EV Brief 3/29/21 EV Brief 3/29/21

Jeep announces 4xe Charging Network to provide EV charging stations

Hot on the heels of Rivian’s announcement of the Rivian Adventure Network, Jeep has partnered with Electrify America to roll out level 2 EV charging stations at Jeep Badge of Honor off-road trailheads around the United States.

The launch of these trailhead chargers coincide with the launch of the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid model, and the company states that they will support future fully electric Jeep models. Jeep 4xe charging stations are initially scheduled to open this spring at three of the most-popular off-road sites and icons for the Jeep brand – Moab, Utah; the Rubicon Trail in Pollock Pines, California; and Big Bear, California.

“Electrification opens a new chapter in the Jeep brand story, and it brings an entirely new level of excitement and enjoyment for our enthusiastic owners,” said Christian Meunier, Jeep Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “Key to making Jeep brand the greenest SUV brand is assuring our owners can enjoy the benefits of electric propulsion wherever they go, including the most iconic off-road trails in the country.”

Jeep is working with leading public charging network Electrify America to establish the trailhead charging sites and install the charging equipment. Jeep 4xe owners will be able to login to unlock free charging via a custom mobile app by Electrify America, which also allows drivers to initiate and monitor their charging session.

“It is our goal to provide electric vehicle drivers with the freedom to get to where they want to go – whether it be on a highway or off-road – and we look forward to bringing Jeep enthusiasts along on the journey,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and chief executive officer of Electrify America. “Through the customizable electric vehicle charging offerings of our Electrify Commercial B2B brand, we were able to work with Jeep to identify where their drivers will need charging access most, and make it a reality.”

The jeep Wrangler and an Electrify America solar charger

The Jeep 4xe Charging Network trailhead chargers will deliver Level 2 (240-volt) charging, meaning the 17 kilowatt-hour battery pack in the Jeep Wrangler 4xe can be fully recharged in about two hours, delivering up to 21 miles (33 km) of electric range.

The 4xe charging stations will be either directly connected to the power grid or use solar power to generate electricity, though the company has not stated exactly how much power will be generated by renewables.

We’re not certain how many hybrid Jeep owners would bother to plug in to charge while they’re off-roading or hiking, but it’s a small gesture towards Jeep’s—and Stellantis’—all electric future.

EV Brief 3/12/21 EV Brief 3/12/21

Australian commercial EV manufacturer SEA Electric completes US$42 Million equity financing

This week, SEA Electric announced it has closed initial private placement equity financing for total gross proceeds of approximately US$42 million. The net proceeds from the investment will allow SEA Electric to solidify its position as a market leader in the electrification of commercial vehicles whilst funding its considerable backlog and facilitating more pilot programs with operators.

The SEA-Drive Power System. Images: SEA Electric

Founded in Australia in 2012, SEA Electric Holdings Pty Ltd. (SEA Electric) has become an international success story with its proprietary electric power-system technology (known as SEA-Drive®) now found across the world's urban delivery and distribution fleets.

With products in seven countries including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa, SEA Electric has more than one million miles of independently OEM-tested and in-service operation behind its technology.

According to President and Founder Tony Fairweather, the financing allows SEA Electric to accelerate its global sales efforts and further utilize its proprietary Sea-Drive® 120b battery power system, while strengthening the delivery and distribution transportation segment for vehicles that operate in urban and metropolitan areas.

SEA Electric issued approximately 1.1 million Series A Preferred Shares at a price of US $40.1995 per share, convertible into common shares of SEA Electric at the option of subscribers and automatically convert to common shares under certain conditions, including SEA Electric completing a public transaction.

Fairweather stated, “We are very pleased to have completed a heavily oversubscribed equity financing and are excited to welcome aboard a global set of institutional investors as partners. The financing allows SEA Electric to grow our backlog as we explore options to seek a public listing in the United States this year.”

SEA Electric currently partners with commercial vehicle OEMs, dealers, operators and upfitters to deliver a new range of zero-emissions trucks and is on schedule to deliver more than 1,000 electric commercial vehicles this year. The company forecast is to have more than 15,000 vehicles on the road by the end of 2023.

