2015 was a year of retrenching and preparation for the future in the EV industry. US sales for the year were around 116,000, falling short of 2014’s figure of 123,000. The Tesla Model S grabbed and held the lead position, handily outselling all other plug-ins in the US with 25,700 deliveries. However, the big news… Read more »
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Volvo’s new S90 sedan will offer plug-in hybrid version
Volvo will unveil its new S90 premium sedan at the Detroit auto show (NAIAS) in January. One of the powertrain options will be a T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid. Thus, the S90 will be the second Volvo to offer a plug-in powertrain using the SPA modular chassis system (the XC90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV went… Read more »
UCLA study: HOV access for plug-in cars drives sales
One of the goodies that many governments offer to encourage EV sales is access to special highway lanes. In California at least, it seems that such policies are very effective. A new study conducted by UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, with funding from the California Air Resources Board, has found that state legislation that opened… Read more »
How much of a change is VW’s promised pivot to plug-ins?
Demoralized by its diesel deception, will Volkswagen now get serious about EVs? “Arguably, no major OEM is better positioned than VW to decisively accelerate the push towards plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles,” Lux Research recently noted, “[However], they will most likely carry on as usual after some apologies.” This week, VW’s board of directors released… Read more »
BMW i3 snatches second place in September plug-in sales
US plug-in sales are still in the slow lane – once again, the monthly figure of 10,134 fell short of last year’s 10,921. The Tesla Model S grabbed the lead position, with 2,500 estimated US sales in September. The company reported delivering 11,580 total vehicles worldwide in the third quarter of 2015, a 49% increase over Q3… Read more »
Los Angeles christens Tesla police car, will lease 288 plug-in vehicles
A Model S P85D and an i3 sporting the LAPD’s famous black-and-white livery were on display at a press conference last week as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the city’s plans to lease 160 EVs and 128 PHEVs. “When we laid out our Sustainable City pLAn, we promised that 50% of new city fleet… Read more »
BMW’s eDrive powers four new plug-in hybrid models
At the upcoming International Motor Show in Frankfurt, BMW will have four new plug-in hybrid models on display. All are based on the company’s eDrive technology, initially developed for the i3 and i8. The modular structure of the eDrive system is designed to make it easier to add an electrified powertrain to different vehicle models…. Read more »
Connecticut offers “cash-on-the-hood” rebates for plug-in purchases
Connecticut, one of 14 states that have adopted California’s clean-air standards, has set a goal of putting 300,000 zero-emission and hybrid vehicles on the state’s roads by 2025. To further that aim, it has established an incentive program with a new wrinkle: instead of having to apply for a rebate after buying a new vehicle,… Read more »
PlugShare and Sungevity offer free charging station with solar installation
PlugShare, the maker of a popular charging station locator app, has teamed up with solar energy provider Sungevity to offer a free home charging station, including installation, with the purchase of a rooftop solar system. The Drive Solar program offers qualified customers in the San Francisco Bay Area a 7.2 kW GE WattStation, which can… Read more »
UK extends Plug-in Car Grant program
The UK government has announced that the current Plug-in Car Grant scheme, which offers rebates of up to £5,000 ($7,800) to EV buyers, will be extended until at least February 2016. The government previously said that the grant program would be reevaluated once 50,000 plug-in vehicles had been sold, a milestone that is now expected… Read more »