Apr 24, 2017 - 07:13 am
BMW, Lynk & Co, Hyundai, TransLink, Tesla.
German car sharing in China: BMW hopes to tap into the potential of dense Chinese cities with its mobility brand ReachNow. In a first step, 100 BMW i3 shall join traffic in the city of Chengdu within the next month, Handelsblatt cites Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of BMW’s board, who said that Chengdu authorities had been particularly open to the approach and would even install the necessary infrastructure. Different from DriveNow in Europe, BMW sharer in China will have the option to book a car with a driver. Mercedes has been on the market since last year. In Chongqing 180,000 users share 600 Smarts, making it the car sharing service’s most busy location – albeit not for Smart ED.
handelsblatt.com (in German)
Chinese car sharing goes west: On expansion course in the opposite direction is Lynk & Co. The Geely brand decided to launch in Berlin and San Francisco, which it considers “cities with a high penetration of shared- economy services.” Drivers whose 01 EVs are idle shall get the possibility to share them simply by flipping a switch within the Lynk vehicle. This car sharing approach is to debut in early 2019 in the German capital and shortly after in California.
europe.autonews.com
Subscription EV: Californians who want to drive emission-free may now choose Hyundai’s Ioniq EV for a fixed payment for three years. This subscription starts from 275 dollars a month and a $2,500 initiation fee that the state’s rebate offsets. Costs for charging and maintenance incur after 50,000 miles.
greencarcongress.com, insideevs.com, autoblog.com, carscoops.com
TransLink extends bus fleet: Still this month, the metropolitan area of Vancouver will benefit from 26 new hybrid articulated buses operated by the transportation company TransLink. The electrified fleet of the company then counts a total of 252 hybrid buses and 262 trolley buses.
vancouversun.com
Tesla boosts quick charging in Korea: The Asian country is to see 14 new Supercharger installed by Tesla within the ongoing year. Six of them will be implemented in Seoul, three along main traffic routes, and five in other major cities in South Korea.
teslarati.com, koreatimes.co.kr
Apr 21, 2017 - 07:39 am
Scotland, Spain, Movistar, Ontario, BMW.
Hybrid bus fleet in Scotland: Dundee and Angus now count seven more hybrid double deckers to carry its populace around the Kirriemuir, Forfar and Brechin. They join Stagecoach’s other 18 hybrid coaches. To the cost of 2.1m pounds, the Scottish Green Bus Fund has contributed 300,000 GBP.
bbc.co.uk
BMWs motorcycle section is busy as well and has now electrified the police force in Gijón, Spain. Ten members of the “policía” now ride the C Evolution electric scooters when on patrol.
prestigeelectriccar.com, bmwgroup.com (both in Spanish)
More electric news reached us from Spain where Telefonica has reached a deal with Peugeot and Alphabet to add ten EVs to the Movistar Spain Operations and Network fleet. Starting this April, six electric Peugeot Partner Tepee vans will be deployed in Madrid and four in Barcelona.
telecompaper.com
Bank and charge: Scotiabank said it will install over 30 EV charging stations at select branches across Ontario. They complement the bank’s EcoLiving Auto Loan Program, which provides preferential financing for electric, hybrid and clean diesel vehicles. The latter term may need an update.
theglobeandmail.com
BMW is to electrify America as it teams up with the National Park Foundation and its services as well as the DoE to erect up to 100 EV charging stations at the nature reserves. The first stations have been inaugurated at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey.
greencarcongress.com, insideevs.com
Apr 20, 2017 - 07:37 am
Fastned, Denmark, Nissan, EVgo, AAA, Georgia Power.
Do the Dutch do it better? It seems so considering that they will be the ones to electrify the German Autobahn. Fastned announced its expansion across the border and will line the highway with 14 fast-charging stations open to all electric car types, a first in Germany. In the Netherlands the company has 60 of 201 planned stations operational.
yahoo.com
Reverse to forward: Denmark is taking back its anti-EV policies the conservative government has (re-)introduced only last year, when it phased out the tax break on EVs. Since then sales had become virtually non-existent and so the incentive programme is now being phased back in place – almost. Instead of the tax being capped at 40 percent, it will halt at 20% until sales reach 5,000 EVs at least.
cphpost.dk, electrek.co, dr.dk (in Danish)
East coast all the way: Nissan and EVgo have made plans public to connect Boston and Washington D.C. with 50 fast-charging stations at nine locations. The chargers will support CCS as well as CHAdeMO and be ready by fall. The ‘I-95 Fast-Charge ARC’ will be pre-wired for 150 kW.
electriccarsreport.com
Hybrid Gig in California: The American Automobile Association (AAA) will launch its own hybrid car sharing called Gig in Berkeley and Oakland this month. 250 Toyota Prius C will form the first fleet.
nextmobility.co
Teaming up for electric transport are utility Georgia Power and the baseball club Atlanta Braves. They will install 61 EV charging stations around the SunTrust Park stadium.
bizjournals.com
Apr 19, 2017 - 07:56 am
Volkswagen, Shell, GM, Wellington, New York City.
