As the EPA proceeds to weaken federal emissions standards, Colorado has become the latest state to implement the LEV regulations included in California’s Advanced Clean Car Standards. Alphabet soup department: The California Air Resources Board (ARB [and sometimes CARB]) adopted the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) program in 2012. The components of the ACC program are:… Read more »
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that 68 new electric double-deck buses will join the capital’s fleet. Two routes operated by Metroline from Barnet to central London will be exclusively served by e-buses. Leeds-based Optare will supply 31 double-deckers, which will go into service next summer on Route 134, running from North Finchley bus station… Read more »
Since 1916, automakers have been subjecting their new vehicles to arduous slopes and punishing high-altitude conditions in the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb race. The “Race to the Clouds” climbs 4,720 feet in a little over 12 miles. Several EVs, which of course don’t have the problems with thinner air that fossil fuel racers do,… Read more »
As charging stations become part of the landscape, more companies are paying attention to how they look. A new home charger from Andersen discreetly hides the cable and plug inside a sleek and compact compartment, and offers a choice of metal and wood covers in eight stylish colors. The Andersen A1 offers a power level… Read more »
Power semiconductor supplier ROHM and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor specialist GaN Systems have partnered to develop new power electronics. Wordy? Yes. Interesting? It GaN be. The partnership will harness GaN’s expertise in power transistors along with ROHM’s established design and manufacturing capabilities in order to create new lines of compatible products. The new products will… Read more »
Daimler is the world’s largest truck manufacturer, and it’s encouraging to see the company developing electric vehicles, such as the Fuso eCanter light-duty electric truck. However, Hamish Ainsley, writing in LinkedIn, finds it disappointing that Daimler seems to be focusing on electrifying legacy truck models rather than designing EVs “from the ground up.” “Mercedes Benz… Read more »
Faraday Future (FF) has confirmed that it raised $2 billion in first-round equity funding following approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). FF is headquartered in Los Angeles, and has a manufacturing facility in Hanford, California, but a substantial amount of its funding comes from Chinese investors, so it needed… Read more »
ON Semiconductor has introduced a robust line of automotive-grade silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes. The AEC-Q101 diodes can handle high surge currents and are meant to operate from -55° to 175° C. There are several reasons why SiC diodes are ideal for automotive applications. They are smaller and cheaper compared to alternatives, have higher power densities, and create… Read more »
Some of Tesla’s customers could soon be victims of the company’s success. The $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases is designed to sunset when a particular automaker sells over 200,000 EVs, and Tesla is nearing that bittersweet milestone. Ironically, thousands of affluent buyers of Models S and X received the credit, while most future… Read more »
EVSE manufacturer WattZilla has received Energy Star certification for its WattZilla Uno, WattZilla Duo, QuadZilla, Wall Wattz and WaltZilla home and commercial charging stations – a distinction that only a handful of the hundreds of charger models on the market have earned. Energy Star-certified chargers reduce energy waste in the modes of operation when the… Read more »
