Recently, the EV press, including Charged, has been reporting that Toyota seems to be placing all its chips on fuel cells, and abandoning efforts to develop battery-electric vehicles. However, comments by Elon Musk at Tesla’s first-quarter shareholders’ meeting imply that there may be more to the story. In answer to a question about competition from… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Plug and Charge"
The Buckeye Bullet: A student-built EV that’s racing towards 400 mph
As it stands today, Ohio State’s Buckeye Bullet 1 holds the US record speed for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at 314.958 mph, its Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2 holds the world record for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles at 302.877 mph, and the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 holds the world record for BEVs at 307.666 mph. … Read more »
GM makes 401 EV charging stations available to employees
General Motors has installed 401 electric vehicle charging stations at its US production and business locations, in response to employee demand. Most are located at GM’s large engineering and corporate facilities in Michigan, where employee EV ownership is growing steadily. Charging is available free to GM employees and visitors. More than 20 percent of the… Read more »
VIA Motors acquires Prodigy Engineering
VIA Motors, the maker of VTRUX plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles, has acquired Prodigy Engineering, an EV design, engineering and prototyping company that has been under contract with VIA to prototype new vehicle models. Prodigy founders Mark and Mike Patey will stay on under a four-year retainer and non-compete agreement with VIA. “This acquisition expands VIA’s… Read more »
Volvo may test dynamic wireless charging on Swedish city bus line
The Volvo Group is studying the possibility of developing a dynamic charging solution for city buses. Dynamic charging, in which vehicles are charged by an inductive charging coil in the roadbed, is generally considered to be several years from commercialization, although a group of Korean researchers has tested a prototype system. Volvo plans to develop… Read more »
Toyota makes it official: Battery EVs stink, fuel cells rule
A top Toyota executive has confirmed what was already apparent to EV industry insiders: the Japanese automaker is placing all its chips on hydrogen fuel cell technology, and abandoning efforts to develop battery-electric vehicles. In an interview with Automotive News at Fortune magazine’s Brainstorm Green conference, Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, said that Toyota believes battery-electric vehicles are viable only… Read more »
Odyne’s export power system provides clean stationary electric power
One of the many benefits of a plug-in hybrid work truck is the ability to run power tools without the noise and stink of an idling diesel engine. Wisconsin-based Odyne Systems LLC sells a modular plug-in hybrid drive system for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that can be installed in a new vehicle or as a… Read more »
Next-generation LEAF, with substantially improved range, planned for 2017
If we had an electric crystal ball, the question we’d most like to ask is: When will a next-generation battery, with substantially improved range, show up in a production EV? According to Nissan, that Earth-shaking event may happen around 2017. At last month’s Beijing auto show, Executive VP Andy Palmer told Automotive News that a… Read more »
Juice Bar’s customizable charging station is a real eye-catcher
As you might guess from the name, Juice Bar’s EV charging stations are meant to be more than just utilitarian pieces of equipment. The Connecticut-based company aims to offer “not just a plug, but a philosophy.” Juice Bar’s high-visibility commercial chargers were designed in collaboration with BMW Designworks, and incorporate an eye-catching LED-illuminated Juice Bar… Read more »
New study: government EV incentives effective…in most cases
How effective are government incentives at encouraging EV adoption? Very, according to a white paper from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), but they don’t tell the whole story. The new report, written by Peter Mock and Zifei Yang, details the differences in pro-plug-in fiscal policies across eleven major auto markets. It quantifies taxation… Read more »