Earlier this year, Apple canceled its decade-long Project Titan electric car initiative, but a new report from DigiTimessays that Apple’s electric vehicle ambitions might not be over. According to the story, Apple is “assessing the possibility of teaming up with a certain US EV startup, and Rivian is a very likely candidate.”
The report says that there is “speculation among supply chains” that Apple is investigating teaming up with an EV startup. DigiTimes suggests that Apple could take its 10 years of EV and autonomous driving research and team up with another company instead of making its own car.
While it’s “uncertain what form such a collaboration could take,” this report suggests that Rivian is the leading candidate, based on supply chain sources.
There are no other details provided in the DigiTimes report. It’s unclear what a partnership between Apple and Rivian would look like – or whether Rivian would even be interested in such an arrangement. Still, at least based on DigiTimes supply chain sources, it’s something Apple is “studying.”
9to5Mac’s Take
As much as I’d love to see a partnership between Apple and Rivian, I’m choosing not to get my hopes up about this one. The report is scarce on details, and sounds as if it’s based purely on speculation among Apple’s suppliers. I’d wait for something more concrete before getting too excited.
Perhaps most importantly, Apple could provide Rivian with some crucial cash as the company enters the challenging process of ramping up production of its new R2, R3, and R3X cars.
Do you think Apple should team up with Rivian? What kind of collaboration could Apple have in mind? Let us know down in the comments.
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WattEV has just opened the first electric truck charging depot in the US to use the new Megawatt Charge System, capable of delivering up to 1.2 megawatts of power, currently the highest-speed charger available in the US, along with solar and battery backup on-site and a unique partially grid-islanded setup.
WattEV says that its charge depot in Bakersfield, CA, includes the first MCS charger in North America, and the fastest as well. Tesla has a number of its own 750kW chargers deployed “behind-the-fence” in Pepsi and Tesla facilities, but this 1.2MW charger beats those in speed and is also publicly available.
MCS is a new charge standard being worked on by charging standards organization CharIN. The standard is close to being finished, though currently there aren’t really available MCS-capable trucks, or even UL-certified charging units.
WattEV CEO Salim Youssefzadeh displaying an MCS charger
As a result, WattEV’s installation is somewhat of an experiment. The site has 50 total chargers, split between 32 grid-tied 360kW CCS chargers on one side, and 3 1.2MW MCS and 15 240kW CCS chargers on the other side, attached to backup batteries and solar and fully grid-islanded.
That latter part is particularly interesting – WattEV got grants from the California Energy Commission to create this grid-islanded setup, wherein power for the chargers is fully provided by 5MW of on-site solar (which WattEV wants to expand to 25MW eventually) and 3MWh of battery backup.
WattEV could connect the setup to the grid, but between its grant from CEC, the lack of UL-certified MCS chargers, and delays that would have been caused in the permitting and interconnection process, it decided that grid-islanding half of the site would be the right decision for the time being.
The inclusion of an MCS charger promises the ability to fill a truck in the same time as a traditional truck rest stop. While trucks don’t currently have 1.2MW charging capability, WattEV wanted to be ready for when they do.
Notably, something many operators bring up is that they’re waiting for chargers before they start building or buying trucks. Here, however, we have an infrastructure provider out in the lead – building infrastructure before trucks are being built or purchased. In a world where operators have gotten used to using infrastructure as an excuse, WattEV seems uninterested in allowing them to continue to use that excuse.
Like WattEV’s other chargers, this one will be publicly available either via membership or scanning a credit card/QR code at the site. It’s near an industrial park in Bakersfield with several distribution centers and near the 99 freeway, which services the California central valley. WattEV also offers a “truck-as-a-service” model, wherein the company offers electric trucking at a set price with lower startup costs.
The charger could be of use for those distribution centers, bringing goods in from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and also for traffic in the valley, as there are many local farming facilities and produce delivery services (for example, OK Produce in Fresno, which has committed to full zero emission operations).
