Giving away free stuff can be a winning business strategy, but it can backfire if customers start gaming the system. At Tesla’s recent shareholders’ meeting, Elon Musk complained that some Model S owners living near the company’s free Superchargers are using them to charge up for everyday driving, rather than for road trips as Tesla… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Plug & Charge"
UK plug-in vehicle sales start to accelerate
The UK government’s efforts to boost adoption of what it calls “ultra low emission vehicles” (ULEVs) seem to be yielding some results. In the first quarter of 2015, 9,046 new ULEVs (EVs, PHEVs and FCVs) were registered, up 366% from 1,789 in the first quarter of 2014. The UK’s plug-in car and van grants were… Read more »
West Coast Electric Highway enables payment with PlugShare mobile app
EV drivers using the West Coast Electric Highway charging network in Oregon and Washington now have another way to pay for charging. Recargo’s PlugShare mobile app now provides access to the network on a pay-per-charge basis at no additional cost. Charging rates are: $4.00 per charge for Level 2 stations or $7.50 for DC fast… Read more »
Ultramodern plug-in buses go into service in Gothenburg
Volvo’s home town, the Swedish city of Gothenburg, has become something of a center for electric bus research, as the company operates pilots of electric and plug-in hybrid buses, some using dynamic wireless charging. This month the city opened its first fully operational route featuring electric buses. Bus route 55, which runs through the city… Read more »
May plug-in sales: Tesla, LEAF and Volt back in the top 3, overall sales mediocre
The traditional running order reasserted itself in May, as the Model S, LEAF and Volt slid back into the top three spots. While plug-in sales were up substantially over April, they failed to best the May 2014 numbers. The Tesla Model S grabbed the lead with 2,400 estimated US sales. Deliveries of the D are… Read more »
Guess which minivan maker may produce an all-wheel-drive plug-in?
Fiat Chrysler sometimes seems to be the most vocal holdout of the waning oil age. It’s about the only major automaker that offers no hybrid models, and CEO Sergio Marchionne is often depicted in the EV press as an anti-electric curmudgeon – he has stated that the company loses $10,000 on every unit of the Fiat… Read more »
VW Golf GTE concept plugs in and gets sporty
Volkswagen unveiled a concept Sport version of the Golf GTE PHEV at a recent festival in Austria. Featuring a carbon fiber body and a three-motor AWD system, the Golf GTE Sport does 60 in 4.3 seconds, boasts a top speed of 174 mph, and offers an electric range of 31 miles. The powertrain includes a 1.6-liter TSI… Read more »
Volvo XC90 PHEV to come with AeroVironment’s portable TurboCord charger
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 »
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 »