Important Innovations

  China's 1M Motors' Airo                                    Source:  1M Motors' Airo Filters Polluted Air From Other Cars, Serves as a Living Space At the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, 1M Motors unveiled a uniquely compelling car concept.  It's an autonomous, electric car that vacuums up and filters air pollution from other vehicles.  It also serves as a living space.  The EV is called Airo and it is unlike any other concept car.  The designers call it a multifunctional vehicle designed to address global issues.  Airo produces zero emissions and purifies the air around it, providing double benefits to the environment.  It also addresses the global space shortage issue by serving as a living space when not in use. London Designed for China Automaker IM Motors is a car brand created by three big China corporations:  the automaker SAIC Motors, online retailer Alibaba and the Zhangjiang Hi Tech Group.  The concept car was designed for 1M Motors by London based Heatherwick Studi

  VW Hopes To Surpass Tesla By 2025                                             Source:  VW ID.4 EV 70 Brand New VW EV Models To Roll Out During 2020's Volkswagen leadership has a grand plan to be the #1 leader in the global electric vehicle market by 2025.  To achieve that goal and displace Tesla, VW says it must more than double its EV sales this year.  It also needs to employ 10,000 software developers which would make VW the second largest European software company behind SAP.  And, the company says it will build six new battery factories in Europe. Aggressive Agenda VW intends to roll out 70 new EV models this decade.  UBS forecasts  that VW could equal Tesla in sales by 2022 and surpass them by 300,000 vehicles by 2025.  Next generation batteries could prove to be the gamechanger for VW.  Batteries account for 30% of the cost of an EV.  VW believes it can cut the cost in half with the development of next generation solid state batteries starting in 2025.   Wall Street Approve

  Jaguar Land Rover's Major EV Commitment                                             Source:  Jaguar Luxury Electric Vehicles Luxury automotive brand Jaguar will be entirely electric by 2025.  That commitment puts it in the forefront of the global race among automakers to offer zero emissions vehicles.  The JLR - Jaguar Land Rover - group will offer a full range of EVs by 2030. Multi-Billion Dollar Investment JLR is owned by India's Tata Motors.  Over the next five years, Land Rover will offer six new electric vehicles.  JLR will keep its plants open in the United Kingdom while its transitions the operation for the production of electric vehicles.  The company will spend $3.5 billion yearly on electric technology and the development of connected vehicle services.  The challenge for Jaguar will be to give the new electric vehicles the feeling of power and thrust that Jaguar has traditionally had for drivers.

Uber's Major Commitment to EVs and Hybrid Vehicles For 0 To Low Emissions                                        Source:  Uber Electric Vehicles More Than 1400 Cities in North America Involved Ride sharing company Uber is expanding its electric car and hybrid vehicle ride service.  It will be offered in more than 1400 cities in North America.  The cities include Miami, New York City, Washington, DC, Houston, Tucson, Calgary and Winnipeg.  The company says drivers can rent zero emissions vehicles through their partner Avis.  The service is available in Los Angeles but it is being rolled out nationally this year. Green Goals By 2040, Uber wants all of its vehicles in its global ride sharing service to be electric.  It is also contributing through 2025 $800 million as incentives to help drivers switch to electric vehicles.  This Green Trips program includes discounts on electric vehicles bought or leased through Uber partner automakers.  Uber is clearly encouraging drivers to take gre

  CEO Oliver Zipse's Personal Commitment to Electric Vehicles                            Source: BMW Next Vision e-Car Concept 20% of All New BMW's Will be Electric by 2023 BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is putting BMW into overdrive for the production of electric vehicles.  The Germany based luxury car maker intends to build 1 million more electric cars than originally planned between 2021 and 2023.  It is a major commitment from the top leader of BMW to move in a very electric, zero emissions direction. Electric Charging Infrastructure Needed In 2020, 8% of all new BMWs sold are electric.  By 2023, CEO Zipse wants that electric vehicle number to hit 20% of all new vehicles sold.  To support the electric car and vehicle market, Zipse is calling for a dramatic increase in investment in electric charging infrastructure, both on a private and public basis.  His point is clear:  to support and accelerate driving electric and emissions free, just make electric vehicle charging easy, inexpens

