Volvo XC40 Recharge Joins The Over-The-Air Updates Bandwagon

Posted on Feb 26, 2021Written by admin

The Polestar 2 is already benefiting from the advantages of over-the-air (OTA) updates, and now so does the XC40, which is based on the same CMA platform, as Volvo will soon start rolling out its first software update for the Recharge model.

Available for customers in Europe, the novelties that come with the latest software update are very similar to those brought to the Polestar 2, as they increase charging speed and improve the range of Volvo’s first fully electric vehicle.

It also comprises of a new base software for the main electronic system, enhances Bluetooth connectivity, climate timers, 360-degree camera system and digital owner’s manual. Last but not least, the OTA also updates the Android Automotive OS that powers the infotainment system.

Review: Driving A 2019 Volvo XC40 For Almost A Year Had Its Ups And Downs

“The benefits of over-the-air updates are obvious. Yesterday, you still had to drive to the workshop to get the latest updates to your car; today, you simply click OK and your electric Volvo takes care of the rest. It couldn’t be easier”, said the car manufacturer’s chief technology officer Henrik Green.

Unveiled in the last quarter of 2019, the XC40 Recharge entered production one year later, prior to its arrival in the United States and Canada shortly after with an MSRP of $53,990 and CA$64,950 (US$51,860) respectively, excluding the federal tax credit.

The XC40 Recharge has two electric motors that generate a combined 402 HP and 486 lb-ft (659 Nm) of torque and are powered by a 78 kWh battery. From rest to 60 mph (0-96 km/h), the electric SUV needs less than 5 seconds, and it has an EPA range of 208 miles (335 km).

DS Automobiles Commits To Formula E Until 2026

Posted on Feb 12, 2021Written by admin

DS Automobiles has extended its commitment to the FIA Formula E World Championship until 2026.

In doing so, the French car manufacturer becomes the second Formula E team to sign up to the forthcoming Gen3 regulations set to be introduced for the 2022-23 season, following Mahindra Racing.

DS Automobiles has been competing in Formula E since season 2 in 2015-2016 and partnered with Chinese racing team TECHEETAH since the start of the Gen2 era in season 5. The duo have claimed two consecutive Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships alongside seven race wins and 15 podiums. Antonio Felix da Costa is the team’s reigning Drivers’ champion.

“Electrification is at the core of DS Automobiles’ global strategy,” DS Automobiles director general Beatrice Foucher said in a statement. “We have been the first premium car maker to enter Formula E and our brand has significantly benefitted from the work and the successes of DS Performance, both in terms of development and brand awareness. If today DS Automobiles is the multienergy constructor with the lowest average of CO2 emissions in Europe, it is also thanks to the expertise acquired in Formula E. Extending our commitment to 2026 will offer us new opportunities to continue our development work!”

Formula E’s Gen3 cars will be more powerful than ever before, producing the equivalent of 470 hp while also weighing 120 kg (264 lbs) less than the current Gen2 vehicles.

“DS Automobiles was one of the first manufacturers to join Formula E when teams began developing the powertrains of their racing cars and it is inspiring to see the extensive fleet of electric vehicles they have introduced to the streets since,” added Formula E chief executive Jamie Reigle.

Electrification is at the core of DS Automobiles’ global strategy to benefit our electrified models.
Candidating to extend our commitment to the ABB @FIAFormulaE World Championship until 2026 therefore goes in line with our engagement since 2018. #DSautomobiles pic.twitter.com/NSrqVOPRfB

— DS Automobiles (@DS_Official) February 11, 2021

Watch Nico Rosberg Master The Porsche Taycan Turbo S On The Track

Posted on Nov 10, 2020Written by admin

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is mighty fast in a straight-line, as dozens of reviews have revealed. It is also very capable on a racetrack, as evidenced by its record-setting Nurburgring EV lap record, as well as this video from Nico Rosberg.

The 2016 Formula 1 World Champion recently had the opportunity to test a green Taycan Turbo S at the Nurburgring F1 Grand Prix circuit before heading out to the Nordschleife for a high-speed lap of the Green Hell.

Rosberg’s ability to perform an extremely fast flying lap on the two circuits was impacted by the wet surface, but still, his skills are very impressive despite the ultra-slippery surface. Towards the end of the video, he even tries his hand at drifting the car through some of the track’s corners, putting on an impressive display of car control.

Powering the Taycan Turbo S are a pair of electric motors that churn out a maximum of 751 hp and 774 lb-ft (1,050 Nm) of torque. Even though the luxurious sedan tips the scales at a portly 2,295 kg (5,060 lbs), it is able to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in a mere 2.8 seconds and reach a 162 mph (260 km/h) top speed.

When it launched, the Taycan Turbo S took the EV performance crown from the flagship Tesla Model S Performance. However, rivals are working on EVs that promise to outgun the Taycan Turbo S, such as the Tesla Model S Plaid and a tri-motor version of the Lucid Air.

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All-Electric Jaguar I-Pace Coming To India In Q1 2021

Posted on Oct 18, 2020Written by admin

Jaguar Land Rover will launch its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace crossover in the Indian market early next year, as the country looks to embrace clean-energy vehicles and electric mobility.

