The US auto industry had another stellar month in June, as sales rose at the fastest pace since 2006. At 11,893 units, plug-in sales saw a slight drop compared to May (12,053), but a healthy increase over last June (8,292). The Nissan LEAF held onto its lead with monthly sales of 2,347 units, although that… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Toyota"
Volt drivers log half a billion electric miles
Since its 2010 launch, the Chevy Volt has driven more than half a billion all-electric miles, according to the latest figures from GM. The company made a study of 300 California Volt drivers for over 30 months, and found that many are exceeding the EPA-rated electric range of 35 miles. About 15 percent of the… Read more »
Japanese EV makers collaborate to build a single charging network
Japan’s four EV makers have joined forces to build a single public charging network with a universal access card that will allow drivers to charge anywhere in Japan. The system is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year. Supported by Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota, Nippon Charge Service aims to… Read more »
May plug-in sales: LEAF, Prius and Fusion Energi surge, BMW i3 makes strong debut
Cars were burning rubber off dealers’ lots all over the US in May, as five sunny weekends gave the typically strong month an extra boost. Overall auto sales were up 11% compared to May 2013, a nine-year high. Plug-ins rode the trend, setting an all-time monthly record – 12,053 Americans charged up new cars in… Read more »
Eight states announce major EV incentives
As the Charge Ahead California Initiative advances in the state legislature, seven other states have announced their own packages of pro-EV incentives. The collective goal is to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. The eight-state coalition, consisting of California, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont, released an… Read more »
Silicon carbide power semiconductors improve hybrid fuel efficiency
Toyota and Denso have collaborated to develop a silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor for use in power control units (PCUs). Using SiC power semiconductors, Toyota aims to improve hybrid fuel efficiency by 10 percent and reduce PCU size by 80 percent, compared to current PCUs with silicon-only semiconductors. The PCU is a critical component of… Read more »
Next-generation LEAF, with substantially improved range, planned for 2017
If we had an electric crystal ball, the question we’d most like to ask is: When will a next-generation battery, with substantially improved range, show up in a production EV? According to Nissan, that Earth-shaking event may happen around 2017. At last month’s Beijing auto show, Executive VP Andy Palmer told Automotive News that a… Read more »
Misleading Lexus ad trashes plug-in vehicles
Every automaker has its own electrification strategy. Tesla, Nissan and BMW are pushing pure EVs. GM and Ford have each put most of their chips on plug-in hybrids, while hedging their bets with a low-volume EV. Toyota, and its luxury division Lexus, firmly believe hybrids are the way to go. Lexus has five hybrid models… Read more »
April plug-in sales: LEAF leads, Prius pushes ahead, smart strengthens
Monthly plug-in sales dropped a bit in April after the March surge, a typical pattern for this time of year. 8,605 car buyers saw the light last month. The LEAF easily held onto its lead with 2,088 units, a little less than its March sales but an incremental increase over last April. Nissan has already… Read more »
OLEV Technologies’ dynamic wireless inductive system charges vehicles while in motion
When one thinks of Nikola Tesla and electric vehicles, the obvious connection points to Elon Musk’s favorite part-time project. However, we also have to give the Serbian inventor proper credit for pioneering technology that eventually may become even more important to EVs than battery breakthroughs. Tesla’s obsession with wireless power transmission defined much of his… Read more »