Around the world, governments have invested serious money in EV charging infrastructure, and plenty more funding is planned for the future. In California, the state government plans to sink a substantial sum into hydrogen fueling infrastructure as well. It’s unfortunate, but perhaps inevitable, that fans of fuel-cells and boosters of battery-electric vehicles will be competing… Read more »
BMW and Samsung SDI plan to expand their supply relationship for EV battery cells. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding that includes an increase in quantities delivered as well as further technological development of battery cells. BMW produces high-voltage batteries for the i3, i8 and other future hybrid vehicles at its plant… Read more »
San Francisco International Airport will install four 480-volt high-speed charging stations, funded by a grant from the California Energy Commission. According to installer Greenlots, SFO already has the largest number of plug-in vehicle spaces of any domestic airport, but these will be its first open standards-based DC fast chargers. “Not surprisingly, California led close to one… Read more »
As EVs multiply, it’s critical for electric utilities to manage their energy needs. For that they need data on EV owners’ charging habits, and Opower has it. Opower claims to be the world’s largest energy data storehouse, covering 75 utility partners and 50 million households. The Outlier blog crunches that data into digestible articles about… Read more »
Venture capital firm Beringea has invested £3 million in EVSE provider Chargemaster. Founded in 2008, Chargemaster claims to be the UK’s largest supplier of EV infrastructure, with over 10,000 public chargers in Britain and another 4,000 on the Continent. Chargemaster’s charging units can be wall mounted, placed on street-side posts or custom-built to customer specifications…. Read more »
Remember that petition that circulated a year ago, asking the White House to intervene in the War of the Car Lots, and allow Tesla to sell its vehicles directly to consumers? An answer finally came this week and, as expected, it merely states that the federal government has no authority in the matter. The official response,… Read more »
The Icelandic company EVEN plans to install 200 EV charging stations around the country, and has already purchased the equipment, according to Iceland Review Iceland’s government has released a plan that calls for 10 percent of cars to be powered by sustainable fuels by 2020. However, Gísli Gíslasson of EVEN told the local newspaper Fréttatíminn… Read more »
Volkswagen has announced partnerships with two firms to provide charging services for its new e-Golf EV, which will go on sale in the US later this year as a 2015 model. VW selected Bosch Automotive Service Solutions to supply and install home charging stations for e-Golf buyers, and ChargePoint to provide VW-branded stations to e-Golf… Read more »
Volvo’s new XC90 SUV, to be launched later this year, claims to be the world’s most powerful and cleanest SUV. The all-wheel-drive seven-seater will offer a range of powertrain options, of which the top of the line will be the “Twin Engine” PHEV. A two-liter, four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged Drive-E gasoline engine powers the front… Read more »
A consortium led by the British motorsport and technology firm Prodrive has successfully run a silicon carbide-based multiport DC-DC converter in an EV. Silicon carbide devices operate at a higher frequency than equivalent silicon components – at 75 kHz in the test vehicles – with a significant reduction in switching losses. This allows the magnetic… Read more »
