Please don’t tell any of the mainstream media, but US plug-in vehicle sales reached a new all-time high in March. Interestingly, pure EV sales (4750) outnumbered PHEV sales (3080), which, if its not just a temporary market gyration, would seem to be a reversal of the current conventional wisdom. In first place for March is… Read more »
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Fisker furloughs workers
Its production line idle since July, and its search for a suitor seemingly in limbo, Fisker Automotive put its US workforce of about 200 employees on furlough this week to cut costs.
Geely won’t bid for Fisker
China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will not bid for a majority stake in Fisker Automotive, mainly due to the automaker’s obligations to the US government, Reuters reported, citing two confidential sources. Geely, the owner of Volvo, was expected to win the deal for the maker of the Karma, but the Chinese firm doesn’t care for… Read more »
President Obama pushes research into EVs and other advanced transportation technologies
In a speech at the Argonne National Laboratory, President Obama proposed a new Energy Security Trust Fund to invest in research into post-petroleum transportation technologies, including electric vehicles. The plan sets aside $2 billion over 10 years from royalty revenues paid to the federal government by oil and gas producers. The government collects more than… Read more »
US adding 180 public chargers per month
Both government agencies and private owners are deploying public charging stations in the US at a combined rate of about 180 units a month, according to the latest figures from the DOE. As of this writing, the US has 5,548 public charging stations, and at the current pace, will have about 7,400 by the end… Read more »
February plug-in sales: Volt back on top, LEAF in short supply
As overall sales continue to be slow, the Chevrolet Volt regained its title of best-selling plug-in vehicle in the US with deliveries of 1,626 units in February. It was no surprise to see a large increase over January’s meager sales of 1,140, which GM attributed to a holiday production pause. Significantly, the latest number handily… Read more »
German researchers seek to demonstrate that EVs are cheaper than ICEs
Do the lower operating costs of EVs justify their higher purchase prices compared to legacy gas-burning vehicles? That question may have no definitive yes-or-no answer (it depends on an individual’s driving habits), but more data is always welcome. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, in cooperation… Read more »
Fisker settles suit with insurance company – precursor to a sale?
The carmaker filed suit in December, after the insurer refused to cover the loss of 338 Karma sedans, worth about $33 million, that were destroyed in Superstorm Sandy.
ARPA-E’s new RANGE program offers $20m for battery research
If you think you can develop an EV battery that delivers three times the range for a third less cost than current designs, you can claim a slice of $20 million in research funding from the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). The agency has issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the… Read more »
Smith Electric Vehicles: the long haul and the short end of the stick
Smith sees a bright future in electric trucks on the horizon, but must wade through a sea of speculation to get there. All Smith Electric Vehicles Corp. wanted was a long-term growth strategy that would let the company scale up production of its all-electric, zero-emission medium-duty trucks at the same time that it beefed up… Read more »