Understanding lithium demand, page-287

Now that's what i call " Panda Power" No Bull, all Bear



Just the thing to Power my New Toys in Future, as i think it's time to let go of the old 1977 British Leyland Mini 1000 Mark 4 after all these years and upgrade to one that handles a bit better



Something like the all New Cooper SE perhaps



While Mini has not given out any more details as to release date and specs, the fact that the electric Cooper SE is out on the roads being photographed no doubt indicates that the British brand is readying itself for an unveil in the not-too-distant future.

As an integral part of parent automaker BMW’s NUMBER ONE NEXT electrification strategy, the electric Mini Cooper is the culmination of ten year’s R&D from the automaker’s original MINI E pilot project.

You never know, It might even Help me pick up a Bird or 2


Users of electric scooters made by “micro-mobility” company Bird’s will soon be able to sit back and take a load off on a bicycle built for two, as the US-based company adds a new Cruiser e-bike to its ride-share options.

The Bird Cruiser is a far cry from Lime’s bright green “pedal-assist” treddlies – with chunky tyres and a fat, padded seat that can accommodate two adults, it looks like it would make for a pretty comfortable (and cosy if cuddling up to a friend) ride.

Bird says the Cruiser will be rolled out to global partners starting soon (the US summer) – although there are not any mention in the press release of plans to bring Bird’s e-scooter and the new Cruiser to Australia, the company is currently seeking to fill management and operations positions in Sydney and Brisbane.


VW teases with electric Kombi, in bid to move on from Dieselgate

German carmaker Volkswagen has teased its all-electric version of the old hippy favourite, the Kombi, in a video that directly addresses the “Dieselgate” scandal of 2015.

Volkswagen’s consumer website this week added a subtle new message that had many guessing. Was it was about to make another move in its plan to make a comeback from the diesel emissions scandal that cost the carmaker $US25 billion ($A36 billion) in fines and penalties by selling millions of zero emissions electric cars?

The message: “In the darkness, we found the light.”

The answer to the puzzle came on Wednesday, when VW posted a video titled “Hello Light,” featuring exhausted executives and teasing the ID Buzz – its reborn electric version of the iconic Kombi (which is known as the Microbus in the US).

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It certainly pulls off what it has been designed to do – send a clear message of the future plans of Volkswagen, and the lessons learned from a scandal that affected 11 million cars worldwide, but also sparked greater public awareness for the damaging NOx emissions caused by diesel-fuelled vehicles.

It casts the enormous task of what the German carmaker – which humbly began as a venture by the pre-war Nazi German Labour Front as the “people’s car”, and later became known as the quintessential hippy’s vehicle of choice – must do if it is to restore its reputation.

It’s a humble request to put the past in the past, with the help of Simon and Garfunkle.



Only yesterday The Driven covered VW’s report of 20,000 pre-orders taken for the first in its ID electric car series in just one month, the ID.3 – as well as Spanish stablemate Seat’s new all-electric Mii unveiled that is to replace the combustion Mii by the end of 2019.

All in all, Volkswagen AG plans to release 80 new electric of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models onto the market by 2025, and 300 in total taking into account electric and PHEV versions of all its existing models.

It has upped its previous goal of 15 million electric cars on the road by 2030 to 22 million, with group boss Herbert Diess referring to the auto group as a “supertanker picking up speed:” at a meeting reporting the group’s 2018 earnings.

“We are aligning Volkswagen with e-mobility like no other company in our industry.”


BMW, Jaguar Land Rover team up to fast-track electric car production

A new collaboration between BMW and Jaguar Land Rover will see the two automakers put their collective heads together to develop drive-trains for electric cars.

The immense financial effort needed to develop electric and autonomous cars is pushing car manufacturers to work together as much as possible – such was the justification given by Fiat-Chrysler and Renault for their own recent announcement to team up, although as of today it appears that deal has fallen through.

Not so BMW and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR): the two premium vehicle manufacturers have announced they have signed a technology partnership in electric and hybrid engines.

“The automotive industry is undergoing a steep transformation. We see collaboration as a key for success, also in the field of electrification,” said Klaus Fröhlich, BMW’s development manager in a statement to the press.

