Newswire

Daimler uses smart EV battery packs in German electricity balancing market

Daimler, together with partners The Mobility House and GETEC, has built what it says is the world’s largest second-life battery storage unit. The stationary storage unit is to go into service at the beginning of 2016 at the site of REMONDIS, a recycling, service and water company in the German town of Lünen. It uses… Read more »

EV startup Faraday Future to invest $1 billion in US manufacturing facility

Faraday Future (FF), a California-based EV startup, has announced that it will invest $1 billion in a US manufacturing facility. The company is considering locations including California, Georgia, Louisiana and Nevada, and will announce its choice “in the coming weeks.” FF, which expects to launch its first vehicle in 2017, certainly seems to be in… Read more »

Riviera Tool & Die reopens as Tesla Michigan

In May, Tesla acquired Riviera Tool & Die, a Michigan-based firm that makes large stamping die systems used to produce automotive sheet metal parts. The Californians have now taken over the company’s Grand Rapids facility and rebranded it as Tesla Michigan. Reporter Rick Albin from local TV station WOOD recently took a factory tour and… Read more »

Researchers develop new silicon-sulfur-graphene electrode material

Researchers from the University of Waterloo and GM’s Global Research and Development Center have developed a new silicon-based anode material that they say could enable batteries with almost 10 times more energy density than today’s state of the art. In “Evidence of covalent synergy in silicon–sulfur–graphene yielding highly efficient and long-life lithium-ion batteries,” published in… Read more »

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World (book review)

How We Got to Now, by Steven Johnson, is a companion book to a TV series that was recently broadcast on PBS and BBC. It’s an excellent book that should be of interest not only to tech fans, but to anyone interested in history and social trends. The author examines five key technologies, and traces… Read more »

Enevate says its batteries can charge 5-10 times faster than conventional Li-ion

California-based Enevate Corporation has announced an “ultrafast charging” feature for its batteries, which has been demonstrated to provide a 90% charge in 15 minutes while increasing capacity compared to current Li-ion batteries. Enevate’s HD-Energy Technology uses silicon-dominant composite anodes, and the company claims an 25-50% increase in energy density over conventional graphite anode cells. The… Read more »

Colorado’s UQM to supply Chinese EV manufacturer in 10-year, $400 million deal

Colorado-based UQM Technologies (NYSE MKT: UQM) has signed a 10-year supply agreement with ITL Efficiency Corporation in China to provide electric propulsion systems. UQM will provide its PowerPhase Pro 135 system for 6-8 meter shuttle buses and, beginning in early 2017, its PowerPhase HD 250 system for transit buses and light- to medium-duty delivery trucks…. Read more »

ChargePoint Home Review

ChargePoint, the operator of North America’s largest public EV charging network with nearly 25,000 “charging spots”, has developed a new residential charging product called ChargePoint Home. I was given the opportunity to test and review this over the last month, and overall, I’m very impressed. The home-based charger I was provided included a 25 charging foot cord… Read more »

Tesla Q3 results: production on track, Autopilot working fine, Gigafactory cranking up

Tesla’s latest earnings report delivered no unpleasant surprises, and that was enough to bring TSLA stock back to rude health, up almost 10% in Wednesday’s trading. The company reported a net loss of $230 million, or $1.78 per share, on revenues of $937 million in GAAP terms: $75 million, or $0.58 per share, on revenues… Read more »