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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 Friday 3rd March it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to.
TESLA INVESTOR DAY ONE GENERATION AHEAD OF RIVALS: FORMER FORD CEO
Former Ford CEO Mark Fields says Tesla is one generation ahead of its rivals in the EV race, despite Tesla’s stock dropping around 7% after Wednesday’s investor day presentation failed to confirm any new car models. Tesla did establish goals for Tesla to expand its role in achieving global sustainability, including a commitment to sell 20 million cars a year by 2030 and the confirmation of a new Gigafactory in Mexico.
Fields sees Tesla’s keys to winning the EV race coming down to product appeal, software or user interface, controlling cost, and consistent execution. The company showcased other executives at the event, which could alleviate concerns that Musk has been too distracted by his other business ventures.
Source URL: https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/02/tesla-investor-day-one-generation-ahead-of-rivals-former-ford-ceo/
TESLA INSTALLS 4TH-GENERATION SUPERCHARGER POSTS IN EUROPE WITH LONGER CABLES
Tesla has announced the installation of its fourth-generation Supercharger posts in Europe, with longer cables to reach charge ports of different electric vehicle (EV) models. The news was revealed at Tesla’s Investor Day by Rebecca Tinucci, Head of Global Charging Infrastructure at Tesla. The new charging stations will allow Superchargers to charge other EV models with charging ports in different locations.
According to Tesla, there were 1.5 million weekly Supercharging sessions in 2022, with 99.9% uptime, and 9TWh of charging provided. The company now has over 40,000 Superchargers in 46 countries.
TESLA’S “MAGIC DOCK” SUPERCHARGERS NOW OPEN TO NON-TESLA EVS IN NORTH AMERICA
Tesla has opened its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in North America. Eight Supercharger locations in New York and two in California were fitted with the new “magic dock” interface that allows electric vehicles with CCS DC fast charge ports to charge at the stations. EV drivers can use the Tesla app to locate and get directions to the Supercharger locations, and a credit card is required for billing.
While the cost of charging varies by location, Tesla offers a membership for $12.99 per month, which provides reduced charging rates. Our source reviewed the new “magic dock” interface on a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and found the charging session went off perfectly, but noted the issue of the short Supercharger cable. However, they believe Tesla may remedy the issue in the future.
Tesla’s move to open up its Supercharger network to other EV makes is a positive step towards promoting EV adoption and facilitating convenient charging solutions for all EV drivers.
Source: https://insideevs.com/news/655138/tesla-magic-dock-supercharger-review/
TESLA SECURES $330 MILLION TAX INCENTIVES FOR ELECTRIC SEMI FACILITY IN NEVADA
Tesla has been granted over $330 million in tax incentives by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development board for the company’s new electric semi truck and battery manufacturing facility. The tax breaks will involve real and personal property taxes, modified business taxes, and sales tax, and are part of an expansion of Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory.
In return for the tax incentives, Tesla has committed to investing $3.6 billion over 10 years in the Gigafactory expansion, which will include a new high-volume Tesla Semi factory and a 100-gigawatt-hour factory for the company’s 4680 cell. This will provide enough capacity to produce batteries for 1.5 million light duty vehicles.
Tesla has a history of receiving tax incentives from Nevada, including $1.3 billion in 2014 for the construction of its first Gigafactory. The latest incentives demonstrate the state’s continued support for Tesla’s mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.
FORD PLANS TO RESUME PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC F-150 LIGHTNING AFTER BATTERY ISSUE
Ford has announced plans to resume production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck on March 13, following a battery issue that caused one of the vehicles to catch fire. The stoppage allowed battery supplier SK On to build up production and deliver battery packs to the Michigan plant where the truck is made.
Ford has not disclosed the issue that caused the fire or the solution implemented. The company stated that it will continue to work with SK On to ensure high-quality battery packs are delivered. The F-150 Lightning has been highly anticipated by investors, being the first mainstream electric pickup truck on the market.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/02/ford-f-150-lightning-production-restart.html
POLESTAR REPORTS RECORD REVENUE AND CUTS LOSSES BY HALF IN 2022
Polestar has reported an 84% increase in revenue for 2022, reaching approximately $2.5 billion, and halved its net loss to $466 million from over $1 billion in 2021. The automaker surpassed its delivery target of 50,000 vehicles and is planning to increase its deliveries by almost 60% to about 80,000 cars. Polestar’s CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, said the company’s 2022 performance has laid the groundwork for a “different phase” in its growth as it aims to launch two new EV models in 2023: the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4.
