Tesla has announced that it will fully support China’s charging standards, modifying its vehicles to ensure that they are compatible. This is surely a wise and necessary policy, as concerns about charging infrastructure are widely considered to be the main reason that EV sales in the world’s largest auto market have been slow to take… Read more »
The state of Georgia recently reversed its policy of encouraging EV adoption, not only eliminating its $5,000 tax credit for plug-in purchases, but saddling drivers with a yearly $200 road-use fee to boot. The leader of a local pro-EV group is considering a class-action lawsuit against the state. “We will challenge the state for discriminating… Read more »
An educated EVSE: Part of the academia-to-enterprise pipeline, MOEV Inc.’s distributed power smart-charging systems may be the economical answer to California utilities’ grand infrastructure plans. The usually pejorative term “ivory tower” refers most often to an intellectually cut-off academia, which sits separated from the practical world, musing away on obscure research or useless pursuits. However, it’s… Read more »
Smith Electric Vehicles, a builder of medium-duty commercial EVs that was profiled in the January/February 2013 issue of Charged, plans to form a joint venture with strategic partner and investor FDG Electric Vehicles, an EV and battery manufacturer listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The new JV will offer a combined portfolio of EVs… Read more »
Tesla is on a mission to make electric road trips as convenient as possible. Complementing the worldwide network of 2,349 (and counting) Superchargers is the Destination Charging program, which partners with hotels and other travel destinations to deploy Level 2 chargers for overnight charging. The latest to join the program is Select Registry, an independent association… Read more »
A new 18-meter battery-electric bus is now plying the streets of Beijing. The Foton Harmony City BJ6180 carries up to 143 passengers, and features a lightweight monocoque structure with low-floor access. The bus’s SUMO HD powertrain, built by TM4 Inc., is designed to interface with standard rear differentials with no need for an intermediate gearbox…. Read more »
Federal Trade Commission officials have weighed in for a second time on the war between Tesla and the auto dealers. In an 11-page letter that is summarized in the Competition Matters blog, a trio of senior FTC staffers wrote that a recently-passed Michigan law, which strengthens the requirement that automakers sell only through third-party dealers,… Read more »
In the past five years, the amount of public PEV charging infrastructure in the US has skyrocketed to over 25,000 charging stations. In June 2010, that number was fewer than 1,000. That’s when the PlugShare team first began mapping EV chargers, allowing its app users to share tips and tricks about their favorite places to… Read more »
BMW is surely the most charged of the European automakers. Its i3 city car is a native EV that’s earned much admiration for its many innovations. Meanwhile, well-bucked aficionados are buying the i8 super-PHEV as quickly as it rolls off the lines, and the X5 plug-in SUV just made its debut appearance in Shanghai. BMW… Read more »
Phoenix Cars, a developer of EV technologies for the fleet market, has delivered a full-size electric flatbed truck to the US Navy. The Zero Emissions Utility Shuttle (ZEUS) will be used for facilities maintenance at the Port Hueneme, California naval base. The ZEUS is powered by Phoenix’s proprietary EV platform, which offers a range of… Read more »
