Electric long-distance heavy-duty trucking is uneconomical compared to diesel trucks in terms of total cost of ownership (TCO), measured in $/mile. TCO parity is expected to be quite far out in the future, closer to 2030, in the current scenario.
Join this webinar, where we will discuss a novel approach to lower the TCO for long-haul electric trucks meaningfully, thereby advancing TCO parity much sooner.
Reserve your spot—it’s free!
See the full session list for the December Virtual Conference here.
Broadcast live on December 10-12, 2024. This virtual event will span all things EV charging in two main tracks:
Track 1: Deploying EV Infrastructure & Fleets Content for fleet/facility managers, charging network operators, public transport planners, etc.
Track 2: Design & Manufacturing of Charging Systems Content for engineers who are building, testing, and manufacturing charging systems.
The free-to-attend conference will feature live presentations, interactive Q&As, on-demand webinars, and whitepaper downloads. All live webcast sessions are free to attend and will be recorded and available to watch on-demand after the event. Register to reserve your spot to watch it live or on-demand.
Source link by Charged EVs
Author Charged EVs
#Advancing #totalcostofownership #parity #electric #heavyduty #longdistance #trucking #Webinar
Mega-utility Duke Energy is about to knock down a coal plant that has run west of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 1957. Soon the company will build its largest grid battery on that spot, part of an unprecedented energy-storage construction spree.
The Allen Steam Station used to generate 1,155 megawatts of coal-fired electricity. But four of its five units have been shut down already, leaving just the last 167 megawatts online. Duke plans to shutter that last unit by the end of this month in favor of cleaner, more efficient power sources. At that point, only five coal plants will be left operating in the state, but they’re beefy enough to produce 8,400 megawatts collectively.
The retirement of a coal plant is not, in itself, surprising — that’s been happening across the country since the shale revolution made gas radically cheaper, and this shift has done a lot to clean up the power sector. Almost always, though, fossil gas plants have stepped in to provide on-demand power in place of the outgoing coal. This time, in a first for the region, Duke is investing in batteries to pick up some of the slack.
To begin with, Duke will install a 50 megawatt/200 megawatt-hour battery on 7.5 acres next to a substation across the street from Allen, with the goal of completing construction by the end of 2025. Once the old coal buildings are demolished, a 167MW/668 MWh system will spring up where the coal plant flue-gas desulfurization system stands today. That installation, expected by October 2027, will match the instantaneous capacity of Allen Unit 1, though the battery will be able to maintain that power for only four hours straight. Duke could also add more battery storage onsite later.
These plans, which Duke first discussed with local reporters in late November, mean one of the biggest legacy utilities in the country is embracing the large-scale grid battery trend that has already swept through solar-heavy markets like California, Texas, and the desert Southwest. North Carolina, notably, ranks fourth in the nation for installed solar capacity, with nearly 10 gigawatts operating. But Duke dabbled in batteries for years before choosing to deploy them at scale.
The utility’s deregulated subsidiary built a big grid battery in Texas back in 2013 with grant money from the Department of Energy, but the company never pursued other projects like that. Duke engineers tested various battery technologies in their laboratories, and they installed small systems for particular challenges, like an unusual zinc-air battery to power an off-grid station in the Great Smoky Mountains. But while utilities in California and Arizona were signing contracts for 100MW systems as cost-effective peak power sources, Duke resisted the urge. Last year it touted the start of operations at its biggest North Carolina battery at the time, just 11MW at Camp Lejeune.
Now, though, big batteries have arrived in North Carolina.
Duke recently asked for and received regulators’ approval to construct 2,700 megawatts of energy storage by 2031. That’s a massive acceleration from basically zero — more capacity than Duke expects to build for any other resources besides solar and combined-cycle gas plants. It’s a big lift, but locating installations at legacy power plants comes with a host of practical benefits.
“Repurposing Allen’s existing transmission system and infrastructure enables a more efficient clean energy transition and lowers the cost for our customers, while maintaining our long-term commitment to Gaston County,” spokesperson Bill Norton told Canary Media.
The Jaguar Type OO concept previews the automaker’s four-door GT that debuts in 2025
The upcoming EV will have up to 1,000 hp and is targeting 430 miles range
The new electric GT is expected to cost about $163,000
A concept car previewing the design direction of Jaguar’s upcoming electric-vehicle lineup debuted Monday at Miami Art Week.
