Latest news with #EV1
NZ Herald
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
China dominates the global market for electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels - all invented in the US
Electric vehicles Once, it looked like America's roads would be filled with electric cars. The US inventor William Morrison developed the first successful electric car in 1890, and interested urbanites soon began converting stables to charging ports. By the early 1900s, about one-third of all vehicles on the road were electric. In New York City, a cab company called the Electric Vehicle Company operated electric vehicles with exchangeable batteries, like an early form of Uber or Lyft. At the time, however, many rural areas still lacked reliable electricity: it wasn't until the 1930s that widespread electrification got under way. Oil companies, though, had already created a network to distribute fuel across the country. 'A lot of rural America was still using gasoline for stoves and kerosene for home lighting,' said David Kirsch, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. 'You could buy it at many, many general stores across the country.' That made fuel engines more convenient for consumers. The internal combustion engine was improving much faster than battery technology. The Ford assembly line allowed the new fuel cars, like the Model T, to be produced more quickly. By the 1930s, there were only a tiny number of EVs on the road. More than 50 years later, the country had another chance. California said it would require automakers to sell a certain amount of electric vehicles. General Motors built the EV1, a small two-seater sedan that became quickly popular in the state. But when the California regulators backed off the plan in the mid-1990s, GM quietly repossessed the vehicles and discarded them. The US would continue to focus on fuel cars. It was that dominance in fuel-powered cars that initially motivated China to move into EVs more than a decade ago. Around 2010, China's Minister of Science and Technology, Wan Gang, began pushing the country to branch out into electric cars. American companies were already dominating combustion engines, and the country was looking for technologies that its companies could dominate over the next few decades. Between 2010 and 2023, China rolled out a huge bank of subsidies to encourage EV adoption. Interested buyers could get a rebate on an EV of up to 60,000 yuan, or roughly US$8000 ($13,600) – a huge benefit in a country where the average new car costs just US$23,000. EV owners also were exempt from sales tax and received a special coloured licence plate (green instead of blue) that allowed them to bypass the years-long wait for a licence. Manufacturers also received boosts, including tax breaks and faster permitting and siting for factories that produced EVs and batteries. According to one estimate from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the Chinese Government poured around US$231 billion into EV adoption – and that's likely an underestimate. The investments paid off. In 2010, both China and the US were selling just over 1000 EVs a year. Last year, the US sold 1.2 million – while China sold 6.4 million. And as Congress cuts EV incentives, the divide is likely to widen. 'There's a real danger of the US becoming more technologically isolated in the automotive sector,' said Ilaria Mazzocco, deputy director and senior fellow in Chinese business and economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Lithium-ion batteries Batteries followed a similar trajectory to electric vehicles. In the early 1970s, M. Stanley Whittingham, then a scientist at Exxon, created the first functional lithium-ion battery – a design that was later improved upon by John Goodenough at the University of Oxford and the Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino at Asahi Kasei Corp. Initially, the new technology became popular in the 1990s in electronics such as early laptops and cellphones – they were compact and reliable. By the early 2000s, the batteries began making their way into a new generation of electric cars. An American company called A123 was an early manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate batteries with enough capacity to power a car. In 2009, the Department of Energy gave the company hundreds of millions of dollars in a grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But the US wasn't boosting the sales of EVs, and early battery companies struggled to find a toehold in a market dominated by fuel-powered cars and trucks. A123 went bankrupt and was later purchased by a Chinese company. By the early 2010s, as China boosted its sales of EVs, the country was also pouring billions of dollars into battery technology and battery manufacturing. At the same time, the country invested in processing critical minerals like cobalt, nickel and graphite – adding stability to the complex battery supply chain. In 2021, the technology got another boost: China began to require that companies add 10 to 30% battery storage to the grid for each gigawatt of wind or solar coming online. Battery production surged. 