London’s world-famous red buses are steadily going electric. Two single-deck e-buses built by the Spanish firm Irizar went into passenger service last week on routes 507 and 521, which link Waterloo station with Victoria and London Bridge stations. By autumn of 2016, all 51 buses serving these two routes will be electric. E-buses from several… Read more »
Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel had some interesting things to say at the recent Intersolar North America conference. Savvy observers of the energy transition understand that the synergy between solar power and EVs is a critical part of the transition to electromobility, and Tesla, with its alliance with SolarCity and its new energy storage… Read more »
Faced with the fact that improved fuel efficiency is translating into lower gas tax receipts, several states have instituted, or are considering, special fees on electrified vehicles. A fee proposal currently making its way through the Michigan legislature has drawn opposition from an automakers’ trade group. In a recent letter to Michigan Senate Majority Leader… Read more »
Arkema, a global chemical company, and SCE France, a subsidiary of Canadian electricity producer Hydro-Québec, plan to create a joint laboratory that will focus on developing a new generation of materials for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, in particular new electrolytes (solvents, lithium salts) and conduction agents (carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers). Arkema’s Kynar polyvinylidene fluoride… Read more »
Volvo has acquired Polestar, a Swedish company with which it has been working in motor sports since 1996. Polestar will now be used as the model name for special high-performance Volvos. In 2015, Volvo expects to sell 750 Polestar versions of the V60 wagon and S60 sedan, and hopes to increase that to between 1,000… Read more »
The difficulty of starting up a car company, and the unlikelihood of anyone duplicating Tesla’s success, are so well known as to require no repetition here. Suffice it to say that Faraday Future’s recent colorfully-worded announcement that it intends to bring a new EV to the market has been greeted with predictable skepticism. However, the… Read more »
EV drivers are demanding more range, and automakers are responding. However, as several observers have noted, this will introduce a new set of challenges. Better batteries can hold more energy, and consumers certainly don’t want longer charging times, so higher charging power levels will be required. That, in turn, will require thicker (or perhaps liquid-cooled)… Read more »
If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: EVs and charging infrastructure present a chicken-and-egg problem. This thesis has been the topic of countless EV industry conference panels over the past decade. In recent years, many experts have attempted to declare the issue settled. Back in January 2013, European Union Climate Commissioner… Read more »
FreeWire Technologies, a technology company based in San Leandro, California, has partnered with global technology powerhouse Siemens to commercialize the Mobi Charger, a portable charging station powered by second-life EV batteries. Mobi Charger is designed to be easily rolled around a parking lot to wherever it is needed, enabling businesses to offer mobile EV charging… Read more »
If you are working on a plug-in hybrid powertrain for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, you may be eligible for a grant from the DOE. The agency plans to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0001349) entitled “Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Powertrain Electrification and Dual Fuel Fleet Demonstration.” DOE anticipates releasing the FOA in August… Read more »
