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Bentley EXP 100GT All-Electric Concept Car Revealed

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Did you get to see the Bentley EXP 100GT concept car yet? The company revealed it for its 100th birthday celebration. It’s the sharpest looking all-electric vehicle we’ve seen yet. Speaking of the 100th birthday, make sure you take time to look at the walk down memory lane? The automaker did a fantastic job of telling its story. If you have a little extra time, make sure you check out the history video that’s posted on the site as well.

Bentley EXP 100GT
MotorSports Magazine

Bentley Electric Concept

This EXP 100 GT is dubbed “the Grand Tourer for the world of 2035.” It features four electric motors that push it to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. It also has a top speed of 186 mph. With Bentley’s projection of battery technology in the future, it’s possible that the car would have a 435-mile range.

Of course, it’s also set up for fully autonomous driving. Other features listed included:

  • Luxury craftsmanship
  • Copper-infused Riverwood
  • Exterior paint constructed from recycled rice husks
  • British Farmed Wool carpets
  • 100% organic textile made from leather-like winemaking material
  • Bentley Personal Assistant
  • Adaptable Biometric Seating

To fully appreciate this vehicle, take a look at this video:

All-Electric Bentley EXP 100GT

Honestly, it’s unlikely we will actually see this model in production. Still, we can’t deny the exceptional beauty and design. Calling this a luxury car would be an understatement of the highest proportions.

What we especially like is the all-electric design with other sustainable features. Bentley took a lot of time to put high-quality materials into this design. We appreciate how they look toward the future and plan accordingly.

What do you think about this all-electric concept from Bentley? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Plus, if you are a fan of these luxury vehicles, we think you might also enjoy the Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series SUV.

Extreme E Reveals the Odyssey 21 All-Electric SUV

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During the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend, we got a glimpse of the Odyssey 21. This all-electric SUV took part in the Extreme E racing series. This beast features a 550 horsepower output that takes it from 0-62 mph in a mere 4.5 seconds. More importantly, it does this all while attacking gradients ranging up to 130%.

Let’s take a closer look at this new ride.

Odyssey 21
Goodwood

What is the Odyssey 21?

Spark Racing Technology designed and built this electric SUV. It includes a Williams Advanced Engineering battery. This vehicle also contains a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, a raised suspension and humongous off-road tires supplied by Continental.

The prototype was the Extreme E base model. From there, teams were allowed to develop their own version of a powertrain and change the bodywork. Swapping the engine cover, rear bumpers, front bumpers, lights and side skirt is a seamless process.

Testing starts this September. Spark Racing Technology will deliver 12 cars next March for group testing. Then, Formula-E series racing should begin in 2021.

One thing is clear, there’s nothing like the Extreme E Odyssey. It features innovative technology from leading companies. It’s capable of the highest performance in any condition. In 2021, Extreme E goes to the Himalayas, Sahara, Indian Ocean Islands, the Arctic and the Amazon to push this vehicle to its limits.

Odyssey 21 extreme E
Goodwood

What Do You Think about this Electric SUV?

One thing is clear; this isn’t your typical electrified SUV like the Jaguar I-Pace. It’s something extraordinary. This monster is tough and doesn’t show any signs of weakness. We can’t wait to see how it changes over the next couple of years.

What are your thoughts on this new vehicle type? Are you interested in seeing more SUVs like this, or have you had enough of the electric hype? Tell us your thoughts – we would love to hear from you.

Bosch 2020 eBike Motors & Batteries Unveiled

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For years, Bosch led the market in electric bicycle motors and batteries. Since the company released its technology, there haven’t been many updates. Now, Bosch plans to unveil a new line of equipment. Let’s take a look at what the Bosch 2020 eBike motors and batteries mean for consumers.

Bosch 2020 eBike motors
Bosch

New Bosch 2020 eBike Motors & Batteries

Bosch’s new lineup features new motor casings plus larger batteries. Previously, there were two classes for Bosch motors: a small, quiet Active Line and the more massive, powerful Performance Line. In 2020, the Performance line is mounted inside a smaller case, similar to the previous Active Line. It features 65 NM of torque and provides 300% pedal assist boost.

