Chinese automaker BYD is poised to profit from two converging trends: the government’s support for new energy vehicles, and what the company calls China’s insatiable appetite for SUVs. BYD has begun taking pre-orders for the Tang, a plug-in SUV that’s named for the most prosperous of Chinese dynasties. The Tang is built on BYD’s second-generation… Read more »
Five years ago this week, the DOE finalized its Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan to Tesla Motors, which paid back the $465-million loan nine years early. So it seems like a propitious date to announce a new program that will make over $55 million in loans available for “cutting-edge vehicle technologies that strengthen the clean… Read more »
One indicator of an automaker’s seriousness about EVs may be its willingness to invest a substantial amount in charging infrastructure, as Nissan and Tesla have done. This week, BMW and Volkswagen, together with ChargePoint, announced an initiative to create express charging corridors on the east and west coasts of the US. In the initial phase,… Read more »
As the next generation of EVs takes shape, the next couple of years are going to see some electrifying competition. No sooner had GM finished its sound-and-light show for the upcoming Bolt EV than Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn reminded us that a redesigned LEAF is due to come to market in about two years, with… Read more »
The city of Mountain View, California has put four electric shuttle buses on the road in a two-year pilot project funded by Google. The Mountain View Community Shuttles use a modular electric powertrain from Motiv Power Systems. Aimed at elderly residents and others who need an alternative to the city’s existing public transit, the service… Read more »
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is making almost $1.2 million in grant funds available to develop a new center for alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in Central California. Public and private entities with a presence in California can apply for the funds. The proposed center must be open to the public and must support… Read more »
Colorado-based UQM Technologies (NYSE MKT: UQM) has earned a patent for a new EV motor design that uses non-rare earth magnets. Most current EVs use permanent magnet motors that include rare earth metals, which offer strong and constant magnetic fields. However, obtaining rare earths can be environmentally harmful, and some fear that supplies may run… Read more »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded funding to Logos Technologies to continue development of the SilentHawk military motorcycle in partnership with California’s Alta Motors (formerly BRD). In Phase I of the project, Logos and Alta tested Alta’s existing RedShift MX electric motocross bike in multiple terrains and riding conditions to understand the… Read more »
Nissan has announced that it will support the expansion of the Electric Circuit public charging network with an investment in 25 DC fast charging sites. The Electric Circuit includes more than 360 public charging stations in operation in Québec, including 8 fast-charge stations. The new sites will be located at short-stop locations like restaurant chains… Read more »
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has released a new funding opportunity (FOA) to support innovative transportation technologies. This Vehicle Technologies Incubator FOA (not to be confused with ARPA-E’s OPEN 2015 FOA, which was also recently announced) will award a total of $14 million, and is open to “proposals that aim… Read more »
