Be The Change

Month: October 2021 (Page 1 of 14)

Mercedes-Benz shows off the Sustaineer, their technology demonstrator of what an urban delivery van could be

Mercedes-Benz Sustaineer

Mercedes-Benz Sustaineer

Mercedes-Benz »

  • Technology demonstrator with innovative solutions to enhance quality of life and road safety in cities, protect the climate, conserve resources, and improve driver health and safety
  • Fine particle filters on the front module and underbody reduce emissions by more than 50 percent
  • Energy from the solar roof enables range to be extended by several thousand kilometres per year
  • Innovative use of recycled materials demonstrates the potential of a circular economy
  • Increased thermal efficiency through heating close to the body increases comfort and extends vehicle range
  • As of the second half of 2022 Mercedes‑Benz Vans will be successively rolling out a sustainable repair concept for high-voltage batteries in all van segments

Last-mile vans that are climate neutral, produce their own green electricity and can actively improve the air quality in cities: with its technology demonstrator, the Sustaineer (SustainABILITY PIONeer), Mercedes‑Benz Vans is providing us with a tangible impression of just how sustainability in urban delivery operations may look in the future. The fully electric van based on the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter combines a variety of innovative solutions designed to improve the quality of life in cities, to conserve resources and protect the climate, and to better the health and safety of the driver and other road users. These include a fine particle filter on the front module and underbody, a solar panel on the roof, component parts made of recycled materials as well as a heating system which is close to the body. The innovations and technical solutions that the Sustaineer is fitted with have been designed with the possibility of series production in mind, so that their use in future Mercedes-Benz Vans vehicle generations is feasible.

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Throttle House’s video review of the Tesla Model S Plaid

Conclusion » It’s great at accelerating in a straight line, but not much else.

The Tesla Model S Plaid is the quickest accelerating production car on the market. Tesla claims a blistering quarter mile time of 9.3 seconds with a trap speed of 155 mph (249 kph).

But at CDN$191,000 or USD$148,000, one would hope for power steering system that can keep up, a decent suspension capable of carrying you safely around a corner, and much better brakes.

Like many other things involving Elon Musk, it seems, safety was not the priority when designing the Tesla Model S Plaid.

Related » A Wild Ride Through the EV Boom – Racing in a Tesla that wasn’t ready for the track » Sean O’Kane, The Verge

International opposition mounts over proposed U.S. EV tax credit

Reuters »

The European Union, Germany, Canada, Japan, Mexico, France, South Korea, Italy and other countries wrote U.S. lawmakers saying a proposed U.S. electric vehicle tax credit violates international trade rules, according to a joint letter made public Saturday.

A group of 25 ambassadors to Washington wrote U.S. lawmakers and the Biden administration late Friday saying “limiting eligibility for the credit to vehicles based on their U.S. domestic assembly and local content is inconsistent with U.S. commitments made under WTO multilateral agreements.”

The U.S. Congress is considering a new $12,500 tax credit that would include $4,500 for union-made U.S. electric vehicles and $500 for U.S.-made batteries. Only U.S. built vehicles would be eligible for the $12,500 credit after 2027, under a House proposal released this week.

Canada and Mexico have issued separate statements in the last week opposing the plan. The U.S. State Department declined to comment Saturday and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Tesla is recalling some Model Y and Model 3 EVs in the US over a suspension issues that could make the cars more likely to crash

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued the following advisory »

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V835000

Manufacturer Tesla, Inc.

Components SUSPENSION

Potential Number of Units Affected 2,791

Summary

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model Y and 2019-2021 Model 3 vehicles. The front suspension lateral link fasteners may loosen, allowing the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame.

Remedy

Tesla Service will tighten or replace the lateral link fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 24, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for this recall is SB-21-31-003.

Tesla vehicles have had many safety recalls. Owners can enter their VIN at the official NHTSA website to learn if they are affected by this and other recalls.

Elsewhere » Slash Gear / Business Insider / autoevolution /

2022 Lucid Air, a worthy Tesla opponent

Lucid Air

Dan Neil, Wall Street Journal 🔒 »

Designed in California and built in Arizona, the Air’s headline-making numbers are an estimated 451-520 miles of range, depending on model/trim—figures that handily exceed Tesla’s long-legged Model S Long Range (405 miles). As to how the 6-year-old EV start-up managed to outdistance the mighty Tesla, the short answer is higher system voltage. We’ll get there.

I spent a few hours last week driving one of the investor early-bird specials: the limited-edition, all-sold-out Air Dream Edition Performance, with a dual-motor array maxing out at 1,111 hp, which turns out to be enough. Hunkered down on optional 21-inch summer Pirellis, and with a center of gravity seemingly at the center of the Earth, the Air DEP hurtled through miles of California-redwood country like a mag-lev roller coaster, after which I needed a high-tech luxury bucket. Oh yeah, it hustles. The car’s 0-60 mph acceleration (2.42 seconds) would draw a roughing-the-passer penalty in football. Superb brakes, too.

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White House backs Detroit automakers on EV tax subsidies

Under the budget proposal laid out by the White House on Thursday, Detroit automakers would be able to offer USD$4,500 more in tax credits to US electric car buyers than rivals such as Tesla Inc., Volkswagen Group, Honda Motor Co., and Toyota Motor Corp. under the USD$1.75 trillion tax and spending proposal.

The proposal calls for all automakers to be able to offer USD$7,500 to consumers for EV purchases for the first five years of the law. However, EVs made by American manufacturers, in the U.S., with union-represented workers would be allowed to offer an additional USD$4,500 in credits according to a draft text of the bill.

Used EV buyers would be eligible to receive USD$2,000 in tax credits.

The union provision is an “an insult to the 673,000 Americans who work in international nameplate manufacturing plants and dealerships,” Cody Lusk, president and CEO of American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA), said in a statement. The provision also “makes it more difficult for Americans to buy green vehicles, as it can only be applied to a handful of the more than 60 electric vehicles available for sale today.”

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High demand for Ford F-150 Lightning, Mach-E, and E-Transit

Ford F-150 Lightening

Motor Trend »

Ford‘s bet on electrification is paying off with more orders than the automaker can handle. Global demand for the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover is expected to be about 200,000 units a year, Ford CEO Jim Farley told investors on a call to report third-quarter earnings. Ford can’t get enough batteries to keep up and is hoping its partners in China can help out.

Production of the Ford e-Transit electric commercial van starts in a few weeks and it is already sold out, Farley says.

And the biggie, the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric fullsize pickup truck, already has 160,000 reservations. Ford is making final preparations for its launch in Dearborn, but the facility can only make about 80,000 of them a year. Ford has announced plans for a campus in Stanton, Tennessee, with a battery production plant and a vehicle assembly plant that will build next-generation electric F-Series trucks.

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Ford is discontinuing the Powerstroke diesel in the bestselling vehicle in North America, the F-150 in 2022. This speaks volumes about the future of diesel prospects in passenger vehicles, and is the right thing to do for the environment and people’s health.

Ford claims the F-150 Hybrid, with its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter gasoline V-6 and an electric motor outperforms the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6’s.

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