The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is establishing a “Transformation Hub Electric Mobility” to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) with specialized knowledge in the process chain for manufacturing a combustion engine re-orient for electric mobility. The hub is funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg with €2.6 million. The Fit4E... Read more →

The BMW Group Plant in Dingolfing in Lower Bavaria will increase the number of Dingolfing-based jobs in the production of e-drive components several times over in the next few years to a total of up to 2,000. In 2018, the share of electrified models more than doubled year-on-year, to around... Read more →

New Flyer Industries Canada ULC, the Canadian subsidiary of NFI Group, announced an award from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for an additional ten forty-foot, zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE heavy-duty transit buses. TTC New Flyer Industries XE40 Xcelsior electric demo bus. This award follows on the original TTC order from... Read more →

Volvo Trucks delivered its first all-electric vehicles on 19 February: a refuse truck to waste and recycling company Renova, and a distribution truck to the logistics company DB Schenker and partner haulier TGM, operating in Sweden. The Volvo FL Electric, Volvo’s first all-electric vehicle, is developed for distribution, refuse handling... Read more →

Bye Aerospace’s electric Sun Flyer 2 successfully completed the first official flight test with a Siemens electric propulsion motor 8 February at Centennial Airport, south of Denver, Colo. The Sun Flyer family of aircraft, including the 2-seat Sun Flyer 2 and the 4-seat Sun Flyer 4, aims to be the... Read more →

BMW is seeking alternative cooling technologies for vehicle batteries to further improve peak cooling capacity during fast charging while reducing cooling components’ vibration and noise emission. Solutions that meet the need criteria will be invited to work with BMW to evaluate and develop the idea. Faster charging creates more heat... Read more →

YASA, a leading manufacturer of axial-flux electric motors and controllers, signed a long-term joint innovation agreement with a global automotive OEM. The partnership will focus on developing custom electric motor and controller solutions for the OEM’s high-performance hybrid and pure electric vehicles. YASA’s innovative axial-flux electric motor and controller designs... Read more →

The production of an electric vehicle currently generates significantly more CO2 than that of cars with a combustion engine—around 150% on average. From a lifecycle view, this additional carbon burden is offset compared to the combustion engine vehicle during the use phase, as EVs rack up zero-emission miles that eventually... Read more →

Rivian announced an equity investment round of $700M led by Amazon. The investment comes on the heels of Rivian’s reveal of the all-electric R1T pickup and R1S SUV at the LA Auto Show last November. (Earlier post.) GM was also reported to have an interest in an investment in the... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has handed over a fully electric eActros truck to Murg Valley (Southern Germany)-based logistics company Logistik Schmitt. As part of the eWayBW project, commercial transport will be electric on the B462 federal road around Rastatt with the test operation of catenary trucks as of 2020. On an approximately... Read more →

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has selected Cummins to be the electrification solution provider for the next-generation electric terminal tractor offering for the European market. The Cummins driveline solution eliminates need for a transmission on a terminal tractor, simplifying the overall system and reducing maintenance needs. Cummins will provide powertrain technology,... Read more →

GM announced ARĪV as the name of its new eBike brand, which includes two innovative, integrated and connected eBikes: the Meld, a compact eBike, and the Merge, a folding eBike. The name ARĪV was selected as part of a global crowdsourcing campaign announced in November 2018. ARĪV eBikes are launching... Read more →

Overall sales of BMW Group Electrified vehicles increased by 1.4% compared with January last year, with a total of 7,234 delivered to customers around the world. By the end of this year, the number of BMW Group electrified vehicles on the roads around the world will total more than half... Read more →

Electrify America has 105 electric vehicle charging sites with 465 chargers which are operational and open to the public. Since installing its first ultra-fast DC fast charging site in Chicopee, MA in May 2018, Electrify America has accelerated the pace of installations nationwide. Electrify America’s progress includes: 105 charging sites... Read more →

WiTricity, the industry pioneer in wireless power transfer (WPT), has acquired from Qualcomm Incorporated and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. certain technology platform and IP assets, which will bring more than 1,500 patents and patent applications related to wireless charging that WiTricity will own or control. Through the transaction, Qualcomm Incorporated will... Read more →

New research from AAA finds that when the outside temperature hits 20°F (-6.7 ˚C) and the HVAC system is used to heat the inside of an electric vehicle, the average driving range is decreased by 41%. This means for every 100 miles of combined urban/highway driving, the range at 20°F... Read more →

