Aston Martin’s first electric car will be an SUV in 2025
Aston Martin has revealed the first steps on its journey towards an electric future, with the British brand offering a fully electrified option for every core model in its line-up by 2030. Before this however, Aston's first EV will break cover in 2025 – and we've already heard early technical details of the platform its cars will be based on and the motors that will power it, thanks to a new deal signed with American EV firm Lucid.
Aston is working on its own, in-house developed a modular platform that will underpin everything from low GT and sports cars to higher-riding SUV models. At a recent briefing ahead of Aston's Capital Markets Day for investors, Aston chairman Lawrence Stroll outlined that: “We were always building our own platform, our own chassis, it's what we do very well.
“What was most important to me was to find what is the greatest technology to give us high performance,” he added. “We know how to do ultra-luxury, but what's the best technology on the marketplace to accomplish our goal of having an SUV, having an EV on the market at launch in 2025 – which most of you guys doubted and never believed? Well, here we go. We believe Lucid represented the best existing, mature technology, with the highest horsepower, and the lowest battery height to enable our EV strategy.”
The deal (worth £182 million, which allows Aston access to Lucid's tech and also includes an ongoing supply cost) will see Aston use Lucid electronic drive units that incorporate the motors, inverter, and transmission on its cars' rear axles. These will feature bespoke calibration and software for Aston Martin products, with Lucid chief executive and chief technology officer Peter Rawlinson, highlighting that these EDUs will be based on existing Lucid tech. Currently, the maximum output of the tri-motor Lucid Air Sapphire stands at “more than 1,200bhp”, meaning the all-wheel drive saloon can sprint from 0-60mph in a claimed 1.89 seconds, offering a top speed of more than 200mph.
However, Aston's CTO Roberto Fedeli confirmed to Auto Express that the British brand's future models will use four motors, with a twin-motor drive unit of Aston's own design for the front axle. This will most likely be influenced by the mid-engined Valhalla plug-in hybrid coming in 2024, which will use a similar front axle set-up.
“We are learning how to develop the front twin-motor axle for the next generation”, Fedeli said. He added that “A characteristic we like very much about Lucid's components is the size. The size of the component is very well suited to our platform and the constraints that we have in order to create just one platform to support not just SUVs, but also sports cars.
“We want to be able to create [EV] cars with a roof height of a little bit less than the Vantage.” Fedeli went on to point out that this will mean we see battery modules packaged differently than the current convention of sandwiching them in the floor, with multiple modules positioned around the car potentially possible.
Rawlinson commented further on the power density of Lucid's drive units – which fit inside a carry-on suitcase – saying that “Hyundai is at 1.1bhp per kg, a Tesla Model S Plaid is about 3.9bhp per kg, we're at 9bhp per kg, so over twice as much. Our racing power unit looking towards the future is near to 17.”
Fedeli elaborated a little more on Aston's future quad-motor set-up, highlighting a comparison between a digital test mule with four-motor torque vectoring and a current DBX707, with the new car outscoring the current model for dynamic ability on the track. “You see what can happen when you apply this kind of technology? Four-wheel torque vectoring – there is no need to correct the car. What do you want in terms of power? 1,400bhp? 1,500bhp? It's not a problem.”
Asked if the comparison between Aston's first EV and the DBX707 was significant and if the 2025 car would take the form of an SUV, Fedeli nodded. As previewed by our exclusive image, it seems logical given the appetite in the market and the profit-making potential of these vehicles, and we'll soon see test mules on the road, according to Aston's top technology exec.
Our target is to see the first mule running by the beginning of next year, the first mule to represent the platform – the most complicated model we want to develop on the platform has to be on the road by the beginning of next year. By the end of summer, we are going to have the full powertrain on the test bench. We did the concept phase of the platform last year, this year we are completing this phase, and then we are going to start testing – first on the bench, then on the road.”
Expect Aston's first EV to feature some funky aerodynamic solutions as a result, taking the energy from the aerodynamic flow at the front of the car and bringing it to the rear to “destroy the vortex”, according to Fedeli. “It means a huge reduction in drag”, he said.
Fedeli hinted that weight and aerodynamics will be key to achieving the project's goals, too. “Intensity. Driven. Emotion. That's what will define it. Because we are building a BEV the weight could be a killer of the emotion and fun-to-drive – and not just the emotion, but the efficiency. The two pillars that are behind our concept of the platform, the concept of product, are emotion and efficiency.
