The US and European auto markets differ in several significant ways, so it’s not surprising that the sales figures for the various plug-in models available look quite different across the water. One of the biggest differences is size. We Americans love our pickups and SUVs, while Europeans love cute little cars that would be laughed… Read more »
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August plug-in sales: LEAF sets all-time record, BMW i3 goes wild
August plug-in sales showed a decent increase over July, and 2014 is still on track to handily beat 2013’s figure. Sales of the industry-leading LEAF grew to 3,186 in August, the 18th consecutive monthly record, a 32% increase over August 2013, and a new all-time monthly record for any pure EV. The 2015 LEAFs are… Read more »
VIDEO: A ride in the Renovo supercoupe, and a chat with CEO Chris Heiser
Silicon Valley startup Renovo Motors made quite a splash at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with its prototype supercar. A new video includes an interesting interview with Renovo’s CEO Chris Heiser, delivered during a tantalizing test drive. Yahoo! Autos’ Justin Hyde points out that over 20 would-be EV-makers have failed in the past decade… Read more »
July plug-in sales: LEAF sets 17th straight monthly record
July plug-in sales were lower than in May or June, but 2014 is still on track to handily beat 2013’s figure. Sales of the industry-leading LEAF surged to 3,019 in July, the 17th consecutive monthly record, and just a little shy of May’s all-time monthly best. The 2015 LEAFs are now available for adoption –… Read more »
Tesla quarterly report: progress on all fronts
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 »
Q&A with Ian Wright: The CEO of Wrightspeed on Tesla, gas turbines and electric trucks
Ian Wright is originally from New Zealand. He came to California in 1993, where he happened to be a neighbor of Tesla founder Martin Eberhard. He worked with optical switching systems at a company called Altamar Networks until it went out of business, then decided he wanted to start his own company. Eberhard and his… Read more »
Daimler and BMW commit to common technology for wireless charging
Daimler and BMW have agreed to jointly develop and implement a common technology for wireless charging. The system consists of two components: a secondary coil integrated into the under tray of the car and a primary coil integrated into a floor plate that can be placed on a garage floor. Electrical energy is transmitted at… 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 »
Daimler switching battery suppliers again?
Does Daimler have a coherent electric-vehicle strategy? Its battery supply chain is literally all over the map, and this week’s announcement that the company may close a German battery plant that it was boasting about a month ago has the EV press puzzled. The first generation of Daimler’s smart fortwo electric drive, which is selling… Read more »
Tesla and Daimler: Is the honeymoon over?
The partnership between Tesla and Daimler, which dates from 2008, has been advantageous for both companies, with the stodgy Germans enjoying a little of Tesla’s bad-boy chic, and the Silicon Valley upstarts benefiting from Daimler’s old-world respectability. However, it’s sounding as if Daimler has lost that lovin’ feeling. Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche told reporters at… Read more »