Hello, dear readers and riders! Welcome to the last installment of our EV news roundups for February. This week, we’ll cover the world’s fastest eVTOL, a stunning new concept from Zero, and the EV industry’s darker side. As always, please send any leads to stephanie@thevintagent.com. Let’s roll.
Zero’s New Concept is Straight from the Future
The Zero SR-X concept built with HUGE Design from San Francicso. [HUGE]
Zero Motorcycle unveiled its newest e-Motorcycle concept, giving us Sci-Fi vibes. Called the Zero SR-X, the bike was built in partnership with Bill Webb of HUGE Design. “The SR-X concept bike strives to hit a design sweet spot for the near future of electric motorcycles by combining clean lines and disciplined design-detailing with the aggressive stance and raw performance found in modern liter bikes,” Webb explained.
Meet the New eVTOL Racecar
Entertainments for the future: a flying F1 car? [Alauda]
Alauda Aeronautics recently released a new design concept for a track-racing-inspired eVTOL. The company claims that its new hydrogen-powered aircraft, the Airspeeder Mk4, is the fastest in the world. What sets the Mk4 apart from other eVTOL is its in-house designed gimballed thrust system controlled by an AI-powered flight controller that adjusts the craft’s four-rotor pairs mounted on 3D-printed gimbals. “It handles less like a multi-copter and more like a jet fighter or Formula 1 racing car.” Alauda Aeronautics states.
Colibri M22 is a Folding e-Moped that Travels 125 Miles on a Single Charge
A foldie that will take you places, after you’ve gone places. [Colibri]
Designer Petre Georgescu recently revealed his latest innovation, the Colibri M22. The foldable e-Moped can travel 125 miles (200km) on a single charge and is highly customizable. Without the battery, the bike weighs only about 66 pounds and can reach speeds of up to 31mph. The Colibri M22’s off-road setting allows riders to explore trails less traveled and has a top speed of almost 60mph.
Volvo Preps for Electric 20-Ton Wheel Loaders
Volvo is retrofitting its commercial equipment with EV motors. [Volvo]
Volvo Construction Equipment is launching an electric retrofit program in Europe for its 20-ton L120H wheel loader. The company will swap out diesel engines with 240kWh batteries in partnership with Parker Hannifin. As a result, the large vehicles will have near-silent operations and five-hour runtimes. They can be fully charged in less than two hours.
EV Industry Workers Are Dying
WIRED recently published an article covering the dark side of the EV industry. Journalist Peter Yeung spoke to dozens of workers at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) and found that they worked up to 15 hours daily, earning less than $25. The article reveals that working conditions at IMIP are “dangerous and deadly” and that companies are “putting profits over people’s lives.” Indonesia’s nickel sector also has devastating environmental impacts, with hundreds of thousands of trees being cleared for smelters, mines, and supporting infrastructures.
Meet Tesla Semi’s Little Sister
Looks like a Tesla semi, but isn’t. There’s competition in them thar hills.
Watt Electric Vehicle Company’s new eCV1 lineup of panel vans and electric trucks looks a lot like the Tesla Semi, only smaller. The vehicles are based on the company’s Passenger and Commercial EV Skateboard (PACES), are powered by 110kWh batteries, and have 290 miles worth of range.
MIT Media Lab is Developing a Self-Driving e-Trike
MIT’s City Science research group is working on a self-driving tricycle that can be summoned on demand.
Are EV Pickups Harming the Planet?
The New York Times published an article exploring electric pickups’ environmental impact. While the electric versions produce up to 50% fewer emissions per mile than combustion engines, they are still much dirtier than you think, especially when the full life cycle from production to destruction is considered: just like oil production and internal combustion vehicles. Since Americans like everything bigger, the 6000+lb behemoth EV pickups use a lot of electricity, putting them on par with small cars in carbon production per mile.
Stephanie Weaver is the EV Editor at The Vintagent, and a Philadelphia-based freelance writer. When she’s not locked to her laptop, she can be found riding horses and motorcycles.
EV workers dying ?
Heck dearie … you aint even begun to scrape the surface of that toxic iceberg !!!!!
Once again … read Siddarth Kara’s ” Cobalt Red ”
Then take a good hard look at the mining of rare earth minerals needed for EV motors .. etc etc etc … et al .. ad nauseam .. EV manufacture is a death trap rivaled by the coal mines of old .
If that doesn’t send a few shock waves through your entire being … well .. you’re as heartless as the rest of California’s NIMBY * addled Ayn Randian narcissists ..
:* see todays NPR story about all the toxic waste CA is dumping everywhere else but CA . . No shock though in light of the face that CA steals the majority of its electricity [ allowing others to deal with the pollution ]… not to mention OUR damn water ( it is called the COLORADO River ya know !!!
Ahhh … but you know what the real joke of the day in regards to EVs is ?
DW and the entire German automotive press have rated all EVs across the entire price range .. as the most unreliable vehicles being sold today …. confirming why my idiot neighbors TESLA 3 is getting towed off on a regular basis
Yeah … EVs … a great idea ( in some alternative universe ) in no way shape or form ready for prime time .. yet watch the early adapter sheeple line up like lemmings to the edge of the cliff
Now pardon me while I drive off in my extremely reliable ICE Benz .. ( over a decade without a single issue )
” Oh Lord .. won’t you buy me .. a Mercedes Benz ” … oh wait Janis . he did .. buy me one that is … 😎
” Rock and Roll aint noise pollution .. Rock and Roll ( and ICE’s ) will survive “
Dude,
I only visit this site to read your laughable comments.
Keep ’em coming. 😂🤡🤣🤡😅🤡🤪🤡😜🤡