Electrify America with 150kW: In the course of VW’s dieselgate penalty payment in the States, the German carmaker and EPA have now released the national plan for the first instalment of 300m dollars. It is to set up a nationwide quick charging network, including around 240 charging points with a minimum output of 150 kW but suitable to CCS, CHAdeMO and AC and open protocols. The project is to start in the second quarter of 2018. On top, VW has to implement around 300 charging stations with up to 50 kW in 11 metropolitan areas. The proposal still awaits approval.
electrek.co, hybridcars.com
Another giant trying to make amends is Shell, which has just joined the quick charging initiative CharIN. The oil company intends to add quick charging points to its petrol stations, first in Britain this year but later also in other countries. Besides, Shell murmured about its own intelligent tech for charging.
insideevs.com, charinev.org
Autonomous Bolt fleet: There exist 50 self-driving Chevrolet Bolt in three U.S. cities today but GM plans to raise their game. According to new documents handed in at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 300 additional Bolts are soon to hit the roads of San Francisco, Detroit, and Scottsdale. If they do, it would make GM’s autonomous EV fleet the world’s largest.
spectrum.ieee.org
Reserved for EVs: New Zealand’s capital Wellington plans to keep 100 parking spaces free for electric cars and those to share exclusively during the course of this year. 37 bays have been assigned already and will be equipped with EV charging opportunities.
stuff.co.nz
Paid to charge off-peak: EV owners in New York City and Westchester County are able to benefit from a new reward programme when charging their EV at times only few do. Electric utility Con Edison claims to pay 5 cents for each kilowatt-hour of charging during off-peak hours.
electrek.co
Apr 18, 2017 - 08:25 am
Bozen, Blueprint, Chargemaster, California, Portland.
Bozen and Val d’Aosta unleash EVs: Italian province of Bozen/Bolzano launched the #ViaggiareSmart plan, that includes a 4,000 euro rebate for purchases of BEVs, and 2,000 euros for plug-in vehicles. Furthermore, the local government will add 10 more charging stations in its relatively small district, following the lead of Val d’Aosta, who will add 35 more charging points, making it the most dense area in Italy in terms of installed charging stations.
lastampa.it (in Italian) via ev.today
Built-in EV charging: Neighbourhood regeneration firm Blueprint is planning to install communal electric car charging points throughout its 100m pound Trent Basin development, after 75% of buyers have shown interest in the eco-friendly side of the site. It is part of the Go Ultra Low Nottingham programme.
nottinghampost.com
Upgrade in London: Chargemaster has upgraded Luton Borough Council’s public EV charging points, which it took over from Source East last month. Following the closure of Source East, Chargemaster is offering all hosts complementary upgrades as well as free rapid charge points.
Info via email
California to introduce EV fees: The state that was a plug-in’s paradise for so long is working on a change of policy in order to make up for “lost” revenue that otherwise used to come from gasoline taxes. Hence, a one-time registration fee of 100 dollars will apply for plug-in vehicles starting in the 2020 model year. On top there will be annual fees of 25 dollars for PEVs and 175 for EVs worth more than 60,000 dollars – you may call that a Tesla tax. Fair or not, California will boost its gas tax 43% at the same time, so it is by far not the end of green politics in the Golden State.
autoblog.com
UberE programme in Portland: The ride sharing service has launched a new scheme in Portland together with the Drive Oregon NGO to help drivers switch to electric vehicles. Uber will send EV Ambassadors and has teamed up with Xchange Leasing as well as local EV manufacturer Arcimoto. Another buying option is for electric bicycles for those that deliver food with UberEATS.
electrek.co, techcrunch.com
Apr 13, 2017 - 11:22 am
Bolloré, Quebec, Canada, Malaysia, eVolt.
Bolloré to launch in London: The French firm is ready to roll-out its electric carsharing scheme BlueCity in the British capital finally. Not quite though, as only Hammersmith and Fulham has been bold enough to make the move so far. The borough’s bid for better air quality includes an initial 30 electric vehicles and about 85 on-street charging points set to reach 150 this summer. On top, Hammersmith and Fulham residents will be offered a year’s free membership and 20 hours of free driving. While BlueCity has been three years in the making, Bolloré has met severe difficulties in London due to its reportedly complex political power map and poor charging infrastructure. Still, BlueCity shall eventually include up to 3,000 red electric cars.
standard.co.uk
Electric scooter incentives: Quebecers can now claim a 500 dollar rebate from the province when going for an electric moped limited to 65 kph. The incentive is part of the Ride Electric subsidy scheme that also includes a 2,000 dollar goodie for electric motorcycles.
theqtimes.com
Taking aim at the whole of Canada is Cadillac Fairview, who announced its national EV charging programme that will see networked chargers at 15 CF properties. There will be 45 across Canada in 2017 and continuing into 2018.
cadillacfairview.com
Campus cycling: Six universities in Malaysia will receive a total of 1,200 electric bicycles from the government as it wants to promote electric mobility. The e-bikes are made by a local company.
theborneopost.com
Fluid fast-charging: eVolt has launched its third-generation Rapid EV charger, the Raption 5. It uses four individual power packs delivering 12.5kW each. It thus completes an 80% charge in 30 minutes with simultaneous charging for two EVs at 50kW DC and 43kW AC.
fleetnews.co.uk
Apr 12, 2017 - 09:24 am
Unu, San Francisco Goodwill, Tritium, Fastned, BMW.
Millions for e-scooter start-up: Berlin-based Unu secured 7.5m euros in another round of funding and wants to use the money to launch its electric scooters in France and the Netherlands. The circle of backers is international and includes French VC Iris Capital, Silicon Valley’s Michael Baum or NRW.Bank. Apart from the expansion, the three founders announced to be working on a new connected model. The original Unu scooter’s USP is its portable battery that facilitates charging anywhere.
gruenderszene.de (in German)
Electric trucks for charity: San Francisco Goodwill, a not-for-profit organisation, will deploy eleven electric trucks that will pick-up unwanted stuff and electronics in a bid to reduce not only poverty but CO2 emissions too. The test project involves BAAQMD, CARB, the Center for Transportation and the Environment as well as BYD. If successful, the charity may electrify its operations nationwide.
patch.com, sfgoodwill.org
Coming from down under to the UK market is Tritium with its range of Veefil EV rapid chargers. The Australian tech company has found its first UK distributor in Electric World Enterprises (EwE). Tritium believes the “small footprint” of its products may prove particularly fitting for Britain’s narrow roads.
