Electric Vehicles (EV) are a trending news topic across all forms of media – national, business, transportation, mobility, climate tech and consumer. While the Teslas, Ford F150s, Rivians, Ionixs and other brands get the attention, the industry is incapable of moving forward without cutting edge EV software. The markets know this, which is one of the reasons why EV software is a coveted commodity among investors, auto manufacturers, homebuilders and other strategic partners. As such, EV Software PR efforts continued to yield prominent results.
Below are recent, trending pieces of EV Software PR activity, as well as insightful industry articles worth your review:
You’re Being Lied to About Electric Cars – Motortrend
To summarize, replacing gasoline with coal (which, for the record, is an abysmal idea) would reduce energy usage by 31 percent. Another way to think about it: Right now, Americans use about 9 million barrels of oil a day for our automotive transportation needs. Magically switching to EVs charged via burning coal would result in only needing the equivalent of about 6 million barrels. That’s a big reduction. Replacing gasoline with EVs charged via natural gas would use 48 percent less energy. Green energy (hydro, solar, wind, etc.) instead of gasoline would reduce the amount of energy needed by nearly 75 percent, or 6.7 million barrels of gasoline equivalent, as only 2.3 million barrels equivalent would be needed. That’s massive.
EV Charging at Commercial Properties Gets a Federal Jolt – Commercial Observer
The market for electric vehicles has grown rapidly in recent years, and that’s only expected to continue. Electric car sales in the United States increased from a mere 0.2 percent of total car sales in 2011 to 4.6 percent in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Along with increased tax credits for buyers of new and used EVs, the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in 2022 restores expired tax credits for installing EV chargers in homes and businesses, according to EV Connect. The credit is good for up to 30 percent of the costs of EV charging equipment and installation. For businesses in designated rural and low-income areas, the limit is expanded from $30,000 to $100,000 per installation beginning in 2023.
How EV Battery Analytics Can Improve the Driving Experience – BlackBerry
Electrification and software connectivity are two key pillars of the automotive revolution currently underway. However, these pillars also support each other, with software able to improve the experience of driving an EV, and EVs providing a platform that is readily available for optimization via software. Harnessing this relationship will be key for automakers to delight their customers in the software-defined vehicle era.
These significant advances in battery optimization offer an added advantage: They require no additional hardware – just software-based data analytics. This is particularly valuable when you consider that the battery is the single most expensive component in an electric vehicle.
At CES® 2023, Electra demonstrated how its IVY™ integration works alongside BlackBerry’s other software platform partnerships, including one with PATEO, a leading Chinese automotive OEM. “We’re very happy that PATEO is bringing solutions like IVY and EVE-Ai together into the digital cockpit to improve the range of electric vehicles,” says Martini, adding that the technology can also “estimate very accurately the state of charge of the vehicle, to give the driver the actual remaining mileage that the vehicle has left in its battery.
Volta’s Software Brings Predictive Power to EV Market – CSP Daily News
The company, set to be acquired by Shell USA for $169 million in a matter of weeks with shareholder and regulatory approval, has over 3,000 charging stalls and 5,700 digital screens installed in 31 states, the company said. This number is likely to multiply when it combines with Shell USA, which markets fuel to 14,000 Shell-branded fuel stations and owns 248 Timewise convenience stores.
- Shell is No. 32 on CSP’s 2022 Top 202 list of U.S. c-store chains by number of company-owned locations. Check out the 2023 Top 40 update, and watch for the 2023 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and online.
Volta’s proprietary infrastructure-planning solution, called PredictEV, is designed to crunch data to better predict EV adoption so an appropriate number of charging stalls are placed in an area, the company said. It aims to solve a conundrum many companies face in gauging demand for charging stations and deciding where to put them.
VW Increases Investments in EV, Software Technologies – TT News
VW sold just under 40% of its vehicles in China last year, where its market share slipped to 15% from 19% in 2020. The drop is more pronounced among electric cars, where local manufacturers like BYD Co. and NIO Inc. offer attractive models at competitive prices. EV sales in China are expected to reach 50% by mid-decade, adding urgency to accelerate VW’s offerings, Blume said.
Investors are keen for Blume, who took over in September, to reveal more about his strategic priorities after focusing on fixing the company’s chaotic software push and scrutinizing costly projects. The company is planning to hold an investor day in June, where it’ll detail results of preparations on theoretical initial public offerings for select business units.
Audi Upgrading Q4 e-tron with Over-the-Air Functionality – Autoweek
Audi is proactively answering this question by updating the software in its late-model Audi Q4 e-trons, up to and including the 2022 model year. This update, to be performed by Audi dealers, will offer a series of infotainment, charging, and software improvements, while allowing for future wireless over-the-air updates to occur.
Beyond adding OTA capability, the update will provide e-tron owners with enhanced charging features, including cost-effective home-charging timers and an increased DC charging power of 135 kW. Owners can also opt-in to a battery protection program, which will cap the charge ceiling to its ideal state of 80%. The addition of these charging features works in conjunction with Audi’s automated payment Plug and Charge function, allowing owners to use certain charging providers without using their apps.
Honda & Volkswagen Accelerate EV Plans – Cleantechnica
Honda and Volkswagen this week announced plans to ramp up their conversion to electric vehicles. Honda is moving production around to clear factory space for its forthcoming EVs, while Volkswagen says it is committed to investing more than $193 billion worldwide over the next several years. It is a turbulent time to be manufacturing automobiles. Inflation, interest rates, and the cost of energy are soaring while geopolitical tensions over the fate of Ukraine and Taiwan remain high, but these companies have to manufacture or die.
Honda has been building the Accord at its factory in Marysville, Ohio, for more than 40 years. As part of plans to increase EV production announced on March 14, the Accord will now be assembled in Indiana, where it builds the Civic Hatchback and CR-V. Beginning next January, the Marysville factory will be converted to EV production, according to Reuters. Honda and LG Energy Solution are building a battery factory in Jeffersonville, Ohio. That facility is expected to become operational in 2024 and will have an annual capacity of 40 GWh of battery cells.
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*Article written by intern Tessa Meehan*
