Faraday Future (FF) has announced an agreement with US Hybrid Corporation to advance the use of FF’s electric propulsion system in energy products currently under development by US Hybrid. The collaboration will expand the use of FF’s technology—first developed for passenger vehicles—into the commercial vehicle space. Specifically, the partnership will provide powertrain systems for commercial… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Clean Cars"
EV software delays threaten to become “a disaster” for the German automakers
When I interviewed Tesla co-founder Ian Wright in 2014 for my history of Tesla, he described the software found in traditional automobiles as “a dog’s breakfast,” by which he meant that it was a motley mixture of heterogenous hardware and software, in contrast to Tesla’s elegant unified system, which controls every function of the vehicle…. Read more »
Trump administration guts air pollution standards
As expected, the Trump administration has announced a rollback of federal fuel economy regulations, a move that some estimate will increase annual US carbon emissions by as much as 25 percent, as well as increasing fuel costs for consumers and putting the US auto industry at a competitive disadvantage. The administration says weakening the standards… Read more »
Colorado to allow direct sales model—good news for Tesla and Rivian
The tedious and complicated war between Tesla and the auto dealers continues to drag on. At present, the country is a patchwork—some states explicitly allow Tesla’s direct sales model, some explicitly prohibit it, and in others some sort of compromise has been reached. Tesla recently won an important battle in Michigan, and now it appears… Read more »
ROCSYS automates charging stations with soft robots
ROCSYS founder Crijn Bouman is no stranger to innovation. A self-described “entrepreneur at heart,” Bouman has led two Netherlands-based startups in cleantech, software, and electronics. When his first EV fast charging equipment company Epyon was acquired by ABB almost a decade ago, he stayed on as Head of Product Management for its charging portfolio for… Read more »
Trump’s effort to weaken auto emissions standards is foiled on two fronts
One of the Trump administration’s top priorities has been rolling back environmental regulations, and this is one area in which it has been ruthlessly efficient. The New York Times estimates that, to date, this administration has killed or watered down some 100 environmental protections. However, one big prize continues to elude the administration’s wrecking crew:… Read more »
Tesla to use prismatic cells for Chinese Model 3, says new report
From the beginning, Tesla’s use of readily available cylindrical battery cells gave it an advantage over other EV-makers, which used proprietary prismatic or pouch cells. In 2015, JB Straubel explained why Tesla was sticking with cylindrical cells, even though others found it a controversial decision. Over the years, many writers have noted Tesla’s battery tech… Read more »
Sony’s concept EV embarrasses legacy automakers
The surprise star of the CES tech show seems to be a concept EV from Sony. Yes, that Sony. Is everyone going to get into the EV game now? Who’s next, a vacuum cleaner company? The electric, autonomous, connected automobile is a new frontier for electronics companies, and Sony’s VISION-S is a showcase for a… Read more »
EVmatch: A simple, low-cost way to monetize your charging stations
Electric vehicles are a perfect fit for the sharing economy. Teslas and other EVs are some of the most popular vehicles on peer-to-peer car rental platform Turo. Many of the new car-sharing platforms that are popping up feature EVs. In the near future, EV owners could be earning money by letting utilities use their vehicle… Read more »
California joins boycott of Trump-allied automakers
Following the disappointing decision by Toyota, GM and Fiat Chrysler to side with the Trump administration’s campaign to strip California of its authority to set stringent fuel economy standards, some pundits and influencers began calling for a boycott. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted, “Toyota, goodbye. The environmental goodwill you’ve built by pioneering hybrid cars… Read more »
