car

In the middle of the cold war, the yoke had the honor of becoming “the worst car in history.” Threat with returning as electric

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It was manufactured for almost thirty years and those who remember it do so with that half smile that only brings you the nostalgia and paternalism of those who love a child knowing that his brother is much smarter. It will return in 2027 in electrical format and retain some of its hallmarks. Hopefully, for the good of all, that it does not retain all its hallmarks. We talk about the yoke, a car that became famous in the Soviet Yugoslavia and that will return to life in 2027 in purely electric format. At least That is what Serbian businessman Aleksandar Bjelić wants. Congratulations, has created the worst car in history Small, simple, affordable … Soviet. The yoke was one of those cars that went down in history on the other side of the steel curtain for its proposal to motorize the masses. Like the Riva Lada in Russia or the Trabant in the Berlin and Communist Germany, the Yugo was part of the history of Yugoslavia during the 80s. In fact the car survived the country itself as eThe yoke remained in production until 2008. His secret resided in the simple of the proposal. Fiat 128 shortened variant, the car was a small utility that was manufactured in Serbia. A three doors that set everything to sit the passengers on top of four wheels and in front of a steering wheel. Its origin must be sought in Kragujevac, Serbia. Over there, Zastava Automobili He assembled cars that exploded a Fiat license. That is, the same as I was doing Seat before Volkswagen passed. Among those licensed cars was the Fiat 128 that the company exploded in Yugoslavia with the novel name of Zastava 128. Jokes apart, the car was a success that added 1.5 million units sold by adding its different bodies between 1971 and 2008 when the car stopped selling. In the 80s, Zastava He decides that he has to offer a cheaper version and puts on the market the Zastava Yugo or Zastava Koral, a cut version derived from Fiat 127. The car is a success in Eastern Europe in part because of its iconic image. It has logic taking into account that the car looks like Volkswagen Golf. In fact, if we observe the first generations of both, it looks a lot at Volkswagen Golf. As much as to affirm that Giorgetto Giugiaro He should not have given the concept many turns when he was commissioned to look for a form to the yoke. Thus, with the firm of Giugiaro and the promise to put on the market a simple car the Zastava Yugo began to make a name. Under his hood he set up a simple Fiat engine of 908 cc and 45 hp. A power that gave the last name to the car when it was exported out of Serbia as a yoke 45. Later a slightly more powerful version of 1.1 liters and 55 hp would arrive. A 1.3 -liter and 65 hp option was even put on the market. As we see, it didn’t seem The car you would buy to travel large kilometers. In spite of everything, you have to understand the time and that, of course, neither Yugoslavia first nor Serbia later had to invite those kilometers. That was what Malcolm Bricklin should not have understood, the businessman who in 1985 wanted to introduce the yoke into the US market. Let’s review, a small, simplistic car and with a dwarf engine on a highway in the United States. It didn’t seem the best of ideas. And it wasn’t. “Cheap to buy. Terrible to drive”. With these words they define Hagerty from the United Kingdom to the healthy yoke that was sold in the United States as a Florida yoke. And that was a version above the aforementioned yoke 45. A car, the healthy one, which mounted a more powerful engine, in versions of 1.4 and 1.6 liters to get a better performance on the road. The lower version, that yoke 45 was sold in the United States with the name of Yugo GV. It was, by far, the cheapest car on the market. But the rolling quality was as bad that it was considered the worst car in the world. The criticisms were so bad that it quickly became a joke, it would have been a meme with wheels if at that time The word “meme” would have existed. Almost immediately, the car was made a hole in the hearts of the fans. In fact, you can find a book written by Jason Vuic entitled exactly like this: Yoke. Boom and fall of the worst car in history. The fascination was huge by a car that simply accounted for breakdowns due to pairs and offered poor results in security tests. So bad was the experience that was the car with the worst note of customer satisfaction in the prestigious JD Power in 1986. Precisely In JD Power they explain that in the Consumer Reports analysis it was specified that “the car dragged up to 100 km/h” and that in the best case the peak speed reached 86 mph (about 138 km/h). But those criticisms arrived after many buyers had already done with the car. A yoke giving everything Its price was so low that they sold more than 1,000 units on the first day. Then, the nightmare of the owners began. The spark plugs collapsed Because the United States gasoline was not adequate, the distribution strap had to be repaired at 30,000 miles (about 48,000 kilometers). Little by little, the ear mouth extended and the lawsuit plummeted. So plumme that according to the American portal they were sold with 2×1 offers despite its low price, with the idea of ​​the concessionaire to take them off as soon as possible. The performance was so bad that in 1992 the American subsidiary of the company broke. However, the car continued its performance in Serbia. The company came to 2008 When it … Read more

European car manufacturers faced milmillionaire fines in 2025. They have postponed them thanks to fear

