During his official visit in Slovakia, Pope Francesco travelled on the electric SUV EnyaQ iV by Skoda, purposely modified. Among the modifications, there are the rear windows with transparent glasses, and not darkened, to allow faithful people to see him, the supports for the Vatican flag and the official logo of the papal visit on the housings of the outer mirrors and a further handle in addition to the standard equipment to make getting in and out more comfortable.
Waiting for seeing the new full-electric Papamobile (that will be manufactured by Fisker), Pope Francesco has already started the transition towards a zero-emission hyper-technological mobility. As witnessed by the choice of using two EnyaQ iV, Skoda electric SUV, for the official visit in Slovakia to which he is committed precisely in these days.
Skoda manufacturer has intended to enhance the technological interaction at the service of the Pontiff: they have created a specific website that allows faithful people to send greetings that Pope Francesco can directly read on board.
After the Slovak experience in electric, there are high expectations for seeing what will become the new full electric Papamobile. To discover it, we have to wait until 2022: Fisker is at work on a new fully-electric version of Ocean SUV, equipped with a large modern dome fully made of glass to allow Francesco to greet faithfuls. Autonomy will be 480 km and the overall power of 300 HP, due to the use of two electric motors, one for each axis.
In electric … also the Pope
Electric and solar technology in Utrecht
The Dutch city of Utrecht has turned into a virtuous place that can demonstrate how much the electric car sharing can be a winning choice. In this scenario, Munich-based mobility provider Sono Motors signed a cooperation agreement for a large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project in the city with We Drive Solar. Sono Motors will provide 100 Sion and thereby support the city in its goal of becoming the first metropolitan ecosystem to combine bidirectional charging and car sharing. Sono Motors’ Sion is pioneer for being solar electric vehicle (SEV) for the masses, enables V2G use-cases through its 54-kWh battery, unique solar technology, and the bidirectional charging system.
The region of Utrecht is to connect local energy generation via electric vehicles’ smart charging capabilities, the first project of this scale in the world, with 500 bidirectional charging stations available to the public. On top of the energy produced via the integrated solar panels, all Sion will be charged using sustainable energy and will also be able to deliver excess energy back into the grid.
«This is – said Christians, Sono Motors’ CEO and co-founder – the perfect project for Sono Motors to further our vision of a world free from fossil fuels as it is a clear demonstration that electric vehicles can support the transition of the energy sector as a whole. We are proud that the technology we develop is able to facilitate such a ground-breaking project, focusing on clean urban living, smart charging and shared mobility».
As part of the city-wide bidirectional charging and car sharing fleet it is planned that 100 Sion will be reserved by We Drive Solar. The aim is to develop this project on a larger scale in further cities and businesses in the Netherlands and other European countries.
XPENG flying car is incoming
XPENG, the manufacturer of smart electric vehicles, has recently revealed its forefront range, including its most futuristic innovation: XPENG X2 flying car.
Not released on the market, yet, it represents the fifth and last generation of flying cars, developed in collaboration with HT Aero. The car is provided with numerous hi-tech fixtures, such as the radar detection of distances, system of sensors to avoid obstacles and a parachute. It measures 4.97 metres of length, 4.78 metres of width and 1.36 metres of height and its arms can be folded, reducing the overall length to 4.79 metres and the width to 1.95 metres, while the propellers’ diameter is about 1.83 metres. With a structure fully made of carbon fibre, this flying car weighs 560 kilos, with a maximum weight at the take-off of 760 kilos. It will be able to fly for about 35 minutes at a cruise speed of 130 kilometres at a height of 1000 metres.
A brief presentation of the company headquartered at Guangzhou, in China: XPENG is strongly committed to the in-house research and development and to the smart production. More than 50% of its over 11,000 employees work in areas connected with research and development. To optimize its customers’ mobility, XPENG develops its complete technology XPILOT (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and the on-board smart operating system (Xmart OS), as well as all base systems of the vehicle, including the powerplant and the electrification/electronic architecture.
Hydrofoil makes electric fly
What do we mean with hydrofoil? We define hydrofoil a lifting surface – also called foil – that operates in water. The hydrofoil look, in fact, is very similar to aircraft airfoils. The physical operation is similar as well and it is subjected to fluid-dynamics and hydrodynamics laws. When the speed of the means on which it is mounted increases, the hydrofoil generates a thrust that is equal to the means’ weight – generally a boat but it is used on surfs or kites, too – pushing the hull out of water, in this way notably decreasing friction and then enabling higher speed. The advantage? More efficiency and a decrease of the fuel use, even up to 35% for motors; concerning surfs or kites, the possibility of reaching high speeds even with low waves or moderate winds.
