The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) played host to the Australian Electric Vehicles Association’s (AEVA) annual conference earlier this month. Running from August 5 through to 7 and incorporating a conference with gala dinner and 2 days of exhibitions, the event was designed to provide knowledge on current and emerging electric vehicles in the market. Patrons […]
The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland ran its annual Motorfest day on the 19th June. Sadly, it was the same date as the Noosa EV Expo and I was unable to attend. Many of my friends did and they have graciously allowed me to use their comments. RACQ Events Manager Tamara Van Der Walt said […]
Gladstone Ecofest, with the motto Repowering Gladstone, has a history of promoting environmental issues, but also difficulty attracting electric vehicles to the event. Locals seem reluctant to display their Teslas (yes, there are some in this huge coal export hub). The fact that the event is sponsored by major energy companies firmly committed to fossil […]
US regulators need to stop attempting to silence Elon Musk. TechCrunch recently reported that US securities regulators said that they have the authority to subpoena the Tesla CEO about his tweets and are pressuring a federal judge to not let Elon “get away with tweeting with abandon.” Earlier this year, Elon Musk called the actions […]
The emerging consensus around zero emission mobility is that battery-electric vehicles will command the personal transportation market well into the future. Nevertheless, some of the world’s leading automakers continue to promote hydrogen fuel cell electric cars and SUVs. That’s a real head-scratcher, but BMW’s messaging for its iX5 Hydrogen SUV could provide some insights into […]
Materials technology and recycling company Umicore will introduce a new generation of its proprietary battery recycling technology in 2022, and has reached an agreement with Automotive Cells Company (ACC) to provide battery recycling services.
Umicore says the new generation of its battery recycling technology recovers 95% of the cobalt, nickel and copper from batteries, as well as most of the lithium. The company also says its automated material flow reduces manual handling, which supports process efficiency.
The new technology will be installed at an ACC pilot plant in Nersac, France.
“Our pilot plant in Nersac aims to test all our product and process solutions before mass production in our future Gigafactories. The agreement between ACC for Nersac and Umicore fits perfectly into this framework, allowing us to improve our expertise, locally, regarding the recycling of our production waste,” said Gilles Tardivo, Vice President of ACC’s pilot plant.
Volvo Cars plans to invest SEK 10 billion ($1.07 billion) in its Torslanda manufacturing plant in Sweden over several years, in preparation for the production of its next generation of EVs. The company will introduce a number of new technologies and manufacturing processes at the plant, including the Tesla-pioneered technique of megacasting of aluminum body parts.
Casting major parts of the floor structure of the car as single large aluminum part reduces vehicle weight and manufacturing complexity.
Volvo also plans to upgrade the Torslanda plant’s paint shop with new machinery and painting processes, which the automaker claims will reduce energy use and emissions. A new battery assembly plant will place cells into modules and packs, and the assembly shop will be modified to accommodate EV-specific processes such as attaching the battery pack to the vehicle structure.
The Torslanda plant, which opened in 1964, has an annual production capacity of 300,000 cars and employs around 6,500 people.
Volvo recently revealed plans for a joint venture with Northvolt, which will invest some SEK 30 billion to build a battery factory near Gothenburg. Construction will start in 2023, and the plant is expected to open in 2025. Annual capacity will be up to 50 GWh—enough to equip 500,000 EVs.
“With these investments we take an important step towards our all-electric future and prepare for even more advanced and better electric Volvos,” said Volvo Cars Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson. “Torslanda is our largest plant and will play a crucial role in our ongoing transformation as we move towards becoming a pure electric car maker by 2030.”
“Our future as a company is all-electric and that requires a variety of upgrades across the plant, to ensure that Torslanda can continue to build premium electric cars of the highest quality,” said Javier Varela, Head of Engineering and Operations.
