The question of the “long tailpipe” is a fraught one: does an EV deliver lower carbon emissions than a legacy vehicle if the electricity comes from dirty coal? The latest study to address the issue comes from Carnegie Mellon University, and it includes a couple of surprising new findings. “Regional Variability and Uncertainty of Electric Vehicle… Read more »
Now these are no golf carts! A fleet of six 26,000-pound, Class 5 armored vehicles will be converted to renewable natural gas PHEVs in an effort to comply with California air pollution standards. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc (EDI), a company that builds electrified drivetrains for some of the biggest vehicles on the road (and that was… Read more »
Auto parts giant Continental has developed a new electric powertrain especially for the Chinese market. The basic design for the new drive was created at Continental’s locations in Berlin and Nuremberg, and the specific customer applications were developed at Continental’s plant in China, where the system is produced in cooperation with Chinese suppliers. The new… Read more »
Evatran, the developer of the Plugless wireless Level 2 charging system, has received a strategic investment of $1.6 million from Zhejiang VIE, a Chinese Tier 1 auto parts supplier. The investment is the first phase of a partnership between the two companies to introduce wireless charging to China, potentially the world’s largest EV market. Evatran… Read more »
True to its namesake, the Chevy Bolt EV seems to be moving through the pipeline at an impressive speed, at least by auto-industry standards. The company recently revealed that it has built 55 pre-production Bolts, which are handily delivering the desired 200 miles of range. GM also announced that it will invest $245 million and… Read more »
The California Air Resources Board has approved a $373-million funding plan for fiscal year 2015-16 for investments in a wide range of vehicle technologies, from zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and buses to rebates for low- and zero-emission passenger vehicles. The budget for the annual Funding Plan for Low Carbon Transportation Investments and the Air Quality Improvement… Read more »
At the recent Power Electronics Society meeting in Korea, Andy Daga, the CEO of wireless charging system manufacturer Momentum Dynamics, said he believes that 25 kW wireless chargers will be the norm for all EVs within 5 years, with commercialization beginning in 2016. Most current passenger EVs charge at 3.3 or 6.6 kW, although a… Read more »
JuiceBox charging stations from eMotorWerks use a cloud-based platform to adjust charging rates and times to enable grid operators to reduce energy costs, ease grid congestion and absorb excess renewable power. Now eMotorWerks has gone a step farther, collaborating with non-profit software startup WattTime to produce the JuiceBox Green 40, a charger that lets users… Read more »
Samsung Electronics has developed a silicon carbide-free graphene coating that it says could immediately double the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. That would be an impressive feat indeed, considering that capacity has increased only twofold since Li-ion batteries were first commercialized in 1991. Many researchers are investigating the potential of silicon as an anode material, but… Read more »
For the second month in a row, total plug-in sales fell short of last year’s figures. Overall US sales were 10,365 in June, 10% lower than May, and 16% lower than June 2014. The good news is that worldwide sales have shattered last year’s numbers every month so far this year. After a slow start,… Read more »
