ChargePoint introduces more affordable fleet charging solution

Industry News

The charging solution is priced from $699 and is designed to enable “those who are considering electric vehicles for their fleet to affordably procure and install charging while maximizing the benefits of going electric.” ChargePoint advertises that fleet operators can optimize their total cost of ownership by bundling ChargePoint’s fleet management software. The software package itself includes a display of real time-visibility of vehicle readiness, coupled with power usage and station status. It also includes energy management tools to maximize fuel savings, as well as control station access. ChargePoint also mentions simplify complexity and station management with ease using an all-in-one solution. Multiple CPF50s can be connected and managed from the platform, which also allows for power sharing via the cloud to further reduce charging costs and optimize battery health. The system is compatible with both J1772 and NACS connectors. “With our lowest cost charger for commercial vehicles we have a solution that makes charging more accessible for small businesses who want to electrify their fleet, or for large fleets that are focused on reducing total cost of ownership. We’re making the hardware more affordable, and when combined with our powerful fleet software platform, the offering can meet the charging needs of fleets of all sizes to optimize their savings,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint. ChargePoint has also recently been expanding its charging business in the public sector, and received $19 million to build fast charging infrastructure in California. In August, the company also announced its newly minted use of AI in diagnosing faults in charging stations. Just before that, it also signed a deal with Daimler Buses over ChargePoint’s telematics and charge management system. chargepoint.com

X Shore expands to German-speaking markets in Europe

Industry News

The electric boats were ordered by the company M Yachts, which will display the vessels in its showrooms in the above-mentioned markets. “This brand partnership will significantly enhance the ability of customers in the DACH region to view, test, and service X Shore boats locally, ensuring a seamless customer experience from purchase to after-sales support,” says X Shore. The Swedish manufacturer stresses that the German boating market will reach an electrification rate of around 12% by 2027, making it an attractive market for X Shore. “The DACH region is a crucial market for X Shore, sharing our deep connection to the water and commitment to sustainable boating,” says X Shore CEO René Hansen. The deal is “a key part of our long-term commercial strategy, and we’re excited for the future growth that will come with the partnership with M Yachts. This landmark deal with M Yachts not only highlights the growing demand for sustainable boating solutions but also strengthens X Shore’s strategic foothold in a region at the forefront of electric mobility.” It is not clear which boats will be delivered to M Yachts. X Shore only states that it will be “a mix of X Shore’s cutting-edge designs.” X Shore currently offers three models. The debut and flagship model Eelex 8000, the 8-metre electric boat X Shore Pro, based on the same platform but aimed at the professional maritime sector like shuttle services and coast guards, and the much more affordable 6.5-metre boat X Shore 1 with prices starting at 99,000 euros. The Swedish electric boat manufacturer also announced in mid-2023 that it intends to work with Bosch Engineering on improving the X Shore 1 drive. The company recently raised 8.5 million euros in funding, which will be used for product development and expanding X Shore’s sales and marketing activities. “X Shore boats are superb results of engineering and design and we’re overjoyed to soon showcase them across our sites in the DACH region. The boats are fast, sleek, and built with true craftsmanship in X Shore’s Swedish factory,” comment M Yachts Managing Partners Jan Ole Hagen & Philipp von Arnim on the partnership. “We know our customers will love them and we anticipate very high demand once the boats are available. We know the X Shore boats will be especially well received in the DACH region given the dual-love of boating and the natural world.” xshore.com

BMW launches two electric trucks in Leipzig

Industry News

The German automotive company BMW has launched two Designwerk electric trucks for operations to supply the factory in Leipzig. Operations are already running between the high-voltage battery production halls at BMW Group Plant Leipzig and the supplying component warehouse and are estimated to save around nine tonnes of CO2 per year compared to their diesel counterparts. In terms of the actual distance they will cover, it is only an eight kilometre round trip between the two facilities, but the electric trucks will be expected to complete the route up to twelve times per day, as the BMW plant operates in three shifts. The Designwerk trucks run on four drives , delivering 610 hp (about 450 kW) and run on 340 kWh batteries. These take about 1.5 hours to charge to 80 per cent, and are to be charged during the drivers breaks. Battery production at the factory in Leipzig only started earlier this year, after initially announcing the plans last summer. Interestingly enough, these are not the only electric trucks from Designwerk at work in Leipzig, as Porsche also runs a factory there which uses seven electric trucks in its operations, although the manufacturer maintains a fleet of varying electric trucks, including Scania and Daimler Truck. Porsche’s battery supplier Dräxlmeier also has a major facility in Leipzig. At its factory in Leipzig, BMW manufactures high-voltage batteries for the MINI Countryman Electric, as well as battery packs and modules for the BMW production network, supplying the components for the fully electric BMW iX1, BMW iX2, BMW i4, BMW i5 and BMW iX. Plant Director Petra Peterhänsel commented on the two electric trucks as a major operational milestone: “We are delighted to be undertaking this journey with our longstanding logistics partner, the Rudolph Logisitik Gruppe. The transition to electromobility and sustainable production affects not only our BMW and MINI cars but our production methods and supply chains as well.” bmwgroup.com

