Tiny electric cars aren’t just for the golf course or narrow European streets anymore. The City Council voted Thursday to approve the use of supercompact neighborhood electronic vehicles, or NEVs, on city streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less. The ordinance takes effect immediately. via San Antonio seeks to amp up use Continue reading →
San Francisco and Los Angeles are known for their fog and smog, respectively, but at least the some folks representing the state of California want to make sure the view is crystal clear for plug-in drivers looking to juice up their vehicles. The EV Open Access Act, or SB454, was recently passed by the California Continue reading →
Willett Kempton had an idea way back in 1997 about an electric car that would do more than just allow an owner to commute to work without using a drop of gas. The University of Delaware professor wanted that same vehicle to store power and be able to pump it back onto the utility grid, Continue reading →
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a unique integrated motor drive and battery charger for electric vehicles. Compared to today’s electric vehicle chargers, they have managed to shorten the charging time from eight to two hours, and to reduce the cost by around $2,000. Saeid Haghbin, doctor of electric power engineering, undertook his Continue reading →
Just over a year ago, Anthony Foxx – President Obama’s nominee for transportation secretary – unveiled a pilot program for electric-vehicle charging stations in Charlotte, N.C., where he is the mayor. If he wins confirmation, Mr. Foxx can help the president push electric vehicles (EVs) on a national scale. Getting more American drivers into plug-ins Continue reading →
The revived Detroit Electric company will be partnering with China’s Geely, but the mission is not to cooperate on bringing the all-electric Tesla Roadster-like SP:01 to market. Instead, Detroit Electric and Geely will co-develop more normal passenger vehicles from Geely’s Emgrand brand, starting with the EC7 pictured above. The two companies will also work on Continue reading →
A few carmakers from Japan and the U.S. primarily have lead the way in hybrid technology and in rolling out the first all-electric vehicles. Ford Motor Co. likely would confirm that it wasn’t one of them. But now that the 110-year-old manufacturer is committed to battery power as an alternative or complementary fuel, it has Continue reading →
In related news, what was long thought of as “futuristic” is becoming a reality — Amory Lovins’ concept of electric vehicles as an independent energy source for buildings. Energy stored in EVs is used to power homes and buildings. In 2008, Lovins said, “We’re developing the ‘Smart Garage’ — an intelligent interface between electric traction vehicles, Continue reading →
In the United States, electric vehicles are slowly gaining ground on gas-powered cars. As of March, 2013, there were 34,000 on the road. But if electric vehicles are ever going to overtake their combustion-engine counterparts, the sticker price will have to come down, battery life will have to go up and the charging station infrastructure Continue reading →
ChargePoint and the City of Sacramento today announced that the City has reached a significant milestone with more than 100 electric vehicle charging stations installed in and around the California State Capitol. Many of the 100 installed EV charging stations were made possible by a State and Federal grant funded by the American Recovery and Continue reading →
Electric vehicles camped in parking spaces will be an ideal vehicle-to-grid energy source for buildings equipped with energy management systems. A new report from Navigant Research forecasts that nearly 200,000 plug-in electric vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-building (V2B) technology will be sold from 2012 through 2020. via 200,000 vehicle-to-grid plug-ins to be sold by 2020.
A MOTOR dealer has smashed its targets for sales of its electric vehicles thanks to a new offer which enables customers to get a free at-home charging point. Newcastle-based Bristol Street Motors, is the North East’s only Vauxhall Ampera retailer, and is helping people invest in eco-friendly vehicles. As well as the Government grant to Continue reading →
Decades may have passed since the Electric Slide was in vogue, but electric cars are now sliding into charging stations all around Lodi. Seven electric vehicle charging stations are installed in Lodi and are currently free to use. Want to charge up in your own home? The Lodi City Council approved an ordinance to offer Continue reading →
Phinergy, an Israeli startup, has demonstrated an aluminium-air battery that is capable of powering an electric vehicle for up to 1,000 miles (1,609km). Unlike other metal-air batteries that we’ve written about in the past, such as IBM’s lithium-air battery, Phinergy’s Al-air battery actually consumes aluminium as a fuel, allowing for an energy density that far Continue reading →
Picture an all-electric vehicle cruising down the highway, emitting little noise and no noxious fumes. It’s such an improvement that you have to wonder why only a handful of all-electric vehicles are now available on the mass market. Here’s a big reason: Picture the driver of that same car getting a call from a relative Continue reading →
FedEx Express has expanded its alternative-energy vehicle fleet with 10 new all-electric commercial vehicles for use in Hong Kong. This is the first fleet of zero-emission all-electric vehicles for FedEx in Asia Pacific. The 10 EVs will be deployed this month, joining the more than 650 alternative-energy delivery vehicles already in the FedEx global vehicle Continue reading →
Orocobre Ltd. (ORE), which plans to begin extracting lithium next year from Argentina brine, said rising demand for battery-powered consumer electronics has cut the company’s dependence on electric vehicle adoption. Orocobre Chairman James D. Calaway, who owns a 7.5 percent stake in the Brisbane, Australia-based company, said he no longer believes battery-powered vehicles are needed Continue reading →
A newly announced Detroit vehicle manufacturer wants to bring high-performance electric vehicles to the Motor City from the west coast. Detroit Electric, a resurrected name brand made popular in the early 1900s for electric vehicles, plans to have its headquarters in Detroit’s Fisher Building, hire 180 employees by the end of the year and produce a Continue reading →
The United States Department of Energy is offering $50 million for the development of plug-in vehicles as to support its EV Anywhere Grand Challenge. The program is intended to improve plug-in vehicle efficiency and performance. While the initial cost of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is their greatest Achilles Heel, improving their efficiency enables them to travel Continue reading →
Unless you follow green cars fairly closely–or perhaps live in California–you may not know that the Golden State now requires the sale of certain number of battery electric cars. Between 2012 and 2014, the six highest-selling carmakers in the state must sell a combined 7,500 zero-emission vehicles. via CA Will Stay The Course On Electric-Car Continue reading →
