There has been a lot of news this week in alternative powertrains and autonomous vehicles. Much of it is collaboration, calls to action, and new advancements being announced. Let’s take a look.
The BMW Group, Daimler, Ford, and Volkswagen have formed a collaborative plan to create a network of ultra-fast charging stations in Europe. The network will consist of about 400 ultra-fast charging sites with power levels up to 350 kW as a brand-independent charging infrastructure. This sets precedents that may become global.
GLM Co unveiled two models of electric car in Hong Kong as the engineering company moves from Japan to China. The GLM-G4 and GLM-ZZ, both sports cars.
AmeriPride is adding 21 Ford Super Duty service trucks equipped with XL Hybrids electrification system. The Ford F-59 trucks have XL’s XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System and will be used for uniform delivery within Arizona and Minnesota.
Chrysler has released official EPA mileage numbers for the plug-in hybrid Pacifica minivan. They exceed expectations at 84 MPGe. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid enters showrooms late this year.
DOT is looking for automated vehicle proving grounds proposals. The Department of Transportation wants applicants to submit proposals for automated vehicle testing grounds around the United States in order to form a network of test beds for self-driving tech.
Ford will begin testing autonomous cars on European roads next year.
Delphi and Mobileye will showcase their autonomous driving system at CES 2017.
NewAtlas.com interviewed Brad Templeton of Singularity on “robocars.” Well worth the read.
Ballard will begin supplying fuel cells for Solaris to be used as range extenders on trolley buses. The Polish buses will feature electric trolley connections and hydrogen fuel cell range extenders when the trolley lines are no available.
The Wrights Group has showcased its hydrogen fuel cell bus driveline which will enter the market in 2017. The Wrightbus zero-emission double decker bus was shown at a conference in London.
An NREL report finds that hydrogen fuel cell buses have fuel economy gains of 1.4x that of diesel and 1.9x that of CNG. This shows that fuel cell buses are far more efficient than common combustion-powered buses using diesel or compressed natural gas.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.