Short Torque

Charging stations hit Europe's highways

European automakers' network of highway charging stations for battery-powered vehicles is taking shape ahead of an expected surge in electric car sales as manufacturers strive to meet new emission limits. Ionity, the joint venture created among automakers to build the network, said on Thursday it has completed more than 200 stations and expects to have 400 operating by the end of the year. Each station has 4-6 charging columns. The highway network is seen as a key step in convincing car buyers they can switch to electric vehicles and still take long highway trips without worrying about running out of juice.

Production slides in South Korea

South Korea's car production, local sales and exports all declined last year amid the global economic slump, a government report showed on Thursday. The number of cars produced in domestic factories was 3,951,000 in 2019, down 1.9 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The slide was attributed to the adjustment in some of local plants, partial strikes of GM Korea, a local unit of US carmaker General Motors, and a fall in production of Renault Samsung. The number of vehicles sold was 1,781,000 last year, down 1.8 percent from 2018.

Volvo partners with China Unicom

Volvo Cars has signed an agreement with telecom giant China Unicom to promote Vehicle to Everything, or V2X technology in China, based on 5G technology. Developing 5G-based V2X technology will bring smart cars closer to people and provide more possibilities for the future, said Yuan Xiaolin, senior vice-president of Volvo Car Group. V2X refers to the information exchanges between vehicles and the outside environment. With 5G technology, cellular V2X technology can not only realize autonomous driving but also provide real-time road conditions to prevent traffic jams and accidents. Yuan said China is one of the most important markets for Volvo Cars, and that the Asia-Pacific area, with China at the core, has become a powerful engine for the company's growth.

Hyundai, Kia tap London for NEVs

South Korea's Hyundai and its Kia affiliate announced plans on Thursday for a major investment in London-based startup Arrival to produce next-generation electric vehicles that cost less than standard-engine models. The 100-million-euro ($110 million) bet on the five-year-old technology firm comes as some manufacturers abandon Britain because of uncertainties about how it will trade with EU nations once it leaves the bloc this month. Arrival is focused on designing and producing so-called Generation 2 electric vehicles, which are environmentally friendly cars made from scratch rather than being retrofitted, standard-engine production models. "Generation 2 vehicles are assembled using small footprint micro-factories, located in areas of demand and profitable at thousands of units," the three companies said in a joint statement.

Renault's Morroco group excels in 2019

Renault Maroc group manufactured 394,902 vehicles in Morocco in 2019, according to the official news agency MAP on Wednesday. A total of 303,558 cars were produced at the Renault factory in Tangier, northern Morocco, and 91,344 cars at the factory in Casablanca in central Morocco, up nine percent from 2018, MAP said, quoting statistics released by the company. The group was enabled in 2019 to sustain achievements made during 2018 through the advanced rate of work at the Somaca facility in Casablanca, which resulted in a new production record.