BC Hydro is the electricity supplier for about 95 percent of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It’s government-owned and vertically integrated, meaning that the company owns and operates everything from production and transmission to distribution to customers. The company’s 30 hydroelectric facilities meet 78 percent of its electricity requirements, with the balance coming from… Read more »
Does Daimler have a coherent electric-vehicle strategy? Its battery supply chain is literally all over the map, and this week’s announcement that the company may close a German battery plant that it was boasting about a month ago has the EV press puzzled. The first generation of Daimler’s smart fortwo electric drive, which is selling… Read more »
Tesla’s Gigafactory will be a game-changer for the automotive industry, and as Tesla’s main battery supplier, Panasonic will be a key participant. As prospects for the massive battery plant have brightened and dimmed, not only the EV press but the major news outlets have been following the saga with keen interest. The latest news is… Read more »
The DOE has proposed lending money to aluminum giant Alcoa to increase production at a Tennessee factory, the first loan to a supplier under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, which was created by Congress in 2007 but hasn’t approved a loan since 2011. Alcoa spokeswoman Lori Lecker told Automotive News the company has applied… Read more »
A Pratt & Whitney executive has explained something that even the most fanatical e-vangelist can see: full-size commercial airliners are not likely to become EVs any time soon. In a question-and-answer session with reporters this week, Alan Epstein, P&W’s VP of Technology and Environment, said that the company has investigated electric aircraft and determined that… Read more »
LG Chem has agreed to license its separator film technology agreement to Ube Maxell. Under the agreement, Ube Maxell acquires patent use rights from LG Chem for ceramic coating of separator substrates, a key component of lithium-ion batteries. Ube Maxell, a joint venture between Ube Industries and Hitachi Maxell, was formed in 2011 to manufacture… Read more »
After several years of exploring self-driving technology, Google has revealed its own prototype vehicle, which has no need of a steering wheel or accelerator pedal. Google has been testing its self-driving systems in Lexus SUVs, but Sergey Brin said the company decided to change gears after some experiments, which convinced engineers that it wasn’t practical… Read more »
Toyota and Denso have collaborated to develop a silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor for use in power control units (PCUs). Using SiC power semiconductors, Toyota aims to improve hybrid fuel efficiency by 10 percent and reduce PCU size by 80 percent, compared to current PCUs with silicon-only semiconductors. The PCU is a critical component of… Read more »
Since its launch in 2010, California’s Zero Emission Vehicle rebate program has provided cash incentives to thousands of EV buyers in the Golden State. In fact, it’s proven so popular that the California Air Resources Board seems to be looking for ways to make the available funding go farther. CARB is now working on its… Read more »
General Motors has installed 401 electric vehicle charging stations at its US production and business locations, in response to employee demand. Most are located at GM’s large engineering and corporate facilities in Michigan, where employee EV ownership is growing steadily. Charging is available free to GM employees and visitors. More than 20 percent of the… Read more »