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It was known since 2019 but this 2025 will not be applied. The new broadcasting regulations of the European Union for Tourism is suspended … until 2027 and with nuances. After months of pressures by the manufacturers, European institutions have allowed a forward kick that softens in the background but not in the forms the restrictions on combustion cars. This is all we have ahead. Since 2019. It was called European green pact and, in fact, it established more hard emission limits of those established for manufacturers at the moment. Then there was talk of limiting the maximum emissions to 80.8 gr/km of CO2. The most ambitious objective raises zero emissions in every car sold from 2035 with combustion engines. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing Over the years, the limit rose and It ended up setting 93.6 gr/km of CO2. With a strong fine flying over, manufacturers should not be able to pass from this year this emission limits. A barrier imposed until 2029. From then on the figure will be (or should be) of 49.5 gr/km of CO2. And they should only be able to sell neutral cars from 2035. The fine. It has been the main reason for concern for manufacturers. To calculate it, the average emissions of the car fleet sold were taken into account. This average should not exceed 93.6 gr/km of CO2. If so, the fine could be a thousand millionaire. Specifically, the manufacturer had to pay 95 euros for each gr/km of CO2 surpassed… for each car sold. That is to say. If the average emissions of the cars sold was 94.6 gr/km of CO2 (+1 gr/km of CO2 above the expected) the manufacturer paid 95 euros per car. If you sold a million cars in Europe, you would have to pay 95 million euros. This was a real problem for companies such as Volkswagen, Ford, Stellantis, Renault and even Toyota. All these automobile groups, in the first half of 2024, exceeded 100 gr/km of CO2. That multiplied the sanction for each car in a minimum of 665 euros. According to data collected by Motor.esIn Volkswagen, fines were waiting for 1,500 and 4,700 million euros. And the machinery began to work. Before the imminent abyss, the manufacturers launched the fan. They talked about unrealistic measures and From Acea (Employers of manufacturers in Europe) They pointed out that up to 16,000 million euros were compromised. A strong blow to the finances of some European manufacturers trying to find solutions before the arrival of new Chinese cars that are eating land in the Low and plug -in ranges. As if that were not enough, they warned what they were coming: more expensive cars. First because the development of the cars was going to be more expensive. Second because lower ranges cars They had it more complicated, then electrify them, They said, destroy the profit margin. And, third, because if they could not sell combustion cars so as not to affect the average emissions they would have to smaller of them at a higher price. It was already known. Which The European Parliament has voted (With 458 votes in favor, 101 against and 14 abstentions) it was already known. It has been the confirmation of something that was put on the table last March. Then the European Commission has already voted in favor of a FLEXIBILIZATION IN THE REGULATIONS of emissions. A kind of kick to the regulations. Until 2027 they will not have to meet manufacturers, although the matter has some nuances. What has been approved? A change, as we said, in the form but not in the background. 93.6 gr/km of CO2 are maintained but manufacturers have between 2025 and 2027 to meet. Arrived 2027, an average will be made with the emissions sold since this year. That is, manufacturers will have to compensate for 2025 excesses during the coming years. A manufacturer will not receive a fine if it passes at 10 gr/km of CO2 this 2025 but in 2026 and 2027 it will have to compensate it. You may choose to reduce emissions in five grams per kilometer below the regulations in 2026 and 2027 or accumulate the excesses of 2025 and 2026 and sell well below those 93.6 gr/km of CO2 last year. An exit. What options have a manufacturer that does not reach these emission stockings? The simplest to avoid fines is to make a group against Europe with companies that are well below the limit. Which is it? Manufacturers such as Tesla, which obviously have very low emissions by selling exclusive electric cars, or byd that only sells plug -in cars. This alternative was already considered by 2025. It will be essential for small brands with very little electrification, Like Mazdabut the door opens to that groups like Stellantis, who also contemplated an associationhave time to sell enough plugs to compensate for emissions or, in the worst case, buy less bonds than those raised in 2025. What do we expect? A gradual increase in the sales of plug -in (hybrid and electric) and an acceleration for 2027. If it is necessary with automation to reduce registered emissions, it will be done with automation. That if the regulations are maintained and nothing changes. Who wins? The flexibility in the regulations is an oxygen ball for some manufacturers. Renault, for example, is in the middle of the launch of the Renault 5a car that It is working very well and that will allow you to lower emissions. Has put the market on the market Renault 4 And soon he will have a Berlina. Volkswagen, has a way 25,000 euros electric car For the coming months and another of 20,000 euros (although it points to 2027) And the group has reached options to Skoda either Cupra They can give good results. It is also facing a good Mercedes opportunity that has the car with which They hope to make a leap in the sales volume. Of … Read more

The Mercedes Class wanted to overcome the discomforts of the electric car. It is incompatible with a multitude of loaders