This comes straight from JLR India boss Rohit Suri, who told Reuters that his company also wants to launch various plug-in hybrid versions of its models in India in the coming months, including the Land Rover Defender PHEV.

Earlier this week, the new Defender made its official debut in India ahead of November’s Diwali festival, during which Indians are said to often make large purchases.

“We are cautiously optimistic that the product line-up will accentuate the recovery we are witnessing,” said Suri, adding that the I-Pace will debut in India sometime in the first three months of 2021.

The I-Pace received an update earlier this summer and it now boasts an improved interior and a few modest design changes for the exterior.

Meanwhile, India plans to offer $4.6 billion in incentives to companies willing to build advanced battery manufacturing facilities locally. Moreover, it could slash import bills by as much as $40 billion by 2030 if EVs become widely adopted.

This strategy would result in the country retaining a 5% import tax for certain batteries, such as those for electric vehicles, until 2022 – beyond that the tax would increase by 15% in order to encourage local manufacturing.

Tata Group companies like JLR owners Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Power will now look to build EVs and EV batteries, set up charging stations and even a battery recycling plant.

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UK To Reportedly Ban Internal Combustion Engines By 2030

Posted on Sep 22, 2020Written by admin

The initial plan, as far as the UK was concerned, was to ban the sale of all internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids and even plug-in hybrids) by the year 2040.

A faster transition to 2035 then became feasible, but not without some backlash from within the industry. It was just two months ago that SMMT CEO Mike Hawes spoke about how concerned the industry was whether or not they could meet a 2035 deadline.

Well, if you thought that was tough, wait until you start getting ready for 2030, which is how soon the UK is now reportedly looking to enforce its internal combustion ban, as reported by Autocar.

This report comes just as UK sales of electric and hybrid cars overtook those of diesel-powered vehicles between April and June of this year, with 33,000 new EVs and hybrids registered, compared to 29,900 diesel cars – this serves as an indicator that the Britain’s new car buyers are ready to leave internal combustion engines behind.

“2030 is an ambitious but achievable date by which to phase out the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, one that would give a new lease of life to the UK car industry whilst combating climate breakdown and cleaning up the air that dangerously pollutes so many of our towns and cities,” said Labour minister Matthew Pennycook.

“But as well as accelerating the phase-out, the government must also set out a credible plan to get there – one that backs the low-carbon jobs and industries of the future and ensures that workers and communities are properly supported in the transition to a fairer and cleaner economy.”

Our take

Even if the UK does enforce an internal combustion engine ban this decade, that doesn’t mean your gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle will suddenly be worthless. The ban is only applicable to brand new cars, so if you own a used model, you’ll still be able to use it to get around, although we imagine the government will tax you for it pretty heftily.

Xpeng Goes Public In The U.S., Shares Soar 54% Upon Opening

Posted on Aug 27, 2020Written by admin

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng is looking to cash-in on the growing demand for EVs by entering the U.S. stock market.

Following in the footsteps of Nikola and Fisker, as well as other Chinese automakers Nio and Li Auto, Xpeng that is backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba and Xiaomi Corp made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Thursday under the ticker symbol XPEV.

Xpeng was initially planning to roll out 85 million American Depositary Shares (“ADS”) but it bumped its offering to 99,733,334 shares at $15 each, raising $1.5 billion. Upon opening, the company’s shares soared to $23.10 per ADS, a 54 percent increase, per Reuters, closing at $21.22 by the end of the day.

The startup’s Vice Chairman Brian Gu told Bloomberg News that the adoption rate of electric vehicles is rapidly increasing thanks to competition among automakers.

“There’s a big inflection point we see in the capital markets looking at new energy and smart EV phenomenon,” Gu said. “Smart EV is a global product. We have aspirations to be a global company.”

The brand’s car range

Xpeng currently sells two models in the Chinese market. The brand’s first production model was the G3 SUV and it was recently joined by the Xpeng P7, a sedan boasting an intriguing design and promising range. Prices for the G3 and P7 start at approximately $21,000 and $32,000 in China after local incentives. Barrons reports that Xpeng has sold approximately 20,000 vehicles to date.

The car manufacturer also has an advanced driving assistance system that it has developed for its vehicles.

“Our XPILOT 3.0 is expected to offer the highest level of autonomous driving capabilities in commercially available passenger vehicles today,” the automaker detailed in its IPO filing. “Through our proprietary software, core hardware and data technologies, we are able to develop and deploy innovative products rapidly and efficiently, which gives us an advantage over our competitors in China.”

Seeing a new EV manufacturer being listed publically in the United States is becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence. In addition to Nikola and Fisker, the likes of hydrogen truck maker Hyliion, pickup maker Lordstown Motors, as well as subscription-based EV maker Canoo have all merged with special purpose acquisition companies to go public in recent months.

Want To Turn Your Tesla Model 3 Into A Quasi Off-Roader?

