Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a new zinc-polyiodide redox flow battery that could offer more than two times the energy density of existing designs. Flow batteries, which use ionized liquids stored in external tanks in place of traditional electrolytes, have garnered a lot of publicity lately, as the storage medium of… Read more »
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has launched a pilot vehicle-to-grid project under which it will bid a group of energy storage systems and EV fleets as one resource directly into the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) energy markets. Utilities use storage resources like this to address short-term imbalances in electricity supply caused by such… Read more »
After years of preparation, Audi brought its first plug-in vehicle, the A3 e-tron, to market in Europe late last year. This week in Geneva, the company unveiled two new plug-in models: the Q7 e-tron quattro diesel plug-in hybrid, and an electric version of the R8 super-sports car. The upgraded Q7 family is based on the… Read more »
There are plenty of legitimate excuses: winter is always the slow season for auto sales; a couple of key vehicles are in rundown mode as buyers wait for a new and improved model; and, although logic tells us they shouldn’t, ultralow gas prices may be taking a bite out of demand for plug-ins. Be all… Read more »
At this week’s Auto Salon in Geneva, the three Quant concept vehicles, built by Leichtenstein-based nanoFlowcell, were drawing a lot of admiring stares. One thing is undisputed: the new Quant F is a beautiful automobile, with huge gull-wing doors, a spaceship-style interior with a vast dashboard display, and lines that flow like the ionized liquids… Read more »
Plug-in cars seem to have arrived in Europe. At this week’s Geneva Auto Salon, charging posts were to be seen at just about every major automaker’s booth, as EVs and PHEVs were peacefully coexhibited with legacy gas and diesel models. The corded cars were generally not prominently featured, but neither were they hidden away in… Read more »
The UK government has announced £32 million ($49 million) in new funding for EV infrastructure, to support “the fast-growing popularity of plug-in vehicles.” The announcement noted that claims for government grants to plug-in buyers increased fourfold in 2014. The new pot of money, which will be invested between now and 2020, includes: £15 million to… Read more »
You may have noticed that just about every electrical supply equipment manufacturer thrust into the home charging business as the EV market developed over the last few years. However, only a handful stuck their toes into the networked-public-charging pond – and some quickly decided that the water was too cold to swim in, and scaled… Read more »
Electric bicycles are already popular in Europe and China, and now a Malibu startup hopes to capture the imagination of US pedal pushers. The Sondors Electric Bike, launched this month through a crowdfunding campaign, has the makings of a cult classic. With an initial goal of $75,000, the Indiegogo campaign has generated over $3.7 million in contributions. The… Read more »
TM4, a subsidiary of public utility Hydro-Québec, is active in the development of EV motors and power systems. Its latest product is the CO150-HVF, an auxiliary power supply for commercial vehicle applications. Based on the same platform as the company’s CO150 traction inverters, the CO150-HVF offers a CAN-based interface that allows dynamic control of frequency… Read more »
