London’s classic black taxicabs are slowly but surely going electric. The new Range Extended Electric Metrocab, a plug-in hybrid taxi designed and built in the UK by Ecotive, a subsidiary of electric powertrain developer Frazer-Nash, will begin real-world trials in the British capital this month. London’s famous black taxis must conform to a host of… Read more »
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2014 Cadillac ELR: Technology trickling up
Nowadays, when the in-crowd thinks of the planet’s coolest car, a Model S or one of the European brands might come to mind, but there was a time when the unchallenged monarch of automotive luxury was the Cadillac. Surely no other car has been mentioned in as many classic movies and blues songs. And a… Read more »
Fuel cells vs batteries for vehicle powertrains
Jeffrey Wishart, a Senior Project Engineer at Intertek, conducts research and development on products and services in the areas of energy, the environment, and advanced transportation. In addition to his supervisory position at Intertek, Dr. Wishart worked for several years at ETEC LABS (the research and consulting division of ECOtality) and at a utility company… Read more »
YASA Motors secures 5 million pounds in funding
UK-based YASA Motors has secured an additional £5 million in funding. The new equity finance has been raised from a combination of existing and new investors, and will be used to increase production capacity and to expand the company’s commercial activities. YASA manufactures a highly differentiated axial flux electric motor and generator based on its… Read more »
Audi shows off an e-tron quattro in Detroit
Audi’s all-road shooting brake show car, which is on display at this week’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, highlights what the company calls “a new form of quattro drive – the e-tron quattro.” The compact crossover has a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that delivers 300 kW (408 hp) of system power and system… Read more »
VIA’s electrified trucks to include Recargo’s charging station data
VIA Motors and Recargo have announced an agreement to include Recargo’s PlugShare charging infrastructure information in VIA’s Pad in-Dash EV control system, which it plans to unveil in the 2014 production vehicles. PlugShare claims to be the world’s most comprehensive listing of public charging stations, with over 28,000 plugs in North America, and 55,000 globally,… Read more »
North Carolina begins collecting new tax on EVs
North Carolina’s Division of Motor Vehicles has begun collecting a new $100 annual fee from EV owners. As Charged discussed in our June 2013 issue, many states are planning, or discussing, new taxes on EVs. Road construction and maintenance are largely financed by fuel taxes, and collections are declining as drivers around the country switch… Read more »
New anode extends the life of lithium-sulfur batteries
Many researchers are interested in lithium-sulfur batteries, because they can offer up to four times the energy density of lithium-ion chemistries. However, current lithium-sulfur batteries have a much shorter lifespan. In a paper published this week in Nature Communications, a team from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) described a “hybrid” anode… Read more »
Update: BMW i3 with gas range extender ineligible for coveted California carpool sticker
Updated 1/10/14 10:00am EST to include response from BMW. BMW’s new i3 is available with an optional feature that’s the first of its kind – a small range-extending gas engine. However, financial publication The Street reported this week that there’s a drawback to opting for the REx – it makes the car ineligible for California’s… Read more »
December plugin sales: LEAF has best month ever, but Volt wins top spot for 2013
It was a banner year for plug-in vehicles, as 2013 sales (94,019) almost doubled 2012’s figure (52,581), and several new models made strong debuts – US buyers now have a choice of 16 mainstream plug-in models, compared to 9 at the end of last year. Overall US auto sales are up 8% in 2013, according… Read more »