fleetnews.co.uk, reneweconomy.com
Fastned en route to growth: The Dutch infrastructure company announced its Q1 figures. Both volume and revenue grew by 160 and 148 percent year-on-year. Client registrations increased by 62% and Fastned thus counts 3,520 active customers, or about a fifth of all EV drivers in the Netherlands.
fastned.nl
Alternative tracks are what BMW apparently wants to leave in California. The carmakers “Road to Coachella” campaign will see the i3 and X5 40e iPerformance serve as shuttles for the Coachella music festival. The i8 is reserved for VIPs, who will be accompanied by a soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer, who delivered the score for the Dark Knight or Pearl Harbour movies.
bmwgroup.com
Apr 11, 2017 - 08:10 am
CHAdeMO, Mahindra + Zoomcar, XL Hybrids + Knapheide, Efficient Drivetrains
CHAdeMO with 150 kW: The Japanese reinforce their charging standard as they upgrade from 125 to 400 Ampere maximum current. CHAdeMO 1.2 will thus get ready to charge with up to 150 kW, that is to triple the usual 50 kW. While this is a far cry from the 350 kW proponents of CCS are preparing to push through cables, it is a considerate upgrade and came together with hints at V2X capability.
insideevs.com, chademo.com (demonstration report, pdf)
Fractional electric car ownership: Mahindra has hooked up with Zoomcar, a car-rental company that also allows for so-called fractional ownership. The ZAP programme will now include Mahindra’s e2o so drivers can buy the EV but hire it out via the ZAP platform whenever idle. The scheme will initially be implemented in Bangalore, Delhi and Pune.
automotiveworld.com, intoday.in
XL Hybrids and Knapheide partner for XLP PHEV upfits on Ford F-150 as the latter will become a ship-thru installer of XL Hybrids retrofitted pickup trucks. Knapheide will begin its work in its Kansas City facility at the end of 2017. Both companies are certified through Ford’s eQVM scheme.
greencarcongress.com
Security PHEV: Efficient Drivetrains has delivered the first of six armoured range extended vehicles to Sectran Security. The trucks drive electrically and on renewable natural gas (RNG), which is from North American Repower, a natural gas engine management and conversion company from California.
greencarcongress.com
Apr 10, 2017 - 11:30 am
Ola, Scottish Green Bus Fund, Hungary, Canada, Green Commuter
Ola pushes on electrification: Indian Uber opponent Ola intends to deploy “thousands” of EVs in Indian cities this year and to increase its electric fleet “in a mayor way” after the trials. In previous announcements, Ola’s main investor Softbank even spoke of 1m EVs – among them cars as well as rickshaws and two-wheelers. On top, Ola plans investments into charging infrastructure.
reuters.com
The Scottish Green Bus Fund just got another three million pounds on top of the 14.8m pounds the Scottish government had invested over the previous six rounds of funding. So far the scheme has seen the introduction of more than 300 low emission buses and applications are open until June, 30.
eurotransportmagazine.com
Electric ride sharing in Hungary: Start-up Hoopps intends to launch an app-based ride sharing next week, the Budapest Business Journal has learnt. The Hungarian company wants to deploy solely EVs and seeks to extent the offer nationwide.
bbj.hu
New H2 stations in Canada: The country contributes 1.6m dollars to the implementation of two new hydrogen stations of Hydrogenics in Toronto. This sum originates from a 16.4m scheme to support the installation of 80 charging stations and 3 new H2 stations at Canada’s main traffic routes.
greencarcongress.com, canada.ca
Green Commuter extends fleet: Green Commuter has started its car sharing project with 20 Nissan Leaf in Tennessee as planned. The fleet’s latest electric reinforcements are three new Leafs dubbed Coolidge, Pearl, and Smoke.
chattanoogan.com
Apr 7, 2017 - 07:40 am
Smatrics, Fastned, AddÉnergie, Manila, Huizhou.
VW collaborates with Smatrics: Austrian owners of an e-Up or e-Golf now benefit from a cooperation between VW and the Austrian infrastructure operator. With one charge card they have access to 400 charging points of Smatrics nationwide. In the first year it will be free and first 350 kW charger shall follow before the year’s end. VW clients in Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Netherlands enjoy similar advantages, where they can charge at fixed roaming tariffs.
automagazin.at, elektrojournal.at, ots.at (all in German)
Fast-chargers break even: Dutch EV charging company Fastned claims to have broken even with two of its fast-chargers for the first time. This means the fees covered all operating expenses, such as energy, fees for land, lease and license. Fastned estimates more stations will pass break even soon.
fastned.nl
Infrastructure project on track: AddÉnergie has started to install 25 chargers at Canadian Tire Gas+ petrol stations along highways in Ontario as planned. The chargers will be part of the FLO network, the first one was now inaugurated in Milton, the rest shall follow in the course of the year.
newswire.ca
Manila counts on E-trikes: The city parliament has transferred the first batch of 50 E-trikes to drivers in the Phillippines’ capital and seeks to distribute 230 more models until the end of the year. And it is just the beginning as Manila intends to replace all fuel-run tricycles reportedly.
news.mb.com.ph
Charging network for Huizhou: The infrastructure company Beijing E-Star wants to implement 160 EV charging stations in China’s Huizhou city through collaboration with a Chinese property developer.
straitstimes.com
Apr 6, 2017 - 11:40 pm
Canada, Scotland, Czech Republic, EWE.
