Newswire

US Navy plans to lease 300 to 600 EVs

The Department of the Navy is planning to lease 300 to 600 passenger EVs, with an initial focus on its sedan fleet, to be used at various Navy and Marine Corps installations in California. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command will hold an Industry Forum on July 21st in Sacramento to discuss leasing possibilities with industry… Read more »

Kandi makes $89-million deal as Chinese auto market moves online

Kandi Technologies Group (NASDAQ: KNDI), a Chinese EV-maker and car-sharing operator, has announced a new sale that will not only significantly expand its volume, but also explore the potential of online EV sales. Kandi Electric Vehicles Group, a joint venture with automaker Geely, has signed a sales contract with Zhejiang Shi Kong Electric Vehicle for… Read more »

Oregon state employees must pay for workplace charging

Oregon’s Government Ethics Commission has ruled that the state cannot provide free or reduced-cost EV charging to state employees, unless it is counted as compensation. The Department of Administrative Services is developing a policy for EV charging stations across state government. “We have been working to develop a policy that will guide state agencies, and… Read more »

Electric Highway links Western Australia with fast charging stations

Australia’s Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has unveiled a network of fast charging stations it calls the Electric Highway, which will connect Perth with Western Australia’s southwestern region. Twelve public fast charging stations will be installed along the route. The first six are located in Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River and Augusta. Stations in Dunsborough,… Read more »

DOE study: Battery second use offsets EV expenses, improves grid stability

A recent analysis from the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has confirmed the value of something that several automakers are already investigating: repurposing used EV batteries for stationary storage applications. The NREL found that battery second use (B2U) strategies are capable of offsetting the costs of recycling vehicles at the end of their lives,… Read more »

Chinese and US agencies work together on EV-related standards

Some 75 experts from China and the US recently convened to discuss their work on standardization programs related to EVs. The focus of the workshop was cooperation on standards, conformance, and training programs among industry and government players. The workshop was organized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the China Automotive Technology and… Read more »

ChargePoint’s home chargers to go on sale this summer, starting at $499

ChargePoint has built an enormous electrical empire since installing its first public charging station in 2009. The company now boasts over 20,000 charging spots in North America, and between 70 and 80 percent of all new plug-in vehicle buyers sign up for an account. Now this champion of charging has set its sights on the… Read more »

First phase of Tesla Gigafactory nearly complete

Tesla’s game-changing Gigafactory in Northern Nevada is taking shape even faster than expected. The first building phase is nearly complete, the company told Nevada’s Legislative Commission in a quarterly report that it is required to provide under the terms of the $1.3-billion package of tax incentives it received from the state. The first phase is… Read more »

New study: Nighttime EV charging may increase carbon footprint (Updated)

The question of the “long tailpipe” is a fraught one: does an EV deliver lower carbon emissions than a legacy vehicle if the electricity comes from dirty coal? The latest study to address the issue comes from Carnegie Mellon University, and it includes a couple of surprising new findings. “Regional Variability and Uncertainty of Electric Vehicle… Read more »

Armored vehicles plug in

Now these are no golf carts! A fleet of six 26,000-pound, Class 5 armored vehicles will be converted to renewable natural gas PHEVs in an effort to comply with California air pollution standards. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc (EDI), a company that builds electrified drivetrains for some of the biggest vehicles on the road (and that was… Read more »