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A car with a brutal autonomy, designed for the client to forget the endemic evil of the electric car: look for a charger and wait for the necessary time to continue the march. A car designed by and to travel and to which, now, a problem as simple as it has been discovered: it does not charge most of the chargers. This is happening with the Mercedes Cla. The Mercedes Cla. A brutal autonomy. That was, without a doubt, the head that left us the presentation of the Mercedes Cla and that we lead to the first line of our article in Xataka. The Mercedes Berlina came to conquer the skeptics of the electric car promising up to 792 kilometers of approved WLTP autonomy. With its 85 kWh battery and a homologated WLTP consumption absolutely ridiculous of 12.2 to 12.5 kWh, autonomy varies between 792 kilometers of version 272 hp and 771 kilometers of the 354 hp version. With exquisite aerodynamics and a very low front surface, it aspires to large autonomies. The 800 volts. The German Berlina also had a powerful appeal. It is your first car with 800 volt structure. This tension allows you to load very high powers. With the appropriate charger (and now we will see the importance of adequate) can reach 320 kW of power. Thus, it goes from 10 to 80% autonomy in 22 minutes. That is, according to the estimated figures, more than 600 kilometers. The industry has long since It goes to 800 volt platforms. He Porsche Taycan and the Audi E-Tron GT They already presented them years ago but more and more companies get into the car because it allows very fast loads. Hyundai, Kia, Stellantis or Renault are betting on them because it will allow them to mount less large (and faces) batteries but, at the same time, generate very little discomfort In the client. What is expected in a premium brand like Mercedes is exactly what it offers (or should offer) the Mercedes Cla: large battery and express recharges. Who pays the money of a Premium car aspires to the best of the electric without the discomforts of the electric and the autonomy and load power of the Mercedes Claedes came to propose that (almost) we forgot the plugs. An unexpected setback. For the client, of course. The first tests have been enough Del Mercedes Clade to find an unexpected setback: the car cannot load in the stations with 400 volt plugs. How many are those? We do not know, beyond that there are many. There is no official count of them. And, until now, the charger is 800 volts or 400 volts had been indifferent to the user. In fact, the client cannot know it easily. What about cars that load at 800 volts? So far nothing. That is, if the car uses such a platform and the loader is 400 volts, he manages to load the car. If the car uses a 400 volt platform and the loader is 800 volts, it is the charger that does the best not to damage the battery. The Mercedes Claedes, however, does nothing. Simply, do not load. How do cars work? Cars with 800 volt platforms promise very high loads, above 200 kW. Right now, that loading power is almost exceptional and just a handful of loaders take advantage of powers greater than 200 kW or even 300 kW. However, it is estimated that with 800 volts 400 kW of power can be reached in the recharge with the appropriate plug. If the car uses this platform but the loader is 400 volts, there are two possibilities. The first is that the battery divides, something like simulating that has two 400 volt packages. When the charger reaches the 800 volts unifies them. Another less efficient option is to put a DC-DC converter that adapts the voltage but the load power will be limited to that of the DC-DC converter. Mercedes’s response. In Xataka We have contacted the company who have confirmed that, indeed, their cars can only take advantage of 800 volt chargers. Loaders that, as we say, there is no way of knowing for sure what are with a first search in the usual applications, such as electromaps. From the company it is ensured that “the proportion of speed charging stations of 800 V constantly increases. With the new Mercedes-Benz (MB.OS) operating system and navigation with Electric Intelligence, it is guaranteed that the driver is always aimed at a compatible loading station. The update of available and compatible load stations works practically in real time.” Despite this, they have not answered our question of whether Mercedes knows how many fast charging stations at 800 volts are available in Europe. So? Then it only remains to trust the company’s browser. That or Always search for more than 200 kW load stations since it is the maximum loading power that can be offered to 400 volts. If the offered power is superior, it will use the 800 volts and the Mercedes Class can load. Of course, these stations with such high powers are the most expensive when recharging. And along the way we leave most of the Tesla load points (the company is already installing with 800 volt structures) and a good part of the electricity in our country. Photo | Mercedes In Xataka | 400 kilometers loads in five minutes of ByD are as impressive as it is not very useful. At least they think of Mercedes

