Pacific Gas & Electric and BMW worked together on a pilot vehicle-to-grid program from July 2015 to December 2016. The iChargeForward program was designed to test the ability of EVs to support the electric grid through smart charging and demand response. The companies have now released the results of the pilot, which they say successfully… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "our next energy"
The technical reasons Tesla would limit supercharging speed, and other practical charging considerations
Recently, a bit of a kerfuffle kicked up when a Tesla Model S owner noticed that the maximum charge rate for his car on the Supercharger network had suddenly been cut from 120 kW down to 90 kW, apparently the result of too many fast charge cycles. Tesla’s explanation was, essentially, that many things can… Read more »
Copper industry expects EVs to spur ninefold rise in demand for copper by 2027
Big Oil may not be too happy with what’s going on, but Big Copper is all for it. A new report commissioned by the International Copper Association (ICA) finds that the growing market for EVs will significantly increase demand for copper over the next decade. According to Copper Intensity in the Electrification of Transport and… Read more »
The US is generating plenty of power, ready and waiting for EVs
DOE’s Electricity Advisory Committee meets for the first time since the new administration took office. On March 29 and 30, the DOE’s Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) held its first meeting of 2017. The EAC has 31 members from across the country, representing all aspects of the electricity sector. Its focus includes generation, grid security, and… Read more »
Saft team develops first metal hydride-sulfur battery
Researchers at French battery-maker Saft and Université Paris Est have, for the first time, used a nanocomposite metal hydride as the anode in a complete solid-state battery with a sulfur cathode and LiBH4 electrolyte. In “An all-solid-state metal hydride-Sulfur lithium-ion battery,” published in the Journal of Power Sources, Pedro López-Aranguren and colleagues explain that their… Read more »
Carpenter Technology develops a new soft magnetic alloy with key benefits for EV motors
Electrical steels are soft magnetic materials found at the heart of electric motors. They’re typically manufactured in cold-rolled strips, cut into shapes to make laminations and then stacked together to form the stator and rotor of a motor. These specialty steels are tailored to produce certain magnetic properties, and have a magnetic flux density (key… Read more »
Hyundai launches Ioniq with three distinct powertrain choices: EV, PHEV and hybrid
In the short history of the modern EV industry, it’s been common for automakers to launch plug-in cars under a new brand or model – particularly those companies who are serious about selling EVs at scale. Or, at least the ones that want to appear serious about selling a lot of EVs. Even though Hyundai… Read more »
Tesla founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning talk EVs
Here’s a treat for any EV fan: a long and meaty talk with Tesla founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, delivered at Stanford last October. While there are several substantial talks with Tarpenning available on YouTube (he also graciously granted me a lengthy interview for my book about Tesla), Martin Eberhard has seldom sat down… Read more »
Nevada: There’s lithium in them thar hills!
Scare stories about a looming lithium shortage are just that. As informed observers keep pointing out, lithium is not a consumable fuel, it’s easily recycled, and batteries don’t really use all that much of it. Be that as it may, there is a scramble going on to secure supplies of the light white stuff, especially… Read more »
BMW installs charging station at Thomas Edison home
BMW switched on a new charging station at Thomas Edison National Historical Park, the site of Edison’s New Jersey laboratory and home, the symbolic first step of a project that will install up to 100 stations in national parks and nearby communities across the country. The project is a partnership that includes BMW, the National… Read more »