Donghai Wang, who leads the Energy Nanostructure Laboratory at Penn State, has won a $1.1-million grant from the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office to develop a new lithium-ion conductor that will prevent the formation of dendrites, the bane of lithium metal anodes. Wang and his team plan to use thin layers of nanostructured hybrid materials to… Read more »
Is Fiat Chrysler, the most famous electro-skeptic of the major automakers, changing its tune? An anonymous source has told Bloomberg that the company will show a pure EV based on its popular Pacifica minivan at the upcoming CES show in Las Vegas, a move Bloomberg described as an attempt “to get in step with the… Read more »
Volkswagen has announced plans to invest €3.5 billion ($3.7 billion) in e-mobility and digitalization at its German plants. The modernization plans are part of an agreement with the company’s General Works Council (an organization similar to a labor union, which represents VW’s workers). Under the agreement, the Volkswagen plants at Wolfsburg and Zwickau will produce… Read more »
Drivetrain manufacturer GKN Driveline will supply its eAxle technology for a plug-in hybrid version of the BMW X1 for the Chinese market. BMW already uses GKN eAxles in the plug-in version of its 2 Series Active Tourer. GKN conducted application and development work for the technology at its facility in Shanghai, but it will be… Read more »
eMotorWerks has teamed with EV Meter, a subsidiary of Nayax, to develop JuiceStation, a dual 40-amp smart grid-enabled charging station. Nayax operates over 30,000 point of sale terminals at convenience stores, service stations, and shopping centers. JuiceStation features access control, flexible payment options, energy management and reporting features. In conjunction with eMotorWerks’ JuiceNet cloud-based solution,… Read more »
Saint Jean Carbon, a carbon science company with interests in graphite and lithium mining, plans to join with a battery manufacturing partner to build a full-scale lithium-ion battery using recycled material from an EV power pack and upcycled anode material. The project aims to show that battery materials can be re-used over and over again,… Read more »
Cadillac’s new CT6 Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale in the spring of 2017. The luxury sedan is expected to deliver an electric range of 30 miles and fuel economy of 65 MPGe. US pricing will start at $75,095 plus a $995 destination charge. GM has equipped the Caddy with a new rear-wheel-drive electric variable… Read more »
Dutch charging network operator Fastned has installed a fast charging station in the historic city of The Hague, next to the Huis ten Bosch Royal Palace. It is the first of five stations planned for the city. Fastned already has 55 fast charging stations along Dutch highways, and is now expanding its network to urban… Read more »
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 »
