The Volkswagen Group plans to electrify more than 40 models over the next few years. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, VW Chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn said that Europe’s largest automaker has increased its R&D expenditure to the record value of €10.2 billion, with the lion’s share going to “green” technologies. VW’s modular Baukästen (assembly… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Plug & Charge"
Navigant: Wireless charging equipment sales will exceed 300,000 units by 2022
According to Navigant Research, the prospects for wireless EV charging have taken off in the last 12 months, as several major automakers plan to bring wireless systems to market, and a significant portion of the industry believes that wireless technology represents the future of charging. In a new report, Wireless Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles,… Read more »
Kia Soul EV to use new SK Innovation battery cells
Kia’s new Soul EV will use lithium-ion polymer battery cells supplied by SK Innovation, the result of a three-year joint development program between the two companies. The SK pack has 192 cells in eight modules, for a total capacity of 27 kWh. It boasts an impressive energy density of 200 Wh/kg, and is expected to… Read more »
BMW and SGL to double carbon fiber production
BMW and its partner, the SGL Group, plan to invest more than €100 million ($137 million) to double their joint production of carbon fiber to 6,000 metric tons a year, according to German news outlet Handelsblatt. BMW’s new i3 and i8 plug-ins make greater use of lightweight, super-strong carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) than any… Read more »
Echo Automotive offers aftermarket PHEV powertrains for Ford and GM vans
Echo Automotive, a developer of aftermarket plug-in hybrid powertrains, plans to extend its EchoDrive system to GM 2500 and 3500 vans, including the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, model years 2010-2014. EchoDrive is already available for Ford E-Series vans – orders are currently being accepted and production is scheduled to begin later this year. Production… Read more »
London minicab company abandons plan to deploy BYD EVs
London’s second-largest minicab operator has pulled the plug on a plan to put 50 electric taxis into service in the capital. Green Tomato Cars, which already operates a fleet of 500 Prius hybrids, signed a deal with Chinese EV maker BYD in 2012 to purchase 50 of BYD’s E6 EVs. Alas, this week Green Tomato… Read more »
Fraunhofer ESK develops communication interfaces for energy management
Vehicle-grid integration is one of the hottest topics in the EV world, with pilot projects cropping up all over the globe. The relationship between EVs and the electrical grid is complex – charging must be managed to avoid overloading local grids, but on the other hand, EVs and/or used EV batteries can help utilities to… Read more »
Toyota begins testing wireless charging system
Toyota will begin verification testing of its newly developed wireless charging system in late February. Toyota developed the system in cooperation with WiTricity, an MIT spin-off that the automaker has been cooperating with for several years. Toyota Managing Officer Satoshi Ogiso announced in August that the next-generation Prius Plug-in Hybrid would include a wireless charging… Read more »
Brammo announces 2014 Empulse and Empulse R electric motorcycles
Oregon-based Brammo has released details of its 2014 Empulse and Empulse R electric motorcycles. With a top speed of 110 mph, the Empulse claims to be the world’s fastest electric motorcycle in serial production. It sports a water-cooled motor and a six-speed gearbox that translate 90 Nm (66 lb-ft) of torque to over 880 Nm… Read more »
AeroVironment announces new TurboCord portable charging cordset
AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) has written the latest chapter in the story of the ever-shrinking home EV charger, with the release of TurboCord, a portable 16-amp charging cordset. The dual mode (240 and 120 volts) TurboCord sells for $649, weighs less than five pounds and plugs directly into an electrical outlet. The single mode 240 volt model sells… Read more »