Month: February 2025

Tesla’s Ride-Hailing Service: Everything We Know So Far

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Tesla is once again shaking up the transportation industry—this time with plans to enter the ride-hailing market. The EV giant has applied for a transportation charter-party carrier permit in California, signaling its intent to launch a ride-hailing service that could rival Uber, Lyft, and even Waymo’s autonomous taxis. But what does this mean for Tesla owners, the EV industry, and the future of mobility?

According to a Bloomberg report, Tesla has filed the necessary paperwork with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to operate a ride-hailing fleet. This move aligns with CEO Elon Musk’s long-standing vision of turning Tesla vehicles into self-driving taxis, a concept he has teased for years under the “Tesla Network” branding.

However, unlike Waymo’s fully autonomous robotaxi service, Tesla will likely start with human drivers. Electrek reports that Tesla has not yet applied for the necessary permits to operate fully driverless vehicles, indicating that human-driven Teslas will power the initial rollout.

A Step Toward an Autonomous Future

Tesla’s ultimate goal is clear: a fleet of fully autonomous Teslas operating as robotaxis. Musk has previously suggested that Tesla owners will be able to send their cars out to earn money when not in use, reducing the cost of ownership. The recent unveiling of the Tesla Cybercab, a prototype designed for autonomous ride-sharing without a steering wheel or pedals, further supports this ambition. Wikipedia states that production of the Cybercab is expected to begin before 2027.

However, despite Musk’s confidence in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, the company has yet to gain regulatory approval for driverless operations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and CPUC require extensive testing and compliance before autonomous services can hit public roads, a process that has slowed Tesla’s timeline.

Competition and Market Impact

Tesla’s ride-hailing entry comes at a time when the transportation industry is evolving rapidly:

  • Uber and Lyft remain dominant players in traditional ride-hailing, but both have struggled with profitability and driver retention.
  • Waymo and Cruise have already launched fully driverless taxis in select cities, giving them a head start in the autonomous vehicle race.
  • EV adoption is rising, making Tesla’s brand recognition and vast Supercharger network a potential competitive advantage.

If Tesla can successfully launch its ride-hailing service, it could redefine vehicle ownership. The ability to let your car “work” for you might make Tesla vehicles even more appealing, especially if Musk’s promised “robo-taxi” revolution comes to life.

Challenges Tesla Faces

While Tesla’s vision is ambitious, several challenges remain:

  • Regulatory Hurdles: Obtaining the necessary approvals for ride-hailing and eventual driverless operations will take time.
  • FSD Development: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software still requires driver supervision and has faced criticism for safety concerns.
  • Market Adoption: Competing with established ride-hailing services and convincing Tesla owners to rent out their cars may prove challenging.

According to Business Insider, experts believe that while Tesla’s plan is viable, achieving full autonomy at scale is still years away.

Final Thoughts

Tesla’s ride-hailing ambitions could disrupt the transportation industry in a way we haven’t seen since the rise of Uber. Whether it succeeds or not, one thing is certain—Tesla is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in mobility, and the ride-sharing industry may never be the same.

Would you trust a fully autonomous Tesla taxi? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 🚗⚡

28 Feb 2025 | Lynk & Co’s Big Battery PHEV For Europe, Peugeot Update Their Electric Range and Volvo’s ES90 Charges Faster With Help From Britain’s Breathe Battery Technologies

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28 Feb 2025 | Lynk & Co’s Big Battery PHEV For Europe, Peugeot Update Their Electric Range and Volvo’s ES90 Charges Faster With Help From Britain’s Breathe Battery Technologies
28 Feb 2025 | Lynk & Co’s Big Battery PHEV For Europe, Peugeot Update Their Electric Range and Volvo’s ES90 Charges Faster With Help From Britain’s Breathe Battery Technologies
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, your trusted source of EV information. It’s Friday 28 February, I’m Martyn Lee and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to. Patreon supporters get the episodes ad free. Be like them by clicking […]

Safely measuring voltage and current in EV systems with evolutionary breakout modules (Webinar)

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Safely measuring voltage and current in EV systems with evolutionary breakout modules (Webinar)
Safely measuring voltage and current in EV systems with evolutionary breakout modules (Webinar)

Join this webinar at our March Virtual Conference on EV Engineering, presented by CSM, where we will provide practical insights to help you improve your testing strategies, accelerate compliance, and deliver more robust products to market.

Reserve your spot—it’s free!

Other sessions at our next Virtual Conference include:

Testing EV Motor Control Units (MCU): How Simulation Is Vital To Success

Join Pickering Interfaces’ Noman Hussain and Christopher Kolbe for our session, where we will share insights on testing EV motor control units with simulation.

Discussion points will include the critical role of an inverter in battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which signals and features must be covered to create a successful validation plan, and practical applications for instruments like function generators, high-speed resolver modules, fault insertion, and thermal sensors in testing BEV motor control units.

Reserve your spot—it’s free!

See the complete session list for the Virtual Conference on EV Engineering here.

Broadcast live on March 10-13, 2025, the conference content will span the EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.

Felten introduces Charge Qube mobile EV charging solution for remote, temporary or semi-permanent site

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Felten introduces Charge Qube mobile EV charging solution for remote, temporary or semi-permanent site
Felten introduces Charge Qube mobile EV charging solution for remote, temporary or semi-permanent site

Battery pack maker Felten has announced the debut of its new mobile energy storage product, the Charge Qube.

The Charge Qube is a rapidly-deployable, modular mobile battery energy storage system (BESS) that repurposes second-life batteries and ISO containers.

“The Charge Qube delivers immediate energy solutions for fleet operators, public charging stations, construction sites and remote or temporary or semi-permanent power needs,” the company said.

