Briefly | 07 Mar 2023
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It’s EV News Briefly for Tuesday 7th March. I’ll be back as usual at 5pm UK time, that’s Midday Eastern, for the full podcast.  Patreon supporters get the episodes as soon as they’re ready AND ad free. You can be like them by clicking here).

Volvo reported that their Recharge lineup of fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars accounted for 40% of all Volvo cars sold globally in February, with fully electric car sales increasing by 187% and representing 18.7% of total sales.

Volkswagen's Scout brand is set to launch an electric 4x4 vehicle in 2026, featuring SUV and pick-up variants, and will be built in South Carolina with a projected production of up to 200,000 per year.

Tesla has reduced the prices of their Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the U.S. for the second time this year, with the Model S dropping from $104,990 to $89,990 and the Model X falling from $120,990 to $99,990.

Tesla plans to build a Gigafactory Mexico near Monterrey, Nuevo León, with the factory expected to span 4,200 acres, cost around $5 billion to build, and employ 7,000 people directly.

Tesla is planning to open a lithium manufacturing plant near Corpus Christi, Texas later this year, with the plant expected to have an annual capacity of 50 gigawatt hours and to create job opportunities in the area.

The Texas Department of Transportation is creating EV-friendly lanes on the US 75 highway to promote the usage of electric vehicles for transportation, as part of an electric vehicle infrastructure plan for the state of Texas.

Porsche and Ferrari are pushing for an exception to the EU's proposed 2035 ban on new internal combustion engine vehicles for synthetic e-fuels, which are essentially renewable electricity converted into a combustible liquid, and can allow for the continuation of lightweight sports cars with roaring engines.

The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is set to become the fastest and most powerful street-legal 911 with a mild-hybrid system. It is expected to debut in 2026, featuring an electric motor and battery pack sourced from Porsche's Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid.

Honda plans to launch 30 EVs globally by 2030, including the Prologue SUV in 2024, affordable EVs in 2027, and two sports cars. The company is also developing a new EV brand, Afeela, with Sony and is considering establishing its charging network.

The UK car industry is expecting almost 500,000 new hybrid and electric cars on the roads this year due to increasing production and sales, including a 26.2% YoY increase in new registrations in February. SMMT is calling for the budget to address affordability and access to charging for electric vehicles.

BP Pulse opened its largest EV charging hub in the UK, featuring ten 300 kW chargers with a total capacity of 3 MW, capable of charging up to 20 vehicles simultaneously. BP is investing up to £18 billion in EV charging infrastructure and is planning to have "hundreds of additional charging hubs" in the UK by 2030.

Hamburg has opened Europe's largest EV-sharing hub, featuring 120 parking spots with charging points. The HVV Switch system has 200 charging points distributed across 16 locations, with plans to expand charging infrastructure to 20 more locations by the end of 2023.

Foxconn is aggressively pursuing a 5% share of the global EV market by 2025, offering access to U.S. federal incentives and its Mobility in Harmony EV platform. It has acquired the former GM plant in Ohio and has hired a former Nissan executive to lead its efforts. According to Goldman Sachs, the market for EV outsourcing is expected to reach $36 billion in 2025 and $144 billion in 2030.

Foxconn is looking to expand its operations in India by seeking partners to cooperate in areas such as chips and electric vehicles. It has already established factories in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and announced a major investment in Karnataka expected to generate over one lakh jobs.

Redwood Materials has been awarded a $2 billion loan from the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The funding will support the construction and expansion of Redwood's new battery materials campus and produce ultra-thin battery-grade copper foil and cathode active materials from new and recycled feedstocks.

NIO has opened its first battery swap station in Denmark, bringing its total stations in Europe to twelve, and is considering licensing its battery swap technology to other countries. The station is centrally located, providing access to nearly 390,000 chargers through third-party agreements.

Xiaomi is set to begin mass production of its first electric cars in early 2024, after investing over $434 million in research and development. The company has partnered with Super Soco to produce electric motorcycles.

Hyundai Mobis has developed Electric Leveling Control technology that can automatically adjust the height of an EV by up to 6 cm depending on the driving environment. The technology uses sensors to determine the optimal ride height and adjusts using an electric hydraulic pump to control it from all four wheels.

Oslo has become the "EV capital of the world," with 32% of the city's car fleet being electric. The city has implemented policies to encourage EV adoption, such as free parking and passing through toll roads, as well as making the benefits of EVs more visible to drivers. The city is also aiming to reduce private car use by 20% by 2025 and expand public transportation and public bank of battery containers.