The principal motor engineer at Tesla describes why modeling and optimization is so vital to its design process. Creating a start-of-the-art electric vehicle requires a deep understanding of all the components. More importantly, it requires a continual process of analysis and optimization of the components to push the limits of driving range, efficiency, performance and… Read more »
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Can Tanktwo redefine the battery pack with big data?
A Finnish-American start-up with ambitious goals wants to change how we think about batteries. The concept of an EV that supports the quick removal and replacement of a discharged battery pack was all the rage about 5 years ago. Since then, however, various systems have been attempted and subsequently abandoned by companies like BetterPlace, Renault,… Read more »
Tesla just makes fourth-quarter production goal
Tesla delivered 17,192 Model S sedans and 208 Model X crossovers in the fourth quarter of 2015, bringing its total for the year to 50,557 vehicles, just within its guidance figures of 50,000 to 55,000. Battery half full or half empty? Naysayers may grouse that deliveries were near the bottom end of the forecast range… Read more »
NEVS (former Saab) sells 150,000 EVs to Chinese leasing firm
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), the successor to the Saab brand, has formed a strategic collaboration with the Chinese company Panda New Energy, under which NEVS will provide Panda with 150,000 9-3 electric sedans through the end of 2020, as well as other EV-related products and services. The total value of the agreement is 78… Read more »
Elon Musk et al to CARB: Make VW sell EVs instead of fixing dirty diesels
Volkswagen is sincerely sorry that it got caught designing its diesels to cheat on emissions tests, and it has proposed to recall some 482,000 vehicles and modify them to bring them into compliance. VW has not yet revealed exactly how it will do this, and some automotive experts have pointed out that a technical fix… Read more »
Norwegian postal service orders 240 electric Renault Kangoos
Posten, the Norwegian postal service, has ordered 240 Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E.s. The red Renaults will join the company’s existing fleet of 900 EVs (cars, bikes, quadricycles and trailers). The electric version of the Kangoo light-duty commercial van has a typical range of 80 to 125 km. Posten’s Kangoos will mostly be used in high-density… Read more »
Kia announces five-year “green car road map,” releases details of Optima PHEV
Korean automaker Kia has announced plans to develop “a greatly increased range of environmentally friendly vehicles.” The brand’s “green car road map” is a five-year plan that calls for increased R&D into fuel-efficient technologies and new products. New investment by Hyundai Motor Group, Kia’s parent company, totals 11.3 trillion won ($10.2 billion). The first of… Read more »
Tanktwo says that its smart swappable cells will save big on battery pack costs
Tanktwo’s smart cells represent much more than another concept for battery swapping. The system is based on a tank full of “string cells,” which contain lithium-ion battery materials as well as electronics for sensing, routing, and communications. Understanding Tanktwo’s system requires throwing out any preconceptions of how battery packs are supposed to work. Tanktwo CEO… Read more »
Hyundai Sonata PHEV hits the showrooms
The Koreans are plugging in. The 2016 Hyundai Sonata PHEV, which made its debut at January’s Detroit auto show, arrives at “select dealerships” this week. The Sonata’s cousin, the Kia Optima, is also expected to appear in a plug-in version in the second half of 2016. The Korea Herald recently reported that Hyundai plans to… Read more »
UCLA study: HOV access for plug-in cars drives sales
One of the goodies that many governments offer to encourage EV sales is access to special highway lanes. In California at least, it seems that such policies are very effective. A new study conducted by UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, with funding from the California Air Resources Board, has found that state legislation that opened… Read more »