Start-stop vehicles (SSVs, if you will) occupy the bottom rung of the electrification ladder, and they’re growing in importance as global OEMs search for ways to meet tightening emissions standards (anything other than selling EVs, it sometimes seems). Over 40 percent of new cars sold in Europe already incorporate start-stop technology. A battery-based start-stop system… Read more »
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Connecticut offers “cash-on-the-hood” rebates for plug-in purchases
Connecticut, one of 14 states that have adopted California’s clean-air standards, has set a goal of putting 300,000 zero-emission and hybrid vehicles on the state’s roads by 2025. To further that aim, it has established an incentive program with a new wrinkle: instead of having to apply for a rebate after buying a new vehicle,… Read more »
Another Chinese-backed startup announces plans for an electric supercar
New EV companies are cropping up like dendrites on a lithium metal anode. The latest startup to emerge from stealth mode is called NextEV. Like many of the current crop (see Faraday Future, Atieva, Fisker, Leshi), NextEV is backed by Chinese investors, and is not affiliated with a traditional automaker, although it has recruited execs… Read more »
Mercedes confirms plans for high-end EV
Daimler is accelerating into the electric future. Last year the company spent about half of its 5-billion-euro R&D budget on electrification and other emission-reducing technologies, and announced that it would introduce 10 new plug-ins by 2017. The Mercedes S550 Plug-In Hybrid, the group’s third model with a cord, went on sale in the US in… Read more »
Efficient Drivetrains builds fleet of plug-in trucks for Port of Shanghai
Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) has partnered with Shaanxi Automotive to build a fleet of plug-in hybrid trucks to the Port of Shanghai. Shaanxi said it expects to provide up to 200 of the PHEVs in 2016. The two companies are already working together on plug-in natural gas hybrid city buses. Shaanxi built a prototype bus… Read more »
Panasonic shutters Beijing battery factory to focus on high-end market
Battery behemoth Panasonic has announced that it will stop making lithium-ion batteries at its factory in Beijing, eliminating 1,300 jobs. A sign of waning demand for EVs? Nope, just the opposite. The 15-year-old plant produces batteries for mobile phones and digital cameras, and Panasonic plans to move away from these products (which are steadily being… Read more »
Solid-state battery innovator Seeo acquired by Bosch
Giant German automotive supplier Bosch has announced that it will acquire the Silicon Valley startup Seeo, a pioneer in solid-state battery technology. Seeo’s cell design combines a solid lithium metal anode with a conventional porous lithium iron phosphate cathode and Seeo’s proprietary DryLite solid polymer electrolyte. Seeo says its cells achieve specific energy of around… Read more »
More independent auto shops working on hybrids and EVs
EVs require far less maintenance than legacy vehicles, and some have predicted the demise of the friendly neighborhood repair shop. However, an increasing number of independent workshops are carrying out routine servicing and repairs on hybrids and plug-ins, according to Autodata. Autodata supplies technical information to the automotive aftermarket, and over the last quarter, it… Read more »
Lux Research: LG Chem threatens Panasonic’s position as world’s top EV battery supplier
Japanese giant Panasonic is by far the largest automotive batter supplier at the moment, with a 39% market share. According to a new report from Lux Research, it will probably hang onto that position, increasing its share to 51% as EV batteries grow to a $30-billion market by 2020. However, there’s a real possibility that… Read more »
Aston Martin to build 800 hp EV
Iconic British sports car builder Aston Martin plans to produce an electric version of its four-door Rapide within two years, CEO Andy Palmer told Automotive News. The electric motorcar will feature all-wheel drive, about 800 hp and a 200-mile range, said Palmer. The announcement comes as no great surprise. In his previous role as Chief… Read more »