Yes, you have read right. Toyota has developed what it says is “the world’s first method for observing the behavior of lithium ions in an electrolyte when a battery charges and discharges.” Able to observe those ions for the first time in real time, Toyota researchers think they have found the reason why a battery ages. Once the breakthrough is commercialized, which could take “two to three years,” a new lithium ion battery could improve the battery-powered range of an electric vehicle by 15%, Dr. Hisao Yamashige of Toyota’s advanced R&D and engineering division told a small group of reporters this morning at the company’s Tokyo HQ.
Archives for November 2016
Toyota Makes Breakthrough Battery Discovery, Hopes To Increase EV Range By 15%
November 24, 2016 By
Thursday morning car news roundup, November 24, 2016
November 24, 2016 By
Top News:
- Fiat Chrysler to add up to 2,000 jobs at Alfa Romeo plant: Renzi – Reuters: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will add as many as 2,000 new jobs at its Alfa Romeo Cassino plant in Italy by 2018, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Thursday.
- U.S. transportation officials looking for driverless car proving grounds – Automotive News: The U.S. Department of Transportation launched a competition to identify proving grounds for the development of self-driving cars, and the new American Center for Mobility in Michigan could be a contender.
- 2017 Ford Focus Electric gets more range with a bigger battery – Autocar: The next Focus Electric will look almost entirely unchanged from the current model
Volkswagen’s Brand Strategy: Finally, Something That Makes Some Sense
November 23, 2016 By
Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess presented his plan for the next ten years, and for the first time in many years, I saw something that wasn’t a collection of platitudes and fluff. The press conference took place in Volkswagen’s “Markenhochhaus,” the totally rebuilt brick tower at the Wolfsburg factory, and only a few sentences into the presentation, when Diess talked of a “diesel crisis” instead of the euphemistic “diesel issue,” it became clear that it isn’t just the building that has seen a total revamp.
Wednesday morning car news roundup, November 23, 2016
November 23, 2016 By
Top News:
- Automakers seek to cut inventories with Black Friday, holiday promotions – Reuters: N), Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCAU.N) (FCHA.MI) are flat to down for the year. This reflects investor concerns that a …
- 2020 Lotus Elise confirmed following return to profit – Autocar: Lotus is now in a position to fund an all-new version of its featherweight sports car and other new models thanks to a positive cash flow
- 2018 Vauxhall Corsa hatch spotted for first time – Autocar: Opel development car shows how Vauxhall’s future hatchback will look; larger dimensions suggest it’ll have more cabin space
Tuesday morning car news roundup, November 22, 2016
November 22, 2016 By
Top News:
- Insurers want access to autonomous vehicle data after accidents – Autocar: Thatcham believes new laws need to be introduced before autonomous cars arrive
- Using Tesla Playbook, NIO Plans Smartphone-Style Autos After Electric Supercar Debut – Forbes: The car was intended to make a big statement as the world’s fastest electric vehicle, but NIO’s plans are considerably more complex than building a…
- Average age of vehicles on road hits 11.6 years – Automotive News: The average age of light vehicles in the U.S. has risen once again as consumers continue to hold onto vehicles.
- VW to start North America EV production in 2021 – Automotive News: The Volkswagen brand will start making electric cars in North America, as the manufacturer seeks to rebuild its tarnished image in the wake of the diesel scandal.
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Müller Puts Foot In Mouth, Again
November 22, 2016 By
Volkswagen’s new CEO Matthias Müller proves amazingly nimble for a 63 year-old: He can insert his foot in his mouth as if it belongs there. Müller demonstrated his posture-mastery last weekend, when it took only a few flippant remarks of Volkswagen’s supreme leader to start a momentous shitstorm that, for starters, caused German parliamentarians to demand Müller’s demission.
Volkswagen Labor Leader Attacks Porsche/Piech Shareholder Clan
November 21, 2016 By
Where did the love go? Only two days after unions and management feted a joint revival plan for fishtailing Volkswagen, good old class struggle is making a comeback. Powerful Works Council leader Bernd Osterloh fired a broadside at the Porsche/Piech families who control Volkswagen. “We have received zero support from the families when we tried to put an end to the abuse,” Osterloh told the German dpa wire. Osterloh said he discussed the lagging profitability of Volkswagen’s core brand years ago, and that he even suggested ideas on how to save billions. With that, the burly labor leader put his fingers in an old wound at Volkswagen that started to festered long before dieselgate.
Monday morning car news roundup, November 21, 2016
November 21, 2016 By
Top News:
- NextEV unveils 1360bhp Nio EP9 electric supercar – Autocar: Just six examples of halo model to be built; a mainstream EV model will follow next year
- Tata’s Ugly Leadership Fight Drags On – WSJ: Tata’s ouster of Chairman Cyrus Mistry and the ugly fight that has followed has confused and bewildered executives, investors and employees of the sprawling Indian conglomerate.
- 2018 BMW X7 – first glimpse of future Range Rover rival – Autocar: BMW’s largest SUV is focused on the US and China, but it will be sold in Britain; due to be revealed sometime next year
