When Protean Electric begins production of its Protean Drive in-wheel electric drive system later this year, it could mark the stirring comeback of the wheel hub motor, a concept that’s been more than a century in the making. Electric wheel-hub motors date all the way back to 1884, and none other than Ferdinand Porsche used… Read more »
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Kentucky firm to market diesel hybrid conversion kits for Class 8 trucks
Kentucky-based ePower Engine Systems has placed an order with Axion Power International (OTC QB: AXPW) for Axion’s leadcarbon (PbC) batteries and management systems, which will be used to convert ten Class 8 trucks (the largest category of over-the-road trucks) to series diesel hybrids, using ePower’s proprietary technology. Each conversion kit would require 56 PbC batteries… Read more »
June EV sales: Volt and LEAF vie for the lead once again
Chevy, Nissan and Tesla are swapping paint at the head of the pack, as a couple of feisty little contenders get ready to enter the race. Plug-in automobiles posted their second best month of US sales so far this year, with almost 8,000 vehicles changing hands. The 2013 Chevrolet Volt retook the lead and then… Read more »
BMW: lithium-air batteries will double EV range within four to five years
Most experts agree that the eventual dominance of electric vehicles depends on a big breakthrough in battery technology. With researchers around the globe feverishly working on such an advance, there’s no question (except among the most rabid EV-haters) that it will happen. If you ask when the big break will occur, however, you’ll find a… Read more »
Nissan announces battery replacement program
Nissan has announced plans to offer a battery replacement program for US LEAF buyers who wish to replace their original lithium-ion battery pack. LEAF batteries are already protected by a warranty that covers battery capacity loss (below 70%) for five years or 60,000 miles, and manufacturing defects for eight years or 100,000 miles. The new battery replacement… Read more »
NADA: prices of used plug-ins to drop 30% in 2013
It’s bad news for early adopters, but good news for those who are impatient for EV prices to come down to a more affordable level. A new report from the National Association of Auto Dealers (NADA) predicts that values for used plug-in vehicles are expected to decline nearly 30% this year – the highest depreciation… Read more »
Bosch to distribute and install Evatran wireless chargers – shipping in July
The Plugless Level 2 EV Charging System includes a vehicle adapter installed on the user’s EV, a floor-mounted wireless Parking Pad, and a wall-mounted control panel.
May plug-in sales: LEAF regains the lead, Volt and Model S battling for second
US plug-in sales set no new record in May, but the total of 7,554 units wasn’t too far behind the all-time monthly sales record of 8,559, set in December of 2012.
Chevrolet Spark EV to lease for $199 a month
Hankering for a hatchback? Eager to go electric? Looking to lease? You’ll soon be able to choose among three models for $199 a month. Chevrolet has announced that it will offer a “low mileage” lease on the new 2014 Spark EV 1LT with similar terms to those available for the popular Nissan LEAF and the… Read more »
VIDEO: Elon Musk says third-generation Tesla will be about 20% smaller than Model S
Star entrepreneur Elon Musk gave a lengthy and wide-ranging interview at this week’s D11 Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Interviewers Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher question Musk from the standpoint of someone who isn’t familiar with Tesla or with EVs in general, so he includes a brief primer on the EV scene. He explains… Read more »