“2021 will see a paradigm shift in the way developed markets facilitate uptake of commercial electric vehicles and the unstoppable momentum will build year-after-year” said Fairweather.

It is a notable achievement that in the face of lacklustre government support for clean technology in Australia, a company like SEA Electric has successfully conquered the international market in eight years. Companies like SEA Electric, Tritium and Evans Electric exemplify the technical and creative capital that exist in Australia that must be nurtured to support jobs, manufacturing and the transition to clean energy technologies.

EV Brief 3/3/21 EV Brief 3/3/21

Tesla proposes world's largest V3 supercharging site in Santa Monica, with 62 stalls [updated]

Tesla has lodged a submission with the City of Santa Monica Planning Commission to build the world’s largest supercharger across two sites at 1401 & 1421-1425 Santa Monica Boulevard. Currently an open air carpark, the site is around a 30 minute walk to downtown Santa Monica.

[Update] - The City of Santa Monica Planning Commission approved the project, five votes to two, after a three hour long discussion.

Tesla has lodged a submission with the City of Santa Monica Planning Commission to build the world’s largest supercharger across two sites at 1401 & 1421-1425 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Currently an open air carpark, the site is around a 30 minute walk to downtown Santa Monica and Santa Monica Beach, and conveniently located for employees of the nearby Amazon Studios, Naughty Dog and Red Bull headquarters.

Currently open-air parking, 1421 Santa Monica Blvd may be home to the world’s largest supercharger site. Image: Google Maps

Planning submission details

The cover letter to the City of Santa Monica proposes obtaining approval for each lot independently. The proposed project consists of 36 V3 superchargers with PV solar canopies for the western lot at 1401 Santa Monica Blvd, and 26 V3 Superchargers plus restroom facilities for the eastern lot at 1421-1425 Santa Monica Blvd.

A site plan for the 62 stall Tesla Supercharger

A Megapack placed on the western lot will power the facility with a power rating of 1,264 kW and 2,529 kWh. Supercharger cabinets will be spread across both sites, and located behind fencing.

Parking spaces will vary in width across both sites, ranging from 8’-6” (2.58 metres) to 11’-1” (3.37 metres) wide; the largest spaces are presumably designed to accommodate Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck.

Tesla’s cover letter to the City of Santa Monica Planning Commissions

Tesla’s commitments to the site

As part of the project’s proposal, Tesla has promised that adequate on-site public safety and product integrity is top priority, and that weekly, monthly and quarterly maintenance checks will be carried out.

Presently the world’s largest Supercharger is located in Shanghai, with 72 V2 stalls. The Santa Monica Planning Commission is set to vote on the project on Wednesday March 3, 2021.

A V3 Supercharger site in Las Vegas. Image: Tesla Motors

Source: https://www.smgov.net/departments/pcd/agendas/Planning-Commission/2021/20210303/a20210303.htm Thanks to listener Jennifer for the tip!

EV Brief 1/28/21 EV Brief 1/28/21

Tesla Reveals Revised Model S and Model X; Introduces Plaid and Plaid+ Tri-Motor Options [updated]

Tesla revealed revised versions of both the Model S sedan and Model X SUV during the company’s Q42020/FY2020 earnings announcement on Wednesday, Pacific time. Though many speculated the company may cut the Model X altogether due to slow sales, Tesla has in fact rolled out a refreshed and upgraded Model X including a Plaid performance variant.

Screen Shot 2021-01-28 at 8.14.09 am.png — Model S Plaid+ headlines revised range with over 1,100hp and a sub 9 second quarter mile

Model S will come in Long Range, Plaid and Plaid+ variants starting from USD$79,990, C$114,990 and AUD$129,990
Model X will come in Long Range and Plaid variants starting from USD$89,990, C$124,990 and AUD$149,990
Plaid+ boasts 520 mile (836 kilometre) range and will likely features Tesla’s new tabless 4680 cells
Both models feature redesigned interior with three screens, cut off steering wheel

Tesla revealed revised versions of both the Model S sedan and Model X SUV during the company’s Q42020/FY2020 earnings announcement on Wednesday, Pacific time. Though many speculated the company may cut the Model X altogether due to slow sales, Tesla has in fact rolled out a refreshed and upgraded Model X including a Plaid performance variant that may even tempt some buyers out of the Model Y and new Model S.

