Does Daimler have a coherent electric-vehicle strategy? Its battery supply chain is literally all over the map, and this week’s announcement that the company may close a German battery plant that it was boasting about a month ago has the EV press puzzled. The first generation of Daimler’s smart fortwo electric drive, which is selling… Read more »
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Pratt & Whitney exec: Electric aircraft would require technological miracles
A Pratt & Whitney executive has explained something that even the most fanatical e-vangelist can see: full-size commercial airliners are not likely to become EVs any time soon. In a question-and-answer session with reporters this week, Alan Epstein, P&W’s VP of Technology and Environment, said that the company has investigated electric aircraft and determined that… Read more »
Google reveals prototype self-driving car with no steering wheel or pedals
After several years of exploring self-driving technology, Google has revealed its own prototype vehicle, which has no need of a steering wheel or accelerator pedal. Google has been testing its self-driving systems in Lexus SUVs, but Sergey Brin said the company decided to change gears after some experiments, which convinced engineers that it wasn’t practical… Read more »
GM makes 401 EV charging stations available to employees
General Motors has installed 401 electric vehicle charging stations at its US production and business locations, in response to employee demand. Most are located at GM’s large engineering and corporate facilities in Michigan, where employee EV ownership is growing steadily. Charging is available free to GM employees and visitors. More than 20 percent of the… Read more »
California Energy Commission awards $6 million for EV charging and V2G projects
The California Energy Commission has approved three alternative fuel infrastructure projects totaling more than $6 million. The investments, which were funded through the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP), include: EV charging: Ten grants totaling more than $3.5 million for 181 EV charging stations to be installed along California highway corridors, and… Read more »
Odyne’s export power system provides clean stationary electric power
One of the many benefits of a plug-in hybrid work truck is the ability to run power tools without the noise and stink of an idling diesel engine. Wisconsin-based Odyne Systems LLC sells a modular plug-in hybrid drive system for medium- and heavy-duty trucks that can be installed in a new vehicle or as a… Read more »
Next-generation LEAF, with substantially improved range, planned for 2017
If we had an electric crystal ball, the question we’d most like to ask is: When will a next-generation battery, with substantially improved range, show up in a production EV? According to Nissan, that Earth-shaking event may happen around 2017. At last month’s Beijing auto show, Executive VP Andy Palmer told Automotive News that a… Read more »
Dual-carbon battery claims to be longer-lasting and safer than Li-ion
Seldom does a week go by without an announcement of a promising new battery technology – but the road from the laboratory to the auto dealership is a long one, and there’s no knowing which of today’s breakthroughs might enable tomorrow’s mass-market EVs. This week’s news, from Power Japan Plus, almost sounds too good to… Read more »
Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher on the future of the leading electric motorcycle company
Electric motorcycles are one of the most interesting stories in the EV world today, both because of their recent impressive accomplishments on the racetrack and because of the future potential for high-volume sales, especially in international markets. Ashland, Oregon-based Brammo is one of the leading makers of two-wheeled EVs, and its story has much in… Read more »
Misleading Lexus ad trashes plug-in vehicles
Every automaker has its own electrification strategy. Tesla, Nissan and BMW are pushing pure EVs. GM and Ford have each put most of their chips on plug-in hybrids, while hedging their bets with a low-volume EV. Toyota, and its luxury division Lexus, firmly believe hybrids are the way to go. Lexus has five hybrid models… Read more »