They are still waiting for their car without news

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In November 2017, Tesla enthusiasts like Hamid Shojaee They did not hesitate to advance $ 50,000 To ensure a place on the waiting list of the New Roadster. It was not a smaller figure, but the promise in front of them was tempting: an electrical supercar capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in less than two seconds and traveling the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco of round trip without stopping to recharge. Tesla presented it as “the fastest production car that has been manufactured.” Almost eight years later, neither Shojae nor the rest of the depositors have received their car. And, what is more worrying, production has not yet begun. Click to see the original message in x A wait that lengthens without a clear date. Roadster delay is not an isolated case or responds to a specific problem. Since its presentation, Tesla has been displacing the production deadlines again and again. At first, Elon Musk announced that the car would manufacture in 2020. But that same year, An updated roadmap He placed the beginning between 12 and 18 months later, which took us in the mid or late 2021. In 2021 It was delayed again at 2022. Then went to 2023, then to 2024and more recently to 2025. In parallel, not a single unit has left the factory, and the company itself has barely shown tangible advances since then. Tesla and promises that do not arrive on time. At this point, the pattern is repeated. The Roadster joins a long list of Tesla products announced with enthusiasm, but whose arrival is substantially delayed. The cybertruckfor example, it was presented in 2019 and promised by 2021. It did not arrive at the hands of the first buyers Until the end of 2023. And the Robotaxis, an ambitious autonomous driving project that Musk came to announce by 2020, have been renamed As Cybercab and, hopefully, they will arrive in 2026. Tesla’s narrative has always revolved around groundbreaking ideas, but the deadlines are rarely fulfilled. The Roadster has ended up becoming the best example of that reality. “The dessert” that does not finish arriving. During a call with investors after the presentation of results of the second quarter of 2024, Musk was asked directly about the state of Roadster. Did not offer concrete dates, But a messageFor those who have been waiting for years. “The Roadster is not just the icing on the cake, it is the icing on the cake,” he said. He added that Tesla has the mission of accelerating the transition to a sustainable energy future and that this implies prioritizing high -impact products rather than “dessert.” Even so, he dropped that the car design is almost finished and that it will be “something really spectacular.” GrandiloCuentes that, for the moment, still do not materialize in the form of a car. The reserve page for the Spanish market In Spain, reservations remain open. Although the production has not begun and that the model remains without a clear delivery date, Tesla reopened the reserves of the new Roadster in Spain in June 2023. The process requires an initial payment of 4,000 euros when making the reservation and an additional transfer of 39,000 euros in the next ten days. In total, 43,000 euros that Tesla says they are completely reimbursablebut that suppose a figure that is not negligible by a car that has not yet seen a definitive unit. A frozen price in time. When it was presented in 2017, Tesla spoke of a base price of 200,000 and a limited version “Founders Series” for $ 250,000. Since then, everything has changed: competition is stronger, the economic context is another and production costs have probably risen. What has not changed is that official label, which continues to float as if time had not happened. Now, the only clear thing is that, for now, the Roadster is still a promise to come true. Images | Tesla | Giorgio Trovato In Xataka | In 2016, Tesla opened orders in India asking for $ 1,000 as a sign. Now your customers have no car or money

Byd, Catl and Huawei fight for the final electric car charger

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“Load 400 kilometers in five minutes.” That was the phrase that starred in the media. Justly. In fact, in Xataka We also cover the news of the last great novelty of Byd, a recharge for electric cars capable of filling the batteries at the same rate as a hose full of gasoline the deposit of a combustion car. The announcement arrived last March as another sample of to what extent The Chinese electric car is one step ahead. Especially as far as recharge costs and proposals are concerned. Little more than a month later, we have already seen two other proposals that point in the same direction. China ahead in electric cars recharge When Byd presented his ultra -grape loaders, we did not imagine that a war on the technology of the recharge of electric cars in such a short time would be opened. As if they already had their prepared proposal and Byd’s announcement had accelerated the plans for their announcement, Catl and Huawei have had to show their cards. On April 21, the Chinese company Catl He presented his latest innovations in his Tech Day. There they highlighted that they already had a sodium battery (One of the great promises to reduce the electric car) that they hope to produce this year, although in the month of December. They assure that it is an energy accumulator especially resistant to cold, Another problem of this type of technology. And although they put the focus on their batteries for plug -in hybrids with autonomies of 1,500 kilometers adding what was contributed by the battery and the combustion engine, the most interesting thing was the presentation of a battery that can assume the 520 kilometers recharge in five minutes. After the presentation of Byd, From catl They rose the commitment to an energy accumulator capable of supporting 1.3 MWh loads. That is, an amount slightly higher than that presented by Byd, leaving the figure in 2.5 kilometers loaded per second. In addition, Catl not only boasted of a Recharge extremely fastit also made it clear that they were able to sustain this power at a temperature of 10 degrees below zero, from 5% to 80% of the total capacity in just 15 minutes. And they stressed that it is capable of delivering 830 kW of power (more than 1,000 hp) even when electricity is very close to completely running out. Keep in mind that the speed shown in the homologations of an electric car can differ slightly depending on the load with which the battery has. If the battery is low of loading, it usually delivers less power, the recovery or accelerations from slower standing are. These batteries, just like those of Byd, have the problem that to load that power they need a charger that can deliver that stream of energy. To do this, in ByD they say they will deploy their own network of loaders, with 4,000 recharge points capable of delivering up to 1,360 kW of power. To do this, loaders use a liquid cooling system and, to get an idea, they are figures higher than those announced so far to load electric trucks. However, these figures are lower than shown by Huawei during the presentation of its new loaders for electric cars. The Chinese company presented its new plugs, capable of delivering 1.5 MW or 20 kWh of energy at minute. That is, with the right conditions and battery, a car could load 500 kilometers of autonomy in five minutes. Huawei states that he is able to sustain this power for 15 minutes with his new loaders, which makes them especially interesting for electric trucks. In addition, they say they can operate this power between -30ºC and 60ºC and have a dynamic management of the load delivered so as not to saturate the network and balance the power delivered to the maximum possible without knocking down the electrical installation. The biggest problem of this type of loaders is that they need a huge space for installation but, saved this obstacle, except for exceptions such as byd there are no cars capable of supporting this power. Right now, the fastest recharging vehicles do between 250 and 300 kW so there are no cars that benefit from them. And, despite everything, with that power a car with a battery of 100 kWh (of the largest in the market), would be passed from 10 to 80% of the autonomy available in about 14 minutes. With that 70% of recharged autonomy in less than a quarter of an hour, a car of that size would be recovering about 350 real kilometers if it meets a realistic consumption of 20 kWh/100 km. Interesting? There are doubts that such a high load power is interesting from a purely practical point of view. This same idea is what they hold from Mercedeswho ensure that current standards are more than enough but make it clear that they are aware of the importance of offering this warranty To customers. It is not so much a substantial improvement of what is already had as a positive reinforcement to the client. Entering the fight for offering the most advanced loaders in the market is a brand image, demonstrating that you are at the forefront and give the customer a more purchase incentive although, finally, never use it or do it very promptly. Photo | Catl and Byd In Xataka | Byd set out to win the electric car race. And then a TSMC factory went on sale