'It just exploded,' said Iola Hughes, head of research at Rho Motion, a battery research firm and part of the consulting firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Today, China boasts 85% of the world's global capacity for battery cell manufacturing. For EV batteries, the picture is even starker: China holds 94% of the market share for producing lithium iron phosphate batteries. Solar panels For decades, solar panels were a distinctly American creation. In 1954, scientists at Bell Labs created the world's first commercially viable solar cell, which converted 6% of incoming light into electricity. By the 1970s, solar was booming in the US. The country was in the midst of an oil crisis, and the federal Government directed millions of dollars into research and development of solar. Scientists and engineers from around the world flooded into the US to develop solar technologies. President Jimmy Carter had 32 panels installed on the roof of the White House. According to one estimate, 95% of the world's solar industry in 1978 was based in the US. But in the 1980s, everything changed. President Ronald Reagan slashed funding for renewables and research and development into solar power. 'It was really ideological,' said Greg Nemet, professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. 'They cut the solar budget by 85% within a couple of years.' Germany and Japan filled the vacuum left by American leadership, gobbling up experienced engineers and scientists. Then, in the early 2000s, European countries began offering huge subsidies for installations of wind and solar. Chinese companies saw an opportunity – and started building millions of panels. 'There was a lot of growing demand in the early to mid-2000s, thanks to all these incentives in Europe, and a lot of entrepreneurs in China just set up factories to serve that demand,' Mazzocco said. After the 2008 financial crisis, Europe shut down those subsidies as the continent shifted towards austerity. But unlike the US decades before, China decided to continue to support the development of solar power. 'The Chinese Government stepped in,' Mazzocco said. So far, China has invested US$50b in new solar power production, and the country now accounts for about 80% of the global solar supply chain. Today, eight of the top 10 solar panel manufacturers are based in China. The other two are in India and Singapore. Experts say that the country's success is based on two things: reliable policy and a push to adopt the new technologies. 'I look across the period from say '69 to the present – what strikes me is how inconsistent we have been with policy,' said Kirsch. 'The Chinese have just cleaned our clock by having consistent policy.' At the same time, China pushed consumers to adopt the technologies even as they encouraged manufacturers to build them. 'Technologies succeed when you combine a technological opportunity with a market opportunity,' said Nemet. Despite all of the US inventions, Nemet says, the country never focused on making sure there was enough domestic demand for those technologies. 'The US was really good at creating these technological opportunities – but we just weren't supporting the market side enough,' he said.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kia on a charge with EV3
EV3 registrations in the South Korean market totalled 12,525 units in H1 of which 1,884 were sold last month. And even though this means the car was down in 22nd place, that's almost double the YtD volume of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. How about the Ioniq 9? Its tally is 3,608, while 3,277 examples of the new EV4 were delivered. Meanwhile, 59,129 units of the Kia Sorento found buyers, making it the country's number one model. KAIDA does not break out data by power source, so while the Kia Ray (25,269) and Genesis G80 (22,201) also put in good numbers, we don't know how many of each were the electric variants. Generally speaking, Korean buyers are not yet embracing EVs in a major way, leading local OEMs to channel lots of production towards Europe. Especially as both American and Chinese buyers are generally indifferent to HMG's brands' cars-with-cords. The top-selling EV for private buyers in Britain If we are still in a phase where EVs are but a small part of the global car market then no-one has told British buyers. Kia is doing especially well, the EV3 ending H1 as the country's most popular electric passenger vehicle at a retail sales level. Kia did in fact set a new record of 62,005 combined liquid-fuel and electrified cars and SUVs in the year to the end of June. Which as of now makes it the UK's number three brand, 1,600 vehicles clear of Ford and 5,700 behind BMW with VW (94,156) way out in front of both. Let's see what happens during the next few months though, as both Ford (10,204, +20.1%) and, unusually, Hyundai (10,109, +9.9%) beat Kia (10,043, -2.7%) in June. Battery models have risen to now make up one quarter of the British market