Newswire

Protean Electric and partners make plans for mass production of in-wheel motors

In-wheel motor pioneer Protean Electric has announced a collaboration with intelligent mobility specialist Human Horizons and Wuxi Weifu e-Drive Technology (a joint venture formed by Weifu Group and Protean to manufacture the ProteanDrive Pd18) to develop and manufacture in-wheel motors. The partners plan to build a production facility in China to deliver in-wheel motors at… Read more »

Massachusetts extends EV rebate program, tightens eligibility requirements

The state of Massachusetts has announced that it will extend its electric vehicle rebate program through the middle of next year, while also tightening eligibility requirements. Republican Governor Charlie Baker’s office announced that the popular MOR-EV program will now run through at least June 30, 2019. Starting on January 1, the program will provide a… Read more »

Boring Company demonstrates first tunnel with a modified Tesla Model X

Some people see problems and complain about them on Facebook. When Elon Musk sees a problem, he starts a company to solve it. The Boring Company’s mission is to relieve traffic congestion via a two-part strategy: reducing the cost of boring tunnels and developing an autonomous transport system to move cars through the tunnels. The… Read more »

Keeping federal EV tax credit alive a tough sell for GM as it lays off workers and closes factories

General Motors is fighting to retain the $7,500 federal tax credit for plug-in vehicle purchases, but the company’s recently announced layoffs and plant closings may make it a tough sell in Washington. As GM nears the 200,000-vehicle cutoff point after which the tax credit will be phased out, the incentive’s very existence is uncertain. One… Read more »

Dairy farmers use electric milk pump to reduce diesel usage

Belching cows aren’t the only source of CO2 emissions in the dairy industry. When tanker trucks collect milk from farms, they use their diesel engines to drive the pump that fills the tank. Now Swedish technology company Semcon has partnered with Enova and Tine, a Norwegian milk distributor, to develop an electric milk pump. By… Read more »

Daimler and thysenkrupp partner to develop bipolar batteries

Under a project sponsored by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Daimler and the Fraunhofer Institute, together with German conglomerate thyssenkrupp and engineering firm IAV, are co-developing the design and production of bipolar batteries. Bipolar batteries are still in the laboratory stage and have not moved past pilot scale. The project, named EMBATT-goes-FAB,… Read more »

Electrify America makes second-cycle investment in BTC Power

Thanks to Volkswagen’s former bad habits, Electrify America has $2-billion to invest in EV infrastructure, $800 of that earmarked for California. In order to future-proof its network, EA has wisely divided its investment into four phases. The company is now beginning to announce plans for its second $200-million round of investment in the Golden State,… Read more »

DENSO to produce EV inverters in Maryville, Tennessee

DENSO, an enormous automotive supplier with headquarters in Japan and 220 facilities in 35 countries, plans to produce a next-generation inverter for US OEMs at its plant in Maryville, Tennessee. The Maryville location will be the site of one billion dollars of new investment in electrification, connectivity and safety products over the next few years…. Read more »

Amprius’s silicon nanowire batteries power the Zephyr S HAPS solar aircraft

Battery manufacturer Amprius is supplying lithium-ion cells to Airbus’s Zephyr program. Using Amprius’s cells, which contain a 100% silicon anode, the Zephyr S solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recently flew more than 25 days, setting a new record for stratospheric flight. The Zephyr S is a high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS), which combines the persistence of a… Read more »

California Air Resources Board mandates 100% zero-emission buses by 2040

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has unanimously approved a rule that will move the state towards the goal of a 100-percent zero-emission bus fleet by 2040. Like most government programs, CARB’s Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation has a long timeline – the process of proposals, meetings and workshops that led to this week’s final… Read more »