Tesla Model X Safest SUV?, FBI Nabs Ex-Tesla Employee, Russian Gas Stations Ordered To Add EV Chargers… (Clean Transport Highlights)
This is an epic “clean transport highlights.” Hold onto your seats. (As always, click the subheadings to read the full articles.)
Electric Car Charging Capabilities — Comparison of 27 Models
Something not often recognized by non-EV drivers is that the charging capabilities of current electric cars vary greatly. Numerous models are simply not capable of charging on “fast chargers,” which greatly limits their use on long-distance trips and, depending on your circumstances, perhaps even for regular use.
Next-Generation Chevy Volt Nationwide Availability To Be Delayed
The limited 2016 Volt rollout has apparently been officially confirmed. GM spokesperson, Kevin Kelly, delivered the following official statement: “Chevrolet has a shortened model year for the 2016 Chevy Volt that will have a limited distribution network. The 2016 Volt will be sold in our strongest EREV markets. The 2017 Chevrolet Volt will begin production early this spring and will be available throughout the country.”
Russian Gas Stations Ordered To Install Electric Chargers
It is easy to snicker at this story, but it touches on all the political issues that apply to electric and plug-in cars at the moment. Which comes first, the cars or the infrastructure to charge them? How powerful should the chargers be and who should pay for them? Why install chargers at all if there are not enough electric cars on the roads to utilize them?
Mercedes Long-Range Electric Car “Coming Soon”
Thomas Weber, the head of development at Mercedes-Benz, recently spoke with Germany’s highly respected Auto Motor und Sport (AMUS) magazine and said his company is working on a “concept for a highly attractive electric vehicle with a range of 400–500 kilometers (228–311 miles),” according to Motor Trend.
Great BMW i3 Review (In-Depth Video)
The BMW i3 has been on the market for over a year, but I just ran across this great, in-depth review of the electric car and figured it was worth a share:
Tesla Ex-Employee Snapped Up By FBI
In a story more in line with a primetime TV drama (or high school drama), a former Tesla employee has been charged with spreading unfavorable (and confidential) company information. This information includes employee reviews and customer complaints. The employee in question, Nima Kalbasi, is presumed to have hacked into his former manager’s email to access this material, which was then posted online, along with his own “false and misleading” commentary, according to the FBI.
Did The Tesla Model X Get The Highest Possible Crash-Test Ratings In All Categories In Its Class?
There are rumors swirling around the internet currently that crash testing for the Tesla Model X has concluded, and that the electric SUV offering has followed in the footsteps of the Model S to become the highest-rated vehicle in its class.
What Model III Will Totally Look Like
Pics.
Your #1 Favorite Thing About Your Tesla — Before/After Owning It!
What did you think would be your #1 favorite part about your S before owning it….
…And what is it now?
I thought TACC would be my favorite, but it’s actually the smoothness and quietness of the ride. What about you??
2010 Tesla Roadster EU Signature Sport 250 Edition 290BHP for sale
Tesla Roadster EU Signature Sport 250 Edition 290BHP 2010 (10) for sale.
We’ve Got Company On The Way
A bunch of Indian business leaders will visit Tesla later this month, just before the Indian prime minister drops in. And here they are.
Fraunhofer Workers Come Up With New Film-Based Panel Heater For EVs
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart researchers recently created a new film-based panel heater for electric vehicles (EV), according to recent reports. Worth noting up front, is that according to the researchers, the new panel heater is more effective than conventional electric heaters, especially on shorter trips.
Ecocruise Off-Road Experience Makes Playing in the Mud Fun
Ecocruise is a Seattle-based company founded in 2008. It builds safe, reliable, low-speed electric vehicles — some with three wheels, some with four — that are typically used for industrial or commercial purposes like patrolling parking lots or shuttling parts and employees from one place to another.
US Emerges As The Biggest EV Innovator
The US automobile industry has emerged as the biggest innovator in the field of electric vehicles according to a recent analysis of patent and intellectual property data. The analysis of global patent numbers indicates that US auto manufacturers have moved ahead of the pack in the electric vehicle category, despite reports of declining levels of innovation floated earlier this year by the likes of Thomson Reuters.
