In the latest Bolt news, a couple of supplier sources have told Reuters that GM plans to begin building its new EV in October 2016 at an underused small-car plant north of Detroit. The production target is said to be 25,000-30,000 cars a year (the Volt sold 18,800 last year, and 23,000 in 2013). The… Read more »
January has always been a slow month for EV sales, and this month didn’t fail to disappoint. Monthly sales of 5,924 barely bested last January’s figure. A new generation of vastly-improved plug-ins is in sight, so a lot of buyers may be opting to wait a bit, and those rock-bottom gas prices probably aren’t helping…. Read more »
Ioxus has launched its iMOD X-Series, a family of 22 ultracapacitor modules that are designed to simplify system design and installation for end users by offering a wide array of possible mounting configurations. The new modules use off-the-shelf T-slots to mount from any side in any configuration. They feature internally integrated wire management and integrated… Read more »
UQM Technologies (NYSE MKT: UQM) has achieved Chinese certification for its PowerPhase HD 250 electric propulsion system. After three months of testing, including system performance analysis for power and torque, vibration, salt spray and sealing performance and electrical testing, the Chinese authorities have approved the PowerPhase HD 250 for sale to vehicle manufacturers throughout China…. Read more »
Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest power company, has asked state regulators to approve an off-peak EV charging rate of of 3.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, a 43 percent discount to the usual residential rate. “We are trying to provide more options for customers,” said Xcel exec Chris Clark. “This is really how we’re seeing the future. We… Read more »
How much the latest plunge in oil prices will affect plug-in sales is anybody’s guess. Consumers have shown themselves to be pretty oblivious to history – when prices go down, the SUVs start flying off the lots. Will EVs be watching sadly from the sidelines? Lux Research is taking the long view. In “Just a… Read more »
Pretty much ever since the current generation of EVs began to show up on the roads, automakers and government regulators have been talking about requiring the vehicles to make some sort of artificial noise when traveling at low speeds, for the safety of pedestrians. The federal Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act was signed into law in… Read more »
SolidEnergy, an MIT spin-out company commercializing solid electrolyte technology, plans to release a 20 Ah EV battery in 2017, which it says will offer more than two times the range of current Li-ion batteries. The core of SolidEnergy’s technology is a Solid Polymer Ionic Liquid (SPIL) electrolyte, which enables the use of an ultra-thin lithium… Read more »
Power semiconductors are key components of the power control units (PCUs) used in all types of vehicles with electric powertrains – EVs, hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Current power semiconductors are leaky, accounting for around 20 percent of a vehicle’s electrical losses, so raising their efficiency could be a rewarding area of study. Toyota has… Read more »
Batteries do degrade over time, and unfortunately most EV models haven’t been on the road long enough to provide a lot of data, so there is still much to be learned about how quickly capacity loss takes place. Plug In America has conducted battery longevity studies for the Nissan LEAF and Tesla Roadster, and is… Read more »
