Scooter Doll

Lordstown Motors recently entered its electric Endurance pickup truck in the SCORE San Felipe 250 race, only to have to drop out after stage one. Although the Endurance truck and its components withstood the elements, the Lordstown team admitted its pre-race estimates for energy consumption were wrong, and the EV prototype would likely not make it through stage two.

Our latest EV spotlight shines on Phoenix Motorcars. The Ontario, California-based automaker provides fleet mobility solutions to a quickly growing sector for electrification – light- and medium-duty commercial vehicles. This lineup currently includes trucks, shuttles, and school buses, but with recent partnerships with companies in solar and autonomous technology, Phoenix Motorcars is one to watch.

Manufacturers Lightning eMotors and REV Group Inc. have announced they are teaming up to develop fully-electric ambulances along with Leader Emergency Vehicles, a subsidiary of REV. When complete later this year, the electric ambulances will be available to government agencies, municipalities, commercial operators, hospitals, and non-profit organizations.

CaaS provider AMPLY Power announced today that it is partnering with Unique Electric Solutions (UES) to equip school buses and trucks with electrification, charging services, and vehicle-to-grid capabilities. AMPLY Power will oversee the collaboration that also includes Rhombus Energy Solutions with vehicles provided by Logan Bus Company.

Volkswagen Group has announced it is significantly expanding its production of battery systems at its components plant in Braunschweig. The expansion will double the plant’s output and, when fully ramped up, will be able to produce 500,000 MEB battery systems per year. Additionally, the plant will also be able to produce an additional 100,000 battery systems for non-MEB platform models, including some hybrids.

In a recent press release, Group14 Technologies announced its first commercial-scale US manufacturing facility. The 27,000-square foot space in Woodinville, Washington, will help meet the growing demand for the manufacturer’s energy dense lithium-silicon anode materials.

Software systems developer Apex.AI has announced a partnership with Woven Planet under Toyota to help develop and deploy a production-ready autonomy stack. Woven Planet will use Apex.OS for Arene, Toyota’s vehicle development platform to enable modern software development tools and best practices in the automotive industry.

Mazda announced that its first-ever EV, the MX-30 crossover SUV, will be making its way to the US this fall. Beginning with dealerships in California, the battery-powered SUV will kick off an electrified fleet from Mazda that will also include a PHEV version of the MX-30 with a rotary generator. Previously, the all-electric MX-30 was exclusively available in Europe alone.

Welcome back to another EVS. We hope you haven’t missed us too terribly. Our spotlight this go-around is on Sono Motors based out of Germany. This EV startup has developed a solar electric vehicle (SEV) called the Sion that can add up to an additional 150 miles of range per week by harnessing the power of the sun. In addition to SEVs, Sono Motors has built its entire company around clean mobility, sustainability, and affordability.

REE Automotive has announced a “strategic collaboration” with Magna International, which will allow both companies to explore the possibilities of fully modular electric vehicles (MEVs) and bring them to market. According to a press release, these MEVs will be based around the REEcorner technology and will don a “Powered by REE” brand.

EV charging solutions company XL Fleet announced a partnership with UBS Arena and the New York Islanders that could create one of the largest EV charging sites in the US. The partnership will allow XL Fleet to install up to 1,000 charging stations at UBS Arena’s 43-acre site, which is the future home of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders.

An executive for Cadillac revealed the Lyriq today and announced that prototypes of the Lyriq had begun hitting roads. The Lyriq will be the first all-electric SUV to debut for the Cadillac brand, and these prototypes are one step closer to its full production next year.

MG has revealed first images of its Cyberster electric concept vehicle before its debut at the 2021 Shanghai Motor Show this month. The two-seater sports car was developed by the MG Advanced Design Centre in London and was designed as a futuristic homage to the brand’s classic MGB Roadster.

Today, Lordstown Motors rolled the first two Beta versions of its Endurance electric pickup truck off its manufacturing line. These two Betas are the first of 57 planned in total for Lordstown, as it gears up for mass production of the Endurance this fall.

Lucid Motors has yet to offer a more specific timeline of when customers might see first deliveries of its flagship Air sedan. Despite some frustration, or perhaps impatience is a better word, the anticipation around the Lucid Air continues to swell. To stay on the top of people’s minds (and your home page), Lucid has released another behind-the-scenes look at its AMP-1 facility in Casa Grande, Arizona.

The “long-term” partnership announced today is between Volvo Autonomous Solutions and self-driving startup Aurora. The two plan to jointly develop globally-leading autonomous transport solutions at scale, beginning with North America.

In a recent press release, Optimus Ride announced a partnership with Polaris to manufacture custom-designed GEM vehicles. Under the joint agreement, an exclusive line of Polaris GEM electric low-speed vehicles (LSVs) will be re-engineered to integrate Optimus Ride’s autonomous software and hardware suite direct from the factory.

This week’s EV spotlight is on an automotive manufacturer that is by no means up and coming. Magna International has over 60 years of experience manufacturing auto parts. However, it is the company’s recent focus on electric mobility solutions and AI that has earned it an Electrek spotlight.

In a lawsuit filed in Cook County Court, Illinois, Rivian and Lucid Motors are being sued for their direct-to-consumer business model. The suit also lists Illinois secretary of state Jesse White as a defendant. It claims his office “has abandoned its enforcement role.”

Consumer electronics company Xiaomi Communications Co. appears to be the latest manufacturer entering the electric mobility race. The Beijing-based company is reportedly making plans to create Xiaomi brand EVs. The company will utilize a Chinese manufacturing facility owned by Great Wall Motor.

In a Tweet over the weekend, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe shared images of his family camping in an R1T. From the images, you can clearly see a yellow rooftop tent donning both the Rivian and Yakima logos. The photos confirm at least one Rivian accessory in a partnership with the leading rack manufacturer, Yakima.

Chinese EV manufacturer NIO announced it will halt production at its JAC-NIO facility for five working days. The facility in Hefei, the capital of the Anhui Province, will suspend vehicle production beginning Monday, March 29. NIO has now become the next victim of a continuing global semiconductor shortage.

Electrified powertrain manufacturer Cummins has delivered what it is calling the first fully operational vehicle-to-grid (V2G) school buses. Even though Lion Electric started testing the same V2G tech years ago. These buses are manufactured by Blue Bird and powered by Cummins to include DC fast charging and V2G capabilities. The two electric school buses are operational in school districts in Peoria, Illinois, about 2.5 hours south of Chicago.

US energy company Con Edison has announced the development of the country’s first fully electric bucket truck. Its partnership with manufacturers Lion Electric and Posi-Plus will deliver the zero emission utility vehicle truck next year. The bucket truck is a recognizable symbol of electric work. It is now the latest heavy-duty utility vehicle to see an electrified revamp.