Toyota is finally revealing the details of its plan to catch up with some of its rivals on electrification; the automaker has focused primarily on hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles before now, despite having led the market with the Prius – but it’s going to focus more on pure EVs going forward, with a plan to offer over 10 purely battery-powered vehicles from 2020 on, and a… Read More
Category: GreenTech
Cities do want to rethink regulations and avoid tech clashes, and here’s some proof
In Jakarta, Indonesia, only 50 percent of the population has access to the piped sewerage system. More than 500,000 residents practice open defecation, and more than one million people discharge wastewater directly into the river, resulting in deteriorated groundwater quality and putting residents at risk to waterborne diseases. The better news: The city has a master plan to improve the… Read More
Pepsi one-ups Budweiser brewer by ordering 100 Tesla electric semi trucks
PepsiCo is the latest company to reveal that it’s placed orders for Tesla’s forthcoming electric semi-truck – and also the company with the largest order so far. The beverage company has ordered 100 of the trucks per Reuters, meaning it’s placed at least a $20,000 deposit for each of those since Tesla rose the downpayment amount for its original $5,000 starting… Read More
The Sun Exchange funds solar installations with micro-investments and bitcoin
Solar power could transform small communities around the world, but remote villages can’t always scrape together the thousands of dollars required to install the cells. The Sun Exchange wants to change that by leveraging the hearts and wallets of hobby investors, who cover the installation costs and then have their share of the revenue trickle in for years to come. There’s even… Read More
Carmaker venture for EV fast-charging teams with gas stations in Europe
Automakers are laying the groundwork for a a future in which electric cars are omnipresent – and at least as common a sight on roadways as traditional gas-powered vehicles. Last month, a group of car OEMs including Ford, BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen Group created a new joint-venture called ‘Ionity’ to build out a charing network, starting with a series of fast-charging… Read More
Volkswagen’s MOIA debuts its all-electric rideshare vehicle
Some carmakers are talking a lot about the potential of shared mobility services and alternatives to car ownership, but Volkswagen’s MOIA is actually going a step further, with a brand new vehicle it’s unveiling today that’s focused entirely on this new market. The all-electric car, which made its debute at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin today, is designed to provide maximally… Read More
There will be a plug-in Hybrid Jeep Wrangler in 2020
The Jeep Wrangler, the car most people are probably thinking of when they hear about “a Jeep,” will take a leap forward into the world of alternative powertrains in 2020 when it gets a plug-in hybrid variant. The PHEV version of the Wrangler was announced at the LA Auto Show this week (via Roadshow) alongside an EcoDiesel and standard gas versions. There’s not much… Read More
There will be a plug-in Hybrid Jeep Wrangler in 2020
The Jeep Wrangler, the car most people are probably thinking of when they hear about “a Jeep,” will take a leap forward into the world of alternative powertrains in 2020 when it gets a plug-in hybrid variant. The PHEV version of the Wrangler was announced at the LA Auto Show this week (via Roadshow) alongside an EcoDiesel and standard gas versions. There’s not much… Read More
GM and Cruise on track to field a self-driving ride hailing service by 2019
GM and Cruise have articulated more specifically when they want to put their self-driving service on the roads, at today’s investor call for the company from San Francisco. GM said that they can make it happen within two years, with a fleet ready to go to work by 2019 based on the company’s current rate of progress. The commercial launch was previously revealed to happen within… Read More
Expect GM Cruise self-driving vehicles to arrive in ‘quarters, not years’
GM and Cruise are still reluctant to put any specific timeframes on their plans for self-driving vehicle deployment, but the company is getting a bit more specific about its intent to bring self-driving to market. It wants to do so only when it can manage it safely, at scale, and in busy urban markets where it’ll have the largest impact, according to GM President Dan Ammann – and… Read More
Lucid moves its electric car ambitions into a spacious new HQ
Lucid, one of the companies that looks like it could have the best chance to potentially field a true all-electric competitor to Tesla’s Model S, is moving its headquarters to a new facility in Newark, California — one with twice the space of its current base of operations in Menlo Park. Read More
Tesla’s electric Semi truck starts at $150,000, reservations now live
The Tesla Semi, the automaker’s all-electric transport truck, will retail starting at $150,000 for a version with 300 miles of range, and will also be available in a $150,000 version with 500 miles of range. Interested parties can pre-order them with a base reservation price of $20,000 – or, if they want a “Founders Series,” they can get one for $200,000, with the… Read More