Latest news with #DriveElectric
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Range Rover stuns industry with bold EV redesign revealed in sneak-peek images: 'The upgrades are designed to help [it] stand apart'
As more car manufacturers dip their toes in the electric vehicle market, an upcoming electric Range Rover is supposed to hit the market later this year, with incredible upgrades and advancements, as revealed in photos and a video of pre-release vehicles. An article by Electrek revealed that the company will be releasing its first electric SUV in 2025, as a new take on its Velar SUV with new aesthetics and an 800V platform, as opposed to the more commonly used 400V platform. With the higher voltage platform, you can expect an SUV with an 800V platform to have more power and faster charging, according to DriveElectric. Furthermore, the upgrades, per the spy shots of the new EV, suggest it will be a bigger, more SUV-like vehicle. "The upgrades are designed to help the Velar stand apart from the Sport and Evoque models. They could also help it compete with others in the segment, like the Porsche Macan Electric," Electrek reported. The turn toward electric is clear, and the continued release of new vehicles is evidence. Other carmakers, like Chevrolet with the Blazer EV, and Mercedes-Benz with its Vision V concept EV, are staking their claim on the EV market. With continuous upgrades and, in turn, price drops on used EVs, the time is now to switch to an electric vehicle. While gas-powered cars use dirty fuels, which require continuous maintenance, EVs have no tailpipe pollution and will save you tons of money from not having routine gas or oil changes and higher maintenance costs. While pushback on the environmental benefits of EVs includes the need for mining materials for their batteries' production, sources say we are digging about 16.5 billion tons of dirty energy sources out of the Earth every year, and would only need to dig up roughly 30 million tons of minerals annually for the clean energy transition. Plus, unlike dirty fuels, the minerals needed for lithium batteries in EVs are reusable. Solar panels are a phenomenal implementation to further maximize your savings and earth-consciousness while driving your EV. EnergySage is an easy, free resource to help you compare quotes and estimates on solar installation that can save you money on EV charging. Upon the announcement of the first fully electric Range Rover SUV, 57,000 people were already on the waitlist as of January 2025, according to Electrek. If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Tauranga electric truck fire under investigation
Anderson said an aerial fire truck from the Mount Maunganui fire station joined the other crews at 8.22pm. 'Our crews started heading home about 10pm and we had one remain on scene until 4am, cooling the truck. The fire is extinguished.' A fire investigator also attended on Saturday night and returned today. The electric truck caught fire while parked at the ChargeNet charging site in the Bethlehem Town Centre carpark. 'ChargeNet can confirm that at approximately 4.50pm ... a fire occurred involving an EV [electric vehicle] truck at our Bethlehem charging site,' ChargeNet said in a statement. 'The charger was quickly disconnected from the vehicle. The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely and no injuries have been reported.' ChargeNet said the Bethlehem charging site has been temporarily shut down. 'Emergency services responded promptly and removed the vehicle at around 4am this morning. 'Our technical team is working closely with emergency services and on-site personnel to support their response and undertake a thorough assessment.' ChargeNet said initial indications suggest the vehicle involved was a custom-built electric truck. 'The safety of our customers, partners and the public is our highest priority,' it said. 'We are in direct contact with the vehicle's owner and will continue to assist Fire and Emergency New Zealand and other relevant authorities as needed. 'Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.' EV FireSafe director Emma Sutcliffe said electric truck battery fires are rare, with just 13 such incidents verified globally. Advertise with NZME. 'When they do occur, the leading cause is manufacturing faults that can trigger a chemical process called thermal runaway, which is extremely difficult to control in large battery packs,' Sutcliffe said. 'The safest response is often to allow the pack to burn out while protecting nearby structures.' EV FireSafe is an Australian company funded by the Australian Department of Defence, specialising in EV battery fire research and emergency response – particularly when EVs are charging. Global and NZ data from EV FireSafe and Drive Electric Global and New Zealand data shared by EV FireSafe and Drive Electric show that EV battery fires are rare, with 510 globally between 2010–2024, across about 40 million EVs. EVs are less likely to catch fire than petrol/diesel vehicles. Data from Norway shows that there is a 0.005% fire rate for EVs versus a 0.03% fire rate for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Most EV fires don't involve the battery. Data collected from the Netherlands shows that only 38% (2022) and 25% (2023) involved battery ignition. Charging-related fires are also uncommon with less than 15% of EV battery fires happening while charging. This means that charging is not always the cause.
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Tauranga EV truck fire under investigation
Anderson said an aerial fire truck from the Mount Maunganui fire station joined the other crews at 8.22pm. 'Our crews started heading home about 10pm and we had one remain on scene until 4am, cooling the truck. The fire is extinguished.' A fire investigator also attended on Saturday night and returned today. The electric truck caught fire while parked at the ChargeNet charging site in the Bethlehem Town Centre carpark. 'ChargeNet can confirm that at approximately 4.50pm on the 3 May 2025, a fire occurred involving an EV truck at our Bethlehem charging site,' a ChargeNet spokesperson said. 'The charger was quickly disconnected from the vehicle. The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely, and no injuries have been reported.' ChargeNet said the Bethlehem charging site has been temporarily shut down. 'Emergency services responded promptly and removed the vehicle at around 4am this morning. 'Our technical team is working closely with emergency services and onsite personnel to support their response and undertake a thorough assessment.' ChargeNet said initial indications suggest the vehicle involved was a custom-built electric truck. 'The safety of our customers, partners, and the public is our highest priority,' a ChargeNet spokesperson said. 'We are in direct contact with the vehicle's owner and will continue to assist Fire and Emergency New Zealand and other relevant authorities as needed. 'Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.' EV FireSafe director Emma Sutcliffe said electric truck battery fires are rare, with just 13 such incidents verified globally. 'When they do occur, the leading cause is manufacturing faults that can trigger a chemical process called thermal runaway, which is extremely difficult to control in large battery packs,' Sutcliffe said. 'The safest response is often to allow the pack to burn out while protecting nearby structures.' EV FireSafe is an Australian company funded by the Australian Department of Defence, specialising in EV battery fire research and emergency response — particularly when EVs are charging. Global and NZ data from EV FireSafe and Drive Electric Global and NZ data shared by EV FireSafe and Drive Electric show that EV battery fires are rare with 510 globally between 2010–2024, across about 40 million EVs. EVs are less likely to catch fire than petrol/diesel vehicles. Data from Norway shows that there is a 0.005 per cent fire rate for EVs versus a 0.03 per cent fire rate for ICE vehicles. Most EV fires don't involve the battery. Data collected from the Netherlands shows that only 38 per cent (2022) and 25 per cent (2023) involved battery ignition. Charging-related fires are also uncommon with less than 15 per cent of EV battery fires happening while charging. This means that charging is not always the cause. New Zealand has had six recorded EV fire incidents with no reported injuries, fatalities, or confirmed cases involving charging.
RNZ News
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Govt plans for 10,000 EV chargers by 2030
transport national 32 minutes ago The government wants to have 10,000 charge points for EVs around the country in the next five years. Drive Electric chairperson Kirsten Corson spoke to Corin Dann.
