The FIA Formula E Championship has unveiled its provisional 2014/2015 calendar. The all-electric racing series will take place in 10 city centers on four continents, beginning in Beijing on September 20, 2014, and winding up in London on June 27, 2015. For the first season, all 10 teams – each with two drivers – will… Read more »
Newswire
Recargo and SemaConnect partner to offer new public charger payment solution
EV software provider Recargo has partnered with charging station operator SemaConnect to launch a new public charger payment solution. Pay With PlugShare is designed to integrate payment features with PlugShare, a crowdsourced map of public, private and residential charging locations. Pay With Plugshare will be available at more than 300 SemaConnect charging stations in the… Read more »
Kia plans electric Soul for 2014
Yet another automaker is going electric. Kia Motors America (KMA) has announced plans to offer an all-electric version of the highly popular Soul “urban passenger vehicle” in select markets in 2014. All the company has to say at this point is that the EV will feature new styling cues aimed at improving aerodynamics and distinguishing… Read more »
NRG eVgo unveils US dual-standard charging station
Well shucks, it looks like there’s not going to be a war after all – EVSE manufacturers and providers are simply sidestepping the SAE-vs-CHAdeMO issue by installing charging spots that support both standards. NRG eVgo has installed what it says is the first dual-standard charging station in the US at San Diego’s largest mall. The… Read more »
Dutch team sets new 0-100 kph time for an electric car
A team of Dutch students has set a new acceleration record for an EV. In a recent run at Valkenburg Airport, the Delft University of Technology Racing Team achieved 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.13 seconds, according to team manager Tim de Morée. This represents a 20% improvement over the previous record (the new record… Read more »
California Air Resources Board allots an additional $72.5 million to incentive programs
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has announced an additional $72.5 million in funding for state emissions-reducing programs, including incentives to clean up heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses. “The incentive programs provide critical early investments needed to accelerate the transformation of California’s car, truck and bus fleets to the cleanest advanced technologies,” ARB… Read more »
Hertz advertises Tesla Model S rentals
Do EVs have a future as part of the nation’s rental car fleet? That remains to be seen, but Hertz (NYSE: HTZ), the world’s largest airport car rental brand, is talking about it, and that’s a start. The company has announced that it will add the Tesla Model S to its Dream Cars lineup of… Read more »
Researchers use paper-folding technique to increase energy density
Could the secret to unleashing the electromobility revolution be…origami? Researchers at Arizona State University have shown that paper-folding concepts can be applied to Li-ion batteries to build devices with higher areal energy densities. In a paper published in the ACS journal Nano Letters, Qian Cheng and the team described how they built a battery using… Read more »
Japanese mining firm triples lithium nickel oxide production
“Just one word, young man: lithium!” As EV production ramps up, companies at all points in the supply line for the lightest metal are getting ready for new levels of demand, from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently warned that a “truly gargantuan battery factory” will soon be needed, to Panasonic, which is investing $200… Read more »
Texas LEAF buyers get a year of free charging
The goodies just keep coming for drivers who go electric. Nissan and NRG eVgo have teamed up to offer LEAF buyers and lessees in the Dallas-Fort Worth and greater Houston areas free access to eVgo public charging stations for a year. Under the “No Charge to Charge” program, customers who lease or purchase a new… Read more »