Audi electric SUV deliveries begin in 2019
Audi said it would begin taking orders online for the all-electric E-tron utility vehicle on Sept. 17, the same day as its production unveiling in San Francisco, California. A $1,000 US deposit will be required, after which customers will be able to track when their vehicles will be built, shipped and delivered, beginning in early 2019, the automaker said. Details for Canadian orders are not yet available. Final specifications for the E-tron, including range, will be released at the unveiling event, but alternativevehicles web-magazine Green Car Reports said initial estimates are about 400 kilometres. It will be the first mass-produced electric vehicle with available 150-kilowatt direct-current (DC) fast charging, which the automaker said can recharge to 80 per cent capacity within about 30 minutes.
Harley-Davidson eyes new market with two-wheel EVs: The American motorcycle maker has announced a growth plan describing “the first in a broad, no-clutch ‘twist and go’ portfolio” of electric two-wheelers designed to establish the company in the electrification of motorcycles. This year, Harley-Davidson teamed up with electric motorcycle maker Alta Motors and served notice its first electric motorcycle would come to market in 2019. “We’re going big in EV with a family of products that will range in size, power, as well as price,” COO Michelle Kumbier told Charged Electric Vehicles magazine. “When you look at [electric vehicles], you know this is a whole new customer base that we are bringing in.”
Batteries get a second life outside electric vehicles: Retired BMW i3 batteries are being tested to store energy at EVgo charging stations in Union City, California. EVgo is, according to the company, “America’s largest public electric-vehicle fast-charging network.” The network has installed “second-life” batteries from two BMW i3s, each storing 22 kilowatts, to help balance power demands on the grid during peak times. The batteries, donated by BMW, also store solar power captured during daylight hours for nighttime charging. Batteries no longer fit for automotive use still have sufficient storage capacity for use in less demanding roles and so far, so good: EVgo CEO Cathy Zoi said the ride-hailing service will continue to expand used-battery storage at other stations across the United States. She said the Union City station is “just the start” for EVgo.
EVs won’t crash grid, report says: A large-percentage increase in electric vehicles promoted by California Gov. Jerry Brown would not stress the Golden State’s electrical grid as much as detractors say, claims a report by San Francisco-based think-tank Next 10. The nonprofit policy-review group projected in early August that 3.9 million new plug-in electric vehicles would represent about five per cent of the state’s current power requirements. Brown wants five million such vehicles to be on California roads by 2030. About 369,000 plug-in electrics ply state roads today, said the report, adding for apparent context that a Chevrolet Bolt driven 80 kilometres per day consumes less power than an air conditioner uses to cool a threebedroom house over three hours.
Engine-tuning powerhouse eyes automation: British racing company Cosworth will use its electronics expertise in the development of self-driving vehicles, says company CEO Hal Reisiger. Known for making internal-combustion engines deliver more power per litre of displacement for both street and race cars, Reisiger told industry business magazine Automotive News that Cosworth’s suite of AliveDrive technologies will be the jumpingoff point for its research. AliveDrive integrates visual and video image processing with intellectual property “that synchronizes visual image processing with data that describes completely how the vehicle and the driver are performing.” That sets the foundation, he said. “It’s all about artificial intelligence and machine learning.” Getting a car to work like a human remains a big challenge, he said, “because sensors aren’t eyes and processors are not brains.”
Going Solo: Electra Meccanica in Vancouver has taken delivery of the first copies of its Chinabuilt, Solo three-wheeled electric commuter car. The Zongshen Industrial Group will deliver 75,000 more Solos over the next three years; the factory was set to begin volume production in September.