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Ahead of its call with investors this afternoon, Lucid Motors has posted its Q1 2024 financial results. The numbers aren’t mind-blowing, but the American automaker is making slow improvements in EV deliveries and revenue as it gears up to launch its second model later this year.
Today’s full Q1 2024 financial report follows a peek at delivery numbers Lucid Motors ($LCID) made public in April. The American EV automaker reported record deliveries of its Air sedan to date, sending 1,967 vehicles to customers in the first three months of the year.
That metric bested its previous delivery record of 1,932 units in Q4 2022 and is up 13% compared to Q4 2023 (1,734 deliveries). That being said, Air production is significantly down following a dawdling demand for its lone model, which recently saw some 2024 model year updates and lower pricing.
Lucid produced a mere 1,727 BEVs in Q1 2024, down from 2,391 units in Q4 2023 (-27%). Still, Lucid Motors remains quite liquid following a fresh raise of private funds and has expressed confidence that it can remain on track to hit its production guidance for the entire year.
The 2024 Lucid Air Touring / Source: Scooter Doll
Lucid reports nearly $173 million in revenue in Q1 2024
You can check out the full Q1 2024 financial breakdown from Lucid Motors ahead of this afternoon’s call with investors, but here are some notable figures. Q1 revenue was $172.7 million year-over-year, up from $149.4 million in Q1 2023.
Operational losses were $729.9 million, down from $772.2 million a year ago, and net losses were $680.9 million, down YOY from $779.5 million. With the $1 billion investment from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), Lucid relayed that at the end of Q1 2024, it remains quite liquid with approximately $5.03 billion. Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson elaborated:
I believe there are two factors that set Lucid apart – our superior, in-house technology and the partnership with the PIF. Our sales momentum is building, our focus upon cost remains relentless, and we believe Gravity is on track to become the best SUV in the world.
Gravity is expected to begin deliveries before the end of the year and could contribute to Lucid’s production numbers. The automaker said it remains on track to produce approximately 9,000 BEVs in 2024. For comparison, Lucid Motors built 8,428 EVs in 2023.
Gravity will be followed by a third model, currently codenamed “Mid-size,” which will be available in at least two variations and has the potential to be a true competitor to companies like Tesla and Rivian.
Gagan Dhingra, Lucid’s interim chief financial officer and principal accounting officer, also spoke about the automaker’s progress
We continue to make significant progress on our cost optimization programs. We’re focused on significant growth as we enter the next transformational phase of Lucid’s end markets while simultaneously driving cost discipline.
You can tune into the live webcast with investors discussing Lucid’s Q1 2024 numbers here.
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Nearly every EV brand in North America is adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector and gaining access to the automaker’s Supercharger network. But despite that network’s fairly good reputation for reliability, the NACS connector alone may not guarantee an overall improvement in charger reliability, says one expert.
Joerg Heuer is the CEO of EcoG, a company that provides operating systems for EV chargers. In a recent interview with Charged EVs, Heuer emphasized that interoperability will be the key to reliability as more EVs charge with NACS connectors or adapters.
Ford EVs at Tesla Supercharger
“Right now, we’re looking at a landscape with about 100 charging station manufacturers and a growing number of EV manufacturers,” Heuer said. “Achieving interoperability means testing over 500 combinations of cars and chargers.”
Helping a bit is that NACS, which is being formally standardized as SAE J3400, is similar to the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) hardware already used by most EV brands. There’s about “90% to 95%” commonality between CCS and NACS, according to Heuer, with nearly everything except the plug itself being similar enough to easily facilitate interoperability. That’s not the case with the CHAdeMO standard, which was harder to reconcile with CCS, according to Heuer.
Rivian R1T at Tesla Supercharger
Tesla pushed other automakers to use its connector starting in 2022, but most didn’t bite until Ford announced plans to adopt NACS in May of last year. Most automakers selling plug-in vehicles in North America followed after that. Adapters for some brands have started to show up, and users have thus far noticed that charge rates are a wash. Measures like Rivian’s route-planning grades may help prioritize the ones that work best and most reliably, though.
