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After investing nearly $1 billion over the past several years, Porsche launched electromobility at its production site in Saxony. The investment was designed to expand the facility so Porsche could ramp up Macan EV production.

Porsche ramps up Macan EV production at Zeipzig plant

On Tuesday, the company announced the official start of electromobility at its production site in Saxony, Germany.

Porsche has invested nearly $1 billion (600 million euros) to upgrade the facility to prepare it for Macan EV production. New additions include a new body assembly line. Porsche says production of the new Macan is currently being ramped up.

“At Porsche, we’re convinced that electromobility is the future,” CEO Oliver Blume explained. Following the Taycan, the Macan is Porsche’s second all-electric vehicle.

Despite this, Porsche wants to “remain flexible” by making gas, hybrid, and electric cars on the same production line.

“In production at Porsche, we have implemented the ‘smart, lean and green’ approach at all our factories,” Porsche executive board member for production Albrecht Reimold said.

“This means that we have the vision of an intelligently connected factory with the lowest possible environmental impact.” The Porsche Macan is produced with a carbon-neutral balance sheet in Leipzig.

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Porsche Macan EV production (Source: Porsche)

Porsche is working toward a carbon-neutral balance sheet across its entire value chain for new cars built by 2030.

Porsche will begin deliveries of the new Macan EV in the second half of the year. Blume boasted in March, “We already have 10,000 orders, and these customers haven’t even been able to drive the car yet.”

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Porsche Macan EV (left) and Turbo (right) versions (Source: Porsche AG)

Meet the all-electric Macan

The Macan EV is available in two options: the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo. The Macan 4 generates up to 402 hp (300 kW), while the Turbo model packs up to 630 hp (470 kW).

With that, the Macan 4 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, while the Turbo model takes just 3.1 seconds.

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All-electric Porsche Macan EV Turbo (Source: Porsche)

As the first Porsche based on its new 800V PPE platform, the Macan EV can charge from 10% to 80% in under 21 minutes (with 270 kW charging).

Inside, the electric Macan gains luggage space over the gas model with up to 18 cu ft capacity behind the rear seat.

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Porsche Macan EV interior (Source: Porsche)

Porsche equipped the new Macan EV with its latest-gen infotainment, including a 12.6″ curved instrument cluster and 10.9″ central display. For the first time, passengers are offered a personal 10.9″ touchscreen.

The new infotainment is based on Android Auto OS and compatible with Apple CarPlay. The starting price for the Macan 4 is $78,800, while the MSRP for the Macan Turbo is $105,300.

Both do not include a $1,650 delivery fee. While EPA range figures will be released closer to deliveries, Porsche says the Macan EV 4 gets up to 381 miles (613 km) WLTP range. The Turbo version gets up to 367 miles (591 km).

Orders for Porsche’s new electric SUV are open now. You can use our link to view deals on the new 2024 Porsche Macan EV and Macan Turbo in your area.

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EQORE bags $1.7M to bring smart storage to power-hungry factories

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EQORE bags .7M to bring smart storage to power-hungry factories

EQORE, a distributed battery storage startup based in Somerville, Massachusetts, has raised $1.7 million in seed funding to help industrial buildings tackle rising electricity costs. The round was oversubscribed and includes backing from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Henry Ford III of Ford Motor Company, and Jonathan Kraft of The Kraft Group.

The timing couldn’t be more relevant. Data centers are booming, and that demand is slamming an already stressed grid. Big, utility-scale batteries help at the grid level, but they can’t fix the bottlenecks happening on local distribution networks. That’s where onsite storage steps in — storing energy when demand is low and discharging it when demand spikes, which helps stabilize costs for both the grid and the businesses using it.

MassCEC’s head of investments, Susan Stewart, said, “What excites us the most about EQORE’s technology is the dual impact: grid support and customer savings.” She noted that commercial and industrial buildings are ideal hosts for battery storage, but haven’t gotten much attention until now. “EQORE is closing that gap.”

Investor Randolph Mann highlighted what makes the company stand out: “By uniting advanced controls with high‑resolution metering and true end‑to‑end service, EQORE finally makes commercial behind-the-meter storage effortless and financially compelling for businesses.”

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EQORE comes out of MIT’s Sandbox program and delta v accelerator and is currently part of the Harvard Climate Entrepreneurs Circle incubator. CEO and cofounder Valeriia Tyshchenko, a third‑generation engineer from Ukraine and MIT graduate, said the new funding will help the company scale alongside its existing revenue.

With the seed round closed, EQORE plans to grow its team and ramp up battery deployments at energy-intensive manufacturing facilities. The company doesn’t just install batteries; it operates them. Its autonomous software shifts when a facility uses power based on market conditions and utility incentives, reshaping load in real-time without disrupting operations.

Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2


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Check out Hyundai’s cool new off-road electric SUV concept [Images]

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Check out Hyundai's cool new off-road electric SUV concept [Images]

Hyundai took the sheets of its new off-road electric SUV, the Crater Concept, at the LA Auto Show. Here’s our first look at the compact off-roader.

Meet Hyundai’s new off-road SUV, the Crater Concept

We knew it was coming after Hyundai teased the off-road SUV earlier this week, hidden under a drape. Hyundai took the sheets off the Crater Concept at the LA Auto Show on Thursday, giving us our first real look at the rugged off-roader.

Hyundai refers to it as a compact off-road SUV that’s inspired by extreme events. The concept was brought to life at the Hyundai America Technical Center in Irvine, California.

The off-road SUV draws design elements from Hyundai’s Extra Rugged Terrain (XRT) models, such as the IONIQ 5 XRT, Santa Cruz XRT, and the new Pallisade XRT Pro.

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Although it’s a concept, Hyundai said the Crater Concept is a testament to its commitment to designing future XRT vehicles that are more functional, more capable, and more emotional.

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The Hyundai Crater off-road SUV Concept (Source: Hyundai)

“CRATER began with a question: ‘What does freedom look like?’ This vehicle stands as our answer,” Hyundai’s global design boss, SangYup Lee said.

The off-road SUV features Hyundai’s new Art of Steel design theme, first showcased on the THREE concept at the Munich Motor Show in September.

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The Hyundai Crater Concept (Source: Hyundai)

Hyundai said the design team was guided by one clear goal: To create a rugged and capable vehicle that’s designed to go anywhere. The Crater Concept embodies that vision with added wide skid plates, 33″ off-road tires, limb risers, rocker panels, and a roof platform.

Hyundai designed the interior for “tech-savvy adventure seekers,” with a singular design centered around a high-brow crash pad that stretches across the dashboard.

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The Hyundai Crater Concept (Source: Hyundai)

The concept also swaps the traditional infotainment setup for a head-up display that spans the entire front window, which Hyundai said includes a live rearview camera.

Hyundai’s off-roader includes a new Off-Road Controller for front and rear locking differentials, as well as a terrain selector with modes including Sand, Snow, and Mud. Other off-road features include downhill brake control, trailer brake control, a compass, and an altimeter.

Although Hyundai said it was electric, it didn’t reveal any further details about the powertrain. The off-road SUV could be a battery-electric or fuel-cell-electric vehicle.

Like the new Nexo, Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the concept features “HTWO” lamps exclusive to its FCEVs.

Earlier this week, the design team at Hyundai Design North America also introduced its new design and ideation studio codenamed “The Sandbox.” The creative design studio is set to serve as a global hub for future XRT vehicles and gear.

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OpenAI taps iPhone assembler Foxconn to manufacture data center components in U.S.

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OpenAI taps iPhone assembler Foxconn to manufacture data center components in U.S.

OpenAI taps Foxconn to build AI hardware in the U.S.

OpenAI is partnering with Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, to design and build artificial intelligence data center components in the U.S., the AI startup’s latest announcement tied to its massive infrastructure development plans.

While no financial terms were disclosed, OpenAI said in Thursday’s announcement that it will have early access to evaluate the systems Foxconn produces, and the option to purchase them. The companies said the goal is to accelerate the deployment of infrastructure while securing long-term U.S. capacity.

Under the agreement, OpenAI and Foxconn will co-develop multiple generations of AI servers in parallel, while manufacturing core components like power, networking, and cooling systems at Foxconn’s U.S. facilities. The company’s website says it has factories in Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Indiana.

“This partnership is a step toward ensuring the core technologies of the AI era are built here,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a statement, calling AI infrastructure a “generational opportunity to reindustrialize America.”

OpenAI has been on a dealmaking blitz of late with many of the world’s largest technology companies, and has announced spending commitments of roughly $1.4 trillion, raising concerns about whether the startup will ever generate enough profit to justify those investments. Altman said earlier this month that the company will hit $20 billion in annualized revenue by the end of this year and hundreds of billions by 2030.

Prior deals include a $100 billion announced — but unfinalized — agreement with Nvidia for the chipmaker to invest in OpenAI in phases as the company builds out infrastructure. OpenAI also has cloud partnerships with Microsoft, Google and Amazon and hefty compute buildout commitments with Oracle.

Foxconn adds a manufacturing layer, further localizing OpenAI’s supply chain and potentially speeding the pace of deployment. The company is best known for assembling Apple’s iPhones but has expanded into AI and automotive manufacturing. It builds server racks tailored for AI workloads and is a key global supplier to Nvidia, the dominant player in high-end AI chips.

“Foxconn is uniquely positioned to support OpenAI’s mission with trusted, scalable infrastructure,” said Chairman Young Liu.

But the company has a checkered history in the U.S. In 2018, Foxconn broke ground on what was supposed to be a massive factory in Wisconsin for making flat-panel displays. That project was a failure, and is now the site of an AI data center being built by Microsoft.

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