The XC90 T8 is the first Volvo designed from the ground up for plug-in compatibility, according to the company. Built on the Scalable Product Architecture platform, the 7-seat SUV features a 4-cylinder Drive-E gas engine with supercharger and turbocharger, an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The high-voltage (270–400 V) lithium-ion battery has a 9.2 kWh capacity, capable of… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Clean Cars"
Washington state debates extending sales tax break for EVs
Washington Governor Jay Inslee wants to extend a sales tax break for EVs, explore giving them access to carpool lanes, and create incentives for builders to include high-speed charging in new projects. He outlined his ideas at a clean-energy conference in early November, and is expected to release specific proposals with his budget in December…. Read more »
Every inch an EV: Tesla’s Model S redefines the automobile (new book excerpt)
This article is an excerpt from Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution by Charged Senior Editor Charles Morris. This 270-page book is a comprehensive history of Tesla, told by the entrepreneurs who made it happen, as well as an assessment of the company’s lasting influence… Read more »
Will European drivers warm to hybrids?
Hybrids, with or without plugs, are comparatively rare on European roads, but Automotive News believes that’s about to change, as EU limits on CO2 emissions become stricter, forcing Continental automakers to electrify. German and French automakers dominate the market in Europe, and diesels have long been their chosen solution, accounting for half of new-car sales… Read more »
New report: Used EV batteries and California’s energy storage needs
As California searches for cheap energy storage options, a new report by the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative at the UCLA and UC Berkeley law schools suggests that used EV batteries may be the ideal solution. “Most batteries will retain much of their capacity and value after the use of the car,” said report… Read more »
US plug-in sales break 250,000 as National Drive Electric Week kicks off
US plug-in vehicle sales have surpassed the quarter-million mark, just in time for National Drive Electric Week, September 15-21. Sales have increased by a healthy percentage every year since the Volt and LEAF went on the market at the end of 2010. 2014 sales total 76,799 so far, on track to handily beat 2013’s figure… Read more »
Membrane technology and the importance of venting EV electronics
Protecting a car’s sensitive electronics throughout its lifetime is a must, whether it’s a conventional ICE vehicle or an EV. However, the larger electronics in plug-in vehicles have more power, more heat and higher pressure differentials that present new technological challenges to OEMs and suppliers. Any power semiconductor inevitably generates heat while conducting current, due… Read more »
Phinergy CEO on aluminum-air batteries and 1,000-mile range-extended EVs
Along with its industry giant partner Alcoa, Israeli startup Phinergy says it has aluminum-air batteries for EVs in the can. More than 550 feet over the National Mall in Washington, DC, the single most significant piece of American aluminum triangulates a point between the White House, the US Capitol, and the Lincoln Memorial. It is… Read more »
Q&A with Ian Wright: The CEO of Wrightspeed on Tesla, gas turbines and electric trucks
Ian Wright is originally from New Zealand. He came to California in 1993, where he happened to be a neighbor of Tesla founder Martin Eberhard. He worked with optical switching systems at a company called Altamar Networks until it went out of business, then decided he wanted to start his own company. Eberhard and his… Read more »
CARB funds new round of plug-in incentives
The California Air Resources Board has approved a funding plan for fiscal year 2014-15 that includes several new and renewed incentives for advanced vehicle technologies. The $222 million pot of money includes $200 million from ARB’s cap-and-trade program. The agency is required by law to invest a portion of proceeds in disadvantaged communities. “Action taken… Read more »
