VIA Motors’ electric cargo van has successfully passed all crash testing required for mass production. “The engineering work done to integrate the VIA’s electric technology has been exceptional and the vehicles have exceeded our expectations in all tests that were performed,” said VIA President Alan Perriton. “We are now moving on to complete certification and… Read more »
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Utility demand charges and electric vehicle supply equipment
Jeffrey Wishart, Senior Principal Engineer at ECOtality since 2009, conducts research and development on products and services in the areas of energy, the environment, and advanced transportation. In addition to his supervisory position at ECOtality, Dr Wishart worked for several years at a utility company in Queensland, Australia, conducting research into emerging energy technologies. … Read more »
Stored energy provider EnerSys to acquire battery maker Quallion
EnerSys (NYSE: ENS) a provider of stored energy solutions for industrial applications, has agreed to acquire Quallion LLC, a manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, for $30 million. California-based Quallion sells cells to customers in the medical, defense, aviation and space sectors. Neither company has been particularly prominent in the EV-related headlines, but EnerSys offers a broad line… Read more »
Panasonic and Tesla to expand supply of battery cells
Panasonic and Tesla have updated and expanded an existing agreement under which the Japanese giant supplies automotive-grade lithium-ion battery cells to the Silicon Valley trendsetter. The new arrangement calls for Panasonic to supply nearly two billion cells over the course of four years, both for Model S and the new Model X, which is scheduled… Read more »
VW CEO: Germany’s 1 million EV goal achievable, if…
The German government has set a goal to have one million electric cars on the country’s roads by 2020. “We will make our contribution toward this goal,” Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn told reporters this week. However, according to Bloomberg, Winterkorn said that the goal was feasible only if plug-in hybrids are included in that million-vehicle… Read more »
Volkswagen plugs China in
As VW cautiously rolls out its electrified product line, it seems to see plenty of potential for plug-ins in China. The Volkswagen Group has five plug-in models ready for production, and four were on display at a press event in China this week. The four offerings spanned the price range, from the practical two-door VW… Read more »
Canada invests $30 million to research new automotive technologies
The Government of Canada has awarded $30 million ($29 million US) to 10 university-industry partnerships to research new automotive technologies. Industry and other partners have committed an additional $22 million to the projects, which were selected through the Automotive Partnership Canada (APC) initiative. The largest of these awards is $8.9 million to a partnership between… Read more »
EVSE: the low-hanging fruit of smart city buildout
How installing a few charging stations is more of a long-term solution than meets the eye. We often hear about the need for smart cities, smart grids, and sustainability in general, but what does it really mean? How can we ever hope to build a smart and sustainable global ecosystem, considering the energy-consuming path that… Read more »
The infrastructure behind the infrastructure: Bosch invests in EVSE
Bosch is taking the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) market very seriously, investing heavily in the infrastructure behind the infrastructure One of dozens of indicators that suggest plug-in vehicles are here to stay is that companies like Bosch – the multinational engineering and electronics powerhouse – are jockeying for an early lead in the charging… Read more »
Audi A3 PHEV to be released in early 2015
Audi has been talking about a plug-in hybrid since at least 2011. In March 2012, CEO Rupert Stadler announced that the A3 Sportback e-tron PHEV was being tested, and would come to market in 2014. In March 2013, we got a look at the new PHEV in Geneva. She’s a front-wheel drive parallel hybrid with… Read more »