There’s no longer any doubt that Apple is doing some electric vehicle R&D. Whether an actual iCar will eventually disrupt the dinosaurs of Detroit remains to be seen, but a Greek chorus of auto industry insiders is already warning the champions of Cupertino not to do battle with this dragon. A recent Fortune article ridiculed… Read more »
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DOE announces funding opportunity for medium- and heavy-duty electrified powertrains
If you have a plug-in hybrid powertrain for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that’s ready for commercialization, you may be eligible for a grant from the DOE. The agency has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0001349) entitled “Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Powertrain Electrification and Dual Fuel Fleet Demonstration.” The objective of the Powertrain Electrification area… Read more »
Tesla Model X will probably qualify for the Hummer Tax Loophole. What does that mean?
Oh the irony! Could something called the Hummer Tax Loophole end up supercharging sales of Tesla’s new Model X? Section 179 of the federal tax code allows taxpayers to immediately deduct the cost of certain assets, including “heavy vehicles and equipment,” instead of depreciating them over time. Electrek reports that this became known as the… Read more »
DOE to fund graduate-level training programs in power electronics
The DOE has announced up to $10 million in funding to establish graduate-level training programs for engineers in power electronics. The five-year program will begin in the fall 2016 school year. Citing the important part that power engineers play in advanced energy technologies, the DOE expects them to be in high demand in the growing… Read more »
DOE offers funding for medium- and heavy-duty powertrain electrification projects
If you are working on a plug-in hybrid powertrain for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, you may be eligible for a grant from the DOE. The agency plans to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0001349) entitled “Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Powertrain Electrification and Dual Fuel Fleet Demonstration.” DOE anticipates releasing the FOA in August… Read more »
DOE study: Battery second use offsets EV expenses, improves grid stability
A recent analysis from the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has confirmed the value of something that several automakers are already investigating: repurposing used EV batteries for stationary storage applications. The NREL found that battery second use (B2U) strategies are capable of offsetting the costs of recycling vehicles at the end of their lives,… Read more »
DOE report examines opportunities for US battery manufacturers
Asia currently dominates automotive lithium-ion cell production – it controls around 79% of the market. However, a recent report by the DOE’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC) found that the US has a growing opportunity in the industry, which is expected to swell from the current $9 billion to $14.3 billion by 2020. The… Read more »
Small businesses score DOE funding for EV technology R&D
The DOE has selected 162 projects to receive $26.6 million in the 2015 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) awards. About 16 of these are vehicle-related, encompassing such technologies as batteries, power electronics and hydrogen fuel cells. Under the SBIR and STTR programs, federal agencies with large R&D budgets set aside… Read more »
Does cheaper gas mean that fuel efficiency standards need to be relaxed?
It may not be time to panic yet, but auto industry pundits are parsing some recent comments by a DOT official suggesting that the EPA may consider watering down federal fuel efficiency standards that are scheduled to take effect in 2022. A midterm review of the CAFE regulations is coming up, beginning with a report… Read more »
Does Tesla’s latest software update really end range anxiety?
The buildup was pretty big: earlier this week, Elon Musk’s tweeted that an upcoming software update for Model S would “end range anxiety.” The reality – announced at a press conference today – is neat, but perhaps not quite so game-changing. Software version 6.2, which is expected to be enabled in the next 10 days,… Read more »