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 »
The new Kia Soul EV went on sale in October in California, with plans to expand to Oregon and a few East Coast markets later. Stronger-than-expected customer interest soon inspired the company to accelerate its roll-out plan. However, in the complex world of automobile manufacturing, production can’t be dialed up and down at will. “The issue… Read more »
DC Fast Charging is increasingly seen as a “must have” feature for an EV. Japanese automakers are committed to the CHAdeMO standard, while their US and European colleagues are equally locked into the competing CCS standard. However, as a Korean company, Kia was free to choose whichever system it thought best for its new Soul… Read more »
Ricardo has developed a new prototype 85 kW synchronous reluctance motor designed for EV applications. Most EV motors use permanent magnets made from materials such as neodymium-iron-boron and samarium-cobalt. However, the rare earth elements in these compounds can be expensive and problematic to obtain. Switched reluctance motors, which do not use permanent magnets, show great… Read more »
City bus systems around the world are going electric, and South Carolina-based manufacturer Proterra is at the forefront of this silent revolution. The company’s latest product is the TerraVolt XR extended-range battery, which allows Proterra buses to be configured with ranges of up to 180 miles. The combination of Proterra’s TerraFlex energy system and Catalyst… Read more »
