Porsche’s new Panamera S E-Hybrid PHEV incorporates dramatic improvements over the hybrid model that it’s replacing, and the company expects that to drive dramatically better sales. Porsche is forecasting about 10,000 sales over the E-Hybrid’s life cycle, which represents double the figure for the company’s first-generation hybrid, and about 10 percent of all Panamera sales…. Read more »
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Juicy details about the BMW i3
BMW has released a vast wealth of details about its upcoming i3 EV, and there’s plenty here for auto pundits to discuss before the official unveiling, which is scheduled for July 29. The i3 embodies several milestones – it’s the first EV to offer an optional range extender engine, it features a unique carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic… Read more »
A reluctant gem: The FIAT 500e EV
The cute, cuddly FIAT 500e EV may have been born only out of regulatory necessity. So what happens if it becomes the best-reviewed new EV in its class? The bar is raised; the game changes. Maybe Chrysler will even concede that it should sell it outside of the Golden State. Summertime in Sonoma County… Read more »
Taxing EVs: no gas means no gas tax
The electric car may have come back from the dead, but it won’t escape life’s other inevitability How do we pay for the highway system? The roads don’t build themselves, in fact they cost a ton of money to construct and maintain. In the US, most of the money comes from gasoline taxes, which have… Read more »
EVs in paradise: plug-ins and island markets
Islands make perfect EV habitats. Driving distances are generally short, and the need to ship supplies from the mainland keeps gas prices high. Also, islands around the world face a lot of environmental challenges, and many island economies depend on tourism, so the level of green consciousness tends to be high. Island governments around the… Read more »
In-wheel house: Protean Electric’s in-wheel drive system nears production
When Protean Electric begins production of its Protean Drive in-wheel electric drive system later this year, it could mark the stirring comeback of the wheel hub motor, a concept that’s been more than a century in the making. Electric wheel-hub motors date all the way back to 1884, and none other than Ferdinand Porsche used… Read more »
A closer look at coulombic efficiency
Peter Ulrix and Stef Leemans of PEC explain how the very delicate process of measuring a cell’s coulombic efficiency could significantly speed up development times. In May, the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) put out its results for America’s biggest survey of plug-in drivers yet. More than 2,000 California EV owners responded, and while… Read more »
Unclean at Any Speed: constructive criticism or anti-EV hit job?
In a recent editorial in IEEE Spectrum, author and former GM employee Ozzie Zehner asserts that electric vehicles are not as environmentally friendly as boosters claim, and may even be browner than ICEs. “Dozens of think tanks and scientific organizations have ventured conclusions about the environmental friendliness of electric vehicles. Most are supportive, but a few… Read more »
Aruba plans to be emissions-free by 2020
Cities, regions and countries around the world are moving ahead with the transition to electric mobility. As we discuss in this month’s issue of Charged, island communities are especially keen to get plugged in, because of their high energy prices and environmental challenges. However, as far as we know, the Caribbean island of Aruba is the… Read more »
A new LEAF, localized manufacturing, and a focus on infrastructure
With a longer range and a lower price, the 2013 Nissan LEAF screams upgrade, but it’s only one small aspect of the company’s aggressive EV strategy. Proprietary, localized manufacturing and improved infrastructure also play key roles in Nissan’s plan for world domination electrification. Sometime back in the 60s, Mr or Mrs Ghosn must have put… Read more »