Newswire

Hawaii bill would require EV charging stations in parking lots

The Hawaii State Senate is considering a bill that would require owners of parking lots to provide at least one exclusive space equipped with an EV charging station. Senate Bill 2651 would apply to parking lots with 100 spaces or more, and would go into effect in 2015. The bill was approved unanimously by the… Read more »

Tesla Gigafactory takes shape, stock soars, short-sellers weep

Let’s all shed a crocodile tear or two for the poor Tesla short-sellers. Their faces (and their balance sheets) turned an even deeper shade of red this week, as TSLA shares powered through the $200 mark without tapping the brakes, on the way to $260 and beyond. A series of positive news items has driven… Read more »

New microscopy system delivers real-time view of battery electrochemistry

You may not think about what’s going on inside the battery when you charge your EV, but the fate of the world may hang on the diminutive dramas taking place in there between the electrodes. Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have used a new microscopy technique to get perhaps the best glimpse yet… Read more »

Investors see huge potential in Kandi’s Chinese electric car-sharing service

Kandi Technologies Group (Nasdaq:KNDI), which operates a Chinese EV car-sharing service, saw its stock soar over 18% this week after announcing that it has posted a profit, and plans to expand to cities including Beijing and Shanghai. The stock has gained more than 300% in the last year. Kandi, together with its joint venture partner,… Read more »

Sun Country Highway to deploy ABB dual-port fast chargers

Canadian charging operator Sun Country Highway has announced a partnership with ABB, and will add the EVSE giant’s 400-volt DC dual-port chargers to its network, which already includes hundreds of Level 2 charging stations. “We plan to move ahead with 20 or more installations this year,” said Christopher Misch, Vice President of Sun Country Highway…. Read more »

Kia Soul EV to use new SK Innovation battery cells

Kia’s new Soul EV will use lithium-ion polymer battery cells supplied by SK Innovation, the result of a three-year joint development program between the two companies. The SK pack has 192 cells in eight modules, for a total capacity of 27 kWh. It boasts an impressive energy density of 200 Wh/kg, and is expected to… Read more »

China increases EV incentives as automakers crowd into the market

China is increasing some incentives for buyers of “new energy” vehicles, as it tries to deal with horrendous air pollution. Chinese cities allow only a fixed number of new vehicles on the road each year, using a lottery system to allot licenses. According to China Daily, Beijing’s transport authority cut the yearly quota to 150,000… Read more »

BMW X5 plug-in hybrid prototype highlights eDrive strategy

Members of the press took BMW’s X5 eDrive PHEV for a test drive at an event in Germany this week. BMW also presented several elements of its EfficientDynamics strategy, which depends on a combination of ever-more-efficient gasoline and diesel engines with eDrive electrified drive technology developed by the BMW i sub-brand. BMW plans to develop… Read more »

DENSO begins field test of wireless battery charging system

Global automotive supplier DENSO is beginning a ten-month field test of its wireless battery charging system in Toyota City, Japan. The test is intended to identify any potential operational issues and look at ways to enhance the convenience of wireless charging. For the test, DENSO has equipped a delivery truck with a power receiver that… Read more »

Delaware charger project aims to bring the entire state within EV range

The University of Delaware and the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) will collaborate on a pilot program to install a few strategically placed EV charging stations to enable long trips in the state. The new project, which has a budget of $80,000, will take into account driver convenience as well as… Read more »