Musk Says GigaBerlin To Start In October | 13 Aug 2021

Episode 1177,   Aug 13, 2021, 12:07 AM

Today’s big EV stories:
• Foxconn To Begin Building Electric Vehicle Factory In The U.S. Next Year
• Nio To Launch Mass-Market Brand
• Us Senate Puts $40,000 Cap On Price Of Electric Car Tax Credit
• Audi Expands Ev Charge Card Service To Cover 17,500 Charging Points
• All-Electric Byd Tang Suv Launched In Norway
• Elon Musk Invites Public To Tour Tesla Gigafactory In Germany
• Dutch Startup Pitches Its Two-Seat Solar Evs For Car-Sharing
• Colorado Electric Vehicle Company Strikes $850 Million Deal On Shuttle Buses
• Off-Grid Ev Charging Center Central To Off-Road Rally
• New Teardrop Trailer For Electric Vehicles

Show #1177.

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 13th August. It’s  Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.

 FOXCONN TO BEGIN BUILDING ELECTRIC VEHICLE FACTORY IN THE U.S. NEXT YEAR

- Foxconn, one of Apple's largest suppliers, has said it will begin construction of all-electric vehicle plants in the United States and Thailand this year, with hopes of them being operational by 2023, according to a report from Nikkei Asia.

- Foxconn will use the U.S. plant to build vehicles for its client Fisker, although there could be a potential expansion to serve Apple in the future.

- Apple is widely reported to be working on its own vehicle and is thought to be looking for third-party companies to help it launch the Apple Car. One report vaguely referenced Foxconn as a potential candidate for the ‌Apple Car‌'s production, but Apple is also looking at other possible suppliers.

- Foxconn has already ruled out Mexico as a location but is in negotiations with three states in the U.S. to build its first EV manufacturing plant in North America, Nikkei Asia has learned. Those include Wisconsin, which just agreed with Foxconn to amend its former plan of investing $10 billion in the state -- a promise Foxconn made in 2017.


NIO TO LAUNCH MASS-MARKET BRAND

- NIO plans to develop low-priced models for the mass market, as the pace of electrification on China’s roads gathers pace.William Li, the carmaker’s founder and CEO, said a new brand focusing on more affordable models will be launched, but did not disclose any details such as when the first model would hit the market.


US SENATE PUTS $40,000 CAP ON PRICE OF ELECTRIC CAR TAX CREDIT

- The US Senate has voted to approve a non-binding resolution setting a $40,000 threshold on the price of electric cars that would be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

- As part of the new federal budget, the US Senate approved an amendment introduced by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) to introduce a limit on the price of electric cars eligible to the $7,500 federal tax credit. Only electric cars that cost less than $40,000 would be eligible. Additionally, only buyers with an income of less than $100,000 would be able to apply for the tax credit.

- The timing of the effort to limit access to the EV incentive is interesting since the Biden administration has made clear that they plan to reform the program.


AUDI EXPANDS EV CHARGE CARD SERVICE TO COVER 17,500 CHARGING POINTS

- Audi has widened its one-card electric vehicle charging service to cover almost 75% of the UK's public charging network, covering over 17,500 charging points.

- The service, which allows customers to charge at several branded charging points for a fixed, monthly cost, previously applied to selected AC, DC and Ionity charging points, but it has now been expanded to include BP Pulse, Pod Point, Source London and 19 other UK operators.

- The city tariff, aimed at those who travel mainly in urban areas, cover shorter distances and have the option to charge from home, will cost £4.91 per month at standardised rates of 29p per kWh for standard charging and 39p per kWh for fast-charging. Faster-charging, 350kW Ionity stations are fixed at 70p per kWh.


ALL-ELECTRIC BYD TANG SUV LAUNCHED IN NORWAY

- BYD and its local distributor RSA have successfully launched the BYD Tang SUV in Oslo, Norway. A launch event was held in celebration of the first 100 BYD Tang SUVs to arrive in Norway, and to hand over the first vehicle to its owner.

- BYD’s first consignment of passenger cars for Norway signals the start of the company’s ‘European dream’ at a strategically important time when sales of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) begin to surge in key markets across Europe. BYD is committed to delivering 1,500 units to Norway before the end of 2021, with the arrival of the Tang SUV on European shores the first step in an exciting journey.

