The JAC T8 EV Is The First Electric Double Cab Pickup Commercially Available In Kenya
November 15, 2023
Remeredzai Joseph Kuhudzai
New car sales in a lot of African countries don’t tell the full story. That’s because in most of these countries, 95% of all new registrations are used vehicles, mostly 8 years old, or older vehicles imported from Asia, Europe, and North America. The result is sales of brand new vehicles tend to be not more than 10,000 units per year per country in quite a number of markets. This excludes the larger markets like South Africa, where hundreds of thousands of brand new vehicles are sold per year.
Two of the most popular electric vehicles in the world, the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5, have just gotten updates and are now available better than ever in the UK.
Hyundai unveils first N branded EV, the Ioniq 5 N
By Aaron Turpen
November 15, 2023
Hyundai has unveiled its first N branded electric performance vehicle. Unveiled as a precursor to the AutoMobility LA show (aka the LA Auto Show), the Ioniq 5 N features 641 hp (478 kW) of output potential with a two-stage inverter and 84-kWh battery.
Hyundai says the car's performance features work to enhance spirited driving, with battery preconditioning, brake regeneration, drift optimization, torque distribution, and track-ready settings. More N-branded performance electrics will be coming after the Ioniq 5 N.
"Ioniq 5 N was developed to take driving fun to a new level by utilizing the latest technologies available," said Till Wartenberg, vice president and head of N Brand and Motorsport at Hyundai. "Starting with Ioniq 5 N, N brand aims to deliver its signature fun driving experience regardless of petrol, electric or hydrogen. To accomplish this, we've closely monitored the voices of our N fans in order to fine-tune our first all-electric N with the goal of electrifying the driving passion of our most demanding N-thusiasts."
Nissan will invest $1.4 billion to make EV versions of its best-selling cars at its UK factory
Updated 6:13 AM CST, November 24, 2023
LONDON (AP) — Nissan will invest $1.4 billion to update its factory in northeast England to make electric versions of its two best-selling cars, a boost for the British government as it tries to revive the country’s ailing economy.
The Japanese automaker manufactures the gasoline or gas-hybrid Qashqai and smaller Juke crossover vehicles at the factory in Sunderland, which employs 6,000 workers.
Nissan Motor Co. said it’s directly investing up to 1.12 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) to produce electric successors to the two models. The money also will enable “wider investment in infrastructure projects and the supply chain, including a new gigafactory” for EV batteries at the site, the government said in a separate press release.
“Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the U.K.’s automotive industry,” which contributes 71 billion pounds a year to the economy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
The US's First EV-Charging Road Powers on in Detroit
The road will undergo vigorous testing for at least two years prior to opening to everyday drivers.
By Adrianna Nine November 30, 2023
https://www.extremetech.com/cars/the-us ... in-detroit
This week, Detroit became the first city in the United States to turn one of its roadways into an on-the-go electric vehicle charger. The road will soon undergo testing using an electric van retrofitted with a wireless receiver. If it works, it could become a go-to solution in the battle against range anxiety, which is one of EVs’ biggest adoption challenges.
The electrified roadway is taking over a quarter-mile fragment of 14th St, which sits in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest extant neighborhood. Electreon Wireless, a wireless EV-charging infrastructure startup, is installing inductive charging coils under the road’s surface. Once the road is patched back up, EVs and gas-powered vehicles will be free to drive over it, but only cars with wireless receivers will be affected by the coils hidden beneath. As the receiver passes over the road, a magnetic field will reportedly send electricity wirelessly to that receiver, charging the car as it travels.
Toyota Takes Cautious Step Toward Electrification With 2 EV Concepts
The automaker is one of the last of its kind to accept begrudgingly that EVs have a future.
By Adrianna Nine December 6, 2023
Toyota finally took another step toward a more electrified fleet Monday with two new EV designs. The automaker revealed its concepts for the Urban SUV and the Sport Crossover, two mid-size EVs slated to hit European sales floors in 2025. Whether the vehicles will ever make their way to North American dealers is unknown.
Despite its name, the Urban SUV appears to be Toyota’s larger and more rugged concept. Toyota describes the vehicle as “a compact body set on strong shoulders and a high driving position.” Buyers will be able to choose between a front or all-wheel drive powertrain, as well as between two battery options. Though details on the batteries aren’t available, Toyota says they’ll have “different capacities to suit [buyers’] needs and priority for accessibility or driving range.”
The Sport Crossover concept offers a sleeker silhouette. Toyota promises this one has generous legroom and a large trunk without sacrificing style. With its low profile, aerodynamic hood, and elongated hindquarters, the Sport Crossover concept is reminiscent of Porsche’s all-new electric SUV, which is expected to debut around 2027. Toyota says the Sport Crossover concept was developed for the European and Chinese markets, with no word on North American options yet.
