Ironically, South Korea, home to some of the world’s leading producers of Li-ion batteries including LG Chem and Samsung, still has a comparatively tiny EV market. Total plug-in sales in 2014 were 850, far below a tenth of 1% of total vehicle sales. Neighboring Japan has around 110,000 plug-in vehicles on the road, compared to around 1,800… Read more »
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Tesla Superchargers may be too popular for their own good
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 »
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 »
Swiss and Finnish firms collaborate to build drivetrain for battery-electric ferry, city buses
Swiss battery manufacturer Leclanché (named for the inventor of the dry cell battery) and Finnish electric drivetrain specialist Visedo have partnered to deliver a powertrain for an electric ferryboat that will be built by Danish shipbuilder Søby Shipyard and put into service in June 2017 between the mainland and Ærø Island. The ferry will be… Read more »
Guangzhou Automobile Group to invest $322 million in factory for new energy vehicles
Guangzhou Automobile Group plans to invest 2 billion yuan ($322 million) in a factory in China that will exclusively build new energy vehicles (plug-ins, hybrids and FCVs). The new plant is scheduled to go online in 2018, and will have an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles. The location of the new factory has not… Read more »
PowerGenix demonstrates the benefits of nickel-zinc batteries for stop-start and auxiliary applications
PowerGenix, a supplier of automotive nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries, has completed a product evaluation test plan with the Institute of Automotive Technologies Dresden (IAD). IAD evaluated the capabilities of NiZn batteries used as a 12 V auxiliary power unit for plug-in vehicles, or as a 12 V starter battery for stop-start applications. “The unique cost and… Read more »
Minnesota utility offers free wind energy upgrade for EV drivers
Several electric utilities around the world offer customers the ability to buy energy generated solely from renewable sources. Minnesota’s Great River Energy has gone a step further, letting EV-driving customers choose wind-generated energy at no additional cost. “Our Revolt program allows consumers to further support the use of renewable energy. We are dedicating wind energy… Read more »
FIA Formula E Championship aims to change perception and push EV technology to new heights
A race towards progress: The all-electric racing series The greatest obstacle to getting more EVs on the road isn’t high upfront costs, range anxiety or a lack of infrastructure – it’s simple consumer awareness. Despite the fact that the Model S, Volt and LEAF are becoming common sights in many cities, a surprisingly high number of… Read more »
California: Smaller automakers can earn ZEV credits with PHEVs (UPDATED)
For several years now, the California Air Resources Board’s ZEV mandate has required the largest automakers to produce a certain number of zero-emission vehicles for sale in the state. Beginning in 2018, smaller OEMs will be subject to the rules, too. Unsurprisingly, these companies would rather skip it, and at a May hearing, Jaguar Land… Read more »
Ford opens up its EV patents, puts 200 more engineers to work on electrification
Tesla isn’t the only company that can play the patent-opening game. Ford has announced that it will make its portfolio of over 650 electrification-related patents available to competing automakers. Unlike Tesla, which has implied that it will allow others to use technology “in good faith” free of charge (and Toyota, which plans to make some… Read more »