“Aerodynamics is becoming the king. We have to manage the aerodynamics, and this could be done by using our partnership with the F1 team through simulation. We have some ideas about blowing the wake at the tailgate of the car in order to reduce the drag as much as possible. We are going to reduce the drag by 50 percent, and this is what we need in order to avoid making the car heavy because of the energy we need on board for range.”
Expect Aston's first EV to feature some funky aerodynamic solutions as a result, taking the energy from the aerodynamic flow at the front of the car and bringing it to the rear to “destroy the vortex”, according to Fedeli. “It means a huge reduction in drag”, he said.
Aston is also working on reducing the rolling resistance of its upcoming EV, with a clever brake-by-wire system from Brembo that controls the movement of the brake calipers' pistons electronically, retracting them to reduce drag on the discs. A new P Zero tire from Pirelli that features 'Cyber Tyre' tech that can sense loads on individual tires is also under development.
The EV represents a new era for Aston, and chairman Stroll believes the company is well on track to achieve its financial turnaround targets. “I said to you that between 2024 and 2025 we would do £ 2 billion in revenue and deliver £400 to £ 500 million in earnings before costs – well, I can confirm to you today that we are well on the way to hitting those targets. We said that next year this company would be cashflow positive, that remains the case.”
Stroll was also spiky in his comments, however, following this by saying: “All of the heavy lifting I've done over the last three years that all of you have been very critical of, at times it pains me to read some of your comments and lack of appreciation of what it takes to turn an industrial company around. But I'm very happy to say, we've turned this place around.
“I've found all the capital for this company, I've just spent $300-odd million building a new F1 factory, plus hundreds of millions invested in the F1 team, I've saved thousands of jobs in this country – I should be knighted for what I've done.”
Stroll believes the real key is Aston's future products, however, and he has surrounded himself with people who have “seen the movie and written the script.”
“The key focus of every business is product,” he said, “The three most important things in any successful business are product, product, product.” Aston's 2025 EV has a lot riding on it, then.
Source- Auto Express
France deploys 45,000 officers amid riots over teen's killing by police
France's interior minister said on Friday the coming hours would be crucial as he sent 45,000 police into the streets following three nights of riots since an officer shot dead a teenager at a traffic stop in a working-class suburb of Paris.
The violence, in which buildings and vehicles have been torched and stores looted, has plunged President Emmanuel Macron into the gravest crisis of his leadership since the Yellow Vest protests that started in 2018. Unrest has flared nationwide, including in cities such as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, and Lille as well as Paris where Nahel M., a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot on Tuesday in the Nanterre suburb. His death, which was caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints by poor, racially mixed, urban communities of police violence and racism.
"The next hours will be decisive and I know I can count on your flawless efforts," Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote to firefighters and police officers, seeking to quell the unrest that has been breaking out after nightfall.
He asked local authorities to halt bus and tram traffic from 9 p.m. local time across France.
Asked on TF1's main evening television news program whether the government could declare a state of emergency, Darmanin said: "Quite simply, we're not ruling out any hypothesis and we'll see after tonight what the president of the republic chooses."
Some 40,000 officers had been deployed Thursday night. More than 200 of them were injured. Darmanin said more than 900 people were arrested following Thursday's unrest, saying their average age was 17.
While so far the worst of the violence has been confined to city suburbs, any sign it is spreading into the centers of France's biggest cities would mark a significant escalation.
Police started clearing protesters from the iconic central Paris square of Place de la Concorde on Friday evening after an impromptu demonstration.
Looters ransacked shops including an Apple store in Strasbourg on Friday, a local official said. A source told Reuters that several Casino supermarkets had also been looted.
In the Chatelet Les Halles shopping mall in central Paris, a Nike shoe store was broken into, and several people were arrested after store windows were smashed along the adjacent Rue de Rivoli shopping street, police said.
Events including two concerts at the Stade de France on the capital's outskirts have been canceled. Tour de France organizers say they are ready to adapt to any situation when the race enters the country on Monday after starting in the Spanish city of Bilbao. In the southern city of Marseille, France's second-largest, authorities banned demonstrations set for Friday, and encouraged restaurants to close outdoor areas early. They said public transport would stop at 7 p.m.
Police said they had dispersed small groups in the city and arrested 36 people. Two police officers were wounded. A police helicopter flew overhead.
Macron left a European Union summit in Brussels early to attend a second cabinet crisis meeting in two days. He has asked social media to remove "the most sensitive" footage of rioting and to disclose the identities of users fomenting violence. Darmanin met representatives from Meta, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok. Snapchat said it had zero tolerance for content that promoted violence.