for new vehicles. With the government handing out GBP650 m in fresh subsidies to those rich enough to buy a new EV, registrations could surge. And that will be great news for the nation's number one Korean make. Kia's big ambitions for EVs Already, the EV3's 6,293 sales are a little more than one tenth of Kia's total. And while the Sportage is well loved (23,012 sold between 1 January and 30 June with a freshened model available soon) there is no electric variant. This brand is smart enough not to have gone all-in on EVs, instead slowly-slowly readying itself and buyers for the eventual era when IC-only passenger cars will no longer be available. Here in Britain, that situation is within sight so all these new EV-plus-one-number models are poised to become a potential major force. It was as long ago as October 2023 when the world first saw the EV3, and, at 4.3 m long, presently the smallest Kia on a native-electric architecture. An EV2 is in development and an EV1 might well follow closer to 2030, while the EV6 has just been facelifted and EV4 build starts at the Žilina factory in Slovakia as soon as next month. EV1 to EV9? Things have, however, shifted somewhat since Kia Corporation held its EV Day only 21 months ago. Back then, existing and confirmed future models were EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6 and EV9 with a stated goal of offering 15 EVs by 2027. Annual sales of one million electric Kias by 2026 was a further ambition. That would have accounted for 25 percent of the company's total forecast of passenger vehicle production. Then by 2030, this was to be 1.6 million units per annum. Heady stuff, those goals. However, The Trump Administration, a flood of cheap EVs in China and general volatility for interest in electric cars the world over have combined to Kia Corporation revise its outlook. Demand continues to see-saw throughout Europe and Asia while a further downturn in North America is forecast. Build in Korea, and soon, in the USA We west Europeans are pretty much the main target for the EV3, the UK being the region's second largest market for electric cars. Not that Kia builds it here; instead Autoland Gwangmyeong is the lead plant, producing both LHD and RHD examples. Also known as Gyeonggi No 2, this facility now manufactures only EVs following a temporary idling and refit in 2023. The small-to-medium-sized SUV will also be made at Kia's Monterrey factory in Mexico, the specially modified EV3 for North America having a third, lower case letter (SVm) in its codename. Both are based on HMG's E-GMP and have a 400-volt electrical architecture whereas the larger EV6 and EV9 each have an 800-V one as well as a rear-biased drive system. While the model is still a fairly new addition to the line-up for the UK, it dates to a world debut at the Busan motor show 13 months ago. South Korea was the first market (July 2024) with sales in LHD European countries commencing in the final quarter of last year. And as was recently confirmed, the EV4 and EV5 are both coming to Europe within the next six to twelve months. Roominess as standard Anyone familiar with even the EV9 or just-facelifted EV6 will still find the EV3 to be a new kind of Kia. Compared to something like the Ceed it's completely different and that includes not just the way it looks and drives but how the interior is laid out. In common with the similarly proportioned VW ID.3, there is a vast amount of space in a package that's bigger than a Polo yet smaller than a Golf. Drive is to just the one axle - the front one - though a two-motors all-wheel drive GT variant is said to be on the way. The wheelbase, which is 2,680 mm, helps explain how HMG created a car which is 120 mm shorter than the e-Niro yet has oodles of room for legs. The dashboard, seats, door cards, even the headlining look like next generation components and have strong links to existing electric Kias such as the EV6 and EV9. Kia specifies a 150 kW (204 PS) and 283 Nm motor for all variants but with two battery choices, those being 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh. Not that you can see any of the major drive system parts: lifting the bonnet reveals mostly lots of black plastic shielding. There is however a small boot, its 25 litres of capacity being only just enough to hold the charging cables. The luggage bay, on the other hand, is big, with an official volume of 460 litres. Typically electric: heavy, even in base form I had only a brief drive of the EV3 and it did impress, even if the ADAS can be a touch too-keen. Happily, real buttons exist to deactivate Lane Assist. This being a heavy car for its size - 1,750-1,850-ish kilos depending on the battery - the ride is nicely smooth but the steering could do with a little more in terms of a direct feel. It's brisk enough, though top speed is a mere 106 mph or 170 km/h and the best range is an indicated 350 miles, that being for ideal conditions with the larger battery. If you're wondering about their chemistry, that's NCMA. These nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum lithium-ion cells were developed via a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution. Kia Corporation is hoping for peak global sales of 200,000 cars annually, of which 25,000-30,000 should be in South Korea. The way things are going, 2026 could see that achieved, things being helped along greatly by the European region, with the UK likely to remain an especially strong market."Kia on a charge with EV3" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Washington Post