Dongfeng Honda opens EV factory in Wuhan

Industry News

The modern factory in the Chinese province of Hubei will also be characterised by its high degree of automation. It should make processes more efficient and contribute to higher quality – quality and operating data is recorded for every work step in the factory. In addition, there are no longer any logistics employees in the stamping plant – parts logistics are automated, and there is also a multi-level, automated warehouse. In China, Honda is planning to launch a total of ten electric models under the Honda brand by 2027, including models from the e:N series. However, the carmaker has great hopes for the Ye series of electric cars, which Honda previewed in April. With these models, Honda aims to become an all-electric brand in China by 2035. In addition to the Ye series, the Lingxi L is also being built at the plant. It is the first model of Dongfeng Honda’s new EV brand, Lingxi, launched a year ago. The vehicle has recently gone on sale. The all-electric saloon costs from 129,800 yuan – the equivalent of around 16,800 euros. However, Honda’s electric car plans in China are somewhat of a run for the money, as the combustion engine business has not been running smoothly of late. A plant operated jointly with GAC will be closed in October, and the combustion engine factory with Dongfeng will pause production in November. In July, Honda announced it would focus its Chinese production more strongly on electric cars. An electric car factory is also to be opened together with GAC. “It is our great pleasure to hold an opening ceremony for the first dedicated Honda EV production plant which just started operation,” said Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, who travelled to Wuhan for the opening ceremony. “Honda will operate this new plant smoothly and stably and provide high-quality EV models to our customers in China, through which we will continue our pursuit to “Expand the Joys for our customers and society.” global.honda, cnevpost.com (both Wuhan plant), cnevpost.com (Lingxi L)

Renault presents entire EV ecosystem in Paris

Industry News

Renault not only presented the R4 E-Tech for the first time at the Paris Motor Show, but also four transport concepts tailored to the new electric car. The transport concepts were developed together with several French startups and are actually available for purchase. The electric vehicle lineup includes a caravan, a small electric aeroplane, an electric jet ski and an electric motorcycle. All four can be pre-ordered at the trade fair and are to be produced in small series. According to Renault, they will be available from next spring, just like the R4 E-Tech. “For the reveal of Renault 4 E-Tech electric, we are proud to be partnering four French start-ups presenting four all-electric means of mobility. It’s a stylish way to show the general public how e-mobility has developed to encompass all forms of transport, including the 4L, which is now Renault 4 E-Tech electric,” said Arnaud Belloni, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Renault Brand. The electric aircraft was developed together with the Toulouse-based startup Aura Aero and features two seats, a wingspan of 8.78 metres and a flight time of an hour. Charging is stated to be possible in under thirty minutes. Carapate Adventure helped develop the caravan trailer in a retro-design, which contains “bed that doubles as a sofa and an indoor-outdoor kitchen,” and have a weight of 560 kg. Ateliers HeritageBike is the startup responsible for designing the electric motorbike, of which it writes: “Inspired by 1980s design, the Heritage Spirit Scrambler is available with a 7 kW motor (280 Nm of torque) and a battery of up to 4.6 kWh for a standard range of 110 km.” Finally, the electric jet ski is highly reminiscent of a moped, but is technically designed as a water e-bike by Searider. The ‘Seacruiser’ can go as fast as 55 kph on water and runs on two 22 kW electric motors. It has a runtime of 90 minutes, and is described as “a great choice for both sports enthusiasts and novices.” renault.com

