Renault Samsung SM3 ZE

Renault Samsung Motors have unveiled the new SM3 Z. at the Daegu International Future Auto Expo in South Korea. Determined to upgrade its electric vehicle range to meet customer demand, and buoyed by the EV expertise it has gained over the past eight years, Groupe Renault is continuing to renew its line-up, the latest example being the new version of the SM3 Z.E. which first appeared in 2013.

The autonomy of the Renault Samsung Motors SM3 Z.E. – the market’s only three-box saloon – has been increased by 57 percent to 213 kilometres based on the Korean type approval cycle.

Battery power has been upped to 36kWh with no increase in weight and, with the average daily trip in South Korea standing at 40 kilometres in 2016 according to a Korean Transportation Safety Authority (KOTSA) report, the new SM3 Z.E. is capable of running for approximately five days on a single charge.

This increase in autonomy and the model’s spacious cabin will permit the SM3 Z.E. to address the strong demand expressed not only by retail customers, but also by state-run fleets and taxi operators. Indeed, 1,200 cars were purchased by South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare last April, while the model is also popular as an EV taxi in Seoul, Daegu and Jeju Island.

Lucid Air Luxury EV 2019

1,000-Horsepower Electric Luxury Sedan

Lucid Motors is one of those companies. Founded in 2007 under its former name, Atieva, the Menlo Park-based company began developing its first electric vehicle in 2014.

The car, called Lucid Air, debuted last year as a 1,000-horsepower electric luxury sedan that Lucid said would rival Tesla's highly successful Model S.

Lucid has 300 employees and is backed by Venrock - the same venture capital firm that led Apple's Series A round in 1978. Lucid also counts China's Beijing Automotive Industry Holding and Japan's Mitsui as investors. Interestingly, Jia Yueting, Faraday Future's only publicly known backer, is also an investor in Lucid.

Lucid invited Business Insider to check out a nearly finished representation of the car at its headquarters in Menlo Park.

Yes, this rolling test-bed is stripped of much of the weight that the finished sedan will carry (this temporary body is made of easy-to-produce and replace carbon fibre panels, not aluminum and steel), but it's also dialled down to half the 1000 horsepower (746kW) the production vehicle will sport from the battery pack integrated into the floor.

Moreover, with an electric motor and active air dampers at each wheel, and all that weight down in the battery lowering the centre of gravity, the car feels remarkably planted.

The Lucid Air may not be ready for production just yet, and given the vagaries of the electric vehicle (EV) startup business. (It costs upwards of US$1 billion for an established company such as General Motors to develop a new car.)

If everything goes to plan and the Air hits the road in 2019 as projected, Lucid claims the six-figure sedan (previous reports have pegged its price at up to US$160,000) will rocket like a supercar from zero to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, range 640km on a single charge, and sport advanced driving assistance capabilities such as radar, lidar and cameras that will make it ready for autonomous operation - wherein the driver is all but irrelevant. It's the dream that the likes of Tesla and other startups, such as Faraday Future (whose billionaire investor Jia Yueting has also invested in Lucid), are all working towards.

LG Electronics and Volvo to link up for developing future electric cars EV

Sweden-based vehicle manufacturer Volvo Car Group will join hands with South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. to develop future vehicles such as self-driving and electric cars with an aim to expand its presence in the burgeoning new-generation vehicle market.

Volvo is most likely to establish a strategic partnership with LG Electronics to co-develop key technologies from an early stage rather than simply receive related components from the Korean tech giant.

According to multiple industry sources on Friday, Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Car Group, visited LG Electronics’ campus in Cheongna, Incheon, where the company’s vehicle components division is located. Samuelsson, who arrived in Seoul on Wednesday, met with Lee Woo-jong, chief executive and president of vehicle components division at LG Electronics and toured around the campus and research and development facilities.

LG Electronics have collaborated with General Motors to develop and supply 11 key components and systems including driving motors and invertor battery packs for GM's fully electric Chevrolet Bolt. With 400 kilometers range on a full charge, the Bolt is gaining industry attention as it is competitively priced at $30,000 and raises the bar on price and range for mass production electric cars.

Similarly, Volvo plans to launch an all-electric vehicle in 2019 with a range of 500 kilometers or more on a full charge. It is planning for LG to become its electronics pillar. Moreover, LG Chem is a leader in electric vehicle battery technology.

Key management officials at Volvo’s parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding of China also met with LG Chairman Koo Bon-moo last month and visited the company’s vehicle component division in Incheon.

Acura NSX supercar 2017

Acura will field a pair of 2017 Acura NSX supercars in the 100th Anniversary of the running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 26, marking the North American racing debut of Acura's next-generation NSX: the pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance and the only supercar made in America.

