A little rain fell on Tesla’s parade recently, when Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com each reported that their Model S units had racked up what seemed to be an excessive number of maintenance issues. However, both sources reported that most of the repairs in question were covered under warranty. Perhaps in response to the negative publicity,… Read more »
Several EV owners in the Vancouver, British Columbia metro area have been frustrated to find public Level 2 charging stations inoperable after thieves snipped off the attached cables with bolt cutters. According to Transport Evolved, the thefts are becoming widespread in the area, with some sites falling victim multiple times. TE has also reported similar… Read more »
Korean giant LG Chem has agreed to supply batteries to Audi for hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and the companies will collaborate on various future plug-in projects, according to Reuters. “The batteries will be used in Audi’s next-generation plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Given that Audi shares many auto platforms with parent Volkswagen, we expect more such… Read more »
A123 Systems, the Massachusetts battery-maker now owned by Chinese giant Wanxiang, has hired former Johnson Controls executive Patrick Hurley as its Chief Technology Officer. Hurley will lead the company’s R&D arm, A123 Venture Technologies, and will also be responsible for integrating A123’s battery development in China. The change is part of the compnay’s move away… Read more »
The DOE has announced $55 million in new funding for 31 projects to accelerate R&D of vehicle technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs. 19 of the new projects are aimed at meeting the goals of the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, which seeks to make the US auto industry the first to produce plug-in… Read more »
Conventional EV wisdom is that it’s all about range. Most of the mainstream press seems to assume that EVs won’t be taken seriously until they have ranges comparable to legacy vehicles. Automakers are in “a race” to produce a 200-mile EV. However, a new study suggests that, as long as battery costs remain above $100/kWh,… Read more »
GM is offering few details about the next-generation 2016 Volt, which is to be unveiled at the North American Auto show in Detroit in January. Speaking for an audience of Buick retirees last week, GM Executive VP Mark Reuss had no technical tidbits to offer, saying only that the new Volt will offer “better fuel economy… Read more »
A major stock market opinion-maker has affirmed what Charged readers already know: EVs will inevitably replace old-fashioned international combustion engines, and Tesla Motors will be a major beneficiary of the shift. “We believe that Tesla has already proven that EVs are inherently better, although most industry observers, and certainly the general public, don’t know it… Read more »
Updated 8/18/2014 11:45 AM EST to include pricing details. It seems Tesla’s not the only company building EVs in Silicon Valley these days. Campbell-based Renovo Motors, which has operated in “stealth mode” for four years, has just taken the wraps off its new electric supercar. The Renovo Coupe is an electrified version of the classic… Read more »
While researchers around the world seek to develop better battery chemistries, the EV-Lite project has been working on a more mundane goal, but one that could also lead to more cost-effective batteries: reducing the weight and cost of the non-cell components of a battery pack. The two-year project, which was undertaken by a consortium of… Read more »
