ReportWire

Tag: Industrial technology

  • General Motors broadens electric goals with new division

    General Motors broadens electric goals with new division

    General Motors, which plans to go almost entirely electric by 2035, is creating a new energy division that will produce chargers for electric vehicles, as well as solar panels and other energy-related technology for homes and businesses.

    The company said Tuesday that the unit, called GM Energy, will create systems for households and commercial customers that link electric vehicles to power storage and generation. The division should have the capacity to sell energy from electric vehicle and stationary storage batteries back to utilities during peak periods of energy usage.

    “GM Energy has the opportunity to help deliver sustainable energy products and services that can help mitigate the effect of power outages and provide customers with resilient and cost-effective energy management,” Travis Hester, vice president of GM EV Growth Operations, said in a statement.

    GM’s Energy Services Cloud will include data and energy management tools and let customers manage their energy usage.

    Ultium Charge 360, which includes several charging station networks and software, will expand its portfolio of integrated public charging networks, integrated mobile apps, and additional product and service offerings over time as part of the division.

    GM said it also has partnerships with several companies, including solar technology and energy services provider SunPower. In the deal with SunPower, the two companies will develop and offer customers a home energy system that includes integrated electric vehicle and battery solutions, solar panels and home energy storage. The system will be available at the same time as the retail launch of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, which is expected to start production in the fall 2023.

    There’s also a pilot project with Pacific Gas and Electric to allow residential customers to use their compatible electric vehicles with a bi-directional charger as backup power for essential home needs during power outages. After initial lab tests, the companies anticipate expanding the offer to some residential customers within PG&E’s service area. This is expected to begin next year.

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  • Amazon to invest $972M for electric vans, trucks in Europe

    Amazon to invest $972M for electric vans, trucks in Europe

    NEW YORK — Amazon said Monday it will invest 1 billion euros ($972.1 million) to add thousands of more electric vans, long-haul trucks and cargo bikes to its delivery network in Europe.

    The investment would grow the number of electric delivery vans the company has in Europe from roughly 3,000 to 10,000 by 2025, the Seattle-based retail giant said in an announcement on its website.

    With the investment, Amazon is also hoping to purchase more than 1,500 electric trucks, up from five in the United Kingdom. To accommodate those vehicles, the company said it will build hundreds of fast chargers across its European facilities that can charge the vehicles in roughly two hours.

    “Our transportation network is one of the most challenging areas of our business to decarbonize, and to achieve net-zero carbon will require a substantial and sustained investment,” Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO, said in a statement, referring to the company’s pledge to be net carbon by 2040. Despite the pledge, the company said its carbon emissions grew by 18% last year, driven by the surge in online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Amazon has launched 25 “micro-mobility hubs,” or more centrally located delivery stations in dense European cities, that allow the company to try out different delivery methods, such as bike and foot deliveries. On Monday, it said it expects to double those hubs by 2025, which will allow the company to take more delivery vans off the road.

    The retailer has already ordered 100,000 electric vans from Rivian Automotive, which issued a recall last week for almost all its vehicles in order to tighten a loose fastener. In a recent securities filing, Rivian said it planned to deliver the vehicles to Amazon by 2025. Amazon has said it plans to roll out those vehicles to more than 100 cities by 2030.

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  • Rivian recalling nearly all its vehicles over loose fastener

    Rivian recalling nearly all its vehicles over loose fastener

    IRVINE, Calif. — Electric truck and SUV maker Rivian Automotive said Friday it is recalling almost all the vehicles it has delivered to customers in order to tighten a loose fastener that could potentially affect drivers’ ability to steer.

    The company, which was founded in 2009, said it is recalling about 13,000 vehicles because a fastener connecting the vehicles’ front upper-control arm and steering knuckle may not be torqued enough.

    There have been seven reports potentially related to the issue, but no injuries have been reported, Rivian said.

    “If you experience excessive noise, vibration or harshness from the front suspension, or a change in steering performance or feel, you should call immediately,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wrote in a letter to vehicle owners.

    The company based in Irvine, California, said the fix would only take a few minutes, and it expects to have finished the repairs on all of them in about 30 days, with customer collaboration.

    Rivian is aiming to take advantage of a growing appetite among consumers and investors for electric vehicles. It is among a long line of companies, both new and old, trying to peel away market share from Tesla.

    It went public last year, and its market value quickly soared past that of Ford and General Motors to become the second-most valuable U.S. automaker behind Tesla. But that is no longer the case: The company’s stock is down 67% so far this year.

    Last month, Rivian said it was partnering with Mercedes-Benz to build a factory in Europe that will produce electric vans for both companies.

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  • Rivian recalling nearly all its vehicles over loose fastener

    Rivian recalling nearly all its vehicles over loose fastener

    IRVINE, Calif. — Electric truck and SUV maker Rivian Automotive said Friday it is recalling almost all the vehicles it has delivered to customers in order to tighten a loose fastener that could potentially affect drivers’ ability to steer.

    The company, which was founded in 2009, said it is recalling about 13,000 vehicles because a fastener connecting the vehicles’ front upper-control arm and steering knuckle may not be torqued enough.

    There have been seven reports potentially related to the issue, but no injuries have been reported, Rivian said.

    “If you experience excessive noise, vibration or harshness from the front suspension, or a change in steering performance or feel, you should call immediately,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wrote in a letter to vehicle owners.

    The company based in Irvine, California, said the fix would only take a few minutes, and it expects to have finished the repairs on all of them in about 30 days, with customer collaboration.

    Rivian is aiming to take advantage of a growing appetite among consumers and investors for electric vehicles. It is among a long line of companies, both new and old, trying to peel away market share from Tesla.

    It went public last year, and its market value quickly soared past that of Ford and General Motors to become the second-most valuable U.S. automaker behind Tesla. But that is no longer the case: The company’s stock is down 67% so far this year.

    Last month, Rivian said it was partnering with Mercedes-Benz to build a factory in Europe that will produce electric vans for both companies.

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