Proterra Catalyst XR Drives 258 Miles On Single Charge
Maybe you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about buses, but Proterra does. In a way, it could be the Tesla of large motorized people movers. Why? Because like Tesla, instead of stuffing a bunch of batteries into an existing chassis, the Proterra designers and engineers design their buses from the ground up to be electric.
Volvo Buses Unveiling Volvo 7900 Electric Bus at Busworld in October
When Volvo Buses participates in the Busworld exhibition in Kortrijk, Belgium in October, the company will unveil the Volvo 7900 Electric—Volvo’s first series-produced electric bus under its own brand.
China Zenix Forms Strategic Partnership with JAC to Penetrate Electric-Powered Commercial Vehicle Market In China
China Zenix Auto International Limited (NYSE: ZX) (“Zenix Auto” or “the Company”), the largest commercial vehicle wheel manufacturer in China by sales volume in both the aftermarket and OEM market, today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co., Ltd. (“JAC”), the third largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in China, to penetrate the electric-powered commercial vehicle market. Zenix Auto is currently the largest wheel supplier to JAC, and JAC is the Company’s largest OEM customer.
CarCharging Partnering With Technology With Spirit to Begin Offering Energy Storage + Rechargeable Battery Solutions
One of the top electric vehicle (EV) charging service providers in the country, CarCharging, has finalized a partnership agreement with the company Technology with Spirit to begin offering energy storage + rechargeable battery solutions to CarCharging’s extant charging site hosts (as well as future customers, of course), according to recent reports.
New Online Tool Helps Fleet Operators Decide When It’s Economical To Go Electric
A new online tool to help fleet operators (delivery fleets, taxi fleets, carsharing fleets, etc) decide when it makes economical sense to switch to electric vehicles (EVs) has been developed by researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR).
SPI Solar Entering Into Agreement To Invest Into Internet-Based EV Rental Service
SPI Solar has agreed to invest RMB30 million (~$4.7 million) into Beijing Yiwei New Energy Technology Development Company, with the aim of supporting that company’s move to offer an electric vehicle (EV) rental service in China, according to a recent press release.
San Fran Leads Nation In Reduction Of Solo Car Commuting
The San Francisco Bay Area saw the greatest shift from solo auto commuting to “alternative” forms of transportation in the whole of the country for the years of 2006 through 2013, according to new figures from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Compromise Transportation Funding Plan Floated by California Gov. Jerry Brown
With five days left in the legislative season, Gov. Jerry Brown halved the fuels tax increases proposed in the Democratic bill as a sweetener to tax-averse Republicans, though they haven’t show any willingness to date to compromise.
Toyota Places $50 Million Bet on Driverless Car Research
Toyota is racing to keep up with Google and Uber on driverless car technology. The AP reports that Toyota has invested $50 million on research into driverless car technology. The money will research at with Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Op-Ed: Dallas’ Rail Plans Are Bigger Than All the Rest
The Dallas Morning News thinks it’s safe to say that no city in the United States compares to the ambition of Dallas when it comes to planning for rail transportation.
On the Benefits of Streetcar Suburbs
Peter Saunders knows of the Corner Side Yard knows a good thing when he sees it, and that is good thing is the streetcar suburb.
Bike-Friendly Business Spotlight: Illinois Department of Revenue
Bicycle Friendly Businesses come in all shapes and sizes. Government agencies, especially, are taking steps to make their departments more bike friendly. The Illinois Department of Revenue is one such agency and is also one of the newest Bronze Bicycle Friendly Businesses. We spoke with Terry Horstman, the department’s spokesperson, about the strides the department has made.
Sharing Bikes Their Own Way In Jackson, Wyoming
Renting a bike has never been easier with bike sharing programs popping up in many U.S. cities. For those lucky enough to live near one you can walk out your front door and often be at a bike rental station in minutes. We tend to think of all bike sharing systems as the same—many bikes parked in large kiosks in strategically chosen locations around a city. But in Jackson, Wyoming they’re taking a different approach.
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