BMW’s future EVs will support bidirectional charging and will be able to store energy to send back to the grid.
BMW Neue Klasse models scheduled for launch in 2025 will be able to store electricity and function as a power outlet. They are equipped with technology for bidirectional charging – i.e. the ability to both accept and supply electricity.
Functions such as “Vehicle to Home”, “Vehicle to Grid” and “Vehicle to Load” will therefore be available to BMW customers for the first time.
The first Porsche 911 sports car for the road with a hybrid drive is in the starting blocks. Following an extensive development and testing programme, the new 911 with a performance-focused hybrid drive is ready for series production.
Porsche plans to reveal the first road-going 911 hybrid, pushing the iconic sports car into the modern era.
Continental announced it has implemented a cross-domain High-Performance Computer (HPC) in a car. Hosting cockpit and additional vehicle functions, such as driving safety and automated parking, including holistic motion control in a real-life vehicle application was made possible.
This feat demonstrates the company’s commitment to advancing software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and showcases the potential of its cloud-based Continental Automotive Edge Framework (CAEdge).
There were mixed results for the EU commercial vehicle market in Q1 2024. While van sales rose, truck sales dipped slightly, despite growth in the electrically chargeable truck market. Bus sales saw a rise, with electrically chargeable buses recording notable gains. In the first quarter of 2024, new EU van sales rose by 12.6%, with nearly 400,000 units sold on the back of strong results in key markets. Italy led with a remarkable 19.4% growth, followed by Germany at 12.7%, Spain at 10.9%, and France at 8.7%.
ABB has opened a new €20 million injection molding manufacturing site at Evergem, near Ghent in Belgium, to meet the growing demand for safe, smart and sustainable electrification solutions in Europe. The global electrical enclosure market size is projected to grow from $7.42 billion in 2024 to $13.15 billion by 2032 due to increasing demand for new buildings, the modernization of existing buildings with more efficient and reliable electrical systems, and advances in electrical distribution.
Food prices dipped by 0.5%. Raw materials dropped by 2.4%, while beverages surged 26.5%.
Metal prices jumped by 8.9%, led by tin (+15.8%) and aluminum (+12.6%). Precious metals rose by 8.6%.
In 2024 and 2025, overall commodity prices are forecast to decline slightly but remain about 38 percent above pre-pandemic levels. Unlike prices for most other commodities, oil prices are set to increase in 2024, by 2 percent. Gold and copper prices are also set to rise this year, by 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively. In all, disinflationary tailwinds from moderating commodity prices appear essentially over.