It is called Thermo KingĀ®, it stems from Trane Technologies and ranks among the first in Europe that have achieved the ISO certification as zero carbon emission line. We are speaking of the system of refrigerated trailers that matches fully electric refrigeration unit and highly efficient battery energy storage for the reliable and sustainable transport of foods and medicines. The sustainable battery allows the refrigerating unit to operate autonomously and to keep the load at the optimal temperature, even with the vehicle off; on the other hand, the transport at controlled temperature is subjected to the strictest safety requisites. Thermo KingĀ® technology can guarantee the necessary temperature to delicate goods and at the same time reduce consumptions, emissions and noise. The company is committed to investing over 100 million USD in the lapse of three years to produce a fully electric equipment in each segment of the cold chain, within 2023 in EMEA area and within 2025 in Americas.
A gem: the Thermo King solution has been appointed among over 100 applications as one of the seven finalists of Solutrans Prize for innovation.
Trailers with fully electric refrigeration unit
Three electric vehicles in one are coming
Z-Triton is simultaneously a camper, a boat and a bike. It is in fact a three-wheeled amphibious electric vehicle that allows two people to travel both by road and in fresh waters, as well as to sleep in its interior.
The idea stemmed after the young designer Aigars Lauzis decided to undertake a solo cycling trip through Eurasia, stopping for 4 long stops in Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore and Shanghai.
Thus, the Latvian established the design and engineering studio āZeltiniā and through processing in 3D and various processes, in 2019 he creates the first prototype of Z-Triton, presented to the public in May 2020. Today it is possible to pre-order the vehicle (the cost is around 11,500 Euros), which will be manufactured in Valmiera and in the meantime it has found four founders ready to invest in the project. The production of the first batch of Z-Triton will start at the beginning of 2022 and deliveries will indicatively take place next summer.
Some technical data: Z-Triton is approved as three-wheeled electric vehicle, category L2e, it measures 3.9 metres of length, 1.45 of width and 1.72 of height, and it has a total weight of about 200 kg. It can navigate in fresh waters with a maximum speed of 5 km/h and autonomy of 20 km, as electric bike it reaches instead 25 km/h and can travel up to 50 km.
On the roof are installed solar panels that share in the recharge of the battery that powers the two electric motors.
The electric bus without driver is arriving in Bari
The experimentation will start in Spring 2022 in Bari and provides for the operation of a fully electric bus, without steering wheel and driver. Manufactured by the French company Navya, it features 10-hour autonomy and can carry up to fifteen people (11 sitting and 4 standing), stopping at the bus stops or in front of unforeseen obstacles and travelling the road at a maximum speed of 25 kilometres/hour.
The highway code in Italy today prohibits the circulation of vehicles without driver: in the experimentation phase in Puglia, then, they have then provided for the presence of a person who can give assistance. The vehicle has a cost of 250,000 Euros and is framed in the project of the House of Emerging Technologies, selected to obtain a funding worth about 6 million Euros.
The AutonomĀ® Shuttle Evo was explicitly designed to meet the needs of an autonomous, driverless vehicle while also optimizing navigation and safety features. With neither a steering wheel nor pedals, AutonomĀ® Shuttle Evo uses effective guidance and detection systems that combine various advanced technology types. Data from Lidar sensors, cameras, GPS RTK, IMU, and odometry is merged and interpreted by deep learning programs. AutonomĀ® Shuttle Evo moves about efficiently and makes proficient decisions
Rolls-Royce electric aircraft. Is it the fastest in the world?
The “Spirit of Innovation” has reached the speed of 623km/hour, beating the speed record for electric crafts. This happened some weeks after its debut. However, there is something more: the aircraft has also sustained the maximum speed of 555 km/hour on a travel of 3km and 202 seconds to reach the 3000 metres of altitude, then a short time indeed.
Spirit of Innovation is an old-school “tail-dragger” airplane, then steering in the rear part, and it is equipped with a propulsion battery pack extremely dense in power, with 6,480 cells that are used to power a motor featuring 400 kW (535 HP) and 750 volts.
