Q&A with the EV trailblazer Tom Gage Tom Gage is one of America’s true EV pioneers. He’s perhaps best known as one of the designers of the tzero electric sports car that provided the inspiration for the Tesla Roadster. However, that is far from his only contribution to the electric mobility field. Charged recently caught up… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "range energy"
NHTSA closes investigation of Model S fires, Tesla installs new shield for battery pack
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed a three-month investigation of the Model S fire incidents, as Tesla announced a design change to better shield the car’s battery pack from road debris. Shortly after the fires, Tesla made a software update that raised the ride height of the Model S to reduce the… Read more »
Walmart develops tractor-trailer with turbine-powered series hybrid powertrain
Walmart has developed a super-efficient tractor-trailer rig that features a turbine-powered range extending series hybrid powertrain. The prototype truck, which is on display at this week’s Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, is the result of collaboration between Walmart and many vendors, including Peterbilt, Roush Engineering, Great Dane Trailers, Parker Hannifin, and Capstone Turbine. The truck… Read more »
China’s best-selling plug-in: BYD’s QIN
China’s National Passenger Car Association has named BYD’s QIN plug-in hybrid sedan (pronounced “cheen”) the country’s best-selling electric vehicle. Since its launch in China in December, the BYD QIN has sold more than 6,000 vehicles, which represents over half of the Chinese new-energy vehicle market. Chinese buyers of plug-ins and other “new energy” vehicles receive… Read more »
Scientists discover the secret of aging (of lithium-ion batteries)
Aging is an inescapable fact of life, not only for people, but for batteries as well. Researchers at the Helmholtz Center Berlin (HZB) recently identified a major reason why Li-ion batteries degrade with time. They have directly observed atomic rearrangements occurring in cathode materials during charge and discharge processes, which lead to the breakdown of the… Read more »
Intertek offers third-party performance and cost data for EVs
Intertek, a company that specializes in third-party validation and compliance testing, is working with the DOE and several national laboratories to collect real-world data on all the most popular plug-in models, testing the vehicles’ performance, durability and operational costs. Intertek acquires new vehicles directly from a dealer, and installs data logging equipment, which uses Wi-Fi… Read more »
Motiv Power Systems electrifies postal vans, garbage trucks and school buses
Kings Canyon Unified School District, in California, has ordered four buses from Trans Tech Bus, featuring electric powertrains from Foster City-based Motiv Power Systems. The SST-e, an electric version of Trans Tech’s popular SST model, uses a Ford E450 cutaway chassis equipped with Motiv’s electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS). The SST-e school bus is available… Read more »
Sporty prototype demonstrates flow cell battery technology
Among the many electrified vehicles on display at this week’s Geneva Auto Salon was one that demonstrates a new and possibly revolutionary energy storage system. Leichtenstein-based nanoFLOWCELL’s QUANT e-Sportlimousine, a sleek sports model with gull-wing doors, uses flow cell battery technology. Scientists at GE Global Research and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced that they were… Read more »
Volkswagen Group announces plans for 40 more electrified models
The Volkswagen Group plans to electrify more than 40 models over the next few years. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, VW Chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn said that Europe’s largest automaker has increased its R&D expenditure to the record value of €10.2 billion, with the lion’s share going to “green” technologies. VW’s modular Baukästen (assembly… Read more »
Kia Soul EV to use new SK Innovation battery cells
Kia’s new Soul EV will use lithium-ion polymer battery cells supplied by SK Innovation, the result of a three-year joint development program between the two companies. The SK pack has 192 cells in eight modules, for a total capacity of 27 kWh. It boasts an impressive energy density of 200 Wh/kg, and is expected to… Read more »