Steady progress was the theme of Tesla’s second-quarter report, released after the bell on Thursday. Development of the Gigafactory is firmly on track – the company formalized a partnership agreement with Panasonic, and has broken ground at a site near Reno, Nevada. Although, the final location of the factory is still uncertain. “Consistent with our… Read more »
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It’s official: Panasonic will make major investment in Tesla’s Gigafactory (Updated)
Originally posted 7/29/2014 Panasonic has reached a basic agreement to participate in Tesla’s Gigafactory. The battery-maker will likely invest 20-30 billion yen ($194-291 million) initially, according to Nikkei. Tesla plans to start construction this fiscal year, and to begin producing battery cells in 2017. The Californians will foot the bill for the land and buildings, and… Read more »
Utilities and automakers to develop open grid integration platform
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is working with 8 automakers and 15 electric utilities to develop an open platform that will integrate plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) with smart grid technologies. PEVs will be a critical part of the smart grid of the future, serving as a distributed energy resource to support grid reliability, stability… Read more »
Porsche Cayenne plugs in
Is there something incongruous about a hybrid Porsche? On the contrary – the world’s first hybrid was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche himself in 1899. Porsche will introduce its third plug-in hybrid model when the new generation of the Cayenne goes on sale later this year. The premium SUV will be offered in five… Read more »
ABB and Volvo form partnership for bus fast charging
Swiss power and automation group ABB has announced a partnership with Volvo Buses to co-develop and commercialize electric and hybrid buses with open standards-based DC fast charging systems. The partners will develop a standardized system that can charge electric and hybrid buses quickly through an automatic roof-top connection system at bus stops, or through cabled… Read more »
BMW sells over 5,000 i3s in the first half of 2014
The BMW Group is having a banner year – it sold more than a million vehicles in the first half of 2014 for the first time (that includes MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorcycles). The new i division, which comprises BMW’s plug-in models, shared the wealth. In June, 1,241 BMW i3s were delivered to customers worldwide,… Read more »
A closer look at the semiconductor switch
In this article I’ll be giving an overview of that most important of power electronics components: the semiconductor switch. I’ll first address what a switch is, and then delve into some of the more important compromises and shortcomings that exist in real-world switches that engineers must contend with when designing chargers, motor controllers, DC-DC converters… Read more »
June plug-in sales: Fusion Energi powers into second place
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 »
University of Delaware to offer BMW Mini-E EVs for lease in V2G project
The University of Delaware is making a small number of BMW Mini-E EVs available for lease as part of an ongoing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) demonstration project. “Individual drivers are now needed to expand the demonstration over a wider range of driving patterns,” said project leader Willett Kempton. The Grid on Wheels program will lease the vehicles… Read more »
Tesla battery swapping: dead, or just delayed?
It was one year ago that Tesla introduced its battery swapping technology in a theatrical presentation, with lights flashing and music thumping. At the time, Elon Musk said that the company planned to make swapping available as soon as the end of 2013, and eventually install the capability at every Supercharger station. In early 2014… Read more »