“With Jaguar Land Rover, we found a partner whose requirements for the future generation of electric drive units significantly match ours.

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“Together, we have the opportunity to cater more effectively for customer needs by shortening development time and bringing vehicles and state-of-the-art technologies more rapidly to market.”

Nick Rogers, JLR chief engineering director said discussions with BMW Group had made it clear that “both companies’ requirements for next-generation electric-drive units to support this transition” had significant overlap, and the makings of a mutually beneficial collaboration.

“The pace of change and consumer interest in electrified vehicles is gathering real momentum and it’s essential we work across industry to advance the technologies required to deliver this exciting future,” he said.

“It’s essential to work together in the industry to meet the demand for electrified vehicles, which is really booming right now.”

Entering into agreements geared at saving development costs is not new for either company; both groups have previously forged alliances with their competitors.

BMW is already engaged with fellow carmaker Daimler in mobility services, map data and the autonomous cars, while Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Waymo and Google to develop autonomous driving tech.

Although the Munich-based BMW has been working on electric car technology for six years already, JLR who are now owned by the Indian Tata, has been selling its all-electric Jaguar i-Pace for just six months.

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BMW will bring to the table its 5th generation electric drive, with all future collaborations launched with JLR to use evolutions of the Gen 5 drive-train.

The two will base their joint operations in Munich, while producing the collaborative drive-trains at their own respective factories.

Another example of the huge task involved in electrification of transport was seen earlier this year, when fellow car giants Ford and VW also announced this year a partnership with the aim of bringing out 16 all-electric models starting from 2020.


Ford partners with VW, plans 16 all-electric models – including “big surprise” in 2020

American carmaker Ford is turning its focus to a cleaner transport future, with plans for 16 all-electric models already underway, and a partnership with German carmaker Volkswagen now confirmed.

The first of Ford’s foray into electric cars could come as soon as 2020, according to comments made by the US auto giant’s chief, Jim Hackett, on Sunday in Detroit.

Talking ringside with CNBC’s Phil LeBeau about the future of the company, Hackett said,”We have 16 models that are in design and development.

“We’ve got a pretty big surprise coming next year.”

The news came as Ford presented its new Explorer SUV models at the Detroit Show, which include the Explorer ST ICE as well as a hybrid variant.

The hybrid is commendable, however the carmaker’s press release on the new Explorer models states merely that, “An EPA-estimated range of more than 500 miles between gas station fill-ups is targeted for the rear-wheel-drive model.”

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No battery specs are mentioned in the technical specifications, and it would seem there is no ability to plug-in.

Hackett spoke at length about Ford’s gradual strategy to move towards electric, which differs greatly from GM’s recent announcement of a dramatic restructure – largely because Ford has remained “fit”, as Hackett puts it.

Hackett’s view on electric vehicles seems to be that the time has finally come where EVs have settled enough in the mainstream market for Ford to embrace them without being seen as abandoning its mainstay gas-lovin’ audience.

“Early generations of EVs were like science projects – they attacked a narrow segment of the market that had a good head about society and performance environmentally.

“These new EV products will appeal to car owners and car lovers and they meet both of those other objectives,” he said.

Hackett would not confirm rumours of a partnership between Ford and German carmaker Volkswagen on Sunday when questioned, although he did hint that the cost of developing new platforms and the risk of uptake might be considerations for Ford.

And the two carmakers have since confirmed that they will indeed join forces in a conference call to media on Tuesday.

Although the partnership will initially focus on commercial vans and pickups (utes), the alliance has also stated in a press release that, “Volkswagen and Ford also are committed to exploring potential collaboration on EVs, autonomous vehicles and mobility services“.

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“It is no secret that our industry is undergoing fundamental change, resulting from widespread electrification, ever stricter emission regulation, digitization, the shift towards autonomous driving, and not least the changing customer preferences,” Volkswagen chief Herbert Diess told media during the call.

“Carmakers around the globe therefore are investing heavily to align their portfolios to future needs and accelerate their innovation cycles.

“In such an environment, it just makes sense to share investment,” he said.

Hackett agreed, saying “You can’t do this alone.”

https://thedriven.io/2019/01/16/for...ectric-models-including-big-surprise-in-2020/