Powertrain details for the concept weren’t discussed, but Jaguar said the production car will have as much as 1,000 hp. Powertrain layouts and battery sizes haven’t been disclosed, but Jaguar said the production GT will target about 430 miles of EPA-rated range and be capable of adding 200 miles of range with 15 minutes of charging when hooked to a DC fast charger.
Jaguar Type 00 concept
Dubbed the Jaguar Type 00 concept, the two-door fastback coupe features a more angular appearance than current Jaguar models, but with a long hood and short rear end that nods to classic Jag sports cars like the E-Type.
The concept lacks a rear window, like the Polestar 4, with a camera system likely aiding rear vision. A slat motif is repeated at the front and back, and even the roof.
New, simplified, Jaguar logos adorn the front and rear of the concept along with the front fenders. The design is simple, and a bit brutish, but rolls on huge 23-inch wheels.
Jaguar Type 00 concept
The interior features an oval steering wheel and a floating divider between the seats. The lack of screens is deceiving. Floating digital screens span the dashboard and then tuck away when not in use for a cleaner look.
Many of the Design Vision concept’s features are expected to show up on the first of Jaguar’s upcoming EVs, a a low-slung grand tourer the automaker has already shown testing with camouflage. The production version, which will have four doors instead of two, is scheduled to debut in 2025 sporting a six-figure price tag of about 100,000 British pounds (approximately $163,000). Two other EV models are planned, which are thought to be a large SUV and a sedan.
The grand tourer will be one of three models comprising Jaguar’s electric reboot, announced in 2021. A large SUV and sedan are believed to be in the works following the four-door GT.
In the meantime, Jaguar has been discontinuing most of its current gasoline models, as well as its first EV, the I-Pace, leaving only the F-Pace SUV in showrooms until the new electric models arrive. An SUV and a more traditional-looking sedan are expected to follow the first model.
All three will be based on a new platform called JEA (Jaguar Electrified Architecture) and will feature North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports to give drivers access to Tesla Supercharger stations.
Source link by Green Car Reports
Author news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
#Jaguar #Type #concept #previews #430mile #range #future
Tesla has told Cybertruck production employees not to report to work for the next three days, in another sign of demand issues for the vehicle that once touted millions of preorders.
The news was reported by Business Insider, who obtained an email telling Cybertruck production workers at Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas that they “do not need to report to work” on “Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week (Dec. 3-5).” Workers will still be paid for their scheduled shifts.
Tesla didn’t give a comment as to why this shutdown is happening, but Business Insider said four workers told it that their schedules have been inconsistent for the last month.
Given that it is a critical time for Tesla deliveries, particularly of its flagship model, the timing is suspect.
Currently, Tesla is one of few EV producers that has sold fewer cars so far this year than it did in 2023. Despite what you may have heard, EV sales are up significantly in 2024 – but Tesla was down in the first half of this year.
The company had a good third quarter largely due to rising China sales, but is still down compared to last year.
As a result, Tesla has started pulling out a lot of stops this quarter in order to close out the year with strength. It has offered larger incentives for Tesla referral codes, lowered Model Y lease pricing, and added more flexibility to its leasing program.
And, most notably for today’s subject, just today it lowered Cybertruck lease pricing – and this happened less than a month since the company started leasing Cybertrucks at all.
It’s another sign that Tesla isn’t seeing quite as much demand as once expected for the polarizing vehicle.
After it was first unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck managed to tally over 250k pre-orders in less than a week, later reaching a peak of potentially 2 million reservations according to crowdsourced data.
But when the truck hit the road, things didn’t go exactly as planned. The vehicle came out late and over budget, also missing some of the specs that were originally promised. The first available “Foundation Series” models started at $100k – a far cry from the promised entry-level $40k. It’s now available at a base price of $79k – but a promised future $61k base RWD model was recently removed that from Tesla’s website.
Despite all that, it’s still the best-selling electric pickup in the US and the third best-selling EV with a very high average transaction price, bringing in a good chunk of change for the company.
But nevertheless, demand seems much lower than the sky-high expectations for the vehicle. That ~2 million vehicle backlog seems to have been depleted around October of this year, when Tesla started allowing orders without a reservation. At the time, Tesla had sold somewhere around 30,000 total Cybertrucks.
This could be the explanation for the plant shutdown. Companies will often pause production lines for a few days or weeks if production is going faster than deliveries, so as not to have a lot of inventory weighing down a balance sheet.
It’s possible that there are other reasons – a line upgrade or some sort of changes related to the recent Cybertruck inverter recall – but for the former, the end of the quarter would be a better time, and for the latter, one would think the changes would have been made closer to when the problem was found (and would likely not shut down the whole line for three days).
