Industry
Electric carmakers must not forget historyedit
On my way to a conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, last week, I took a little detour to Dearborn, to visit the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation. I wanted to see what a Model T’s gas tank looked like. The importance of the Model T, which the Ford Motor Co. began selling in 1908, is a familiar story. But there is another, less well-known aspect of the Model T’s history: the role it played in the development of gas stations—and the role gas stations played in the rise of the automobile.
Air pollution measures can save millions of lives: Reportedit
Millions of lives could be saved and one billion people living in Asia could be breathing clean air by 2030 if 25 simple and cost-effective measures are implemented, a new UN report said on Tuesday.Currently, about four billion people — 92 per cent of Asia and the Pacific’s population — are exposed to levels of air pollution that pose a significant risk to their health.
ISRO shortlists 15 firms for transfer of EV battery techedit
Isro has shortlisted 15 firms to transfer the manufacturing technology of lithium-ion (Li ion) batteries for electric vehicles (EV). This move could make EVs cheaper, since imported Li ion batteries constitute the big expense factor of EVs. “We have communicated to the shortlisted firms that they will have to give a one-time fee of `1 crore. We have avoided firms with exposure to foreign equity in identifying the qualifying industrial houses or start-ups,” S Somanath, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the rocket sciences node of ISRO, told FE.
International
China is crushing Europe’s electric car dreamsedit
Europe gave the world some of its top automakers, but it’s losing out to China in the race to define the industry’s future. China is the driving force in the business of electric vehicle batteries, which European leaders see as vital to the future of the auto industry that employs millions of people across the continent.
EV Charging Infrastructure Moves Toward Interoperabilityedit
Charging an electric car will get easier thanks to streamlining the access to a range of charging networks across the country. Electrify America, which is leading the buildout of thousands of public charging locations, has reached agreements with other electric-car-charging networks to enable members of those networks to use Electrify America charging locations.
VW claims it’s making electric cars ‘like Tesla and cheaper by half’ coming soonedit
Volkswagen has made some huge claims about its forthcoming electric cars. The German carmaker has stated that when it launches its electric cars they will have similar specs and capacities as ones released by Tesla but at half the cost. VW is aiming to launch such EVs in 2020.
The Bloody Consequences of the Electric Scooter Revolutionedit
A lawsuit targeting electric scooter-sharing companies seizes on the dangers of zipping around town on two wheels and brings gory detail to one of the more polarizing technology trends to emerge over the last year. Nine people who were injured by electric scooters filed the class-action suit on Oct. 19 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The Car That Will Help Big Automakers Game China’s New Rulesedit
Automakers typically want their cars to stand out. However, China’s push for greener vehicles is prompting Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Honda and Mitsubishi to resort to an unusual move: they’re set to sell the same car. The four carmakers all plan to sell an electrified SUV developed by Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., the Chinese manufacturing partner they share.