At this very early stage of vehicle electrification, no one can be certain of what an optimal public charging network will look like. Conventional wisdom at this point calls for DC fast chargers along highways, and Level 2 chargers at destination locations such as tourist attractions, shopping malls, etc. There is also a school of… Read more »
US plug-in sales resumed their steady growth in June, after a slow May ended a six-month streak of consecutive monthly records. Over 15,000 EVs and PHEVs changed hands, a sharp increase from June 2015’s 10,364, according to InsideEVs. Tesla opened up a wide lead over the other plug-in purveyors: Model S moved 3,700 units, and Model… Read more »
The DOE has selected University of Colorado spin-out SiiLion to receive a $1-million Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) Phase II award. The company is developing Li-ion batteries featuring pure silicon anodes and high-voltage cathodes, enabled using a non-flammable ionic liquid electrolyte. SiiLion will use the grant to refine and scale up its battery technology…. Read more »
The province of Ontario has released a new Climate Change Action Plan that calls for the investment of up to $8.3 billion in projects to fight climate change. Considering that more than a third of Ontario’s greenhouse gas pollution is caused by the transportation sector, and that much of the province’s electricity comes from renewable… Read more »
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, which serves the cities of St Petersburg and Clearwater on Florida’s West Coast, has become the latest of many transit agencies around the country to consider deploying electric buses. At a recent public meeting, the PSTA board voted to buy 3 diesel hybrid and 2 electric buses, if the necessary… Read more »
The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has awarded a $4-million contract to SiNode Systems for the development of advanced anode materials for automotive lithium-ion batteries. The 30-month program will focus on the development of silicon-graphene anode material for vehicle applications, and the development and scale-up of pouch cells. SiNode’s technology uses a composite of… Read more »
Wireless charging pioneer WiTricity has announced a new charging system that uses magnetic resonance technology to deliver a range of power over distance and through materials. According to the company, its new system enables power transfer at up to 11 kW, and has the ability to scale up to 25 kW and higher. WiTricity, in… Read more »
Specialty chemicals firm Strem Chemicals plans to manufacture and distribute nine battery solvents and additives based on intellectual property for next-generation battery materials that it has licensed from Argonne National Laboratory. The materials were invented at Argonne’s Electrochemical Energy Storage Center and scaled at Argonne’s Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF). The DOE established MERF to… Read more »
The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed in a crash that occurred while the vehicle was in Autopilot mode, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA), which has opened an investigation. The accident occurred on May 7 in Williston, Florida. The victim, Ohio resident Joshua Brown, is the first known fatality… Read more »
Stationary storage provides the missing link between EVs and renewable energy. Tesla made it trendy, but other automakers, including Nissan, GM and Toyota, have been exploring the technology for some time. Now BMW has announced a stationary storage solution that integrates its i3 vehicle battery. BMW’s new system, announced at the recent Electric Vehicle Symposium… Read more »
