Most Charged readers will certainly remember A123, the company that was founded in 2001 on the basis of promising battery technology developed at MIT; received a $249-million grant from the DOE and $100 million in tax breaks from the state of Michigan; raised $380 million in a 2009 IPO; made a bad bet on Fisker… Read more »
Following the Transatlantic Economic Council’s decision to promote EV and smart grid interoperability, the European Commission has inaugurated the European Interoperability Centre. Together with its partner facility, the US Smart Grid Interoperability Center, the new lab’s mission is to ensure that the next generation of EVs and smart grids are fully interoperable, based on harmonized… Read more »
Nissan and Ecotricity, the operator of the Electric Highway charging network, have called on the UK government to introduce official road signage for the UK’s growing number of EV charging points. The two companies are mounting a campaign to encourage the Department for Transport and Office for Low Emission Vehicles to take action to raise… Read more »
Elon Musk, speaking at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said that Tesla is in discussions with government officials in China about producing its vehicles locally, and hopes to make a specific announcement soon. Some media reported that Musk spoke of building the upcoming Model 3 in a Chinese factory within 2 years, but he later tweeted… Read more »
Aston Martin unveiled a fully electric concept of its Rapide S four-door sports sedan, developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, at a posh do in London where Prince William met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the event, Aston Martin and Chinese investment group ChinaEquity announced an agreement to explore the development of a… Read more »
New Zealand network operator ChargeNet has begun building the country’s first fast-charging network. The first Veefil fast charger, designed and manufactured by Australian company Tritium, is going operational this week at a supermarket in the town of Kaiwaka, between Auckland and Northland. Future units will be deployed in and around major cities such as Hamilton,… Read more »
Nissan recently invited a small group of journalists to its Advanced Technology Center in Atsugi, near Tokyo, ostensibly to show them the IDS concept vehicle now on display at the Tokyo Motor Show. However, Bertel Schmitt, an old Japan hand, soon surmised that the reporters were looking at “the future Nissan LEAF in drag,” and… Read more »
Tesla has confirmed that it has a contract with South Korean firm LG Chem to provide batteries for Roadster 3.0, a package of range-enhancing improvements for Tesla’s famous first vehicle. The company began taking orders for the $29,000 upgrade in September. Until this announcement, Tesla’s only known battery supplier was Panasonic, which is a partner… Read more »
As California lawmakers continue to promote the transition to a modern energy and transportation ecosystem, oil companies and electric utilities are furiously maneuvering to protect their existing business models. Senate Bill 350, which Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law, originally included a mandate to cut the state’s petroleum consumption 50 percent by 2030. However,… Read more »
Since Tesla’s 2003 founding, there’s been a steady stream of articles explaining why it would soon go belly-up. The latest comes from a seemingly unlikely source: Bob Lutz, the “father of the Chevrolet Volt.” Back in the day, Lutz and Musk seemed like fellow travelers – the former GM exec said he would always be… Read more »