  Customers Order Fully Electric Pickup and SUV in Droves                                                  Source:  Rivian Michigan Based EV Startup Rivian Before Michigan startup Rivian offered the first edition of its electric pickup truck to the public, it sold out of all of its order reservation spots.  The bidding for the first editions of the R1T e-pickup truck and R1S e-SUV were offered first to people who had put down a $1,000 deposit in the past two years.  The vehicles sold out within a week.  Rivian calls it their Launch Edition.  The R1T will be delivered to customers in June 2021.  The R1S SUV will be delivered in August 2021. Pre-Ordering for January 2022 Deliveries Opens Today Rivian is now offering pre-order access to the public on their Adventure and Explore packages which include all-glass roofs and WIFI with 4G capability.  Those orders won't be delivered to customers until January 2022.  The Launch Edition is the only model that Rivian will produce between June

  Luxury Electric Cars                                                           Source:  Bentley Bentley on an Electric Fast Track Bentley Motors' model lineup of cars will consist of only electric and plug-in hybrids by 2026.  The UK based luxury car maker will be fully electric by 2030.  This news from the company as the global automotive industry adjusts to much tougher emissions regulations in China and Europe.  Many global automakers are expanding their electric lineups.  100 Year Old Automaker Going Electric Bentley was founded 100 years ago and is now owned by Volkswagen.  It is accelerating the development of electric vehicles and will introduce two plug-in hybrids in 2021.  In a statement, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said: "Bentley will transform from a 100 year old luxury car company to a new, sustainable, wholly ethical role model for luxury."  Last summer, Bentley indicated that it would cut 25% of its workforce or 1,000 jobs as the company shifts to electric

  Volta Zero                                                       Source:  Volta Zero Zero Emissions, With Body Made of Flax & Biodegradable Resin Startup Volta Zero of Sweden has innovated an electric truck built for deliveries in cities.  It is a 16 ton, all electric delivery truck that's smaller than a big rig.  It has a range of 125 miles on a charge. The EV is powered by lithium ion phosphate batteries which are modular and allow Volta to customize the vehicles to the customers' specific needs.  Incredibly it is made of sustainably sourced Flax material and biodegradable resin in its exterior body panels.  Volta Zero says it will change the face of road travel. London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone The European delivery service DPD will start testing the Zero in London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone starting in the first quarter of 2021.  The company has forged significant partnerships with another 8 customers.  Experts say Volta Zero could have a significant role in

  Nio, EV Maker Taking on Tesla  Source:  Nio                                                                           Hot Global Stock Shanghai based electric vehicle maker Nio wants to take on Tesla and be the "Tesla killer".  It's share price on the NYSE has been soaring.  It's up 1000% since it cratered in March at $3.00.  It is now up to $26.50, Big Wall Street houses like Citi are calling it a buy.  They've put a target price of $33.20 on it because of it's "very strong order backlog", its efforts to cut battery costs and its growing market share.  Nio is back by two Chinese tech giants, Tencent and Baidu. The Nio EV car, shown above, is an example of Nio's fashionable, futuristic design in EVs. Nio's Different Approach Nio's business approach is innovative.  It has heavily focused on creating a brand, including selling Nio hats and merchandise on line. It offers battery-swapping, mobile power vans and "Nio Houses" which

French Carmaker Promises Lineup of Electric Innovation                                                                                 Source:  Renault Megane eVision French carmaker Renault unveiled a very sporty electric car concept called "Megane eVision".  The company is betting on medium sized, family vehicles to try to turn itself around and move away from losses.  Under new CEO Luca de Meo, the company is on a new trajectory with a big push on electric vehicles.  The strategy is also to focus on its most profitable models and push up prices. Innovation Packed EV's Promised The new electric vehicle has SUV style large wheels but is much smaller.  CEO DeMeo says a whole new generation of innovation packed EV's will be coming from Renault.  The new car will be the first built on vehicle architecture developed jointly by Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi called the CMF-EV platform.  The final model to go into production will be unveiled in 2021.  Renault currently mak