Posted on Jul 18, 2020Written by admin

A German company named Delta 4×4 that’s located just outside Munich, Germany has made a Tesla Model 3 unlike any other.

Recently, the tuning company received a request from a Model 3 owner in Norway asking for some off-roading abilities to be added to the electric sedan.

To make this happen, Delta 4×4 fitted a 35 mm lift kit costing €480 ($548) and then slotted on a set of custom wheels that measure 18×8.5 at all four corners. The black wheels may look familiar as they are the same style of wheels that the famous Tesla Model 3 pickup, better known as ‘Truckla’, that was created by Simone Giertz, was fitted with last year.

Watch Also: “Act Of God” Or Dismal Build Quality? Tesla Model 3 Loses Bumper While Driving In Rain

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These wheels have then been wrapped in mud-terrain tires from Cooper that thanks to a taller sidewall, result in the Model 3 having 40 mm of additional ground clearance.

Looking through Delta 4×4’s social media accounts, it looks as though it has fitted a small handful of Model 3s with its lift kit and wheel and tire package.

While the entry-level Tesla sedan is no Toyota Land Cruiser or Suzuki Jimny when it comes to tackling difficult terrain, the fact that most are all-wheel drive certainly helps it with its off-road credentials. In the video below, the car can be seen making it up a slippery hill with very little fuss.

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Feds Open Investigation On Tesla Model S Touchscreen Failures

Posted on Jun 25, 2020Written by admin

An investigation has been opened by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into reports of potential media-control unit failures fitted in approximately 63,000 Tesla Model S vehicles.

The NHTSA has received 11 complaints alleging failures of the media control unit on 2013-2015 Model S vehicles. The media control unit uses a Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device, a device that has a finite lifespan based on the number of program/erase cycles. Tesla’s media control unit fails to operate once the eMMC NAND flash device is worn out.

Failures of the flash device are likely to occur after periods of progressively degraded performance such as longer power-up times, more frequent touchscreen rests, intermittent loss of cellular connectivity, and loss of navigation. If the media control unit does fail, it results in a loss of audible and visual features provided by the touchscreen, including infotainment systems, navigation, and web browsing. It also means the image provided by the reversing camera is not shown. MCU failure can also cause the climate control to default to Auto mode while also limiting battery charging current and maximum state of charge when recharging.

One complaint made with the NHTSA alleges that when the media control unit failed, the owner was unable to clear fogged windows as he could not change the climate controls. Another complaint says that a failure meant the safety monitors associated with the Tesla Autopilot system were disabled.

A total of 159,000 2012-2018 Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles use this media control unit, but no such investigation has been opened into the Model X.

Buick Velite 7 Electric SUV Previewed In China, Could Herald America’s Chevy Bolt EUV

Posted on Jun 17, 2020Written by admin

Buick has provided a first official glimpse into the Velite 7, its first all-electric SUV which will launch in China later this year.

Joining the likes of the Velite 5 extended range and Velite 6 and Velite 6 Plus electric vehicles, it is believed to be based on the Chevrolet Bolt. While the Velite 7 is a China-only affair, a Chevy-rebadged derivative should find its way to the United States eventually.

A modular lithium-ion battery, with an optimized design and improved cell chemistry, powers the Velite 7’s zero-emission propulsion system.

The Buick Velite 7 features a liquid-cooling battery thermal management system, which is said to meet General Motors’ global standards for safety and reliability. More importantly, it promises a range of up to 310 miles (500 km), albeit under the very optimistic NEDC test cycle. This will likely drop to around 200 miles (320 km) in the real world.

“Buick is strengthening its EV lineup with an all-new entry for today’s consumers, giving them the functionality of an SUV and the confidence to go farther with an impressive 500 kilometers of range”, commented the executive director of Buick Sales and Marketing at SAIC-GM, Molly Peck. “We topped it off with a suite of leading technologies to meet the needs of progressive and eco-minded Chinese drivers.”

Further details will be announced closer to the electric SUV’s launch, but previous reports have indicated the Velite 7 is 167.9 inches (4,264 mm) long and has a 105.3-inch (2,675-mm) wheelbase. The electric motor allegedly develops 174 horsepower, but America’s variant, which will be dubbed the Bolt EUV (Electric Utility Vehicle), is expected with more than 200 HP.

AutoOneAutomotive.com – The Auto Care Specialists

Tag Archives: MimboloveElectric Vehicles

Volvo XC40 Recharge Joins The Over-The-Air Updates Bandwagon

DS Automobiles Commits To Formula E Until 2026

Watch Nico Rosberg Master The Porsche Taycan Turbo S On The Track

All-Electric Jaguar I-Pace Coming To India In Q1 2021

PHOTO GALLERY

UK To Reportedly Ban Internal Combustion Engines By 2030

Xpeng Goes Public In The U.S., Shares Soar 54% Upon Opening

Want To Turn Your Tesla Model 3 Into A Quasi Off-Roader?

PHOTO GALLERY

Feds Open Investigation On Tesla Model S Touchscreen Failures

Buick Velite 7 Electric SUV Previewed In China, Could Herald America’s Chevy Bolt EUV

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