Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and BMW are working together to test the ability of EV batteries to provide services to the electrical grid. PG&E selected BMW after a competitive solicitation to manage a minimum of 100 kilowatts of electric demand on PG&E’s system, as other large industrial and commercial customers do today as… Read more »
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Siemens and Duke Energy demonstrate smart-grid-capable EVSE
As gains in energy efficiency and the plummeting cost of home-generated solar power threaten to shrink their revenues, some electric utilities seem to see EVs as a source of future demand for centrally-generated power. A case in point is Duke Energy, which, while leading the charge against efficiency and solar in its Florida service area,… Read more »
ClipperCreek and Itron test EV chargers with virtual smart meters
In the charged world of the future, EVs will take energy from the grid when needed, and return energy to the grid when needed. This will require utilities to have a dependable way to measure the back-and-forth flow of electrons, so they can charge (or pay) their customers appropriately. In the industry, this is known… Read more »
How to avoid electrical infrastructure upgrades when installing EVSE
With the falling prices, increasing sales and growing mass-market appeal of plug-in vehicles, more and more facility owners are contemplating EV charging amenities for employees, tenants and visitors. EV infrastructure could become a real competitive differentiator by attracting the desirable EV-driving population. In today’s competitive landscape, facility owners can no longer ignore the idea of… Read more »
2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
After a gradual build-up, Daimler’s automotive brands are now showing their stuff in the EV arenas of three continents. Stateside, the spotlight lands on the new, competitively priced Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), hasn’t been the most visible mover or shaker in electric mobility up to this… Read more »
Electric buses begin to take over the public transit world
The humble city bus is quietly (also smoothly and emissions-free) going electric. In the past couple of months alone, Chicago, Washington DC, Portland, Oregon and London have begun trials of battery-electric buses, and the Chinese city of Hangzhou has placed an order for 2,000. China’s BYD is building buses in California and planning a factory… Read more »
European EV sales – a very different selection from the US
The US and European auto markets differ in several significant ways, so it’s not surprising that the sales figures for the various plug-in models available look quite different across the water. One of the biggest differences is size. We Americans love our pickups and SUVs, while Europeans love cute little cars that would be laughed… Read more »
Livingston Products develops battery self-cooling system
Illinois-based Livingston Products has developed a new liquid cooling pump system that uses the heat from a battery to propel a proprietary cooling fluid through a system of tubes. The Transthermal Heat Bridge, the subject of more than ten individual patents pending, can be scaled to fit almost any battery configuration, according to the company,… Read more »
New imaging technique gives researchers an unprecedented look at the inner workings of batteries
Scientists around the world are testing new ways to look inside lithium-ion batteries to gain a better understanding of what happens during charging and discharging. A team of chemists and engineers at Ohio State University claims to be the first to use Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP) to track the flow of lithium ions into and… Read more »
Studies indicate that EVSE and shade structures could attract prime customers
Public charging and parking have a symbiotic relationship, for obvious reasons. A number of companies in the charging field are forging business relationships with parking providers, which may be large employers, owners of commercial, residential or government properties or third-party operators of paid parking facilities. Most of us devote surprisingly little thought to parking, considering… Read more »
