In this Article
First Cybertrucks Worth $200K
Resell Calendar, the leading source for resell news and trends, announced an offer to purchase a Tesla Cybertruck for $200,000, significantly above its retail price to prove its resale value. The CyberTruck must be bought before the end of the year.
Mitsubishi Electric Mobility Corp Named
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced it has decided the name of its new subsidiary, Mitsubishi Electric Mobility Corporation, that has been formed as part of the planned spinoff of Mitsubishi Electric’s automotive-equipment business. The name had been undetermined at the time of the announcement “(Update on Disclosed Matter) Mitsubishi Electric to Transfer Automotive-equipment Business to New Subsidiary as Part of Restructuring” issued on October 31.
Item number below is consistent with the previous announcement on October 31, 2023, and newly announced information is underlined.
5. Status of Succeeding Company After Company Split
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(1) Name |
Mitsubishi Electric Mobility Corporation |
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(2) Head Office |
7-3, Marunouchi 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
|
(3) Representative |
To be determined |
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(4) Summary of Business |
|
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(5) Paid-in Capital |
10 billion yen |
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(6) Book Closing Date |
March 31 |
SAE Selects Electreon & MAHLE for Wireless Charging Standard
Electreon (TASE: ELWS), the global wireless Electric Vehicle (EV) charging pioneer, announced that SAE International’s Wireless Power Transfer & Alignment Taskforce has selected Electreon and MAHLE‘s wireless positioning methodology Differential Inductive Positioning System (DIPS) for the global SAE J2954 standard.
With rapid growth in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, solely relying on plug-in charging is falling short of enabling the convenient and efficient powering of EVs. Electreon’s wireless charging can charge EVs quickly, and safely, eliminating range anxiety, and lowering total costs of EV ownership while reducing battery capacity needs – making it one of the most environmentally sustainable, scalable, and compelling available charging solutions. A missing piece of this puzzle is formalizing universal standards for interoperable, safe, automated wireless charging. Electreon’s wireless power transfer system, as the selected field-validated alignment methodology for SAE J2954, enables reliable wireless charging through coils embedded in roads and parking spots. This standardized inductive charging technology promises a seamless, automated charging experience to greatly accelerate mass EV adoption.
The newly announced SAE J2954 standard establishes Electreon’s DIPS as the global industry’s wireless charging alignment methodology. By standardizing the DIPS technology for wireless power transfer, the J2954 protocol enables seamless automated charging across public and private infrastructure.
How DIPS works
DIPS works by using a magnetic field between the ground assembly (in-road charging coil) and the vehicle assembly (vehicle receiver) to guide precise alignment for charging.
The new updated standard, scheduled to be published in 2024, will include specifications for fine alignment, pairing/authentication, and alignment checks between the in-road coil and receiver.
With operational projects in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Israel, and the U.S., Electreon already runs dozens of public real-world wireless charging projects, in which it has demonstrated multiple vehicles charging both dynamically as they drive over the electrified road, and while parked. Electreon has spearheaded the efforts in developing this global standard for dynamic wireless charging and has incorporated this solution which is now part of the standard in its projects. The updated SAE J2954 standard solves a major barrier on the path to scalable wireless EV charging deployments.
“MAHLE sets standards. The decision of the renowned SAE in favor of our technology confirms MAHLE’s system expertise in electrification. This will be a strong impetus for e-mobility,” said Arnd Franz, Chairman of the MAHLE Group Management Board and CEO.
“Electreon is a global leader in wireless charging and has already proven its implementation with numerous OEMs for both static and dynamic wireless charging cases. Yet, this SAE certification for our alignment methodology for SAE J2954 is the official recognition of Electreon’s technical expertise at the highest global standard and will enable us to drive full-steam ahead with our automotive partnership integration strategies,” stated Dr. Andreas Wendt co-chair of the J2954-3 Power Transfer working group, and Regional Director of Electreon Germany GmbH.
– Inductive – i.e. wireless – charging of electric vehicles is much more convenient as there is no need to fiddle with cables or search for a charging station with a suitable plug. MAHLE has developed a positioning system that allows an electric vehicle to be simply, reliably and precisely aligned above the charging coil in the floor. SAE International has now chosen the MAHLE positioning system as the global standard solution for wireless charging. The internationally renowned non-profit association for the progress of mobility technologies, based in the USA, thus closes the last gap in standardization of inductive charging that has been unfilled for ten years. The cross-manufacturer solution from MAHLE now paves the way for the comprehensive and rapid market launch of this attractive alternative to wired charging for batteries and electric and hybrid vehicles. “MAHLE is setting standards. The renowned SAE’s decision in favor of our technology confirms the systems expertise of MAHLE in electrification as well. This will be a strong impetus for e-mobility,” said Arnd Franz, Chairman of the MAHLE Management Board and CEO.