Canada extends fast-charging: The Canadian government wants to raise 120m dollars to further develop the nationwide infrastructure for electric vehicles in the current year. One of the first projects is the installation of ten EV quick charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway. The initiative will cost for 335,000 dollars in the New Brunswick province and is run together with local NB Power utility.
cbc.ca, newswire.ca
Charging Scotland: The ScotRail Alliance announced to implement charging places with two EV charging points each at 50 train stations across the country. The infrastructure project is scheduled for September and shall be completed by November. As the train operator oversees 359 stops, every 7th will be EV ready by then.
theedinburghreporter.co.uk
Electrified police cars: The police of the Czech Republic started a six month trial with eleven BMW i3, some with range extender. Three of them will be on patrol in Prague and the rest in other cities.
bmwblog.com
Shop & charge: German energy provider EWE wants to install 60 EV charging stations next to Edeka supermarkets in northwest Germany. EWE thus is to double the amount of its currently 120 charging stations by the end of this year and will begin at an Edeka centre in Friedrichsfehn.
industr.com (in German)
Apr 5, 2017 - 08:23 am
London, Electric Nation, Madrid, Norway, Tesla.
News about Ultra Low Emission Zones: London’s mayor Sadiq Khan reveals details to the so-called Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) in the city centre. From April 2019, petrol cars have to meet at least Euro 4 and diesel vehicles Euro 6 standards to enter certain areas. Otherwise a daily fee of 12.50 GBP becomes due (for buses even 100 GBP) – in addition to the existing congestion charge. From 2020, the ULEZ are to be expanded across the whole of Greater London.
london.gov.uk
The Electric Nation project continues and first smart chargers have reached Milton Keynes, the latest town to participate in the trial. To take part, one must own an EV but receives a free smart charger. In Milton Keynes even the former Mayor is on board to see how much the grid can take.
electriccarsreport.com
PSA EV sharing meets demand: 100,000 clients already made use of Free2Move and Eysa’ joint venture debuting last December in Madrid – on an average these are 1,000 clients per day. Under the name Emov, 500 Citroën C-Zero free float in Spain’s capital and nearby outskirts.
automotiveworld.com
Emission free buses in Norway: Norwegian public transport operator Unibuss purchased two electric buses of the type Solaris Urbino 12 to deploy them on line 74 in Oslo from autumn on. Siemens is in charge of energy supply via pantograph at stops.
eurotransportmagazine.com
Setback for Tesla in Utah: The state’s Supreme Court has denied the Californian company the right to sell its fleet directly to costumers from Utah-based stores. Too bad Tesla opened a 3m showroom in Salt Lake City just over a year ago.
teslarati.com
Apr 4, 2017 - 08:54 am
Toxin Taxes, Romania, Lancashire, India.
UK to escalate action against diesel cars? Drivers of diesel cars could soon face “toxin taxes” on a daily basis in 35 cities of the Island. The Sunday Times quotes a 20 pound fee per day, referring to the plans of the British government that have yet to be officially announced. Ten cities may seek a total diesel ban, while others ponder a crack down on days with high air pollution or during peak hours. All in all, up to 10m diesel cars could be affected.
thetimes.co.uk via businessgreen.com
Romania doubles EV bonus: Romanian car owners, who exchange their gas guzzlers for electric vehicles can now calculate with a remarkable 10,000 euro rebate. The government decided to double its previous EV incentive through its Rabla Plus programme, that is limited to 1,000 EVs.
electriccarsreport.com, giurgiuveanul.ro (in Romanian)
EV infrastructure in the UK: Lancashire in the UK’s Northwest set up a scheme to install 150 EV charging points across the region. For an investment volume of 4.6m pounds, electric car infrastructure is to get installed in Burnley, Accrington, Clitheroe, Rawtenstall, Nelson, and Chorley. Meanwhile, West Yorkshire is to build 88 charge points for use by taxis and private hire companies. The EV charging stations shall stand at public transport and taxi operations.
lancashiretelegraph.co.uk (Lancashire), thebusinessdesk.com (Yorkshire)
India discontinues mild subsidies: The Indian government has excluded mild hybrid vehicles from incentives given under the FAME scheme. Especially the country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India had benefited and will feel the discontinuation’s impact the most. Subsidies for PEV remain.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Apr 3, 2017 - 09:50 pm
Poland, Austria, Salt Lake City, Ontario, New Zealand.
Poland to move from oil to EV: Polish oil giant PKN Orlen intends to add EV quick-charging infrastructure to its network of petrol stations. The task is to connect Warsaw to the western city of Poznań and further on towards the German border. Details such as the number of charging stations or a schedule have not been revealed. Poland’s government aims for 1m electric cars by 2025 but so far the country’s EV marketshare stands at 0.1 percent.
thenews.pl, rp.pl (in Polish)
Fourth H2 station in Austria: A new hydrogen filling station has joined the already existing sites in Innsbruck, Asten (close to Linz) and Vienna. The fourth station in the Alpine republic has been added by local energy company OMV, that chose Graz to open the new H2 site.
upi.com
Salt Lake City provides 28 new charging ports located at twelve sites throughout the city. In the eyes of the municipal leaders, the project represents a significant expansion of the Utah’s public EV charging infrastructure. Fees for charging may be waived through January 31, 2018.
deseretnews.com
Ontario project on hold: Last Friday, 475 EV charging stations in 250 locations across Ontario were to open. But the plan failed as only 2/3 of the network were ready that day. The government pointed to problems with permits and technology but hopes to have the missing stations running by autumn.
cbc.ca
New Zealand expands network: Kiwi fuel distributor Z Energy and EV charging infrastructure provider ChargeNet NZ together want to install three more rapid-charging stations before April’s end. The new sites will complement six more rapid chargers Z Energy has already installed for public use.
guide2.co.nz
Mar 31, 2017 - 08:39 am
Car2Go, Sicilia, Korea, PlugSurfing, Allego, Ensto Chago.
