BMW has emerged as Europe’s electric standard-bearer. Its i3 EV, which is to go on sale in Germany in November, has proven so popular that the company may increase production, and a spokesman recently said that the company is “planning to have a plug-in hybrid in each and every model series.” All this has led… Read more »
Nissan is redoubling its efforts to expand the US network of DC fast charging stations with a generous new incentive program. Nissan’s EV Advantage program offers $10,000 to businesses or other groups that deploy CHAdeMO-compatible public charging stations, with an additional bonus of $5,000 if the station is up and running by the end of… Read more »
Electric aircraft may be taking to the skies sooner than you think. EADS (the parent company of Airbus) and various partners have several “E-aircraft” research projects underway, and have already flown a couple of electrified airplanes. In 2010, EADS Innovation Works (IW) and Aero Composites Saintonge (ACS) flew a single-seat, 375 lb plane called the… Read more »
The Mini is one of those cult cars. It might be called the Grateful Dead of automobiles – its fanatical followers love every one of its dozens of variations, while other people just don’t see the attraction. Of course, the important question is, when will an electric version be available? Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW’s board member… Read more »
To no one’s surprise, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has announced that Tesla has sold by far the largest number of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits of any automaker for the last 12 months. The California ZEV Regulation requires vehicle manufacturers to produce low-emission vehicles, including a certain number of ZEVs (battery electric or fuel… Read more »
ams AG, an Austrian provider of analog ICs and sensors, has introduced a simpler and more robust method of monitoring and balancing cells in lithium-ion battery systems. The company has implemented the new architecture in a highly integrated chip, the AS8506, to perform distributed cell monitoring and balancing operations for stacked cell modules, including Safe… Read more »
An investor group led by Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li seems to have won the bidding for Fisker’s DOE loan, Reuters reported, citing a confidential source. The DOE plans to publicly announce the winner once the sale was closed. Fisker owes the DOE $168 million, but bids at Friday’s auction started at $30 million. Buying… Read more »
Naturally, the 2014 Cadillac ELR’s interior is silent when running on battery power. The luxury coupe’s engineers went to great lengths to keep it that way when the range-extending generator kicks in. ELR uses active noise cancelling, a technology that samples noise and generates a sound wave with the same amplitude but with inverted phase,… Read more »
In the quest for lighter and better batteries, companies are trying to think outside the box. But what about making the box itself into a battery? Volvo is developing a prototype material that can store and discharge electrical energy, and is also strong and lightweight enough to be used for car parts. The material can… Read more »
Capital City Builders, a builder of luxury homes in the Northern Virginia area, has announced its new EV-Ready Garage initiative, making the installation of a 240-Volt power outlet in the garage standard in all its homes. Managing Partner Ali Khazai believes that the close-in suburbs of the nation’s capital are ideally suited for electric commuting,… Read more »
