Search Results Found For: "Switzerland"

Grocery chain tests 18-ton Swiss-built electric truck

Coop, Switzerland’s second-largest grocery store chain, and Feldschlösschen, one of the country’s largest beer brewers, have launched a pilot of a locally-built 18-ton electric truck. Coop and Feldschlösschen will test the e-truck on delivery routes in the Zürich region through the end of 2013. If it proves satisfactory, the companies plan to put more into… Read more »

July plug-in sales: total pulls back as LEAF edges ahead

Total US plug-in sales saw a substantial drop in July, to 6,592 units. Last month’s three front-runners all succumbed to the summer doldrums, but the second-tier sellers held steady or showed slight improvements. The LEAF edged into first place in July with a total of 1,864, which is a drop from June’s 2,225 but still… Read more »

Batteries2020 seeks to increase lifespan and energy density of Li-ion batteries

An 8.4-million-euro ($11-million) European research project called Batteries2020 aims to increase the lifespan and energy density of large-format automotive Li-ion batteries. The project is scheduled to run through September 2016, by which time the group’s goal is to have a commercialization-ready product that achieves a 4,000-cycle lifetime at 80% depth of discharge, and an energy… Read more »

ABB to build nationwide charging network in the Netherlands

Fastned, a Dutch operator of EV charging stations, has chosen Switzerland-based ABB to build an extensive network of fast chargers in the Netherlands. Once completed, the 200+ station network will put all 16.7 million Dutch residents within 50 kilometers of a charging station. Each station will feature a solar canopy, and will be equipped with… Read more »

Captain Sunshine buys assets of Better Place

An Israeli court has approved the sale of bankrupt Better Place’s assets to a consortium led by solar energy pioneer Yosef Abramowitz, also known as Captain Sunshine. The group also includes Canadian investment banker Henry Shiner, and the non-profit EV Drivers Association. It will pay 18 million shekels ($4.9 million) for Better Place’s Israeli assets,… Read more »

OCPP: There’s definitely confusion, but is there controversy?

Reporting on the charging industry is a tough gig. It’s incredibly nuanced. Every question we ask the experts leads to three more questions. It turns out that when you take hardware, software, networks, protocols and panels, then mix in some public funding, you get endless opinions.  We’ll attempt to clarify two issues in the thick… Read more »

Supercars, hybrids and EVs take the stage in Geneva

At Geneva’s enormous Palexpo convention center, it’s obvious we’re not in Detroit – there’s hardly a pickup truck in sight, and the wine and coffee are flowing freely. Reflecting Europe’s colorful collage of cultures, a vast variety of vehicles from hybrids to EVs to seven-figure super-sports cars are spinning on the turntables.  Europe is just… Read more »

Its not just EVs that are selling slowly in Europe

Many of us have been puzzled about the fact that plug-in sales are taking off more slowly in Europe than in the US, given the continent’s compact cities, high fuel prices and tradition of greenery. However, looking at 2012’s auto sales figures may provide a simple explanation. While the US auto industry had a spectacular… Read more »

Mitsubishi electrifies Geneva

The prize for most charged major automaker at the Geneva Auto Salon goes to Mitsubishi, hands down. The majority of Mitsu’s exhibit space was devoted to electrified vehicles, and electro-themed videos played nonstop.   At center stage were two flashy concept cars: the CA-MiEV, a red-hot electric hatchback with a 28 kWh battery that gives… Read more »

European Union official says chargers are the chicken for the EV egg

European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard has come out in strong support of a pending plan to deploy 795,000 charging points in the EU by 2020, the Copenhagen Post reported. The proposal must be approved by the European Parliament and all 27 member states before it goes into effect. “We can finally end the discussion… Read more »