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Stellantis aims to eliminate separate inverter, charger to improve EV efficiency

Stellantis has announced that, in collaboration with French battery company Saft and French National Center for Scientific Research, has made significant progress in eliminating two major components of an electric vehicle powertrain: the on-board charger and the power inverter for the motor. The company claims that doing this will allow for better space use in vehicles, as well as improvements in efficiency, cost and reliability of components. As a quick primer, also explained in the below video, the on-board charger and power inverter are sort of translators to get the right current to different parts of the electric powertrain. The on-board charger takes AC power from the grid and converts it to DC to charge the batteries. Then when power goes from the batteries to the electric motor, the power inverter converts that DC power back to AC. These components aren't exactly small. Frequently you'll find them packaged somewhere under the hood. What Stellantis and its cohorts have developed, and have been using on a test vehicle since last summer, are small power inverter boards that can be mounted very closely to the battery packs. They can handle both conversion needs, for charging and discharging, instead of needing two separate devices. The most obvious perk to this is that you can do away with those traditional components and free up more space, either for making smaller vehicles without losing interior volume, or adding space to a vehicle that wouldn't have had it otherwise. There's the additional benefit of reduced weight, something that EVs struggle with. Stellantis also claims improvements in efficiency, reliability, and cost, however, it didn't go into detail as to how this setup would do that exactly. We'll try to get in touch with representatives from Stellantis in order to get more information. We're still a ways out from seeing this technology in production Stellantis vehicles. The company said it aims to apply it to vehicles by the end of the decade. Saft is also looking at using it on stationary battery systems as well. So maybe we'll see it on a 2029 Ram 1500 REV, but for now, we'll be living with traditional chargers and inverters. Related Video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat RAM Technology Electric

2019 Ram 1500 Sport trim is exclusive to Canada, can be replicated in America

Ram already revealed one region-exclusive 2019 Ram 1500 pickup in the form of the Lone Star trim for Texas. It's basically a Big Horn with fancy badges. But that's not the only one, as it has introduced a Sport trim that will only be available in Canada. Just like the Lone Star, the Sport has an analogue buried among the many trims and options for American-market Rams. But before we get into how U.S. buyers can re-create the Sport, let's take a look at what makes the Sport ... sporty? It's only available with a 5.7-liter V8 making the standard 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. Both two- and four-wheel drive are available as are quad and crew cabs. The exterior features standard LED lights, a body-color grille and other body-color trim, along with a number of black bits of trim including badges. The standard wheels are 20-inch units, while black and silver 22-inch wheels are optional. Also optional is the more aggressive Sport hood. The interior is all black with either cloth and premium vinyl seats or optional leather. It also has diamond-plate steel pattern trim from the Rebel, plus a Sport badge on the dash. Now, the trim looks quite nice, and it's easily re-created in America. To get the same features such as the LED lights, simply choose the Laramie trim level. It can be equipped with the Sport Appearance package which includes everything you see on the body, including the aggressive hood. The one difference is the lack of black badging. The same 22-inch wheels are also available as an option. And, if you want to save a little bit of money with almost the same looks, you can choose a Big Horn Ram, which doesn't have the LED lights, but the Sport Appearance package is still available, along with 20-inch wheels. But if you really want those LED lights, they are an option on the Big Horn. The Big Horn also opens up the option of the V6, if you're feeling especially frugal. If you're in Canada and like the look of the Sport, it goes on sale in the second quarter of 2018. And if you're in the U.S., just spec out a Big Horn or Laramie. Related Video:

Chevy ramping Silverado incentives after Ram beats it in March

General Motors isn't losing the pickup war without a fight. With the Silverado narrowly falling to third place in the truck segment in March, Chevrolet has announced that it is going to continue its Truck Month pricing through the end of April. In addition to those incentives, some Chevy pickups are going to see even deeper discounts, according to Automotive News.
General Motors Sales Reporting spokesperson Jim Cain says the reason for extending the sale is simple. "It worked," he said. The Silverado's sales were up 6.8 percent for March, which is a big win for a truck with sales down 7.6 percent for the year so far. "Last month we handily beat expectations," he said. Cain attributed the success to having "a simple, straightforward message." He also claimed that the pickup was also able to see growth with lower incentives than competitors. With the weather warming and the economy improving, he thinks the Silverado has the momentum to improve further.
The Truck Month incentives knock as much as $7,541 off some Silverado models, and Chevy is planning even more incentives on top of that in April. "Okay - time to take the gloves off and go back and take back what rightfully belongs to every one of you ... Silverado truck sales," said an email sent to dealers from GM's district manager in the Northeast, received by Automotive News, announcing lower lease rates.