And if there were other reasons, that’s usually the sort of thing a company sends its PR team out to discuss, so as not to spook investors with fears of waning demand. Since Tesla hasn’t made a statement suggesting such, Occam’s razor suggests that production may be outpacing demand, and the pause is to help balance the two.
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Source link by Electrek
Author Jameson Dow
#Tesla #shuts #Cybertruck #production #days #critical #time #company
$7.5B loan would help scale up battery production in Indiana
Aiming for 67 gigawatt-hours of annual capacity there
DOE loan comes from same program that supported Tesla
The Department of Energy on Monday said it is prepared to loan up to $7.5 billion to Stellantis and Samsung SDI for battery production in Indiana.
The conditional loan commitment might aim to be finalized by the Department of Energy (DOE) before the Biden administration leaves office, as incoming President Donald Trump has opposed Biden’s efforts to boost EV manufacturing, Reuters noted.
If approved, the loan will fund two battery plants in Kokomo, Indiana, being built under the StarPlus Energy joint venture between Stellantis and Samsung SDI. The first plant is due to open in 2025, with the second one scheduled to open in 2027. The two Indiana plants continue a relationship that goes back to the original low-volume Fiat 500e, which also used Samsung SDI battery cells.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Stellantis and Samsung SDI are aiming for 67 gigawatt-hours of annual production capacity in Indiana, according to the DOE. Stellantis is also continuing work on a single plant in Canada, in partnership with LG Energy Solution. The automaker said in 2022 that it would aim for more than 45 gigawatt-hours of capacity. Samsung, meanwhile, is also partnering with General Motors on an Indiana battery plant.
The DOE in July said it also planned to loan Stellantis $334.8 million to convert its Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois for EV production, and $250 million for production of EV drive modules at existing facilities in Kokomo, Reuters noted, adding that this has not been finalized.
2025 Ram 1500 REV
Last week, the agency also confirmed a conditional commitment for a loan of up to $6.6 billion to Rivian, which would help fund the automaker’s second assembly plant in Georgia, as well as continued development work on its mid-size platform for EVs.
The ATVM loan program that oversees this loan and others was established under the George W. Bush administration to help companies make vehicles with substantially higher energy efficiency than those they replace. Tesla arguably might not have become a viable company without a 2009 loan from the DOE under this program, that it paid off in 2013.
No ATVM awards were made during the last Trump administration, but the DOE did refine the application process during that term, in 2019, and the Biden-era Infrastructure bill and Inflation Reduction Act expanded its reach to more technologies and sectors, including “medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, trains, locomotives, maritime vessels, aircraft, and hyperloop technology.”
Source link by Green Car Reports
Author news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
#Biden #admin #loans #Stellantis #Samsung #Indiana #battery #factory
The judge ruling over Elon Musk’s ~$55 billion CEO pay package, which some Tesla shareholders claimed was obtained without following proper governance rules, has decided to reject Tesla’s attempt to reinstate it with a shareholder vote.
Delaware Supreme Court could be next.
In 2018, Tesla shareholders voted for Elon Musk to get a historic new CEO compensation package that could be worth $55 billion for the executive if Tesla achieved remarkable growth in valuation and profits, which it did.
However, some shareholders argued that Musk unfairly secured this extremely generous compensation plan by misleading shareholders about the fact that the plan was being put together by an independent board and negotiated in good faith.
They filed a complaint in court in Delaware. The case went to trial in 2022, but it took a long time for the judge to give her decision.
Earlier this year, Delaware Chancery Court Chief Judge Kathleen St. J. McCormick sided with the shareholders after testimonies from everyone involved in the pay package negotiations, or lack of negotiations, and a thorough investigation of how it came about.
She determined that Musk was in control of the board during the time it granted him the pay package while the board members who approved the package were also granted historically large compensations, which they ended up partly reimbursing as part of a settlement from a separate lawsuit for excessive compensation.
McCormick found many governance irregularities, including the fact that the board members who supposedly negotiated the package were not independent of Musk, and even his personal lead on the compensation was his own divorce lawyer, who he had recently hired to be general counsel at Tesla.
The judge rescinded the compensation package, which included over $50 billion worth of Tesla stock options that the CEO had yet to exercise. She asked Tesla to go back to the drawing board, renegotiate the pay package in good faith, and present it properly to shareholders.
Instead, Tesla disagreed with the judge’s findings around governance issues and decided to present the same package while including the judge’s decision in the updated proposal and having Tesla’s shareholders vote on it again.
