Sponsored by ODU-USA Although mass-produced hybrid and electric cars have been commercially available since the 1990’s, the field is still very much in an evolutionary state, driven largely by two key factors: Greater vehicle range Shorter stops at re-charging stations The second of these does not necessarily imply actual re-charging. A more recent innovation involved… Read more »
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Tesla Model 3: Will this machine kill the Oil Age?
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the Tesla Model 3 (although the media has been doing its best). There’s no question that it’s a momentous motorcar on (at least) three levels. First, Model 3’s success is widely assumed to be an existential issue for the company – if it fails to deliver on its… Read more »
Arnold Schwarzenegger backs Austrian battery startup
Austrian battery startup Kreisel Electric grabbed some attention in the EV media by facing off with a Model S in a converted Porsche Panamera. Now it’s in the spotlight again after announcing the backing of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his nephew, Patrick Knapp-Schwarzenegger. The Governator, a longtime EV fan, became familiar with Kreisel when he hired… Read more »
DOE awards $6 million to first crop of Battery500 Seedlings
The Battery500 consortium, led by the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), intends to build a battery pack with a specific energy of 500 Wh/kg, which would more than double the 170-200 Wh/kg per kilogram in today’s typical EV battery. Part of the initiative is the “Seedling” program, which identifies new and risky battery research… Read more »
DOE awarding $19 million to 22 advanced vehicle technologies projects
The DOE is awarding $19.4 million to 22 new cost-shared research projects in the fields of advanced batteries, lightweight materials, emission control, and energy-efficient mobility systems. Fifteen of these are Phase 1 Battery Seedling projects, aimed at battery materials and approaches that complement the Battery500 Consortium’s research. Promising Phase 1 awardees will be competitively weeded… Read more »
Analyst predicts Tesla will have a near-monopoly in EVs
As Tesla soars and the legacy automakers waffle, a classic disruption scenario, unthinkable only a couple of years ago, seems ever more likely. The latest to reach this conclusion is analyst Alexander Haissl of Hamburg’s Berenberg Bank, who predicts in a recent report that Tesla will end up with a near-monopoly of the EV market…. Read more »
SF Motors to produce EVs at former Hummer factory
Poetic justice department: SF Motors, the new Chinese EV brand that recently opened an office in Silicon Valley, has bought an auto assembly plant where smoke-belching Hummers used to roll off the line, and plans to convert it to an EV manufacturing plant. AM General’s South Bend, Indiana plant also used to assemble SUVs for… Read more »
Eight of the top 10 cars sold in Norway are electrified
If you’re wondering how quickly EVs could take over from legacy vehicles, you might look at early adopter Norway, where plug-ins now represent 33% of all auto sales. Of the top 10 cars sold in the country in May, only two were non-electrified models. The Norwegian plug-in market continued its steady rise in May, growing… Read more »
Tesla talking to other automakers about sharing Supercharger network
Tesla has brought up the idea of opening up its Supercharger network to other automakers several times over the years, but a recent comment by CTO JB Straubel has fueled conjecture that talk may soon evolve into action. Speaking at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s recent Energy Fair in Wisconsin, Straubel said, “For things like… Read more »
All-new 2017 smart fortwo electric drive will start at $23,800
The all-new 2017 smart electric drive will be $1,200 less expensive than the outgoing model, starting at $23,800 for the coupe and $28,000 for the cabrio (not including a $750 destination charge and federal and state incentives). Arriving at US dealers this summer, the next-generation smart electric drive will have improved range, more power, more space and additional standard features. Daimler… Read more »