Without light at home, many Spaniards turned to another “shelter” for hot dinner or load the mobile: their car

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Spain collapsed. In five seconds, The Government tells us60% of the electricity consumed at that time was lost and all kinds of electronic devices went black. Then we understood to what extent we depend on electrical energy. Without the possibility of plugging into the network, the batteries began to quote and, above all, they showed us the importance of having a Small electric survival kit. Because how can we load the mobile when we don’t have electricity? The question also resonated at a server’s house. First came the disappointment with the already known answer to the question “Didn’t you have some PowerBanks?” Then, a light bulb was lit: “We always have the car.” A shelter Luckily, we did not have to go down to the garage but use the car like a gigantic external battery would not have been a bad idea. In fact, it is not necessary to have an electric car although this technology allows us to even be more flexible. The USB shots From cars with combustion engines they generally serve us to plug small electrical devices and can get us out of trouble. Simply start the car and connect to one of its ports or take the lighter. In this case, the most basic and obvious option a situation like the one that We have lived in Spain on April 28, 2025 It is to load the mobile phone or an external battery that already helps us keep the electrical devices alive. Generally, cars’s USB shots are not especially powerful, so we will need to spend more time load the mobile phone that at home and surely we will have to forget the fast charge. As we will see, there are some exceptions to this. If your car is already a few years old, The normal thing is that you use a USB 1.0 or 2.0. This limits the load to 500 mA. With current phones, the load will be extremely slow or, simply, it will slow down your download if we are using the mobile phone at that time. If the car is more modern, it is easy for USB-C shots to deliver 5W of power onwards, which is more than enough to load a current mobile phone. Another solution if, as we said, the car is a few years on it is to use an adapter for the tambo. In this case, It has a voltage of 12 volts In direct current and its amperage is 10 A. The maximum power in this case usually reaches 120W so the maximum power to which we can load the car will depend on the adapter used. In stores like Amazon It is easy to find products for little money with up to 30W So we can load a relatively fast mobile phone or, if necessary, to a laptop if necessary. That is, it is not a bad idea to carry an adapter of these in the car. Not only is it a matter that in the case of a blackout we can load the phone, it is also interesting if, for example, we have suffered a breakdown and we have to wait for hours until we get an assistance. The possibilities multiply with an electric car. Currently, most of those sold in the market arrive with V2L (Vehicle to Load) technology, a standard of Bidirectional load that allows to load most of the electronic devices we have at home because, simply, it makes our car a domestic plug. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet To get an idea, the car becomes a huge battery with wheels that can provide us with electricity to 3.4 kW. That is, we can easily plug a microwave and, for example, dinner hot despite being in the middle of a blackout. Again, it is an interesting solution if we want to spend an night away from home and we want to make a timely use of a high consumption device like this. Keep in mind that a device such as A microwave can easily overcome 1 kW of power to function. Therefore, we could not start it without this type of V2L technology. Again, it is an interesting option without the need to face a blackout. If we want to spend an afternoon in the field and enjoy coffee after eating, A capsules coffee maker can be the solution. And more useful, we can Take advantage to have an inflatable mattress Wherever we go. The two previous cases are not isolated. Talking to other colleagues who have an electric car, some of them have confirmed that they took advantage of the car batteries to serve various home tools and, in fact, they regretted that in Spain the V2H technology (Vehicle to Home) or V2G (Vehicle To Grid) is not allowed. With the V2H technology You can pour the battery from an electric car to a house. Although in most cases the car itself reserves a minimum percentage that is usually at 20%, this bidirectional load could supply tens of kWh to a house, which can be used to maintain a house for several days. V2G technology allows even launching electricity accumulated in the car to the general electricity network and, therefore, electric cars could act as electric power stores that can be used in emergency cases. Photo | Hyundai In Xataka | Spanish Electric Electric

