British Gas will be testing 28 Nissan e-NV200 vans through the coming Blighty winter to determine the future viability of EVs as part of its fleet. Also involved are Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions, which manages BG’s fleet, and Gateshead College, which has trained the drivers in the proper care and feeding of the 100%… Read more »
The Spark-Renault SRT_01E, which will race in the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship next year, successfully completed a test run this week at the La Ferté Gaucher circuit near Choisy-le-Roi, France. With Lucas di Grassi at the wheel, the electric racer completed 40 laps over two days in order to verify that all systems were… Read more »
The European Parliament endorsed a draft directive this week that would require EU member states to ensure that specified numbers of public EV chargers (as well as hydrogen and natural gas stations) are built by 2020. The draft rules are part of an overall policy that aims to achieve a 60% cut in greenhouse gas… Read more »
What’s the most fuel-efficient model in Porsche’s lineup? Now, what’s the company’s fastest street-legal model? Many will be surprised to learn that both these superlatives belong to the same car: the 918 Spyder, which was on display at last week’s LA Auto Show. As McLaren (with the P1) and Ferrari (with the LaFerrari) have also… Read more »
Industrial giant Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) has sold its interest in battery manufacturer Dow Kokam to MBP Investors LLC, an affiliate of Townsend Ventures. Dow Kokam makes large-format nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion cells and systems for the fleet transportation, stationary storage and industrial markets. The company’s Midland Battery Park in Michigan includes one of… Read more »
Fisker Automotive finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, some 18 months after building its last car. Hybrid Technology LLC, which bought the automaker’s outstanding $168 million DOE loan for $25 million in October, said that the purchase of the government loan was a first step toward restarting production of the Karma. “As… Read more »
Disappointing news for American lovers of Volvo station wagons: Senior VP Lex Kerssemakers told the Australian outlet Drive that the company will not offer the V60 diesel plug-in hybrid wagon globally. Instead, Yanks and Aussies will have to settle for a gasoline plug-in powertrain that will debut in the new XC90 SUV in late 2014…. Read more »
The first question the “average Joe” asks about an EV is often, “Why don’t they put a solar panel on it?” Leaving aside technical details about surface area, insolation, voltage levels and the requirements of vehicle design, the simple answer is that it wouldn’t produce enough energy to justify the cost. However, Via Motors’ VTrux… Read more »
As BMW prepares to bring its new i3 to market in 2014, expectations are running high. The upscale city car fills a vacant niche in the market, and it embodies all the advantages of a pure EV. Equally important, the company seems committed to making the i3 a success in the marketplace, rather than taking… Read more »
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have demonstrated a lithium-sulfur (Li/S) battery that has more than twice the specific energy of current lithium-ion batteries, and that lasts for more than 1,500 charge/discharge cycles with minimal capacity loss. This is the longest cycle life yet reported for any lithium-sulfur battery. The results were reported in the… Read more »
