Tesla has big plans – expensive plans. Tooling up for volume production of Model X, developing Model 3 for an unveiling next year, the Gigafactory, the new energy storage business, more charging infrastructure, the Snakebot charger, a new Roadster, the James Bond submarine/car, Hyperloop…good grief, this is going to require a pile of cash! To… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "demand charge"
BMW pilot pays drivers to delay charging, helping to stabilize the grid
BMW has partnered with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) for an 18-month demand response pilot in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ChargeForward Program has two parts: the first is a managed charging program, in which 100 i3 owners will allow BMW to delay the charging of their vehicles by up to an hour, based… Read more »
Tesla trims projected production, stock stumbles
For Tesla, a quarterly earnings announcement often triggers a drop in the stock price, because nothing less than spectacular success can justify the company’s sky-high valuation. This time, the Seers of Silicon Valley really did disappoint, saying they expect to deliver “50,000 to 55,000” vehicles this year, backing off an earlier target of 55,000. Punishment… Read more »
BYD sells 50 e6 EVs to San Diego ride-sharing fleet
San Diego-based ride-sharing service Opoli has agreed to buy 50 e6 EVs from China’s BYD Motors. The e6 electric crossover will join Opoli’s natural gas airport shuttles later this summer. Opoli, which launched its service in the San Diego area just a few weeks ago, is the first ride-share service permitted at the San Diego… Read more »
Fiat Chrysler CTO: Fuel cells are the distant future
Fiat Chrysler is the automaker that EVangelists love to hate. The brand has nary a hybrid in its lineup (although a plug-in powertrain for the Town & Country minivan is expected to appear in 2016), and, like some evil stepmother in a fairy tale, CEO Sergio Marchionne heaps derision on the feisty little Fiat 500e,… Read more »
Oil industry trade mag asks: Is Tesla’s Model S the beginning of the end for oil?
Not all in the oil industry are inclined to dismiss EVs as a passing fad. In a recent article in the trade magazine Alberta Oil, Max Fawcett writes, “The Tesla Model S is one of the most beautiful and interesting automobiles to ever get made. It might also be one of the most dangerous. That’s… Read more »
Volkswagen working on automated DC charging
EV drivers are demanding more range, and automakers are responding. However, as several observers have noted, this will introduce a new set of challenges. Better batteries can hold more energy, and consumers certainly don’t want longer charging times, so higher charging power levels will be required. That, in turn, will require thicker (or perhaps liquid-cooled)… Read more »
The 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV enters the US market with great promise
These days when most Americans think of Swedish engineering, they probably remember a frustrating experience with an Allen wrench and one too few pieces of particle board. But we didn’t always buy our Swedish creations under the same roof as our Swedish meatballs. Any American old enough to drink remembers a friend whose parents drove… Read more »
Proterra CEO on the economics of the electric bus business
Venture capitalists assume a large amount of risk when they invest in early-stage companies. They do so because of the potential for huge returns. To ensure that a portfolio of investments delivers the greatest return with the least risk, VCs spend a considerable amount of time evaluating companies, looking for the key ingredients of success…. Read more »
Dana kicks copper to the curb in favor of all-aluminum cooling products for EVs
In 1982, the US Mint made the practical decision to change the composition of the penny coin from 95% copper/5% zinc – an alloy you know as brass – to 97.5% zinc with copper plating. Inflation had pushed the price of copper in a penny above one cent, and zinc was significantly less expensive and… Read more »