Quintessential car guy Bob Lutz, the father of the Chevy Volt and one-time Tesla admirer turned harsh critic, had some bad news for an audience of engineers at SAE International’s recent annual meeting in Detroit. Once vehicle autonomy reaches its logical conclusion, humans will be reduced to passengers in standardized, soulless automated vehicles. People who… Read more »
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is famous among travelling EV enthusiasts for its fleet of 167 Model S taxis. Now fleet operator BIOS-groep plans to trade the S for an X, replacing all of its Model S sedans with roomy Model X crossovers. BIOS-groep collaborated with Tesla to install its own on-site charging solution. Level 2 AC… Read more »
As emissions standards tighten around the world, and the threat from EVs grows, shouldn’t automakers be making their cars cleaner? Somehow, they don’t seem able to do so. According to a recent report from JATO Dynamics (via Automotive News Europe), European emissions actually increased by a small amount in 2017, reversing a decade of steady… Read more »
Iconic RV maker Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO) has launched an EV platform, and formed a strategic partnership with commercial EV chassis builder Motiv Power Systems for the development and supply of EV components. As part of the deal, Winnebago intends to make a financial investment in Motiv. Winnebago’s EV is designed for short-range commercial applications… Read more »
Automakers around the world are hustling to develop vehicle autonomy features. Tesla will soon have a crop of competitors for its Autopilot driver assistance system. So far however, Cadillac is the only automaker that’s brought a system to market: Super Cruise, which debuted this year on the CT6 luxury sedan. Dan Edmunds and Jason Kavanagh,… Read more »
UK utility OVO has unveiled a range of products intended to form an intelligent distributed domestic energy system, including a vehicle-to-grid-capable charging station. The OVO Vehicle-to-Grid Charger uses a smart-charging platform called VCharge to manage charging, allowing drivers to take advantage of cheaper and/or renewable electricity, and to sell surplus energy from their EV batteries… Read more »
The University of California, Irvine has chosen electric bus manufacturer BYD to convert the Anteater Express bus fleet, which serves the college’s 1,500-acre campus and various off-campus locations, into an all-electric service. UCI undergraduates voted in 2013 to transform the Anteater Express shuttle, which is operated and funded by students, to a more sustainable fleet,… Read more »
Volkswagen has agreed to hand over a pot of money to atone for its dastardly diesel deeds. One part of that pot – almost $3 billion – will be divided among US states, for them to spend as they choose, presumably on projects that will reduce air pollution and carbon emissions. Florida’s share of the… Read more »
Electrify America, the EVSE network founded by VW as part of its penance for the Dirty Diesel Debacle, has selected several vendors to install DC fast chargers at new stations across the US. Some of these will offer power levels up to 350 kW, delivering 20 miles of range per minute of charge, seven times… Read more »
Hyundai unveiled the US version of its Kona Electric crossover at the recent New York Auto Show. The electric version of the Kona is to go on sale in California in the fourth quarter of 2018, and in the other ZEV states “shortly thereafter.” The Kona Electric features a 64 kWh liquid-cooled battery pack that… Read more »
