Earlier this week, Nikkei reported that Tesla and Panasonic have suspended plans to expand the capacity of Gigafactory 1. The two companies had planned to increase capacity at the Nevada plant by about 50 percent by 2020, but financial problems have forced them to put those plans on hold, the newspaper said. Panasonic will “study… Read more »
I’ve written so many articles about Switzerland being an EV laggard in Europe that it’s only fair to trumpet the news that the Swiss auto market has been “struck by Tesla lightning,” as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, one of the country’s top daily newspapers, put it. Tesla’s Model 3 was the best-selling car of any… Read more »
The University of Georgia has ordered 20 Proterra Catalyst E2 buses. A $10-million grant awarded to the university by Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority made the purchase possible. The Catalyst E2 features two electric motors, 510 horsepower and 24.6 MPGe. Catalyst buses have previously been ordered by Florida State University, University of Montana, Duke University… Read more »
Since 2016, German parts maker ZF has supplied technology for French EV maker Venturi’s team in the FIA Formula E racing series. ZF has developed an electric drive for the team, which includes a 250 kW electric motor with a specially designed transmission ratio and power electronics. ZF says this drive enjoys much higher energy… Read more »
National postal companies Swiss Post and Austrian Post have committed to fully electrifying their delivery fleets by 2030. The announcement comes as they join EV100, an EV initiative led by non-profit The Climate Group. To join EV100, companies must make public commitments to integrate EVs into their service fleets or install EV chargers on premises… Read more »
A new solution from Fortum, a Finnish clean-energy company, increases the amount of material in Li-ion batteries that can be recycled to more than 80%, according to the company. The current EU-mandated recycling rate is only 50% of the total weight of the battery. First the company makes the used batteries safe for mechanical treatment,… Read more »
Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has reached a deal with Tesla to count the California carmaker’s EVs as part of the FCA fleet in order to avoid paying fines for violating new European Union emissions rules. The Financial Times reported that the deal is worth “hundreds of millions of euros.” More stringent emissions standards will take effect… Read more »
Toyota will grant royalty-free licenses on 23,740 patents it holds for hybrid technologies. For a fee, the company will also provide technical support to manufacturers that use Toyota’s tech, including motors, batteries, power control units and system controls. Since 2015, Toyota has offered 5,680 patents related its fuel cell EVs. The new batch of patents… Read more »
Duke Energy has proposed a three-year, $76-million program to support EV adoption in North Carolina. The proposal includes funding for the adoption of electric school buses, electric public transportation, and almost 2,500 new charging stations. The company is awaiting approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission. If approved, the program will provide the following: Residential EV… Read more »
Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Okayama University have demonstrated a way to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries by coating the LiCoO2 cathode in BaTiO3 nanodots. The research could lead to EV batteries that charge quicker and last longer. The researchers fabricated three LiCoO2 cathodes: one bare, one coated with a planar… Read more »
