The dynamic between a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old. One keeps you up all day. The other keeps you up all night. I’m tired.
Let’s get into the news!
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
-Confucius
Quiz
What company recently announced the phasing out of its legendary 12-cylinder engine?
- Bentley
- Ferrari
- Lamborghini
- BMW
EV Headlines
The Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama made waves in the automotive industry by revealing its first-ever electric vehicle at a ceremony held earlier this week. This groundbreaking event not only showcased the Genesis Electrified GV70 SUV but also marked the first time a Genesis model was produced outside of South Korea. With public officials and news crews in attendance, the atmosphere was charged with excitement and anticipation as the vehicle's lithium-ion battery was installed, adding to the electrifying nature of the occasion.
The ceremony, which followed Hyundai's announcement ten months ago of a $300 million investment and the creation of 200 jobs to build the Electrified GV70 and a hybrid version of the Santa Fe at the Montgomery plant, has been a long time coming. HMMA President and CEO Ernie Kim expressed the company's commitment to future mobility solutions propelled by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, noting that the company is evolving to support this strategic direction and will continue to drive economic prosperity in Alabama, Montgomery, and the surrounding communities. Genesis has also committed to producing only electric models starting in 2025, with plans for its entire lineup to be electric by 2030.
In Other EV News
- Nissan has slashed prices for its Ariya electric SUV in China, following a similar move by Toyota for its bZ4X SUV. Nissan's joint venture in China, Dongfeng Nissan, is offering a limited-time discount of up to 60,000 yuan ($8,700) with a new starting price of 224,800 RMB ($32,800).
- Australia's EV market has been slow to develop compared to other countries, but it has recently shown significant progress. According to the Australian Electric Vehicle Council's 2022 report, EV sales in Australia nearly doubled last year compared to 2021.
- A Tesla Model X owner in New Jersey credits her vehicle for saving her life after being involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle.
- Toyota will begin producing EVs in Kentucky by 2025, with an aim to manufacture 10,000 electric SUVs each month by the end of 2025. Toyota's Kentucky factory, along with a battery plant slated to open in North Carolina, will enable the company to make EVs entirely in the US, from key components to final assembly.
- Hyundai has announced pricing and packaging for the IONIQ 6 electric vehicle. The car will have two battery pack options and two motor layouts, with most trim levels becoming available this spring. Check here for pricing.
Ned’s Corner
Comparing AC vs DC for similar power
The big bottom skid is a 24kW DC EVSE.
The smaller box on top is a 19.2kW AC EVSE. There is a 20% power advantage* with DC, but there are other considerations and trade-offs:
24kW DC: 210lb, pallet handling, freight shipping, 3 phase input, ~$14k.
19.2kW AC: 20lb, hand portable, ships via UPS/FedEx, single phase input, ~$1,600.
This illustrates some of the major factors making kWh…
About Ned
Ned is an EV professional with experience with chargers from 1 to 500kW and EVs ranging from unicycles to buses and class 8 trucks. An EV owner since 2014, he is currently a Technical Solutions Manager with Electrada. He develops and refines charging solutions for fleets using his engineering experience to drive for high uptime, reliability, and efficiency.
Autonomous Snapshots
Jaguar Land Rover is intensifying its efforts to keep up with Tesla and other competitors in the digital technology race by opening three engineering hubs in Europe, all aimed at creating autonomous vehicle technologies. These new hubs, located in Munich, Bologna, and Madrid, will be established in partnership with Silicon Valley's Nvidia. The move comes as part of JLR's ambition to develop self-driving systems for the company's forthcoming luxury vehicles.
In Other AV News
- The ServCity project, backed by Nissan and supported by the UK government, has successfully deployed advanced autonomous drive technology on the roads of London, integrated with the city's infrastructure. The project used a 100% electric Nissan LEAF to develop a blueprint for incorporating autonomous vehicle technologies into city infrastructure.
- Decarbonization experts at City Science have received funding from the UK government to investigate an autonomous mass transit system in Hertfordshire as part of the Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit initiative.
- Samsung has announced that it will produce 5nm chips for Ambarella, a US-based edge AI fabless semiconductor company. The chip, called CV3-AD685, is designed to be an AI controller for autonomous cars and is 20 times faster than its predecessor.
Answer
Bentley will end production of its 12-cylinder engine in April 2022 as part of its transition to electric vehicles.