President Obama has announced the selection of a consortium of businesses and universities to lead a manufacturing innovation institute for next-generation power electronics. Last May, the President committed $200 million in federal funding to three new regional hubs, designed to bridge the gap between applied research and product development, and launched a competition to select… Read more »
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North Carolina begins collecting new tax on EVs
North Carolina’s Division of Motor Vehicles has begun collecting a new $100 annual fee from EV owners. As Charged discussed in our June 2013 issue, many states are planning, or discussing, new taxes on EVs. Road construction and maintenance are largely financed by fuel taxes, and collections are declining as drivers around the country switch… Read more »
Report: sharp growth for battery materials market, driven by EV industry
Dallas, Texas market research and consulting company MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global battery materials market will be worth $11.3 billion by 2018. In 2012, its value was $5.1 billion, and the firm estimates a 13 percent compound annual growth rate from 2013 to 2018. They expect electric vehicles to be the key revenue generators for… Read more »
The most interesting part of the 2014 Cadillac ELR is the software
We often hear automotive engineers talk about the need for a better understanding of the components of an EV. Some have said that there is an inherent inefficiency in many systems because the parts – like the battery cells, motors and inverters – have historically been developed independently of each other and then integrated together…. Read more »
California gives Tesla tax break on new machinery
The state of California has granted Tesla a $34.7-million tax break on a batch of new manufacturing equipment valued at around $415 million. California is one of the few states that taxes the purchase of manufacturing equipment, but it sometimes offers exemptions to clean-tech companies. Tesla received a similar deal in 2010 when it bought… Read more »
India sees major growth in EV market, plans substantial subsidies
India plans to roll out generous subsidies for EVs beginning in April 2014, under the country’s National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, a senior government official said this week. As reported by Indian news outlet The Economic Times, Ambuj Sharma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, said that, now that the Indian economy is picking up,… Read more »
Tesla wins Buckeye state battle as dealership war spreads
Ohio was the site of the latest battle in the war between Tesla and the auto dealers, and the subversives from Silicon Valley seem to have won the day. The Ohio Dealers Association got an anti-Tesla amendment added to Ohio Senate Bill 137 – an unrelated bill that requires drivers to change lanes when highway… Read more »
Fisker finally files for bankruptcy, reveals creditors
Fisker Automotive finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, some 18 months after building its last car. Hybrid Technology LLC, which bought the automaker’s outstanding $168 million DOE loan for $25 million in October, said that the purchase of the government loan was a first step toward restarting production of the Karma. “As… Read more »
Tesla requests NHSTA investigation, confirms suspension update and amends warranty
(Updated 11/19/2013 – 11:10 am ET to include comments from NHTSA Administrator David Strickland) Tesla has taken a lot of heat since the third Model S fire in six weeks occurred earlier this month – the press pounced and the stock plummeted. Last week, Elon Musk reassured us that Tesla continues to build the safest cars… Read more »
Washington and Oregon drivers love I-5 DC fast chargers
EV drivers are putting the West Coast Electric Highway to use – new data from the Washington state Department of Transportation shows that the state’s 14 DC fast charging stations have delivered more than 10,000 charges since the first of them went into service in May 2012. Total monthly usage doubled to 1,125 charging sessions… Read more »