The Hyperloop: a new and super-high-tech form of transportation that can take passengers (and maybe even cars) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes, and that can be built for a tenth of what California is planning to spend on its high-speed rail system. If anyone else had come up with this idea, few… Read more »
ECOtality, the operator of the Blink charging network (Nasdaq: ECTY), has suspended trading and filed an 8-K report that details serious trouble for the company. Here’s the bad news: Although the Company is currently exploring options for a restructuring or sale of the entire business and/or assets, [it] may need to file a petition commencing… Read more »
Ultrasonic welding is one of many high-tech manufacturing processes that GM uses to produce its EVs, including the Chevy Volt and the new Cadillac ELR electric luxury coupe. The technique employs a pair of tools called an anvil and horn to apply rapid mechanical vibrations to the battery’s copper and aluminum electrodes. This creates heat… Read more »
Will the next-generation Volt see a substantial increase in its electric range? The aficionados who hang out at GM-Volt.com certainly hope so, and at least one of them believes that some comments made by GM CEO Dan Akerson reveal that the next iteration of Chevy’s popular PHEV will feature a range improvement of “20 percent… Read more »
Coop, Switzerland’s second-largest grocery store chain, and Feldschlösschen, one of the country’s largest beer brewers, have launched a pilot of a locally-built 18-ton electric truck. Coop and Feldschlösschen will test the e-truck on delivery routes in the Zürich region through the end of 2013. If it proves satisfactory, the companies plan to put more into… Read more »
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the $19-million New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program, which will subsidize the purchase of electric, hybrid and alternate-fuel commercial trucks. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), together with the non-profit organization CALSTART, will be managing the program. The program will include two voucher funds…. Read more »
The city of Gumi in South Korea has deployed two electric buses that use dynamic wireless charging. Dynamic wireless is a particularly exciting technology, as it has the potential to remove several of the objections associated with EVs. In a public transport context, it eliminates the need for unsightly overhead wires. Further down the road,… Read more »
BMW has released a wealth of details on the second vehicle in its electrified i line, the radical i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. Like the i3 city car that Charged examined at its coming-out party in New York, the i8 is scheduled to go on sale in early 2014. However, it will be produced in… Read more »
Last evening, Tesla Motors announced its Q2 2013 financial results, and afterward, Chairman & CEO Elon Musk and CFO Deepak Ahuja took questions from journalists and analysts for about an hour. As expected, Musk did most of the talking, and covered a lot of ground concerning Tesla’s future production plans and international expansion. On… Read more »
InsideEVs recently ran an article with the provocative headline “European Parliament Prepares Draft Calling for Termination of CHAdeMO in Europe.” To anyone who’s been following the European fast charging standards “war” (or “issue” for those of a calmer disposition), this certainly sounds like a crazy idea. Predictably, this scare story generated dozens of reader comments… Read more »
