Ever-more stringent global emissions standards are driving up the cost of ICEs, narrowing the gap between them and electric drivetrains, according to a VW exec. “Emissions standards are getting tougher and tougher, and it is getting more and more expensive to meet those standards,” Dr. Matthias Erb, a Volkswagen Group of America Executive VP, told… Read more »
GM has named AeroVironment’s EVSE-RS as the official charging station accessory for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), which also makes drones and missiles for military customers, builds a variety of EVSE, from workplace charging stations to portable “trunk chargers.” As an official accessory, AeroVironment’s EVSE-RS charging station will be labeled with a… Read more »
Magnet Applications, a manufacturer of specialty magnets, has announced a breakthrough in 3D-printed neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets. NdFeB magnets are the most powerful known, and are used in applications from robotics to wind turbines to EVs. Magnet Applications engineers, working with researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have shown that permanent magnets produced by… Read more »
A national survey of consumer attitudes towards plug-in vehicles suggests that people would prefer control to convenience in many charging scenarios, and that most want to be able to choose renewable energy. For “Consumer Preferences for the Charging of Plug-In Electric Vehicles,” researchers Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan Transportation Research… Read more »
Swiss battery manufacturer Leclanché and China-based battery manufacturer Zhejiang Narada Power Source have announced a strategic partnership to manufacture and develop lithium-ion battery technology for the Chinese and global markets. Narada aims to achieve low-cost, scale manufacturing of Leclanché’s proprietary high-cycling and fast-charging lithium titanate (LTO) and high-energy-density graphite nickel manganese cobalt (G-NMC) battery technologies…. Read more »
Lucid Motors, an EV startup with a number of Tesla alumni on staff, has announced that Casa Grande, Arizona will be the location of its auto factory. The company evaluated 60 potential sites in 13 states, and made its selection based on the area’s “pro-business mindset, excellent workforce, forward-thinking academic institutions, proximity to our Silicon… Read more »
Companies around the world, including Nissan, Renault, Daimler, BMW and Siemens, are investigating ways to reuse EV batteries after they retire from the road. Bloomberg analysts recently predicted that by 2025, there will be 29 GWh of used EV batteries available, and that a third of these will enjoy second lives in the stationary storage… Read more »
US plug-in sales continued their steady growth in November: 13,432 EVs and PHEVs changed hands, an impressive increase over November 2015’s 10,070. If December’s sales match those of a year ago, this year’s sales will show an eye-catching 27% surge compared to 2015. The Chevy Volt held onto its comfortable lead, as the new and… Read more »
Roughly 145,000 new plug-in vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) were sold in Europe last year – twice as many as in 2014 – making plug-ins’ market share more than 1% of the Continent’s total automotive market, according to a new report from advocacy group Transport & Environment. Figures for the year to date suggest that more… Read more »
Toyota has developed a new method for observing the behavior of lithium ions in an electrolyte during battery charging and discharging, making it possible to observe in real time the deviation of ions, which is one of the causes of deterioration in the performance of Li-ion batteries. It is already known that lithium ion deviation… Read more »
