Newswire

VW to deploy 4,000 charging points at German workplace sites

Volkswagen plans to install around 4,000 charging points at its German company facilities by 2025, beginning with 60 points recently installed for employees at a component plant in Braunschweig. The company will invest some €250 million ($276.5 million) to expand the charging infrastructure at its European sites, aiming to add around 36,000 new charging points… Read more »

TeraWatt’s solid-state battery prototype achieves energy density of 1,122 Wh/L

Silicon Valley startup TeraWatt Technology has announced that its prototype 4.5 Ah solid-state battery design achieved a record-breaking energy density of 1,122 Wh/L (432 Wh/kg) in validation tests conducted by third parties, including the Japanese testing service TOYO System. TeraWatt says this 4.5 Ah design, which is branded as TERA3.0, will be available for select… Read more »

China grants Tesla a sales tax exemption for its vehicles

The Chinese government has added Tesla’s Model S, Model X and Model 3 to a list of EVs that qualify for exemptions to the country’s 10% vehicle sales tax. No reason was offered for the move, which took China-watchers by surprise. Imported vehicles are generally not eligible for the exemption. As fate would have it,… Read more »

BP Chargemaster installs first of 400 150 kW chargers

BP Chargemaster, BP’s UK-based charging network subsidiary, has powered up its first 150 kW ultra-fast charger at a BP retail site. The charger is the first in a planned network of ultra-fast chargers across the UK. BP plans to roll out 400 ultra-fast chargers at BP sites across the UK by the end of 2021,… Read more »

School districts have ordered more than 100 Blue Bird electric buses

School districts have ordered more than 100 Blue Bird electric buses. The buses are currently operating in California, North Dakota, and Washington. Blue Bird will deliver additional buses to California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Quebec by 2020. Powered by Cummins electric drivetrains, Blue Bird electric school buses are capable of 120 miles of… Read more »

4R Energy earns first UL 1974 battery reuse certification

4R Energy, a joint venture between Nissan and Sumitomo that focuses on EV battery reuse, will be the first group certified to the UL 1974 Standard for Evaluation for Repurposing Batteries. UL 1974 outlines how to sort and grade EV battery packs, modules, and cells, identifying state-of-health and determining viability for second-life use as storage…. Read more »

Scandlines installs Norsepower’s wind-powered rotor sail on hybrid ferry

Danish ferry operator Scandlines has signed an agreement with Norsepower, a Finnish clean tech and engineering company, to install its Rotor Sail Solution onboard the M/V Copenhagen, a hybrid passenger ferry. Operating between Germany and Denmark, the M/V Copenhagen belongs to Scandlines’ already-existing fleet of hybrid ferries, which combines diesel and battery power. Since 2013,… Read more »

Québec bank installs urban charging superstation

Banking and investment firm Desjardins and utility Hydro-Québec have installed what they describe as Québec’s first urban EV charging superstation at the Complexe Desjardins, the company’s headquarters. The superstation includes four 50-kilowatt charging stations. The project is part of Desjardins’ plan to install 200 charging stations at Desjardins caisses (credit unions) throughout Quebec and eastern… Read more »

Chinese EV startup NIO to cut 1,200 staff

Chinese EV maker NIO plans to reduce its workforce by at least 1,200 by the end of September, CEO Li Bin revealed in an internal e-mail (as reported by Gasgoo). Bin said NIO will retain roughly 7,500 staff after the cut. The layoffs are part of the company’s recent efforts to control cost, improve operation… Read more »