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Eleven months after sharing plans to develop and implement a new series of EV charging hubs across North America, Mercedes-Benz, with the help of ChargePoint, has opened its very first location in the US, complete with a driver lounge and powered using 100% renewable energy.

This past January, Mercedes-Benz announced plans for the new network of fast charging hubs during a press conference at CES, alongside its new partner, ChargePoint.

At the time, we learned that both MN8 Energy and Mercedes-Benz would finance and jointly operate the network of over 400 planned charging hubs, becoming home to over 2,500 ChargePoint DC fast charging piles across the US and Canada.

The hubs are expected to be implemented in populated areas where more and more EVs are looking to recharge, offering a space for drivers to plug in near retail and other service centers in addition to busy highway corridors.

In early November, we learned the retail therapy Mercedes-Benz is planning to pair with its new charging network includes 55 charging hubs at properties owned by Simon – a US real estate investment trust and owner of countless shopping malls.

A week later, Mercedes-Benz announced a second retail agreement with beloved convenience store behemoth, Buc-ees, to erect Mercedes branded charging hubs at most of the former’s existing locations. That rollout will begin with about 30 hubs by the end of 2024.

Before then however, we are seeing the first Mercedes charging hub donning ChargePoint piles open for business in Georgia with plenty more on the way.

Mercedes opens first EV charging hub at US HQ

According to news from Mercedes High Power Charging (HPC) North America, it has officially inaugurated its first charging hub beside its US headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The hub comes equipped with a solar canopy enabling carbon neutral energy usage, fifteen-foot intelligent indicators that easily display whether a pile is available, and a charging lounge complete with vending, restrooms, and places to relax.

The star of Mercedes’ first first EV charging hub however is ChargePoint, whose initial piles (seen above) can offer rates up to 40 kW, supporting any and all EV brands looking to replenish (as long as they use CCS1 and NACS connectors). Thanks to ChargePoint’s tech, some EVs will be able to recoup a charge from 10-80% in under 20 minutes, depending on the vehicle’s platform architecture of course. Franz Reiner, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG spoke:

The Mercedes-Benz Charging Network expands global charging options for customers of all EV brands to promote clean, electric mobility. In North America, our strategy is clear: focusing on where EV drivers are and where they are going to enhance the North American EV charging map while setting new standards for quality and customer experience. These efforts will pave the way for greater EV adoption here in North America and around the world.

While the new hub network opens its piles to all EVs from day one (except maybe the LEAF), Mercedes EV owners can take advantage of special benefits, including automatic charger reservations through the EQ vehicle’s native navigation, plus ‘Plug & Charge’ capabilities using the Mercedes me Charge app – allowing drivers to simply plug-in and walk away without having to tap a card.

Lastly, Mercedes-Benz says it is offering current EQ owners six months of complimentary charging at its hubs, while drivers of 2024 model year EQ EVs will receive two years of unlimited free charging.

Following today’s news, those free charging perks will only be an option in Georgia, but don’t worry, there are plenty more Mercedes hubs on the way. The initial location near headquarters is the mere start of a $1 billion investment from the German automaker, who intends to build and operate over 400 additional locations by the end of the decade.

That will begin with additional hubs at Buc-ee’s travel centers in Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia before year’s end, followed by further expansion through the convenience stores and Simon malls through 2024 with the help of MN8 Energy and ChargePoint.

If you’re near Sandy Springs, why not take your EV over to Mercedes-Benz HQ, have a charge, and tell us about it? We’d love to hear about your experience!

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E-quipment highlight: Kenworth T880E vocational electric semi truck

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E-quipment highlight: Kenworth T880E vocational electric semi truck

With the launch of the first-ever Class 8 vocational EV in the North American market, PACCAR Kenworth is raising the battery-electric bar and underscoring just how far the market has come since the Tesla Semi made its debut nearly a decade ago.

When Tesla pulled the wraps off its all electric Semi truck all the way back in November of 2017, the rest of the industry was hardly thinking about BEVs. Nearly a decade later, the world is still waiting for the Semi to begin regular production, and PACCAR is launching its second generation of HDEVs with the debut of this, the all-new Kenworth T880E vocational truck.

“The Kenworth T880E marks a groundbreaking milestone in Kenworth’s history as we bring to market the first Class 8 battery-electric solution built for vocational applications,” explains Kevin Haygood, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “The T880E is engineered to meet the evolving needs of operators and vocational fleets while still providing the durability, reliability and customization our customers expect.”

The new electric K-whopper is motivated by PACCAR’s in-house ePowertrain platform, capable of putting up to 605 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of peak torque to work, while delivering the same levels of drivability and dependability fleets expect from a Kenworth – but power and torque are only part of the T880E’s work-ready résumé.

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Open to work

Kenworth T880E; via PACCAR.

In addition to a stout, Class 8 electric chassis fitted with heavy-duty Kenworth brakes and axles, the T880E’s central drive eMotor allows for significant wheelbase flexibility so fleet buyers can spec out exactly the machine they need to get the job done. The T880E was also designed to enable lift axle installations from trusted Kenworth upfitters for a vocational-friendly BEV integration.