- The vehicle comes equipped with BYD’s 86.4kWh Blade Battery, which boasts unparalleled technology, safety and performance. BYD’s Blade Battery charges from 30% to 80% in an impressively fast 30 minutes using a DC power output of 110kW. This ‘game-changing’ ultra-safe Blade Battery signals a new era for the EV industry.

- 400km (WLTP combined), and acceleration from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds.

- With seven seats and cavernous 1,655L interior, the vehicle is equipped with a 12.8-inch rotatable touch screen, DIRAC Live function with 12 loudspeakers, 31-colour ambient lighting, premium ventilated leather seats with heating and position memory, and wireless phone charging capability.


ELON MUSK INVITES PUBLIC TO TOUR TESLA GIGAFACTORY IN GERMANY

- Elon Musk on Friday invited residents and the general public to a tour of Tesla's new Gigafactory outside of Berlin, Germany.

- The billionaire announced the Gigafactory tour on the same day that he met with German leaders and visited the site in Gruenheide, east of Berlin.During his trip, he said he hopes Tesla will start producing cars at the factory in October, according to a Reuters report.

- The Gigafactory was supposed to open on July 1 but environmental activists, permit delays, and lizards on the site put its opening date behind schedule.

- Tesla is still waiting for the green light from Brandenburg's environmental authorities to open the site


DUTCH STARTUP PITCHES ITS TWO-SEAT SOLAR EVS FOR CAR-SHARING

- A Dutch startup is putting car-sharing in a new light. The company, Squad Mobility, plans to roll out small battery-electric vehicles that it believes are well suited to car-sharing fleets and mobility as a service. The vehicles are equipped with rooftop solar panels to extend their range.

- The Squad Solar City car is a two-seater that runs on swappable batteries. The name Squad is short for solar quadricycle.

- The vehicle is about 4 feet wide, 5 feet tall and 6.7 feet long. Its small size allows for easy navigation and parking in cities. The company says three of the cars can fit comfortably in one parking space. The car has a top speed of 28 mph.


COLORADO ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY STRIKES $850 MILLION DEAL ON SHUTTLE BUSES

- Lightning eMotors, which designs and builds electric vehicles for commercial fleets, has struck a deal worth up to $850 million to provide electric powertrains for shuttle buses made by a Berkshire Hathaway company.

- the size of the new deal has the potential to galvanize other commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleets to speed up adoption of electric vehicles. Lightning eMotors will build the electric powertrains for up to 7,500 shuttle buses at its 231,000-square-foot plant in Loveland.

- David Wright, president of Forest River’s bus divisions, said in a statement that the company believes “this will be a game changer for shuttle-bus operators.” The agreement calls for the two companies to produce shuttle buses seating between 12 and 33 passengers. Amazon, DHL Express and IKEA are among the companies that plan to electrify their fleets.


OFF-GRID EV CHARGING CENTER CENTRAL TO OFF-ROAD RALLY

- Rebelle Rally is bringing back Renewable Innovations (RI) as a partner of their sustainability efforts for the competitive off-road rally, which covers over 2,500 kilometers of remote terrain over eight days. RI is providing services to the electrified designation of electric vehicles (EV) and is powering three base camps on the course with solar.

- EVs are being refueled by Renewable Innovations via their Mobile Energy Command (H2EV). The 53-foot mobile powerplant features high-density solar panels and Smartflowers on each side that follow the sun through its path across the sky to deliver 50 kW of peak power and 250 kWhs of battery storage. The H2EV is fully self-contained and capable of providing 500 kW of DC rapid charging


NEW TEARDROP TRAILER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

- The new teardrop camper is called The Boulder (fitting). Family-owned camper manufacturer Colorado Teardrops — which is, yes, based in Boulder, Colorado — designed the camper especially for electric vehicles.

- Naturally, the company also tried to maximize range by focusing on aerodynamics and using lightweight materials. Colorado Teardrops adds, “by focusing on ergonomics and a small footprint, The Boulder™ offers an enjoyable way to visit the great outdoors while avoiding overcrowded campgrounds and still be able to park it back in the garage when returning home.

- The Boulder™ comes with an insulated hard-shell cabin and comfortable beds for up to a family of four, including a queen-size mattress and bunk beds, a dining lounge with couches, electrical outlets, and an exterior kitchen galley in the back. Features such as a hot-water shower and interior climate controls provide comfort and a luxury camping experience.”


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