All-electric car sharing in Stuttgart: Daimler’s fleet of 500 shared electric smarts in the Swabian capital will receive reinforcements by mid-April when 50 Mercedes B series Electric Drive will join. The 5-seater electric cars will be a little more expensive with 34 cent per minute, that is 5ct more than for a Smart ED. Once the EVs are added, Stuttgart’s Car2Go fleet will be the largest fully electric flexible car sharing fleet worldwide, according to Daimler.
daimler.com
Eco Tour di Sicilia: 200 Renault Zoe will soon roam the south of Italy during the Eco Tour di Sicilia the French carmaker launched together with car rental company Sicily by Car and utility Enel. The latter will add 400 charging stations to the offer designed to explore Sicily in a most climate-friendly manner.
autovolt-magazine.com, automotiveworld.com
Korea wants to have 1,450 fast-charging stations across the country before the year’s end and has just added another 100 over the last three months. This means there are 200 standing by now but also that the pace of installation has to accelerate to reach the energy ministry’s target.
koreaherald.com
PlugSurfing and Allego cooperate: The companies have launched a peer-to-peer connection using the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI). EV drivers with Plugsurfing’s app can thus access real-time data from Allego stations in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Source: PI via email
Talking charging stations: A range of smart electric vehicle chargepoints from Ensto Chago that can communicate with each other through cloud software has been approved for support by the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The aim is to distribute energy evenly between multiple charging EV.
itsinternational.com
Mar 30, 2017 - 07:59 am
Uber, Picnic, PostNL, JuiceNet, BMW.
Uber triples electric fleet in London: The car hailing service is to add another 100 Nissan Leaf to its existing fleet of 50 electric cabs in the British capital. Uber, that usually acts as digital agent for private drivers, said so far the climate-friendly taxis had been requested over 35,000 times. To keep them going, the company also plans to set up a network of fast-charging stations as a lack of infrastructure is what keeps most people from buying electric cars, according to a study by the Energy Saving Trust.
cityam.com, engadget.com
Now it is clear what the 100m euros the grocery webstore Picnic received recently will be used for: the company plans to buy 2,000 electric vehicles, build 5 new warehouses and 70 distribution centres as well as employ 2,000 new employees this year alone in the Netherlands. Until now, Picnic used the ‘E-Worker’ van from French firm Mega, now rebranded Goupil, but the model has been discontinued. Plus, its 110 km range is not sufficient for rural areas so it may well be Picnic will shop for its new electric carriers elsewhere.
cleantechnica.com, logistiek.nl (in Dutch)
The Dutch mail service PostNL follows Picnic albeit unknowingly in its electrification attempts by adding zero emission delivery vans to its fleet through Voltia. After a successful pilot, PostNL is now employing an electric Citroen Jumper and two Nissan eNV200 Maxis to achieve its goal of decarbonising its entire operation eventually.
driveev.net
Smart EV charging: AeroVironment and eMotorWerks partnered up to integrate eMotorWerks’ JuiceNet smart-grid platform into AeroVironment’s line of consumer and OEM EV charging solutions. The aim is to provide increased charging capabilities to customers and electric demand load aggregation for utilities.
insideevs.com, greencarcongress.com
BMW Australia has opened 40 EV charging bays at 10 selected Westfield malls in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Use of the stations is free of charge and they can be located via the ChargePoint app.
practicalmotoring.com.au
Mar 29, 2017 - 07:17 am
Daimler + Hermes, India, Ontario, Picnic, Ohio
Emission free courier service: Daimler and German courier service provider Hermes reach out their hands to enter another strategic partnership in the dynamic global delivery branch. According to their agreement, Hermes will deploy 1,500 electric delivery vans, namely the models Vito and Sprinter, in German metropolitan areas. Before, both partners agreed on a trial period in Stuttgart and Hamburg from early 2018 on. In general, Hermes managers announced that they intend to put their business on an emission free base (concerning all large German cities) by 2025.
media.daimler.com, auto-medienportal.net (in German)
Ola to roll out EVs in India: Ola is the Indian answer to Uber. Now the app based cab service announced plans to roll out EVs across key cities in India in the next three months but did not say how big its electric fleet will be. The cab service just added that the amount of electrified cabs could get extended later on depending on the feedback.
indiatoday.intoday.in, livemint.com
Ontario’s trial network grows: The Canadian municipality of York, Ontario joins the Pan-Ontario Electric Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial. Two weeks ago, the city of Brampton already made an example by announcing the purchase of electric buses and overhead EV charging stations. York intends to participate with 6 electric buses and corresponding charging equipment – the latter provided once more by ABB and Siemens.
masstransitmag.com
100m euros for green grocery delivery: Dutch start-up Picnic earns money by delivering grocery from local distribution centres to its clients using electric vehicles. Just one and a half years after foundation the company managed to gather 100m euros in the course of a new funding round. The extra cash will allow Picnic to expand nationwide.
thenextweb.com
Three truckloads of Tesla vehicles: A businessman in Ohio ordered and received 21 new Teslas, the bulk of which will serve as company cars. It’s no coincidence that Stanley Chlebowski builds up his all-new fleet solely counting on models of the EV maker. He owns an automotive supplier that makes parts for Tesla.
toledoblade.com, 13abc.com
Mar 28, 2017 - 08:36 am
Japan Post, Honda, Charge Your Car, DSV Sweden, New Zealand.
