We all acknowledge the absurdity of ignoring an elephant, when one is present in the very room in which important matters are being discussed, but what about a hulking, jacked-up, V8-powered monster truck? Tesla permanently changed the conversation about EVs when it electrified a sporty two-seater, a luxury sedan and a crossover SUV, but few… Read more »
The business case for electrifying commercial vans would seem to be a no-brainer – the savings on fuel and maintenance are substantial and demonstrable. In the real world however, pilot projects are plentiful, but substantial orders have been slow to materialize. More than one promising startup has gone under while waiting for fleet customers to… Read more »
In the short history of the modern EV industry, it’s been common for automakers to launch plug-in cars under a new brand or model – particularly those companies who are serious about selling EVs at scale. Or, at least the ones that want to appear serious about selling a lot of EVs. Even though Hyundai… Read more »
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will surely be remembered as a milestone model in automotive history – and hopefully for more than just the hype that heralded it. For several years, the punditocracy has been saying that the “killer app” that would bring electromobility to a “tipping point” and build that all-important “critical mass” would… Read more »
By Scott Shepard, Senior Research Analyst at Navigant Research’s Transportation Efficiencies program Smartphones have really changed the way things get done, and the continuous and sometimes overwhelming revolutions enabled by our hand-held devices are only just beginning. The transformations still to come include the basic process by which people and things are moved. The addition… Read more »
The advantages of electrifying transportation are far-reaching. Advanced energy storage systems are even making their way into the commercial marine industry. There are many marine applications in which adding a large Li-ion battery pack makes a lot of sense. The best-use case varies depending on the boat size and purpose. All-electric ferries, for example, are… Read more »
The Toyota Prius is a historic vehicle by any measure. It was the first hybrid to be mass-produced, and it remains the only one to achieve truly mass-market popularity – since it first went on sale in Japan in 1997, it has sold nearly six million units in over 90 worldwide markets. Toyota introduced the… Read more »
Here at Charged, we believe EVs are for everyone, regardless of political leanings. While we certainly comment on government policies that we feel are pro- or anti-EV, we avoid endorsing any particular candidate or party. However, America has elected a new president who has promised a radical change from the policies of the past eight… Read more »
Which major automaker has sold the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles relative to its overall US sales? You may be surprised to learn that it’s BMW – aside from Tesla, of course, which sells 100% EVs. In the first half of 2016, BMW’s four plug-in vehicles – the i3, i8, X5 xDrive40e and 330e iPerformance… Read more »
Startup companies often evolve as they grow, and sometimes they stumble on a new application for a prosaic product that leads to a new way of doing things, with the huge opportunities that implies. For Mitchell Yow, the CEO of Torque Trends, the journey started with a gearbox, and has led to a complete electrification… Read more »