The two Acura NSX supercars will compete in the Time Attack 1 and 2 classes and will be piloted by brothers James and Nick Robinson, respectively, both from the company's North American engineering team. In addition, Acura will campaign an NSX-inspired prototype vehicle in the Electric Modified Class, featuring a further evolution of the experimental all-electric, 4-motor Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) powertrain that won last year's Pikes Peak Challenge Exhibition class.

"Pikes Peak is like no other race in the world and offers a unique opportunity to showcase the power and performance of our products," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of the Acura Division. "We are excited for this year's 'Race to the Clouds' to test the endurance and engineering of the Acura NSX and our advanced powertrain technologies – as well as an expression of our racing spirit."

A team of North American R&D engineers has been working on both NSX entries, which feature the same three-motor Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive powertrain (Sport Hybrid SH-AWD) as the production NSX. This powertrain features a twin-turbo V6 engine mated to a 9-speed dual clutch transmission and Rear Direct Drive Motor, and a front Twin Motor Unit with a world's first electrically powered torque vectoring capability in the supercar realm. Modifications to the NSX competing in the Time Attack 1 class included chassis lightening and a custom high-flow racing exhaust.

The NSX competing in the Time Attack 2 class is a production car with the required safety equipment for competition. The Time Attack 1 NSX will be driven by James Robinson of the company's North American powertrain development group, who drove a first-generation NSX in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb from 2012 to 2015. His brother Nick Robinson, an engineer in charge of the new NSX's dynamic performance during its development, will drive the Time Attack 2 NSX. Nick is also the reigning PP250 winner from the 2015 Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

The supercar-inspired 4-Motor EV Concept will be driven by Tetsuya Yamano, who campaigned last year's CR-Z-based electric prototype. The EV Concept is the ultimate embodiment of the all-wheel-drive Electric SH-AWD powertrain featuring a world's first technology that enables four-wheel independent torque allocation. The Electric SH-AWD powertrain, an evolution of the CR-Z prototype powertrain, produces three times the total system output of last year's electric prototype and is mated to the NSX body.

As Official Pace Car sponsor, Acura will feature three pace cars – the NSX, the seven-passenger MDX performance-luxury SUV and the TLX sports sedan. President of Polyphony Digital and Producer of the Gran Turismo series Kazunori Yamauchi and Pikes Peak legends Randy Schranz and Leonard Vahsholtz will lead the field of 100 entrants to the top of the 14,115-foot Colorado peak.

For Pikes Peak race attendees, the NSX and other pace cars will appear at a number of pre-race activities, including the popular Fan Fest in downtown Colorado Springs, 5 to 10 p.m. MDT Friday, June 24.

Next generation Amorphous Silicon (SiO) Li-ion Battery

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan Arc Ltd. announced today joint development of an atomic analysis methodology that will aid in boosting the performance of lithium-ion batteries, and ultimately extend the driving range of zero-emission electric vehicles.

The breakthrough was the result of a combined R&D effort between Nissan Arc Ltd., a Nissan subsidiary, Tohoku University, the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).

The analysis examines the structure of amorphous silicon monoxide (SiO), widely seen as key to boosting next-generation lithium-ion battery (Li-ion) capacity, allowing researchers to better understand electrode structure during charging cycles.

Silicon (Si) is capable of holding greater amounts of lithium, compared with common carbon-based materials, but in crystalline form possesses a structure that deteriorates during charging cycles, ultimately impacting performance. However, amorphous SiO is resistant to such deterioration.

Its base structure had been unknown, making it difficult for mass production. However, the new methodology provides an accurate understanding of the amorphous structure of SiO, based on a combination of structural analyses and computer simulations.

The atomic structure of SiO was thought to be inhomogeneous, making its precise atomic arrangements the subject of debate. The new findings show that its structure allows the storage of a larger number of Li ions, in turn leading to better battery performance.

“The invention of this new analysis method is essential to further develop the next generation of high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. It will certainly become one of our core technologies. The utilization of this analysis method in our future R&D will surely contribute to extending the cruising range of future zero-emission vehicles,” said Takao Asami, senior vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and President of Nissan Arc Ltd.

Daniele Schillaci, executive vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Global Sales & Marketing including Zero Emission Vehicle and Battery business, said the development was another proof point of Nissan’s commitment to innovation in advanced technologies.

“Nissan is exploring a wide range of energy sources for tomorrow’s vehicles, and we recognize our role in continuously investing in multiple technologies and intelligent mobility,” said Schillaci.