While some plug-in vehicle owners steer towards hard-wired wall-mounted charging stations, other drivers find that portable “trunk chargers” offer a sufficient and convenient solution. Volvo has announced that its 2016 XC90 T8 will include AeroVironment’s portable TurboCord Dual (120 V/240 V) charger as standard equipment when the new PHEV goes on sale in the US later this year. This marks the first time… Read more »
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European plug-in sales soar
The EV market in Europe got off to a late start, but now that European automakers such as BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Audi have introduced plug-in models, things are starting to move quickly. Registrations of new electric vehicles (including BEVs, PHEVs and FCVs) in the EU countries grew from 11,304 units in Q1 2014 to 24,630… Read more »
April plug-in sales: Tesla and Nissan battle for lead, Chevy Spark (what?) snatches third place
The monthly sales race has presented a predictable pattern for many months: LEAF, Model S and Volt in the lead, Ford and Toyota plug-ins in the second rank, low-volume and compliance cars way in the back of the pack. So it was quite an upset when a couple of models that everyone had long ago… Read more »
Two Audi plug-ins debut in Shanghai
Here come the plug-in SUVs! The Audi Q7 e-tron 2.0 TFSI quattro made its debuts at this week’s Auto Shanghai show, along with the Audi A6 L e-tron. Both are scheduled to go on sale in Asia in 2016. The Q7 e-tron is a large SUV that Audi has developed specially for China, Singapore and Japan. It features a… Read more »
Volvo XC90 plug-in sells out in UK, soon to go on sale in US
American Volvo fans have been feeling left out, watching the V60 diesel PHEV wagon shatter sales projections in Europe. However, their depression should lift soon, when the Swedish automaker introduces what it considers to be a more US-friendly model, the new XC90 T8 Twin Engine Plug-In Hybrid. The corded crossover will go on sale in… Read more »
Siemens introduces VersiCharge Smartgrid Wi-Fi-enabled charging station
Siemens’s new VersiCharge Smartgrid (SG) is a Wi-Fi-enabled charging station that allows residential owners to monitor and control usage remotely through a mobile app. Users can automatically turn charging on or off, schedule charging when rates are lowest, and view past power consumption data in graphical form. The cloud-based charging station can also interact with… Read more »
ClipperCreek announces portable plug-in version of LCS-20 charging station
Contrary to popular belief, Level 2 charging does not necessarily require a custom-installed, hard-wired charging station. ClipperCreek offers a line of portable chargers that can be plugged into existing 240 V outlets. The company’s latest offering is the LCS-20P, a plug-in version of its popular LCS-20 hard-wired charger. “As the popularity of moveable charging stations… Read more »
March plug-in sales: Tesla grabs lead, Fiat surprises, Kia and Cadillac disappoint
There are several interesting developments to report on the EV sales front this month – an overall increase, a lead change, and a sales surge in the most unexpected of quarters. Total plug-in sales for the month were 10,341, a healthy recovery from February’s slump, and a 7% increase over the March 2014 numbers. Interestingly,… Read more »
Indiana gas station chain installs DC fast chargers (UPDATED)
Public EV chargers are popping up at all kinds of locations, including, of all places, gas stations. Convenience store chain Ricker Oil has installed nine DC fast chargers at locations in central Indiana. Ricker partnered with the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition and Nissan, which offers two years of free public charging to LEAF buyers… Read more »
Obama: Federal fleet must be 50 percent plug-ins by 2025
If the federal government wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions, one of the most obvious ways to do so would be to clean up its own vehicle fleet. The feds currently operate some 655,000 vehicles, and only a minuscule fraction of these are truly low-emission. President Obama signed an executive order Thursday directing the federal… Read more »