Unlike competitor Toyota, Honda has never had much luck with its hybrid models. For the first five months of 2015, Honda’s total hybrid sales (including Acura) were down 22% from the same period in 2014. Sales of the Accord Plug-in Hybrid have been pathetic – barely 1,000 units have sold in the US since its… Read more »
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PowerGenix demonstrates the benefits of nickel-zinc batteries for stop-start and auxiliary applications
PowerGenix, a supplier of automotive nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries, has completed a product evaluation test plan with the Institute of Automotive Technologies Dresden (IAD). IAD evaluated the capabilities of NiZn batteries used as a 12 V auxiliary power unit for plug-in vehicles, or as a 12 V starter battery for stop-start applications. “The unique cost and… Read more »
Loyal GM customer told CEO Mary Barra he is tempted by Tesla’s “beautiful” user interface
There’s currently a lot of talk about a trend that Tesla co-founder Ian Wright discussed in our pages a year ago: even as software becomes a more and more critical part of the automobile, the user interfaces built by the (non-Tesla) automakers are clunky and old-fashioned, especially when it comes to integrating with our other… Read more »
Tesla’s liquid-cooled Supercharger cable could enable faster charge times
Once again, Tesla has come up with an innovation that could be far more significant than is apparent at first glance. Speaking at the latest shareholders’ meeting, Elon Musk said that Tesla has “just introduced” a liquid-cooled cable to the Supercharger system (around 24 minutes into the video below). Liquid cooling allows the cable to… Read more »
Volta builds business on free charging, secures $7.5 million in financing
Charging network operator Volta Industries has closed a $4.5 million Series A capital round and a $3 million project financing facility, giving it the means to expand its current network of 100 public charging stations in California, Arizona and Hawaii. Volta has introduced what it calls a “community engagement model,” in which socially responsible brands… Read more »
FIA Formula E Championship aims to change perception and push EV technology to new heights
A race towards progress: The all-electric racing series The greatest obstacle to getting more EVs on the road isn’t high upfront costs, range anxiety or a lack of infrastructure – it’s simple consumer awareness. Despite the fact that the Model S, Volt and LEAF are becoming common sights in many cities, a surprisingly high number of… Read more »
Wildcat Discovery Technology creates new experiments to accelerate battery research
The pulse of the industry: Wildcat Discovery Technology is at the forefront of battery research, solving problems and accumulating insight. When Charged wants to catch up on the newest trends in cutting-edge battery technology, there are a few companies we turn to for insight. At the top of the list is a group whose high-speed… Read more »
California: Smaller automakers can earn ZEV credits with PHEVs (UPDATED)
For several years now, the California Air Resources Board’s ZEV mandate has required the largest automakers to produce a certain number of zero-emission vehicles for sale in the state. Beginning in 2018, smaller OEMs will be subject to the rules, too. Unsurprisingly, these companies would rather skip it, and at a May hearing, Jaguar Land… Read more »
Daimler joins Tesla in the energy storage market
Another entrant has joined the suddenly trendy market for stationary energy storage. Daimler’s wholly-owned subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive has announced plans to sell energy storage systems to both residential and commercial customers. ACCUmotive’s lithium-ion battery modules have an energy capacity of 2.5 kWh for the residential model, and 5.9 kWh for the industrial version. Up to… Read more »
New report: US plug-in sales could crack a million a year by 2024
Each year, Navigant Research releases a report that forecasts future trends in the plug-in vehicle (PEV) market. The latest edition predicts that annual North American PEV sales should break the one-million mark around 2024. The new report, Electric Vehicle Geographic Forecasts, notes that North America is the world’s strongest market for light-duty PEVs, with more… Read more »