Is it a milestone in automotive history, or just an odometer moment? Who cares? Let’s celebrate! According to the latest estimates, the 100,000th plug-in vehicle was sold in the US some time this week. This total includes only “highway-capable” vehicles, not “neighborhood electric vehicles,” which number over 60,000 in California alone. The first of the… Read more »
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New Zealand tinkerers launch build-your-own-EV video series
A team of Kiwi car guys has launched a series of videos in which they tackle their first conversion of a used car from gasoline power to 100% electric drive.
Ford selects AeroVironment to provide turnkey charging station installation
Ford has chosen AeroVironment as its preferred installation partner and charging station supplier for its Focus Electric, C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi plug-in vehicles. AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) offers turnkey installation through its nationwide network of certified installers, and a three-year warranty. AeroVironment’s 240-volt home charging station will recharge Ford’s Energi plug-in hybrids in 2.5 hours,… Read more »
Consumer Reports: Tesla Model S is the best car since 2007 (VIDEO)
Tired of hearing about a certain California carmaker? Well, sorry. Tesla’s name is all over the press this week, from gushers about stock market success to sour-grapes hit pieces about ZEV credits to tantalizing hints of next-gen batteries and self-driving sedans. However, this is the most important news of all for a prospective Model S buyer: Consumer… Read more »
Tesla hits it out of the park, reports first-ever quarterly profit
Those who follow the markets know that earnings reports – good or bad – tend to trigger big moves in a stock price only when they are surprises. No one knows this better than master showman Elon Musk, so in a way it was no surprise that the size of Tesla’s first-ever quarterly profit, announced… Read more »
Tesla cleans up on California ZEV credits
California’s system of Zero Emission Vehicle credits appears to be working precisely as intended, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state’s Air Resources Board has mandated that 15% of new-car sales in 2025 consist of ZEVs, but the system allows companies that aren’t selling enough clean cars to meet the mandate to purchase credits… Read more »
April plug-in sales: Model S grabs the lead, Volt and Prius drop back
Total plug-in vehicle sales in the US fell back a bit in April (7,239 units sold), after setting an all-time record in March (7,830). It’s starting to be a thrilling race, with the front-runners swapping places, new entrants getting ready to enter the track, and early favorites dropping out. The big news is Tesla, which… Read more »
GM CEO: next-generation Volt will see big price drop
GM CEO Daniel Akerson was talking green with Fortune’s Geoff Colvin at this week’s Brainstorm Green conference. He talked about the $90 million that GM saves every year in the US from its energy- and waste-saving policies, and took a dig at the politicians, pointing out that no president since Nixon has articulated a national… Read more »
Researchers discover memory effect in Li-ion batteries
Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Toyota Central R&D Labs have reported a memory effect in lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries that appears after only one cycle of partial charge and discharge. Memory effects are well known to users of nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries. If these batteries are recharged repeatedly after being only partially… Read more »
Plug-in vehicle sales set a new record in March
Please don’t tell any of the mainstream media, but US plug-in vehicle sales reached a new all-time high in March. Interestingly, pure EV sales (4750) outnumbered PHEV sales (3080), which, if its not just a temporary market gyration, would seem to be a reversal of the current conventional wisdom. In first place for March is… Read more »