EV, News

Xiaomi will produce electric cars

The growth in demand for electric cars is increasingly attracting companies that have never been involved in this type of business. After Apple and Huawei, another company is entering the world of electric car manufacturers. It is the Chinese company Xiaomi that will produce electric cars in its own plant.

According to a Chinese media report, the first Xiaomi electric car could hit the market soon. Engineering work has been completed, while vehicle software integration is progressing rapidly and will be completed by mid-October. Although there were rumors that the car would be manufactured at the BAIC Group facility and that the Chinese company would work with OEMs, this is not going to happen.

Xiaomi plans to invest 10 billion dollars in this project over the next ten years, so there will be no shortage of money for the factory. The new factory will have a capacity of 300,000 vehicles per year. In the first year, it is planned to produce half of the capacity, and the goal is for the first cars to reach their owners in 2024.

Last year, the company signed a contract to build a headquarters and research and development center in Yizhuang. According to some information, a plant for future cars will also be built there.

Source: Xiaomi

EV, News

Ariel Hipercar is a beast with 1,180 HP

One of the smallest British car companies with only 30 employees, presented its new powerful electric sports car, the Ariel Hipercar. This is not the first car from the company founded 23 years ago, but it is the first electric car. Before it, eight generations of the Ariel Atom, a road-legal high performance open-wheel car, were produced.

The body of the car is made of carbon fiber, and the design is designed to increase downforce. It is based on an aluminum monocoque chassis and is powered by four electric motors with a total output of 1,180 hp (868 kW). Ariel Hipercar is still in the prototype stage and according to the company’s claims, it will weigh 1,500 kg. The suspension consists of double wishbones at each corner and Bilstein shock absorbers. It is equipped with AP Racing brakes, with six pistons (front) and four pistons (rear). Drivers will be able to adjust the level of regenerative braking, traction control and torque vectoring systems.

The car will use a Cosworth battery with a capacity of 62 kWh, which will enable a range of 241 km. In order to increase the range, an optional 110,000 rpm Cosworth turbine engine will be offered, which will produce 47 hp.

Ariel Hipercar is the name of the prototype, and the real name will be announced later. The car will be manufactured in Somerset, England. In the same factory, Ariel produces the Nomad and Atom models. When it comes to the price, the company did not say how much its first electric car might cost.

Source: Ariel Motor Company

EV, News

New electric car will replace Skoda Fabia

The Skoda Fabia is currently the smallest car from the Czech manufacturer, and according to CEO Klaus Zellmer, in the next couple of years we could see an electric version of this model.

“The Fabia with its price position will be succeeded by a battery-electric vehicle and we are working on that,” Zellmer said. “The biggest challenge at the moment is the cost of battery-electric vehicles, especially when producing a car [the size of] the Fabia. We will have to stay a little patient,” said Zellmer.

The car is currently under development, and according to Autocar it will be built on the Volkswagen MEB platform. It will also be one of the last to use this platform, as the SSP platform will be the basis for future VW vehicles. Rumor has it that the new all-electric car will look like a crossover, taking over the features of the Vision 7S concept.

Skoda’s long-term plans are complete electrification of all models by the end of the decade. In the next couple of years, we can expect a production version of the Vision 7S concept, as well as several new cars.

Source: Autocar

Cars and catalogues