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Hear the different ways EVs are reinventing the sound of a car
Climate Solutions Hear the different ways EVs are reinventing the sound of a car By Nicolás Rivero , Bishop Sand and Rekha Tenjarla June 18, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. EDT 0 Sorry, a summary is not available for this article at this time. Please try again later. Electric vehicle engines are almost silent. They're so quiet, automakers have to add sounds to warn pedestrians and cyclists that EVs are approaching. To avoid collisions, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says an EV should be audible from 16 feet away or more, depending on its speed. Imagine an EV is coming down the street. When do you hear it? Try It Before regulators required electric and hybrid cars to play warning noises, studies in the United States and Britain found EVs and hybrids were more likely than gas-powered cars to hit cyclists and pedestrians. Today, all new EVs and hybrids sold in the U.S. must play a sound at slow speeds. (Above about 20 mph, wind resistance and tire friction do the job of making them as noisy as gas-powered cars.) Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Some advocates argue that EV sounds should be standardized. For now, though, there are just a few federal guidelines. Beyond them, companies have wide latitude to improvise — and they've come up with a range of tones inspired by everything from '70s pop music to the vibrations of the sun. The Washington Post spoke to engineers, scientists, carmakers and activist groups to better understand the science and art of EV sounds. The higher the band, the higher the pitch, and the lighter the color, the louder the noise. This is a spectrogram, which shows sound waves broken down into their higher the band, the higher the pitch, and the lighter the color, thethe noise. The sounds also have to use a mix of frequencies that are spread out on the spectrum, to ensure they can be heard amid a variety of possible street noises. Regulators require EV sounds to rise in pitch as the car speeds up and fall as the car slows down — like a gas-powered engine. A busy street is a more crowded sonic environment than a quiet street, and yet you can still see the EV's frequency bands. Every EV sound is a compromise between designing a noise that's fairly easy to hear and one that isn't unreasonably loud and annoying — like a gas-powered car without a muffler. Companies don't want customers going on a test drive and saying 'Oh, what's that horrible sound?' and walking away, said Douglas Moore, who led General Motors' work on EV safety sounds for 20 years. Automakers across the industry have hired DJs, composers and audio engineers to give their electric cars and trucks radically different voices. GM When GM released the first modern electric car — the EV1 — in 1996, engineers gave it an external speaker to play a warning chirp. This is what one of the first EV warning systems sounded like. Replay Cadillac 'When I think of Cadillac, I want to feel like I'm in a cocoon of luxury,' said Jay Kapadia, GM's current creative sound director, 'and being bold, sophisticated and optimistic.' To create that feeling, Kapadia shifted a NASA recording of the sun's vibrations into audible frequencies, 'which sounds like it's in the perfect fifth chord,' he said. Then he layered in a didgeridoo, vocals and other synthesizers. Replay Hummer The Hummer EV — a 4.5 ton behemoth descended from U.S. Army combat vehicles — needed a different voice that would be 'electrifying' and convey thoughts of modernity and dynamism, Kapadia said. He took electric guitar riffs and ran them through layers of distortion to produce this sound. Replay Rivian Meanwhile, in California, Rivian engineers set out to create a sound that would be in tune with nature by blending together recordings of wind and water at Laguna Beach, Mammoth Lakes and the Colorado River 'We got really excited about this idea that if I was in a campsite in the middle of nowhere and a Rivian rolled up next to me, that it should sound like it belongs there,' said Erik Glaser, the company's director of user experience design. 'It's kind of like a sound you'd put on to meditate to,' he added. Replay Ford F-150 Ford engineers wanted to hew closer to the original sound of a gas-powered car. They created a grumbly drone that they say evokes the brand's long history of muscle cars. Replay BMW BMW's creative director for sound design, Renzo Vitale, started with a recording of the waterfall that thunders at the center of his Italian hometown of Isola del Liri. He tinkered with the wide range of high and low frequencies hidden within the sound, eliminating some tones, amplifying others, adding an extra note here or there to round it out. He compared the process to chiseling a sculpture. 