Byd set out to win the electric car race. And then a TSMC factory went on sale

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Build your dreams. That is the message after the acronym for Byd (“Build Your Dreams”, in English), the electric car manufacturer that is becoming absolute leader of the market. Only in 2024 he distributed 4.27 million electric cars and plug -in hybrids, 2.5 times more than Tesla (1.7 million). Its market domain is currently imperial. It is remarkable that unlike other electric car manufacturers, ByD is responsible for manufacturing practically all the critical components of those vehicles. Not only batteries, but electric motors, chassis and, attention, semiconductors used in such vehicles. It does it through semiconductor byd, which As Nomad Semi points out It is one of its most important divisions after its subsidiary Findreams Battery, in charge of manufacturing the batteries. The company was founded in 1995 by Wang Chuanfu and initially focused on the development of rechargeable batteries. In 2003 he already sold more than anyone in that sector, and that was when it was introduced into the car industry when buying the Xi’an qinchhuan Automobile Company. But before something unique happened. When TSMC decided to sell one of its factories Just a year earlier, in 2002, a semiconductor Byd, a division was created Fables “Chips said, but delegated her manufacture in other companies (Foundries) – destined to develop integrated circuits for protects their batteries and thus avoid overheating or overloads. In 2004 TSMC made the decision to close Fab 1its first manufacturing plant, and in 2005 it ended up selling all the equipment and were used for a fable of six -inch silicon wafers (popular in the 1990s, but already somewhat obsolete) of the manufacturer semiconductor symptoms. This company licensed TSMC patents and also had engineers who had previously worked for that firm. Things did not just go well and Ningo Sinomos went through economic difficulties. Byd took the opportunity and bought this company for 29 million dollars. The company founded by Wang was already involved in the development of electric cars and made a remarkable leap here: to be able to develop its own chips, it went from being a company without its own production (Fables) to an IDM (integrated device manufacturer) that I had control of all phases of the development of its chips, from design to production. Chips everywhere Since then, Byd’s activity accelerated and expanded its product catalog. Thus, they developed chips to manage the management of the electricity supply (IGBTS, MOSFETS, DIODES, Integrated Current Circuits), but also microcontrollers (MCU), sensors (temperature, pressure, position, current) and optolectronic chips (photodetector, octoacopladores, etc.). Source: Nomad Semi Among them, The most outstanding are IGBTS (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). These are specially important components for current investment systems, acting as electronic switches that help in the process of passing continuous current that batteries provide to the alternating current needed by electric motors. Byd Semiconductor began to develop its first IGBT chips in 2005, and since then it has been creating new and better versions. Its most recent IGBT 6.0 chips were launched in 2022 and are almost as good as the most advanced competitors such as Infineon. That has allowed Byd to become the most important IGBT provider for Chinese manufacturers. Their advances with the aforementioned IGBTS are an important example of the growth of the division: Semiconductor ByD already has various subsidiaries and factories that produce 8 and 12 inches wafers, much more modern and that have allowed to create increasingly advanced chips. New developments for autonomous driving and supervoid load In fact, in November 2024 They announced A collaboration with TSMC and Mediatek for the development of two new chips. One of them, For its autonomous driving systems/driving assistance, is the future substitute for those used so far in their vehicles (Nvidia Orin and Horizon Robotics J6E), and offers a Autonomous Level 3. Interior of the Byd Atto 2 The second is the Byd9000, a chip with 4 Nm photolithography based on the MediaTak Dimensity 9000 and is oriented to advanced infotainment systems. But there are more examples, and one of them is in the developments Silicon carbide -based that for years are increasingly important in electric cars. Byd has been working with this type of material for some time and in fact in March 2025 he presented his super and platform, a system that provides Superápida load in electric vehicles allowing loads of 100 kWh batteries in just 6 minutes. This achievement occurred thanks to the development of specialized chips of 1,500V by the semiconductor byd, which for the first time can apply them in the automotive industry. These chips are capable of managing a greater voltage, and in front of traditional electric vehicles that use 400 and 800 volts systems allow to reduce energy losses and make possible faster loads. Good news for byd, bad for the rest He Silent boom of semiconductor ByD as a supplier of this type of chips can generate a trend among other car manufacturers, which so far have delegated that part of the business in specialized companies such as Infineon, NXP, ONSEMI, Texas Instrumental or Renesas. All of them dominate the semiconductor market for the automotive industry, but things could change. Especially since electric cars use many more components of this type than combustion motor cars, and that makes the vertical integration through which Byd (almost everything in their cars they manufacture it) is especially interesting for manufacturers. Nomad Semi analysts believe that NXP, ONSEMI and INFINON are the ones at risk They are for that trend. According to their data, the car industry represents half of its sales, but also the income in China are especially important for the aforementioned and renesses. Are we therefore facing a new semiconductor giant? Of course, not in the broad sense of the word: Semiconductor ByD focuses completely on the chips and components destined for its vehicles, but of course that frantic growth of Byd growth in the electric car industry can put very difficult things to its rivals in this sector. Image | Byd | Wikimedia In Xataka … Read more

Renault and Geely have an engine to convince the undecided of the electric car. The secret is that it is combustion

