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 »
Search Results Found For: "VIA Motors"
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 »
GM redesigns Spark EV battery, consolidates all battery assembly at Brownstown plant
General Motors plans to bring all its EV battery building capabilities in-house, producing battery systems for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV at its battery assembly plant in Brownstown, Michigan, which also manufactures battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera and Cadillac ELR. The Spark’s redesigned battery system has a capacity of 19 kWh, and… Read more »
Airbus to produce electric aircraft, envisions hybrid regional airliner
The sky’s the limit for electrified transportation. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has a vision of a hybrid 80-90-seat regional airliner that would have high-density energy storage in the wings, and a kerosene or biofuel generator to quickly recharge the batteries on the ground or in flight. An electric-powered turboprop airliner could be operated at a… Read more »
Croatian supercar startup secures funding
Elon Musk is not the only EV pioneer who’s been inspired by Nikola Tesla. Just a few hours’ drive from the small village where Tesla was born, a Croatian company is building a 1,088-horsepower beast called the Rimac Concept_One. Like Musk, Mate Rimac, the 26-year old founder of Rimac Automobili, has plans that extend far… Read more »
UQM and Kinetics present integrated motor and multi-speed transmission for commercial EVs
UQM Technologies (NYSE: UQM) and Kinetics Drive Solutions are collaborating to offer an integrated electric motor and multi-speed transmission system for commercial vehicles. The new system features UQM PowerPhase HD electric motors and controllers combined with Kinetics NexDrive transmissions. By providing a fully integrated and calibrated system, UQM hopes to offer customers quicker speed to… Read more »