State EV incentives are an ever-changing patchwork. As Georgia eliminates its EV rebate program, neighboring Tennessee is introducing one (Pennsylvania recently reinstated an existing program). The Volunteer State’s Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has announced that, starting June 15, it will offer rebates of $2,500 for EVs, and $1,500 for PHEVs, sold or leased… Read more »
Ashlee Vance, the author of Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, has had unprecedented access to his subject, spending many hours in face-to-face interviews with Musk. He has also spoken with many of Musk’s family members, friends and business associates, and has crafted a comprehensive biography that’s replete with details… Read more »
Volkswagen unveiled a concept Sport version of the Golf GTE PHEV at a recent festival in Austria. Featuring a carbon fiber body and a three-motor AWD system, the Golf GTE Sport does 60 in 4.3 seconds, boasts a top speed of 174 mph, and offers an electric range of 31 miles. The powertrain includes a 1.6-liter TSI… Read more »
Brisbane, Australia-based Tritium has shipped 23 of its Veefil 50 kW DC fast chargers to the New Zealand company Charge.net.nz, the first phase of a three-year project to establish a network of fast chargers across the country. “We’ve identified around 75 sites across the country and our aim is to have fast chargers installed on… Read more »
What the EV gods taketh away in Georgia, they reneweth in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced the continuation of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate Program, which provides rebates of up to $2,000 to buyers of plug-in vehicles. Under the program, which is supported by a gross receipts tax on… Read more »
Zero Motorcycles has been awarded a grant of $1,009,220 from the California Energy Commission (CEC). Zero will match these funds, providing over two million bucks to be invested in expanding production capacity through improvements in the manufacturing line, production efficiency and engineering processes. All Zero models are designed and built in California. “We thrive at… Read more »
Korean battery-maker LG Chem has made a deal with China’s Great Wall Motor to supply lithium-ion batteries for the carmaker’s upcoming plug-in hybrid SUVs, which are scheduled to go into production in 2017. LG Chem has extended its cooperation with Chinese carmakers in recent years, and with the Great Wall deal, the company says that… Read more »
Parker Hannifin, the manufacturer of motion and control systems, is sponsoring Victory Motorcycles in the 2015 Isle of Man TT Zero Challenge on June 10. Victory Racing’s prototype electric race bikes use Parker’s Global Vehicle Motor (GVM) electric motors. “In order to improve [Victory’s] chances of winning, we needed to focus on delivering the power… Read more »
While some plug-in vehicle owners steer towards hard-wired wall-mounted charging stations, other drivers find that portable “trunk chargers” offer a sufficient and convenient solution. Volvo has announced that its 2016 XC90 T8 will include AeroVironment’s portable TurboCord Dual (120 V/240 V) charger as standard equipment when the new PHEV goes on sale in the US later this year. This marks the first time… Read more »
The British firm Faradion is working on sodium-ion batteries, which show promise as a successor to Li-ion technology. In collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, which provided batteries for the Formula E electric race car, Faradion has built a sodium-ion-powered electric bike to prove the concept. Sodium-ion intercalation batteries use the same process of ion insertion… Read more »
