When the Chevrolet Volt was launched at the end of 2010, I must confess that I gave it little chance of success. It seemed like an awkward compromise – buyers who wanted to go electric would surely prefer a pure EV, and buyers who weren’t ready to take that plunge had every reason to stick… Read more »
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Nissan, GM and Toyota repurpose used EV batteries for stationary storage
Tesla may have made it trendy, but the California company is far from the only automaker exploring the commercial energy storage market, which is expected to grow from $200 million in 2012 to $19 billion in 2017, according to research firm IHS CERA. Nissan has joined forces with Green Charge Networks to deploy second-life EV… Read more »
Loyal GM customer told CEO Mary Barra he is tempted by Tesla’s “beautiful” user interface
There’s currently a lot of talk about a trend that Tesla co-founder Ian Wright discussed in our pages a year ago: even as software becomes a more and more critical part of the automobile, the user interfaces built by the (non-Tesla) automakers are clunky and old-fashioned, especially when it comes to integrating with our other… Read more »
GM ends production of 2015 Volt, retools for next-gen model
GM has suspended production of the Volt at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant in order to get ready for the revamped 2016 Volt, which is to go on sale in the second half of this year. The company plans to invest a total of $343 million to retool for its lineup of next-generation hybrid vehicles. The production… Read more »
GM Exec: Low oil prices won’t stop our plans for electrification, MPG targets make it inevitable
How will low oil prices affect the growth in vehicle electrification? It’s a question we’ve heard a lot since the price of crude began to plummet about six months ago. A few studies have come out recently that find cheap oil has little or no effect on PEV sales. It seems that either buyers don’t… Read more »
GM to build Bolt in Michigan, plans to produce 25,000-30,000 per year
In the latest Bolt news, a couple of supplier sources have told Reuters that GM plans to begin building its new EV in October 2016 at an underused small-car plant north of Detroit. The production target is said to be 25,000-30,000 cars a year (the Volt sold 18,800 last year, and 23,000 in 2013). The… Read more »
Fuji Pigment develops new type of aluminum-air battery
Metal-air battery technology could offer very high energy density, and is considered a promising candidate for “beyond Li-ion” next-generation batteries. Aluminum, which is abundant and cheap, is a likely anode material. Aluminum-air batteries have a theoretical specific energy of up to 8.1 kWh/kg, second only to lithium-air batteries (13.0 kWh/kg). A pioneer in the aluminum-air… Read more »
The EVSE GMI circuit: Should the standards be changed?
Leviton’s Director of Engineering explains the EVSE GMI circuit and why he believes the standards should be changed. One of the many safety features integrated into EVSE is the ground monitor interrupter (GMI) circuit. The GMI circuit ensures that the ground path is connected from the vehicle chassis all the way to the electric service… Read more »
GM reveals 200-mile EV concept. Now, about that name…
Heralded by the requisite sound and fury, the Chevrolet Bolt EV concept burst onto the stage at the Detroit auto show. The much-anticipated Bolt can truly be said to represent a new generation of EVs – according to GM, it has attained the figures that the EV media seems to regard as a pair of… Read more »
GM releases details of next-generation Volt powertrain
GM has released some details of the second-generation Voltec electric-drive system that will power the 2016 Volt. According to Volt Lead Engineer Andrew Farah, the primary goals for the new powertrain were to improve performance, raise overall efficiency, and cut engine noise. The new Volt has a pair of electric motors, either or both of… Read more »