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We are on the way to a future in which the electric car He has ballots to become the winning option. There are countries that They are already betting Very strong for the electric ones, so much that they are even unseating combustion. But, for many others, the conventional car It is still the best option. And it is for autonomy, for the ease of reposting and because there are places with underdeveloped load networks. This is something that Chinese manufacturers themselves, who bet so much on the electric ones, have assumed. In fact, Cherywhich is the company that owns omoda and Jaecoo, is finalizing the Landing of its combustion cars in Spain. But, of course, companies do not forget that electrified future and want to create a bridge between combustion and 100% electric for the user to jump safely. And what is that bridge? A combustion engine to “hybridize” the electric ones for which Renault and Geely are betting hard. The combustion engine to convince the ‘haters’ of the electric Here we must talk about Horse PowerTrain. This is a company whose 45% belongs to the French Renault, another 45% to Geely and 10% to Aramco. It is a call Joint Venture To boost New systems automotive, especially electrified due to Geely’s experience. And the truth is that his approach is … curious. And it is because they have been looking for an engine capable of giving life to the calls “extended electric cars “. Also known as E-Rev (Extended Range Electric Vehicle), these cars have one or more electric motors that feed on a battery. So far, they are a conventional electric, okay, but special thing is that they have an additional engine: combustion. Each manufacturer has its system, but it is basically a car that behaves like an electric, but When the battery reaches a certain level, the combustion engine is turned on And it is not the one that moves the wheels, but the one that generates electricity, feeds the battery and allows electric motors to have energy to continue driving the wheels. The difference with a conventional hybrid is that this combustion engine is never the one that drives the car, and the great advantage is that this fuel engine is like a huge battery that allows autonomies that, until the arrival of the solid state batteriesthey seem complicated for 100%electric. Reviewed the theory, let’s hort. A few weeks ago we told you that the company will try one of these engines, The promising Spanish engine e-rexbut we also see that they will not put all the eggs in the same basket. In the Shanghai Motor Show that is celebrated this week (in which my partner Javier Lacort is), And how we read in Bloombergthe general director of Horse has commented that they have prepared an engine that can “integrate without problems into the construction platforms of electric vehicles with battery.” Matias Giannini, in addition, has commented that “the concept will allow car manufacturers to offer diversity in propulsion systems, with minimal alteration in its production process and in the use of resources.” Thus, if a brand has 100% electric, but wants a hybrid, I would not have to develop a new platform To include a large conventional engine, but to alter minimally the one that has already available for your electric only to introduce that small additional combustion engine. And they don’t have one, but two: Gemini – A 1.0 -liter generator, 2 cylinders and a very compact power that works with mixtures of methanol and gasoline. Another 1.0 liters, 3 cylinders and a power of 86 kW compatible with flexible fuels and an integrated electric generator. This, by the way, is manufactured at the Curibita facilities in Brazil and Valladolid in Spain. In the first statement, Giannini commented that these engines will be on the street at some point in 2028, and it is only a matter of time to see what arrives before: if the solid state batteriesthe consolidation of the E-REV (BMW, Nixssan or Mazda They already have some models) or if by 2028 everything will continue as until now. Or, simply, the future of the electric may not be as binary as we think, but this intermediate hybridization. Images | Horse Powertrain In Xataka | Family and friends keep asking me if “it is worth buying a Chinese car.” This is my answer

Nostalgia has become the true fuel in the car market. The scamoteable headlights are the last test