The switch has left the auto industry wondering if Tesla Supercharger reliability will extend to other brands’ EVs, but to think it’s simply a matter of switching the connector or favoring Tesla’s network is naive. Some of it will depend on feet-on-the-ground support—now potentially less present for Tesla with the layoff of its charging team—but as with much about charging, it’s complicated.
Kyle from the Out of Spec YouTube channel recently had the opportunity to go on-site to the French Riviera. There, he had some quality time behind the wheel of the beautiful new Porsche Macan Electric. But as a true electric car nerd, Kyle was just as fascinated by this cool piece of portable EV charging tech from Porsche.
The Porsche Turbo Charging portable DC fast chargers (DCFC) have served as a charging solution for the automaker since 2019. Porsche has seven of these charging trailers deployed across Europe. It has been an excellent solution to many different charging scenarios like powering prototype testing, marketing and test drive events and track days.
While we have seen similar technologies since, the specs on Porsches’ charge system remain quite impressive. Most other systems are much smaller in scope. The trailer featured weighs a whopping 70,000 lbs, has a 2.1 MWh battery capacity and can support a 3.2 MW load. There are ten plugs on the unit that can dispense 320 kW each, with the battery packs supporting ~400 amp peak discharging.
In the example here, the trailer is plugged into the grid to replenish the battery pack, but the trailer’s “Island Mode” allows it to work completely off battery power. When directly connected to power at this location, a series of five heavy-duty cords are run from the power source to the trailers with a specialty-designed plug and a converter to get a 5-pin, 3-phase red plug with a neutral and a ground.
Each trailer’s massive battery pack can be replenished from the grid in about four hours. When the pack’s capacity is full while connected to power, the AC to DC converter can serve as a passthrough to charge the car directly, bypassing the battery pack.
When the trailer is in its island mode, it can also balance the charge levels across all of the battery packs. This is a very inefficient process, however, since there is no DC-to-DC connection between them. As a result, this requires two conversions from DC to AC and then back from AC to DC. So they avoid this when possible.
There are lots of other interesting technical details, so if you are interested in battery and EV charging technologies, be sure to check out the full video.
Many people feel a need for long-range batteries when they buy electric vehicles, and that actually goes for new buyers as well as repeat buyers. I have to admit that I have a hard time understanding it unless you’re an encyclopedia salesman (not sure if those still exist) or go on a lot of road trips. But, hey, to each their own!
The thing I wanted to explain today is how little one actually uses from their EV’s battery in more or less typical use. Some core background facts:
We have a 4½-year-old Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+). It now has about 200 miles (or a bit less) of range on a full charge.
We are a one-car family, so this car is used to take the girls (two daughters and wife) to school every weekday and pick them up. It’s also used for all shopping, sports activities, birthday parties, etc. (of course).
I used to use Tesla Superchargers behind a grocery store for about 90% of our charging, but with changes in the Tesla referral program, about 77,000 miles of free Supercharging surprisingly expired on me. So, recently, I’ve shifted to charging at home for all of our charging needs. In the interest of protecting the battery as much as possible, I’m mostly keeping the battery charged between 40% and 60% now, or going down to 30% in cases where I forget to plug in.
So, in essence, I’m basically using 20% of the car’s battery, or I guess we could say 30% thanks to my occasional forgetfulness.
I should also note that this is with 120V charging — charging from a normal electricity outlet. That’s the slowest possible charging.
Yes, of course, if I had a battery that offered 40 miles of range on a full charge and I was driving 40 miles a day, that would be extreme and uncomfortably close. However, that’s not the point. The point is that even with the lowest range Tesla and a degraded battery, it’s extremely easy to keep the car charged and not worry about range. It’s even easy to hover around 50% charge.
Again, some people may feel a need for a larger battery. They may have a 20-miles commute each way as well as various extracurricular activities and errands with kids. Or perhaps they go on a lot of road trips and feel the moderate savings in on-road charging time are worth it.
