By Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity There’s no question that autonomous electric vehicles are coming. From Google and Uber to Tesla, BMW and Nissan, the world’s most innovative brands are conceiving and bringing to market entirely new modes of transportation that will revolutionize the ways in which we travel. According to Navigant Research, by 2035… Read more »
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What’s the point of BMW’s trivial Tesla-taunting ad spots?
If the major automakers really want to begin selling their EVs in volume (and not everyone is convinced that they do), sooner or later they will have to start advertising them. BMW has been ahead of the curve in this regard – it has run several TV ads for the i3 featuring cool people discovering… Read more »
GM’s South Korean design studio breaks new ground with the Bolt
GM execs are hoping the upcoming Bolt EV will sell in serious volume, and they wanted a design that’s expressive and distinct without looking too sci-fi. For this, they turned to the company’s South Korean design studio. The center began designing the Bolt in 2012, and found it to be a tall order. Designers were… Read more »
Peugeot Citroen evaluates free-piston linear generator for range extender
PSA Group, the maker of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, is preparing to test a free-piston linear generator from Israeli startup Aquarius Engines as a range extender for its EVs. “We are evaluating the technology,” said PSA Research and Development Director Gilles Le Borgne. “Nothing has been decided yet.” The free-piston linear generator has… Read more »
Auto industry (except Tesla) spends an average $1,000 per vehicle in advertising
Elon Musk has said several times that he rarely thinks about marketing, and that if you build a truly revolutionary product, the marketing will take care of itself. Tesla has followed this philosophy since its founding. It participates in only the largest, most high-profile auto shows, gives access to only a few carefully selected journalists,… Read more »
How the Tesla Model 3 could trigger the collapse of the traditional auto industry
Clean tech consultant Julian Cox made some interesting points about the coming disruption of the auto industry in a presentation at CleanTechnica’s recent Cleantech Revolution Tour in Berlin. Cox begins his talk with a recap of some past technological disruptions, which he says have usually played out within 20-30 years (good news for us older… Read more »
WiTricity’s new wireless charging system is designed for flexibility and interoperability
Wireless charging pioneer WiTricity has announced a new charging system that uses magnetic resonance technology to deliver a range of power over distance and through materials. According to the company, its new system enables power transfer at up to 11 kW, and has the ability to scale up to 25 kW and higher. WiTricity, in… Read more »
BMW demonstrates stationary storage system using i3 battery
Stationary storage provides the missing link between EVs and renewable energy. Tesla made it trendy, but other automakers, including Nissan, GM and Toyota, have been exploring the technology for some time. Now BMW has announced a stationary storage solution that integrates its i3 vehicle battery. BMW’s new system, announced at the recent Electric Vehicle Symposium… Read more »
Evercar brings its fleet of EVs to Uber, Lyft, Instacart and other on-demand services
Evercar uses short-term rentals to accelerate the potential for electric ride-sharing and delivery services. If it can clear regulatory hurdles, its electric-miles-as-a-service tools could change the growing industry. On paper, EVs seem like the perfect choice for the on-demand economy. In a world where vehicles are being pushed to spend more time on the road… Read more »
Improving aerodynamic modeling: Combining airflow dynamics with vehicle-handling models
Tuning a vehicle’s aerodynamic features is nothing new. Engineers have been using wind tunnels for decades, and more recently they’ve also employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to reduce drag, minimize noise and increase stability by preventing undesired lift forces. In the expanding world of EVs, car builders are doubling down on efforts to push… Read more »