Electric Vehicles

We've seen a bunch curbside chargers that enable apartment dwellers to join the electric revolution without having to always top up away from home, but the one from Rheinmetall AG is about the least obtrusive. The street-level charger replaces concrete curbs with a Level 2 charge point.

Full translation:

By 2030, all SAP company cars are to be electric. The fleet manager of the German software company told Handelsblatt about the experiences gained so far during the transition.

According to the report, the German fleet currently consists of around 19,000 cars, of which just under 5,000 are purely electric. Steffen Krautwasser reported that the selection and availability have improved significantly recently. However, there is still a lack of more affordable family cars on offer.

Electric car industry leader Tesla is not represented in the SAP fleet – ‘not for political reasons, but because the residual values are difficult to calculate given the brand's erratic pricing policy and because the workshop network is still too patchy for SAP's requirements,’ writes Handelsblatt.

In addition to the still high prices, range is considered one of the biggest obstacles for electric cars. However, Krautwasser does not see the latter as a general problem. Concerns among employees that they would no longer be able to get to customers quickly and safely have not materialised. ‘Well over 95 percent of our current electric car users want another purely electric vehicle as their next car,’ he reported.

For acceptance, it is ‘extremely important’ that charging at work runs as smoothly as possible. To this end, SAP is now expanding the infrastructure for supplying electricity to electric cars at its locations. There are currently 1,750 SAP charging points at 14 German locations. In the medium term, the network is expected to grow to 3,700 charging points.

‘We have found that you don't need a charging station at the location for every car,’ said the SAP fleet manager. Employees work from home or at customer sites, charge on the road or drive routes where charging once a week is usually sufficient. The company itself prefers charging to take place in the employee car park: This is because electricity for large customers on site is usually cheaper than on the road or at employees' homes. Employees are explicitly made aware of this.

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Ralf Brandstätter [VW's CEO in China] explained that customers in Europe tend to favor "tactile controls, long-term durability, and driving dynamics." It’s a different story in China, where buyers prioritize “AI-first, connected vehicles, with seamless voice control and smart cockpits.”

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He pointed out that the average age of an electric car buyer in Europe is 56, whereas in China it’s under 35. [He] addresses the question of why cars developed by the VW Group in China aren’t sold in Europe. It all comes down to differing regulations, costs, and customer preferences.

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In similar reports he was cited saying, “Honestly, it’s a car. It’s not a phone.”

The German automaker’s sentiments have been echoed by others, including Hyundai, whose executives have said on several occasions that it would revert to physical controls for vital vehicle functions. Now, we just have to wait to see if any of this actually happens.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/35577330

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Brazilian prosecutors [...] they are suing Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD and two of its contractors over allegations of using workers in slave-like labor conditions and engaging in international human trafficking.

The labor prosecutors’ office in Bahia state [in Brazil] said in a statement that they are seeking 257 million Brazilian reais ($50 million) in damages from BYD, China JinJiang Construction Brazil and Tecmonta Equipamentos Inteligentes.

The lawsuit stems from an investigation that led to the rescue last year of 220 Chinese workers from the construction site of BYD’s new factory in the city of Camaçari. Prosecutors said the workers were brought to Brazil under false pretenses and with visas that did not match their jobs.

The prosecutors’ office said:

“Working conditions were extremely degrading. Five settlements were kept by BYD, JinJiang and Tecmonta. Some workers slept on beds without mattresses and had their personal belongings alongside with their food. There were few bathrooms, which were not gender-assigned. In one of the settlements, there was one toilet for 31 people, forcing workers to wake up at 4 a.m. for their personal hygiene before their work.”

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Electric vehicles are everywhere these days, but do limitations on charging and range still apply? To find out, we sent Kia’s entry-level EV, the err… EV3, on a 3000km road trip across Australia. We started in Adelaide, South Australia, and hoped to make it to Darwin, in the Northern Territory. How hard could it be in 2025 to cross The Outback?

The firm says the layoffs will mainly impact office-based positions in Sweden, representing about 15% of its white collar workforce.

Last month, Volvo Cars, which is owned by Chinese group Geely Holding, announced an 18 billion Swedish kronor ($1.9bn; £1.4bn) "action plan" shake-up of the business.

The global motor industry is facing a number of major challenges including US President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on imported cars, higher cost of materials and slower sales in Europe.

The chief executive of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson, pointed to the "challenging period" faced by the industry as a reason for the layoffs.

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