The EV world has been looking forward to the launch of the next-generation Volt at next week’s Detroit auto show, but the latest news promises to make the Volt a sideshow. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and Detroit News, GM plans to launch a new EV called the Chevrolet Bolt, with… Read more »
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Hyundai to release EV in 2016
Hyundai will release an electric sedan in 2016, to be followed later by a sports car and an SUV, company officials told the Korea Times this week. This seems to represent a change in strategy from 2012, when Hyundai Motor Group announced that its Kia division would focus on pure EVs, while Hyundai would develop… Read more »
November plug-in sales: LEAF (still) leads, Ford falters, Toyota tanks, smart surges
The US auto industry had another banner month, and plug-ins were present at the party, though perhaps not first in line at the punchbowl. PEV sales were down a tick from October, but eked out a gain compared to November 2013. Year-to-date sales have now surpassed 2013’s total, and it appears that annual sales will… Read more »
Daimler subsidiary Li-Tec to cease production of battery cells
Daimler subsidiary Li-Tec will stop producing Li-ion battery cells in December, closing the only German factory currently producing cells for EVs. “Our cells are very good, but at current production figures far too expensive,” Daimler Manager Harald Kröger told Der Spiegel. “We have realized that a car manufacturer does not have to produce the cells… Read more »
Industry experts discuss the fascinating road ahead for EV batteries
What’s really going on with batteries? A recent panel discussion from Autoline (via Green Car Reports) asked three experts – one from one of the world’s biggest battery concerns, one from a promising startup, and one academic – and they see great things ahead. Host John McElroy starts out the way all mainstream media stories on EVs do… Read more »
Johnson Matthey acquires Clariant’s lithium iron phosphate business
Specialty chemicals firm Clariant has agreed to sell its Energy Storage line of business to Johnson Matthey for $75 million. The division is the world’s largest producer of hydrothermal lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which is used in EVs and stationary battery applications. The transaction includes a manufacturing facility in Candiac, Québec, and an R&D center… Read more »
GM releases details of next-generation Volt powertrain
GM has released some details of the second-generation Voltec electric-drive system that will power the 2016 Volt. According to Volt Lead Engineer Andrew Farah, the primary goals for the new powertrain were to improve performance, raise overall efficiency, and cut engine noise. The new Volt has a pair of electric motors, either or both of… Read more »
GM’s next generation of plug-ins includes a 2017 Sonic and a Cadillac EV
Although Volt sales haven’t been all they should be lately, GM is not discouraged – it is planning a range of new plug-in models, and some enticing details are beginning to trickle out. Cadillac’s new CEO, Johan de Nysschen, speaking with Reuters last week, confirmed that there will be a plug-in hybrid version of the… Read more »
Nissan CEO: We’re going to continue to make our own batteries
The EV world was shocked by recent reports that Nissan is thinking about cutting production of its proprietary battery packs in favor of sourcing packs from South Korea’s LG Chem. Speculation ran riot in the media, but facts were few. This week, the picture became clearer, as Green Car Reports asked Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn… Read more »
Could Sakti3 build GM’s 200-mile battery?
After years of operating in secrecy, battery startup Sakti3 has been much in the news lately, the subject of feature articles in Scientific American and Fortune (via Green Car Reports). The Ann Arbor company, founded in 2008 by Ann Marie Sastry, has developed a solid-state electrolyte, which could eliminate some of the drawbacks of liquid electrolytes, including… Read more »