Phill OāDell said: Ā«Flying the āSpirit of Innovationā at these incredible speeds and believing we have broken the world-record for all-electric flight is a momentous occasion. This is the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for the whole team. The opportunity to be at the forefront of another pioneering chapter of Rolls-Royceās story as we look to deliver the future of aviation is what dreams are made ofĀ».
While all three organisations share a passionate pioneering spirit, Rolls-Royce through the development process has learnt from the motorsport background of both partners and in particular the pace of start-up Electroflight. Meanwhile we have shared expertise and technology with our partners including the rigorous safety and testing methods needed by the civil aviation industry ā this combination has helped turn a concept into a world record breaker.
Gary Elliott, CEO of the Aerospace Technology Institute, said: āThe ACCEL project demonstrates that strategic investment in UK technology and innovation can achieve extraordinary world-beating results, and sets us firmly on the path to decarbonising passenger flight in the future. This achievement of Rolls-Royce, Electroflight and YASA will resonate for many years to come and inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers. They deserve their place in the record books, and the ATI is proud to have played our part in that. Congratulations to the whole team.ā
The last frontier of electrical motorboats
The ferment in the nautical world continues. The electrical Candela C-8 motorboat, successive step of the predecessor Candela 7, will be available starting from 2022. It is an 8.5 metre vessel produced in Sweden, equipped with a 100% state-of-the-art electric motor that can push the boat up to 30 nodes and can be used for 3,000 hours in all without maintenance. The electric motorboat can be recharged in two hours and has an autonomy of over 50 nautical miles. Concerning the design, the hull is made of carbon fibre and is equipped with foil, that is to say āwingsā connected with the hull that allow the boat āto flyā on water. The low cost, result of a fully industrialized manufacturing system, has already found a more than positive success on the nautical market, to the extent that many Candela C-8 units have already been ordered few months after its release.
It seems that Candela C-8 offers the same drive sensation as a race car and the Flight Controller uses different types of sensors to measure the position, the speed and the acceleration of the boat in six degrees of freedom to create a precise and stable navigation experience.
Candela C-8 electric motorboat can be recharged in two hours and has an autonomy of over 50 nautical miles per charge, travelling at 24 nodes (cruise speed). The autonomy reached exceeds by about four times the electric boats currently on the market.
Candela C-8 hull is made of 100% carbon fibre, which significantly allows decreasing the weight compared to similar boats, besides being resistant and performing.
Millions incoming for the English start-up of electric
Electric and hydrogen truck pioneer Tevva has announced that it has successfully raised US$57 millions by way of an oversubscribed private placement from new and existing investors to fit out its brand-new London based production facility and rapidly scale up manufacturing.
The new funds, which have led to 90 million dollars collected overall, will in fact allow Tevva start-up to introduce its electric trucks on the market by the end of 2022.
The fundraise swiftly follows the launch of the new Tevva Truck, the Companyās first 7.5-tonne electric truck designed for mass production, the first British designed 7.5-tonne electric truck with hydrogen range extender intended for mass production in the UK.
The Company intends to produce 3,000 trucks per annum by 2023, creating up to 1,000 skilled jobs and propelling Britainās electric truck revolution.
The global electric truck market is expected to grow from $1.15 billion in 2020 to $14.19 billion by 2027. By removing typical barriers to commercial electric vehicle adoption, such as affordability and range, Tevva will play an enabling role in helping global economies meet ambitious policy goals.
Ā«We are thrilled ā said Asher Bennett, Founder and CEO of Tevva – to have received this latest investment and excited to kick off production of our pioneering electric truck in London. Following hot on the heels of COP26, this funding represents a rapid response to the latest targets and commitments. Mass production of our third-generation truck will help fleet operators take tangible action without compromising the economics of their business and, we believe, can enable ambitious government targets to be met ahead of scheduleĀ».