A friend of the victim's family, Mohamed Jakoubi, who watched Nahel grow up as a child, the rage was fuelled by a sense of injustice in the suburbs after incidents of police violence against minority ethnic communities, many from former French colonies.
"We are fed up, we are French too. We are against violence, we are not scum," he said.
Macron denies there is systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies.
Videos on social media showed urban landscapes ablaze. A tram was set alight in the eastern city of Lyon and 12 buses were gutted in a depot in Aubervilliers, northern Paris.
In Nanterre on the capital's outskirts overnight into Friday, protesters torched cars, barricaded streets, and hurled projectiles at police following an earlier peaceful vigil.
The energy minister said stones injured several staff of power distribution firm Enedis during clashes. The Interior Ministry said 79 police posts and 119 public buildings, including 34 town halls and 28 schools, were attacked overnight.
Source- CBC News
Dominica Ramps Up Hurricane Preparedness
Until June 30, residents of Dominica can apply for the government’s program in hurricane preparedness, which aims to strengthen homes and protect families during the hurricane season.
Dominica’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is leading the Hurricane Preparedness Initiative in Dominica, which in turn will provide residents with essential supplies to make their homes a safer place during storms and hurricanes.
The ministry’s chief, Melissa Skerrit, announced the initiative on her Facebook page at the beginning of the month.
“DIY Hurricane Preparedness Initiative— strengthening your homes to protect your family. Ensure that your home is adequately secured! Contact your constituency representative for distribution information,” Skerrit wrote.
Eligible applicants for the initiative must be residents of Dominica; be willing to comply with all relevant building codes and regulations; access the necessary tools or human resources to install the materials themselves; be ready to provide feedback or participate in monitoring and evaluation activities; and be committed to actively participating in the initiative.
Application Forms can be obtained at any Ministry of Housing and Urban Development office or at Constituency Offices.
Meanwhile, Dominica’s new housing development is in Grand Bay and Dubic.
“The new development consists of 88 standalone units, 29 empty plots for construction, and 17 housing units for restoration. The project is expected to be completed in 2024,” Associates Times reported.
“This is a major project of building new homes, as after Erika, we had to relocate the residents of Dubic,” Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in an interview. “Some of [the residents] were impacted by the hurricane, and we decided to put efforts for greater resilience by redeveloping the homes. So we have in excess of 40 homes for the residents of Dubic combination of three and two bedrooms.”
This development is part of Dominica’s Housing Revolution, an ambitious project that has already provided thousands of climate-resilient houses to Dominica’s residents.
Most of the housing development projects are funded by the country’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, and led by MMC Development Ltd.. This private developing company has been working closely with the government since Typhoon Erika in 2015.
Source- Caribbean News Now
Environmental Health Department Begins Garbage Collection Services Registration
The Environmental Health Department in accordance with Environmental Health standards and guidelines is tasked to maintain, manage and implement programs responsible for all aspects of waste management in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Department is currently improving its collection services and seeking residents’ and homeowners’ full cooperation in this endeavor. The continued collection system will involve registering your property with the department and paying a monthly fee based on your property type and frequency of collection.
The Ministry of Immigration Launches Consultation on Proposed Amendments to the Immigration Ordinance and Regulations
The Ministry of Immigration and Border Services has announced the launch of public consultations on the proposed amendments to the Turks and Caicos Islands Immigration Ordinance.
The Ministry, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has a remit for citizenship, and the Immigration and Population Policy Council (IPPC), has concluded its internal reviews of the ordinance and has gained Cabinet’s approval to engage the public on the proposed amendments.
Key highlights are the proposed time limits on work permits, the changes to residency by investment, the increased powers of officers, the vestment of authority in the Director General, and the need for persons to carry proof of status producible upon request by an officer.
Additionally, there are new categories of PRC and Temporary Work Permits and the opportunity for Business Visas and some classifications of Temporary Work Permits to be purchased at ports on arrival.
The public consultation will be undertaken in three main phases, the first being the publication of the proposed amendments on June 30th, followed by the launch of an online survey and email address for feedback on July 15th, and countrywide face-to-face live engagement with the public commencing the week of July 17th. The entire process will be brought to a close on July 31st, 2023.
The Minister of Immigration and Border Services, the Hon. Arlington A. Musgrove, in speaking on the initiative states, “My team and I, along with the members of Cabinet, have put in long hours and engaged in deep debate about what improvements should be proposed for the Immigration Ordinance. Likewise, the Chair and members of the IPPC and the management of the Ministry of Home Affairs have also been instrumental in their contribution to this process.
