Volvo, Betting on Electric, Moves to Phase Out Conventional Engines
The automaker said that all of the models it introduces from 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries.
Chevrolet Colorado ZH2: first ride in hydrogen fuel-cell Army truck
Olive drab isn't the only green thing in the U.S. Army. Currently undergoing testing at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle illustrates the unlikely intersection between eco-friendly powertrains and the demanding needs of a vehicle that may be deployed to a war zone. The Colorado ZH2 is a collaboration... China revises electric-car incentives to reward longer ranges
It's long been official policy for China that the country's automakers will become the world's highest-volume producer of electric cars. (It also intends to dominate lithium-ion battery cells and photovoltaic solar panels, for the record.) But the government policies and incentives to achieve that goal have often changed over the years. DON'T... Tesla’s Q2 2017 deliveries fall slightly due to 100-kwh battery shortage
Tesla delivered slightly more than 22,000 electric cars during the second quarter of the year, split between roughly 12,000 Model S hatchback sedans and about 10,000 Model X crossover utility vehicles. That total is more than 50 percent higher than the comparable April-June number for 2016, but down from the 25,000 cars it delivered in the first... Tesla Model 3 deliveries, EPA climate nonsense, better electric motors: Today’s Car News
Today, we've got some long-awaited Tesla news, two discouraging reports on energy and science from Trump's government, and some promising technology for longer range in electric cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, we ran down the most important green-car stories from last week. We also noted that the Aston Martin RapidE... What Trump’s ‘Energy Week’ policies actually mean
The White House declared this past week "Energy Week" and offered up a few key points on which the Trump administration plans to focus to unleash what it calls a new American dominance in energy. However, neither the initiatives nor the proposed policy changes hone in on where the world is heading: renewable energy, free of fossil fuels. Instead... Better electric motors can boost electric-car efficiency
One of the greatest challenges faced by modern electric cars is the vehicle's range, which is largely proportional to the energy capacity of the battery. Range anxiety often keeps buyers out of electric cars and in their fossil-fuel powered counterparts. Most of the attention given to solving the range dilemma has focused on the battery, but one... Honda team up with Hitachi in EV motor joint venture
Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the establishment of a joint venture company for the development, manufacture and sales of motors for electric vehicles on the premises of Hitachi Automotive Systems in Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture.
As announced on February 7, 2017, the two companies have conducted discussions based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed on February 3, and entered into a joint venture agreement on March 24 to make more tangible preparations to establish the new company.
The newly established company will receive a financial grant from Ibaraki Prefecture as it has been recognized as a relevant project that "promotes the establishment of corporate head office functions" within the prefecture.
The new company will respond to the growing global demand from automakers for electric vehicle motors by developing competitive motors that combine the expertise of the two companies.
Automakers are increasingly teaming up with parts suppliers to build components for the fast-growing EV segment as a way to expand product line-ups while containing high development costs.
"Producing motors is capital intensive, so rather than just manufacturing them for our own purposes, we would like to produce in large volumes with the possibility of supplying a variety of customers," said Honda Chief Executive Officer Takahiro Hachigo.
"In pairing up with Hitachi, we're hoping to tap into its expertise in volume production."
The venture will be 51 percent owned by Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd and 49 percent held by Honda, the two companies said.
It will build motors to be used in petrol hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-electric cars, and will have sales and manufacturing functions in the United States and China in addition to Japan, they said.
Hitachi Automotive Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd and longtime supplier of components including engine and brake parts to Honda.
It counts the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Renault SA as its biggest client, accounting for around one-third of annual sales. Other customers include Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor Co and Volkswagen AG.
The tie-up highlights Honda's willingness to join with other industry players as it competes to develop more lower-emission cars. It comes after Honda's announcement last week that it was teaming up with General Motors Co to produce hydrogen fuel cell power systems in the United States from around 2020.
"It's a reflection that a lot of the new technologies being developed for automobiles are not cheap, so companies are finding partners that they can share the burden with to reduce their risk," said Janet Lewis, managing director of equity research at Macquarie Capital Securities Japan.
Trump EPA to hold unneeded ‘critique’ to challenge climate science
The best analog to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's latest action might be for the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake a "scientific critique" of theories that the world is round. After all, numerous authoritative sources over the years have raised doubts that the Earth is not flat. Surely their views deserve to be aired. Late last week, it... Tesla Model 3 production to start Friday, deliveries July 28
As he had promised he would late one evening last week, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has tweeted out some updates on the upcoming Model 3. He expects first production Model 3 electric car, with serial number 001 ("SN1"), to be completed this Friday, July 7. The first 30 customers to buy Model 3s should receive them, he followed up, at a "handover...