The MAHLE positioning system DIPS (Differential Inductive Positioning System) represents a paradigm shift in the field of e-mobility. It is based on a magnetic field and automatically establishes a connection with the controlled charging point as the electric vehicle approaches. A special navigation system in the vehicle display supports the driver, and the car is soon in the ideal position.
The charging process begins automatically. This also works with an autonomous parking vehicle, where the parking system receives the necessary positioning instructions instead of the driver.
Thanks to the unique MAHLE positioning system, the parking process can be carried out very easily and reproducibly in one go. And this also applies to unfavorable environmental conditions such as snow cover or wet leaves on the bottom plate.
For the wireless charging of electric vehicles, all components relating to both the infrastructure and the vehicle side must be standardized. Only then can both the vehicle manufacturers and the infrastructure providers bring a solution to market that ensures compatibility regardless of the manufacturer. MAHLE will make its solution accessible to the entire industry via a license model under FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) conditions.
The broad applicability of the system will also enable mobile applications in the future, such as charging via induction coils while driving. MAHLE has also formulated the standard for this together with Electreon Wireless.
In terms of charging infrastructure, MAHLE has long relied on wireless charging, which is a convenient and promising alternative for electric vehicles. “Siemens and Witricity are two strong partners at our side with whom we are jointly advancing the complete system of charging infrastructure and automotive engineering,” said Dr. Harald Straky, Head of Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering at MAHLE.
More than 128,000 engineers and technology experts from the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries are organized in SAE International. SAE develops global technology standards, including the standardization of the vehicle identification number.
MAHLE executives and engineers will be available at CES 2024 on January 9-12 in Las Vegas to discuss DIPS and the company’s work in electrification and thermal management.
CARB Approves Geotab Aftermarket Fleet Management
Geotab, the global leader in connected transportation solutions, announced that it has received an industry-first Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) officially exempting Geotab’s aftermarket solutions from CARB’s emissions anti-tampering regulations in the California market, making it the only CARB-compliant continuously connected fleet management solution available at this time.
The State of California has set the standard for effective air and climate programs for the US, developing programs and actions to fight climate change, including clean vehicles and fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As part of its regulations, CARB prohibits the marketing, installation or sale of any part that makes changes to the original design or performance of the emissions controls system, which includes the on-board diagnostic (OBD) system that Geotab’s GO device and many other telematic’s companies devices use to collect data from vehicles. Failure to comply with the regulation can lead to potential fines of up to $42k per vehicle.
Geotab’s Go Telematics Kit received an Executive Order following rigorous testing by CARB. In accordance with Geotab’s ongoing commitment to leading compliant sustainability solutions, the company has collaborated closely with CARB to ensure its solutions meet CARB’s strict compliance standards, making its solution the only legally-compliant one available to the California market at this time. Fleets can now have the confidence in a compliant solution developed by Geotab that has passed CARB’s rigorous requirements, which will enable improvements in sustainability, productivity and safety goals, while supporting California’s ambitious air and climate plans, a benchmark for the country and globally.
“California consistently leads the charge in pioneering effective air and climate initiatives, setting the standard for sustainability and emissions standards across the nation. Geotab is pleased to earn the industry’s first and only executive order for our aftermarket solutions through our collaboration with CARB,” said Sabina Martin, Associate Vice President, Product Management at Geotab. “Our CARB-compliant solutions empower fleets to enhance sustainability, productivity, and safety, aligned with California’s leadership efforts, making us the trusted partner for quality data insights.”
ElectraMeccanica & Tevva Resolved to Dissolve Peacefully
ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. (NASDAQ: SOLO) (“ElectraMeccanica”), a designer and assembler of electric vehicles, today announced the amicable resolution of litigation with Tevva Motors Limited (“Tevva”) relating to the termination of the previously-announced arrangement agreement, dated August 14, 2023, by and among the parties. The parties’ agreement resolves Tevva’s claims against ElectraMeccanica, 1432952 B.C. Ltd. (“Holdco”), 1432957 B.C. Ltd. (“Parentco”) and Susan E. Docherty, ElectraMeccanica’s Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Operating Officer, as well as counterclaims that ElectraMeccanica was prepared to file against Tevva and others in relation to the original arrangement agreement.
ElectraMeccanica and Tevva agreed that it was in their mutual best interests to resolve any litigation relating to the arrangement agreement with no attribution or admission of wrongdoing by any party. The parties further believe that they are best served by moving forward as independent companies with their respective business models. ElectraMeccanica and Tevva will continue to pursue their respective futures as leaders and innovators in the growing electrification market.