'I was a little bit thinking of Michelangelo when he went to get a stone of marble, and you say, 'Okay, there is nothing in there,' and all of a sudden he carved out the David. It's in there, if you see it,' he said. Replay The wide variety of EV sounds allows automakers to give each model a distinctive voice that represents their brands. But having so many sounds can make it harder to recognize electric cars as they're coming down the street, said Claire Stanley, director of advocacy and governmental affairs for the American Council of the Blind. 'We want the same sound for every car, and we want that sound to be like a car,' Stanley said. 'When you're crossing a street, I don't want to have to take a couple of seconds to go, 'Hmm, is that a car or is that just the wind?'' EV sound designers may have to face another challenge as electric cars become more common and their sound waves start to overlap with each other — a phenomenon scientists call 'interference.' Some sound frequencies could stack on top of each other and become very loud, while other frequencies could cancel each other out and create pockets of quiet. 'It's going to be really hard to recognize where anything's coming from,' said Michael Roan, a mechanical engineering professor at Pennsylvania State University. EVs are especially vulnerable to this because the external speakers that play EV warning sounds are often about four inches wide and tucked behind one of the wheels. They're not big enough to reproduce the sound of a combustion engine, which roars out of 'a four-foot-by-four-foot engine well spitting out many different kinds of frequencies,' Roan said. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Automakers are trying to deal with this looming problem by layering in extra frequencies — beyond the ranges required by law — to make richer sounds less vulnerable to interference. But eventually, Roan said, carmakers might have to add more outside-facing speakers to EVs to make sure their warnings can be heard. One day, he said, they might even use pedestrian-sensing cameras to precisely target beams of sound directly at anyone standing nearby. 'But the car manufacturers would kick me in the shins for saying that, because that's a complex system that costs lots of money,' he said.
Business Upturn
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
Intellectual property: The business that shapes the world
The stable Internet connection, the noiseless run of modern electric cars, the security of a banknote – all these now seem like simple realities. However, beneath the surfaces of all the essential things lies a hidden world of intricate research and design, which necessitates a crucial yet often unseen aspect: intellectual property and its protection. This extensive business safeguards ideas that make innovations possible, and a deeper look into its nature gives us understanding of the vital force shaping the world around us. Our daily life is full of avant-garde things: the speedy and soft ride of an electric car, the Internet that brings the entire world in our room, the colorful hologram on a banknote that instantly proves the money is genuine. These items have already become essential to our lives, which sometimes makes us take them for granted. However, their true nature isn't that simple – everything that is invented and used is in fact a culmination of extensive research and design. Each such fruit of intellect, that is, intellectual property, is protected to safeguard and motivate the work of designers and engineers, secure comfortable user experience and prompt general advancement of our society. But is the concept of intellectual property (IP) really necessary? We have just said that products of the human thought contribute to the overall development, so why not make them freely available for anyone wishing to improve them? What happens when patents fall in wrong hands The question above is not really that simple. Any usable invention is born after thousands of hours of work and millions of investments, and lack of proper IP protection opens the door to criminals, leaving inventors and innovators unarmed and unmotivated. The humanity came to understand this many decades ago: for instance, Honoré de Balzac, the French 19th century writer, describes in his 'Lost Illusions' novel how an inventor of a cheaper way to produce paper falls victim of unscrupulous patent practices and loses everything. And reality can be even worse than fiction: in some cases, developments that fall into the wrong hands can slow down overall progress, as happened with batteries for electric cars. In 1989, Stanford Ovshinsky, an inventor, created a novel nickel-based battery that outperformed modern battery technology in terms of cost, safety, and power. Five years later, he sold the