Volkswagen EV charging robot concept unveiled

29th December 2020

"The robot unveils from its docking station, attaches to one of a dozen or so mobile batteries, which it then drags cars. "

A prototype of the electric vehicle charging robot concept is said to have kicked off by Volkswagen. The automaker company liked the concept so much that the prototype charging robot looks similar to the conceptualized version, but with blinking digital eyes and R2-D2 noises.

The robot works simply enough in theory and till now has no name. When one parks their EV in a parking garage, the person( or the car) can request to have the battery topped up. The robot unveils from its docking station, attaches to one of a dozen or so mobile batteries, which it then drags cars.

The robot plugs the battery into your car and then returns to its station, ready to field any other charging requests. When your car is done charging (or you return from your errand), the robot collects the battery and brings it back to the charging racks, stopping to let other cars and pedestrians pass by along the way.

It’s a fun idea, though there are a number of possible points of failure that Volkswagen hasn't addressed. For one, the charging robot depends on cars being connected to an overall network of some kind (known in the industry as V2X, or “vehicle to everything”) in order to communicate with the robot. But that’s an idea that has yet to take hold.

Also, calling this version of the charging robot a “prototype” implies that Volkswagen has got a working version, but the company didn’t actually show it in action as part of the announcement. Instead, Volkswagen merely released a “first glimpse,” involving just a glossy commercial for the robot and a few photos. Automated charging is an idea that Volkswagen has been toying with for a little while, and while it’s certainly not alone, it’s one of the few big companies that seems to be actively engaged in making it happen

Volkswagen is already building out large fast-charging networks in the US (Electrify America) and Europe (Ionity) as part of its larger atonement for the Dieselgate scandal. Something like this robot, then, might seem like a more complimentary charging solution. But fast-charging networks are not really meant for routine use; rather, most electric car owners will do the bulk of their charging at home or in parking structures. So finding a way to make that easier is a worthy goal.

The charging robot likely won’t be the ultimate solution there, either, even if it winds up working well. Volkswagen is already trialing a different idea in parts of China and in its home city of Wolfsburg, Germany that involves putting batteries inside what looks like a more standard charging station pillar. This allows the charging station to build up a store of energy that can be used to fast-charge electric vehicles, even if the local grid isn’t otherwise capable of doling out that much electricity in one go. Volkswagen said that it is planning a wider launch of these so-called “flexible quick-charging stations” in early 2021. One downside to these stations, though: no blinking eyes.

Source the verge

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Kusum Parajuli

Volkswagen loses case in top EU court for Volkswagen emissions scandal

18th December 2020

"The scandal has cost Volkswagen more than $30 billion in vehicle refits, fines and provisions."

It seems to appear that there's no rest for Volkswagen in its notorious 'Diesegate' scandal and the carmaker has now lost a case in the European Union's top court which pronounced that it had busted the law by installing 'cheat' devices on its cars undergoing emission tests. It also pronounced that the car maker's argument that the devices were used to protect the engines was on thin ice.

The European Union's top court ruled that Volkswagen breached the law by installing on its cars a so-called defeat device to cheat on emission tests and could not argue it was merely protecting car engines.

Volkswagen has been facing massive heat since the US Environmental Protection Agency first accused it of a software rig on its 'clean diesel' vehicles in the country. This was five years ago, five years of denial, admission, and a whole lot of legal tussle and brand image deterioration.

Volkswagen did admit that millions of its vehicles - 11 million - had been fitted with such devices and that it was not in the US alone. The scandal has cost Volkswagen 30 billion euros ($35 billion) in fines and civil settlements and led to the recall of millions of vehicles.

The EU top court on Thursday pronounced that car maker cannot fit their offerings with devices that smooth control figures of emissions for the purpose of passing a test.

The court also strongly disagreed that the idea behind the installation of the device was to prevent aging or clogging up of the engines under the hood. "In order to be justified, the presence of such a device must allow the engine to be protected against sudden and exceptional damage, and that only those immediate risks of damage which give rise to a specific hazard when the vehicle is driven are such as to justify the use of a defeat device," the court said.

While environment activists are celebrating the decree, some calling it a 'landmark ruling for clean air in Europe', Volkswagen says it won't have an impact on current legal disputes as the court did not comment on probable damages to owners of such vehicles.

source: Associated Press