The Municipal Transport Company of Madrid (EMT) has unveiled the first 15 electric buses to be added to its fleet. The 12-meter Irizar buses will serve three central lines in the Spanish capital. Each bus has a capacity of 76 passengers and a range of over 124 miles. Irizar has also provided 15 chargers for… Read more »
Scientists at Toyota have developed a new heat-resistant magnet that uses “significantly less” neodymium, a rare earth element commonly used in magnets for electric motors. Neodymium is critical for maintaining magnetization at high temperatures. The amount of neodymium in Toyota’s magnets has been reduced by up to 50 percent, partially replaced with lower-priced rare earths… Read more »
The US federal fuel tax has not been increased in 25 years, and has thus lost nearly 40% of its value in inflation-adjusted terms. The trust fund that pays for highway maintenance is expected to run a $138-billion deficit by 2027 unless it can find new sources of revenue. The US Chamber of Commerce has… Read more »
The Japanese government is considering a change to regulations that prevent many smaller gas stations from adding EV charging stations. Japan’s fire safety law regulates where gas stations can install electrical receptacles. Currently, charging stations must be at least 10 meters away from a fuel pump. For small gas stations, this may preclude the possibility… Read more »
By Peter Banwell, Senior Manager, EPA The ENERGY STAR label is one of the most widely known consumer symbols in the country – more than 90% of American households recognize it. ENERGY STAR-certified products helped consumers save $23 billion in energy costs just in 2015, contributing to cumulative energy cost savings of $246 billion since… Read more »
Human nature would seem to be the same, East or West, and China’s rush to dole out generous EV subsidies has inspired a wave of fraud and abuse, some of it highly creative. A whimsical plan for a traffic-straddling electric tram fell apart amid a scandal that resulted in 32 arrests. In another case, companies… Read more »
Volkswagen has finalized the last of three settlements with the US Department of Justice, part of the German automaker’s penance for its evasion of emissions regulations. Almost $3 billion of the settlement funds is being directed to the Environmental Mitigation Trust, which will fund state-level clean transportation grant programs. States are now in control of… Read more »
Lithium metal is considered an ideal anode material due to its exceptional charge and storage capability, but it has a tragic flaw: root-like growths called dendrites, which can lead to short-circuiting and spontaneous combustion. Now, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have announced a breakthrough in their quest to solve the dendrite issue. In… Read more »
Tesla has several different infrastructure initiatives going on, including the Supercharger network, Urban Superchargers, and the Destination Charging network. Now the California trendsetter is adding another piece to the puzzle. Tesla’s new Workplace Charging program is similar to the Destination Charging network, in that it offers free charging stations to businesses, which agree to cover… Read more »
In some areas, the Trump administration may seem aimless and disorganized, but when it comes to environmental and energy policy, it is moving with brutal efficiency to terminate America’s transition to renewable energy and electrified transport. The president’s budget request for fiscal year 2019 decimates EPA and DOE programs that drive advanced vehicle manufacturing. It… Read more »
