Ford to Cut 12,000 Jobs in Europe
The automaker said it would close plants across the region, leading to job losses for more than 18 percent of its work force.
Schwarzenegger is “kicking gas” and taking names in EV-advocacy short
Electric-vehicle marketing, ads, and advocacy can often be completely lacking in one thing: humor. Sometimes a little bit of the farcical can go a long way to help point out the strengths of EVs—or in this case, how out of touch old-fashioned used-car dealers might be in not choosing to embrace the electric side. Enter the Governator. Arnold... BMW accelerates EVs, VW secures batteries, Rivian plans more gear: Today’s Car News
BMW accelerated its electric-car plans by two years. Volkswagen says its battery supplies are secure. Rivian reveals more plans for lifestyle gear. And our readers weigh in on electric Hummers. All this and more on Green Car Reports. At an event in Germany on Tuesday, BMW announced that it is pulling forward its plans to electrify its products by... Rivian says more “gear tunnel” accessories coming
In a conversation with Green Car Reports Tuesday, Rivian spokesman Michael McHale confirmed that the Rivian R1T will offer more than just a built-in kitchen for camping. The truck's "gear tunnel," a cargo compartment that stretches the width of the truck underneath the floor of the bed, and just behind the cab, is designed to house a wide range of... Should Hummer return, all-electric? Twitter poll results
For those of us who remember what General Motors’ Hummer brand symbolized—especially around 2006, when sales peaked—it’s a little hard to fathom the idea that it might have any future as way for GM to green its reputation. Although GM hasn’t officially confirmed any such thing yet, a top executive earlier this month... Volkswagen says its battery supplies are secure
Despite its plans to become the biggest EV-maker in the world by 2023, Volkswagen says it won't be affected by the tightening battery supplies that have roiled the industry, including Audi, the company's Volkswagen Group partner. VW plans to build up to 3 million all-electric vehicles a year by 2025 and plans to produce 22 million EVs in total by... BMW pulls ahead its electrification plans by two years
Just eight weeks ago, at its annual shareholders meeting, BMW announced that it will build 12 new all-electric cars by 2025, along with 13 plug-in hybrid models. Now the company has moved up that schedule by two years and says it will have 25 new "electrified" models on the market by 2023, and that the majority of them will be fully electric. At... BMW M Next, Porsche insurance, regional deals, EVs for men: Today’s Car News
Porsche beats Tesla to the punch selling insurance for its cars—although its electric one hasn't quite arrived yet. Regional discounts can go a long way toward making electric cars affordable. The BMW M Next concept previews the next i8. And our latest Twitter poll asks if electric cars are mainly a male phenomenon. All this and more on... Why do men seem more invested in electric cars than women? Take our Twitter poll
![Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland [photo: Forth]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/chevrolet-bolt-ev-being-charged-outside-go-forth-electric-car-showroom-portland-photo-forth_100606247_t.gif)
Some of our recent Twitter polls have brought our attention to a startling, if anecdotal, discovery: The most vociferous defenders of electric cars, particularly all-electric cars are overwhelmingly men. Don't get us wrong, we have a few female commenters, and know plenty of women automotive writers who are often unusually insightful. Yet when we... BMW reveal 720 hp tri-motor “Power BEV” electric test vehicle
The BMW Group trial vehicle “Power BEV” presented during #NEXTGen explores what is technically possible. The vehicle is fitted with three fifth-generation electric drive units and has a maximum system output in excess of 530 kW/720 hp. This enables it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in comfortably under three seconds.
The development team’s aim here was to build an experimental vehicle which impresses not only with its longitudinal dynamics but also in terms of lateral dynamics. Indeed, as drivers would expect from a BMW, it has been designed not only to be fast in a straight line but also to put a smile on the driver’s face thorough keenly taken corners.
To this end, the chassis and powertrain engineers worked together particularly closely to maximise the car’s performance. Key to its dynamic attributes is that the two electric motors at the rear axle are controlled separately. This brings e-torque vectoring into play, which enables maximum drive power to be translated into forward propulsion even in extremely dynamic driving manoeuvres.
The result is more effective and precise than with a limited slip differential, because actively targeted inputs are possible in any driving situation. By contrast, a limited slip differential always reacts to a difference in rotation speed between the driven wheels.
The drive system comprises three fifth-generation drive units, each of which brings together an electric motor and the associated power electronics and power take-off within a single housing. One is mounted at the front axle and two (a double drive unit) at the rear axle. Another notable aspect of this generation alongside its eye-catching power is that it is entirely free of rare earths. An electric motor of this type will make its series production debut in the BMW iX3. The iX3 will only have one motor, though, rather than three.
A current BMW 5 Series production model serves as the donor car for the Power BEV. Integrating a drive system of this type into a production car represents a serious technical undertaking, but it has been achieved here with absolutely no restriction in passenger compartment space. This makes it far easier to assess this drive concept alongside alternatives.
It has also allowed the engineers to look even more effectively into the possibilities opened up by two separately controllable electric motors at the rear axle with e-torque vectoring.
