There’s little good news for EV-lovers this month. August US plug-in sales of 8,972 were essentially unchanged from July, and were even further behind August 2014’s figure of 12,172. There were no major position changes – most of the leading models posted minor declines or increases. The bright spots at the moment are outside the… Read more »
Samsung SDI has unveiled several new types of Li-ion battery packs, including a 500 Wh e-bike pack that can deliver a range of 100 km. Another new battery pack for e-bikes is equipped with 21700-type batteries, which have higher energy capacity than previous cylindrical cells. Samsung hopes to make it the new standard in small cylindrical… Read more »
A new study from the Energy Institute at Haas, University of California, Berkeley, has reached an unsurprising conclusion: the benefits of federal tax credits tend to go mostly to higher-income households. Researchers Severin Borenstein and Lucas Davis found that 60% of the $18 billion in US federal clean energy tax credits issued between 2006 and… Read more »
For better or for worse, Elon Musk has confirmed a reveal date for the much-anticipated Model 3. “35k price, unveil in March, preorders start then,” he tweeted. Of course, as every car buff knows, the “unveiling” of a new model happens a long time before cars are actually ready for delivery, and in Tesla’s case,… Read more »
Put this one in the “If it can do what they claim, it really will be revolutionary” category. Israeli battery developer StoreDot says its EV FlashBattery can charge a 300-mile battery in 5 minutes – almost 10 times faster than today’s state of the art. In 2014, StoreDot demonstrated the FlashBattery, which it says can… Read more »
Austrian boat builder Frauscher Bootswerft has chosen marine motor maker Torqeedo to power its line of luxury electric boats and yachts. Torqeedo’s Deep Blue inboard motor was selected for the new Frauscher 740 Mirage Air, and is available on several of Frauscher’s other models. The two companies have cooperated since 2005. Deep Blue provides input… Read more »
Since BMW’s i3 went on sale in the island nation of Singapore in July 2014, the Bavarian automaker has been investing in charging infrastructure. In partnership with charging network operator Greenlots and CapitaLand, a major Asian real estate developer, BMW installed public charging stations at five strategic locations in Singapore’s Central Business District. Now the… Read more »
Battery behemoth Panasonic has announced that it will stop making lithium-ion batteries at its factory in Beijing, eliminating 1,300 jobs. A sign of waning demand for EVs? Nope, just the opposite. The 15-year-old plant produces batteries for mobile phones and digital cameras, and Panasonic plans to move away from these products (which are steadily being… Read more »
The UK government is one of the more proactive ones in Europe when it comes to electromobility – it is electrifying public transport, investing in charging infrastructure, and offering cash grants to EV buyers (and, in Scotland, interest-free loans). The UK Department for Transport has released a report detailing the results of its efforts so… Read more »
Tesla has launched an online configuration tool for existing reservation holders of the Model X Signature Series, revealing several previously unknown details of the ESUV, which is expected to begin deliveries in late September. The top-end Signature Series, which will be the first Model X version to be produced, includes a suite of special features,… Read more »