However, my point is that for anyone worrying about whether to spend several thousand dollars more for a longer-range EV or just go with a cheaper, lower-range one, consider how much you really drive each day and how easy it is to plug in where the car is sitting most of the time. You may need far less range than you expect, even five years after you bought the car when the battery (which will surely be better than my 2019 battery) has supposedly degraded enormously.
National leadership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW)
CEO of the National Electrical Contractors Association
Local elected officials
Other dignitaries
The latest addition to WattEV’s charging network, the Bakersfield depot, stands as the largest in California and is strategically located in the heart of Southern California’s bustling freight corridors. Offering seamless and eco-friendly logistics solutions, this depot is not only grid-powered but also harnesses solar energy, emphasizing sustainability in every charge. It complements our existing sites, including the key San Bernardino location in the Inland Empire and our specialized facility catering to drayage operators at the Port of Long Beach. Trust WattEV to provide comprehensive support for your fleet’s electrification with our expanding network of innovative charging depots.
PTC’s ability to push the boundaries of performance with its product lifecycle management solutions has helped create one of the world’s biggest breakthroughs in motorsport micro mobility.
The Reading-based digital transformation specialist’s Windchill PLM has been a key tool in the development of eSkootr S1-X by YCOM, a revolutionary electric racing scooter that is capable of 62mph.
Offering designers and engineers the ability to work with real-time data regardless of where they are in the world was key to overcoming several practical issues and ensured it took just six months from initial design into production and then a championship racing debut.
Dario Scalzotto, who managed the eSkootr S1-X project on behalf of YCOM, commented:
“PLM is essential to manage any project in a structured way, and Windchill demonstrated all its key features in helping us manage this project.
“We were faced with a blank sheet of paper, where everything had to be written from scratch. Developing something that would take shape little by little – driven by feedback that would come from the vehicle testers – was on the one hand exciting, on the other hand very challenging.”
He continued: “Arriving at what would eventually become the Bill of Material (BOM) list for the production vehicle was critical and Windchill was instrumental in this.”
PTC’s Windchill solution showed great flexibility in its integration, interfacing with some third-party software, particularly a CAD system and ERP software that YCOM already had in the company, in a smooth and transparent way.
This even allowed for the possibility of exchanging 3D multipart Bills of Materials and product documentation with them in a way that could be customised according to specific needs.
Having the right PLM in place also proved to be the ideal corporate tool for YCOM, providing experience, know-how and technologies that enable not only faster and more effective achievement of the goals established with the customer, but also comprehensive and documented management of parts, assemblies, and products throughout the lifecycle.
“YCOM always seeks the highest performance, using the motorsport approach as a solid base to accelerate the development of mobility projects – a sensible notion when you consider how competition vehicles often offer the space to be a great laboratory in terms of values and innovation,” added Elliot Clarke, UKi Director at PTC.
“We are proud to have supported YCOM in its daily work and contributed to the global innovator pushing the boundaries of innovation when bringing motorsport and micro mobility together.”
In just six months, YCOM was able to go from idea, to prototype, to production of several dozen vehicles ready for real track testing, simulating full races and fully hitting the very tight time requirements of the project.
At the same time, it succeeded in giving a completely innovative twist to people’s views on what a scooter could do, bringing the spirit of competition to meeting the values of sustainability.
About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)
With its software solutions, PTC enables manufacturing companies around the world to experience “double-digit” growth by accelerating product and service innovation, improving operational efficiency, and increasing workforce productivity.
In collaboration with its extensive partner network, in order to best support customers’ digital transformation journeys PTC offers maximum flexibility of choice about how to use its technology: traditional ‘on premises’, cloud and pure SaaS. At PTC we don’t just imagine a better world, we make it possible.
A Black Country electrical specialist has signed a major deal with Britain’s only manufacturer of hand-built EV cars.
Teepee Electrical, which has factories in Aldridge and Bloxwich, has extended its working relationship with RBW Electric Cars to become its official harness and wiring loom partner and a critical member of its Midlands dominated supply chain.