In June, Tesla shareholders voted to reapprove the package, albeit at a lower percentage than the original vote.
Tesla’s legal team believed the vote would “ratify” the compensation package and force the judge to vacate her decision to void the pay package. However, both Tesla’s lawyers and most corporate law scholars agreed that this would require a completely new way to address ratification.
McCormick listened to both sides this August, and we were awaiting her decision by the end of the year.
Today, the judge released her decision and she sided against Tesla’s argument again:
“The large and talented group of defense firms got creative with the ratification argument, but their unprecedented theories go against multiple strains of settled law.”
Beyond the ratification problem, the judge also said that she believes Tesla again misrepresented the situation to shareholders in the statements made around the new vote:
“Even if a stockholder vote could have a ratifying effect, it could not do so here due to multiple, material misstatements in the proxy statement.”
On top of her ruling on the compensation, she also ruled against the lawyers for the shareholders, who were asking for a ridiculous $5 billion in Tesla stock as their legal fee. Instead, she awarded them $345 million.
Tesla is likely to contest the ruling, which could move the case to the Delaware Supreme Court.
Electrek’s Take
As I wrote last summer, Elon Musk’s compensation package case will haunt Tesla for years. Even if you believe Musk deserves this package, Tesla’s approach to reinstating it was boneheaded and didn’t follow the law as I, and seemingly the judge and most Delaware corporate law experts, understand it.
Tesla, and more specifically Elon Musk, it’s hard to differentiate the two lately, which is part of the problem, are showing no intention to address their governance issues.
Let’s be clear: Elon could get paid somewhat easily here. Even as much or close to this amount. However, it needs to do it through the proper governance and respect the process.
Instead, Elon prefers to lie to shareholders and present the situation as politically motivated lawfare. It’s nonsense.
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Source link by Electrek
Author Fred Lambert
#Judge #shuts #Teslas #attempt #reinstate #Elon #Musks #giant #CEO #pay #package
Porsche is recalling 2,941 electric Macans because their headlights are too bright, which can reduce visibility for oncoming drivers and increase the risk of a crash.
The recall includes 2024 and 2025 Porsche Macan Electric models manufactured between Mar. 15, 2024, and Nov. 04, 2024. Headlight-control software in the affected vehicles was programmed to European standards rather than U.S. standards, resulting in beams that exceed brightness levels specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, according to the NHTSA.
2024 Porsche Macan (electric)
Porsche told the NHTSA that the programming error was corrected for later-production vehicles, but that 100% of the recalled vehicles are estimated to have this issue. And customers will have to take their cars to dealerships to have the headlight software reprogrammed, free of charge, as the fix can’t be implemented via an over-the-air update.
Porsche expects to mail owner notification letters Jan. 24, 2025. Owners can also contact the automaker’s customer service department at 1-800-767-7243 for more information. Porsche’s reference number for this recall is ARC5.
2024 Porsche Macan (electric)
The electric Macan arrived for the 2024 model year as one of the first electric vehicles based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) shared with Audi, and also underpinning that brand’s Q6 E-Tron SUV and A6 E-Tron sedan. The new architecture advances tech first used in the Porsche Taycan to the mass market, including an 800-volt charging system that allows a peak charge rate of 270 kw.
Only dual-motor Macan 4 and Macan Turbo grades were available for 2024. Porsche expanded the range for 2025 with a single-motor rear-wheel drive base model that effectively lowered the electric Macan’s price by about $3,000, as well as a dual-motor Macan 4S slotting between the Macan 4 and Turbo models. Porsche is still selling the previous-generation gasoline Macan alongside the Macan Electric, but has said only the electric model will be available starting in 2026.
Source link by Green Car Reports
Author news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
#Porsche #Macan #Electric #recalled #headlights #bright
We don’t want to sound alarmist, but it sure looks like President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies are plotting to kill federal EV tax credits somewhat sooner than later – and the tariffs they’re promising aren’t going to make cars cheaper anytime soon, either. So if you’re in the market for a new EV, the time is now to score a sweet 0% financing deal and get those tax credits (while you still can).
As I was putting this December list together, I realized there were plenty of ways for me to present this information. “Best EVs to park under a Christmas tree ..?” Too opinion based. “EVs with the biggest discounts ..?” Too much research. In the end, I decided to list these 0% financing deals in alphabetical order, by make.
And, trust me: they’ll all look great with a big red bow on them. Enjoy!
