Three electric trucks will be built in Ghent – the Volvo FH, the Volvo FM and the Volvo FMX Electric. Each can be customized to suit a range of different requirements and can operate at a total weight of 44 metric tons.

The Ghent factory has an estimated annual production capacity of 45,000 trucks; the electric trucks will be assembled on the same platform and line as their diesel and petrol equivalents. The battery packs come from the OEM’s recently opened battery assembly plant in Ghent located next to the production line.

To date, Volvo Trucks has received orders for approximately 6,000 electric trucks in 42 countries.

“Just a few years ago, many thought it was impossible to electrify heavy truck transport,” said Roger Alm, president, Volvo Trucks. “But we decided early on that electrification is our main path to zero emissions. Now we can offer an industry-leading range of purpose-built electric trucks, in commercial operation all around the world.

“However, for the big electric shift to happen, governments need to act now and offer incentive programs for those who invest in the new technology, increase capacity in the power grid and also introduce CO2  taxes, to make sustainable transport more competitive.”

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It is anticipated that the dispensers will be the industry’s first HD-ready solutions in the field, delivering high flow refueling for heavy-duty vehicles. Voltera – a provider of infrastructure required to support the full decarbonization of transportation – will conduct the build-out in partnership with Nikola.

Due to the advantages that hydrogen fuel cell technology offers for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, such as the rapid refueling time, lower weight and greater energy efficiency, an array of global OEMs are currently producing hydrogen FCEVs. A total of 130 FCEV models are estimated to be assembled in 2023.

“The landscape of commercial transportation is shifting with Nikola’s hydrogen-powered trucks paving the way to a sustainable future,” said Ryan McGeachie, executive leader of energy, Nikola. “With our cutting-edge technology harnessing a robust hydrogen network, innovation meets environmental responsibility, setting new standards for the transportation industry.”

“This collaboration with Nikola intends to underscore ANGI’s breadth and capabilities across the multi-energy landscape in support of decarbonization,” added Joel van Rensburg, president of alternative fuels, ANGI. “As a leader in alternative fuels, ANGI remains at the forefront of rapid technological changes delivering innovative, accessible and safe solutions to meet our customers’ evolving energy needs in compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas and now hydrogen.”

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The Emeya’s fast-charging enables 150km of range to be added in approximately five minutes when using a 350kW DC fast charger. Within 18 minutes, up to 80% battery charge can be achieved.

For additional driving performance, Lotus has designed the Emeya with an advanced and active aerodynamic package, consisting of an active front grille, rear diffuser and rear spoiler to improve vehicle stability. Road handling is enhanced further with an electronically controlled air suspension system, with onboard sensors measuring the road surface 1,000 times a second to optimize handling and comfort.

“Bringing together our rich heritage with intelligent performance and the latest cutting-edge technologies, we’re pushing the boundaries for how a luxury electric vehicle should look and handle – making it truly for the drivers,” commented Feng Qingfeng, CEO, Lotus Group.

“This is a Lotus like you have never seen before,” added Ben Payne, vice president of design, Lotus Group. “We’ve built on everything Lotus has achieved so far to create a luxury performance car for the drivers, designed to inspire confidence, exhilarate with raw emotion and pure joy – connecting them to the road.”

Production of the Emeya is expected to begin in 2024, before it joins the Lotus electric vehicle line-up as one of the OEM’s flagship models.

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With 420,000 cars and 1.9 million engines produced in Hungary annually, GKN made decided to invest in the region to enable vehicle OEMs to benefit from a nearby Tier 1 supplier.

the site will come online in October and will manufacture sideshafts, with approximately 230,000 units to be built between October and December. The new facility features a production and logistics hall, office building, and an engineering center with testing facilities.

The plant joins GKN Automotive’s existing network of production sites in the region, including Oleśnica in Poland and Zreče in Slovenia. Further down the line, these facilities will also be used to support the ever-growing demand for e-drive systems and components.

“We’re delighted to be opening our new manufacturing facility in Hungary, which has become a key location for many of our customers,” said Markus Bannert, CEO, GKN Automotive. “Once production begins in October, this site will be strategically important in delivering our market-leading sideshafts, for which there is growing demand.” 

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A memorandum of understanding signed in May 2023 established LGES as the partner for Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America’s (HMGMA) on-site battery cell manufacturing JV. The facility represents an investment of US$7.59bn.

The Metaplant has a 30GWh capacity and can support the production of 300,000 EVs each year when fully operational. Cells produced at the plant will be used by Hyundai Mobis to make battery packs that will be supplied to the Hyundai Motor Group’s US vehicle production sites for use within Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs.

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The 599ps 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine has been significantly reworked, and when combined with the 130kW electric motor, the powertrain outputs a maximum of 544kW/739ps and a peak torque figure of 950Nm. As a result, the new Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid can complete 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds, before going on to reach a top speed of 295km/h. Alternatively, customers can choose from the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupé with a GT Package – consisting of a roof spoiler with carbon-fiber side plates, a carbon-fiber roof and rear diffuser (among other details) – to complete the 100km/h sprint in 3.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 305km/h.