This lineup also features two special editions: Bosch Performance Line CX plus the Performance Line Speed.

Both of these received a new magnesium casing which lowers the weight. They also come with larger chainrings. The top speed of a Performance Line Speed is 28 mph, which is more than the 20 mph limit on other motors from the company.

Other Updates from Bosch

Aside from those revelations, other changes have occurred. The new motors in the Cargo Line also increase up to 28 mph.

The Powertube batteries received an update as well. Previous models achieved 500 Wh, but the new batteries up that to 625 Wh. If you need to keep the price down, there is also a 400 Wh battery in the better case.

Bosch Leading the Pack

We are happy to see Bosch step forward with this new lineup. With no important updates in many years, what they are doing now is welcomed. Of course, there is a lot of competition in the electric bike market. Just think about the HPC Scout Pro electric bicycle that hits 45 mph.

Who do you think the leader will be with ebike technology? Let us know your thoughts.

Tacita Electric Motorcycles Coming to the USA

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Tacita is a European electric motorcycle manufacturer with big plans to expand into the U.S. It makes sense with other competitors in the field such as Harley Davidson and the Electric Ducati. Here’s what we know so far regarding the Tacita electric motorcycles.

Tacita electric motorcycles
Tacita

What are Tacita Motorcycles?

Tacita Motorcycles is based out of Italy. Now, they plan to open headquarters in America to service the growing demand. Tacita USA Corporation plans to open its first location in Miami. This spot should jump-start operations in the United States as well as through South America and the Caribbean.

As of now, the company makes off-road and street electric bikes. They produce motorcycles with a gearbox resembling a gas-powered motorcycle. It also includes a clutch but doesn’t require any pulling to stop or shift to first gear. It’s only used when changing between the gears.

Tacita Lineup

The new road line from Tacita includes the T-Cruise. This electric cruiser costs about $13,500 for a 9 kWh model. Some off-road versions are also available and priced similarly.

This is the first model that will launch in the U.S.

How Will Tacita Electric Motorcycles Compare?

When looking at companies such as Zero and Lightning, it’s tough to determine how Tacita will fare. It seems the company plans to offer bikes of a different caliper, so that could benefit them. Still, we expect to see many more electric motorcycle options coming down the line.

We can’t help but become infatuated with all the new technology and innovation on these bikes. It never ceases to amaze us how advanced these machines are. What do you think about the latest lineup? Do you think there will be a large market for it in the United States, or do you believe there’s simply too much competition? Let us know in the comments.

Philadelphia Electric Buses – Largest Zero-Emission Fleet on East Coast

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Just last week, Philadelphia introduced 25 all-electric buses to the city’s transportation fleet. These Philadelphia electric buses create the largest zero-emission fleet on the East Coast. Let’s look closer at what the city is doing and what it means for commuters.

Philadelphia electric buses
Septa

Philadelphia Electric Buses

The City of Brotherly Love debuted 25 Proterra electric buses purchased with funding. The city used the federal Low or No Emission Vehicle Program plus PA Act 89 to complete the purchase.

SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) plans to use these buses on two routes. Because the city once used trackless trolleys, it’s returning to its roots with zero-emission vehicles.

With these 25 e-buses and 38 trackless trolleys, SEPTA can boast of the largest zero-emission fleet on the East Coast. Still, it’s probable that title won’t stand for long. New York City currently has 10 electric buses, but they plan to increase that to 65 by the end of this year. In the next five years, they project 500 electric-powered buses in the fleet.

SEPTA also plans to add more next year. The 2020 plan projects over 1,000 hybrid diesel-electric buses, encompassing 95% of the total system.

Where Do We Go From Here?

With cities beginning to compete against one another, the consumer (and environment) become the winner. Even in Toronto, we see the city introducing 60 electric buses for 2020. It’s exciting to see all the changes coming to the country and we like seeing cities taking the technology seriously.

The future continues moving toward EV and it only makes sense for the large cities around the nation to hop on board. What does your city do to promote greener transportation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

If you enjoy electric vehicle news, make sure you also check out what New York City is doing with the Mack Electric LR Garbage Truck.

