The new 2018 Nissan LEAF has hit a sweet spot of range and price, with its 40kWh battery providing 151 miles of EPA-rated range at a bargain price of $29,995. In many markets, rebates bring this figure down well into the low $20,000s range, making it arguably the most affordable long-range fully electric vehicle.
Porsche has updated its Cayenne E-Hybrid for the 2019 model year, adding even more power and more electric driving range (44 kilometers / 27 miles on the admittedly generous NEDC standard). This comes thanks to its new 14.4kWh battery.
Workhorse has begun a pilot program to test its HorseFly UAV delivery drone in the Cincinnati market. The test program has been approved by the FAA.
Volvo has announced two new fully-electric trucks designed to step in and take the place of urban delivery and refuse collection vehicles which are common sources of diesel emissions in cities around the world. Both will be available in the European market in 2019.
A network of 20 of ABB’s high-speed 50kW DC fast chargers for electric vehicles has been installed across Iceland as the island nation looks to electric vehicles to cut petrol imports and reduce emissions.
Our “What Changed … ?” feature tries to cut through the “noise” (that is, review articles, op-eds, superfluous analyses, announcements about the not-so-near future, fun anecdotes, etc.) in order to highlight significant news in the EV industry, solar energy industry, and energy storage industry each month. Here’s an update on what was actually new in the electric vehicle world in April.
In this edition of the cleantech news roundup, we have news about the 2018 LEAF safety score, Paul Elio’s new cryptocurrency, first delivery of an Electra Meccanica Solo, an electric Aston Martin Lagonda, death by chocolate, EU plastic recycling and pesticide ban, environmental conservatism, and more.
In the ongoing tug-of-war between Tesla bulls and bears, one of the most controversial subjects these days is the gross margin that Model 3 can generate at a 5,000 cars per week production rate as well as the rate when production lines have fully matured. Bears had previously focused on whether Tesla could successfully ramp up Model 3 production quickly enough so as to hit the 5,000 per week production number before Tesla’s cash position becomes compromised, but with the company now consistently turning out thousands of Model 3s per week and evidence of additional gains, the emphasis has shifted to the profitability of those cars produced, and this is where the concept of gross margin becomes key.
Critics of electric vehicles sometimes try to dismiss them as being only for “tree huggers,” but such commenters seem to be overlooking some critically important facts.
When I picked up “my” Zero DS from the dealer, I was so happy about it that I showed it around as much as I could. I showed it to friends and family, on social media, and on motorcycle forums. So, here we are: 6 months and 6,000 kilometers further. This article is about the day-to-day life commuting on an electric motorcycle, and at the same time, it is a technical review of the bike (a 2017 Zero DS with powertank).