The deal will see it supply up to 40 different systems – featuring both low voltage complex wiring harnesses and HV cable assemblies – and 700 plus wires for each classic car built at the state-of-the-art production facility opened in Lichfield last year.
Engineers from the two companies have worked together to reverse engineer prototype systems and create detailed harness drawings, reducing manufacturing costs and developing components that are now ready for series production.
This has given RBW Electric Cars the confidence to scale up, with 334 of its unique Roadster and GT models already sold to global customers and dealers who want the refinement and features of a classic British hand-built car with all the modern comforts and a fully electric drivetrain.
Steve Clarke, Managing Director of Teepee Electrical, commented: “We are very proud of our British manufacturing roots, so it is a big honour to be named as an official partner for this exciting project.”
“There is nothing like RBW and it is very pleasing to see how founder Peter Swain and his team are so committed to designing and manufacturing the cars in the West Midlands, the original heart of the UK’s automotive sector.”
He continued: “We’ve worked closely to develop our manufacturing outputs on the complex cable assemblies and wiring looms that play a such a critical part in the electric drivetrain of the vehicles. With volumes expected to rise to hundreds of cars per year, this represents a great opportunity for us to grow too.”
RBW Electric Cars was inspired by Peter’s love of classic British cars and, following a chance conversation with his wife in 2017, the entrepreneur decided to see if he could find a way of putting electric drivetrains into these much-loved models.
He raised £5m from friends to fund his vision and, more recently, a £10m private equity injection has helped create a body and white plant and a brand-new factory on Britannia Way in Lichfield.
A European patent was secured in 2019 which was a big moment for the business, and this was followed by the start of production, a test drive by Top Gear’s James May and delivery of the first car to a UK client in January 2022.
“The interest in what we are doing is huge, with 334 cars already sold and our showrooms in Bermuda, Hong Kong and in London proving extremely popular. We’ve captured the imagination and now we need to deliver, which is why getting our supply chain right is so important,” added Peter Swain, who named the company after his daughters Rose, Becky and racing driver son Wesley.
“Teepee Electrical is the perfect example. We don’t want traditional automotive supplier relationships based purely on cost and constant demands. Instead, we prefer to develop long-term partnerships where we benefit from outstanding engineering expertise and there are mutual benefits throughout.”
He continued: “Steve and his team have already solved a lot of cable assembly and wiring harness issues for us, and we are delighted with the agility it has shown in meeting stringent deadlines.
“There is also a willingness to make things work and sometime go above and beyond to reach the desired outcome. This is very much a UK manufacturing success story, and we want Teepee, and others like them, to be part of writing the next chapter.”
RBW is currently putting the finishing touches to the launch of its first international operation in the US, which will act as a second manufacturing plant to support the anticipated rise in volumes.
The facility, which is in the heart of Virgina, could also house a dedicated wiring harness and cable assembly cell for Teepee Electrical.
Steve concluded: “We’ve been looking at the opportunity very closely and it does look like something we could and should do.
“This is a very exciting development for our business and gives us the chance to become a truly global expert in the supply of complex harnesses and wiring looms, creating more new jobs as we continue to harness the future!”
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FAMILY-FIRST FUNCTION – We thought of everything, so you can do anything. Porto is no stripped down cargo hauler… It comes loaded with an included front rack and long tail rear rack, ready for child seats, passenger seats, panniers, and countless other accessories. It’s built with your family in mind, designed for a stable and nimble ride when you’re carrying what’s most precious, without sacrificing an ounce of style. Every cargo e-bike can carry people, but Porto is built to carry people. When it’s your family on the back, the difference matters.
90Nm of Torque.
710 watt battery for up to 5 hours ride time.
Electric assisted speed limit of 25kph, speed is subject to country regulations.
Premium adjustability for a comfortable ride for every rider between 155cm and 195cm.
Long Tail for passengers, gear, and whatever else you can think of.
Included front and rear racks that are MIK compatible.
System Lock for theft deterrent and Garmin Radar to notify you of cars about to pass.
TCU on the bars, endlessly customizable with the Specialized App.
Included custom Porto Frame Bag.
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