Under the MoU signed Wednesday, the two parties will set up a joint venture to manufacture solid-state batteries for electric cars. The joint venture will be licensed to use ProLogium’s patented solid-state battery pack assembly technology.

This is a strategic step for VinFast in mastering battery technology for electric vehicles, laying a foundation for its research and development of smart and advanced electric vehicles in the future.

Founded in 2006, ProLogium is the world’s leading solid-state battery maker. In 2017, ProLogium became the first company in the world to have a test line for solid-state battery technology for automotive applications.

Its solid-state batteries have passed safety tests in Europe and China, which are the world’s largest electric vehicle markets.

It is also cooperating with large electric cars manufacturers to test a new battery technology and expects to deploy it for mass-production in 2023-2024.

By using solid-state batteries, VinFast electric cars will be able to go longer distances, reduce charging time, and increase the total number of times they can be charged.

VinFast’s partnership with ProLogium is a part of its plan to become a global smart electric car brand.

In January, VinFast introduced three new electric self-driving car models. It is also setting up electric charging stations nationwide , aiming at 40,000 charging ports for electric bikes and cars by the end of 2021.

VinFast sold 31,500 cars in Vietnam last year. Since entering the auto industry three years ago the company now has a plant in the northern province of Hai Phong and R&D centers in Australia, Germany and the U.S.

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman involved in last Saturday’s car crash in the Australian state of Victoria has died in hospital, state police said in a news release on Wednesday (Nov 28).

The 20-year-old victim was among five Singaporeans in the car, which was driven by Nasuha Nasser.

Two of the passengers, aged 20, remain in hospital in a stable condition, said Victoria police.

It was reported that one of the injured is Nasuha’s twin sister, who suffered serious head and chest injuries. She was flown to Royal Melbourne Hospital after the accident, according to 9News.

Nasuha, 21, was charged on Sunday with negligently causing serious injury and dangerous driving causing serious injury.

Those charges will now be reviewed, said Victoria police, given that one of the injured has died.

READ: Singaporean student accused of causing car accident in Australia out on bail

Saturday’s accident happened at the intersection of Remembrance Drive and Madden Road in Windermere, 130km from Melbourne.

Nasuha allegedly failed to stop at a give way sign at the intersection, causing their blue Renault to collide with a white car before hitting a tree.

Nasuha is on bail and was due to appear at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Feb 21.

Singaporeans love to shop online – but would they be ready to buy a car with a simple click of a button?

Hyundai Motor Company and its sole distributor in Singapore, Komoco Motors, is introducing a new online platform that allows customers to buy a car with a click of a button. Touted as the first such retail platform in Singapore, Click & Drive will officially launch on Friday (Nov 9).

The new platform will take prospective buyers through the entire process, from choosing and configuring their model of choice to having online sales consultants on hand to assist in queries and applications, including vehicle registration, insurance and COE bidding. Other features include the availability of 360-degree external and internal views of the car, and various online reviews and articles on certain models. The platform, which will be online 24-hours, will also offer special online-only deals.

“The world of retail is changing at a rapid pace, especially in a digitally advanced market like Singapore,” said Jong Hwan Suh, general manager, head of channel strategy team, Hyundai Motor Company. He added that the new platform will “transform the way customers can interact and find out about our brand”.

The company cited the digital-savvy nature of Singapore’s residents as the reason for choosing to debut the service here. There are plans to roll out the platform in Australia by December, while four other countries are lined up for next year.

While it won’t be a substitute for actually dropping by a showroom, it’s an alternative option designed to streamline the experience of sussing out a car, especially for people who might be intimidated by the entire process, said Ng Choon Wee, commercial director, Komoco Motors.

“When you are younger and start working, you may not have the capacity to buy a luxury goods item, so you might have a level of fear about taking the first step into a luxury boutique, whether it’s a handbag, clothes or even watches. This is something similar – while they can be existing car owners, walking into a showroom could have a level of (intimidation). What the customers are looking is are all in the platform (which they can check out privately),” he said.

The whole platform can cut down time spent at showrooms: Instead of filling up of paperwork, for instance – including budget calculations, credit approvals, driving documents and finance applications – customers can submit their documents online prior to dropping by for the actual car. There are also flexible test drive options, with customers able to arrange with sales consultants on where to deliver a selected car model, whether it’s at home, the office or even a shopping mall.

The launch of Click & Drive is part of the first phase, said Ng. Further down the road, they are also looking at the idea of delivering the car right to a customer’s doorstep.

As for whether this idea of shopping for a car online will pick up in Singapore, he said it will take time.

“Ultimately it’s not like going to Redmart or buying such things online. Cars are still a capital item in Singapore but in the future, we may see customers embarking on such a journey. The platform is already there so sooner or later, there will be a level of acceptance.”

For more details, visit www.hyundai.com/sg .

There are three things to really consider when looking at the latest batch of cars: how have the team handled the new regulations that reduce downforce by approximately 10%, how have they reconfigured the car under the homologation and token system and what progress have they made from an aerodynamic perspective aside from the change in regs.

In terms of how this team has handled the new regulations, we’ll have to wait to see the physical car, as the renders released by the team fall short of revealing any of this detail. The floor clearly meets the dimensional requirements issued by the FIA but, like the floor it tested in Abu Dhabi, this falls short of displaying any of the aerodynamic trinkets that will likely occupy the space ahead of the rear tyre.

The rearward and top views disguise the areas of interest, or have been intentionally darkened to prevent anyone from capturing a glimpse of anything significant. That said, let’s take a closer look…

Alpine A521 front wing detail

Photo by: Alpine

At the front of the car the team has a cape with slotted sections that follow the curvature of the nose. The slots and the protrusions that they create are reminiscent of a design feature we’ve seen employed before to help bridge the gap between the aerodynamic surfaces mounted separately on the chassis and the nose, such as on the Ferrari SF90 (below).

Ferrari SF90 turning vanes detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

These not only appear to be mounted to the cape but also appear to cover quite a significant distance in comparison.

The bargeboard cluster and sidepod deflectors’ general concept carries over from the ones used in the latter part of 2020 but have both undergone slight modifications to account for the new flow structures needed downstream.

The sidepods and engine cover appear to be where most of the action is at when comparing the A521 like-for-like with its predecessor and it’s interesting that Alpine also appears to have taken a slightly different path to the rest of the field in doing so.

Alpine A521

Photo by: Alpine

Generally, teams have moved away from the traditional sidepod undercut, instead favouring a sloped section in the middle of the sidepod that falls away in-line with the radiator inside to meet with the floor.

It appears that Alpine, having started down that path in recent years, has made a U-turn as the A521 features a high-waisted arrangement that opens up more floor space – a critical factor given the new narrower floor regulations.

Alpine A521

Photo by: Alpine

In order to achieve this very narrow, high-waisted undercut arrangement the team appears to have repackaged the area around the power unit, moving even more of the car’s ancillaries into a region that was already packed full of hardware.

This has resulted in a rather large section of bodywork that the team has done its best to turn into more of a boat-tail shape.

Alpine A521 detail

Photo by: Alpine

Renault F1 Team R.S.19 powerunit install

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The team has also incorporated an outlet in the bodywork on the trailing leg of the halo that helps to reject heat from within the sidepod. This is a design we’ve seen used many times up and down the grid and was trialled by this team last season too.

The rest of the car feels decidedly similar to last year’s, which is to be expected considering the effects of the homologation and token system, but we could just as easily see revised aerodynamic parts arrive at testing with the front and rear wings being likely just placeholders to throw rivals off the scent.