Polestar’s financial results have been relatively positive compared to its peers
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/02/polestar-psny-q4-earnings-ev-production.html
VINFAST DELIVERS FIRST CARS TO US CUSTOMERS AMIDST QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPANY STABILITY
Vietnamese automaker VinFast has officially delivered the first batch of 45 vehicles out of a total of 999 to US customers. The cars had been inspected and arrived in Los Angeles last December, but doubts had been cast about VinFast’s corporate health. Reports about the supposed firing of the CFO, layoffs at stores in the US and Canada, and the supposed “pulling out” of support from the company’s chairman had raised questions about the company’s stability.
CleanTechnica reached out to contacts from the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association to learn more about VinFast’s manufacturing and distribution of EVs in the local market. The sources confirmed that VinFast was on track with its assembly process and had delivered over 4,278 EVs to local customers in Vietnam, including 2,730 VF8 vehicles and 1,548 VF e34s.
VinFast’s engineering team denied issues with safety and emissions, saying that the delay in delivery was caused by software upgrades that improved the EPA-verified mileage of the VF8 from 179 to 207 miles. The supposed downsizing of employees was also clarified as consolidation, with the company adjusting positions of certain employees.
BUICK ELECTRA E5 INTERIOR REVEALED: A TECH-LOADED CABIN ON BUICK’S FIRST ULTIUM-BASED EV
Buick China has unveiled the interior of its upcoming five-seat battery-electric crossover, the Electra E5, which rides on General Motors’ Ultium platform. The interior boasts advanced technology such as a 30-inch EyeMax curved OLED screen with 6K resolution that can display one billion colors, a 12.6-inch heads-up display, and 121 colors of ambient lighting. The vehicle also features wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless phone charging, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip that provides faster processing, 5G connectivity, and over-the-air updates.
The Electra E5 is expected to launch in China before mid-year, with a version for the U.S. market expected to arrive in time for the 2024 model year. The powertrain options for the U.S. market are not yet known, but the Chinese-market Electra E5 will feature a single-motor powertrain producing 241 horsepower.
Source: https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/02/buick-electra-e5-interior/
NEW LG-HONDA EV BATTERY PLANT BREAKS GROUND IN CENTRAL OHIO
LG Energy Solutions and Honda have officially broken ground on a new joint venture battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio. The $4.4 billion investment will create over 2,200 new jobs and add more than 2 million square feet of industrial manufacturing space for the production of lithium-ion batteries. These batteries will power Honda vehicles manufactured in North America, with the goal of shifting to 100% EV sales by 2040.
The partnership brings together Honda’s reputation for quality and reliability in the auto industry with LG Energy Solution’s global leadership in battery manufacturing. The plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, with Honda’s EVs slated for sale in North America in 2026.
Source: https://columbusunderground.com/new-lg-honda-ev-battery-plant-breaks-ground-in-central-ohio-we1/
ASTON MARTIN TO UNVEIL FUTURE MODEL LINEUP INCLUDING A NEW ELECTRIC CAR
Aston Martin will reveal a future model lineup that includes a new full-electric car at a capital markets day for investors this summer, according to Chairman Lawrence Stroll.
Aston Martin’s recent announcements mark a revival of the company’s electric program after plans to launch the Rapide E and revive Lagonda as an all-electric brand were scrapped as too costly after Stroll took over. In 2021, Stroll announced that Aston Martin would begin building two full-electric models, a sports car and an SUV, in 2025.
Source URL: https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/aston-martin-announce-future-lineup-including-electric-car
FIRST BUS ORDERS 117 MORE ELECTRIC BUSES FROM WRIGHTBUS WITH UK GOVERNMENT FUNDING
The British transport company First Bus has placed an order for an additional 117 electric buses from the Northern Irish manufacturer Wrightbus. The order includes battery-electric double-deckers and solo buses, which will go into operation in four UK cities. The announcement comes after First Bus ordered 193 electric buses from Wrightbus last year. By March 2024, First Bus will operate more than 600 electric buses, supporting the company’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2035.
