Construction has begun on a 10,000-unit solar array to cover a parking lot at the Bentley production plant in Crewe, England. Once completed, the 鈥渟olar-farm parking lot鈥� will deliver about one-quarter of the plant鈥檚 entire energy needs with about 2.7 megawatts of power, reports automotive-lifestyles magazine Motor Authority. Including a 20,000-plus solar panel rooftop constructed in 2013, the facility will have more than 30,000 panels operating, or enough energy to power 1,750 homes. With backing from the United Kingdom鈥檚 innovation agency, Bentley expects the solar-car park to be completed in about six months. Once finished, the parking lot will accommodate nearly 1,400 cars. Bentley鈥檚 first electrified vehicle, the Bentayga Hybrid, provides 50 kilometres of electric-only range.
Waymo autonomous taxis envelop Phoenix
Autonomous-car technology company Waymo鈥檚 first commercial self-driving taxi service will be able to operate 24/7 within the city of Phoenix, Arizona, later in 2018. It will cover a 鈥済eofenced鈥� area of about 260 square kilometres. Waymo head John Krafcik said in April that the public 鈥渨ill be able to take our cars anywhere in our service area.鈥� The geofenced area within the sprawling city will cover dense urban centres, high- and low-speed roads and suburbs, Krafcik said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 every driving scenario to be imagined.鈥� Regarding the fatal event in March in which an Uber test car in self-driving mode struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona, Krafcik said Waymo鈥檚 cars would have detected the woman and avoided the collision.
Electric-racing series no longer needs a second car to go the distance
Demonstrating how far battery technology has progressed in recent years, each team competing in the growing global Formula E racing series will race just one car per driver, 鈥渓ike every other racing series on the planet.鈥� Until now, all teams fielded two cars per driver per race, reports technology website TechCrunch. In a kind of 鈥渆quivalent of refuelling,鈥� drivers would switch to a second identical fully charged car about halfway through each race, and finish with it. Nine global auto manufacturers have signed on to support and compete in the series through 2020.
U.S. 鈥渞isks being left behind鈥� on green technology
Clean, low-cost energy is transforming the U.S. economy, reports the sustainable-energy lobby group Natural Resources Defense Council, which says that research needs federal funding to keep up with the rest of the world. In a report called Revolution Now, the group compiled publicly available data to illustrate advances made in the areas of wind and solar power, LED light bulbs and electric vehicles. Research and development into clean energy is 鈥減ropelling breakthrough innovations from the lab into our everyday lives,鈥� said spokeswoman Elizabeth Noll. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no shortage of ideas for our universities, national labs and clean-energy innovators to explore and help develop,鈥� she said. Other countries are 鈥渞acing ahead鈥� with investment in clean energy R&D, 鈥渂ut America risks being left behind without sustained federal R&D investment.鈥�
VW makes 鈥渕assive鈥� e-mobility commitment
The Volkswagen Group is charging ahead to expand production of electric vehicles worldwide 鈥渙n a massive scale.鈥� The automaker announced in mid-March that 16 of its plants around the world will make battery-powered vehicles by the end of 2022. CEO Matthias M眉ller said the 鈥淩oadmap E鈥� plan is picking up speed: The VW Group currently builds electric vehicles at just three locations, he said; within two years, another nine factories will be added. To ensure adequate battery capacity, partnerships with battery manufacturers for Europe and China have been signed, M眉ller said. A supplier decision for North America 鈥渨ill be taken shortly,鈥� he said. Nine new electric vehicles are on track to join the VW Group鈥檚 product lineup in 2018.
