Search Results Found For: "second life"

The inevitability of electric buses

Electric transit buses enter the fast-follower market stage as the leaders work to remove the last barriers to adoption. Q&A with Proterra’s Ryan Popple and ABB’s Daan Nap on the state of the market and charging standards in North America and Europe. With each passing year, more decision makers are realizing that city buses are an… Read more »

Rimac Automobili invents the Croatian auto industry

Detroit is gradually losing its position as the epicenter of the auto industry. Nowadays, news of cutting-edge developments is more likely to come from Silicon Valley, Europe or China. The Eastern European nation of Croatia is pretty far from the centers of automotive power, but it’s here that a highly innovative firm called Rimac Automobili… Read more »

BMW demonstrates stationary storage system using i3 battery

Stationary storage provides the missing link between EVs and renewable energy. Tesla made it trendy, but other automakers, including Nissan, GM and Toyota, have been exploring the technology for some time. Now BMW has announced a stationary storage solution that integrates its i3 vehicle battery. BMW’s new system, announced at the recent Electric Vehicle Symposium… Read more »

Evercar brings its fleet of EVs to Uber, Lyft, Instacart and other on-demand services

Evercar uses short-term rentals to accelerate the potential for electric ride-sharing and delivery services. If it can clear regulatory hurdles, its electric-miles-as-a-service tools could change the growing industry. On paper, EVs seem like the perfect choice for the on-demand economy. In a world where vehicles are being pushed to spend more time on the road… Read more »

Tesla Model 3: What we know and what we don’t know

Tesla made automotive history on March 31, when it unveiled the culmination of its master plan to bring EVs to the masses. The company has committed to delivering a car with the parameters that pundits have identified as the tipping point for widespread EV sales: 200 miles of range and a price tag in the… Read more »

Proterra’s road show is selling transit agencies on electric buses

Proterra’s electric buses are on a roll. The company has sold buses to 16 transit operators around the country, from Metro LA to Seattle to Massachusetts to Florida. The recent round of Low or No Emission grants from the Federal Transit Administration funded purchases of 33 more Proterra buses. Proterra has a smooth marketing operation… Read more »

Plug-in sales continue to climb in April: New Volt, Fusion Energi on top

US plug-in sales continue their steady ascent. In April, about 10,557 plug-ins were sold, a 16% gain over last April, and the sixth consecutive monthly record. The Chevy Volt took first place for the month, as sales increased to 1,983 units. The new and improved 2017 Volt is now officially on sale nationwide, but Volts… Read more »

Tesla’s Gigafactory features renewable energy, recycling, robots…and horses

As Tesla develops the mass-market Model 3, it is simultaneously working on the Nevada Gigafactory that will produce the boatloads of batteries required. When the futuristic factory is finished in 2020, it is expected to produce more lithium-ion batteries than all the world’s other battery factories combined. When completed the 13-million-square-foot facility will have the… Read more »

BMW 330e iPerformance plug-in hybrid arrives this summer

BMW is steadily introducing new electrified models. The latest is a plug-in version of its popular 3 Series sedan. The BMW 330e iPerformance uses various aspects of the company’s eDrive technology that were developed for the i3 and i8. The new e-Beemer sports a four-cylinder gas engine with 180 hp of power and 215 lb-ft… Read more »

Hyundai joins the plug-in club with the 2016 Sonata PHEV

Around the world, automakers are facing ever-tightening emissions regulations, and they understand very well that improving the efficiency of their internal-combustion engines isn’t going to be enough to bring them into compliance. Each OEM has crafted its own strategy to reduce the average emissions of its fleet. Hyundai has opted for an “all-in strategy,” developing… Read more »