If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: EVs and charging infrastructure present a chicken-and-egg problem. This thesis has been the topic of countless EV industry conference panels over the past decade. In recent years, many experts have attempted to declare the issue settled. Back in January 2013, European Union Climate Commissioner… Read more »
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The 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV enters the US market with great promise
These days when most Americans think of Swedish engineering, they probably remember a frustrating experience with an Allen wrench and one too few pieces of particle board. But we didn’t always buy our Swedish creations under the same roof as our Swedish meatballs. Any American old enough to drink remembers a friend whose parents drove… Read more »
Proterra CEO on the economics of the electric bus business
Venture capitalists assume a large amount of risk when they invest in early-stage companies. They do so because of the potential for huge returns. To ensure that a portfolio of investments delivers the greatest return with the least risk, VCs spend a considerable amount of time evaluating companies, looking for the key ingredients of success…. Read more »
New study: Nighttime EV charging may increase carbon footprint (Updated)
The question of the “long tailpipe” is a fraught one: does an EV deliver lower carbon emissions than a legacy vehicle if the electricity comes from dirty coal? The latest study to address the issue comes from Carnegie Mellon University, and it includes a couple of surprising new findings. “Regional Variability and Uncertainty of Electric Vehicle… Read more »
Further With Ford: e-bikes and electric car sharing, but no news on a 200-mile EV
The annual Further With Ford conference is all about what the company is doing to stay relevant in a changing world. In this year’s keynote speech, CEO Mark Fields talked about what the company sees as some of today’s most important trends, and how they inspired several research projects that have now graduated to pilot… Read more »
Proterra’s electric buses approach $1 billion in total pipeline sales opportunities
Will the transit vehicle market be the first to completely eliminate petroleum use? Proterra thinks so. During a recent interview for the latest issue of Charged, CEO Ryan Popple told us that the company is currently in contention for roughly 20% of the potential transit vehicle orders in the US over the next couple years,… Read more »
Center for Sustainable Energy to develop platform for integrating EV charging with the grid
The California Energy Commission has awarded a $1.5-million grant to the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) to develop a platform for integrating EV charging with utility-scale energy systems. CSE will work with charging network operator KnGrid to create a standardized data platform using the ISO/IEC 15118 standard. “By leveraging an international standard for how EVs… Read more »
Corri-Door project to install 200 DC fast charging points in France by December
French EV drivers will soon have plenty of options for intercity travel. The Corri-Door project plans to install 200 DC fast charging points at 80 km intervals along major highways, and in nearby shopping centers, throughout the country. The first two stations are now operational, at the Bosgouet Nord (A13) and Tardenois Nord (A4) motorway… Read more »
Nissan, GM and Toyota repurpose used EV batteries for stationary storage
Tesla may have made it trendy, but the California company is far from the only automaker exploring the commercial energy storage market, which is expected to grow from $200 million in 2012 to $19 billion in 2017, according to research firm IHS CERA. Nissan has joined forces with Green Charge Networks to deploy second-life EV… Read more »
Toyota Research team reports critical advance in electrolytes for magnesium batteries
Still looking for a replacement for lithium? How about magnesium? It’s divalent, so it can displace double the charge per ion (i.e., Mg2+ rather than Li+). It’s much more abundant than lithium, and more stable. However, researchers investigating Mg-ion batteries have run into several limitations, including anode/electrolyte incompatibility. Now a team at the Toyota Research… Read more »