Tesla has scored what could be a major sales boost in China. Shanghai’s municipal government has ruled that Model S buyers will be exempt from the $12,000 registration fee required to obtain license plates. A city official told Bloomberg (via Green Car Reports) that 400 Tesla buyers have already received the free plates. Like many large Chinese… Read more »
Specialty chemicals firm Clariant has agreed to sell its Energy Storage line of business to Johnson Matthey for $75 million. The division is the world’s largest producer of hydrothermal lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which is used in EVs and stationary battery applications. The transaction includes a manufacturing facility in Candiac, Québec, and an R&D center… Read more »
Ford may start selling PHEVs in Europe, following the lead of rival Volkswagen Group. Ford’s Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi PHEVs have been pretty popular in the US market, but the company hasn’t launched plug-ins in Europe because of what it sees as low demand. However, this week, Uli Koesters, Ford’s Vehicle Line Director for… Read more »
Tesla VP for Engineering Chris Porritt chatted with the British news outlet Auto Express this week about the company’s eagerly-awaited Model 3. He made no major revelations, but hinted that the game-changing automobile might be offered in several body styles, something that could attract a broader range of buyers. “We don’t know what type of… Read more »
Maxwell Technologies (NASDAQ: MXWL) has announced a joint development agreement with Corning (NYSE: GLW) with the goal of advancing the state of capacitive energy storage technology. Maxwell brings expertise in ultracapacitor cell design and a growing presence in the energy storage market to the partnership, while Corning is a specialist in high-performance materials, and has… Read more »
The plug-in party is in full swing in China, as the government pushes “new energy vehicles” as a solution to choking air pollution. The Volkswagen Group plans to be a major player, launching more than 20 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in China by the end of 2018. By 2020 there could be “some hundred… Read more »
The city of Indianapolis has announced plans to deploy the largest municipal fleet of electrified vehicles in the nation. The Indiana capital’s “Freedom Fleet” will consist of 425 plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, Chevrolet Volt and Ford Fusion Energi. The city will replace 100 vehicles by the end of this… Read more »
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed new software that promises a better way to estimate the remaining range of an EV. The system requires drivers to plug in their destination and automatically pulls in data on several variables to predict energy use. The team described their work in a paper, Big-Data Framework for… Read more »
Public charging network ChargePoint has added PayPal as an option for EV drivers to pay for charging. It’s a natural partnership, according to ChargePoint, as both companies are “revolutionizing traditional industries.” PayPal is a supporter of electromobility, and has installed 34 ChargePoint stations at its San Jose campus. Drivers who choose the PayPal option will… Read more »
Researchers around the world are working on improving various aspects of battery performance – capacity, charging speed, usable life. Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are focusing on the speed with which they can be manufactured, which has a direct effect on costs. The researchers have increased the manufacturing speed of electrode foils… Read more »