The new Charge Qube provides sustainable energy thanks to its integrated solar and wind energy capabilities. The Charge Qube, which is made in the UK, is delivered in a 10-foot ISO container, and can act as a standalone power source or be integrated with other energy networks. It supports up to five satellite stalls with twin chargers and offers scalable energy storage varying from 150 kWh to 450 kWh per unit. An optional 20-foot container variant with a capacity of 900 kWh, is expected to be available in Q2 2025.

The Charge Qube has AC and DC charging capabilities, and is available in three variants. An energy storage-only option provides flexible, off-grid power. A second version offers Type 2 AC charging—two chargers on the Qube along with pairs of 7 kW chargers on up to five satellite stalls. It supports up to 12 EVs simultaneously at 7 kW per port. The CCS DC fast charging version features dual 240 kW chargers, and is suitable for high-speed public and commercial EV charging.

Source: Felten

UBE starts construction of Louisiana plant to produce lithium-ion battery electrolyte materials

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UBE starts construction of Louisiana plant to produce lithium-ion battery electrolyte materials
UBE starts construction of Louisiana plant to produce lithium-ion battery electrolyte materials

UBE C1 Chemical America, a subsidiary of Japanese chemical manufacturer UBE, has started building a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) plant in Louisiana.

The plant will produce 100,000 tons of DMC per year and 40,000 tons of EMC derived from DMC per year. The plant is scheduled for completion in July 2026, and to begin operation in November of the same year.

DMC and EMC are key components of the electrolyte solvent for lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. DMC is also used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The new plant will produce DMC using UBE’s gas-phase nitrite process, which features lower energy consumption, higher quality and fewer by-products and impurities compared to ethylene-based processes.

“The investment in this plant is the largest in the manufacturing facility in UBE’s corporate history,” said Masato Izumihara, President and Representative Director of UBE. “As the sole DMC and EMC manufacturer in the United States, the company will achieve high productivity and supply products with very little waste and emission while also realizing various synergy effects with its newly acquired high-performance urethane systems business.”

Source: UBE

GaN and SiC: revolutionary xEV power conversion saving cost and space (Webinar)

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GaN and SiC: revolutionary xEV power conversion saving cost and space (Webinar)
GaN and SiC: revolutionary xEV power conversion saving cost and space (Webinar)

In the pursuit of efficient and cost-effective power conversion, the industry is witnessing a paradigm shift towards the adoption of new technologies and innovative topologies. The increasing pressure to reduce system costs has led to the emergence of game-changing solutions, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices. These wide-bandgap semiconductors offer superior performance, enabling higher power density, faster switching speeds, and reduced losses.

When combined with novel topologies and advanced packaging techniques, these new technologies are unlocking unprecedented opportunities for system cost savings.

Join this webinar at our March Virtual Conference on EV Engineering, presented by Infineon, to learn how designers can leverage the unique characteristics of GaN and SiC to create more compact, efficient, and reliable power conversion systems that minimize component count, reduce thermal management requirements, and optimize overall system performance.

Reserve your spot—it’s free!

Other sessions at our next Virtual Conference include:

SelVCD: A Revolutionary Way Of Driving Power MOSFETS In Gate Driver Application

Gate drivers are fundamental and ubiquitous components in power electronics systems. But as demands for higher performance and efficiency mount, traditional gate drive architectures face significant shortcomings for use in next-generation applications.

Skyworks’ SelVCDTM technology overcomes the limitations of traditional gate driver architectures to unlock unprecedented efficiency, performance, and reliability for power electronics applications. SelVCD technology is currently available to customers in the new Si82Cx (single channel) and Si82Fx (dual channel) gate driver families from Skyworks. The Si82Fx 2-channel High-Performance Isolated Gate Driver is the industry’s first to feature the selectable variable current drive with a Miller clamp on both outputs. The Si82Cx is also the industry’s first single channel gate driver to feature both SelVCD and a Miller clamp on the output pin.

Join this session to learn more. Key Takeaways:

  • What is SelVCD?
  • Why is SelVCD “Revolutionary?”
  • What are the benefits of SelVCD in Isolated Gate Driver applications?

Reserve your spot—it’s free!

See the complete session list for the Virtual Conference on EV Engineering here.

Broadcast live on March 10-13, 2025, the conference content will span the EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.

Mallaghan CT6000E electric catering truck debuts at Boston Logan Airport

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Mallaghan CT6000E electric catering truck debuts at Boston Logan Airport
Mallaghan CT6000E electric catering truck debuts at Boston Logan Airport

Mallaghan, a supplier of ground services equipment to the aviation industry, has introduced a fully electric refrigerated catering truck, the CT6000E, at Boston Logan International Airport.

The near-silent catering truck will be operated by DO & CO, the Austrian airline and train catering company. DO & CO has been the official caterer for Austrian Airlines since 2007 and for British Airways since 2018 as well as for the ÖBB, the Austrian Federal Railway, since 2012.

The CT6000E is the result of a collaboration between Mallaghan and International Motors, the successor to International Harvester and an independent subsidiary of Traton, the heavy-vehicle arm of Volkswagen.

“This launch marks a milestone for both Mallaghan and the aviation industry as a whole in North America,” said Joe Griffith, Chief Commercial Officer at Mallaghan. “The CT6000E not only reinforces our commitment to innovation and sustainability, but also supports our partners in their pursuit of greener, safer and more efficient operations.”

Mallaghan said that the truck features an advanced aircraft-controlled approach system intended to help reduce damage to aircraft, a 360° bird’s eye camera system with onboard hard drive, and onboard telemetry.

Source: Mallaghan