#ElectricVehicles

Passengers seeking space for their electric vehicles on vessels operated by Havila Voyages out of Norway are about to find themselves left ashore. The company is taking the advice of a risk analysis firm and refusing to board any electric, hybrid, or hydrogen vehicles on its ships.

Renault is vying to get the Alpine brand into the United States by 2028. Though it curiously doesn’t seem interested in selling the A110 enthusiasts have been gushing about ever since the rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car was revived in 2017. Instead, the French automaker wants to go with electrified crossovers.

Earlier this week, we covered legislation introduced in Wyoming that would ban the sale of EVs in that state.

VinFast, a Vietnamese electric-vehicle maker, made waves in America before any of its vehicles are even on sale. The company’s debut announcement outlined a novel battery leasing program that involved confusing pricing and terms, but it later backed away from that plan. It’s not done fiddling with numbers just yet, however, as the automaker announced a new promotions program to help it compete against EV market leader Tesla.

Volta Inc. has announced a merger agreement under which Shell USA would acquire Volta in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $169 million (USD). The big get here is Volta’s electric-vehicle charging network that doubles as a media board that can display advertisements, public service, announcements, and whatever else Shell might want people to see.

A new federal report suggests that EVs, not hydrogen-fueled vehicles, are the way to go, at least when it comes to the passenger-vehicle fleet. Trucks, however, might be best served by hydrogen.

Citroën CEO Vincent Cobée is under the impression that sport utility vehicles are about to become extinct. “The world of SUVs is done,” he remarked in an interview with Auto Express, claiming that the aerodynamics of electrified vehicles – designed to maximize efficiency – will probably put an end to flat-faced SUVs.

Mercedes-Benz spent a lot of time and likely money launching its EQ sub-brand for electric vehicles. Even so, the automaker appears to have realized there’s no point in separate branding when it plans to convert its entire catalog to EVs. 

BMW has issued a recall on certain 2022-2023 iX, i4, and i7 electric vehicles over a claimed “misdiagnosis” in the high-voltage battery management electronics system. Based on documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the likelihood of a vehicle suffering from the issue is supposedly rare. However, an estimated one percent of recalled models run the risk of erroneously resetting the control unit, resulting in a loss of electrical power.

Additionally, BMW has a much smaller recall that comes with a potential fire hazard and is exclusive to the i4 and iX.

Last week, BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse reportedly claimed that political agendas would not influence its electrification plans. Though the entire discussion was prompted by exactly that, forcing the automaker to address supply chain logistics that likely prohibited it from qualifying for the United States' rejiggered EV subsidy scheme. 

I just turned in an Audi Q4 loaner, and its interior tech was a bit -- futuristic. From its ability to turn off the radio only when your butt left the seat after parking to its shifter to its oddly-shaped steering wheel, the car's cabin is meant to give off an impression of being tomorrow's future today.

The United States is in the midst of expanding its electric vehicle charging network to ensure there’s sufficient charging capacity for the planned deluge of EV sales. Companies are even getting government money earmarked within the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that the Biden administration’s lofty environmental goals are maintained. However, a recent report by S&P Global Mobility has suggested the U.S. is nowhere near on pace to meet projected EV demand. 

General Motors and Ford Motor Company have joined forces with Google – and a collection of businesses focused on solar power – to advance “virtual power plants” (VPPs). If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it basically entails leveraging distributed energy networks to create a more flexible and efficient power grid. Though the entire concept hinges on networking countless devices together via collective energy rationing whenever demand spikes.

Happy New Year, TTAC! We’re less than a full week into 2023 and there’s already a ton of EV and EV-adjacent news to cover that I was struggling to figure out where to start — that is until Stellantis took the wraps off the new Ram Revolution BEV concept truck at CES last night!

Say what you will about Tesla, but there’s no denying that the company’s charging network is a huge benefit and differentiator that has played a significant role in its growth and success over the years. Given the number of automakers moving toward electrification and the amount of money entering the arena, it’s surprising that we haven’t seen another manufacturer doing the same. Mercedes-Benz is jumping in to change that, announcing its intention to build a network of 10,000 fast chargers.