The European Parliament has voted to make “acoustic vehicle alerting systems” mandatory for all new electric and hybrid cars starting in 2019 (the US has required similar systems since 2011). British MEPs and advocacy groups for the blind were among those lobbying for the new rule. “Quiet electric cars could become a common sight on… Read more »
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has posted final modifications to its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Regulation for public comment. The ZEV rules require automakers to sell a certain number of zero-emission (battery-electric or fuel cell) vehicles in California. It also provides for automakers who don’t sell enough ZEVs to purchase excess credits from other… Read more »
60 Minutes aired an absorbing profile of Elon Musk last week, which included some good interviews and a fair amount of objective information about our favorite automaker. However, there was one segment that caused much laughter and head-shaking in the EV community. A video of a Model S on the road was accompanied by the… Read more »
The number of plug-in cars on the road has increased at an annual rate of more than 100% over the last three years, according to an analysis by Germany’s Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW). At the beginning of 2014, there were 405,000 plug-ins (EVs and PHEVs) registered worldwide, compared to 200,000 in… Read more »
The DOE is encouraging auto suppliers to step forward for a share of $16 billion in low-interest financing that’s still available under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program. Congress created the ATVM program in 2007, and it famously lent about $8.4 billion to Ford, Nissan, Tesla and Fisker. Although the program hasn’t approved… Read more »
Daimler has agreed to acquire Evonik’s shares of Li-Tec Battery GmbH and Deutsche ACCUmotive GmbH, making Daimler the sole owner of the two companies. In recent years, Daimler and Evonik have worked together to develop industrial series production of lithium-ion battery cells for EVs. The two companies produce the batteries used in the current model… Read more »
In the spring a young person’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of…a new car! Overall auto sales were up 6% in March, and plug-in sales surged. 9,376 units were sold, a healthy increase both on February’s figure (7,055) and last March’s measure (7,982). The LEAF opened up a wide lead with 2,507 units, a respectable… Read more »
Does an EV battery pack need a liquid cooling system? Automakers have different opinions. The Tesla Roadster and Model S have ‘em, the Nissan LEAF does not. Volkswagen initially designed its e-Golf with a liquid-cooled battery, but the production e-Golf, which is now on sale in Germany, and will arrive in selected US markets during… Read more »
While most of the discussion about commercial EVSE seems to revolve around peoples’ desire for ever-faster charging, Telefonix has taken the opposite approach, producing what is designed to be the first true commercial Level 1 charging station on the market. Like many another great idea, the inspiration for the L1 PowerPost came as a serendipitous… Read more »
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has awarded $17 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects to help small businesses develop prototype technologies in a wide range of renewable energy and transportation-related fields. These awards are for Phase II SBIR projects to further develop Phase I projects and produce a… Read more »
