Volkswagen has refuted a recent anti-EV hit piece with a new study that confirms what many earlier studies have found: EVs have smaller life-cycle carbon footprints than comparable ICE vehicles, even if they are charged by dirty fossil-derived energy. “For the same vehicle models with different powertrains, the carbon footprint of the battery-powered E variants… Read more »
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Here we go again: German research institute claims diesels are cleaner than EVs
Anti-EV hit pieces clog the blogosphere like pickup trucks on a Texas highway, but this one sounded much more serious than the usual anonymous speculation. A respected German research institute released a study claiming EVs are dirtier than diesel – music to the ears of many in the German auto industry. “Considering Germany’s current energy… Read more »
EU regulators charge BMW, Daimler and VW with colluding to evade emissions rules
Are the authorities “piling on” the Volkswagen Group? In 2017, the poor little automaker pleaded guilty to fraud and obstruction of justice in the dirty diesel debacle, and has already agreed to shell out some $30 billion in atonement. Now the mean old US Securities and Exchange Commission has sued the company and ex-CEO Martin… Read more »
Elon Musk: Model 3 production constrained by Panasonic battery cell capacity
After Tesla and Panasonic announced that they were freezing expansion plans for the Nevada Gigafactory, several news outlets reported that the partners had postponed expansion because of shrinking demand for Tesla’s vehicles, but to the best of our knowledge, none presented any evidence that this was the reason for the decision. Now Elon Musk says… Read more »
Toyota provides nearly 24,000 licenses royalty-free for hybrid tech
Toyota will grant royalty-free licenses on 23,740 patents it holds for hybrid technologies. For a fee, the company will also provide technical support to manufacturers that use Toyota’s tech, including motors, batteries, power control units and system controls. Since 2015, Toyota has offered 5,680 patents related its fuel cell EVs. The new batch of patents… Read more »
The EV industry sees problems with California’s proposal to mandate credit card readers for public chargers
In California, there is a controversial plan to require credit card readers on all public charging stations, including retrofitting already installed units. California’s Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act (Senate Bill 454, which passed in 2013) mandates open access to public charging stations – that is, a driver doesn’t have to be a member… Read more »
Determining ENERGY STAR specifications for high-power EV fast chargers proves challenging
The US EPA is proposing a new ENERGY STAR specification, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Version 1.1, which adds DC fast chargers to the existing specification. The process of proposing the spec and considering stakeholder comments began in early 2018, and is ongoing. The EPA is proposing to release a Version 1.1 Draft 1 Specification in… Read more »
New book: the Dieselgate scandal was not an isolated incident, was not a secret, and is not over
The “Dieselgate scandal,” or as we like to call it, the “dirty diesel debacle,” was a catalytic event (pun intended). It led to some major changes at Volkswagen, and shook up the European auto market. However, only time will tell how much of this change will prove to be permanent. The Volkswagen Group has announced… Read more »
Dozens of new EVs on display at Geneva auto show
The Geneva International Motor Show may have lost some of its former glamor – several major brands are not attending this year – but it remains a good place to get a feel for the state of the European auto industry. And the Europeans are talking electrification – the New York Times caught the electric… Read more »
93% of EVs sold in 2018 used permanent magnet traction motors
Research firm Adamas Intelligence has reported that 93 percent of all passenger EVs sold in 2018 used permanent magnet (PM) traction motors, an increase of 1 percent from 2017. PM traction motors use neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets in the rotor, which spin the rotor in response to a rotating magnet field produced in… Read more »