“I am now asking that the public make a concerted effort to actively participate in the many avenues for engagement on the proposed amendments and to ensure that they provide feedback so that we all work together to shape the future of our beloved country.”
Notices of the commencement of future phases will be issued in due course and the public is encouraged to participate in the consultation process.
Please see the attached proposed amendments to the TCI Immigration Ordinance and Regulations 2021.
DECR hosts Environmental Stewardship Awards
The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources hosted the Environmental Stewardship Awards, on Wednesday. The award ceremony, which coincides with World Environment and World Oceans Day, is an opportunity for the DECR to honour those individuals and organisations that have kindly contributed their assistance to the DECR to further conservation and an environmentally sustainable Turks and Caicos.
This year, a total of 41 recipients were recognised for their stewardship at an event held in Providenciales, after a brief hiatus.
"We are elated to be resuming the annual Environmental Stewardship Awards. When we first acknowledged the community’s commitment to environmental issues, in 2014, we did so with deep gratitude to those who assisted us to further our mission and vision of ensuring that the TCI remains ‘Beautiful by Nature’," said the Director of the DECR, Lormeka Williams.
Director Williams continued, "We are fortunate to be bolstered by a community that cares, a community that tries, and we are stronger together! Our work at the DECR relies on the collective effort: action, education, presence and concern – We see you and we extend our deepest thanks for all you have done for the Department, and for the broader community".
Guests also had an opportunity to hear about an exciting project the DECR is collaborating with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) on A technical assistance programme for effective coastal-marine management in the TCI. The programme, which is developing an enhanced evidence base to support status assessment and management programmes in coastal and marine environments, provides tools, in-depth support and capacity building to assist decision-making in implementing a new TCIG Environment Strategy.
Crisis-hit Pakistan strikes $3bn IMF bailout deal
Crisis-hit Pakistan has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over $3bn (£2.4bn) of funding.
The deal, which still needs to be approved by the global lender's board, comes after an eight-month delay.
The South Asian nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1947.
To help secure the deal, Pakistan's central bank raised its main interest rate to a record high of 22% on Monday.
Pakistan's economy, which was already struggling after years of financial mismanagement, has been pushed to the brink by a global energy crisis and devastating floods that hit the country last year.
"The economy has faced several external shocks such as the catastrophic floods in 2022 that impacted the lives of millions of Pakistanis and an international commodity price spike in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine," Nathan Porter, IMF's mission chief for Pakistan said.
"As a result of these shocks as well as some policy missteps... economic growth has stalled," he added.
Once agreed at staff level such deals are usually granted by the IMF's Executive Board. The board is expected to consider the agreement in the coming weeks.
"This deal gives Pakistan the economic breathing room that it so badly needs," Michael Kugelman from the US-based Wilson Center think tank told the BBC.
"The question is if it can use this IMF deal as an opportunity to pivot from immediate relief to a long-term recovery," he added.
Katrina Ell, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics, said: "High inflation coupled with limited foreign reserves and lacking macroeconomic stability take time and sustained fiscal discipline to overcome."
Pakistan's annual inflation rate hit a fresh record high in May of almost 38%.
The $3bn of funding, which will be spread over nine months, is higher than expected.
Pakistan was awaiting the release of the remaining $2.5bn from a $6.5bn bailout package agreed in 2019, which expired on Friday.
The nation of more than 230 million people has been struggling for years to stabilize its economy.
This year the country's foreign exchange reserves fell to a level that covered less than three weeks of imports.
Deadly clashes between supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan and police have also rattled financial markets.
In May, Mr. Khan was arrested on corruption charges, in a move that has since been ruled illegal by the country's Supreme Court.
Over the last year, the Pakistan rupee has fallen by around 40% against the US dollar.
Separately, donors from around the world have pledged more than $9bn to help Pakistan recover from devastating floods that hit the country in 2022.
It had been estimated that it needed more than $16bn to recover from the disaster.
Source- BBC
Jamaica's reputation in 400m could be set for a boost
Once again, there is cautious optimism that help is on the way for Jamaica's tarnished reputation in the men's 400m on the global level and the most optimistic of the track and field fans are hoping the resurgence will be imminent.
After a few false starts, there appears to be a light at the end of a very long tunnel after three men, 26-year-old Sean Bailey and Antonio Watson, and Zandrion Barnes, both of who will turn 22 later this year, have all run under 45.00 seconds already this year.
