As VW cautiously rolls out its electrified product line, it seems to see plenty of potential for plug-ins in China. The Volkswagen Group has five plug-in models ready for production, and four were on display at a press event in China this week. The four offerings spanned the price range, from the practical two-door VW… Read more »
The Government of Canada has awarded $30 million ($29 million US) to 10 university-industry partnerships to research new automotive technologies. Industry and other partners have committed an additional $22 million to the projects, which were selected through the Automotive Partnership Canada (APC) initiative. The largest of these awards is $8.9 million to a partnership between… Read more »
How installing a few charging stations is more of a long-term solution than meets the eye. We often hear about the need for smart cities, smart grids, and sustainability in general, but what does it really mean? How can we ever hope to build a smart and sustainable global ecosystem, considering the energy-consuming path that… Read more »
Bosch is taking the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) market very seriously, investing heavily in the infrastructure behind the infrastructure One of dozens of indicators that suggest plug-in vehicles are here to stay is that companies like Bosch – the multinational engineering and electronics powerhouse – are jockeying for an early lead in the charging… Read more »
Audi has been talking about a plug-in hybrid since at least 2011. In March 2012, CEO Rupert Stadler announced that the A3 Sportback e-tron PHEV was being tested, and would come to market in 2014. In March 2013, we got a look at the new PHEV in Geneva. She’s a front-wheel drive parallel hybrid with… Read more »
Chrysler has entered a five-year, $18.2 million partnership with McMaster University, with funding support from the Canadian government, to develop next-generation electrified powertrains. Chrysler Group will invest $9.25 million in cash and in-kind contributions, with an additional $8.93 million coming from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). 20 Chrysler engineers and… Read more »
EVs and their chargers are a perfect fit for single-family homeowners with garages, but for condo and apartment dwellers, charging is often a challenge (a recent Charged article explored this issue). Carports can be located far from electrical service lines, homeowners’ association rules may discourage charger installation, and electricity may be billed on common meters…. Read more »
More and more organizations are finding that it makes sense to offer EV charging to their employees and/or customers. However, installing and administering the charging stations, especially across a large enterprise, can be a complicated proposition. Not the least of the headaches is finding a way to quantify the return on investment (ROI) in charging… Read more »
Get ready for the conspiracy theories. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said this week that it will not open a formal investigation into the battery fire that destroyed a Tesla Model S in Kent, Washington earlier this month. “After reviewing all available data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not found evidence… Read more »
Momentum Dynamics Corporation has announced that it is prepared for full commercialization of its high-powered inductive charging system in 2014. The company says its Momentum Charger can transfer 25 kW and higher across a 12” air gap. This is substantially more powerful than the 3.3 kW plug-in chargers that are standard equipment on many EVs…. Read more »
