Beneath California’s Salton Sea lies a vast pool of super-heated fluid that’s long been exploited as a source of geothermal power. The underground reservoir is also rich in lithium, but over the years, so many companies have tried, and failed, to economically extract the light white stuff, that the area has been called a “graveyard… Read more »
US states have been on an EV-taxing spree over the last couple of years. Many states have established or increased annual taxes on EV ownership—including supposedly EV-friendly states like Oregon and Washington. Proponents of the tax increases invariably argue that they’re needed to make up for a growing shortfall in gas tax revenues (in an… Read more »
Blink Charging has announced the installation of four EV charging stations utilizing local load management, which the company says is the first deployment of its kind. The configuration allows up to 20 charging stations to be deployed on a single circuit. The design provides equal output to each charger based on the number of stations… Read more »
As the San Francisco Bay Area goes into near-lockdown mode, Tesla’s manufacturing facility in Fremont will remain open. Alameda County’s “shelter-in-place” order makes exceptions for “essential businesses,” and a county spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that Tesla falls into this category. UPDATE: Tesla forced to shut down production at Fremont factory The Palo Alto-based… Read more »
Odawara Automation, a manufacturer of motor winding and assembly systems, has increased its machine build capabilities to accommodate anticipated growth in the EV market. In January, Odawara expanded its Matsuda, Japan headquarters, adding 58,000 square feet of assembly area. This investment of $16 million complements a $40-million expansion investment that was completed in 2014. Source:… Read more »
The tedious and complicated war between Tesla and the auto dealers continues to drag on. At present, the country is a patchwork—some states explicitly allow Tesla’s direct sales model, some explicitly prohibit it, and in others some sort of compromise has been reached. Tesla recently won an important battle in Michigan, and now it appears… Read more »
BYD has delivered two K7M 30-foot electric buses to Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) in Anaheim, California. ART, which aims to have a 50 percent electrified fleet by the end of 2020, is scheduled to receive 40 more BYD electric buses this year. Stella Li, BYD North America President, said, “We applaud ART for its bold… Read more »
Royal Power Solutions has introduced two new high-current products intended to improve efficiency and facilitate automated manufacturing. “While much of the auto industry is focused on developing EV software, we see unique opportunities to develop intellectual property that results in high-current connections able to withstand high-vibration and high-temperature mechanical stresses while delivering a full system… Read more »
A bill that would make Washington the 12th state to adopt California’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate has narrowly passed the state Senate. The measure (SB 5811) passed the House in January, and Governor Jay Inslee is expected to sign it. Washington adopted California’s emissions standards in 2005, but did not sign on to the ZEV… Read more »
SAKOR Technologies has developed a series of dynamometer systems to test and verify electric motor efficiency in accordance with a variety of national and international standards. The units test motors containing from two to eight poles, ranging from 10 W to more than 3 MW. The new line of dynamometers offers testing for motors of… Read more »
