When the smart fortwo electric drive goes on sale in the US next month (at a base price of $25,750), buyers will have the option of renting the battery for a monthly fee.
Newswire
New Sendyne IC greatly increases dynamic range of current measurement
This week brought exciting news for fans of measuring current through resistive shunts. Sendyne Corp. has announced the new SFP100, a high precision current sensing IC that extends the range of accurate current measurements by at least an order of magnitude. With the Sendyne SFP100, ultra-low resistance and low-power consumption shunts can now be used… Read more »
New report: charger market to grow to $3.8 billion by 2020
The growing acceptance of plug-in vehicles has spurred a “burst of activity” in the development of charging infrastructure (also known as electric vehicle supply equipment, or EVSE), mostly in North America, Europe, and Asia, according to a new report by Navigant Research. Much of the activity has been supported by large government investments, but this… Read more »
VIDEO: Cadillac ELR to introduce Regen on Demand feature
Pressing one of the ELR’s two steering-wheel paddles will engage regeneration, charging the battery and slowing the car down.
Sarah Palin flays Fisker (well, okay) and trashes Tesla (what???)
It’s no surprise that the media has been having a field day with the story of Fisker Automotive’s apparently terminal troubles. “Pissing away taxpayer money on useless boondoggles” was one of the more charitable descriptions of the situation to be found over on the rightward side of the dial. Even more neutral observers noted the… Read more »
Tesla in Texas: direct sales and a new electric truck plant?
Not content to change the way automobiles are powered, Tesla Motors is now at the center of a battle that could change the way they are sold. CEO Elon Musk testified Tuesday in Texas in favor of pending legislation that would allow the company to sell cars directly to customers in the state. Current Texas… Read more »
With CHAdeMO chargers proliferating, is the SAE Combo standard doomed?
Is there a fast-charging standards battle brewing (a la DVD vs Blu-ray, or VHS vs Betamax for those who can remember that far back), or has the battle been decided before one side even takes the field? In October 2012, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published its new charging standard, which incorporates Level 2… Read more »
Denver range extended electric buses to use Capstone microturbines
The DesignLine buses have an all-electric drivetrain with lithium-ion batteries and a Capstone 30 kW microturbine range extender, which runs on clean diesel or biodiesel.
Downtown Project orders 100 Teslas for Las Vegas transport network
The Downtown Project is launching Project 100, which aims to be “a complete transportation system designed to let you get rid of your car and be more connected to your neighborhood…"
GM: Volt owners rack up high mileage, low fuel bills
Volt owners have logged over 150 million electric-powered miles, and are consistently achieving or exceeding the EPA-estimated fuel economy of 98 MPGe.