Almost every major carmaker now has at least one plug-in vehicle for sale. However, several of these vehicles were produced mainly to appease the California Air Resources Board, and their makers have shown little interest in actively marketing them. Savvy car buyers are aware of this, and make their choices accordingly – no one wants… Read more »
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September plug-in sales: Revenge of the pure EV
September plug-in sales showed a slight decrease compared to August, but 2014 is still on track to decisively beat 2013’s figure. Pure electricity ruled this month, as the leading EVs made strong showings, and all the major PHEV models showed steep declines. The Nissan LEAF still leads the pack. Sales shrank slightly to 2,881 in… Read more »
EVs are the fastest growing market segment in Europe
The European auto market is picking up – it grew by 6 percent in the first half of 2014 – and also changing rapidly. Out of the 24 segments tracked by Automotive News Europe, nine had leadership changes since last year. Can you guess which segment is the fastest-growing overall? That’s right, electric vehicle sales… Read more »
Solar energy expert predicts battery prices will reach $100/kWh by 2030
When will lithium-ion battery prices reach the price point of $100 per kWh that so many in the media are calling the “magic number?” According to Winfried Hoffmann, an analyst at the consulting firm ASE, the glad day will dawn sometime around 2030. Hoffmann, the former CTO of Applied Materials, is a well-known figure in… 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 »
What happens when the EV tax credit is phased out? (Don’t ask the IRS.)
How important is the $7,500 federal tax credit for EV buyers, and what will happen to the market when it is eventually phased out? Vehicles from a particular automaker are eligible for the tax credit until it has sold 200,000 EVs in the US. After that, buyers of the company’s vehicles will get 50 percent… Read more »
iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn invests $811 million in EV factory
The rumors have been flying since the Foxconn Technology Group’s June announcement that it plans to build an EV with a price tag of less than $15,000. The Taiwanese company builds iPhones for Apple and the touchscreen for the Tesla Model S. [Correction 1:00pm EDT 9/26/14: Despite widespread internet reports that Foxconn produces the Model… Read more »
Electric buses begin to take over the public transit world
The humble city bus is quietly (also smoothly and emissions-free) going electric. In the past couple of months alone, Chicago, Washington DC, Portland, Oregon and London have begun trials of battery-electric buses, and the Chinese city of Hangzhou has placed an order for 2,000. China’s BYD is building buses in California and planning a factory… Read more »
European EV sales – a very different selection from the US
The US and European auto markets differ in several significant ways, so it’s not surprising that the sales figures for the various plug-in models available look quite different across the water. One of the biggest differences is size. We Americans love our pickups and SUVs, while Europeans love cute little cars that would be laughed… Read more »
A better way to battery-swap?
The idea of battery swapping for EVs has been around for some time, but the reality has not been auspicious. Better Place bet on the concept and went bankrupt. Tesla successfully demonstrated a battery swap in 2013, but so far has not gotten around to opening any swap stations to the public. A team of… Read more »