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There was a day that the headlights were hidden in cars. Deportivo, sharp nose … and some headlights that completely broke the front of the vehicle with two huge bulbs to illuminate what was in front. The Ferrari F40, the Lamborghini Countachhe BMW M1 or the most earthly first Mazda MX-5. There are many examples of all kinds. Some of them extremely shocking such as the Porsche 911 Flatnose. Because yes, Porsche came to offer as extra equipment the sneakable headlights In its most iconic sports car, which some sacrilege will seem to some. And what do we say about Carlos Sainz flying along the sofari rally slopes In Kenia aboard his Toyota Celica? And although when we think of scamotable headlights we look almost automatically at the 80s and 90s, it is a much older invention. It is considered that The Cord 80 was the first car that he used this formula in the United States in 1935. Shortly after, in 1936 he would arrive in Europe with the beautiful Alfa Romeo 8C (attentive to this miniature If you are thinking of spending more than 20,000 euros on one of them). Regardless of where we place its origin, the usual as we said is to think in the decade of the 80s and the 90s when we talk about this lighting system. And how everything comes back: are the sneakable headlights back? Mg cyber x concept They come back … more or less Shanghai 2025, MG presents the Cyber ​​X Concept. The prototype is, in the words of the Chinese company, a “global urban adventure toy.” What our eyes see is an extraordinarily square SUV to generate that aspect of hard off -road. Of course, nothing similar to Joseph Kaban Bugatti Veyron, designer of both products. But, beyond this curiosity … What appears on the front? Yes, small and fine sneaky headlights. With two LED squares in each of them, the Cyber ​​X Concept look is projected through some that hide in the body “as a nod to the classics,” they mention in the brand. Mazda Ionic sp Interestingly, it is not the only prototype that has opted for this formula in recent years or months. Mazda presented the IConic SP at the 2023 Tokyo Salon. There they revealed the prototype of a sports car Halfway between Mazda MX-5 and RX-7. What had both models in common? Yes, the sneakable headlights. At least in the First generation of the mythical Miata. With its rounded and fluid forms, Mazda advanced its concept of what its Sports of the future. An extended rank electric that was projected towards the past with A rotating engine to act as a generator And, in addition, with scamotable headlights that make you drool when you see the figure of the car. The last great manufacturer that has presented his proposal of scamoteable headlights was Honda. In the past CES of January, the company presumed two electrical prototypes that advance the formula of its future models. It was what the company called Honda 0 series. Honda Series 0 The formula was striking because it recovered the flat and acute forms of wedge -shaped eighties. According to the brand, it was “applying the thin, light and wise approach to a SUV.” It was promised that an evolution will be seen in the US market in 2026 and, later, in Japan and Europe. But another thing that caught the attention were the headlights of his front. Their light groups were hidden under a small retractable tab They closed to leave a clean hood and retracted to illuminate what you have ahead. A more logical and realistic solution than those of Mazda and Mg. Because the problem of retractable headlights are safety regulations. In fact, although they disappeared for them, they were also the main reason why they became popular. They explain in Diariomotor that in the United States was forced to take the headlights at a minimum height to the ground. The solution went to use these retractable headlights that allowed the height of the headlights to be raised without compromising a front of the front. To this was added the fashion of playing with this device, popularizing in the 80s. But after this fever, that bump when the headlights were deployed was gradually disappearing. A sum of small details ended up killing them inside the industry. First of all for something very simple: the sneakable headlights are a headache. Compared to a traditional optical group, the lighthouse must have a small electric motor, which makes the frontal and more susceptible to breakdowns more complex. The second is that, although closed the car could significantly increase its aerodynamic performance, deployed were a disaster in this regard. Of course, the solution of a lighthouse wall on the front of the vehicle does not seem the best solution. Finally, in the early 2000s, special attention began to be paid to the consequences of the outrage of a pedestrian. Obviously, two huge flat, sharp and outstanding surfaces In the body they were not going to deliver the best results, so he discouraged the manufacturer to set up a component that was already beginning to go down in history. Today, in this Revival That we live in the automotive market, up to three manufacturers have recently presented prototypes with sneaking headlights in recent months. Will we see them again? I say, hopefully. As long as he was not hit by one of them. Photo | MG and MAZDA In Xataka | This lighthouse costs as much as a Porsche 911: it is no joke, it is the lighthouse of a bugatti chiron

Omoda and Jaecoo have bet everything at car atibored from equipment at a good price. They want to repeat with hybrids and electric

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Omoda and Jaecoo continue their offensive for what we have ahead of the year 2025. Yesterday we counted all the already confirmed details of the Omoda 9a plug -in hybrid that will be sold for less than 40,000 euros ( MOVES III PLAN through) and that aspires to be the most powerful car for the lowest possible price that can be bought in the market. The largest omoda SUV is categorized by the brand as a Plug -in super hybrid. It is part of what they call Shs technology. Its approach, away from European cars that until recently had a few tens of kilometers in completely electric format, is to deliver more than a hundred of them, with batteries that exceed 30 kWh and that, therefore, in the city they can guarantee more than 150 kilometers of autonomy with some ease. Now, omoda and Jaecoo have confirmed that their range is extended with three other new electrified vehicles. One of them, omoda 7, has reserved a hole in this category of Plug -in super hybrids. But, in addition, key novelties for other models of your offer arrive. Electrifying (and much) its range As we said, the first year of omod They approached 8,000 registrations. It has more merit if possible because omoda 5 only had a version of combustion and an electric. The electricity seemed very complicated to place. A high price was already late. If we add that we are not the country where more electric are sold … they closed the year with just 208 omoda 5 EV enrolled. To continue pushing, Omoda has confirmed the arrival of a hybrid variant. The company has confirmed that it is an update in which the frontal will be slightly changed but the design lines already seen in its current model are maintained. The engine will be 1.5TGDI (145 hp) that when working at full yield with the electric motor can generate up to 255 hp of power. At the moment, the brand has not been able to advance more technical details because they lack the approval data so we are waiting to know key data such as its consumption. What we can expect is a competitive price that tightens Toyota nuts in the hybrid market. Right now, this is the most purchased technology in our country and the Japanese firm dominates with an iron hand. Above the JAECOO 7 SHS. This SUV is the plug -in hybrid that we have been waiting from the First vehicle contact. Then we warn that this mechanic could be very interesting if it was extended with an attractive price. We know now that it will arrive with the same mentioned engine but will deliver up to 340 hp of power. The power-consumption-price combination will be key to the future of a car that promises an electrical autonomy of up to 151 kilometers. Finally, the most electrified option is that of the JAECOO 5 EV. In this case we talk about an electric vehicle that has not revealed more technical details so we do not know battery size or expected autonomy. Of course, taking into account that the OMODA 5 EV has a 61 kWh LFP battery and 430 kilometers of autonomy, we can expect similar characteristics to compete in the future with the Byd Atto 2 and Kia EV3. Photo | Omoda In Xataka | Omoda arrives in Spain with the MG case as a reference: a Chinese brand that wants to break the SUV market with attractive prices

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