Automotive supplier Continental has been working with Renault since 2013 on a mild hybrid system that operates at 48 volts, instead of the 300-400 volts usually used in hybrid vehicles. The new Hybrid Assist system is slated to go into production in Renault’s new Scénic and Grand Scénic models. Instead of a conventional starter generator,… Read more »
Considering the high prices of most EVs, policymakers are keen to find ways to help lower-income consumers afford them. To this end, California’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), which has issued over $335 million in rebates for more than 157,300 vehicles since 2010, has revised its eligibility rules. For lower-income consumers, CVRP rebates are increasing… Read more »
The Saitama Industrial Technology Center (Saitec), in partnership with Honda, has developed a practical magnesium-ion rechargeable battery, according to Nikkei Asian Review. The two will officially announce their battery next month, and hope to commercialize it by 2018, at first in smartphones and other portable devices. Masashi Inamoto and colleagues describe the new battery in… Read more »
Australian charger manufacturer Tritium has added three new DC fast chargers to its Veefil line, which now includes four models. The new offerings were on display at the recent eCarTec show in Munich. All Veefil fast chargers support both CHAdeMO and SAE Combo standards. All are liquid-cooled, and are designed to function in temperatures from… Read more »
Atieva, the stealthy EV startup with Chinese financing and a number of Tesla alumni on staff, has changed its name to Lucid Motors, and released some teaser images of its upcoming electric luxury sedan. The vehicle, code-named Atvus, reportedly features an 87 kWh battery pack and output of over 900 hp. In September, a spokesman… Read more »
English startup Union Motion specializes in manufacturing custom electric motorcycles and other vehicles to customers’ specifications. The company’s latest creation is the Phaser Type 1, an electric sport bike with a spare, post-modern look. The Phaser Type 1 is based on a Yamaha FZS 600 Fazer. Union Motion started with the bare chassis – frame,… Read more »
US Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has introduced legislation (S.3450) that would allow employers to give EV drivers access to the same pre-tax transportation benefits many workers receive for traditional forms of transportation such as public transit passes and parking fees. The Electric Vehicle Credit Act would exclude benefits for EV charging from an employee’s taxable… Read more »
Supercapacitors, which can be charged rapidly and deliver intense bursts of power, are a hot topic these days. However, current supercapacitors use components made of carbon, which require high temperatures and harsh chemicals to produce. Now researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed a supercapacitor that uses no conductive carbon, and that could potentially produce… Read more »
Green Commuter, a vanpool and car share service that operates a fleet of Tesla Model X in Los Angeles, has received a $750,000 grant from the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) to launch an electric car sharing service in the Tennessee city. The award is part of a $3-million grant from the Tennessee Valley… Read more »
Tesla’s latest revelation is out, it’s a big one, and this time everyone should be able to appreciate its significance. In less than two years, all Tesla models should be capable of full level-5 autonomy, driving themselves without human input. Tesla has leapfrogged far, far beyond every other automaker to introduce an innovation that could… Read more »
