Aichi Steel Corp. (TYO:5482) announced on July 12 that the company has constructed a servo press line at its research and development plant in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, to develop new forged components for electric vehicles (EVs). Vehicle electrification is advancing as environmental regulations become more stringent worldwide. The company expects that demand for drive system...
PHV
Volvo to Go Electric on All Car Models Starting in 2019
Swedish automaker Volvo Car Corp. recently announced that, starting in 2019, the company will no longer launch gas-only vehicles. The company’s entire lineup will be comprised of electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) and hybrid vehicles (HVs). No new exclusively internal-combustion vehicles with gasoline or diesel engines will be released. At the present time,...
Honda Moves Toward Domestic Procurement for New Chinese-Market EV
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) will begin locally procuring batteries and motors for an electric vehicle (EV) to be launched exclusively for the Chinese market in 2018. Thus far, Honda has supplied batteries and motors for hybrid vehicles (HVs) in China with exports from Japan. Utilizing the EV launch as an opportunity, however, the company...
Porsche Japan to Introduce EV Model in 2020, Extend PHV Lineup
Porsche Japan KK will launch domestic sales of a new electric vehicle (EV) in 2020, with plans to add plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) to its model lineup before then. By expanding its product lineup, the company is aiming to raise the ratio of EV and PHV sales volume to at least 10 percent of total...
Panasonic Opens New Automotive LiB Plant in China
Panasonic Corp. (TYO:6752) announced on April 27 that its Chinese JV Panasonic Automotive Energy Dalian Co. Ltd. has completed construction of a new automotive lithium-ion battery (LiB) plant in Dalian, Liaoning Province. The announcement was coupled with an opening ceremony on the day. The plant is Panasonic’s first automotive battery cell production base in China....
Renesas Develops Dedicated Motor Control Technology to Boost EV Cruising Range
Renesas Electronics Corp. (TYO:6723) announced that it has developed dedicated motor control technology for automotive microcontrollers to boost the energy efficiency of electric vehicles (EVs). This newly developed technology enables autonomous operation by creating a dedicated circuit for the static processing that motor control requires. These developments have allowed field-oriented control operations – which are...
New Prius PHV Equipped With World’s First Solar Charging System
Touted as the pillar of next-generation eco cars, Toyota Motor Corp.’s (TYO:7203) new Prius PHV has achieved an electric vehicle (EV) cruising range of 68.2 kilometers, more than double that of its predecessor. Launched on Feb. 15, the new plug-in hybrid vehicle is one that Toyota Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada expresses confidence in as raising the...
Thailand to Refine Favorable Policies for Eco Car Investment
Talking with Japan Automotive Daily and other press outlets on Feb. 15, the secretary general of Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI), Hirunya Suchinai, discussed the country’s policies for prioritizing eco-friendly vehicles. The benefits to be gained from eco cars vary based on the kind of environmental technology at play, Suchinai said, explaining that the current...
Toyota Revamps Prius PHV for First Time in Five Years
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) announced on Feb. 15 its launching of the second-generation Prius PHV. The new version of the plug-in hybrid vehicle marks the Japanese automaker’s first complete redesign of the Prius PHV in five years and one month. Running only on its electric motor, the new Prius PHV has a range of 68.2...