Emission-free mail delivery in Nippon: Japan Post and Honda signed a letter of intent as they seek to introduce electric motorcycles for postal deliveries as an alternative to the current gasoline-powered ones. Besides the testing of EVs, they also want to integrate charging stations at post offices, first for their own use and then for the public to use at a later date.
greencarcongress.com, hondanews.info
Pay and charge: UK’s EV charge point network Charge Your Car (CYC) is about to introduce a connection fee in England and Wales. For each charge one pound becomes due. The fee will be implemented from the 1st May 2017, the company stated in an email.
autovolt-magazine.com
Trial period for hybrid truck: Logistics service provider DSV Sweden is testing a Mercedes Benz Atego Hybrid truck in Malmö. The truck is a hybrid using electricity and the biofuel HVO 100. After a six-month test period of deliveries in Malmö city traffic, the project will be evaluated.
stattimes.com
Fast development: More than 3,000 EVs are registered in New Zealand. Half of them (1,513 electric vehicles) were only added last year and the trend points further upwards. 2017 already saw 517 newly registered EVs on the islands.
sunlive.co.nz
Mar 27, 2017 - 09:47 pm
Baden-Württemberg, Austria, Swiss Post, Vodafone.
2,000 new chargers in 3 years: The German federal state of Baden-Württemberg announced plans to increase its number of public EV charging stations in order to create a state-wide network with charge stops every 10 km. The corresponding cabinet paper earmarks up to 10m euros to erect 2,000 new charging stations until 2020 with two charge points each. A final decision is still outstanding though.
automobilwoche.de(in German)
Funding for electric bicycles: After starting a rebate programme for EVs this month, Austria will also give incentives to companies, municipalities, and associations to purchase electric bicycles. From April, 1 on, the state-funding is to include 200 euros per pedelec and 500 euros per cargo bike with pedal-assist.
derstandard.at (in German)
Electric boost for used car market: Swiss Post is about to resell 1,300 units of its 5,000 strong fleet of Renault Kangoo ZEs. Together with specialist BCAuto Enchères, La Poste will resale its electric vans that are over five years old to professionals through a white label web platform.
theqtimes.com
Scooters sharing to kick-off: Vodafone Germany and the start-up Walberg Urban Electrics launched a connected and electric scooter that works like a pedelec, meaning you have to have that kick you had as a kid. Vodafone users may use an app to locate a free ElektroRoller2Go and travel up to 42 km on a charge.
telecompaper.com
Fine print: New York state’s PEV rebate scheme has reportedly started but funding depends on electric miles. Only EVs with over 120 miles of range are eligible for the full 2,000 dollar grant. Plus, any EV with list prices over 60,000 dollars will benefit from 500 dollars only – sorry, Tesla.
greencarreports.com, nyserda.ny.gov
Mar 24, 2017 - 11:01 am
British Taxis, Innogy, British Gas, ChargeMap, Dubai.
Massive rebates for electric cabs: British taxi drivers may rejoice. Not only has production of a brand new electric taxi started yesterday but its acquisition will be subsidised by the UK government as it announces a 64m pound electric taxi incentive scheme. 50m GBP will be handed out in chunks of 7,500 pounds to anyone buying a TX5 cab. The remaining 14m GBP will be spend on erecting dedicated taxi charging infrastructure across 10 UK counties but with £5.2m headed for London.
autocar.co.uk, gov.uk
Complete fleet electrification: RWE subsidiary innogy will drive entirely electrically within four years time. The board has decided to replace all 1,000 vehicles in its fleet with either plug-in hybrid or electric cars. Already, the only options available to company directors, executives and frequent drivers are climate-friendly models. From 2018, driving a PEV will be mandatory for all innogy employees but the board has a dedicated budget to even out the higher cost for electrified models.
innogy.com
Incomplete fleet electrification: British Gas has missed its target to have 10 percent of its commercial fleet electrified this year. Instead of the planned 1,300 electric vehicles, the utility currently has just 113 on fleet and is now pushing back the 10% goal to 2020. British Gas claims London’s infrastructure problems as one reason.
commercialfleet.org
Easier access: ChargeMap will launch its charging-point access system in the next few weeks. About 100,000 users will be able to set up payments in their ChargeMap account and order a RFID access badge for (some) European charging networks.
chargemap.com
Charging oasis: Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) that oversees the free zone technology park, has opened the EV chargers on its premises to the public. Electric car drivers can charge at no cost until the end of the year.
thenational.ae
Mar 23, 2017 - 10:32 pm
Leipzig, Tesla, Nissan, New York, New Zealand.
Leipzig got a plan to become Germany’s most electrified city. A new proposal wants to see 80 percent share of electric vehicles in municipal fleets by 2019 and electric buses only by 2030. On the citizen side, electric cars may park for free for at least five years and an electric scooter sharing may be introduced as well. Commercial vehicles would benefit from extended delivery slots – if they drive electrically and come from so-called urban hubs that centralise goods transfer. A new e-mobility division within city hall will be responsible to execute each project.
bild.de (in German)
Tesla vanpool in LA: Green Commuter started to lease a fleet of Tesla Model X to commuters and so-called vanpoolers, that use the seven seats of the electric SUV. The company plans to expand the fleet to 50-80 units by the end of the year.
ngtnews.com, businesswire.com
Natural choice: The Cambridge Organic Food Company is going fully green as it acquired three Nissan e-NV200 vans. The electric transporters are to deliver boxes of organic fruit and vegetables.
nissaninsider.co.uk
New York rebate launched:The state of New York kicked off its 70m dollar EV rebate scheme and outreach that had been in the making for over a year reportedly. The Drive Clean rebates (up to 2,000 dollars) are now available to all New York residents who buy plug-in electric or fuel cell cars.
ngtnews.com, governor.ny.gov
Exclusive EV access: New Zealand started a trial that allows priority access for electric vehicles at five different bypass lanes across Auckland. The lanes are also known as T2 and Truck lanes and the programme is similar to the HOV lanes in California but allows only fully electric cars.
netguide.co.nz
Mar 22, 2017 - 09:49 am
EV-Box, Hyundai, Germany, Chargemaster, Kia.