Here is Carcopter drone taxi
For the Urban Air Mobility Carcopter drone taxi has been recently presented, with patent pending by the two Italian designers Zona Engineering and TopView. The companies have devised it to move comfortably in the city traffic and to be easily parked: its sizes slightly exceeding 4 metres can in fact be compared to a family car.
The technological and commercial prospects of these innovative electric crafts, which soon will be used in our cities, are very interesting: unlike other solutions for UAM, Carcopter is a hybrid vehicle. It can, in fact, travel urban roads, thanks to an integrated endothermic motor, and fly by means of 6 electric rotors powered by batteries.
The endothermic motor recharges the batteries of rotors while travelling on roads and is deactivated at the take-off time.
In the future, air taxis will need dedicated spaces in cities for safe take-off and landing. By using Carcopter, users will easily reach the take-off area on road like a standard vehicle. Once converted into craft, Carcopter can host 3 passengers, included the pilot.
The concept, detailed in each of its mechanical and electric parts, is now ready for the prototyping phase.
The electric Chinese SUV with 1,000 km of autonomy
The manufacturer is GAC and the model is called GAC Aion LX PLUS. We are speaking of the new electric SUV recently presented in China: a super-performing vehicle, able to reach 1,008 km of autonomy on NEDC cycle, due to a giant 144,4 kWh battery pack, with energy density of 205 Wh/kg. The declared datum refers to Nedc homologation standard, then realistically a mileage of about 850/900 km is expected.
Moreover, due to the columns featuring 480 kW of power recently installed in China, and to the new high-density graphene batteries that GAC has used for this new model, you can recharge the car in very short times: it takes just 8 minutes to bring the car from 0 to 80%, so succeeding in travelling 500 km with 5 minutes of recharge.
GAC will propose the new Aion LX in different versions according to the wished autonomy: we start from 500 kilometres and we reach 1000.
World preview for Volkswagen
Suitable for long travels, the electric SUV coupe ID.5 is based on MEB architecture.
The Volkswagen model belongs to a fully new generation of cars, which provides for the ID.5 version with rear drive and power of 128 kW (174 HP) or 150 kW (204 HP and the ID.5 GTX version with all-wheel drive featuring 200 kW (299 HP).
With an original design resulting in elegant and expressive effect, ID.5 offers a generous fully new fitness for habitation, besides innovative control solutions, Human-Machine Interface (HMI), infotainment and assistance systems. ID.5 is fully connected in net and compatible with the standard for the update and the upgrade over-the-air (OTA).
All-electric F-100 Eluminator concept
Good news for DIY enthusiasts who intend to drive an electric vehicle: Ford has released the EV Eluminator e-crate electric motor that costs 3,900 dollars and that might prove to be a key element in retrofit ambit. The motor debut occurred on a pickup F-100 dated1978: it was exported the original V8 motor featuring 302 cubic inches and the transmission to integrate two Ford Eluminator e-crate motors.
Based on a heritage 1978 F-100 pickup, the F-100 Eluminator concept features all-wheel drive via two powerful electric motors shared with the 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition.
Two electric traction motors drive the front and rear wheels, packing a powerful 480 horsepower and 634 lb.-ft. of torque. Eluminator, the first e-crate motor from Ford Performance Parts, is based on the Mustang Mach-E GTās traction motor.
Ā«Ford owners have personalized, customized and enhanced their vehicles since the beginning ā from changing looks to bringing the powerĀ» – said Eric Cin, global director, Vehicle Personalization, Accessories and Licensing. – Our F-100 Eluminator concept is a preview of how weāre supporting customers as they go all-electric and embrace zero-tailpipe emissions performance, even for our heritage vehiclesĀ».
Ford has decided using two motors, each featuring 281 HP and 317 Nm of torque, providing the standard F-100 with a combined power of 480 horses and 634 Nm of torque and has chosen an 88 Kw battery system. The e-crate Eluminator still needs an inverter, battery cells, power supply controls and other to be fully operational, towards this direction Ford soon will add more parts and accessories for electric vehicles to Ford Performance catalogue, offering a broad range of options to customers.