ElectraMeccanica believes that it remains well-capitalized and intends to continue exploring other strategic third-party opportunities and potential options for its business.
Electric Vehicles Outperforms in Estimation
Electra Vehicles, Inc., a leading provider of predictive battery management and battery design software, announced the results of a demonstration to showcase accuracy improvements to electric vehicle driving range estimations. Electra’s core technology – EVE-Ai™ Adaptive Cell Modeling System – outperformed the industry standard for estimating battery charge, resulting in 2x reduction in estimation error.
Electra partnered with a semiconductor provider to construct a battery pack that was capable of delivering real-time battery cell data from the pack to Electra’s cloud-based EVE-Ai™ software through a battery management system and IoT gateway hardware. Using this setup, Electra showcased that its integrated software solution could retrain the battery management system using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a battery’s state-of-charge more accurately than the industry standard method, known as Extended Kalman Filtering (EKF).
“By showcasing significant improvements in predicting a battery’s state-of-charge, Electra has demonstrated how using artificial intelligence in battery management can translate to longer lasting and better performing batteries,” said Fabrizio Martini, Electra CEO and Co-Founder. “With Electra’s EVE-Ai™ software, the vehicle’s battery management system is constantly retrained to showcase the most accurate battery metrics, alleviating range anxiety and battery warranty concerns for EV customers.”
The test battery pack was repeatedly charged and discharged over a 12-week period in order to quickly age the pack to roughly half of its warranty for electric vehicle usage. Throughout the testing, Electra compared three sets of results – estimates from Electra’s EVE-Ai™ Adaptive Cell Modeling System, estimates from the industry standard EKF and the reference values from an electrochemical reference data set.
The results showed that Electra’s solution better predicted the battery’s state of charge at the beginning of life, but more importantly, as the battery reached half-life, which is where Electra’s accuracy improved significantly over EKF.
To learn more about the demonstration methodology, please watch an overview via Electra’s Vimeo. To learn more about the demonstration results, please download the case study here or reach out to an Electra sales representative via sales@electravehicles.com
SES Tested
SES AI Corporation (NYSE: SES) (“SES AI” or “SES”), headquartered in Boston, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance lithium-metal (Li-Metal) rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and other applications, released on its website the latest test data on its 100Ah Li-Metal cells.
“This data release is consistent with the company’s tradition of transparency,” said Founder and Chief Executive Officer Qichao Hu. “In 2021 and 2022, SES AI released data on its 4Ah and 50Ah Li-Metal cells, respectively. Today, SES AI is releasing data on its 100Ah Li-Metal cells and remains one of only a few companies working on Li-Metal cells that has consistently been releasing data on real cells.”
Forum Mobility Opens New Heavy-Duty Truck Charging in Port of Long Beach
Forum Mobility, a leading freight electrification provider, announced a new heavy-duty truck charging depot in the Port of Long Beach. This new depot will provide high-speed charging infrastructure for hundreds of drayage trucks per day, supporting the transition of the state’s drayage fleet to zero-emission. Forward thinking drayage carriers are already reserving chargers because of the strategic location, adjacent to terminals.
“Forum is building dedicated infrastructure for heavy-duty trucks to transition from diesel to electricity. With the support of the Port of Long Beach, the FM Harbor depot will provide drayage truckers a turn-key solution to comply with California Air Resource Board regulations. At Forum Mobility facilities like this one, fleets can make the transition simply and without using their own capital,” said Matt LeDucq, CEO and co-founder of Forum Mobility. “Forum is building a network of charging depots at the ports, along freight corridors and near distribution centers to serve owner-operators and carriers of all sizes. We make it easy to go electric.”
Talon Logistics Inc., a national drayage carrier based in Chino, has already secured dedicated charging at FM Harbor. “Talon Logistics prides itself in being a trendset leader and Forum is our trusted infrastructure partner. Securing fully-staffed and dedicated charging inside the port makes us pioneers in the space, which puts us ahead of the competition,” said Emmanuel Carrillo, Talon Chief Executive Officer. “FM Harbor couldn’t be more convenient – 7,000 trucks a day go into the Port of Long Beach, and our fleet will be one of the few able to charge right next to the terminals. Forum’s turnkey charging solution allows me to focus on growing my business and serving my customers.”
Forum’s Port of Long Beach charging depot will offer 19 dual-port 360 kW chargers, and six 360 kW single-dispenser chargers, able to charge 44 trucks simultaneously, with the ability to charge an electric Class-8 truck in about 90 minutes, depending on battery size. The depot will be fully staffed and is scheduled to be online fall of 2024. At full capacity, it will serve over 200 trucks a day. The site is located at 260 Pico Street, adjacent to the Long Beach Container Terminal. Elemental Excelerator provided supportive funding.