patent to General Motors so they could use it to create the EV1, the first mass-produced electric vehicle in human history. After evaluating the technology, however, GM decided to continue with their traditionally powered cars, and sold the invention to the oil merchant Texaco. Ovshinsky visualized a future where cars would be clean and efficient, but the improper patent conditions struck his dream out. His battery technology was licensed to a series of petrochemical corporations; the terms of the licensing restricted the use of the batteries in hybrid cars and, in effect, outlawed their use in completely electric cars for a while. The current pace of development of electric vehicles (EVs) is indicative of the impact of this restriction. Several years ago, lithium-based batteries, used in modern vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV, were only just nearing the performance of the genuine EV1 technology. Consequently, their cost of production was considerably more compared to gasoline cars, which hampered the EV industry progress and resulted in millions of tons of CO2 emissions that could be avoided if the technology was used properly. Does intellectual property protection really benefit all of us? Now, mistakes in the IP use can lead to grave consequences. Nevertheless, proper protection brings great benefits not only to the inventors themselves, but also to the users, as the example of modern banknotes shows. In the world of banknote printing, where forged bills can erode public trust and destabilize economies, intellectual property acts as a crucial line of defense against counterfeiters. One of the industry's most prominent players, French security printer Oberthur Fiduciaire, is an excellent example of the efforts in this field: the company invests heavily in research and development, constantly innovating security features like intricate microprinting patterns or embedded holograms. Expanding the IP base in this industry requires a lot of effort and money, and sometimes comes from synergy of two, like the French printer's recent acquisition of a stake in micro-optical security solutions provider Rolling Optics. The cooperation of two innovators has already resulted in Anima , a high-tech micro-lenses security thread that is complex, yet easy to authenticate by the end user. The company's other patented product offers an even better example of the profit-for-everyone concept. Bioguard , an anti-pathogen technology for various items by Oberthur Fiduciaire, protects health of millions of users around the world, and is intentionally kept affordable for other producers to ensure that it is targeted for everyone's benefit. Does Oberthur Fiduciaire (and other banknote printers) really need to try its hardest? In fact, yes – and the Superdollar crisis of the early 2000s serves as a stark example of this. While the Superdollars, that is, the US dollar fakes, were initially considered some of the most sophisticated counterfeit notes ever produced, their relatively low-tech security features ultimately contributed to their downfall. Unlike modern banknotes, which often incorporate advanced security features, the Superdollars relied on more traditional techniques, such as offset printing and the use of medium-quality paper. This lower quality ultimately helped the security forces identify all the forged bills – which wouldn't be possible if the genuine bills were simpler and the technology of their production wasn't strictly protected from criminals. How protected inventions help shape the modern world Oberthur Fiduciaire and other positive examples of civilized IP use demonstrate the importance of the concept to everyone – and our next case shows how proper patent handling helped offer a stable and reliable WiFi technology for everyone. In the 1990s, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) started developing a new technology for enabling wireless communication among computers. The concept was to create a way that could facilitate smooth communication among devices without requiring physical connection. Following extensive research and development, CSIRO submitted a patent application for the technology in 1996. The patent laid the foundation for modern WiFi connection and ultimately transformed how we communicate and obtain information – but the development wasn't as smooth as one may imagine. During the early 2000s, SET and Symbol Technologies claimed ownership of patents related to different facets of the wireless connection. This caused a sequence of legal disputes that jeopardized the overall progress of the wireless data transfer, but, in spite of these challenges, the genuine standard still laid the basis for modern WiFi. In no small part, this was due to the efforts of CSIRO and their co-researchers at Bell Labs, who protected their patents vigorously and, eventually, ensured that WiFi remained unrestricted and could be used by millions of users across the globe to access information and stay connected. Outlook for the future Essentially, intellectual property is an