Tesla insists on doing things differently, and the unconventional financing it offers on Model S is one example. The company guarantees a resale value of 50 percent of the original purchase price after 36 months – it’s technically a loan, but in a way, it works more like a lease. It’s a pretty good deal… Read more »
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GM bulks up its Global Battery Systems Lab
General Motors has greatly increased the size of its Global Battery Systems Laboratory, North America’s largest OEM-owned battery lab. The 85,000-square-foot lab now has 112 pack-level test channels and 120 cell-level test channels. The added space will let the company test batteries and computer controls much faster than before. It took GM about four years… Read more »
Multiphase cooling: CapTherm’s technology takes the heat off
Canada’s CapTherm Systems’ multiphase cooling technology could take the heat off of EV batteries and charging stations more efficiently, taking up less space using fewer materials while improving longevity and performance. Charged takes an early peek at this innovation before it goes commercial next year. If you’ve never dropped your smartphone 10 feet onto pavement,… Read more »
BMW i3: The launch of many firsts
When you’re writing about the dawn of a new industry, “firsts” and “milestones” come along so often that they may start to lose their novelty. However, the BMW i3, which was officially “launched” in July, and is scheduled to go on sale next year, boasts an impressive number of innovations that has the EV press… Read more »
NOHMs Technologies establishes Li-S battery manufacturing facility in Kentucky
NOHMs Technologies, a lithium-sulfur battery spin-off from Cornell University, will locate a new research, manufacturing and product development facility in Lexington, Kentucky. The company will use the Kentucky-Argonne Battery Manufacturing Research and Development Center, a partnership of the Argonne National Laboratory, the state and the Universities of Kentucky and Louisville. Ford, Hitachi and Toyota are some… Read more »
August plug-in sales best in history – Volt, LEAF, Prius smash records
Break out the Champagne! August was the best month ever for US plug-in vehicle sales, as 11,073 new owners got charged. Year-to-date sales (58,662) have already surpassed sales for all of 2012 (52,581). The surge was broad and deep – the three leading models had huge increases, the top two set new records, and even… Read more »
DOE to resume making loans for advanced vehicles
The $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program, which funded both winners (Tesla, Ford, Nissan) and losers (Fisker) before election-year criticism from the back seat caused it to slam on the brakes, will get back on the road soon, said DOE spokeswoman Aoife McCarthy. The program, which was created in 2008 by President… Read more »
ARPA-E awarding $36 million to 22 projects in RANGE program to improve EV batteries
When the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced its Robust Affordable Next Generation EV-Storage (RANGE) program in February, it envisioned doling out $20 million in research funding to 8- 12 recipients with the goal of developing a better EV battery. Now the agency has announced the recipients of the awards, and both… Read more »
EVs take 1.1% of California auto market
EV sales have cracked the whole-digit mark for the first time. Battery electric vehicles accounted for 1.1% of new vehicle sales in California in the first half of 2013, according to California Auto Outlook, a publication of the California New Car Dealers Association. Hybrids took 7% of the market, up from 6.2% in 2012, while… Read more »
2014 Volt MSRP to drop five grand
The eagerly awaited 2014 Volt will have no changes from the 2013 model, except for a couple of new colors – and a $5,000 price cut. The new sticker price will be $34,995, including an $810 destination charge. The 2014s have already begun shipping from GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, and will arrive in showrooms within… Read more »