Tier 1 automotive supplier BorgWarner has acquired Rhombus Energy Solutions. San Diego-based Rhombus provides EV charging and power conversion technology, including V2G applications. Rhombus supplies its patented technology to EV OEMs, including Proterra, as well as charging and grid service providers. The transaction has an enterprise value of up to $185 million. “The technology that… Read more »
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Startup led by Tesla alums aims to build electric RVs
As is the case with a legacy vehicle, towing a trailer with an EV greatly reduces range—as John Voelcker found in his recent test of a Ford F-150 Lightning (see the latest issue of Charged), towing can reduce range by 40% or even more. But what if the trailer had its own electric powertrain? That’s… Read more »
Volta Trucks details upcoming US launch of its Class 7 electric truck
Volta Trucks plans to introduce its electric commercial vehicles into North America, beginning in 2023 with a Volta Zero Class 7 truck (equivalent to the company’s existing European 16-ton truck) with a dry or refrigerated cargo box. The Volta Zero is a purpose-built electric medium-duty truck specifically designed for urban logistics. It uses a compact… Read more »
Siemens provides charging infrastructure to two North Carolina transit agencies
Siemens has provided North Carolina-made charging infrastructure for two of the state’s largest transit operators, GoRaleigh and the Charlotte Area Transit System. Siemens eMobility manufactured the chargers at its Wendell, North Carolina manufacturing hub. GoRaleigh operates 27 bus routes in the state capital. Last year, the agency took delivery of five Proterra electric buses. Siemens… Read more »
Rocsys robots help to make EV fleet charging more reliable
Originally designed with autonomous vehicles in mind, Rocsys’s robotic charging arm has attracted interest from fleet operators. Netherlands-based Rocsys makes robotic devices that allow EVs to be charged without human intervention (see the feature in our January/February 2020 issue). When we hear about robotic charging, the application that typically springs to mind is charging autonomous… Read more »
How does Alaska’s first electric school bus handle the winter?
How well do electric school buses do in extreme cold? One anecdotal answer comes from Gerald Blackard, co-owner of Tok Transportation, which operates a single electric bus for the Alaska Gateway School District in the small village of Tok in eastern Alaska. The bus, which was manufactured by Thomas Built Buses, and features a battery… Read more »
Los Angeles DOT to install solar and storage microgrid to power 100+ electric buses
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has won a $6-million grant from the California Energy Commission to install an EV fleet charging system that will be powered by a microgrid incorporating solar panels and storage. Earlier this year, Proterra delivered its 25th ZX5 battery-electric transit bus to LADOT in support of the agency’s transition… Read more »
V2G-equipped electric school bus delivers power to grid for 50 hours
Electric school buses are often cited as an ideal use case for vehicle-to-grid technology. Most school buses transport students for only a few hours per day when school is in session, and are parked during the summer months, when demand for electricity is often highest. A number of V2G school bus pilots are underway around… Read more »
Austin transit agency orders 197 electric buses
Capital Metro, the transit agency serving Austin, Texas, has approved the purchase of 197 new electric buses, which will expand its zero-emission bus fleet to more than 200 units. The agency’s eventual goal is to convert its entire fleet of more than 400 buses to zero-emission. The new buses, from Proterra and New Flyer, support both plug-in… Read more »
Tesla co-founder JB Straubel’s company to produce battery materials in US
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling venture founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, came out of stealth mode last year, and announced that it is recycling scrap from Panasonic’s battery cell production at Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada. In July, it raised $700 million in new investment. Now Redwood has dropped a bit of a bombshell: it… Read more »