Forum Mobility’s first tranche of eight charging depots, with capacity to charge about 600 trucks simultaneously, is scheduled to come online over the next 10-20 months. Forum Mobility provides one-stop solutions for drivers and fleets to easily transition to electric vehicles. Our staffed and secured depots offer either access to charging services, or a truck plus charging together, for one monthly fee.
“It is encouraging to see Forum Mobility investing in crucial charging infrastructure to help drayage carriers meet zero emissions mandates coming from the State of California. We appreciate their dedicated engagement with the Harbor Trucking community and are proud to have them as members of our organization,” said Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association.
The California Air Resources Board is requiring all of California’s drayage fleet – approximately 33,000 class 8 trucks – to be zero-emission by 2035. Charging infrastructure is a key ingredient for success: the California Energy Commission estimates that to comply with the Advanced Clean Fleet and other regulations, California will need 157,000 medium and heavy-duty chargers by 2030.
Sila Begins Building Plant in WA
Sila, a next-generation battery materials company, announced it has begun building out its first, auto-scale manufacturing plant, Sila Moses Lake, located in Washington state. This construction milestone affirms a 2025 start for the first commercial production of its breakthrough Titan Silicon™ anode at the plant. Sila is also investing in workforce development through partnerships with local technical schools to ensure a strong talent base to support its manufacturing scale-up.
The build-out at Sila’s plant will include automotive-scale production lines and state-of-the-art quality systems. At the start of production, the plant will deliver enough capacity to serve multiple automotive customers, including Mercedes-Benz.
Electra Battery Materials to Supply Rock Tech Lithium
Electra Battery Materials Corporation (NASDAQ: ELBM; TSX-V: ELBM) (“Electra”) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Rock Tech Lithium(TSX-V:RCK)for the development of a partnership to supply recycled lithium from Electra’s Ontario battery recycling operations for upgrading to battery-grade lithium chemicals in Rock Tech’s lithium refineries. The companies will leverage their processing expertise to develop a comprehensive, fully sustainable closed-loop service offering for the recycling of lithium-ion battery manufacturing scrap, end-of-life batteries and black mass.
Worksport Battery System Designed & Assembled in Canada
Worksport Ltd. (Nasdaq: WKSP; WKSPW) (“Worksport” or the “Company”) proudly announces that the COR battery system will be designed, developed, and assembled in Canada, combining domestic and international components.
Worksport has recently formed a strategic partnership with a prominent Canadian manufacturer specializing in electronic boards. This key collaboration will see the partnering manufacturer assembling the full COR unit in Canada, including the electronic boards for the COR inverter and hub. Together with Worksport, they will implement a rigorous quality control process to ensure the highest quality standards.
“We are thrilled to take this step towards our goal of manufacturing the COR battery system within North America,” stated Worksport CEO Steven Rossi. “Our partnership with the Canadian manufacturer is a testament to our commitment to quality and sustainability. By bringing assembly to Canada, we further strengthen our position in the renewable energy sector.”
This significant move follows closely on the heels of Worksport’s announcement regarding the upcoming Alpha Release of the COR battery system. The Alpha Release, which will allow for real-world testing and first-hand user experiences, is a pivotal step towards official market launch.
Furthermore, as Worksport continues to ramp up production of its hard-folding and soft-folding tonneau covers to meet the increased demand, spurred by the recently announced $16 million annual sales agreement, the Company remains dedicated to delivering top-quality solutions to its valued customers.
New updates on the latest developments of the SOLIS solar cover will be provided as soon as the COR battery system successfully completes its “test phase,” which precedes its Alpha Release. These updates are poised to offer insights into the Company’s continued innovation in the renewable energy sector.
Blink Charging to Supply Charging for Mack Trucks
Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) (“Blink” or the “Company”), a leading global manufacturer, owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, announced it has been selected as a full-service EV infrastructure provider for Mack Trucks through Mack’s Vendor Direct Ship and Turnkey Solutions program.
Mack Trucks selected Blink and its reliable, scalable EV equipment and extensive fleet expertise. As operators look to electrify their fleets, Blink and its advanced EV charging products provide dedicated expertise to help accurately assess particular fleet needs to optimize infrastructure services and provide end-to-end software solutions. Additionally, Blink has commenced deploying workplace chargers at multiple Volvo and Mack facilities nationwide.
“We applaud the efforts of Mack for their forward-thinking in advancing fleet electrification and we are excited to be selected as a charging partner in their Turnkey Solutions program, providing reliable and advanced charging solutions,” said Jim Nemec, Chief Revenue Officer at Blink Charging. “Building a dependable charging infrastructure is vital in keeping electric fleets operational and on the road. We look forward to continuing to work with Mack as they move to bring e-mobility to fleets around the country.”