The order was made possible by additional funding from the UK government, which is providing just over 25 million pounds from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) programme for the procurement of 1,395 electric buses in total. Richard Holden, the UK Roads Minister, emphasized the importance of supporting British-built zero-emission buses and their role in creating manufacturing jobs in Northern Ireland, growing the economy, and improving air quality in towns and cities across the UK.
Source URL: https://www.electrive.com/2023/03/02/first-bus-orders-117-electric-buses-from-wrightbus/
HERE’S WHAT REDWOOD LEARNED IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF EV BATTERY RECYCLING
Redwood Materials has completed a year of its pilot program to recycle electric vehicle (EV) batteries, partnering with Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, and California’s government. The startup has recovered over 1,268 battery packs weighing more than 500,000 lbs, with over 82% of them being lithium-ion. It has recovered over 95% of lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and other metals from these packs. Redwood says the cost driver is logistics, which will reduce over time as end-of-life pack volumes increase.
The startup’s recycling process is already profitable for smaller batteries like those used in cellphones, laptops, and production waste. It anticipates that recycling EV battery packs at scale will be profitable in the future as logistics costs decrease.
Redwood emphasized the need for automotive OEMs to work with recyclers capable of refining used batteries into battery-grade metals for use in new cells. The US will benefit from recycled lithium, copper, or other metals that count as domestic supply for new clean vehicle tax credit rules.
Source URL: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/heres-what-redwood-learned-in-its-first-year-of-ev-battery-recycling/
DAIMLER BUSES FOCUSES MANNHEIM PLANT ON E-CITY BUSES
Daimler Buses, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, is transforming its plant in Mannheim, Germany, into a centre of competence for electric city buses. Starting from 2024, the Mannheim plant will focus exclusively on producing electric-powered city buses and will also expand its involvement in component production.
Daimler Buses has also announced that it will invest about 150 million euros in the two German plants by the end of the decade. It plans to produce fully electric intercity buses in Neu-Ulm from the second half of the decade, as well as coaches with battery-electric and hydrogen-based fuel cell drive systems from the end of the decade.
https://www.electrive.com/2023/03/02/daimler-buses-focuses-mannheim-plant-on-e-city-buses/
UK RENEWABLES SURPASS GAS IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION FOR WINTER
Renewable energy sources in the UK, including wind, hydro, and solar, generated more electricity than gas during the winter season from October 1 to February 28, according to a report from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). Renewable energy produced 47TWh of electricity, equivalent to powering every home in the UK during the winter. Gas-powered stations would have required 95TWh of gas to produce the same amount of electricity, leading to an increase in net gas imports by more than 22%.
RELENTLESS RISE IN CARBON EMISSIONS TEMPERED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY SURGE
A report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that while global carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, the growth has been slowed down by the surge in renewable energy. The report shows a 4.8% increase in global carbon dioxide emissions in 2021, mostly driven by the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report indicates that renewable energy generation grew by 8% in 2021, driven by an increase in wind and solar energy installations.
The report further suggests that with more supportive government policies, the deployment of solar and wind energy could grow even more, with the potential to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. It also suggests that the world needs to double its deployment of renewable energy annually to achieve this target.
STUDY SHOWS HEAT PUMPS ARE CHEAPER THAN GREEN HYDROGEN IN EUROPE
According to a new study from the European Heat Pump Association and the European Heat Pump Network, heat pumps are significantly cheaper than green hydrogen in Europe. The study compared the costs of producing heat with a heat pump and green hydrogen, finding that the former is 2-3 times cheaper than the latter.
The study shows that producing heat using green hydrogen would require a significant amount of electricity, resulting in a higher cost compared to heat pumps. The report further suggests that green hydrogen should be used in areas where electrification is not feasible or where it is necessary to store energy for long periods.
The study comes as the EU aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. Decarbonizing heating is a critical part of this goal, and the study highlights the role of heat pumps in achieving it.
Heat pumps are a cost-effective and efficient way to reduce carbon emissions, making them a vital technology for the energy transition. The study emphasizes the need for greater investment in renewable energy and heat pumps to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.
Source URL: https://cleantechnica.com/2023/03/02/study-heat-pumps-2-3x-cheaper-than-green-hydrogen-in-europe/
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