Tag: electric cars

Hyundai and Kia bet on London startup for electric cars

LONDON, United Kingdom  (AFP) — South Korea’s Hyundai and its Kia affiliate announced plans Thursday for a major investment in London-based startup Arrival to produce next-generation electric vehicles that cost less than standard-engine models. The 100-million-euro ($110 million) bet on the five-year-old technology firm comes as some manufacturers abandon Britain because of uncertainties about how it will trade with EU nations once it leaves the bloc this month. Arrival is focused on designing and producing […]

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Green cars in spotlight as India eyes electric revolution

by Abhaya Srivastava Agence France-Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Electric cars bask in the limelight at India’s flagship auto show, where an ambitious plan to phase out polluting clunkers has manufacturers racing to lure millions of new drivers to their green vehicles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wants all new cars on India’s roads to be electric by 2030 to combat smog that routinely eclipses dangerous levels in the nation of 1.25 billion. Some […]

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Elon Musk, visionary Tesla and SpaceX founder

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — From cars to rockets, Elon Musk dreams big. On Tuesday, the South African-born entrepreneur combined both of those passions, blasting one of his Tesla electric cars into space aboard his own rocket. It was the latest feat for the 46-year-old Silicon Valley billionaire who has been hailed as a leading innovator and visionary. Born in Pretoria, on June 28, 1971, the son of an […]

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Tesla cars to have own motor racing competition

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Tesla electric cars, which have a passionate following around the world, will soon have their own racing competition, a global sports organizer said on Thursday. Electric GT Holdings said the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), motorsports’ governing body, has approved circuit races for the Tesla Model S P100D. “The Championship is the first all-electric circuit race series in the world and heralds the dawn of a new electric future,” […]

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Volkswagen heats up electric cars race with $40 billion spend

(Reuters) — 40-billion-dollars is roughly the size of Jordan’s GDP. And that’s also the amount of cash Volkswagen is going to splash in the next 5 years to gain ground in the electric and driverless car race. “We are seeing the first successes of this strategy. Volkswagen is in robust health. This is, above all, the result of great teamwork.” Volkswagen Chairman, Hans Dieter Poetsch, said. Competition in the sector is strong and VW has […]

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Tesla unveils electric big-rig truck

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Tesla Inc on Thursday (November 16) unveiled a prototype electric big-rig truck, throwing itself into a new market even as it struggles to roll out an affordable sedan on which the company’s future depends. Chief Executive Elon Musk unveiled the big rig, dubbed the Tesla Semi, by riding the truck into an airport hangar near Los Angeles in front of an invited crowd of what Tesla said were potential truck […]

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Five things to see at the Tokyo Motor Show

by Hiroshi Hiyama Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — From a car that wants to be your friend to another that burns off the fat: here are five hot vehicles on display at the Tokyo Motor Show. The biennial event opens for a media preview on Wednesday, before throwing its doors open to the public until November 5. The event will feature concept vehicles from top Japanese manufacturers, as well as fresh offerings from major […]

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British James Dyson to make electric cars by 2020

by Jean-Baptiste OUBRIER Agence France-Presse   LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — James Dyson announced Tuesday he was investing £2.0 billion ($2.7 billion, 2.3 billion euro) into developing an electric car by 2020, a new venture for the British inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner. The 70-year-old British entrepreneur said work began two and a half years ago on a project which he hopes will help tackle the scourge of air pollution. “Dyson has begun work […]

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Los Angeles to have fully electric bus fleet by 2030

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Known for its bouts of heavy smog, the city of Los Angeles on Thursday announced plans to have a fleet of fully electric, zero-emissions buses by 2030. Authorities in the United States metropolis said the project, which involves the purchase of 2,200 vehicles, would cost some $1 billion over the next ten years. “Today’s vote represents an enormous investment in the future of a healthy and prosperous Los Angeles,” […]

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Surge in electric cars may blindside big oil: report

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Oil companies underestimating the global market for electric vehicles could be caught unaware by weakened demand for petrol within a decade, analysts said Wednesday. Falling costs of electric cars and renewable technology may halt growth in oil demand from as early as 2020, they argued in a report. The current boom in electric vehicles is on track to displace two million barrels of oil per […]

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Electric cars purr at post-‘dieselgate’ Paris car show

by Tangi QUEMENER PARIS, France (AFP) — Automakers at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday unveiled several electric cars with a range of up to 400 km, a technological leap designed to turn the page on the “dieselgate” scandal that sullied the industry’s image. Troubled German automaker Volkswagen led the electric charge on the opening day of the biennial show, where it aims to rebound from the emissions cheating scandal that engulfed it a year […]

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