A White House petition asks the federal government to intervene in the ongoing war between Tesla Motors and trade associations representing auto dealers, by blocking states from requiring that cars be sold only by third-party dealers. The Obama administration promises to review and respond to any citizen petition that garners 100,000 signatures within a month. The petition… Read more »
In a new report, Navigant Research profiles 11 Li-ion battery vendors that are active in the EV market, and rates them on 13 criteria, including systems integration, safety engineering, chemistry performance, geographic reach, manufacturing and product performance, pricing, and overall corporate financial health. According to Navigant, “Li-ion batteries have won the race to be the chemistry… Read more »
Nissan has unveiled a prototype racer called the ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) that it claims will be able to reach speeds of more than 300 km/h under electric power. The ZEOD RC will begin testing later this summer, and will take part in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans. According… Read more »
At the recent Paris Air Show, European jetmaker Airbus demonstrated an A320 airliner equipped with electric motors for taxiing, a technology that the company said is “showing the way for the increasingly electric future of aviation.” The Electric Green Taxiing System (EGTS) was developed by EGTS International, a joint venture of Safran and Honeywell…. Read more »
Earlier this month, the Texas legislature declined to take action on a pair of bills that would have favored Tesla Motors by carving out an exception to the state’s ban on direct retail auto sales. This week, the New York State Assembly made something of a mirror image move, ending its legislative session without advancing two bills… Read more »
The race to develop the next generation of batteries is in full swing. This week, three major automotive players decided to pool their efforts. Robert Bosch, GS Yuasa and Mitsubishi have agreed to set up a joint venture to work together on lithium-ion battery R&D. The headquarters of the new organization will be in Stuttgart,… Read more »
Registration is now open for the Plug-In 2013 Conference & Exposition, which will focus on real data, real-world reporting and a serious analysis of what’s next for the electric highway. Returning to its roots in California – the top plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market in the world – the sixth annual international conference, organized by the Electric… Read more »
ECOtality (Nasdaq:ECTY) announced that it has completed a private placement of common stock and warrants to institutional investors. The company issued 5,123,423 shares of common stock at $1.60 per share. Gross proceeds were $8.2 million, and will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes. “We are making good progress to advance our Blink… Read more »
Torino, Italy-based transmission specialist Oerlikon Graziano is presenting its family of hybrid and electric transmission systems at this week’s VDI Wissenforum show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Oerlikon Graziano has been building electric and hybrid driveline assemblies for 20 years. Its products are used in vehicles ranging from golf carts to city cars to light commercial EVs… Read more »
Nissan has announced plans to offer a battery replacement program for US LEAF buyers who wish to replace their original lithium-ion battery pack. LEAF batteries are already protected by a warranty that covers battery capacity loss (below 70%) for five years or 60,000 miles, and manufacturing defects for eight years or 100,000 miles. The new battery replacement… Read more »
