The economic case for electric transit buses has become a no-brainer, Proterra CEO Ryan Popple told Bloomberg in a recent interview. The energy cost of a typical e-bus is about 20 cents per mile, compared to about 75 cents per mile for diesel. The up-front costs for e-buses are substantially higher, but Proterra recently introduced… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "black mass"
Cummins, the diesel engine powerhouse, has had a busy year expanding its EV systems development
Cummins is a huge presence in the diesel engine market around the globe. The company designs, manufactures and sells billions of dollars’ worth of diesel engines (and some engines powered by “alternative fuels” such as natural gas). Ranging from 2.8 to 95 liters, the company’s engines are found in nearly every type of vehicle and… Read more »
A look at Lucid Motors: Q&A with CTO Peter Rawlinson
The legacy automakers are slowly and methodically developing new EVs, with various levels of enthusiasm, but the most ambitious plans for new vehicles are coming from a handful of EV startups. Most of these pioneers of the new auto industry share a formula: deep-pocketed investors (many from China), former Tesla employees on staff, and plans… Read more »
Solving the energy density challenge with single wall carbon nanotubes
Sponsored by OCSiAl Group Li-ion batteries represent the most dynamic and fastest growing battery market, with total sales of $10 billion in 2015 [i]. Historically, the primary challenge for battery manufacturers has been the constant demand for greater energy density, both volumetric and gravimetric. Li-ion’s dramatic rise is in large part due to solving this challenge more… Read more »
London Taxi opens plant to build plug-in taxis
The London Taxi Company (LTC) has opened a new plant to produce what it says is the world’s first purpose-built, mass-market plug-in taxi. LTC, a subsidiary of Chinese automaker Geely, has invested £300 million ($374 million) in the next-generation London taxi, which will be produced at the plant in Ansty, Coventry, and exported around the… Read more »
Prototype images of next-gen Nissan LEAF published by Motor Authority
The Nissan LEAF has earned a place of high honor in the plug-in pantheon. Until Tesla’s Model S started to take off, it was the unchallenged top seller among pure EVs, and it remains the only mid-priced EV to achieve anything resembling mass-market sales. However, the respected elder statesman has been overtaken by younger rivals…. Read more »
Is improved formation cycling the key to lower battery costs?
European conglomerate thyssenkrupp, BMW and several other firms and research institutions are collaborating on a project called EffiForm, which aims to make a detailed study of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer formation process in Li-ion batteries. While the ins and outs of forming an SEI layer may seem arcane, in fact there’s a highly practical… Read more »
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 »
EDI delivers extended-range EV drivetrains for some of the biggest vehicles on the road
Powerful plug-ins: Q&A with Efficient Drivetrains Inc. CEO Joerg Ferchau. In November 2014, US officials and electric utility executives stood in front of the White House to announce a new EV commitment from power companies. More than 70 investor-owned electric utilities have pledged to spend an estimated $50 million per year – $250 million over five… Read more »
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate (book review)
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, by Naomi Klein, is a powerful, important book, meticulously researched and beautifully written. I also found it a very disturbing book, and in a way I wish I hadn’t read it. The thesis is that the kind of action required to avert climate catastrophe is incompatible with the… Read more »