Startup 24M has emerged from stealth mode to introduce its semisolid lithium-ion cell, which the company claims will deliver improved performance at half the cost of current Li-ion batteries. “The lithium-ion battery is a brilliant, enabling technology, but its economics are flawed. It’s prohibitively expensive; it’s cumbersome and inefficient to make; and today’s version is… Read more »
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Tesla resists changes to California ZEV mandate
California’s ZEV mandate, which will require 15 percent of cars sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2025, will soon be expanded to include medium-size OEMs such as Mitsubishi and Volvo, which naturally have some helpful ideas as to how the rules could be watered down. At a May hearing, automakers and… Read more »
Loyal GM customer told CEO Mary Barra he is tempted by Tesla’s “beautiful” user interface
There’s currently a lot of talk about a trend that Tesla co-founder Ian Wright discussed in our pages a year ago: even as software becomes a more and more critical part of the automobile, the user interfaces built by the (non-Tesla) automakers are clunky and old-fashioned, especially when it comes to integrating with our other… Read more »
FIA Formula E Championship aims to change perception and push EV technology to new heights
A race towards progress: The all-electric racing series The greatest obstacle to getting more EVs on the road isn’t high upfront costs, range anxiety or a lack of infrastructure – it’s simple consumer awareness. Despite the fact that the Model S, Volt and LEAF are becoming common sights in many cities, a surprisingly high number of… Read more »
Wildcat Discovery Technology creates new experiments to accelerate battery research
The pulse of the industry: Wildcat Discovery Technology is at the forefront of battery research, solving problems and accumulating insight. When Charged wants to catch up on the newest trends in cutting-edge battery technology, there are a few companies we turn to for insight. At the top of the list is a group whose high-speed… Read more »
Elon Musk vs the LA Times: Yes, Tesla has benefited from government incentives. And?
The LA Times recently ran a “now it can be told” article highlighting the various government subsidies and incentives that benefit Tesla and Elon Musk’s other companies, SolarCity and SpaceX – a total of about $4.9 billion by the Times’ reckoning. Certainly Tesla, like many other energy companies and automakers, has benefited from a wide… Read more »
California: Smaller automakers can earn ZEV credits with PHEVs (UPDATED)
For several years now, the California Air Resources Board’s ZEV mandate has required the largest automakers to produce a certain number of zero-emission vehicles for sale in the state. Beginning in 2018, smaller OEMs will be subject to the rules, too. Unsurprisingly, these companies would rather skip it, and at a May hearing, Jaguar Land… Read more »
New Elon Musk biography reveals new details, sows controversy (book review)
Ashlee Vance, the author of Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, has had unprecedented access to his subject, spending many hours in face-to-face interviews with Musk. He has also spoken with many of Musk’s family members, friends and business associates, and has crafted a comprehensive biography that’s replete with details… Read more »
VW Golf GTE concept plugs in and gets sporty
Volkswagen unveiled a concept Sport version of the Golf GTE PHEV at a recent festival in Austria. Featuring a carbon fiber body and a three-motor AWD system, the Golf GTE Sport does 60 in 4.3 seconds, boasts a top speed of 174 mph, and offers an electric range of 31 miles. The powertrain includes a 1.6-liter TSI… Read more »
ORNL breakthrough could enable wider application of graphene composites
Graphene, a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms, has great potential in a number of EV-related applications, including anodes, lithium-sulfur batteries and ultracapacitors. With current technology, however, it’s impractical to use on a large scale, and researchers have been limited to using small flakes of the material. Now a team of researchers at the DOE’s… Read more »