In a series of tweets on Friday, Nikola Motor, developer of heavy-duty hydrogen-electric trucks, said that it will introduce all-battery versions of the Nikola Two and Nikola Tre models at Nikola World in April. (Earlier post.) Nikola Tre. The battery-electric trucks will be available in 500 kWh, 750 kWh and... Read more →

In 2018, global deployment of nickel, graphite, copper, LCE, aluminum and cobalt by passenger vehicle cell suppliers increased by 75% to 99% versus the year prior, according to data from Adamas Intelligence’s “EV Battery Capacity and Battery Metals Tracker”. These growth rates are particularly remarkable when considering that global BEV... Read more →

Canada-based American Manganese Inc. (AMY) announced that its processing partner, Kemetco Research, has commenced the processing of a select sample of Li-ion cathode scrap material through Stages 1 and 2 of a pilot recycling plant. (Earlier post.) Commencement of the pilot plant followed a HAZOP study and preliminary testing of... Read more →

AKASOL AG, a leading German producer of high-performance lithium-ion battery systems, is expanding its long-term framework agreement to supply a Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer with high-performance battery systems for electric buses and trucks. AKASOL says the order volume is in the mid to high three-digit million-euro range. From 2020, the... Read more →

Electrify America has released its National Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Investment Plan for Cycle 2; Cycle 2 is a 30-month investment period that begins in July 2019. The $300-million investment will build on Electrify America’s initial priorities and expand into new areas, where the need for electric vehicle charging stations... Read more →

Propel Fuels, California’s leading low carbon fuel retailer, plans to launch an electric vehicle (EV) charging network to bring fast and affordable access across the state of California. Propel will begin testing its Propel Power network by Q4 of 2019, with broader roll-out targeted for 2020. The move to low... Read more →

Hubject is collaborating with Greenlots to deploy its ISO 15118 Plug&Charge technology (earlier post) in North America. Customers with new, Plug&Charge-enabled vehicles will no longer need to worry about using an app or card to pay for their charge. This achievement is the result of a partnership between Hubject and... Read more →

Austin, Texas-based energy research organization Pecan Street Inc. launched Texas’ first grid-tied vehicle-to-grid (V2G) testing center at its lab in Austin, turning electric vehicles into a dispatchable load shaving tool for the municipally-owned electric utility, Austin Energy. The V2G testing center is part of Austin SHINES, an Austin Energy project... Read more →

Transmission system operator TenneT and Daimler AG, through its wholly owned subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Energy GmbH, have researched and tested the feasibility of innovative system services in the transmission grid as part of a joint development partnership. The project partners have shown in the Kamenz test lab that automobile battery storage... Read more →

by Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. By 2030, oil demand could hit a peak and then enter decline, according to a new report. For the next decade or so, oil demand should continue to grow, although at a slower and slower rate. According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the annual... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) signed a cooperation agreement with Honda Motor in Tokyo to cooperate formally to develop electric vehicles for the future market. Under the agreement, CATL will become Honda’s partner in the field of lithium-ion EV batteries. CATL will guarantee the supply to Honda of about... Read more →

Just a few months after the launch, Porsche is expanding its charging service for plug-in and electric vehicles (earlier post) by five countries and additional functions. The platform now has more than 49,000 charging points in twelve countries. Alongside Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland, the charging... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems (Motiv), a leading provider of all-electric medium-duty fleet chassis, has begun deliveries of Ford E-450-based all-electric walk-in vans to the United States Postal Service (USPS). The pilot program of seven Motiv-powered vans is slated for deployment in California’s Central Valley. The first vehicle now serves routes in... Read more →

DHL will roll out a new fleet of 63 electric delivery vans that will serve US markets. The fleet of 63 NGEN-1000 electric delivery cargo vans are produced by equipment manufacturer Workhorse Group. Capable of running up to 100 miles on a charge, the vans have ultra-low floors to reduce... Read more →

Electrify America plans to install Tesla Powerpack battery systems at more than 100 of its electric vehicle charging stations nationwide over the course of 2019. The battery systems will be deployed to mitigate higher power demand charges and manage operating costs by avoiding or reducing demand and energy charges during... Read more →

FreeWire Technologies, a pioneer in flexible mobile power and EV charging technology (earlier post), will demonstrate its Mobi Gen and Mobi EV Charger units at DistribuTECH in partnership with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the nation’s sixth-largest utility. SMUD is testing the units for deployment within Sacramento. Mobi EV Chargers... Read more →

The European car market remained stable during 2018, as 15.6 million vehicles were registered—just 346 more than in 2017—according to JATO Dyanmics. It was the best result since 2007, when the market peaked with 16.02 million registrations. Strong results in Q2, where the market was up by 4.8%, and Q3,... Read more →

