEARDOWN REVEALS RIVIAN BATTERY DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Battery Cover
“They have a lot of pieces that have been welded onto it. There are about 300 spot welds on this, so there are a lot of places where they are putting in some brackets for fastening. There are bolts through this to the body in white. This does not go through to the structure of the battery tray, it is only into the cover.”
“It looks like it was stamped really well, assembled really well, but it is a steel cover but I was hoping for something composite.”
Mica Thermal Shield
“There is a large mica sheet. This large sheet is 3 kilograms and they’ve got another maybe half-kilogram piece. For the Tesla Model S Plaid battery tray, they were also using mica, but they were using 15 kilograms total, so there is a lot less mica in this battery tray than Tesla was using. These are the only two we’ve seen so far that have mica in them that we have torn down.”
Battery Modules
“There are nine battery modules, double-stacked with cells. In this corner space, they’ve been able to put in the positive and negative DC fuse contactors, so they’re really optimizing and maximizing the space that’s available. There’s not a lot of wasted space anywhere.”
Top Fasteners
“There are about 80 fasteners holding the steel top cover in place. These holes appear to be drilled and tapped in the machine shop, so that’s a lot of work. The Volkswagen ID.4 uses flow-drilled screws, so they are able to skip that step in the machining process, they are able to have the screw create the hole and the threads for them as they were putting it in.”
Messy Sealant
“In looking at this aluminum frame going around the outside, there is a lot of RTV everywhere on these seams. They have a plate that is covering up their joint here and you can see there is RTV running up and down, RTV running around the outside of everything. As we get to the back of the tray, there is even more of it on this corner. They gobbed it on there trying to make sure that it is water tight. They should have enough welds here to prevent any leak paths. They’re making sure. It is very messy.”
Original Source : https://www.designnews.com/automotive-engineering/munro-live-teardown-reveals-rivian-battery-design-and-construction
FEDEX MOVES FROM TESTING EV DELIVERY TRUCKS TO ADOPTING THEM
– FedEx Corp has 150 BrightDrop zero-emissions delivery trucks rolling on Los Angeles streets and highways as it transitions from EV testing to adoption.
– The partnership with BrightDrop, an 18-month-old General Motors subsidiary, advances FedEx toward its goal of making 100 percent of its pickup and delivery fleet vehicle purchases electric by 2030.
– BrightDrop brought its ZEVO 600 step trucks to market in just 20 months – the fastest ever for a GM vehicle, BrightDrop executives told Reuters.
Original Source : https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/fedex-moves-testing-ev-delivery-trucks-adopting-them
2023 GENESIS G80 EV FIRST DRIVE: EFFICIENT LONG-RANGE LUXURY
– Genesis is one of a few automakers dedicated to keeping the passenger sedan alive. The 2023 “Electrified” G80, its new all-electric midsize sporty four-door, lays down a persuasive argument for the cause.
– Shoppers in California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York— EV-friendly states all—will be the first to get their hands on the battery-electric G80 when it hits dealerships late this summer or early fall. Everyone else must wait, gathering information and setting up test drives via Genesis’ online concierge program in the meantime.
– A lot of aluminum is used in the body, which is 11% lighter than the internal combustion G80’s steel body. But the G80 EV’s battery weighs 1,204 pounds, so the car’s unloaded weight is a hefty 5,038 pounds. That’s almost 600 pounds more than the heaviest ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) version. Weight-saving measures for the EV include substituting a tire inflation kit for a spare and dropping the panoramic glass roof that is standard on the G80 Sport Prestige, its closest ICE counterpart.
– The 82.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack resides under the floor, not shoe-horned into the trunk and under the seats
– The G80 EV’s dual motors are equally sized; when working together, they can produce a total of 365 horsepower
– Official EPA numbers haven’t been published, but Genesis says the Electrified G80 will travel up to 282 miles on a full charge, and real-time driving seems to support that. My vehicle showed 242 miles of available range when I started driving. After 187 miles, including a decent bit of aggressive driving, it showed 58 miles of range remaining, meaning I technically added 3 miles to the in-car computer’s pre-drive estimate.
– When plugged into a 350-kilowatt DC fast charger, it takes 22 minutes to add almost 200 miles of range
Original Source : https://www.forbes.com/wheels/news/2023-genesis-g80-ev-first-drive/
WINNEBAGO TAKES ITS E-RV ELECTRIC CAMPER VAN ON A 1,400-MILE ROAD TRIP
– Winnebago just got home from an extended 1,400-mile test spin in its e-RV. The company is quick to point to the trip as evidence of the feasibility of electric campers, but its experience just as readily affirms the large uphill battle that all-electric RVs face in the American market.
– Members of Winnebago’s Advanced Technology Group, which developed the e-RV, took turns driving legs of the trip with the goal of documenting real-world performance and taking data for use in refining the design. They also chatted with RV and EV owners along the way to gather feedback.
– Using the e-RV’s estimated 125-mile (201-km) range, the trip had to have involved at least 11 charging stops along the way. At an average of just over an hour of charging per stop, that’s over 11 hours worth of charging time to 26 hours of reported behind-the-wheel driving time.
– Winnebago’s trip rang up a total bill of $275 for recharging fees. That doesn’t necessarily sound cheap immediately, but when AAA average US gas prices are hovering around $5 per gallon, it gets much cheaper. Winnebago estimates savings at more than $400
Original Source : https://newatlas.com/automotive/winnebago-e-rv-electric-camper-road-trip/
DROP-IN KIT CONVERTS LAND ROVER DEFENDERS TO ELECTRIC FOR FARM USE
– The retro electrification experts at Electrogenic, though, have made a kit that allows pretty much any garage in the United Kingdom to swap old Land Rover Defenders to electric.