Acura
2024 Acura ZDX Type S; via Acura.
The new-for-2024 Acura ZDX uses a GM Ultium battery and drive motors, but the styling, interior, and infotainment software are all Honda. What that means is that you’ll get a solidly-built EV with GM levels of parts support and Honda levels of fit, finish, and quality control. All that plus Apple CarPlay and 0% financing for 24-72 months makes this (arguably) the best Ultium-based sporty crossover yet.
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Equinox EV 1LT; via Chevrolet.
All three of Chevrolet’s EVs carry 0% financing offers for the month of December – and they’re all winners. The Silverado is an incredibly capable pickup that can be spec’ed up to a 10,500 lb. GVWR, making it eligible for Class 3 incentives up to $30,000 in some markets and capable enough to tow whatever horse, boat, or RV you put behind it.
On the crossover side, both the Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV offer their own takes on the five-passenger SUV formula, with the cost of base model Equinox LT FWD models with 319 miles of EPA-rated range dropping to just $27,500 after you apply that $7,500 tax credit.
Ford
F-150 Lightning cold weather testing; via Ford.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a reasonably capable half-ton truck with V2X capabilities that first proved themselves during Texas’ ice storms, and ship with a world of aftermarket support baked in. Ford Pro customers buying an F-150 Lightning for their commercial or public fleet can get even better deals on the OG electric trucks – meaning your fleet manager would be crazy not to take a look at one.
Kia
Kia EV6 burnout; via Kia.
If you were waiting for a three-row SUV from a mainstream brand with a great warranty and normal doors, you’ve probably already checked out the Kia EV9. You’re not alone. Kia keeps setting EV sales records, and the EV9 is helping to drive those sales forward … but the EV9 isn’t the only battery-powered Kia that’s drawing fans.
On the sportier side of the dealership, the Kia EV6 offers supercar-baiting levels of straight-line performance in the top GT trims – and even the base models offer a rewarding experience behind the steering wheel. What’s more, with an updated model coming for 2025, the ’24 models are ripe for the picking.
Nissan
2024 Nissan Ariya at Chicago Drives Electric; by the author.
The Nissan Ariya is a victim – and, frankly, it deserves better than its status as a heavily discounted also-ran in the five passenger crossover race, if only because Nissan has been flying the flag of electrification since the launch of the original LEAF EV since 2010 two years before Tesla launched its Model S in 2012. Despite the head start, though, Nissan never gained enough momentum to stay ahead in the EV race.
I drove the car at Chicago Drives Electric a few weeks ago, and it seemed like it was well worth the (discounted) price to me. With 0% financing for 72 months like I’m seeing advertised all over my news feeds? The Ariya is a better deal than ever.
Screencap from Countryside Nissan in Countryside, IL.
Subaru
Subaru Solterra EV; via Subaru.
Despite being something of a slow seller, this mechanical twin of the Toyota bZ4X EV seems like a solid mid-size electric crossover with some outdoorsy vibes and granola style that offers more than enough utility to carry your mountain bikes to the trail or your kayaks to the river.
Volkswagen
VW ID.4X in China; via SAIC-VW.
One of the most popular legacy EVs, the ID.4 offers Volkswagen build quality and (for 2024) a Chat-GPT enabled interface. Still, with a relatively affordable base price, lickety-quick charging, up to 291 miles of EPA-rated range, and a 5-star safety rating, the ID.4 offers a value proposition that’s tough to beat.
This month, the only way to beat the ID.4’s 0% financing for 72 months would be to convince the bank to pay you to buy it.
Still, Kwon said the federal awards could help to lay the foundation for statewide Buy Clean efforts in a few important ways.
Public agencies need to start compiling emissions and environmental data on the companies and facilities that provide construction materials. States also need to work closely with contractors and local companies to share information on carbon-cutting and novel technologies — something that, say, a mom-and-pop concrete supplier might not be readily familiar with or know how to adopt.
Such steps allow agencies to eventually set mandates or establish maximum emissions limits for cement, steel, or glass purchased for public works projects. To that end, the federal grants can also be used to reimburse agencies or provide incentives for buying road materials with “substantially lower levels” of embodied carbon emissions compared to estimated industry averages, according to FHWA.
“For the states that are receiving this extra funding, it’s not like they’re unaware of the climate impact” of materials, Kwon said. “The big opportunity here is to empower those agencies that want to do more, but have not received the adequate state funding…to really get a bite out of this apple.” It might also push states to “think holistically” and scrutinize whether things like highway expansions or parking lots are truly necessary given the associated emissions, he added.
