In the spring a young person’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of…a new car! Overall auto sales were up 6% in March, and plug-in sales surged. 9,376 units were sold, a healthy increase both on February’s figure (7,055) and last March’s measure (7,982). The LEAF opened up a wide lead with 2,507 units, a respectable… Read more »
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VW: e-Golf battery pack doesn’t need a liquid cooling system
Does an EV battery pack need a liquid cooling system? Automakers have different opinions. The Tesla Roadster and Model S have ‘em, the Nissan LEAF does not. Volkswagen initially designed its e-Golf with a liquid-cooled battery, but the production e-Golf, which is now on sale in Germany, and will arrive in selected US markets during… Read more »
New York compromise allows Tesla to keep its company-owned stores
One state may have found a workable compromise in the war of Tesla versus the auto dealers. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last week that the belligerents reached an agreement that allows the EV-maker to keep its five company-owned stores in the state. “Today’s agreement reaffirms New York’s long-standing commitment to the dealer franchise… Read more »
Panasonic to take a step by step approach to investment in Tesla Gigafactory
Pour the Champagne back into the bottle for now – reports that Panasonic had committed to investing a bundle in Tesla’s Gigafactory turn out to have been premature. President Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters in Tokyo this week that the company plans to move cautiously to reduce its risk. “Our approach is to make investments step… Read more »
Pot Daimler calls kettle Tesla black re fast charging standards
It seems that not everyone is enchanted by Tesla’s plans to install 40 to 50 Supercharger stations in Germany by the end of 2014. Carmaker Daimler and parts supplier Robert Bosch recently criticized the American company for pursuing its own proprietary DC charging standard. “The future lies in standardization. As with gas stations, we need… Read more »
Tide turning for Tesla in Texas? Governor Perry favors direct sales
The latest good news for Tesla in its war with the auto dealers comes from an unexpected region. Texas currently bans the company’s direct sales model, and the Lone Star State’s legislature is generally considered a strong ally of the state dealer associations. This week however, Governor Rick Perry, in an interview on Fox Business… Read more »
New Jersey lawmaker proposes pro-Tesla bill, Christie blames legislature
New Jersey State Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen) has introduced a bill that would let electric car retailers such as Tesla sell directly to consumers. The bill (A2986) would override a March 11 decision by the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission which effectively banned sales of the Model S. “What we should be doing is supporting American… Read more »
Arizona considers bill to legalize Tesla direct sales
Tesla’s war with the auto dealers is getting more interesting by the day. Barely a week after New Jersey outlawed the company’s contentious direct-to-consumers sales model, the Arizona legislature is considering a bill that would explicitly legalize it. According to the Associated Press, Arizona House Bill 2123, which was approved by a state Senate committee… Read more »
Intertek offers third-party performance and cost data for EVs
Intertek, a company that specializes in third-party validation and compliance testing, is working with the DOE and several national laboratories to collect real-world data on all the most popular plug-in models, testing the vehicles’ performance, durability and operational costs. Intertek acquires new vehicles directly from a dealer, and installs data logging equipment, which uses Wi-Fi… Read more »
Motiv Power Systems electrifies postal vans, garbage trucks and school buses
Kings Canyon Unified School District, in California, has ordered four buses from Trans Tech Bus, featuring electric powertrains from Foster City-based Motiv Power Systems. The SST-e, an electric version of Trans Tech’s popular SST model, uses a Ford E450 cutaway chassis equipped with Motiv’s electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS). The SST-e school bus is available… Read more »