Amazon is Testing Rivian Electric Delivery Vans in Los Angeles
Amazon is testing some of the electric delivery vans that it developed with Rivian Automotive on routes in Los Angeles and says it will test the custom electric vehicles in as many as 16 different cities in 2021.
In September 2019, Amazon announced it would purchase 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian as part of its aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040.
Light-duty trucks including delivery vans are expected to be in demand in the U.S. in coming years, and not just by Amazon. That’s in part because President Biden, through his Buy America plan, has committed to replace the federal government’s fleet of internal combustion engine vehicles with cleaner, quieter electrics.
Read the article at CNBC.
How the US Plans to Capture the EV Battery Market
In his short tenure so far, President Biden has made a dynamic effort in policies concerning clean energy and climate change calling for hefty investments in federal R&D. The goal is to purchase and implement key clean energy inputs like batteries, with the goal of positioning the US as the world’s clean energy leader.
The main focus on the push toward battery manufacturing in the US is countering the country’s current reliance on China. This includes EV battery startups in the public sector and established manufacturers in the private sector.
The US-based battery manufacturers as a whole must work toward creative innovation and material alternatives in order to have a fighting chance. It will be the US’ focus on battery capacity, a shortened supply chain, and innovate alternatives to battery materials that will help gain a foothold in the market.
Read the article at Electrek.
Expert Explains How to Reduce the Risk of COVID-19 Transmission in a Car
Varghese Mathai is a physicist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who conducted a study using computational fluid dynamics simulations to understand how air flows inside a car and its implications for COVID-19 airborne transmission.
In this interview, he explains the optimal ways to ensure maximum airflow inside a car and what can be done to reduce the risk of airborne transmission.
"It’s important to have good ventilation. This means you get as much outside air as possible to mix with the air inside the cabin and then flush it out," says Mathai. ”You can do this in a couple of ways. One is by turning on the heating system, which takes in fresh air from outside, and opening windows through which it can be flushed out.
Read the article at Fast Company.
GM Secures Big Order for New BrightDrop Commercial EV
General Motors has lined up a major new customer for its new, all-electric commercial van and reiterated its support to Lordstown Motors, the Ohio EV maker preparing to launch a new electric pickup truck.
New Hampshire-based Merchants Fleet said it plans to further electrify its portfolio with 12,600 new commercial vehicles from BrightDrop, the fledgling business backed by General Motors.
The EV600 is powered by GM’s Ultium battery system that it’s producing in concert with South Korea’s LG Chem. The vans will be built at the GM CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, and Merchants Fleet expects the BrightDrop EV600s to enter its clients’ fleets starting in early 2023.
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
GM Flaunts Its Battery Technology in a Super Bowl Ad Blitz
By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor
GM returned to Super Bowl ads for the first time since the Great Recession with a pair of expensive 1:30 minute ads: Teen heartthrob Timothèe Chalamet demonstrated Cadillac Lyriq’s hands-free capabilities.
In his skit, Will Ferrell receives assistance from fellow comedians Keenan Thompson and Awkwafina. He’s outraged that Norwegians --the Norwegians! -- “sell way more electric cars per capita than Americans.” Indeed.
Last year, more than 54% of cars sold there were EVs and another 20% were PHEVs. In the U.S., EVs and PHEVs rack up less than a measly 2% of sales with the majority of those accounted for by Tesla.
In any case, skeptics will note that catching up with the Norwegians, never mind crushing them by 2035 will take much more than a better battery that sports higher mileage, lower cobalt content, greater safety in crashes, and higher recycle value.
