Tesla has a couple of Christmas presents for those of little faith who have been getting impatient for a couple of goodies promised for this year. A prototype battery-swapping station should be up and running within days, and details of the Roadster battery upgrade are to be released soon. “Roadster update details coming next week,”… Read more »
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Audi releases details of 2016 Q7 diesel PHEV
Audi has released some details of the 2016 Q7 crossover, which will be offered in a diesel plug-in hybrid version. The new Q7 is built on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB-Evo platform for large cars with longitudinal engines. Audi says high-tech materials have allowed it to reduce the vehicle’s weight by over 700 pounds compared to… Read more »
EIA report: California leads in EV adoption
We’re a long way from having a million EVs on the road, but we’re getting there. According to a new report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were about 70,000 EVs and 104,000 PHEVs on US roads in 2013 (out of a total of 226 million registered vehicles). Total US plug-in sales represent… Read more »
Nissan launches major new ad campaigns for LEAF
When EV detractors point out that many of the 22 plug-in models now on sale in the US are selling in minuscule numbers, EVangelists retort that the makers of these unloved vehicles have done little or no advertising to promote them. It’s probably no coincidence that Nissan, the builder of the best-selling LEAF, is one… Read more »
Hitachi supplies inverters and DC/DC converters for Mercedes PHEVs
Hitachi Automotive Systems has begun to supply Daimler with compact, high-output inverters and DC/DC converters for use in the Mercedes S500 and S550 plug-in hybrids, which recently went on sale in Germany. Hitachi developed a third-generation inverter that is 40% smaller and offers higher output than the previous version, and a high-output DC/DC converter with… Read more »
Mitsubishi remains committed to the US, plans to introduce Outlander PHEV
Plug-in pundits have long been puzzled by the sorry sales of Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV. Starting at $22,995, it’s the cheapest EV in the US market, it’s available throughout the country, and it has sold well in Japan and Europe. Why hasn’t Mitsubishi managed to move more than a handful here? Some speculated that the Japanese automaker,… Read more »
Workplace charging takes off, boosts EV ownership
Workplace charging is exploding in popularity, and it’s encouraging more and more drivers to go electric. The DOE’s EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge, a program that offers assistance to companies to provide charging to their employees, began in January 2013, and has since grown to 150 partners, which provide charging at over 300 work sites… Read more »
Renault-Nissan sells 200,000 EVs
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 200,000th EV, highlighting its dominant position in the pure EV market, with a 58% market share. Renault and Nissan EVs have driven approximately 4 billion kilometers, saving 200 million liters of fuel and 450 million kilograms of carbon dioxide. The flagship LEAF is the top-selling plug-in vehicle in the… Read more »
BMW unveils 3 Series PHEV prototype
BMW’s new 3 Series plug-in hybrid prototype combines a four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo gas engine from the new Efficient Dynamics engine family with an electric motor and power electronics based on the eDrive technology used in the i3 and i8. It’s designed to offer performance on a par with the legacy 3 Series six-cylinder model, with… Read more »
Wisconsin poised to impose annual fee on EVs and hybrids
As the average fuel economy of US vehicles increases, gas tax receipts around the country are declining, leaving less funding available for road construction and maintenance. In an effort to make up the shortfall, Wisconsin could join five other states in imposing a fee on fuel-efficient vehicles. The $50 annual charge, which would apply to… Read more »