To provide users with enhanced electric range and reduced charging times, the latest Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid now benefits from an increased capacity of 25.9kWh, enabling the high-voltage battery to deliver an all-electric range of up to 82km. Additionally, Porsche has equipped the SUV with a new 11kW onboard charger to enable the vehicle to be charged in under 2.5 hours using a compatible wall charger or charging station.

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The new facility will manufacture Zepp’s Y50 and X150 fully integrated hydrogen fuel cell modules, which transform hydrogen gas into usable high-voltage electric power for a range of vehicles and vessel types. The company’s technology is currently being used in a Terberg yard tractor, a Rotterdam WaterTaxi and an inland shipping vessel. A pair of semi-trucks equipped with the fuel cell systems will begin operation later in 2023.

Following the construction of the factory, Zepp.solutions will be capable of producing 1,000 fuel cell systems each year. Many of the X150 systems will be used within the company’s upcoming Europa trucks.

The construction project is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, in addition to the municipalities in the Greater Rijnmond area. Through the project, Zepp.solutions seeks to accelerate a transition toward the adoption of sustainable technologies within the transportation industry.

For more facility development news, click here

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Due to the complexity of electrical architectures in LEVs, the duo’s VCU will be responsible for managing a multitude of vehicle control functions, including how much electrical energy is supplied to the traction motors, managing the health of batteries and optimizing charging.

Saietta VNA – a JV between the Saietta Group and Padmini VNA – is scheduled to produce the VCU in India, with the first units to be delivered as part of complete e-drive solutions to a large India-based LEV manufacturer.

An e-drive supply arrangement – announced on December 6, 2022 – will result in 80,000 complete systems being produced and delivered over the first five years of the agreement. Initial deliveries are scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2023.

Thanks to its collaboration with HCLTech, Saietta will be able to undertake the end-to-end development of a scalable, modular, safe and secure VCU architecture for LEVs.

“As with all elements of our leading-edge e-drive solutions, the VCU is designed to be cost-effective for Asia and is highly modular,” explained Tony Gott, executive chairman and interim chief executive officer of the Saietta Group. “This allows our engineers to tailor the functionality precisely to a customer’s requirements and thereby deliver a competitive edge.”

Gott added, “Saietta seeks to work with the very best partners who have a proven track record of delivering insightful innovation at the required scale, on time, on cost and on quality, and we view HCLTech clearly as such an industry leader. We are honored to work alongside them and look forward to evolving this relationship and together helping clean up the air in mega-cities globally.”

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Horiba Mira was tasked with testing the x-by-wire vehicle control system by modeling several certification requirements set out by the FMVSS. REE plans to fully certify its P7-C chassis cab and P7-S stripped chassis platforms to meet the requirements of FMVSS, CARB and EPA by the end of 2023. The P7-C and P7-S will both be powered by the REEcorner full by-wire system for steering, braking and drive control.

“FMVSS certification of our core by-wire system is feasible based on the tests we have conducted in the past several months,” explained Ahishay Sardes, co-founder and CTO of REE. “This milestone is important as we set out to be the first to certify a fully by-wire system. Now that we have confirmed feasibility, the most novel step of this process is behind us and we are confident that our P7 will pass the design-agnostic and performance-based FMVSS certification process.”

REE’s feasibility tests were undertaken by Horiba Mira’s engineers and drivers at the latter’s testing grounds in Coventry, UK.

For more testing news, please click here.

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The IPG5-x is designed to work with a range of motors and transmissions. The ‘x’ in the name denotes a product developed for collaboration between McLaren Applied and Tier 1s and OEMs seeking to bring electric drive units to the market more quickly and at a more competitive price.

At present, McLaren Applied is working with Tremec – a supplier of transmissions – to develop an electric drive unit for the company’s first customer vehicle application.

“In our discussions with customers and partners, it’s become clear that OEMs are increasingly looking for the option to source integrated EDUs that save space and cost and speed up development time,” commented Paolo Bargiacchi, head of product at McLaren Applied. “We’ve developed the IPG5-x to be highly flexible, so it’s ready to be integrated within any combination of motor and transmission. It carries over all of our standalone IPG5’s qualities – peak efficiencies over 99%, continuously variable switching and fine motor control – building on the maturity of that product.”

McLaren Applied claims that the IPG5-x delivers best-in-class fine motor control and high efficiency through continuously variable switching frequencies.

“The immediate focus must be on achieving greater drivetrain efficiency and cost reduction, which you can do through a product like IPG5-x,” added Bargiacchi. “The competitive landscape is ramping up significantly now that all manufacturers have established their product entry points.

“Models based on dedicated 800V SiC architectures are leading the way, driving a virtuous cycle: an efficient drivetrain inherently has a smaller battery, which makes the vehicle cheaper, lighter and easier to control, and offers a smaller embedded and operating carbon footprint. It also increases range and speeds up charge times, building trust in the technology.”

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