indispensable companion of human progress that follows us from the time of ancient Greece to the present day. The concept serves as the invisible engine driving innovation in our everyday lives, and safeguards the ideas and designs that shape the world. By incentivizing creators and fostering healthy competition, strong IP rights ultimately benefit consumers with a wider variety of high-quality goods and services. At that, the landscape of IP is constantly evolving. As technology races forward, with artificial intelligence playing a growing role in design and the digital realm presenting unique challenges, we must ask ourselves: how will the industry adapt to these new realities? In addition, there is the problem of protection of the invention process itself: many technological innovations, for instance, are based on mathematics, but mathematical calculations are not protected by patents. Not only this opens the door to thousands of new inventors, but also inspires patent trolls who want to misappropriate the fruits of others' intellectual labor. These issues show that the search for a perfect IP protection concept must go on, and finding the right balance between protecting creators and fostering the potential of new technologies will be crucial for shaping a future filled with groundbreaking advancements.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
VIVIC Corp. Announces Joint Development Agreement with ACEL Power Inc.
Collaboration Emphasizes Maritime Environmental and Sustainability Demand Las Vegas, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - March 19, 2025) - Vivic Corp. (OTCQB: VIVC) (the "Company", "we" or "VIVIC"), a leading global provider of access to luxury yachts, today announced the signing of the Electric Catamaran Yacht Joint Development Agreement with ACEL Power Inc. ("ACEL"). This collaboration will focus on developing renewable smart electric yachts. Cooperation Details Product Categories: The electric catamaran yachts will include the EV1, EV2, EV58, and other series. Technical Research and Development: VIVIC: Responsible for yacht design and construction technology. ACEL: Tasked with the research, development, production, and integration of electric propulsion systems. Joint Efforts: Both parties will collaborate on advancing electric propulsion technologies and share related intellectual property rights. Production and Sales: VIVIC: Will handle the production, construction, sales, and after-sales services in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. ACEL: Will produce the electric propulsion systems and manage sales and after-sales services outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Brand Authorization: All jointly developed electric yachts will feature the VIVIC and "威冠" (Weiguan) brand logos. Strategic Significance This partnership represents a significant advancement in the Company's strategic positioning within the renewable electric yacht market. The collaboration aims to meet the global demand for sustainable and efficient marine solutions by enhancing product competitiveness. The complementary technical expertise of both parties will accelerate the development of electric yachts and foster innovation within the industry. VIVIC President and CEO Tse-Ling Wang commented, "We are optimistic that this partnership with ACEL Power will enhance our competitiveness in the global market and provide fresh momentum for future growth. Both parties in the joint development are committed to advancing project implementation in line with the cooperation agreement. We look forward to sharing our progress along with any performance-related contributions in future financial reports." ACEL CEO and Co-founder Anthony Liu added, "This partnership with VIVIC represents a significant step forward in accelerating the adoption of electric propulsion in the luxury yacht market. By combining ACEL's cutting-edge electric propulsion technology, including its electrical backbone that also powers the yacht's house systems, with VIVIC's expertise in yacht design and manufacturing, we are creating a new standard for sustainable marine innovation. Furthermore, electric hybrid version of the yachts is being developed, designed to travel hundreds of kilometers on electric power with a single charge. Through advanced digitalization, we are creating a smart yacht that enhances performance, efficiency, and the overall user experience. Together, we are not only developing world-class electric catamarans but also driving the industry toward a cleaner, smarter, and more connected future. The first delivery of the yacht is scheduled to be in July 2025. " About Acel Power Inc. ACEL Power is comprised of an international team of passionate experts charting the voyage to carbon neutrality. The company's mission is to design and deliver cutting-edge solutions that redefine the marine industry, elevating it to new heights of integration, intelligence, safety and sustainability, and providing unparalleled user experiences. We design and engineer Intelligent Electric comprehensive systems, software