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The second-generation Volvo XC90 announced the brand’s confident and triumphant return to the forefront of automotive discourse. With its parental troubles behind it, the 2015 model year XC90 arrived with dignified, upscale sheetmetal and served as a styling template for future models like the S90 and XC60. It also heralded the brand’s move towards downsized powerplants assisted by electric motors. The company’s CEO, Hakan Samuelsson, sees a not-too-distant future where plug-in hybrids make up a quarter of its sales — an attainable goal on a global scale, given China and Europe’s fondness for such models. In the United States, though, Volvo’s plug-in XC90 — lately, anyway — seems to be headed in the opposite sales direction as its plug-free model. Slightly odd, as plug-in hybrids are ascendent in America.Speaking to Automotive News Europe, Samuelsson discussed the brand’s recent growth – not just in global sales, but … [Read more...] about Volvo Boss Predicts a Plug-in-filled Future, but Americans Don’t Seem That Keen on the Brand’s Biggest Greenie

future plans to produce electric cars starting from 2020. Newly revealed information details the Dyson plan further: there will be a halo car first, and it will be followed by two less expensive models.Initial information said that Dyson's vehicles would be powered by solid-state batteries, but according to the Financial Times, that appears to not be the case for the first vehicle to launch. Instead, the first car would be a lithium-ion powered limited edition of less than 10,000 units, and it would work as a trial run for Dyson to really get into EV car manufacturing. The company confirmed to Autocar that Ann Marie Sastry, the executive known for solid-state battery technology has left the company late last year, but Dyson would not disclose whether this has had an effect on the future battery pack choice for the first vehicle.Behind Ann Marie Sastry's original embarking on the Dyson project was Dyson's acquisition of Sakti3, a solid-state battery company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The … [Read more...] about Dyson’s electric car venture to be three-part

FRANKFURT — German carmakers hope a network of high-power charging stations they are rolling out with Ford will set an industry standard for plugs and protocols that will give them an edge over electric car rivals.At the moment, Tesla and carmakers in Japan and Germany use different plugs and communication protocols to link batteries to chargers, but firms building the charging networks needed for electric vehicles to become mainstream say the number of plug formats will need to be limited to keep costs down.Carmakers behind the winning technology will benefit from having an established supply chain and an extensive network, making their vehicles potentially more attractive to customers worried about embarking upon longer journeys, analysts say.Manufacturers that back losing plugs, however, could end up with redundant research and development and may have to invest to adapt assembly lines and vehicle designs so their customers can use the most widespread fast-charging … [Read more...] about Plug wars: the battle for EV charging supremacy

hydrogen vehicles in the U.S. If fuel cell vehicles spread from there the way sourdough bread and normalized weed have made their way across the country, we should pay attention to what's happening in the Golden State. One highlight worth noting is that Toyota has sold 3,000 units of its Mirai fuel cell sedan in California, the automaker announced.For a normal vehicle, 3,000 isn't an impressive number. Consider, though, that there are only 31 hydrogen fueling stations at which to fill them up in the state, and that they're located primarily around Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. That helps put the sales into perspective. Perhaps more interestingly, Toyota claims that the Mirai makes up 80 percent of all fuel cell vehicles on the road in the U.S.That might not be the case for long, though. Other automakers are slowly ratcheting up their hydrogen vehicle programs to gauge their reception primarily in — you guessed it — California. There, Honda is selling its … [Read more...] about Toyota surpasses 3,000 Mirai fuel cell sedan sales

Honda raised a few eyebrows by announcing the return of the Insight hybrid for 2019, this time as a larger and plusher four-door sedan. While the model holds the title of America’s first hybrid car, its groundbreaking status didn’t carry over into the model’s second generation, which, despite selling better than the two-seater first-gen model, quietly (and slowly) disappeared from the market after its 2014 discontinuation.The automaker sold three “new” 2014 Insights last year, and 67 the year before.Throughout the second Insight’s run, and continuing through 2015, the Civic Hybrid was also available to lower-end electrified car shoppers. Which begs the question: why didn’t Honda just make a hybrid version of its wildly popular 10th-generation Civic?Oh no, Honda couldn’t do that.Speaking to Wards Auto at last week’s Detroit auto show, Henio Arcangeli, senior vice president of American Honda’s automotive division, said … [Read more...] about Why Bring Back the Insight? Because a Hybrid Civic Just Isn’t Done

Infiniti announced that it will offer new electrified vehicles starting in 2021. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said that its luxury brand will build its first all-electric car in 2021, as well as new "e-Power" vehicles – series hybrids with batteries charged by gasoline generators.Nissan has introduced e-Power vehicles in other markets, including the Note e-Power and the Serena e-Power minivan. Now it will extend that technology to Infiniti, providing a similar driving experience to an EV with the convenience of a gas-powered vehicle.Infiniti also said that we can expect "beautiful vehicles" like the Q Inspiration Concept that debuted at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. Infiniti doesn't plan on producing the Q Inspiration, but it will certainly influence future vehicles in terms of both styling and technology. The Q Inspiration uses variable compression technology, which the company intends to use to improve efficiency and performance of its gasoline-powered cars.Infiniti expects half of … [Read more...] about Infiniti EV coming in 2021