Newswire

Fortum solution recycles 80% of Li-ion battery material

A new solution from Fortum, a Finnish clean-energy company, increases the amount of material in Li-ion batteries that can be recycled to more than 80%, according to the company. The current EU-mandated recycling rate is only 50% of the total weight of the battery. First the company makes the used batteries safe for mechanical treatment,… Read more »

Fiat Chrysler to pay Tesla hundreds of millions for European emissions credits

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has reached a deal with Tesla to count the California carmaker’s EVs as part of the FCA fleet in order to avoid paying fines for violating new European Union emissions rules. The Financial Times reported that the deal is worth “hundreds of millions of euros.” More stringent emissions standards will take effect… Read more »

Toyota provides nearly 24,000 licenses royalty-free for hybrid tech

Toyota will grant royalty-free licenses on 23,740 patents it holds for hybrid technologies. For a fee, the company will also provide technical support to manufacturers that use Toyota’s tech, including motors, batteries, power control units and system controls. Since 2015, Toyota has offered 5,680 patents related its fuel cell EVs. The new batch of patents… Read more »

Duke Energy proposes $76-million EV program in North Carolina

Duke Energy has proposed a three-year, $76-million program to support EV adoption in North Carolina. The proposal includes funding for the adoption of electric school buses, electric public transportation, and almost 2,500 new charging stations. The company is awaiting approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission. If approved, the program will provide the following: Residential EV… Read more »

Tokyo researchers improve battery performance with nanodots

Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Okayama University have demonstrated a way to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries by coating the LiCoO2 cathode in BaTiO3 nanodots. The research could lead to EV batteries that charge quicker and last longer. The researchers fabricated three LiCoO2 cathodes: one bare, one coated with a planar… Read more »

Could new regulations hold back EV charging development?

While regulators and the charging industry are hashing out the details of new regulations, some are concerned that well-intentioned policies could have negative effects. The availability of EV charging infrastructure is increasing every day, and action by federal, state and local governments has been a major driver of this growth. However, like anything in life,… Read more »

The EV industry sees problems with California’s proposal to mandate credit card readers for public chargers

In California, there is a controversial plan to require credit card readers on all public charging stations, including retrofitting already installed units. California’s Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act (Senate Bill 454, which passed in 2013) mandates open access to public charging stations – that is, a driver doesn’t have to be a member… Read more »

Determining ENERGY STAR specifications for high-power EV fast chargers proves challenging

The US EPA is proposing a new ENERGY STAR specification, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Version 1.1, which adds DC fast chargers to the existing specification. The process of proposing the spec and considering stakeholder comments began in early 2018, and is ongoing. The EPA is proposing to release a Version 1.1 Draft 1 Specification in… Read more »

ZF acquires Dutch e-mobility company 2getthere

German parts maker ZF has acquired a 60% share of Dutch e-mobility company 2getthere. 2getthere produces automated transport systems, including driverless electric transport systems for airports, businesses and theme parks and urban transport infrastructure. The acquisition is part of ZF’s Next Generation Mobility strategy, through which it hopes to gain a foothold in the Mobility… Read more »

Tesla Q1 deliveries disappoint, stock stumbles

Just as the Tesla story has always elicited comments from both well-informed and uninformed writers, TSLA stock attracts investors of wildly varying levels of sophistication – or, to put it colorfully, “smart money” and “dumb money.” While the dumb money periodically causes large temporary tumbles in the stock price, triggered by Elon Musk pretending to… Read more »