Conventional wisdom has it that lithium-ion batteries are the state of the art, and that nickel-metal hydride chemistry, which is used in most conventional hybrids (some of the newer Prius models now use Li-ion), is pretty much obsolete. However, scientists at BASF believe that NiMH technology still has much to offer. According to MIT Technology Review, the… Read more »
These days, the media insists on describing every future plug-in vehicle as a “Tesla competitor.” The latest putative challenger is not an automaker at all, but Apple, a company that has a lot in common with our favorite EV maker (including about 150 former employees). Reports that Apple has been bulking up on battery expertise… Read more »
Indian automaker Mahindra Reva has announced plans to start selling its tiny Reva e20 EV in Europe by the end of the summer. Since the giant conglomerate Mahindra bought the Reva Electric Car Company in 2010, the company has become India’s leading EV developer. “The way electric vehicle technology is growing in Europe, we expect… Read more »
The UK has had a bit of a slow start getting plugged in – last June a survey showed little consumer awareness of EVs, and more recently London’s public charging network has been plagued by problems – but the Brits seem to be turning up the voltage now. This month, the Department for Transport reported… Read more »
The EPA’s fuel economy labels on new cars are likely ineffective in pointing out the total savings of hybrid and plug-in cars over legacy vehicles, according to a new study by two University of Kansas professors. The research team conducted a 2013 online survey of 3,200 respondents in 32 US cities, and published their findings… Read more »
Groupe Bolloré, the French conglomerate that operates electric car-sharing services in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Indianapolis, has won government backing for a charging network across France. Bolloré plans to invest 150 million euros ($172 million) to install 16,000 Level 2 chargers over the next four years. Subscribers will be able to reserve time slots at… Read more »
Liechtenstein-based nanoFlowcell AG has taken a different approach to battery design. Its vehicles use a flow battery system which works like a combination of a battery and a fuel cell, using liquid electrolytes kept in two tanks and pumped through the cell. At the heart of the system is a membrane that separates two differing chemistries. A… Read more »
Worried about finding a place to plug in your EV? You needn’t be, at least if you live in Japan – Nissan recently made the surprising announcement that the number of power points in Japan has passed 40,000, more than the 34,000 gas stations in the country. “An important element of the continued market growth… Read more »
Corporate fleets can save big by going electric, but those savings can only be optimized if a company can manage its charging intelligently and minimize demand charges, potentially hefty fees that are based on a customer’s highest power usage during a month. New York utility Con Edison, together with FedEx Express, General Electric and Columbia… Read more »
Porsche is definitely working on a pure electric sport sedan, and details of the company’s plans are beginning to trickle out. In January, unnamed sources told the German magazine auto motor und sport that Porsche had dropped plans for gas and diesel versions of its Pajun (Panamera Junior) sedan, and that it would go on… Read more »