Future Toyota Electric Car Lineup – Accelerating by 5 Years

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Toyota made the announcement that they plan to accelerate all-electric vehicle plans by five years. This is quite the shift for the Japanese organization. To accomplish this, they partnered with a new battery maker to increase supply. As a result, we’ve gained images of the entire future Toyota electric car lineup. Let’s take a quick look at the all-electric car news from this automaker.

Toyota electric car lineup
Toyota

Toyota Electric Car Lineup

The company plans to keep a big focus on hybrids over all-electric, even moving into the future. Still, by 2025, half of the global sales will be electrified. That’s five years ahead of schedule.

Both China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology and BYD plan to help Toyota source their batteries. Toyota decided to work with Chinese companies considering most of the BEV sales come from that region. The market is ripe for electric car sales in China, thanks to stronger regulations.

Toyota released the EV images that are part of global development. The first all-electric vehicle debuts in 2020, if everything goes according to plan.

While Toyota has been a long time critic of electric cars, it’s interesting to see them making a shift now. Up until this point, their only focus has been to lead the market with hybrids. Still, we anticipate that will continue into the future.

There’s also the possibility that once the company produces it’s first EV and sees the popularity, they will convince themselves it’s a profitable way to move. Of course, you will still have your drivers that prefer the Toyota Prius, and that’s okay.

What Do You Think?

After hearing this news, what are your thoughts? Are you excited about the future of Toyota electric vehicles, or skeptical? It will be interesting to see if they get the first model done by 2020 and how it is received. Let us know your thoughts.

Lotus Type 130 Debuts in July

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Lotus has not launched a new production in over 10 years. Next month on July 16th, the 71-year-old British sports car company will release a new electric car, the Lotus Type 130. They made the announcement at the Shanghai Auto Show back in April.

This will be the first hypercar that they had produced since the Evora back in 2008. This shows the swift development that the company created since they have been under Geely ownership and have more money to work with.

Lotus Type 130
Lotus

Lotus Type 130

The brand new Lotus named the Type 130 will be produced in Hethel at the Lotus facility. The plant has been in operation in this location since 1996. There isn’t much information on the 130 yet such as price or what it will look like. We do know that there will only be 130 units made and it will have a seven-figure price tag on it.

Lotus still uses lightweight designs and simple ideas from the founder Colin Chapman. They have been able to churn out some unique models over the years. This has led to great success for Lotus in the motorsports business in the past. While they are not the huge company that they used to be, the current products being made are still outstanding.

The Lotus engineers are very competent in making a high-quality sports car with handling that is out of this world. With a flow of money from China and EV engineering used with Formula E batteries, it should make for an exciting vehicle. This will put Lotus back on the map as an up and coming car company.

Unveiling the 130

The Type 130 EV hypercar debuts on July 16th in London. Lotus plans to produce the vehicles right away and deliveries start happening in 2020. We can’t wait to see what this new electric Hypercar looks like and how fast it will be.

This is an exciting time for electric vehicles. What do you think about all this new electric technology? Don’t forget to check out the new 2020 Lotus Sports Car.

What Happened to GM Electric Vehicles?

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At the end of 2017, Mary Barra, the GM CEO, announced that the company would introduce two electric vehicles within 18 months. Both of these models were set to be crossovers based on the BEV2 platform. One of them would go to China while the other would remain at home. Still, we have to ask ourselves all these months later; what happened to the GM electric vehicles?

GM electric vehicles
GM

18 Months Arrived

The 18-month timeframe has come and gone since Barra’s presentation. Yes, we still don’t see any expansion to the GM EV lineup. In all fairness, there has been some testing of a Chevy Bolt EUV crossover, but that won’t arrive until the end of this year.

In the meantime, there’s no word on the upcoming EVs, so we don’t know if delays occurred or plans changed completely.

Competition Pulls Ahead

While GM continues to drag their heels, Tesla released the Model 3 and announced an upcoming Model Y. Nissan updated its Leaf and Hyundai launched the new Kona Electric. Kia got into the action as well with the Niro and Soul EV lineup.

