The state of Vermont became the latest to hit the charge button this week, as it announced two new initiatives to support EVs. The first expands the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loan program, and the second provides financial resources for public charging stations in Vermont’s historic downtown areas. Under the SIB program, municipalities and businesses… Read more »
Toyota is the latest automaker to pare its plug-in prices, announcing a reduction of over $2,000 in the MSRP for the 2014 Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Starting MSRP will be $29,990 for the base model and $34,905 for the Advanced model. The Advanced model will offer an optional Technology Package that includes a couple of autonomous… Read more »
Tesla’s Model S reached yet another milestone in September, becoming the top-selling car in Norway for the month. Yes, that’s the top-selling car – gas, electric or otherwise. The luxury sedan’s market share in Norway reached 5.1 percent last month, elbowing the legacy VW Golf into second place with 4.6 percent. In fact, demand for… Read more »
Fuji Electric has long been focused on making DC fast charging more affordable, and argues that its 25 kW chargers offer the best blend of affordability and functionality. “50 kW chargers provide a complete charge faster than a 25 kW charger can,” said General Manager Larry Butkovich, “but, contrary to popular belief, the charging time… Read more »
Wireless charging pioneer WiTricity has announced a new software application for designing and developing highly resonant wireless power transfer systems. WiCAD is an end-to-end simulation environment designed to enable developers to streamline the design process and avoid the high cost of trial-and-error physical prototyping. WiCAD provides a library of commonly used WiTricity energy transfer designs… Read more »
Like all the world’s automakers, Jaguar Land Rover is working hard to build cleaner cars. The European Commission’s emissions mandate requires a 20% reduction in fleetwide emissions by 2015. The venerable British brand isn’t exactly famous for fuel-efficient models – the rugged Defender safari mobile and Inspector Morse’s enormous red Mark 2 come to mind…. Read more »
BASF has announced that it will invest $25 million to renovate and expand its R&D facility in Beachwood, Ohio. In addition to the existing catalyst and battery materials research, the facility is being renovated to make space for a new cathode materials research team. Construction is underway and completion is expected in early 2014. The… Read more »
We’re not sure if it’s a David and Goliath epic or a Coyote and Roadrunner farce, but Tesla’s recent run of success has caught GM’s attention in a big way (not for the first time – it was Tesla that inspired Bob Lutz to override the skeptics and produce the Volt). CEO Dan Akerson and… Read more »
Tesla is famous for doing things differently. That’s not just because the company likes to be contrary, but because it often believes it’s found a better way, and that’s certainly the case with the company’s proprietary fast charging standard. Tesla is steadily building its own network of Supercharger DC fast charging stations across the US… Read more »
This is my 1,000th blog post for Charged and, since I don’t care for Champagne, I’ll celebrate the occasion by writing myself a little pat on the back and a fond recap. Since I began in October 2011, I’ve written a couple of these every day, and I’ve covered a huge variety of topics, including:… Read more »
