Taking a page from Tesla’s book, Toyota plans to make some 5,680 patents on fuel cell technologies available royalty-free. The motivation appears to be much the same – just as Tesla hopes to encourage other automakers to produce battery EVs, Toyota wants to “open the door to the hydrogen future” and “spur development and introduction… Read more »
The BMW i3 incorporates several extremely innovative features (as we noted in our August 2013 cover story), from its carbon fiber “life module” to its bottom-mounted battery pack to its unique optional range extender. In a recent Forbes article and accompanying video, Sandy Munro calls it “the most advanced vehicle on the planet…as revolutionary as… Read more »
The electrical gurus at EV West have started a monthly youtube show about EVs. On The EV Show, Hosts Michael Bream and Eric Hutchison (with Ono the shop dog in the background adding an occasional “woof”) cover a wide variety of news from the EV world, with an emphasis on conversions. This is no mere… Read more »
The ripples of disruption: Q&A with Mike Calise The concept of disruption is often discussed in the fields of semiconductors, the internet, data, computers and software. But what about the energy industry? The world has been largely generating and consuming energy the same way for over a century. Charged talked to Mike Calise, Head of Electric… Read more »
Wireless charging is gradually making its way to the market. We’ve seen countless demonstration projects over the past few years, and a couple of OEMs have announced that they have wireless charging systems in the pipeline. Convenience is the most obvious reason to cut the cable, but wireless can deliver several other benefits as well… Read more »
China continues to take aggressive measures to boost adoption of “new energy” vehicles. Officials announced this week that the current incentive scheme, which expires in 2015, will be replaced by a new program that lasts through 2020. Buyers of EVs, PHEVs and fuel-cell vehicles will be eligible for subsidies of up to 55,000 yuan ($8,834)… Read more »
It’s not just cars that are getting electrified – guns may be going high-tech as well. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has ordered a battery system from K2 Energy Solutions to be used in an electromagnetic rail gun, part of an $81,400,000 contract. Rail gun technology uses electromagnetic energy instead of chemical propellants. A… Read more »
2014 was another year of steady growth for EV sales. Some 12,874 plug-ins were sold in the US in December, a healthy gain compared to December 2013. For the full year, sales are up 23%. The Tesla Model S passed the LEAF and Volt to slide into the lead (doubtless thanks to the new P85D’s… Read more »
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and BMW are working together to test the ability of EV batteries to provide services to the electrical grid. PG&E selected BMW after a competitive solicitation to manage a minimum of 100 kilowatts of electric demand on PG&E’s system, as other large industrial and commercial customers do today as… Read more »
Car Charging Group, the Florida-based provider of EV charging services, has closed an offering of convertible preferred securities and warrants, and raised net proceeds of up to $6 million from current institutional shareholders. Two million of the funds were delivered at closing, with the remainder to be disbursed upon achievement of operating milestones over the… Read more »
