As the average fuel economy of US vehicles increases, gas tax receipts around the country are declining, leaving less funding available for road construction and maintenance. In an effort to make up the shortfall, Wisconsin could join five other states in imposing a fee on fuel-efficient vehicles. The $50 annual charge, which would apply to… Read more »
Newswire
Blink charging stations to be restored to 30-Amp capacity
Florida-based CarCharging, which inherited the Blink public charging network from bankrupt ECOtality, has announced plans to upgrade its chargers, restoring the amperage from 24 Amps to its maximum capacity of 30 Amps. About two years ago, users began to report of problems with Blink level 2 charging stations at power levels above 3.3 kW. ECOtality… Read more »
Tesla names Ricardo Reyes new communications chief
Ricardo Reyes, who headed Tesla’s communications department through the Roadster era, has returned to the company, replacing Simon Sproule as communications chief. Reyes left Tesla in 2012 to work for payment startup Square. His previous gigs included running communications for YouTube and Google. Back at Tesla, Reyes will oversee public relations, customer communications and the… Read more »
Chargemaster’s management system keeps its public charging stations up and running
The British firm Chargemaster, which operates a network of over 10,000 public charging points across the UK, uses a proprietary system to monitor the operational availability of its network, and claims a 98.7% serviceability record over the last year. David Martell, Chargemaster CEO, said, “We are proud to have the best-maintained charge points not only… Read more »
EaglePicher awarded funding to produce Li-ion batteries for military applications
The US Department of Defense has awarded EaglePicher, a company with a long history in the defense industry, $22 million in funding for Phase II of the Lithium-Ion Battery for Military Applications (LIMA) project. The program’s goal is to assure the affordable production of items deemed essential for national defense. “This award assures EaglePicher will… Read more »
USABC awards funding for stop-start applications, improved electrolytes
The US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has awarded $2.68 million to San Diego-based Maxwell Technologies for the development of a hybrid energy storage system for automotive stop-start applications. The competitively bid contract award is co-funded by the DOE. The 19-month program will focus on the technological and economic feasibility of adapting a 12-volt hybrid energy… Read more »
BMW i3 selling better in US than at home in Germany
The BMW i3 has proven pretty popular with US drivers since it went on sale here six months ago, selling over 4,000 units so far. At home in Germany however, sales have been less than wunderbar, according to the business newspaper kfz-betrieb. German sales total about 1,900 units after nine months, far short of the… Read more »
Tesla to collaborate with BMW on batteries and carbon fiber? (UPDATED)
[UPDATED 11/25/14 2:00 PM EST to correct mistranslated quotes and include Tesla’s response.] In an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel, Elon Musk said that the German auto industry should devote “much more energy to the development of batteries,” perhaps an allusion to Daimler’s recent decision to shut down Germany’s only cell manufacturing facility. He… Read more »
Automakers offer free hydrogen – but not for the reason you think
Not ready to buy a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle yet? Would free fuel tip the balance? Both Hyundai and Toyota are offering free hydrogen fuel with their FCVs. According to Toyota, buyers of the new Mirai sedan will receive “complimentary hydrogen fuel for up to three years.” While free fuel may indeed be an enticement… Read more »
Utilities launch initiatives to electrify their vehicle fleets, encourage workplace charging
Utility industry bigwigs joined Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz at the White House to announce two initiatives to promote electric transportation technologies. More than 70 investor-owned electric utilities will increase investment by about $250 million over 5 years to add more electric vehicles to their fleets, starting in 2015. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and the… Read more »