Allego installs fast chargers at 45 Ascencio locations in Belgium

Industry News

According to the company, Ascencio specialises in investments in retail properties on the outskirts of cities, with a focus on supermarkets and shopping centres. It is thus hardly surprising that the high-power chargers, which offer charging capacities of up to 400 kW, are to be installed mainly in car parks at such locations. “Retail outlets on the outskirts of towns and cities are strategic locations both for drivers, who can access charge points along major roads and do their shopping while charging, and for retailers, who benefit from the increased footfall of customers on the retail site,” says Thomas Vandervecken, Business Developer Manager Belux at Allego. However, it is still unclear how the total of 212 planned charging points will be distributed across the 45 locations. It is also not clear from the press release which specific locations will be equipped with charging infrastructure. The only thing that is clear is that construction will begin “once the technical usage analyses have been completed and the necessary permits obtained.” Incidentally, the project itself does not require any investment on the part of Ascencio. “Our partnership with Allego is a great example of a win-win project as part of Ascencio’s ESG strategy: it aims to move towards carbon neutrality for ground transportation, while making our commercial sites more attractive by offering super-fast charging to our customers, local residents and passing motorists – all at no cost to our retailers,” says Bernard Sergeant, Head of Operations and ESG at Ascencio. “As a European charge point operator, we have the largest public charging network in Belgium (with both slow and ultra-fast charging stations). We have been able to achieve this growth thanks to our landowner partners, such as Ascencio, as well as networks of petrol pumps and road network operators,” adds Vandervecken. globenewswire.com

GM invests $10 million in Forge Nano

Industry News

The investment of USD 10 million is being made by GM Ventures, the venture capital subsidiary of General Motors. Forge Nano is a materials research company that is developing a process for scaling up atomic layer deposition (ALD). Forge Nano wants to use this to increase the energy density of battery cells. The technology is exciting for electric car batteries, which is why Volkswagen also invested USD 10 million in the company in 2019. Specifically, atomic layer deposition is a surface technology in which thin-film coatings are applied to battery materials in order to control chemistry and structure at the atomic level. With its technology called ‘Atomic Armor’, Forge Nano wants to develop thin-film coatings for GM to improve battery performance and reduce costs. Forge Nano also plans to build prototypes of lithium-ion battery cells at its headquarters in Thornton, Colorado, to demonstrate the capabilities of its technology. With the investment, GM aims to improve battery performance and lower the cost of electric vehicles to make them an attractive option for all vehicle buyers: ‘”GM Ventures’ primary goal is to bring disruptive technology into the GM ecosystem to improve products and processes,” said Anirvan Coomer, managing director of GM Ventures. “Forge Nano’s Atomic Armor technology has game-changing potential for our battery materials at significant scale. They have already demonstrated the ability to expand cathode capabilities, which is the most expensive battery cell component. This could unlock benefits for customers and the business.” Paul Lichty, CEO of Forge Nano, added: “Forge Nano’s mission is to make better materials for a better world. General Motors’ investment will allow us to further enhance battery material performance and durability, while allowing us to expand our footprint in other key areas – like semiconductors.We look forward to working closely with GM to enhance battery cell performance for future electric vehicles.” Forge Nano has already received more than 100 million US dollars from investors to date, including Mitsui Kinzoku, LG Technology Ventures, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, Air Liquide and SBI Investment in addition to General Motors and Volkswagen. globenewswire.com, gm.com

Iveco Bus to electrify its Annonay plant

Industry News

Domenico Nucera, President of Iveco Bus and currently also President of the ACEA Bus and Coach Division, made the announcement at an event on Europe’s industrial strategy in Strasbourg. He said Iveco Bus would “electrify its French historic plant in Annonay this year.” The production of the two aforementioned battery-electric buses of the Iveco and Heuliez brands has already been decided. However, the production lines will be designed so that the E-Way-H2 hydrogen bus can also be built there. In addition, the site will be equipped with a battery assembly line “allowing Iveco Bus to control its entire value chain to best serve its French and European customers.” Iveco Bus has five plants in Europe, two each in France (Annonay and Rorthais) and Italy (Brescia and Foggia), and one in Vysoké Myto in the Czech Republic. Over 5,000 people are employed at the sites. Since the separation of the Iveco Group from its former main investor CNH Industrial, the company has also increasingly been offering electric buses. “Maintaining competitive production in Europe is a challenge but also an opportunity for reindustrialisation,” said Domenico Nucera. “We are rising to the challenge of the energy transition by investing massively in our manufacturing sites in France, as well as in Italy and the Czech Republic.” Although Iveco emphasised its own projects and plans to invest 600 million euros (including in a new electric bus platform), it also called for the involvement of other players. “Financial support from the States and the European Union will be crucial for this transformation, along with enhanced cooperation with public transport operators,” it said. ivecogroup.com

