Newswire

Proterra and Mitsui create $200-million credit to scale battery leasing program for electric buses

Electric bus manufacturer Proterra has partnered with Japanese conglomerate Mitsui to create a $200-million credit to scale up Proterra’s battery leasing program. Proterra customers will be able to purchase an electric bus and lease the batteries over the 12-year lifetime of the bus. Through the battery lease, Proterra says the initial capital expense for the… Read more »

Nidec adds 100 kW and 70 kW models to E-Axle lineup

Japanese electric motor company Nidec has developed two smaller versions of its fully-integrated traction motor system, E-Axle. It has also announced a new short-range radar that doubles as a proximity sensor for automatic parking systems. Nidec first introduced the E-Axle system in April 2018 as a 150 kW system, composed of an integrated electric motor,… Read more »

Elon Musk: Model 3 production constrained by Panasonic battery cell capacity

After Tesla and Panasonic announced that they were freezing expansion plans for the Nevada Gigafactory, several news outlets reported that the partners had postponed expansion because of shrinking demand for Tesla’s vehicles, but to the best of our knowledge, none presented any evidence that this was the reason for the decision. Now Elon Musk says… Read more »

America’s biggest cities could save up to 60% on fuel by electrifying buses

America’s largest metropolitan areas could save an average of 37 percent on fuel costs by electrifying buses and light-duty fleet vehicles, according to a report by EV charging company AMPLY Power. The report also found that charging regimes focused on off-peak hours can save up to 60 percent compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles… Read more »

Solid Power receives investment from Ford, says it’s ready for production in Q2 2019

Solid Power, a spin-out company of the University of Colorado, has partnered with Ford to continue development of its all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) for EVs. The partnership will focus on further developing ASSBs towards automotive requirements. The partners will use Solid Power’s fully automated, roll-to-roll production facility, which the company says will be fully operational in… Read more »

IKEA and delivery partners electrify last-mile delivery around the world

In 2018, at California’s Global Climate Action Summit, IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin announced a commitment to using EVs for the last-mile portion of all of its product shipments by 2025. Now the Swedish retailer says it has already electrified all its local delivery vehicles in Shanghai, and plans to do the same in Los Angeles,… Read more »

DOE to offer $59 million for advanced vehicle technology research

The DOE has announced $59 million in new funding for research on advanced vehicle technologies, including advanced batteries, electric drive systems and materials for more efficient powertrains. Funding opportunities fall within six topic areas. Those directly related to EVs include: Solid State Batteries – Up to $12.5 million available for projects aimed at developing new solid electrolytes. Projects should address… Read more »

Fortum to build wireless charging infrastructure for electric taxis in Oslo

Finnish utility company Fortum is working with the city of Oslo and US-based Momentum Dynamics to build a wireless fast-charging infrastructure for taxis in the Norwegian capital. The project aims to install wireless charging using induction technology that can handle power levels up to 75 kW. The company plans to install charging plates in the… Read more »