Maxwell looks to leverage its early ultracapacitor experience into a ubiquitous, low-cost, high-volume complement to batteries. Power sources like internal combustion engines and advanced battery packs work great as continuous suppliers of energy. But during the highest peak loads, both sacrifice efficiency attempting to meet the power delivery demands. And pushing these devices to their… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "demand charge"
Carlos Ghosn sees little future in battery swapping
The future of the battery swapping concept looks dim, which is bad news for the pioneering firm Better Place. In an interview with Danish news outlet Energi Watch, Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn seemed to say that Renault’s Fluence ZE will probably be the first and last production vehicle to offer battery swapping capability. “When you… Read more »
Volvo raises V60 PHEV production target again
Volvo’s V60 Plug-In Hybrid wagon is a runaway success. The first year’s batch of 1,000 cars sold out before any had a chance to reach showrooms, and Volvo announced in November that it would increase production to 4,000-6,000 units for model year 2014. That figure will now be raised to 10,000 units, according to Cars… Read more »
LG Chem says US battery plant will begin production in late 2013
South Korea’s LG Chem plans to start production at its US car battery factory in the second half of this year, two executives told Automotive News. The Holland, Michigan manufacturing plant drew some unpleasant publicity in February, when a DOE investigation found that the production line at the plant was idle, but workers were being… Read more »
Tesla stock blasts off as sales exceed target and profit predicted
It’s no April fool. Tesla Motors has announced that it sold 4,750 units of its Model S electric sedan in the first quarter, cruising past the target of 4,500 that it set in its February shareholder letter. As a result, the company will adjust its Q1 financial guidance from achieving an operating profit (which excludes… Read more »
Mitsubishi electrifies Geneva
The prize for most charged major automaker at the Geneva Auto Salon goes to Mitsubishi, hands down. The majority of Mitsu’s exhibit space was devoted to electrified vehicles, and electro-themed videos played nonstop. At center stage were two flashy concept cars: the CA-MiEV, a red-hot electric hatchback with a 28 kWh battery that gives… Read more »
ARPA-E’s new RANGE program offers $20m for battery research
If you think you can develop an EV battery that delivers three times the range for a third less cost than current designs, you can claim a slice of $20 million in research funding from the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). The agency has issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the… Read more »
Smith Electric Vehicles: the long haul and the short end of the stick
Smith sees a bright future in electric trucks on the horizon, but must wade through a sea of speculation to get there. All Smith Electric Vehicles Corp. wanted was a long-term growth strategy that would let the company scale up production of its all-electric, zero-emission medium-duty trucks at the same time that it beefed up… Read more »
Workplace charging: employers face a maze of issues when considering EV charging
The charging experts talk workplace EVSE: free vs fee, Level 1 or 2, ROI, networking and more. After charging an EV at home, the workplace is the next logical locale to “fill ‘er up.” It’s a place where vehicles generally spend long hours parked. It’s a predictable daily route. And with access to charging at… Read more »
Energy Secretary Chu poses the Workplace Charging Challenge to US employers
Thirteen major US employers and eight “stakeholder groups” have joined the DOE’s new Workplace Charging Challenge.