Additionally, the T880E features a wide selection of factory-installed options that include both high- and low-voltage ePTO (electric Power Take Off) ports, mechanical ePTOs, and the same wide array of body configurations as the ICE version.

Speaking of the ICE version, the electric T880E also can also be had in the same set-back front axle and set-forward front axle configurations with the same multi-piece hood construction. Inside the cab, the latest in driver-focused technology includes the Kenworth SmartWheel and a new 15″ DriverConnect digital touchscreen. Dash and vocational features like RAM Mounts and factory-installed PTO switches are available. The T880E is also offered with Kenworth ADAS packages for customers interested in DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix Fusion, and Lane Keeping Assist.

It’s so big, you guys

Kenworth T880E; photo by the author.

The T880E was on static display at last week’s ACT Expo in Anaheim, California. Check with your local Kenworth dealer for availability.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Kenworth.


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Xiaomi SU7 Ultra gets its groove back with all 1,548 hp available NOW

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Xiaomi SU7 Ultra gets its groove back with all 1,548 hp available NOW

The tire-blistering SU7 Ultra has been the Xiaomi brand’s flagship super sedan since its launch, but a controversial software setting has limited the car to “just” 900 hp in regular driving – resulting in an outcry from owners who ponied up for the big boy numbers. With its latest software update, that missing 648 hp is back on tap!

The SU7 Ultra made waves throughout the performance car world when a bright yellow striped example lined up alongside a white quarter mile king, the 1,000+ hp Tesla Model S Plaid, and promptly smoked it.

That wasn’t all. A preproduction SU7 Ultra prototype lapped the legendary Nürburgring circuit in just 6 minutes and 46.874 seconds, firmly stamping the 1,500+ hp Xiaomi’s alphanumeric into the track’s record books with a time nearly fifteen seconds quicker than a Rimac Nevera or, on the ICE front, either a Corvette ZR1, Viper ACR, or Porsche 918 (take your pick).

It’s hardly any wonder, then, that the customers who signed up – in droves, too – were disappointed to learn that the SU7 they were allowed to buy had been neutered by the safety nannies to the tune of nearly 650 hp. (!)

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We’re so back

The outrage from SU7 Ultra owners was immediate. And, facing mounting pressure online and on social media, Xiaomi ultimately decided to withdraw the performance-limiting features while acknowledging the need for more transparent communication about future software updates they messed up, saying in a statement, “we appreciate the passionate feedback from our community and will ensure better transparency moving forward.”

So, rich people can rocket themselves down the road in 9 second hypercars again and all is right with the world. A happy ending – but one that sort of illuminates a fresh set challenges for automakers peddling “software-defined vehicles” to a market that still thinks of their cars as very much hardware defined products.

That’s evidenced by the resistance to pay for features by subscription and complaints by more informed customers that “software locked” range and convenience features just subsidize the cost of more expensive trim levels and pad profits for manufacturers and suppliers.

The new reality is playing out in real time now, and the Jeff Bezos-backed $20,000 electric compact pickup from Slate Auto is going the other way entirely – time will tell whether more, or less tech is the answer.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Xiaomi, via CarNewsChina.


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Tesla (TSLA) discounts new Model Y in the US, pointing to demand issues

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Tesla (TSLA) discounts new Model Y in the US, pointing to demand issues

Tesla (TSLA) has started offering reduced interest rates on the new Model Y in the US — this equates to a direct discount on the brand new vehicle that was supposed to spark Tesla’s demand back.

The automaker has announced “1.99% APR or $0 Due at Signing available for well-qualified buyers” on the new Model Y in the US for the first time:

This amounts to a direct discount worth a few thousand dollars. It is the first widely available discount on the new Model Y coming just weeks after the cheaper non-Launch Edition launched in the US.

It follows a $2,000 direct discount that Tesla offered to early Model Y owners last week.

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These discounts and subsidized financing point to soft demand for the updated best-selling vehicle in the US. Tesla just delivered a disastrous first quarter, which it mostly blamed on the Model Y changeover, resulting in lower inventory.

However, industry watchers, including Electrek, noted many signs that the Model Y changeover was not the only issue. Tesla added significantly to its inventory in the first quarter, and the wait times for the new Model Y were extremely short.

Now, the discount weeks after launching the new Model Y confirm the soft demand in the US.

It’s not as bad as Europe and China, where Tesla has already been offering 0% financing on the new Model Y for weeks.

Electrek’s Take

I think it’s clear by now: the new Model Y is not coming to save Tesla.

Let’s be honest: It will still be a significant vehicle program by volume. It just won’t help Tesla return to growth this year.

The RWD Model Y is still coming and has a chance to help in the US. It is already available in China, and it’s not helping Tesla much there, but that’s in a hyper-competitive market, especially at lower prices where the RWD Model Y operates.

Tesla’s performance in Q2 in China will be interesting since it is basically back to its regular lineup for the whole quarter.

The US appears to have been Tesla’s least affected market, but Q3 will be the real test with the full lineup and no backlog of demand for new Model Y.

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