Home charging reloaded: Dutch EV-Box, which has recently been acquired by Engie, launched a new generation of EV charging devices. Elvi combines upgradable power capacity technology, smart interoperable stations as well as a modular design for installation and maintenance. It shall kick-off in both the States and Europe before the year’s end.
ev-box.com
GUL campaign grows: Hyundai Motor UK has joined the Go Ultra Low campaign. The Korean carmaker will add its ix35 FCV and Ioniq EV to the product lineup, which are officially campaigning for the use of plug-in and fuel cell vehicles on the Isles. Hyundai thus joins the likes of Audi, BMW, Kia, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen on the consortium.
am-online.com, businesscar.co.uk
Germany’s charging initiative is working at least for large utilities like E.On. Its regional subsidiaries have handed in applications for more than 700 charging points. Most requests for funding were submitted by Avacon, Bayernwerk, E.DIS and Hansewerk on behalf of municipalities.
upi.com, eon.com
Chargemaster’s Polar network is to take on all former Source East charge points with complimentary upgrades. Source East will go out of business by the end of the month (we reported).
fleetnews.co.uk
100 Soul EV order: Kia sold a whole bunch of its electric cars to one rental company on the Korean island of Udo. 100 Soul EV are on the way. To date, Kia sold 21,000 units worldwide since the Soul EV’s inception in 2014.
koreajoongangdaily.com
Mar 21, 2017 - 05:11 pm
Austria, Route Monkey, NTU, Schaeffler, Gyeonggi.
Hub building in Austria: The Alpine country will join up its EV charge points using the Hubject platform Intercharge. From April, 11, eleven utilities will combine their charging stations thus forming one network of 1,300 public points throughout Austria, which will make it much easier for PEV drivers to charge and pay. The republic hopes to inspire EV use further although it is 3 x higher than the EU average already. The move to network is matched by a 4,000 euro rebate available since this month.
reuters.com, hubject.com
Route Monkey has kept on track and is now ready to present its planned EV navigation tool at the GreenFleet Evolution show in Edinburgh on May, 5. The MyRouteMonkey app will be available for free.
autovolt-magazine.com
Joint lab for personal mobility: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Schaeffler have agreed to jointly find solutions for personal urban mobility and intelligent transportation systems for future metropolises. An electric skateboard with navigation is one of the less likely (or rather viral) projects but the partnership will build on the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed with smart vehicles such as pedelecs communicating with their environment. The lab is funded with 5m dollars over 3 years so far.
channelnewsasia.com
Real-world vehicle emissions revealed: Ricardo Energy & Environment and technology partner OPUS Inspection have launched a real-world vehicle emissions monitoring service. The measurement of the emissions of passing vehicles is linked to automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to ultimately identify the worst polluters. Cities seeking to introduce Clean Air Zones – delight.
greencarcongress.com, ricardo.com
EV-friendly province: Korea’s Gyeonggi Province plans its own local EV incentives. Starting from mid-June, EV subsidies will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis. A requirement for construction in the region to feature parking lots that have EV charging stations is in the cards as well.
koreaherald.com
Mar 20, 2017 - 10:46 am
Hydrogen, Innogy, South Korea, FedEx, Yokohama.
Hydrogen boost in UK: The British government has announced a new 23m pound funding programme for FCV and H2 infrastructure. Grants are to go to partnerships between fuel providers and fuel cell vehicle makers with a competition to be launched this summer. Toyota has welcomed the move – if it influenced its UK investment decision (see news above) is uncertain but the Isles are one of the selected markets for the Mirai FCV.
gov.uk
European roaming may leap forward as Innogy presses ahead with its plans. Up to 1,000 Blockchain EV charging stations could be installed this April, German Wirtschaftswoche reports. Hundreds more charge stops may be updated to the tech platform within months.
wiwo.de (in German)
Charging Dominican Republic: South Korea’s state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said it signed a MOU with Dominican Republic’s National Energy Commission to help to build EV charging infrastructure. A pilot project shall connect the capital Santo Doming to Punta Cana on the east coast.
pulsenews.co.kr
FedEx expands green fleet: FedEx has introduced electric delivery vans in Belgium, where five Nissan e-NV200 will serve in Ghent, Brussels, and Antwerp.
postandparcel.info
Twizy sharing in Japan: Nissan and the city of Yokohama have started a round-trip car sharing service with (renamed) Twizy Evs. Called Choimobi Yokohama, it is part of Nissan’s New Mobility Concept. Users register online and can pick-up the EVs at 14 locations but the service will include guided tours and long-term car rentals for businesses, too.
electrek.co, greencarcongress.com
Mar 17, 2017 - 08:55 am
London, ITM Power, Slovenia, Dubai, Taipei.
Electric double-decker trial: London is about to see the first all-electric Metrodecker. Maker Optare is now ready to try the electric bus on Go-Ahead’s Route 36 across the British capital, starting this summer. The electric trial follows successful testing of the same model but with a diesel engine.
smmt.co.uk
Great Britain to get H2 chargers: Four sites, namely in Birmingham, Swindon and two in Sheffield, will be equipped with hydrogen refueling from ITM Power. Additional locations have been earmarked in London and around the M25, along the M1, M40, and M4 but have yet to get permission.
itm-power.com
Slovenia to add chargers: 140 additional EV charging stations shall be installed in 69 municipalities of the Eastern European country. They will be part of Slovenia’s existing infrastructure and are co-financed through the Eco Fund.
english.sta.si
Dubai is to add charging stations too as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) wants to double its electric vehicles charging stations to 200 across Dubai. It will thus complete the second phase of the Green Charger initiative.
zawya.com, khaleejtimes.com
Park&Charge in Taipei: Taiwan’s capital has 20 public parking facilities equipped with electric car charging posts. Each location features two charging points, so 40 EVs in total may charge in Taipei. They have been installed through the city’s parking authority.
taiwannews.com.tw
Mar 16, 2017 - 09:48 am
ENGIE + EV-Box, US-Cities, London, Phoenix Motorcars.
