Bidirectional charging and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) are two of the buzziest terms in the EV world these days—but the two aren’t quite the same thing. The former is an enabling technology for the latter, which is a package of applications that include using an EV as a backup power source and providing services to electric utilities… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "F-150 Lightning"
LAX takes delivery of Nikola Class 8 electric truck
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the agency that operates Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), is gradually electrifying its fleet of more than 1,100 vehicles. It currently has in service or on order some 26 Ford F-150 Lightning trucks, 10 Ford Mach-E SUVs, 120 electric sedans, 32 electric trucks and 27 electric buses. The latest addition… Read more »
Electric Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept pickup truck revealed at CES
It’s reportedly close in exterior design to the production model we’ll see within months. Ram Trucks, the US truck arm of global automaker Stellantis, took the wraps off what it called the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept truck on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The production version of this fully electric,… Read more »
Will bidirectional EV charging kill generators? Generac downgraded by stock analysts
In the wake of the recent hurricanes in Florida, we saw the usual flood of anti-EV articles claiming that it’s better to have a gas vehicle in a natural disaster. Your favorite correspondent also got an article out of the situation, and concluded that on balance, you’re better off in an EV (although a lifted… Read more »
GM launches new business to sell home energy products
The EV is much more than just a replacement for the legacy petroleum-fueled vehicle—it reaches its true potential as part of an ecosystem that also includes charging infrastructure, stationary battery storage, distributed renewable energy generation, and software to make it all work together. GM aims to bring all of these elements together under a new… Read more »
New Hampshire utility to offer EV owners special rates in V2G program
Utilities around the country are experimenting with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems. Now the New Hampshire Electric Co-op plans to offer its members real-time energy rates that will allow them to earn revenue from their EVs and battery storage devices. The co-op plans to offer members a “transactive energy rate” as soon as the end of this… Read more »
Duke Energy tests EV batteries as grid resource in Florida lab
Florida utility Duke Energy is testing the V2G features of the new Ford F-150 Lightning at the company’s Energy Wise Lab in St Petersburg, Florida (the home of Charged). The R&D pilot will evaluate the viability of the Lightning’s high-capacity batteries and two-way charging capability as a way to power Florida homes during outages and… Read more »
Startup led by Tesla alums aims to build electric RVs
As is the case with a legacy vehicle, towing a trailer with an EV greatly reduces range—as John Voelcker found in his recent test of a Ford F-150 Lightning (see the latest issue of Charged), towing can reduce range by 40% or even more. But what if the trailer had its own electric powertrain? That’s… Read more »
CEO Mary Barra: GM is playing a long EV game, and intends to win
GM hasn’t been getting much respect in the EV press lately. Industry bad boy Tesla continues to dominate the market, racking up global sales of more than 310,000 units in the first quarter of this year. Ford’s still a startup as far as EVs are concerned, but its F-150 Lightning has been getting a lot… Read more »
Ford and GM test bidirectional charging with PG&E
Some may toss the term “game-changing” around a little too casually, but bidirectional charging, and the V2X applications it enables, truly have the potential to change the automotive game, by transforming vehicles from wasting assets (aka money pits) into sources of revenue. Both GM and Ford have recently announced collaborations with California utility Pacific Gas… Read more »