Today the electric is trying to make its way also in the yachting sector but making fast electric boats is very difficult. To overcome the water friction, conventional hulls need enormous batteries to reach higher speeds. However, this increases their weight and cost, without anyway rising their speed proportionally, then standard electric boats have much lower autonomy than fossil-fuel competitors. For this reason, the Swedish electric Candela C-7 speedboat has been equipped with a hydrofoil and now it “imitates aircrafts to fly above the water”, reducing friction and finally permitting long electric autonomy at sea. This makes Candela C-7 the first electric boat in the world that combines long-range autonomy and high speed. The 6-passenger daycruiser flies above waves at a speed of 30 knots, using very little energy from its 40-kWh battery.
Hydrofoil is the secret of its efficiency indeed. The two-winged hydrofoil, combined with state-of-the-art computers, software and sensors, at speeds exceeding 14 knots, supplies a sufficient lift to lift the hull above the water, reducing the water friction by 80%. This allows an autonomy of 50 nautical miles at 22 knots, which is three-time higher than any other fast electric boat on the market.
If you combine the hydrofoil technology with state-of-the-art computerized control technologies, then the result is even more astonishing. In Candela C-7, for instance, the hydrofoil is adjusted by a computer resembling flight controllers used in modern fighter aircrafts. Hydrofoils are automatically regulated 100 times per second to assure stability. The result is an extremely smooth and completely silent ride, even in presence of wind and waves. Due to the efficiency of foils and to the aerodynamic electric propulsion unit, the operation cost of a C-7 is 95%-lower than a conventional fossil-fuel boat. At a cruise speed of 20 knots, the energy consumption per nautical mile is just 0.8 kWh, the equivalent of 0.2 litres of petrol. Hydrofoil is really a technology that can make the electric pleasure boating competitive.
Renault, beyond innovation frontiers
Renault Group continues its electric race and it accelerates the strategy by proposing competitive, sustainable and popular electric vehicles, with the target of releasing the greenest mix in the European market in 2025 and 100% electrical vehicles in 2030. «What we announce today – stated Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group during the recent Renault eWays event- is a historical acceleration of Renault Group’s and of ‘made in Europe electric strategy. Renault ElectriCity is a compact electric eco-system, able to offer efficiency and high technology in northern France, but also a mega factory dedicated to electric motors in Normandy. We will train, we will invest and will establish partnerships with renowned, but also rising, players, each in the forefront of its competence sector».
Ten new electric models will be released on the market and up to one million electric vehicles will be produced by 2030, from urban cars at competitive prices up to high-end sports models. Moreover, the Group will cover 100% of future releases of its electric vehicles, in all segments, availing itself of NMC (Nickel, Manganese and Cobalt) chemistry and of a standard-cell architecture, which will allow it to implement up to one million of electric vehicles. Going into technological details, Renault will progressively integrate new technological ameliorations starting from 2024 on its wound-rotor synchronous motor: fork stator, glued motor stack, hollow shaft and brushless rotor, to decrease costs and to improve the motor efficiency. Moreover, the Group will be pioneer with an electric axial-flux motor on a broad scale starting from 2025 and it is working also on a more compact powertrain, renowned as “all-in-one” system, which houses electric motor, reducer and power electronics in a single unit.
Mercedes Benz, the fully electric is close
The automotive brands that announce their complete conversion towards electric are increasing. Among the latest news, there is also the one concerning Mercedes-Benz player that will complete this course by the end of the decade, where market conditions will allow it.
Within 2022, Mercedes-Benz will rely on battery electric vehicles (BEV) in all segments where it operates. Since 2025 onwards, all new vehicle architectures will be exclusively electric and customers will have the opportunity of choosing a fully electric alternative for each model offered by the company.
«The transition towards electric vehicles – declared Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG – is speeding up, especially in the luxury segment, to which Mercedes-Benz belongs. The turning point is getting close and we will be ready when markets will shift to the fully electric by the end of this decade. This step marks a deep reallocation of the capital. Managing this accelerated transformation and safeguarding our profitability targets, we will assure the durable success of Mercedes-Benz. Due to our highly skilled and motivated manpower, I believe that we will be successful in this new exciting era».