Exterior

Subtle exterior updates are the order of the day, with both the Model S and Model X receiving blacked out trim covering window frames, exterior mirrors, door handles and rear trunk lid stripbaimilar to the Model 3 and Model Y. There is a new selection of wheels for both models, as well as subtle detail changes to the front air intakes and bumper. It appears that there might be a slight increase in the track of the Model S, with ever-so-slightly wider arches than the 2020 model, but we won’t know for sure until the official dimensions are released.

Blacked-out trim pieces the order of the day for Tesla’s new Model S.

Technology

Under the metal, both the Model S and Model X will utilise the heat pump technology seen on Tesla’s Model Y and 2021 Model 3, known as the Super Manifold (you can see more on this piece of hardware in Sandy Munro’s teardown) and this piece of technology will provide improved cold-weather performance, greater HVAC efficiency without an antiquated electric heating element, and thermal cooling to battery, motor and other systems. The battery packs have also been redesigned, and Tesla claims the 2022 Model S and Model X are capable of 5X more high-speed quarter mile runs than previous battery architecture (for what that’s worth)

Interior

The interiors of the new models are where Tesla fanboys and fangirls will be most gratified, with substantial changes to trim, interior architecture and technology. The first element that grabs the observer is the yoke-style steering wheel that wouldn’t be out of place on a Cessna aircraft. Tesla’s version features a lot more technology however, with the company’s traditional scroll wheels integrated, as well as Ferrari-style buttons for vehicle functions such as indicators and headlights, removing protruding stalks from the steering column. Another benefit of removing buttons and stalks from interiors is that when Tesla rolls out its autonomous Robotaxi fleet, there’s nothing for passengers to potentially interfere with or damage.

The central rear screen will allow rear seat passengers to game away the hours.

One overlooked feature in the press release is a new 960 watt 22 speaker audio system with active noise cancelling. That’s the technology inside your favourite headphones for long haul flying, and it uses microphones to pick up distracting low-frequency noise, and fires back phase-inverted frequencies into your ear to enhance your listening experience. Tesla is looking to tech to solve a problem most other manufacturers try to alleviate with sound deadening insulation, double glazing and acoustic panels. It will be interesting to see its effectiveness.

In addition, Tesla has eliminated the vertical central touch screen, and reverted to a landscape orientation screen like the Model 3. This has been rumoured for some time, however the unlike the Model 3, the Model S and Model X keep the driver’s main screen and also add a rear screen that can be used for gaming via wireless controllers. Tesla says the system features a 10 teraflop processor (as much as a Playstation 5), but it’s not known if the graphics processing unit is the company’s own or one sourced from a third party such as Nvidia. The rear compartment also receives wireless charging pads in the centre armrest behind the cupholders.

[Update] Overclock3d.net reports that a leaked block diagram shows that Tesla will be using Radeon's AMD Navi 23 GPU, with 128-bit memory bus connected to 16Gb (2GB) GDDR6 memory modules that operate at 14Gbps speeds within the car. The graphics chip said to be connected to the rest of Tesla's infotainment system using a PCIe 3.0 x8 connection.

The rear of Tesla’s Model S retains its signature flat floor, and adds a central screen and redesigned door cards with wrap around inlays. Image: Tesla

For our money, the Lucid Air still appears to have the edge in terms of outright luxury and interior tactility, but we’ll reserve our judgement until we can get hands on sometime next year. Tesla offers black and white, all-black and beige interior trim options on both new models, with either timber inlays or carbon fibre inlays (Plaid models only) . Two wheel options per model are available, and are unique to their body styles.

