In news today:
- Ford to acquire Electriphi
- Valeo and Navya to deepening their technological and industrial collaboration
- Audi working on a vision of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
- General Motors and Liebherr-Aerospace join forces on hydrogen fuel cell generation
- Bosch enters into a long-term supply agreement with Cellcentric
- Electrify America enters into an agreement with Mercedes-Benz USA
- Continental constructing new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Texas
- Wabtec and GM to commercialize Ultium battery technology
- Woven capital invests in Ridecell
- Lincoln plans to electrify its entire portfolio of vehicles by 2030
Ford to acquire Electriphi
Ford is acquiring Electriphi, a California-based provider of charging management and fleet monitoring software for electric vehicles. The automaker plans to integrate Electriphi’s capabilities with Ford Pro services to develop an advanced charging and energy management experiences for commercial customers.
Electriphi acquisition will accelerate electric vehicle fleet adoption by offering commercial customers depot charging management together with vehicles like F-150 Lightning Pro and E-Transit van. The acquisition is part of Ford’s plan to invest more than $30 billion by 2025 to lead the electrification revolution for commercial and retail customers.
Valeo and Navya to deepening their technological and industrial collaboration
Valeo and Navya are deepening their technological and industrial collaboration in the field of autonomous shuttles. The companies aim to ramp up the Research and Development program to build level 4 autonomous driving systems that can be brought to market within the next three years. It is known that the Navya shuttles are already equipped with Valeo technologies.
Valeo will provide Navya with the sensors and associated algorithms that will enable the vehicle to closely perceive its surroundings, and Navya will share the technical and functional data collected during experimentations. The collaboration will focus in particular on the following components: cameras, artificial intelligence softwares and electronic control units (ECUs).
Audi working on a vision of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
Audi aims to become a provider of carbon-neutral mobility provider and is working on a vision of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Therefore, the company is partnering with energy providers to support the expansion of renewable energy sources and hence increasing the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources along with the production of electric cars. The Audi-funded projects are expected to feed an additional 5 terawatt hours of green power into the grid by 2025. First project is a solar park in Germany with RWE starting in 2022. The plant will have a total capacity of 170 million kilowatt hours. Encompassing nearly 420,000 solar panels, it will be one of the largest independent solar parks in Germany.
General Motors and Liebherr-Aerospace join forces on hydrogen fuel cell generation
General Motors and Liebherr-Aerospace have signed a joint development agreement covering the development of an electrical power generation system to demonstrate how hydrogen fuel cell-based power systems could be used in aircraft application. The demonstrator associated with this collaboration will be based, in part, on GM’s HYDROTEC fuel cell technology and constructed at Liebherr-Aerospace in Toulouse, France.
The two companies will explore possiblities to leverage Liebherr’s position as an on-board aircraft system supplier, together with GM’s expertise in hydrogen fuel cell technology, to develop an integrated system, customized to the performance and economic requirements of commercial aircraft.
Bosch enters into a long-term supply agreement with cellcentric
Bosch has entered into a long-term supply agreement with cellcentric for electric air compressors with integrated power electronics. cellcentric is a 50:50 joint venture between Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group AB. The air compressor is one of the core components of a fuel-cell system and will be part of the cellcentric fuel-cell system that will feature in heavy trucks and stationary applications in the future.
Running a fuel-cell powertrain on hydrogen which is produced using renewable energy makes the vehicle climate neutral.The technology company believes that hydrogen has a bright future as an energy carrier, and is making considerable upfront investments in this area. From 2021 to 2024, the company plans to invest around 600 million euros in mobile fuel-cell applications.
Electrify America enters into an agreement with Mercedes-Benz USA
Electrify America will provide drivers of the all-electric EQS complimentary charging over two years at its charging stations. The company has entered into an agreement with Mercedes-Benz USA for the same. The EQS luxury sedan is to hit showrooms this fall, the agrrement will allow its drivers access to seamless, ultra-fast charging at Electrify America’s more than 600 public stations across the country.
Under the agreement, first owners and lessees of the EQS will receive complimentary 30-minute charging per session for the first two years from Mercedes me Charge account activation. Drivers will be able to manage their charging plan through the proprietary Mercedes me Charge platform and driver app.
Wabtec and GM to commercialize Ultium battery technology
Wabtec and GM have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding to advance the two companies’ shared vision of a zero emissions future in transportation. Wabtec is aprovider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial market.
The companies will work together to develop and commercialize GM’s Ultium battery technology and HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell systems for Wabtec locomotives. Wabtec will bring its expertise in energy management and systems optimization, and GM its advanced technologies to develop a solution for heavy haul locomotives.
Continental constructing new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Texas
Technology company Continental to push manufacturing of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is constructing new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Texas. The facility is an extension of that work as the company increases investments in the areas of assisted and automated driving. When the plant opens, local workers will produce radar sensors, which are essential for many safety functions such has blind spot detection and forward collision warning. The plant in New Braunfels will have long-term investment of approximately $110 million.
Lincoln plans to electrify its entire portfolio of vehicles by 2030
Lincoln plans to electrify its entire portfolio of vehicles by 2030 with a full lineup of connected vehicles. The company announced that the first fully electric Lincoln vehicle will debut next year when the luxury automotive brand of Ford celebrates its 100th anniversary. The automaker plans to have cars that will have advanced features like Lincoln Intelligence System, over-the-air software updates, ActiveGlide hands-free driver-assist technology and Lincoln Way app delivering an enhanced suite of connected services.
Woven capital invests in Ridecell
Ridecell, a leading platform powering digital transformations and IoT automation for fleet-driven businesses, has raised investment from Woven Capital, an $800 million global investment fund. It is part of Woven Planet Group which is an expansion of the operations of Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development.
Ridecell is known for creating a comprehensive platform that connects fleets and automates workflow at scale. It allows businesses to create a unified view of their vehicle fleets from deployed telematics, fleet management, and internal systems and use the consolidated insights to automate business and operational workflow.
(Based on Media Releases by the companies)
