Time-of-use electricity pricing is a good deal for all concerned. It allows consumers to save money, and it helps electric utilities to better manage their grids, by encouraging people to shift electrical usage away from peak demand periods. And of course, it provides yet another incentive to drive electric – it’s easy to schedule charging… Read more »
The California Air Resources Board has published the results of a survey of plug-in vehicle buyers who received rebates from the state. The online data is available for researchers, policymakers and the public to learn about who is buying plug-in cars (PEVs) in California, and why. Between March 2010 and March 2014, about 191,000 PEVs… Read more »
As Toyota plans to bring a fuel cell vehicle to market in 2015, its researchers continue to work on next-generation battery technologies. In a presentation at the International Meeting on Lithium Batteries in Como, Italy, Dr. Hideki Iba from Toyota’s Battery Research Division and Dr. Chihiro Yada from Toyota Motor Europe’s Advanced Technology Group noted… Read more »
In the holy quest for a better battery, engineering simulation software is a key tool, helping battery developers to shorten the time-consuming cycle of prototyping and manufacturing. Software developer ANSYS (NASDAQ: ANSS) has now incorporated battery models in the latest release of its Fluent software, thanks to the efforts of a team that also includes GM… Read more »
BMW has launched a new Smart Charging App, which allows drivers to automatically identify the best rates and times for charging their EVs at home. The new app is integrated with the existing BMW i Remote App, and is available for Android and iOS devices. Through a connection to a national… Read more »
It’s one of the dilemmas of EV design: It’s imperative to keep a vehicle’s weight as low as possible, but the most critical component – the battery – is necessarily quite heavy (and bulky). A little outside-the-box thinking yields an elegant solution – make the box the battery. In other words, design a battery material… Read more »
Transmission electron microscopy has allowed MIT researchers to directly observe a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) electrode during charging, and they found that, just as suspected, a solid-solution zone (SSZ) forms at the boundary between lithium-rich and lithium-depleted areas, as lithium ions are pulled out of the electrode. The new findings, which appear in a paper… Read more »
Fuji Electric will install one of its 25 kW DC Quick Chargers at the high-visibility Hippodrome parking garage near Times Square. The new public charger, a member of the ChargePoint network, is one of 13 stations installed under the Nissan Advantage program. Green Power Technology, Fuji Electric’s distributor in the Northeast, will install and maintain… Read more »
One of the biggest beefs we hear from new EV owners is the high cost of home charging stations. ClipperCreek has made it its mission to bring those prices down. This week, the Auburn, California-based company continued the downward slide with a $395 Level 2 charger. The new LCS-20 charges at 3.6 kW, 15 Amps,… Read more »
ADOMANI has partnered with the Gilroy, California Unified School District to convert a Blue Bird school bus to all-electric operation. The bus was unveiled at a ceremony this week by Mayor Don Gage and the repower project team. The school district provided a 2007 50-passenger type D diesel bus, and ADOMANI replaced the engine with… Read more »