Tesla Model S with standard 19” “Tempest” wheels

Tesla Model S with optional 21” “Arachnid” wheels

Tesla Model X with standard 20 inch “Cyberstream” wheels

Tesla Model X with optional 22 inch “turbine” wheels

Drivetrain and Battery

Both the Long Range Model S and Model X feature Tesla’s 100kWh battery pack, and offer 663 kilometres (412 miles) and 580 kilometres (360 miles) of claimed range respectively. The Plaid and Plaid+ variants are what tje internet is talking about however.

Although full specifications and details about the battery technology are yet to be released, according to Tesla’s website, the Plaid version is the quickest accelerating production car today, and offers a 0-60mph time of less than 1.99 seconds. The Model S and Model X Plaid have three high performance motors, with over 1,020 horsepower, carbon-sleeved rotors and torque vectoring, meaning that drive power sent to each wheel on a driveshaft is variable to optimise traction and performance.

The Plaid+ version of the Model S will feature, according to Tesla, “the quickest 0-60 mph and 1/4 mile acceleration of any production car ever”. Bold claims, but certainly possible with the 1,100+ horsepower and Tesla’s new tabless 4680 cells within the battery pack. It’s expected that said battery will pack way more than 100kWh too; Lucid will be using a 113kWh pack to achieve a 520 mile (836 kilometre) claimed range; whatever Tesla settles on, we’d bet that the Model S energy efficiency will be class leading, and that Tesla will also come close to a 520 mile range for the Model S Plaid+.

2021 Tesla Model X Range and Performance Specifications

2021 Tesla Model S Range and Performance Specifications

Tesla has been upgrading and retooling the Fremont California production lines to build the new models, a move that likely took place in December during the 18-day shutdown of the lines. which include new battery modules, battery packs and drive units, as well as the full suite of revised interior features. Tesla states that production will ramp up in Q1 2021 to full capacity later in the year, with customer deliveries expected as early as February/March in North America, and late 2021/early 2022 in Australia and Europe.

While Tesla is powering ahead with production of its new tabless 4680 cell batteries in California, it will take time for the company to scale up production to cover the entire production output. After selling 499,500 units in 2020, many analysts and commentators are expecting Tesla to sell between 600,000 and 800,000 units in 2021, thanks largely to the first full year of Model Y sales in China. For now, Tesla is still relying on sourcing batteries from Panasonic, CATL and LG Chem to supplement its own production.

See below for more images courtesy Tesla Motors.

The Model S design has aged well, and few exterior changes are made.

Timber inlays come as standard on the Model S and X, and add a refined touch to the interior.

The Model S and X now share a landscape oriented screen with the Model 3

Elon Musk is known to be a gaming fan, and the new Model S and X feature 10 teraflops of processing power to deal with high end games.

Gone is the split sunroof design from the previous Model S; the 2021 model goes full glass with a single piece panoramic pane

Tesla’s new cut-off steering wheel. Vehicle control functions are moved from stalks to the face of the wheel.

Expect similar a similar experience from the in car entertainment to Tesla’s Model 3.

EV Brief 10/30/20 EV Brief 10/30/20

Rivian R1T Goes Offroad, Tests Real World Range

Rivian R1T prototypes have covered thousands of miles around the world testing, and production looks set to begin in June 2021. Reporter Emme Hall from Roadshow brings this story from the Californian desert, where Rivian invited journalists on a 5-day offroading adventure.

The test vehicle featured the 135kWh battery, which has a claimed range of 300 miles (644km) but understandably, when running on soft ground, laden with 600 pounds of people and equipement, that quickly drops and Hall estimated the R1T achieved 137 miles of range.

With 826lb-ft (1120Nm) of torque, the R1T is a performance beast, but it also works wonders off road. Hall states “The R1T might not have locking differentials, a two-speed transfer case or any kind of tough-guy wizardry you'd associate with off-road prowess, but none of that matters when you've got an absolute ton of torque. I can slowly pick my line up a steep, rocky hill, never worrying about keeping momentum. The sophisticated traction control system moves the torque where it's needed most, and before I know it, the R1T hits the top of a peak while the Jeeps behind me are still switching into low gear.”