By now, the main events in Volkswagen’s dirty diesel scandal are familiar to Charged readers. For years, the world’s second-largest automaker opted not to produce hybrids or EVs, instead relying on “clean diesel” to meet government-mandated emissions standards. In 2015, scientists at the International Council on Clean Transportation were puzzled to find that they couldn’t… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Clean Cars"
I tried to power three EVs with solar panels
It’s a compelling vision of the future: empowered consumers generating their own clean electricity to power their state-of-the-art EVs. But is it practical today? Popular Mechanics writer Ezra Dyer set out to find out. Dyer installed a rooftop solar array consisting of 24 310-watt LG panels, with a nominal capacity of 7.4 kilowatts. The system… Read more »
California passes quarter million EV milestone
The Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative (PEVC) announced that California’s 250,000th plug-in vehicle is likely to be sold this month. Since plug-ins first became available in 2010, consumer demand has slowly but steadily grown, and it’s expected to get a major boost soon, as a crop of 200-mile, $35,000 EVs goes on sale. “Just a few… Read more »
New coalition aims to energize New Jersey’s EV scene
An assortment of EVSE companies, auto dealers, utilities and environmental advocates has launched a new coalition to jump-start EV adoption in New Jersey. ChargEVC’s mission is to promote policies that replace legacy cars with plug-in vehicles, in order to reduce harmful emissions, strengthen the utility grid, lower electricity rates, reduce transportation costs and a diversify… Read more »
BYD and Wayne Engineering unveil electric refuse truck
Electrification isn’t just for glamorous sports cars – the humble garbage truck is a likely candidate too. Companies including Motiv Power Systems and Wrightspeed have deployed plug-in refuse trucks. Now Chinese automaker BYD and Wayne Engineering, a manufacturer of chassis-mounted productivity solutions for the solid waste industry, have announced the launch of a pure electric… Read more »
DRIVEtheARC fast charging corridor breaks ground in California
Yet another fast charging corridor will soon connect the cities of the Western US. DRIVEtheARC, which will link the metro areas of Monterey, San Francisco, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, recently broke ground with a star-studded ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new network is a joint project of the state of California and NEDO, a Japanese R&D organization…. Read more »
UK government extends Plug-In Van grants to larger trucks
The UK government has announced an investment of an additional £4 million ($4.9 million) to the Plug-In Van grant scheme, extending eligibility to larger electric vehicles. Electric trucks above 3.5 tons will now be eligible for grants of up to £20,000 ($24,300). The grant amount is automatically deducted from the price of the vehicle by… Read more »
Proposed legislation lets employers offer pre-tax transportation benefits to EV drivers
US Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has introduced legislation (S.3450) that would allow employers to give EV drivers access to the same pre-tax transportation benefits many workers receive for traditional forms of transportation such as public transit passes and parking fees. The Electric Vehicle Credit Act would exclude benefits for EV charging from an employee’s taxable… Read more »
BMW electrifies its best-selling model: the 330e iPerformance PHEV launches in the US
Which major automaker has sold the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles relative to its overall US sales? You may be surprised to learn that it’s BMW – aside from Tesla, of course, which sells 100% EVs. In the first half of 2016, BMW’s four plug-in vehicles – the i3, i8, X5 xDrive40e and 330e iPerformance… Read more »
Changes to California ZEV rules could threaten Tesla income
As is the case with most government regulations, the California Air Resources Board’s Zero-Emission Vehicle rules are complex, and changing them tends to create winners and losers (and acronyms). CARB regulators are now considering changes to the rules that would make it harder for automakers to comply with ZEV targets by buying credits, rather than… Read more »