Trolleybuses, which run on rubber tires on city streets and draw power from overhead lines, are a common sight in European cities. Now Swedish truck-maker Scania and German electronics giant Siemens plan to experiment with applying this technology to heavy freight trucks. Beginning in February 2016, Scania will operate electric trucks on the Gävle Electric… Read more »
A consortium of companies and organizations from 9 European countries is working to develop an energy-efficient climate control system, with the goal of reducing the energy used for heating and cooling in EVs by at least 50%. Heating and cooling consume large amounts of energy, so improved efficiency can translate to increased range. The name… Read more »
Charging network operator Volta Industries has closed a $4.5 million Series A capital round and a $3 million project financing facility, giving it the means to expand its current network of 100 public charging stations in California, Arizona and Hawaii. Volta has introduced what it calls a “community engagement model,” in which socially responsible brands… Read more »
Croatian startup Rimac Automobili, located just a few hours’ drive from the birthplace of Nikola Tesla, has ambitions of becoming a major carmaker. Its first-generation vehicle, and the first step in its master plan, a powerful beast called the Rimac Concept_One, may be familiar to EV cognoscenti as one of the pace cars for the… Read more »
Several electric utilities around the world offer customers the ability to buy energy generated solely from renewable sources. Minnesota’s Great River Energy has gone a step further, letting EV-driving customers choose wind-generated energy at no additional cost. “Our Revolt program allows consumers to further support the use of renewable energy. We are dedicating wind energy… Read more »
Estonian/German ultracapacitor maker Skeleton Technologies has raised Series B financing of €9.8 million ($10.7 million) from a consortium that includes electrical equipment manufacturer Harju Elekter Group and Baltic investment firm UP Invest. The company plans to use the funds to ramp up production of its graphene-based ultracapacitors. Customers include hybrid truck manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers,… Read more »
Since battery-maker A123 was acquired by China’s Wanxiang Group, it has shifted its focus to concentrate on starter batteries, and has big plans to produce batteries for microhybrids, aka start-stop systems. The company recently announced a plan to double global manufacturing capacity to 1.5 GWh within the next three years. A123 operates manufacturing hubs in… Read more »
The traditional running order reasserted itself in May, as the Model S, LEAF and Volt slid back into the top three spots. While plug-in sales were up substantially over April, they failed to best the May 2014 numbers. The Tesla Model S grabbed the lead with 2,400 estimated US sales. Deliveries of the D are… Read more »
The saga of Saab recently entered a new chapter, as its parent company, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) made an alliance with two state-owned Chinese organizations. Motor Authority reported that the Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area (THT) and the Beijing State Research Information Technology Company (SRIT) will pay a total of $200 million for… Read more »
The LA Times recently ran a “now it can be told” article highlighting the various government subsidies and incentives that benefit Tesla and Elon Musk’s other companies, SolarCity and SpaceX – a total of about $4.9 billion by the Times’ reckoning. Certainly Tesla, like many other energy companies and automakers, has benefited from a wide… Read more »