– Defenders in the U.K. are often used for work purposes, not just long-distance overlanding. That makes them the perfect application, more or less, for powertrain swaps like this. They typically stay on the property or make runs to and from local shops, so they don’t have to go hundreds of miles off the grid.
– The conversion kit costs about $29,460—or £24,000—and from the usage on the farm, Electrogenic reckons it will pay that back in four years via savings in fuel prices. It comes with a 53-kilowatt-hour battery that gets over 100 miles of range on roads and apparently more when off-roading
– The battery comes as two packs that sit in the engine bay, and the motor directly replaces the old diesel engine while using the original gearbox.
Original Source : https://www.thedrive.com/news/drop-in-kit-converts-land-rover-defenders-to-electric-for-farm-use
GM’S FACTORY ZERO TO TAKE DOWNTIME AS IT PREPARES TO BOOST PRODUCTION
– General Motors Co.’s Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center will take four weeks of downtime starting next week as it prepares to expand production there, the Detroit automaker confirmed Tuesday.
– Workers at the plant build the GMC Hummer EV pickup, which launched at the end of 2021. The plant also is preparing for production of future electric products, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV and an SUV version of the Hummer.
– The move to boost production capacity comes sooner than initially planned, the company said. GM is “pulling forward the installation of tooling, machinery and equipment,”
Original Source : https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2022/06/21/gm-factory-zero-take-downtime-prepares-boost-production/7690103001/
GM IS RAISING THE PRICE OF ITS HUMMER EV STARTING THIS WEEKEND
– GM said Friday that it is increasing the price of its electric Hummer by $6,250, effective Saturday.
– All reservations placed before Saturday are exempt from the increase, the company said. The Hummer EV pickup truck currently goes for about $80,000 to $100,000.
– Reservations for GM’s EV Hummer have topped 77,500, according to GM, a number that has exceeded the company’s initial expectations.GM said in March that it would ramp up production of the Hummer EV.
Original Source : https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/17/gm-is-raising-the-price-of-its-hummer-ev-starting-this-weekend.html
FORD SCRAPPED EARLY ELECTRIC SUV DESIGNS AFTER CEO JIM FARLEY SAW IT
– the electric Mustang as we know it wouldn’t have hit streets if Ford CEO Jim Farley and other executives didn’t step in and demand a redesign years before the SUV’s debut.In 2017, Farley, not yet Ford’s top executive, saw an early design for the company’s upcoming electric SUV and found it boring, he recently told The Wall Street Journal.
– “It looks like a Prius. That’s a joke,” he recalled saying when he saw the early rendition of what would become the Mach-E. “What are we doing?”
– Going back to the drawing board postponed the Mach-E’s debut by several months, according to The Wall Street Journal.Farley pushed hard to make Ford’s first electric SUV a Mustang, a controversial decision that has paid off.
Original Source : https://news.yahoo.com/ford-scrapped-early-electric-suv-155649698.html
MAJOR NEW ELECTRIC CAR SMART CHARGING LAW MAY NOT ‘GO FAR ENOUGH’
– New Government benchmarks come into effect on June 30, meaning all home and workplace electric car chargers need to have smart charging capability. The new regulations are intended to help manage the strain on the National Grid with thousands of electric cars charging at once
– As a result of the changes, all smart chargers need to have a data connection that has the ability to measure and transmit records so that drivers can view their charging history.
– These set out minimum standards for all home and workplace chargepoints sold in England, Scotland and Wales
– New chargepoints will be pre-configured to avoid charging during peak hours, between 8am and 11am and between 4pm and 10pm on weekdays.
– Graeme Cooper, Transport Decarbonisation Director at the National Grid, clarified that “the grid can cope easily” even with the increased strain.He pointed to the growth in renewable energy, allowing smart metering to make it more efficient, highlighting the impact offshore wind farms were having.
– The new smart chargers will also randomly delay charging by up to ten minutes to reduce any spikes in demand.
Original Source : https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1625996/driving-law-changes-electric-car-charger-smart-charging-capability-june-2022-exclusive
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION NETWORK PLANNED FOR TEXAS HIGHWAYS
– Texas is planning to add enough electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state to support 1 million electric vehicles with dozens of new stations to allow for easier long-distance travel.
– In a draft plan released this month, the Texas Department of Transportation broke down a five-year plan to create a network of chargers throughout the state, starting along main corridors and interstate highways before building stations in rural areas. The plan is to have charging stations every 50 miles along most non-business interstate routes.
– The chargers will be high-powered at 150kW, able to bring most electric vehicles from 10% to 80% in about half an hour, according to the report.
– The funding is coming from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed last year, which is estimated to allocate about $408 million over five years to Texas for the purpose of expanding its electric vehicle charging network. No funds from the state budget will be used.
– The state is gathering public comment on the plan, after which it will be finalized. To receive the funds, TxDOT must submit a finalized plan by Aug. 1 to the Federal Highway Administration.
Original Source : https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/20/texas-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/
SSANGYONG TORRES ELECTRIC 4X4 COMING TO EUROPE IN 2023
– South Korean 4×4 specialist SsangYong recently revealed an all new model called the Torres, which it said will be coming to Europe as a BEV in 2023.
– will also fill a space in the range between the Korando and Rexton, the brand’s second smallest and largest offerings respectively.
– should be about the size of today’s Skoda Enyaq, although being a SsangYong model, we expect it to have a bit more off-road emphasis
Original Source : https://uk.motor1.com/news/593155/ssangyong-torres-ev-coing-europe-2023/
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