  Tesla's New Gigafactory in Germany Source:  Tesla Factory  Sustainable Energy  Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk is promising that his new gigafactory in Brandenburg, Germany will revolutionize how electric vehicles are built.  He is replacing hundreds of robots with huge, aluminum casting machines to build simpler chassis and parts. From Musk's perspective, the robots are not up to the task that he wants to accomplish. Musk is repositioning production to components glued and rivetted into the car's rear underbelly with a single module from the aluminum gigapress machines.  Musk also predicts that the Brandenburg plant will deliver a radical overhaul in the way electric car battery cells and battery packs are built. At the new plant, Tesla intends to manufacture a new version of its Model Y crossover vehicle. Moving Toward Sustainable Energy In a visit to the Tesla plant site in Germany, Musk said he will transform the core structural design of electric cars, in terms of en

Most Valuable Automaker in the World Source:  Tesla Sportscar Share Price Surges Tesla, the global electric car company founded by CEO Elon Musk, is now worth triple the combined share price value of GM and Ford.  Today, Tesla's stock price hit a record of $1,133.  And the market cap climbed in late morning to $209.47 Billion.  That is $6Billion more than Toyota is valued by investors. Big Vote of Confidence in Tesla and Electric Cars The stock market is giving a big vote of confidence in the global growth of electric cars and Tesla's strategy and technology.  Tesla is the global leader in EV sales.  After several years of losses, Tesla has delivered three profitable quarters since the 3rd quarter of 2019. CEO Elon Musk says despite disruptions from the COVID-19 virus, Tesla is on track to deliver 500,000 new vehicles in 2020.

BMW Demands Renewable Energy Batteries Source:  BMW iNEXT Smart Battery, Green Power German automaker BMW has taken a very strong, green power position.  CEO Oliver Zipse says BMW electric cars will use battery cells produced by using renewable energy.  This decision by BMW will compel big global battery suppliers to use non-coal generated electricity.  Mr. Zipse says he has contractual agreements with their battery cell manufacturers to use only green power to make BMW's 5th generation battery cells. BMW's New Lineup of Electric Vehicles BMW is launching a new lineup of electric vehicles.  They're launching the electric BMW iX3 this year and the BMW iNEXT and BMW i4 in 2021.  BMW estimates the use of green battery power in their electric vehicles will save 10 million tons of CO2 over the next decade.  That is the equivalent of carbon dioxide emissions produced by a city of more than one million people.

Daimler and Geely Source:  Daimler Global Tie-Ups To Create New EVs German luxury automaker Daimler and China's electric automaker Geely are exploring ways to deepen their cooperation in the research and development of electric vehicles.  The two companies have formed a China based venture to build electric Smart cars.  They've also joined forces to build a premium ride hailing venture.  And, among their projects, each has invested in Volocopter, a state of the art, electric multirotor helicopter/flying taxi service, based in Germany. Geely Operations and Expansions China-based Geely is a global automotive force.  It owns Volvo, Lotus and Terrafugia, the US based flying car company.  It also owns Lynk & Co. based in Sweden. Geely Chairman Li Shufu says he plans to roll out Lynk & Co. cars in Europe sometime in late 2020.  Lynk & Co. says it offers a new kind of mobility: simple pricing, flexible ownership and car sharing.  The vehicles are electric

Daimler and Volvo's New Fuel Cell Joint Venture Source:  Daimler Toyota's Hydrogen Powered Smart City Volvo and Mercedes' parent company Daimler have announced a joint venture to develop and make hydrogen fuel cell systems for big, heavy duty trucks - the biggest polluters on global highways. Daimler's truck division is spearheading the effort.  Volvo is pouring in $652 million for a 50% stake in the venture.  This new JV is an important look at the future of greener highways. Hydrogen's Advantages Electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells have significant advantages.  They provide much longer range, quick refueling times and emit water, not noxious carbon dioxide pollution.  In Japan, both Toyota and Honda are selling fuel cell Electric Vehicles.  In fact, Toyota, in particular, is betting the future will be driven by hydrogen fuel cells.  At the base of Mount Fuji, Toyota is building a sm