Looking into the luxury market, we also see the Jaguar i-Pace, Mercedes-Benz EQC and Audi e-Tron. There’s no lack of competition in the field and GM is starting very far behind in the race.

While we can’t deny that the company faced a lot of restructuring lately, we have to face the facts. The American automaker started off as one of the electric car leaders and now fell dramatically behind.

Future Plans for GM Electric Vehicles

GM plans to introduce a new electric architecture which will replace the BEV2 platform by 2021. The company also aims to reduce lithium-ion battery costs and increase range with the latest technology. We hope that they are simply falling behind on the plans and that they can still pull ahead in this cut-throat competition.

In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our Complete 2019 EV Lineup & Ranges.

Tesla Limits Charging to 80% at Busy Charging Stations

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At some of Tesla’s busiest Supercharger locations, the new plan is to limit charging to 80%. This news comes right after Tesla acquired Maxwell Technologies. Let’s take a closer look at why the company now limits charging and what this means for the average electric vehicle driver.

limits charging
Tesla

Current Charing Situation

To charge a Tesla battery up to 80%, it takes about thirty minutes. If the driver prefers to get a full charge, it takes a full hour. That’s another thirty minutes to achieve the last 20%. Because many Tesla drivers don’t want to wait an hour for their battery, it’s natural for them to leave once it hits 80%.

Still, at some busy locations, drivers wanted a full charge cause congestion. Often, Tesla owners face longer waits before they even begin the 80% charge time.

To resolve the situation, Tesla proposed the idea to limit charging time at the busy locations and limit the customer’s battery to 80%.

Tesla Limits Charging

The plan is to impose an 80% limit on 17% of Supercharger stations nationwide. Less than 10% of these are so busy that they will need to have the limits imposed consistently, while the rest will only have restrictions during the peak hours.

If a supercharger only permits 80%, there will be a notification to the driver before beginning.

Of course, this works in conjunction with the On-Route Battery Warmup and V2 Supercharger upgrades. All of these work together to maximize efficiency at the charging stations. Still, there’s an exception to most rules and this one has a loophole. If a Tesla car is in the middle of a long trip and requires 100% to complete the journey, then the navigation software will override the limits and provide a full charge.

With that said, most vehicles won’t need the full amount of juice, so owners don’t have much room to complain. In fact, they should be grateful they won’t have to wait as long for their turn at the Supercharger. What are your thoughts regarding the new change? Think it will cause more range anxiety or will it go over smoothly?

Chevron And EVgo Teamup to Build Fastchargers at Gas Stations

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Chevron and EVgo are partnering up to make electric car charging more convenient than ever before. Their plan is to install charging stations at Chevron locations. With the gas stations already having other amenities such as bathrooms, mini-marts and shelter from the rain, this makes stopping off to charge up more comfortable for EV drivers. EV stations are often constructed in the middle of nowhere. This leaves no facilities or a dry place to get out and charge your vehicle.

Chevron and EVgo
EVgo

Chevron and EVgo Partnership

This partnership should work out really well for Chevron. All the EV drivers stop and wait for their vehicles to charge. This converts to more foot traffic and revenue for them. The customers will spend more time in the store with nothing else to do for 30 minutes. Unlike your gas customers that want to be back on the road as quickly as possible, the EV drivers will spend money buying items to pass the time.

EVgo says that as long as your car accepts DC fast charging you can get about 90 minutes of driving for every 30 minutes of charging. This means that each station has that customer for about 30 minutes while they wait for their car to charge. Gas customers spend about 10 minutes or less getting fuel. EV customers will be able to take their time knowing they cannot leave for about 30 minutes.

First Locations for Chevron Chargers

EVgo and Chevron are already on the bandwagon with these chargers and have them installed and operational in Menlo Park, CA. They are currently offering up to 100 kW of charging capacity. They are planning to expand starting in California and adding locations in LA, Venice, San Francisco, Aliso Viejo, and Manhattan Beach.

Hopefully, these stations won’t have the same response as they did with gas drivers in Colorado.

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