This week, we have news on Hertz, Uber, 40 EVs, Renault’s Vehicle-to-Grid technology, and The Dakar Rally: Our Top EV News for the week of Jan 19, 2023.

Check out the full newsletter for the week which includes more Electric Vehicle News, and also news about Autonomous Vehicles. Check out this week’s newsletter for more EV news. 

Bio: John is the COO at EPG, a company focused on helping electric and autonomous vehicle companies hire the best talent. In addition to these services, EPG puts out an informative weekly newsletter dubbed Mobility EVo. You can sign up for the newsletter here. 

Renault V2G

V2G (vehicle-to-grid) is a bidirectional exchange technology that enables vehicles to return electricity to the grid. Renault Group and the CEA are working on future generations of these V2G technologies which will be deployed by the end of the decade.

They have jointly developed a new electronic power converter architecture directly integrated into the vehicle’s charger. This new converter architecture offers a charging capacity of up to 22kW in three-phase mode, allowing for faster vehicle charging while ensuring the battery’s durability.

40+ EVs

In 2023, more than 40 EVs will be available for purchase in the United States. My personal favorite is a tie between the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo and the Rivian R1T. My main considerations are looks and the amount of space they offer for hauling my family and all of our belongings around. Who knew two kids required so much stuff? Yes, the driving range is also important, but you gotta look good while on the road. Which EV are you most excited about?

Hertz, Uber, and Europe

Hertz and Uber announced a European expansion of their successful North American partnership. Hertz will make up to 25,000 EVs available to Uber drivers in European capital cities by 2025 with models from Tesla and Polestar.

The partnership is a key element of Hertz’s strategy to build one of the largest fleets of rental EVs in the world, and Uber’s industry-leading commitment to become a zero emissions platform in Europe and North America by 2030. The European expansion of the partnership will begin in Hertz Europe’s London base in January 2023 and aims to expand to other European capitals, such as Paris and Amsterdam, throughout the year and beyond.

Next Year

Team Audi Sport competed in the 2023 Dakar Rally with their innovative and electric Audi RS Q e-tron. Despite various setbacks, including punctures and accident-related retirements, the team managed to score 14 podium results on 15 event days, including the prologue. The team led the rally for three days, however, they were unable to secure a better result than 14th place.

Despite this, the team expressed their determination to continue competing in the rally and to analyze the various setbacks to improve performance in the future. The future looks promising for the team, especially if they can get the setbacks straight and keep the team together (it includes 14-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel and Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz). @ Audi, if you do need another driver, my calendar is clear for the event.  Looking forward to it. 

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