Ionity reveals UK expansion plans New Leeds site will be followed up with seven more stations Ionity has announced the next phase of its roll-out in the UK, with the ultra-rapid network set to open eight new locations later this year, starting with the first station in an Extra services, at the company’s new M1 Leeds Skelton Lake area. There is already an open site at Maidstone, and plans for Gretna have been in the pipeline for a while now. These new sites will bring the number of UK locations to 10, with a total of 40 targeted by the end of 2020. The network will install up to six 350 kW CCS ultra-rapid chargers at each site initially, and Ionity is currently installing 400 stations across Europe, providing up to 2,400 charge points by the end of 2020. After Leeds Skelton Lake, the other Extra umbrella-branded motorway service areas are at Cobham on the M25, Cambridge Services on the A14/M11, M40 Beaconsfield, M5 Cullompton, M65 Blackburn, A1M at Baldock, and A1M at Peterborough. There are no EVs currently available that can charge at up to 350 kW, so the sites are future-proof for some time to come. The first confirmed EV due in the UK with 350 kW ultra-rapid charging capability is the Porsche Taycan, expected next year. Until then, the units will be able to charge the likes of the Audi e-tron (150 kW), Mercedes Benz EQC (110 kW), and Jaguar I-Pace plus Hyundai s Leaf e+ (100 kW) at their maximum rate. A number of new EVs due in the next 12 months all feature at least 100 kW CCS DC charging capabilities. Other companies that Ionity is partnering with include Shell and the MFG (Motor Fuels Group) in the UK. The network is a joint venture between BMW, Daimler, Ford, and the VW Group.
Origin: Ionity reveals UK expansion plans
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Mississauga will finally get the 401 expansion it so desperately needs
Winterís first snarl. Snowstorm hammers southern Ontario, leaves Toronto in gridlock. Todays foul weather caused huge delays along the 401.Mark ONeill Widely considered the most congested roadway in North America, an 18-kilometre stretch of the 401 between the Credit River in Mississauga and Regional Road 25 in Milton will be widened. Currently just three lanes in both directions, the new configuration will see the installation of “two 10-lane segments, two 12-lane core collector systems and the median High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.” In total, much of the roadway will be effectively doubled. Capacity has long been an issue on Highway 401, and the changes should ease commute times as well as assist in the flow of goods across the top of the city. Additionally, rapid residential growth means the present highway is inadequate for those it services anywhere from 118,000 to 175,000 vehicles daily. The $639.8 million contract, which went to Aecon Group Inc, also includes “bridge reconstruction and replacement, structural culvert replacements, drainage and utilities work, as well as ecological restoration.” Another expansion of a 4-kilometre stretch of the 401 between McLaughlin Road to east of the Credit river is currently underway, scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2020. When done, it will have a 12-lane core and collector system instead of the current six lanes. There will be HOV between Mavis Road and Highway
Origin: Mississauga will finally get the 401 expansion it so desperately needs
Autocar confidential: Morgan’s factory expansion plans, BMW’s hydrogen doubts and more
In this week’s report from the motoring grapevine, we hear why BMW isn’t prioritising hydrogen technology development, how Morgan will use some of the funds from its recent cash injection and more. No solid plans Solid-state battery technology remains several years away from production reality, according to new Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius. Speaking to Autocar, he claimed that none of the suppliers developing it “are currently at the stage where we can go out and say ‘please sell me these’”. Källenius reckons we won’t see a solid-state production EV before 2025. Citi limits The Skoda e-Citigo, launching this year as the Czech firm’s first electric model, will feature a range of around 186 miles. That will make the city car, based on the Volkswagen e-Up, “more than competitive in its class”, according to Skoda boss Bernhard Maier. New plot for old plot Morgan has built on only half of the 10-acre site where its Malvern factory is located. This means there’s plenty of room for the new museum, visitor centre, design studio and production increase (from 750 to 1500 units) it has proposed. The plans have received council backing. Not cooking on gas While Audi is ramping up its hydrogen programme, BMW’s product management boss Peter Henrich doesn’t see fuel cells “lifting off in the near future”, pointing out that infrastructure challenges with hydrogen remain. Any success fuel cells have is “very much dependent” on the speed of battery development, he
Origin: Autocar confidential: Morgan’s factory expansion plans, BMW’s hydrogen doubts and more
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