Tag Archives: became

Motorsport

Genesis Achieves Milestone of One Million Cars Sold Since 2015 Launch, G80 Leading the Way

In late 2015, Genesis became an independent luxury division of Hyundai. Looking back, this move has proven to be a successful one. As of August 2023, Genesis has officially reached the milestone of selling over one million vehicles worldwide.

Unfortunately, the exact details of the one-millionth vehicle sold are not available. We reached out to Genesis for more information, but they were unable to provide any specific or general details about this special car. Interestingly, the company did not make a big celebration out of this achievement as they are currently focused on producing new vehicles instead.


Cars, News

Burned By Its Heated Seat Subscription Plan, BMW Changes Paywall Strategy

In 2020, BMW introduced the BMW Operating System 7, which included the BMW ConnectedDrive Store. This online store allowed BMW owners to download and activate additional features and capabilities for their cars. However, BMW limited certain features, such as heated seats, to specific countries, which caused controversy.

BMW’s approach of using microtransactions and paywalled features as a revenue stream is not unique to the company. Tesla also faced criticism for initially limiting battery capacity and requiring customers to pay extra to unlock full performance through a software update. Volkswagen has also hinted at potentially placing its driverless car feature behind a subscription paywall. While recent events suggest that customer backlash may deter automakers from continuing such practices, the industry may still move towards a future where microtransactions for “connected” cars become common.

Featured

Rolls-Royce Unveils “La Rose Noire” A 1 of 4 Droptail Commission

In 2017, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Sweptail, a one-off Phantom-based coupe that became one of the most expensive new vehicles ever at $13 million. It showcased the brand’s prowess in coachbuilding, the process of designing a new body and interior on an existing platform. Following the success of the Sweptail, Rolls-Royce revealed the Boat Tail in 2021, another one-off creation priced at $28 million. Now, the company has unveiled the third car of the series, the Droptail, during Monterey Car Week.

Rolls-Royce Droptail

Unlike its predecessors, the Droptail is not a one-off. Rolls-Royce plans to build four models in total, with the first one being “La Rose Noire,” shown in the photos above. The Droptail is slightly smaller than the one-off models, with dimensions similar to the Ghost sedan. It features two massive doors and seating for two, making it a true roadster.

The Droptail boasts a retractable carbon fiber roof, a departure from the cloth roofs found in previous Rolls-Royce convertibles. Its electrochromic glass allows the cabin’s light to be adjusted. Every body panel on the Droptail is new, along with its lighting elements and front grille. The design team angled the Pantheon grille and reduced the size of the headlights, creating a sleeker aesthetic. The daytime running lights align with the grille’s upper edge, creating a seamless line.

Rolls-Royce Droptail
Rolls-Royce Droptail

The Droptail model showcased above is named “La Rose Noire,” inspired by the Black Baccara rose. Its exterior features two red hues, “True Love” and “Mystery,” which were chosen by the customer who commissioned the vehicle. Rolls-Royce developed a new paint process to achieve the unique finish, blending different tones of red for a color-shift effect. The wheels feature a darker shade of red called “Mystery,” complementing the primary body color. The trim pieces are chrome plated using a unique finish called “Hydroshade.”

Rolls-Royce Droptail

The Droptail’s interior is particularly impressive, featuring an intricate artwork display made of Black Sycamore wood. It consists of 1,603 hand-finished and hand-assembled triangles, with 533 red pieces depicting scattered roses. This art piece took nearly two years to complete. Additionally, the customer commissioned a one-off watch by Audemars Piguet, which matches the car’s color scheme and is integrated into the dashboard.

Under the hood, the Droptail is powered by Rolls-Royce’s 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine, producing 593 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque. These figures are slightly higher than the standard production model. Rolls-Royce has not announced the debut dates for the remaining three Droptail commissions.

Motorsport

Human Waste Spill On I-95 In Connecticut Causes Chaos and Wrecked Police Cars

A semi-truck carrying human waste started leaking on Interstate 95 near Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Monday night, turning the road into a slippery mess. While no one was seriously injured, the spill resulted in multiple accidents, leading the police to close the northbound lane for approximately three hours.

Upon receiving reports of a truck “spilling an unknown substance” around 10:30 p.m., Connecticut police arrived at the scene to find the road covered in fecal matter, creating slippery conditions that caused several crashes.

After the waste spillage, a Toyota Avalon lost control and crashed into a concrete barrier, followed by a Honda Civic colliding with two concrete barriers before sliding across the northbound lanes. Another collision occurred between another Honda Civic and a Honda CR-V shortly after. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported in any of these incidents.