After reorganizing its powertrain activities to manage the planning, the development, the purchase and the production under the same roof, Mercedes-Benz will deepen the level of vertical integration in manufacturing and development and will achieve the electric transmission technology. This shift includes the takeover of YASA electric motor company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Moreover, Mercedes-Benz will need a battery capacity of over 200-Giga-watts hour and plans to create eight Giga-factories for the production of cells, together with its partners worldwide.
Geely, new brand into premium electric segment
The brand for the Chinese mass market Geely Auto has recently announced the formation of a new company, Zeekr Company Limited, a new electric mobility technology and solutions company based in China that will serve growing global demand for premium electric vehicles.
The first Zeekr vehicles are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2021, with production being undertaken by parent company Geely Holding under a light asset strategy.
Zeekr aims at delivering a new electric vehicle to market each year in the coming five years.
Zeekr will create a new ecosystem that is focused on the full integration of the end user into a new super ecosystem focusing on the full service of end user requirements with an innovation as standard approach in terms of sales and servicing.
The Chinese name of Zeekr has been confirmed as Ji Ke.
Zeekr will become the latest electrification initiative within the wider Geely Holding Group, in which other companies such as Volvo have recently announced ambitious zero-emission strategies.
Other electrified vehicle brands within Geely Holding, including Lynk & Co, Polestar, LEVC, Geometry and Lotus Cars are also continuing to expand in different market segments, providing consumers with a wide range of electrified products and unique business offerings.
The new Hypercar Fulminea will have 4 electric motors
Automobili Estrema has recently revealed the details of its fully made in Italy electric hypercar that will be available starting from the second half of 2023: 61 cars in all at the cost of 2 million Euros each.
Its name is absolutely self-explanatory: Fulminea, which will be able to deliver the super-power of 1.5 MW, therefore over 2,000 HP and to sprint from 0 to 320 km/h in less than 10 seconds.
The battery pack has a capacity of 100 kWh and the autonomy expected according to the WLTP cycle is 520 km.
«Automobili Estrema – Gianfranco Pizzuto, founder and Ceo of the brand, explained – is a reality established around one year ago in Modena, where the factory is under construction, and in Turin, where our design and modelling teams work. Our challenge is entering the Italian electric mobility world as absolute protagonists and we start doing that by presenting Fulminea, a vehicle with all the characteristics of a racing car: high performances, forefront technologies and premium materials like carbon, but with a full electric state-of-the-art propulsion, unique in the world. Fulminea is meant as a new made in Italy, made in Modena excellence, where engineering and assembling phases are performed, and made in Turin, city where, thanks to the collaboration with studio Epta Design, Ucif Modelli and Est Mobile the styling and the modelling of our hypercar have been implemented».
The Horse towards the e-mobility: here is Ferrari 296 GTB
When Ferrari automotive company speaks of novelty, the world’s spotlights are cast on the Horse logo. This time, Ferrari 296 GTB is at stake, able to match a new V6 twin-turbo 2.9 with 663 HP with 167 HP electric motor with rechargeable battery.
The great novelty resides in the technological setup: a return to six-cylinder V-shaped architecture given up at the end of 1973 and powertrain with plug-in hybrid system that releases 830 HP.
MGU-K 167 HP electric unit is powered by 7.45 kWh battery positioned in the bottom part of the car. An actuator (TMA-Transition Manager Actuator) allows the management of the powertrain that, therefore, permits to use the entire electric-thermal group to achieve the highest power. Concerning instead the zero-emission performance, the travel autonomy is 25 km.
Regarding performances, the announced ones of Ferrari 296 GTB highlight over 330 km/h for the top speed, 2”9 for the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h and 7”3 for acceleration to 200 km/h from standing start. Record specific power: 221 HP/l.
One thousand engagements in Motor Valley thanks to Faw supercar
After an investment worth one billion, the Chinese Faw, in joint venture with the Americans of Silk EV, will give birth to Hongq S9, the electric supercar designed by Walter de Silva.
Made in Emilia, precisely in Reggio Emilia, this luxury production will enable 1,000 new employments in the Motor Valley.
An outstanding industrial challenge that consistently focuses on the construction of the new manufacturing plant of the electric supercar on an area taking up 300,000 square metres, close to the motorway and the high-speed station.
Everything will be accomplished at the beginning of 2023, but already today the establishment in Emilia of Silk-Faw production pole represents a precious opportunity to attract new talents and new competences.