Additionally, Jevaughn Powell has also run under 45.00 seconds, setting his lifetime best at 44.87 seconds last year.
With the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Championships set for July 6-9 at the National Stadium, there is hope that they will run faster, as will the other men who are also chasing spots on the team to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.
It will take faster times than those run so far to get into the final of the men's 400m at the World Championships but after not being a factor in men's quarter-mile for a long time, there is hope that a new era of Jamaican men are ready to take their places among the elites of the event.
All three men along with World Championships and Olympic Games finalist Christopher Taylor are the Jamaicans who have so far qualified for the individual event at the World Championships.
Taylor's inclusion in next month's National Championships and the World Championships are at this time unsure as he was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Anti-Doping Code Article 2.3, after a six-month investigation determined that the 23-year-old evaded a doping test in November 2022.
Bailey, the national champion in 2021, ran his personal best 44.43 seconds in late May, in Los Angeles; Watson, who appears to have rediscovered his love for the one-lap event, was one of the highlights of the Racers Grand Prix where he won the B race in 44.75 seconds and then last weekend lowered his personal best in the 200m to 20.49 seconds, while Barnes, the former football player, ran 44.90 seconds at the Racers event.
Powell, who helped the University of Florida win the NCAA Division 1 men's title a few weeks ago, scoring in the final of the men's 400m and was part of the 4x400m relay team, could be a factor for a place in the individual event.
Jamaica has won medals in the men's 4x400m relays in four of the last five World Championships and a strong pool will be required to ensure another medal.
Outstanding schoolboy Delano Kennedy, as well as the veteran Rusheen McDonald, Javon Francis, and Akeem Bloomfield, if fit, could be part of the squad.
Source- JamaicaObserver
Travis Scott will not face criminal charges over deadly crowd crush at festival
The rapper Travis Scott will not face criminal charges over a deadly crowd crush during his concert, a Texas grand jury has decided.
Scott, 32, was performing at the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, in 2021, when 10 people were killed in a crowd crush.
His lawyer, Kent Schaffer, confirmed that a grand jury had decided not to indict the rapper on any criminal charges stemming from the event.
"He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt," Schaffer said, adding that the decision is "a great relief".
Police and federal officials have been investigating whether Scott, the concert promoter Live Nation, and others had sufficient safety measures in place.
Schaffer said he feels sympathy for those who were killed at the festival and their families. "But Travis is not responsible," he said. "Bringing criminal charges against him will not ease their pain."
Scott had previously said he didn't know fans were injured during the crush.
"It wasn't until minutes until the press conference [after the show] that I figured out exactly what happened," he told radio star Charlamagne Tha God on his YouTube channel in 2021.
"Even after the show you are just hearing things but I did not know the exact details.
"And even at that moment, you're like, 'Wait, what?' People pass out, things happen at concerts, but something like that..."
Nine-year-old Ezra Blount was the youngest person to die from injuries suffered during the crush.
The others who died ranged in age from 14 to 27.
Some 300 people were treated at the festival site and 13 were admitted to hospital.
Scott still faces multiple civil suits over the deaths and injuries.
Source- Sky News
Virgin Galactic completes its first commercial flight into space
Galactic 01 carried a crew of six on its roughly 90-minute flight to the edge of space.
A rocket was released from a plane at around 50,000ft, its engine then ignited and sent it on a near-vertical climb to around 50 miles above the Earth.
The crew included three members from Italy - two Italian air force colonels and an aerospace engineer from the National Research Council of Italy - as well as their Virgin Galactic instructor and the spaceplane's two pilots.
The flight, from Spaceport America in New Mexico, was on a research mission and the crew was due to carry out 13 scientific research experiments.
The passengers unveiled an Italian flag to mark 100 years of the Italian air force after reaching a state of weightlessness before they returned to their seats ahead of the descent back towards Earth.
The spaceship VSS Unity landed safely back on the runway at around 4.45 pm UK time on Thursday, as Virgin Galactic tweeted: "Welcome back to Earth, #Galactic01! Our pilots, crew, and spaceship have landed smoothly."
While the Galactic 01 is being billed as Virgin Galactic's first commercial flight, this time it does not have tourists on board - but an upcoming flight in August will carry paying customers.
Virgin Galactic said its first commercial spaceflight represents a new era in government-funded, commercial human-tended research missions.
The company has been working for years to send paying passengers on short space trips and in 2021 finally won the federal government's approval and completed its final test fight in May.
The spaceflight collected data through wearable payloads and sensors, and autonomous payloads mounted in the cabin.
Source- Sky News