Search Results Found For: "Nissan"

A closer look at why heat pumps are dominating EV HVAC systems

Heating or cooling the interior cabin of an EV substantially affects the vehicle’s on-road efficiency, and the HVAC system often gets the proverbial “rented mule” treatment. In an ICE vehicle—particularly an underpowered one—there is a visceral reminder that running the AC, at least, costs something, since there is a palpable hit to acceleration whenever the… Read more »

Ford unveils big plans for an EV factory and 3 battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky

Here at Charged, we don’t usually repeat superlative claims—“the first, the biggest, the fastest”—we leave those to the Guinness Book of Records. In this case, however, we’ll make an exception. Ford says its plan to build two new manufacturing complexes in Tennessee and Kentucky represents “the largest ever manufacturing investment at one time by any… Read more »

ABB charges into the future with Formula E

The global electric racing championship Formula E has been a huge success by any measure. Automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Nissan, and Jaguar have embraced the series, which is surely the world’s most prominent showcase for electric vehicle performance. Charged attended the New York City E-Prix in July, and spoke with several execs from EV infrastructure… Read more »

Sprint Power develops components for wireless charging trial for fleet vehicles

Sprint Power, a British firm that specializes in electrified propulsion systems, power electronics and battery systems, is leading a UK government-backed project that aims to demonstrate the suitability of wireless charging technology for fleet vehicles. Funding for the wireless charging project has been provided by Innovate UK, a public body designed to drive research and… Read more »

Electrify America to phase out new CHAdeMO installations from 2022

The charging standards war ended in 2020, when Nissan announced that it would abandon the CHAdeMO DC fast charging standard in favor of the competing CCS standard. The only new plug-in vehicle on sale in the US that still uses CHAdeMO is the low-volume Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. [Editor’s note: There’s also the 2021 LEAF, which… Read more »

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5: First of an aggressive wave of new EVs

The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 should be taken very seriously when it goes on sale this fall. It will be a new and likely very competitive entry in what will soon become a crowded field of EVs in the popular “compact crossover” segment.  It’s not the first such EV: the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model… Read more »

Five companies produce almost all EV battery cells for the US market

Five companies (AESC, LG Chem, Panasonic, Samsung and SK Innovation) produced almost all the battery cells used in plug-in vehicles for the US market over the past decade. Total capacity produced was 75,933 MWh. Panasonic supplied 74% of all the cells, and a majority of these were installed in Tesla battery packs.  A small percentage… Read more »

New CEO confirms Honda will go all-electric by 2040

Honda has become the first major Japanese automaker to set an official date for phasing out sales of fossil-powered vehicles. New CEO Toshihiro Mibe has announced that his company hopes to go all-electric by 2040. Mibe’s announcement confirms a shift that Honda has been hinting at for some months. In 2020, the company partnered with… Read more »

An EV laggard reverses course—Australian’s New South Wales announces promising pro-EV policy package

Australia is one of the least charged of the world’s wealthy countries. During the 2019 elections, Prime Minister Scott Morrison characterized EVs as a threat to Australians’ way of life, and that seems to have set the tone for Australia’s EV policy, or lack thereof, ever since. Until now, there has been little or no… Read more »

The war is (still) over: France will no longer require fast chargers to support CHAdeMO

A generational struggle for hearts and minds is underway, and all of humanity is divided. However, the eventual outcome of the war has been clear for some time. When Nissan announced in 2020 that it would implement the CCS fast charging standard in US and European markets, it became plain that the days of the… Read more »