Magna has created a complete electric powertrain with three motors and installed it in a Tesla Model S to showcase its system for interested car makers. It’s available now. All the manufacturer has to do is write a check.
Earlier this week, Takeshi Uchiyamada, the chairman of top-selling automaker Toyota, explained why he didn’t understand the quick transition to electric cars that many of us see on the horizon. Or, if most of you reading this and I are absolutely off our rockers, he explained what we are ignorantly ignoring.
Mr Uchiyamada made a few key points anti-selling electric cars. Below, I’ll explain why I think each of them is incorrect or misleading. After that, I’ll expound on why I think it’s harder for Toyota than others to accept the transition to electric cars.
Solar roof tile production at Tesla’s production plant in Buffalo, New York, has now begun — as of the end of August — according to the company’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO), JB Straubel.
Millennials (Generation Y) are becoming the largest consumer demographic on the market, overtaking baby boomers. This shift is also helping to redefine customer relationships between clients and utilities, according to a recent report. The report, from consumer advocacy group Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC), confirms this shift we are starting to see.
Royal Farms — an operator of 180 gas service stations in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia — has partnered with ChargePoint and local utilities to install DC fast chargers at 22 of its locations as part of a massive pilot project.
Approximately two years ago, I got a scoop that the 2017 Nissan LEAF would have 130 miles of range and the 2018 Nissan LEAF would have 150 miles of range. A lot of people didn’t want to believe it. With the growing competition from the Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3, and new plug-in cars hitting the market on a regular basis, many of us hoped and maybe even assumed that Nissan would pull out a surprise and offer a new LEAF with over 200 miles of real-world range. Well, it seemed like Nissan gave some hints along the way that it would do that.
GRID Alternatives recently announced that it has received a massive donation from Tesla Energy of a mix of 569 kW of solar panels that will be installed on the rooftops of low-income homes.
Tesloop has been hitting the road to an absurd degree since it launched in 2015. Averaging approximately 17,000 miles per month on each car, it offers perhaps the best case study yet of what happens to a Tesla vehicles after a lot of driving.
The top 20 CleanTechnica stories of the past week include some that are still blazing hot. As usual, the stories that garnered the most attention were Tesla stories. Apparently, despite being nothing more than clever marketing, people love what this company does and says. This week’s CleanTechnica top 20:
In so many conversations about electric cars and the transition to electric transport, certain commenters throw around the claim that conventional automakers can jump on the electric bandwagon as soon as “the time is right.” As soon as consumers demand them, large automakers can turn on the EV production switch and go into full production. “It’s just about putting the pieces of the car together — assembling the various components of the cars — and no one does it better than [pick your favorite conventional auto company].” Furthermore, “Tesla doesn’t have any real technological advantage. It can’t do anything large automakers can’t do.”
