The auto world is already abuzz over the new and improved Toyota Prius, and this week the plug-in posse got a charge as the new plug-in hybrid version was unveiled at the New York Auto Show. The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime, as the new PHEV is called, will have an 8.8 kWh battery pack and… Read more »
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A closer look at electrolytes in advanced batteries
The electrolytes in advanced batteries are based on incredibly complicated formulations. If you calculated all of the possible combinations of solvents, salts and additives while trying to find the optimal ratios for just one electrolyte formulation, it would add up to an extraordinary number of possibilities. Because it plays such a critical role in battery… Read more »
Telefonix makes the case for free Level 1 workplace charging
Everyone who watches the sketch comedy show Portlandia knows that the dream of the 90s is alive in Portland. Our dream of the 90s was vehicle electrification, and we hoped the GM EV-1 would kick-start the trend more than a decade before the Tesla Roadster actually did it. Well, the vehicle electrification dream is alive… Read more »
2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron delivers performance and practicality
The selection of plug-in vehicles available to US buyers continues to grow steadily – it now stands at 27 models, with several more expected this year. The latest entrant to the market is the 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, the German luxury brand’s first plug-in model available in the US. Every time a new plug-in… Read more »
ARPA-E to award $30 million to increase performance of solid ion conductors for batteries
The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will award up to $30 million in funding for a new program focused on creating components for the next generation of batteries and fuel cells. ARPA-E’s Integration and Optimization of Novel Ion Conducting Solids (IONICS) program (DE-FOA-0001478) seeks to create transformational electrochemical cells by creating components built with… Read more »
Second life: Spiers New Technologies develops advanced battery classification techniques
Spiers New Technologies (SNT) is just over a year old, but its founder has been focused on developing the market and technology for secondary-use batteries as long as anyone in the business. Dirk Spiers is one of the more passionate figures in the EV industry. Like many entrepreneurs, he seems to have a clear view… Read more »
Why don’t EV-makers offer battery upgrades?
If you buy an EV this year, chances are next year’s model will offer a slightly better battery for the same price. As a result, resale values for most EVs are terrible (or wonderful, if you’re looking to buy a used car). Three-year-old Nissan LEAFs are going for around a quarter of their original MSRPs…. Read more »
NEVS loses rights to build EVs with Saab brand name, continues with big growth plans
Saab AB, the Swedish aerospace company that owns the Saab brand, won’t allow its name or logo to be used on cars produced by National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), the Chinese-backed firm that bought the assets of bankrupt Saab Automobile in 2012. “We have revoked their right to use the brand name,” and the matter… Read more »
Data-driven energy management system can improve the efficiency of PHEVs by 12%
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have demonstrated an energy management system (EMS) that learns from historical driving cycles how to combine the power streams from an electric motor and an internal-combustion engine in the most energy-efficient way. In “Data-Driven Reinforcement Learning-Based Real-Time Energy Management System for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles,” published in Transportation Research… Read more »
Tesla earnings report highlights critical importance of ramping up production
The latest Tesla earnings report followed the usual pattern: large losses today, but plenty of potential tomorrow. The Messiah of the Motor Industry reported revenue of $1.21 billion for the 4th quarter of 2015, and $4.05 billion for the full year, both healthy increases over the previous periods. Tesla delivered 17,478 vehicles in Q4, including… Read more »