VW North America boss Pablo Di Si apparently has to go

Industry News

According to a report from the German Manager Magazin, the carmaker allegedly wants to give Pablo Di Si the boot due to poor sales figures for the ID.4 in North America. The car was supposed to be built and sold 100,000 times a year in the US – VW expanded the factory in Chattanooga for this purpose. However, in the first three quarters of this year, VW only sold 16,400 units. There have been repeated recalls due to technical defects. Most recently, US authorities warned that the doors of the ID.4 could open while driving. Almost 100,000 vehicles are affected by the recall, and even worse, VW is currently not allowed to sell the model in the United States. The current business figures in North America are also not favourable. VW’s earnings programme for the region is said to be 1.3 billion euros short of expectations by 2025. A deficit of 700 million euros alone is estimated for higher discounts, with an additional 900 million euros for lower sales figures and an unfavourable model mix. The few positive effects can only offset this to a small extent. Country manager Pablo Di Si apparently planned far too positively, is now unable to deliver, and will thus probably have to resign soon. Stefan Mecha, currently head of VW in China, and Škoda CEO Klaus Zellmer are rumoured to be candidates to replace him. In any case, the challenges in the US market are considerable. It is not only sales of the ID.4 that urgently need to be boosted, but also expectations for the ID.Buzz, the vehicle of hope, have apparently already dwindled. And the bread-and-butter car for the US market, the SUV called Atlas, which is not available in Europe, is also getting on in years. VW also wants to become more American with the revitalised US brand Scout, which has been added to the portfolio following the takeover of truck manufacturer Navistar. Scout plans to present its first two models as early as next week, namely an SUV and a pickup truck, which will compete against popular models such as the Ford F-150, the Ram 1500 and the Chevrolet Silverado. Scout was actually supposed to be a purely electric brand. However, according to Manager Magazin, VW is now considering also offering plug-in hybrids from Scout. At the same time, the market launch of Scout is likely to be delayed by at least a year, according to the report. So far, Scout has announced a launch for the end of 2026 – but according to the report, this could become 2028. manager-magazin.de (in German)

Confirmed: No financial aid for Lilium from Germany

Industry News

On Thursday, government representatives confirmed it had not reached a majority in favour of the project. Last week, numerous concerns of parliamentarians in the Budget Committee became known. However, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) had campaigned in favour of state aid in the form of a guarantee at the time. Later, both Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) “campaigned for the aid to the very end,” as Der Spiegel now writes. It is precisely this intensive campaigning by Scholz that is now causing scepticism. “It is always impressive what this man has time for,” Der Spiegel quotes a member of the Budget Committee. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” adds another committee member. “It would have been so easy to make decisions in the taxpayer’s interests.” While Scholz’s party, the SPD, favoured the state aid, according to its chief budget officer Dennis Rohde, there was no majority in the coalition. Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) also called the decision on X a “bitter setback for Germany as a centre of technology.” The 50 million euro loan from the federal government would have been flanked by an equally high loan from the Free State of Bavaria. The Munich-based startup has long been struggling to obtain a state guarantee for a loan of at least 100 million euros – and had threatened to leave Germany if this did not work out. This threat caught on with some politicians, who feared the loss of a key technology of the future. The current decision was preceded by a so-called due diligence review, which the German government and the Free State of Bavaria had commissioned the state development bank KfW to carry out. Depending on the outcome, Lilium was to receive a potential state guarantee as collateral for a KfW loan. According to previous statements, Lilium is aiming for a credit volume of at least 100 million euros. Founded by graduates of the Technical University of Munich, the startup is developing a seven-seater electric aeroplane that takes off vertically. Only in the summer did the company announce a major order from Saudi Arabia with a firm order for 50 jets. The development of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) is costly. The company employs 850 people at its headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, but has never generated any turnover. According to media reports, Lilium has already received 1.5 billion euros from investors and has largely used it up. According to Der Spiegel, the capital requirement until the planned type certification in 2026 should be between 300 and 500 million euros. The first manned flight is scheduled for 2025. spiegel.de (in German)