The Audi e-tron Charging Service is going on-grid in ten markets. The service will be rolled out in a further six markets in the first quarter and expanded in Eastern Europe over the course of the year. When driving abroad, Audi customers can charge their cars according to the local... Read more →

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT are working together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT to develop a new cooling concept that will enable polymers to be used as EV electric motor housing materials, thereby reducing the weight of the motor and thus, the EV itself.... Read more →

Brazilian professional racing driver and team owner Gil de Ferran and entrepreneur Alejandro Agag officially launched the new Extreme E all-electric racing series. De Ferran will serve as the Chairman of Extreme E; Agag is founder and CEO of Formula E. Due to commence in January 2021, the off-road racing... Read more →

Greenlots, a US-based provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management software and solutions, signed an agreement to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell New Energies US LLC, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc. With this deal, Greenlots’ technology and team become the foundation for Shell’s continued... Read more →

At the International Geneva Motor Show in March, Volkswagen will reveal the first fully electric version of a new dune buggy. Taking its cues from popular American dune buggies, the concept vehicle is based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB), demonstrating how multifaceted the new platform is. A buggy... Read more →

Audi is actively involved in the EEBUS initiative to promote networking across manufacturer and industry boundaries. The Audi e-tron’s charging system is the first on-board EV system to use the new communication standard. At the “Plugfest E-Mobility” at the Audi plant in Brussels, developers are testing cross-industry compatibility before the... Read more →

Electrify America is restoring full capacity to its entire network after its high-powered charging cables cleared extensive testing from the cable manufacturer, HUBER+SUHNER. At HUBER+SUHNER’s recommendation, Electrify America shut down many of the high-powered CCS chargers (150kW – 350kW) in its network on Friday while the company and HUBER+SUHNER investigated... Read more →

Swedish car makers NEVS AB and Koenigsegg AB are forming a strategic partnership, enabling the development of parallel vehicle models in slightly higher volumes with emphasis on electrification, as well as strengthening growth opportunities in the hypercar segment. NEVS is investing €150 million, thereby taking a 20% minority stake in... Read more →

Didi Chuxing, the world’s leading one-stop transportation platform, announced a new joint venture with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co., an affiliate of BAIC. BAIC-Xiaoju New Energy Auto Technology Co. Ltd (JingJu) aims to combine the two companies’ strengths in new energy fleet operation and AI transportation solutions to develop next-generation connected-car... Read more →

US-based Energy Impact Partners (EIP), a utility-backed energy investment and innovation firm, has invested $5.7 million (€5 million) in ViriCiti, a Europe-based EV fleet efficiency technology company (earlier post), in a Series A round. The investment is EIP’s first in a Europe-based firm. ViriCiti has developed and deployed a telematics... Read more →

Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) has entered an agreement with Electrify America, LLC to provide the first all-electric Porsche, the Taycan, with three years of charging at Electrify America public stations across the country. This charging benefit will be included in the price of the Taycan. In addition, Porsche US... Read more →

Hyundai is pricing the new Kona Electric CUV in the US starting at $36,450. Kona Electric rides on an all-new CUV platform and is Hyundai’s first compact electric crossover for the US market. Kona Electric’s estimated range is 258 miles; the EV offers standard fast-charging capability. Kon Electric comes in... Read more →

Natron Energy, a developer of new battery cell technology based on Prussian Blue analogue electrodes and a sodium-ion electrolyte, has closed a strategic investment by Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) to support the development of stationary energy storage systems for demand charge management at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Natron Energy... Read more →

In a new white paper, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has quantified the gap in charging infrastructure across the 100 most populous US metropolitan areas in the US to power more than 3 million expected electric vehicles by 2025. Broadly, the team found that of the 100 areas,... Read more →

EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2019 projects continued robust growth in US energy production, emergence of the United States as an energy exporter, and a cleaner S electric power generation mix. For the Transportation sector, EIA projects that energy consumption will decline between 2019 and 2037 (in the Reference case) because... Read more →

The Electric Circuit, Hydro-Québec’s public charging network, announced that fast-charge stations will now be deployed more quickly with the rollout of approximately one hundred new fast-charge stations. Over the next 10 years, 1,600 new fast-charge stations will be deployed in Québec. In June 2018, the National Assembly unanimously adopted An... Read more →

At the recommendation of its supplier, HUBER+SUHNER, a leading supplier of high-powered charging cable technology in the industry, Electrify America is shutting down the majority of its high-powered chargers (150 kW – 350kW) in its network to investigate a potential safety issue with its liquid-cooled cables. The recommendation was issued... Read more →