and infrastructure that empower the forward-thinking explorers of today with the propulsion products of tomorrow. A new age in maritime power has dawned, and we are proud to be at its helm delivering world-leading electrification technologies. For more information, please visit ACEL Power, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is a pioneering manufacturer of electric outboard propulsion systems, leading the marine industry in innovation and sustainability. It is noted for introducing the world's first mass-produced 50 and 75 HP electric outboard motors, and now introduces the most powerful 250 HP (Peak 350 HP) electric outboard motor available. ACEL Power is committed to shaping a sustainable future through the creation of a smart electric ecosystem. With a forward-looking vision, ACEL aims to offer a comprehensive range from 1 HP to 650 HP, establishing new benchmarks for marine propulsion in performance, safety, and longevity. Leveraging patented technology and integrated software solutions, ACEL Power is driving change towards a cleaner, more efficient boating experience. For more information, visit Watch ACEL's electric outboard motors in action here. For media enquiries and more information on ACEL Power contact:Natasha ChawlaVP Sales and Marketingnatasha@ About Vivic Corp. Vivic Corp. is a distinguished company in the yacht industry, bringing unparalleled value and experiences to clients through innovative technology, product diversity, global presence, professionalism, and a commitment to sustainable development. We continuously explore the latest technological solutions to enhance yacht performance, safety, and comfort; offer a diverse product line to meet the needs and preferences of an array of clients. We have established a broad market and service network worldwide, providing comprehensive pre-sales and after-sales services; and employ a professional, dedicated, and experienced team to deliver high-quality products and services. Additionally, we emphasize environmental protection and social responsibility, striving for sustainable development. As a leader and pioneer in the yacht industry, we will continue to work hard to bring even better and more outstanding products and services to our customers. The company's main businesses include: Independent design, development, and sales of the "VIVIC" series of operational yachts mainly targeting domestic and foreign yacht clubs and water cultural tourism operators, with sales of mass-produced yachts including several models such as VV1 (40 feet), VV2 (46 feet), and V55 (55 feet). The company continues to independently design, develop, and manufacture all-electric and traditional power yachts through its own and subcontracted factories. Our products include leisure yachts, sea fishing yachts, diving function yachts, party function catamarans, large sailboats, and more, with maintenance and repair services available to our customers. The Company is a sales agent for multiple luxury yacht brands, and it is the exclusive agent for the 'MONTE FINO' series of luxury yachts from Kha Shing Enterprises, a world-renowned yacht builder with over 50 years of experience. These yachts, sold by the Company in regions outside of Taiwan and the United States, range from 45 to 150 feet. For more information, please visit Forward-Looking, Legal and Risk Disclosure Statements Statements in this news release concerning economic outlook, expected revenue, expected margins, expected savings, expected results, expected expenses, orders, deliveries, financial position, as well as any other statement that may be construed as a prediction of future performance or events are forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements include statements as to demand for the Company's products and the impact of geopolitical conditions, including any related international trade restrictions. These factors include uncertainties as to the ability to record revenues based upon the timing of product deliveries, changes in economic conditions, and other risks, including those described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), press releases, and other communications. The execution of the cooperation detailed in this announcement may face various challenges, including market conditions, regulatory changes, and supply chain issues. Consequently, the Company cannot assure that all aspects of the cooperation will be completed on time or in full. Investors should carefully weigh these risks when making investment decisions. The Company will continue to adhere to its innovation-driven development strategy, promote technological advancements in the new energy marine industry, and remain committed to creating long-term value for its shareholders. Should there be any significant developments, the Company will disclose relevant information in a timely manner in accordance with applicable securities regulations. Investor Relations Contact for VIVIC: Darrow Associates Jordan Darrow 631-766-4528 jdarrow@ To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio
