Rare earth magnets have gotten a lot of coverage in the EV press over the years for being expensive – especially back in 2011 when a supply disruption in China sent the prices up anywhere from fivefold for neodymium to 20-fold for dysprosium over the course of a few months – yet they are still… Read more »
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Nissan reveals long-awaited second-gen LEAF
Since the Bolt and Model 3 cracked the 200 mile/$40k barrier earlier this year, we’ve been eagerly waiting to see how EV pioneer Nissan would respond. Well, the company has just unveiled its new 2018 LEAF and…we’re not sure what to think. From a technical standpoint, the next-gen model offers only an incremental improvement –… Read more »
Cummins unveils electric Class 7 truck
Diesel engine manufacturer Cummins beat Tesla to the punch by unveiling its own electric truck at a recent event at the Cummins Technical Center in Columbus, Indiana. The new truck, called AEOS, is “a fully electric class 7 demonstration Urban Hauler Tractor.” It’s still just a concept, but Cummins has a prototype, built by Roush…. Read more »
VGI: California’s cooperative effort to capitalize on EV-grid potential
Last September, Carla J. Peterman, a commissioner with the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), outlined new requirements for California’s investor-owned utilities that would measurably advance commitments to transportation electrification (TE). One technical requirement singled out by Peterman was addressed in a document called “Enabling Vehicle-Grid Integration Through a Communications Standard,” which focused on the question… Read more »
Mercedes asks car buyers if they’re interested in EVs – and gets a reality check
Like most of the legacy auto brands, Mercedes has given conflicting signals about its interest in electrification. Its only EV to date, the B-Class Electric, was a compliance car that it sold in limited volume, and recently discontinued. However, the company says it plans to introduce a line of purpose-built EVs under the new EQ… Read more »
Plug-in vehicles in China: 181,000 units sold in first half of 2017
China continues to be by far the world’s largest market for plug-in vehicles, or new energy vehicles (NEVs) as they are called there. In the first half of 2017, 181,200 plug-in passenger cars were delivered, almost exactly double the number sold in the US in the same period (89,256, according to InsideEVs). Reductions in central… Read more »
Mazda exec reiterates lack of interest in EVs
Mazda is one of the few major automakers that currently makes no plug-in vehicles, although it has indicated that it would offer an EV in 2019 to meet ZEV regulations. A Mazda exec defended the company’s status-quo strategy at a recent Michigan trade group convention, saying that the “impending death of the internal combustion engine… Read more »
Solving the energy density challenge with single wall carbon nanotubes
Sponsored by OCSiAl Group Li-ion batteries represent the most dynamic and fastest growing battery market, with total sales of $10 billion in 2015 [i]. Historically, the primary challenge for battery manufacturers has been the constant demand for greater energy density, both volumetric and gravimetric. Li-ion’s dramatic rise is in large part due to solving this challenge more… Read more »
Panasonic expects to turn a profit on Model 3 battery cells by next year
Panasonic’s new 2170 Li-ion battery cells, which it manufactures at Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, are a key component of the new Model 3. The Japanese manufacturer says it is now supplying the batteries at a loss, but expects to turn a profit next year. “For battery cells for the Model 3, costs outweighed profit… Read more »
Model S regains Consumer Reports top safety rating
Consumer Reports has restored the Tesla Model S to its position as the top-rated ultra-luxury sedan after the automaker updated its software to enable automatic emergency braking (AEB) at highway speeds. In April, CR lowered its scores for the newer versions of Model S and Model X, because their AEB systems were not enabled. While… Read more »