Tesla’s mysterious D has been revealed and it is cool. Elon Musk introduced the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version of Model S at a theatrical event at Hawthorne Municipal Airport (where SpaceX is headquartered). Musk didn’t just show a slide of the goodies – a huge robot arm lifted up a Model S chassis and turned it… Read more »
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New Report: Aluminum vs steel in battle to meet CAFE standards
Aluminum seems to be in the ascendant these days – Ford will use aluminum for the body of its 2015 F-150 pickup truck, and a recent report from the Aluminum Association predicts that by 2025, three out of four pickups will have all-aluminum bodies. Not so fast, says the industry information service World Steel Dynamics…. Read more »
Can Tesla crack open Japan’s auto market?
Japan has long been at the forefront of the electromobility revolution. It’s the home of the historic Toyota Prius and the world’s best-selling EV, the Nissan LEAF. As an island nation that imports almost all of its oil, Japan has compelling reasons to electrify, and its government has worked hard to do so, providing significant… Read more »
ABB and Greenlots partner with Kia to deploy DC fast chargers for Soul EV Rollout
San Francisco-based Greenlots will partner with Kia Motors and ABB to install DC fast chargers at selected Kia dealerships for the 2015 Kia Soul EV, which is scheduled to go on sale this fall in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. Kia will roll out Greenlots’ SKY Smart Charging platform to its dealerships… Read more »
Tesla infinite-mile warranty will also apply to Models X and 3
A little rain fell on Tesla’s parade recently, when Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com each reported that their Model S units had racked up what seemed to be an excessive number of maintenance issues. However, both sources reported that most of the repairs in question were covered under warranty. Perhaps in response to the negative publicity,… Read more »
US automakers firmly on track to meet EPA fuel-economy goals
EV lovers may consider this good news or bad, but the US auto industry is making better progress than expected toward meeting the EPA’s long-term fuel-economy standards, as Ward’s Auto reported this week (via Green Car Reports). “Innovations are coming at us faster than originally anticipated,” says Michael Olechiw, Director of the EPA’s Light-Duty Vehicle… Read more »
Prodrive demonstrates silicon carbide-based DC-DC converter
A consortium led by the British motorsport and technology firm Prodrive has successfully run a silicon carbide-based multiport DC-DC converter in an EV. Silicon carbide devices operate at a higher frequency than equivalent silicon components – at 75 kHz in the test vehicles – with a significant reduction in switching losses. This allows the magnetic… Read more »
The Buckeye Bullet: A student-built EV that’s racing towards 400 mph
As it stands today, Ohio State’s Buckeye Bullet 1 holds the US record speed for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at 314.958 mph, its Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2 holds the world record for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles at 302.877 mph, and the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 holds the world record for BEVs at 307.666 mph. … Read more »
BC Hydro pushes for a timely fast charger rollout
BC Hydro is the electricity supplier for about 95 percent of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It’s government-owned and vertically integrated, meaning that the company owns and operates everything from production and transmission to distribution to customers. The company’s 30 hydroelectric facilities meet 78 percent of its electricity requirements, with the balance coming from… Read more »
Pratt & Whitney exec: Electric aircraft would require technological miracles
A Pratt & Whitney executive has explained something that even the most fanatical e-vangelist can see: full-size commercial airliners are not likely to become EVs any time soon. In a question-and-answer session with reporters this week, Alan Epstein, P&W’s VP of Technology and Environment, said that the company has investigated electric aircraft and determined that… Read more »