JULY 2022
The blistering temperatures we have been experiencing for quite a while remind us that climate change is tangible, and we are in July. Even during the summer season, the electric world keeps spinning around.
Volvo has announced that it will build its third factory in Europe - wholly dedicated to manufacturing full-electric vehicles – beginning in 2023 and will become operational in 2026. The new facility, estimated at around € 1.2 billion, will see the light in Kosice (Slovakia), joining the existing brand factories in Torsland and Ghent (opened in 1964 and 1965, respectively). In this way, Volvo aims to become an electric-only firm in 2030.
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Moreover, the British company Electrogenic, which specializes in the electric conversions of classic cars, has just launched a kit for one of the most iconic models in the automobile industry: the Land Rover Defender. Electrogenic's version implements a 52-kWh battery pack, providing a range of 160 km. The vehicle has a 7.5 kW AC charger and a 120 hp electric motor. A more powerful engine with 201 hp offers 0-100 km/h in 7,6 seconds. According to the company, electrification gives new life to the Defender, enabling it as a practical off-road tool. The kit costs about $30,000 (labour excluded) and requires professional mechanics for the installation.
Meanwhile, Swedish manufacturer CAKE has decided to espouse a special mission in collaboration with renewable energy company STELLA Futura. Three solar-powered Ösa motorbikes will transport medical staff and drugs to several hospitals in Accra, Ghana, allowing commuting between urban and rural health care centres. Ösa motorbikes are solid and equipped with cold-storage boxes from Dometic to transport medicines to remote areas without requiring recharging infrastructure. The vehicles can directly take the energy from the Sun and use it for the battery and the boxes' cooling system. This way, medicine storage is safe and efficient, insensitive to temperature oscillation. After the first phase, CAKE and STELLA Futura wish to expand the joint venture.