When the Chevrolet Volt was launched at the end of 2010, I must confess that I gave it little chance of success. It seemed like an awkward compromise – buyers who wanted to go electric would surely prefer a pure EV, and buyers who weren’t ready to take that plunge had every reason to stick… Read more »
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Audi targets Tesla Model X with all-electric 311-mile e-tron quattro
In May, Audi said that it is developing “a sporty SUV with electric drive,” to be launched in 2018 (the company also plans to sell two plug-in SUV models in Asia in 2016). Now Audi has released teaser images of its e-tron quattro concept, which will be unveiled next month at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2015… Read more »
South Korean plan turns ordinary 220V outlets into charging stations
Ironically, South Korea, home to some of the world’s leading producers of Li-ion batteries including LG Chem and Samsung, still has a comparatively tiny EV market. Total plug-in sales in 2014 were 850, far below a tenth of 1% of total vehicle sales. Neighboring Japan has around 110,000 plug-in vehicles on the road, compared to around 1,800… Read more »
DOE report examines opportunities for US battery manufacturers
Asia currently dominates automotive lithium-ion cell production – it controls around 79% of the market. However, a recent report by the DOE’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC) found that the US has a growing opportunity in the industry, which is expected to swell from the current $9 billion to $14.3 billion by 2020. The… Read more »
Apple and A123 settle engineer-poaching lawsuit
The iCar is still just a rumor, but Apple surely has been showing a lot of interest in EV-related technology, including large-format batteries. This week, the Cupertino computer-maker agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had been showing a little too much interest in engineers working for Massachusetts battery-maker A123. In February, A123 filed… Read more »
2016 Volt: better, cheaper, coming this fall
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is on its way. MSRP for the base LT model will be $33,995 including delivery – $1,175 lower than the 2015 Volt, and close to the $33,560 average price of a new vehicle, as estimated by KBB (via Green Car Reports). There’s also a snazzier trim level that has a host of high-tech… Read more »
A123 shifts focus to starter batteries
Since battery-maker A123 was acquired by China’s Wanxiang Group, it has shifted its focus to concentrate on starter batteries, and has big plans to produce batteries for microhybrids, aka start-stop systems. A quarter of the company’s revenue still comes from EV battery packs – its factory in Hangzhou is running at full capacity to supply… Read more »
GM Exec: Low oil prices won’t stop our plans for electrification, MPG targets make it inevitable
How will low oil prices affect the growth in vehicle electrification? It’s a question we’ve heard a lot since the price of crude began to plummet about six months ago. A few studies have come out recently that find cheap oil has little or no effect on PEV sales. It seems that either buyers don’t… Read more »
Tesla’s batteries – past, present and future
This article is an excerpt from Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution by Charged Senior Editor Charles Morris. Tesla seems to make a point of doing things differently than other automakers, and its battery pack – the most critical component of any EV –… Read more »
Chevrolet Bolt EV: 200-mile range for $30,000
The EV world has been looking forward to the launch of the next-generation Volt at next week’s Detroit auto show, but the latest news promises to make the Volt a sideshow. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and Detroit News, GM plans to launch a new EV called the Chevrolet Bolt, with… Read more »