Despite Pandemic, New EV Business Opening in May Source:  Toyota Mirai Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the virtual shutdown of the automotive industry, Toyota  just formalized a partnership with China's BYD. BYD is backed by US investor Warren Buffet and is one of China's leading electric automaker.   They're combining forces to develop quality  performance, electric vehicles and the batteries to power them.   New Company with May Start Date They're forming a new company, BYD Toyota EV Technology Co. They say they hope to start operations in May. Hirohisa Kishi of Toyota will be Chairman. Zhao Binggen of BYD will be CEO.  The vehicles will be designed for Chinese consumers. Toyota Going Electric For the past decade, Japan based Toyota has focused on hybrid vehicles. It now intends to extend that focus to include all electric vehicles. Toyota is targeting one-half million EV sales starting in 20

New Concept:  Hikari Changes Shape, Changes Light Source:  Lexus Hikari Concept Car Not Your Father's Lexus It's called the Lexus Hikari, which in Japanese means light and the principle of light in motion.  This is an incredible new concept car.  Let's just say it's not your average Lexus.  The Hikari changes shape to let the ambience of light into the car or  shade it for a more comfortable drive.  The flexible exterior enables the dynamic use of light. The e-rubber exterior of the vehicle is a next generation material that holds a surface together while allowing it to bend without showing any visible creasing.  And, there's a lot more to this incredible car. Hydrogen Powered and Autonomous The Hikari is autonomous.  It's hydrogen powered and lined with fuel cells. There are no visible doors and windows.  The roof controls the ambience to enable the "driver" to work in sunlight or in a shady, more comfortable space as the vehicle auto

Self-Driving, Robotic Charging Station Comes to Your Parked EV Source:  VW Parking Space = Charging Point Volkswagen has come up with a great piece of new innovation:  an autonomous robot charging station for electric vehicles.  Their self-driving, 100% autonomous robot has the potential to turn every parking space into a charging station.  VW says the robot brings the charging station infrastructure to the car and not the other way around.  It can turn any parking facility into an electric charging facility.  And, VW says it can make this concept a reality very quickly for widespread use. VW's Mobiler Lauderoboter The small VW robot is 100% autonomous from self-driving to doing everything needed to recharge the electric vehicle.  When your EV needs a charge, you open a VW app and call the mobile charging station robot to your location.  The robot, known in German as Mobiler Laderoboter, hauls an energy storage device to your vehicle, opens the charging flip, connects

Leading Electric Driving Source:  Audi e-tron electric SUV World's Top EV Nation In Norway this January, the sale of electric vehicles hit a whopping 44% of all new car sales.  Norway already has the world's highest rate of electric car use.  There are forecasts that the % will climb to the 50 to 60% range during 2020.  For the full year of 2019, electric car sales represented 42.4% of the new car market.  The numbers testify to Norwegians commitment to a cleaner environment and reducing carbon emissions from car exhaust. Environmental Target for 2025 Norway wants to phase out the sale of combustion engine cars by 2025.  To achieve that, the Norwegian government has exempted battery powered vehicles from the taxes imposed on gas and diesel powered cars.  As a result, Norway is the world's #1 user of electric vehicles and a favorite among global automakers to serve as test grounds for their new EV models. Audi the Big January Winner Interestingly i

Mercedes-Benz & China's Geely Group Partner Source:  Mercedes-Benz Intelligent New Electric Vehicles Daimler's Mercedes-Benz just announced that it will build Smart branded cars with China's Zhejlang Geely Holding Group in the Chinese city of Ningbo.  The partners will operate from a facility with the capacity to build about 150,000 cars per year.  In 2019, Smart delivered 116,800 vehicles globally. $780 Million Investment Each company is investing $388.8 million into the Joint Venture. They'll build "premier and intelligent" electrified vehicles under the Smart brand name, which is a Mercedes-Benz brand.  They'll manufacture in China and have sales operations in both Germany and China. Mercedes Building Base in China China is the world's largest market for electric vehicles and the Chinese government is pushing and supporting EVs.  Like other global automakers such as Tesla, Stuttgart-based Mercedes is building a base in Chin