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Mini’s electric strategy failed

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Mini is one of the manufacturers that advocated a rapid transition to fully electric cars, but the reduced demand for electric cars has brought them back to reality. Now the company is thinking more about combustion engines.

“We are not giving up on full electrification, but we will have to postpone it, because it is evident that the demand for cars powered by internal combustion engines is still high, much higher than the demand for electric cars,” the company said.

Along with the development of electric models, Mini will continue to offer hybrid models and there is already a lot of talk about a new model that will be positioned above the Countryman. This model should have significantly higher ground clearance, reinforced suspension and wheels for different surfaces.

It is still not known when the BMW Group will stop producing cars with combustion engines, but the latest information suggests that the end of the decade may be too ambitious. Last year, only 17.4 percent of the BMW Group’s offer was electric cars, which is still far from what they planned.

Source: Mini

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Willowbank Raceway bans EVs on track

EVs are some of the fastest cars in the world that we often see on race tracks. However, Willowbank Raceway has banned the racing and testing of all road-registered electric cars at the track.

This is not the first time that a track has banned electric vehicles, as Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia did so last year and Anglesey in Wales in early 2024. The only difference is that the ban on these tracks also includes hybrid vehicles.

Willowbank Raceway is a track in Queensland (Australia) built in 1985, and bases its ban on Australian Motorsport Agency (NEDRA) regulations and emergency response protocols. Some of the reasons are that electric vehicles pose a risk because the batteries release toxic and flammable gas after a crash, the inability to confirm that the fire on the car is extinguished, the danger of not being able to unlock the door from the outside after a crash, the danger to rescuers when trying to extract an unconscious driver from the car after a crash , the risk of not being able to push or tow an extinguished vehicle with available equipment, as well as the fact that cars need specific fire extinguishing systems.

The stated reasons may be valid, but some believe that the same reasons can be applied to other vehicles that have e.g. electric locks. Statistics show that electric vehicles are less likely to catch fire than ICE or hybrid cars, but batteries still present a special challenge. They suspect that Willowbank Raceway is not being honest in its claims, as they have allowed supercars with electric modes like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, McLaren Artura and Lamborghini Revuelto to use the track.

Whether this decision is valid and whether it will be changed in the future remains to be seen.

Source: Drive

EV, News

Fisker Project PEAR

Fisker has joined forces with Taiwanese company Foxconn Technology Group to produce a new electric vehicle in the Project PEAR (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution) whose production would begin in late 2023.

“Foxconn being the world’s largest manufacturer, if there’s anyone who truly can go in and take a look and be innovative (in auto manufacturing) it’s probably them,” said Fisker Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker.

Unlike other companies, such as Tesla TSLA, which spend billions of dollars on their own manufacturing plants, Fisker relies on contract manufacturing of its vehicles.

After Foxconn developed a platform for future electric vehicles, Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Young-way Liu said “The key success elements of electric vehicle development include the electric motor, electric control module and battery. We have two major advantages in this regard, with an exceptional vertically integrated global supply chain and the best supply chain management team in our industry. ” He also noted “The collaboration between our firms means that it will only take 24 months to produce the next Fisker vehicle – from research and development to production, reducing half of the traditional time required to bring a new vehicle to market.”

So far, it is known that the vehicle will be smaller and cheaper than the Ocean model. The vehicle will be sold in North America, Europe and China, and up to 250,000 units will be produced.