For its part, Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation (WisDOT) says it plans to use its FHWA grant to launch a pilot program for measuring and tracking the carbon footprint of its transportation projects. The agency will also set sustainability benchmarks for highway construction contracts that involve concrete and asphalt.
“This will allow us to increase the use of low-carbon materials and improve the sustainability of our transportation system without sacrificing performance,” WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman said in a press release.
Arizona’s Department of Transportation (ADOT) is set to get $27 million to develop a research program with industry leaders and academic partners that includes deploying cleaner concrete and asphalt mixes. The agency will also establish a technology platform for environmental product declarations — akin to a climate “nutrition label” for individual products — that contractors can access.
Doug Nintzel, a spokesman for ADOT, said the initial steps will allow the agency to identify candidate projects for using low-carbon materials, and it’ll work with pavement plant operators and contractors to analyze the pollution reduction, energy efficiency, and quality-of-life benefits related to those projects. ADOT operates an $8 billion, five-year construction program for improvement and expansion projects across nearly 7,000 miles of state highways.
This type of work “wouldn’t have happened without the grant,” he said by email.
If these efforts continue during the next Trump administration, the timing would work out well for companies that are striving to bring new facilities online, such as Ecocem. The grants could also dovetail with other federal efforts like the Department of Energy’s Industrial Demonstrations Program — an initiative that, like the FHWA grants, is at risk of being cut back under Trump.
The $6 billion demonstration program, which is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law, aims to transform the nation’s heavy industrial sectors. Earlier this year, six cement projects were selected to receive up to $1.5 billion in awards to demonstrate everything from carbon capture systems to alternative cement chemistries.
Sublime Systems, for example, is slated to get nearly $87 million to build its first commercial-scale plant in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The MIT spinout has developed an electrochemical process for making cement in a way that doesn’t emit carbon or require scorching-hot kilns. Last month, Sublime advanced to phase one of its project, receiving $12.8 million of its federal award for initial project planning in the state — which, as it happens, is up for a nearly $32 million FHWA grant.
Kwon said that, ideally, federally backed projects like Sublime’s will be churning out innovative materials by the time that state transportation agencies are ready to buy more of it, so that public investments can boost both supply and demand in ways that enable the private market to take off.
“It’s building toward a very bright future — if the programs hold,” he said.
With its compact dimensions, outstanding performance, and quiet, emissions-free operation, the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 is changing the game when it comes to indoor construction and demolition projects. Now, it’s changing an altogether different game: art.
Construction companies bidding on jobs in indoor or densely populated urban environments are already singing the praises of electric equipment, but the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 is now making a name for electric equipment in the art world, taking center stage in a new performance installation that marries science, robotics, and art in Prague.
Dubbed “Inferno,” the project calls itself a fusion of technology and art, and features “dancers” wearing articulated mechanical exoskeletons motivated by air-powered hydraulic actuators that are fed a constant supply of compressed air from the Atlas Copco unit backstage. The result is a choreographed robotic dance, “where machine and human bodies became one.”
Smooth operator
E-Air H185 VSD compressor in ARCHA+ Theatre, Prague; by Atlas Copco.
The unique environment of the ARCHA+ Theatre is similar to St. Jerome’s in Naples, where an all-electric Bobcat excavator is performing delicate exploration and excavation work. In both cases, the machines have to operate quietly and without generating soot and nitrous oxides that could harm the art, artists, and patrons who come to enjoy them, along with the extreme precision needed to keep the airflow constant and the artist’s vision intact.
That consistency is achieved thanks to Atlas’ electric PACE controller that locks in and regulates air pressure at increments of 0.1 bar / 2 psi … but that wasn’t the only challenge. In the case of “Inferno,” the machine had to operate silently, too – to generate the effect of mechanized movement without the dull thrum of continuous combustion ruining the show.
It did just that. “The (Atlas Copco) E-Air provided a stable, unobtrusive power source that was fundamental to the success of our show,” says Jakub Hykeš, production manager at the ARCHA+ Theatre in Prague. “Its compact form and quiet operation allowed us to keep the focus on the performance, enhancing the interaction between humans and machines in ways that exceeded our expectations.”
You can get a sense of what the show looks like in this clip of the show’s initial run in 2011. While the mechanical details have been updated, the main idea – the portrayal of Hell as a place where humans are controlled by machines – remains the same … and as timely as ever. Give the video a play, then let us know what you think of the Atlas Copco’s performance in the comments.