At around 11 p.m., a motorcyclist also lost control of his bike and fell due to the slippery road. He sustained minor injuries and was taken to a Bridgeport Hospital but was later released.

The most severe accident took place at 11:41 p.m. involving a truck and two state police cruisers. The Connecticut troopers had parked their cruisers in the median with their emergency lights on to warn drivers of an accident and assist those involved. While doing so, a Freightliner tractor-trailer jackknifed, hitting the driver’s side of another semi-truck. As a result, it slid into the median and collided with one of the state police cruisers, pushing it forward and striking the other parked cruiser in front of it.

The driver of the leaking truck was apprehended by the police after being contacted by his employer and instructed to pull over. The 34-year-old man from Waterbury, Connecticut, was driving a 2017 Mack truck that was still leaking when he was found. He was arrested and charged with reckless driving, driving with an unsecured load, and a dozen counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. He was later released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 8.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group and Elli Launch Electricity Trading on European Energy Exchange

Today, the Volkswagen Group and its subsidiary Elli have become the first automotive company to trade on Europe’s largest power exchange, EPEX Spot, in Germany. This groundbreaking venture relies on a stationary storage system comprised of e-up! batteries and a new digital electricity trading platform developed by Elli. The stored energy traded on the electricity market will be stored in the “PowerCenter”, a stationary storage system. This pilot project is a collaborative effort between Elli and Volkswagen After Sales and marks the initial stage in the development of the planned Smart Energy Platform. Volkswagen and Elli aim to incorporate the increasing storage capacities of electric vehicles and batteries into the energy system, playing a crucial role in the transition to renewable energy sources.

“Elli will significantly drive electric mobility and the energy transition,” states Elli CEO Giovanni Palazzo. “We are already the biggest mobility service provider in Europe for charging and energy. Our intention is to further enhance this leading position and transform Elli into a prominent trading company for battery flexibility. Electricity trading is a significant milestone on this path. Our long-term objective is clear: we want to provide our customers with a distinct advantage in terms of electricity prices while developing new business models that generate high revenues and ensure the long-term success of Elli,” he added.

Kora Töpfer, Head of German Public & Regulatory Affairs at the European Power Exchange EPEX Spot, expresses her satisfaction with welcoming the Volkswagen Group and Elli as the first automotive company to engage in trading on the German electricity market. Töpfer emphasizes the importance of companies participating in trading and managing the growth of renewable energies to balance fluctuating demand and energy supply. Elli’s inclusion expands the diverse trading community, benefiting the entire market and all participants. With more activity comes increased trading opportunities for all

Elli’s electricity trading process relies on an intelligent platform that optimizes and controls battery usage. Bids are placed automatically on the stock exchange via the platform, and the trading results are used to create a timetable for charging or discharging the battery accordingly. The approach involves purchasing electricity during low-price periods, characterized by a higher proportion of renewable energy sources, and selling electricity during high-price periods with a lower share of renewables. This not only generates trading revenues but also encourages more effective utilization of renewable energies. The stationary battery storage system comprises 28 battery systems and 34 e-up! cell modules.

The pilot project allows Elli to gather valuable experience in developing a smart energy platform that can be applied to larger and more complex applications in the future. For instance, Elli, in collaboration with battery company PowerCo, is currently exploring the potential for large-scale storage systems and their scalability. Additionally, the growing fleet of electric cars can be integrated into the energy grid through Vehicle-2-Home and Vehicle-2-Grid technologies, enabling them to serve as mobile power banks. Through intelligent charging tariffs and algorithms, Elli already enables users to charge their vehicles when renewable energy is abundantly available at a lower cost.

For more information about Giovanni Palazzo and related photos, please visit www.volkswagen-group.com or www.elli.eco.

Motorsport

Alpine to Develop its Own EV Sports Car Platform after Ending Partnership with Lotus

In May, Alpine and Lotus decided to amicably cancel their partnership on an electric sports car platform. This raised concerns about the future of Alpine’s plans for a performance EV. However, it has now been revealed that the Renault-owned brand will develop its own electric architecture.

During the public debut of the Renault Rafale in Paris, Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, confirmed in a conversation with Autocar that Alpine will indeed develop an in-house electric platform. He stated, “We had a long discussion and finally decided to build our own platform.” More information about Alpine’s EV plans will be disclosed on June 26 during an investor day meeting.