Infrastructure alliance: French utility ENGIE acquired the Dutch charging infrastructure specialist EV-Box for a yet to be disclosed price. The deal has been finalised last night, electrive.com learnt. The acquisition is likely to lead to the creation of a new heavyweight for electric mobility in Europe.
electrive.com
To defy Trump as much as fossil fuel cars 30 cities in America have formed a buyers community of sorts to shop for 10bn dollars worth of electric cars and trucks. In vehicles that may translate to about 114,000 and requests have been sent to various manufacturers to prove that demand is there. The move comes just as Trump seeks to review pollution standards the car industry opposes. The effort is coordinated by the Mayor of Los Angeles with Chicago and New York being on board too. Their call is not just for cars but for electric police cruisers, street sweepers and trash haulers.
bloomberg.com
Local diesel levy: London council Merton decided to introduce a new diesel levy of 150 pounds — up from £65. It will phase in the new levy, starting with an initial charge of £90 for a parking permit this year before increasing to £150 in 2019/20. At the same time, the price for a parking permit for electric cars has been lowered to 25 GBP.
localgov.co.uk
E-shuttle at LAX: Phoenix Motorcars has deployed 16 of its Zero Emissions Utility Shuttle (ZEUS) buses to WallyPark Premier, an airport shuttle bus service at Los Angeles International Airport. The 14-seater electric buses are being used to service off-airport parking.
ngtnews.com
EV plan in Pennsylvania: Utility Duquesne Light from Pennsylvania has announced its EV plan, which includes a fleet conversion albeit only by 5% per year, education and outreach, and the addition of charging infrastructure.
ngtnews.com
Mar 15, 2017 - 10:31 pm
Cenex, InstaVolt, Car2Go, Source East, LG.
First vehicle-to-home unit: Cenex has announced the installation of the first domestic EV-to-grid unit in the UK. The appliance was developed through Ebbs and Flows of Energy Systems (EFES) project and allows the owner to power a home through the electric car. It serves as V2G demonstration for the project partners.
fleetnews.co.uk, cenex.co.uk
Rapid charging in Devon: InstaVolt is to install rapid electric vehicle charging points across Mid Devon. Eight PAYG rapid chargers will be installed in in Tiverton, Cullompton and Crediton during the first phase of the project that is led by Mid Devon District Council.
fleetworld.co.uk, renewableenergymagazine.com
Car2Go is valid for emission credits through the Spanish government, that has agreed to buy CO2 certificates Mercedes’ electric car sharing gathers in the capital Madrid. Daimler deployed 500 electric Smarts in town and is given credits for both their green nature as well as the sharing. Spain will put the emission credits forward to reach its climate protection obligations laid out in both EU treaties as well as the Kyoto protocol.
emobilserver.de (in German)
End of Source East: EV charging network Source East will cease to exist on 31st March. Its operators cite unsustainable running costs as main reason for its closure. The existing charge points mainly in the East of England will return to their owners, with others being transferred to other networks.
autovolt-magazine.com
LG workplace charging: 100 electric charge spots will be set up by LG Electronics at 16 locations in South Korea. Employees can use the hubs for free but the project receives state support.
pulsenews.co.kr
Mar 14, 2017 - 10:42 am
COUP, Nissan, Brampton, Beijing, California.
1,000 e-scooter fleet in Berlin: COUP is Bosch’s subsidiary responsible for electric scooter sharing in the German capital that started with 200 two-wheelers last year. Now, the service is to about to expand with 800 more e-scooter that shall be ready by April and become available in more districts. Berlin will see an entire electric scooter swarm this summer it seems as local Emmy (formerly eMio) had also announced to grow its fleet recently.
i13.mnm.is (pdf)
Royal Navy drives Nissan EVs: 48 Nissan e-NV200 electric vans have arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base, where they will serve the Royal Navy’s transport operations. 26 charging points and 28 parking bays for electric vehicles are being installed.
autovolt-magazine.com, upi.com
Cooperative e-bus project: The Canadian city of Brampton, Ontario will purchase up to 10 electric buses and four overhead EV charging stations as part of the Pan-Ontario Electric Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial. The charge stops will be installed by ABB and Siemens, while New Flyer and Nova Bus will supply the buses, which could run from spring 2018.
bramptonguardian.com
Battery swap at BAIC: 200 battery changing stations are to be set up in Beijing by Chinese manufacturer BAIC this year. They mainly serve electric cabs and join an existing bunch of 50 such swapping stations in China’s capital. The whole exchange takes less than three minutes.
chinadaily.com.cn
27 electric trucks have arrived in California as expected. The BYD EVs are destined for freight and rail yards in three disadvantaged communities in San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Fontana.
greencarcongress.com
Mar 13, 2017 - 03:08 pm
London, Volvo, Porterville, Scoot Networks.
First Low Emission Bus Zone: London has launched its first Low Emission Bus Zone, that bans the dirtiest buses from one of the UK capital’s pollution hot spots. Different from other measure such as the congestion charge zone, the LEBZ targets the city’s outer boroughs. In the case of Putney High Street, it means the 145 buses on seven designated routes in the area have to meet tighter minimum levels for nitrogen oxide. A further 11 zones are due to be introduced by 2020 with two more zones to come into effect from this October.
bbc.com, businessgreen.com
Volvo’s first custom EV charging station: The Swedish brand selected AeroVironment to develop an EV charging stations specifically for Volvo. It will incorporate customer design and branding and shall be wall-mounted but charge three times faster than standard home chargers.
greencarcongress.com
E-bus order from Porterville: The city of Porterville, California, chose GreenPower Motor Company from Canada to supply ten electric transit buses. The 9m dollar order includes 11 charging systems and an option for 20 more GreenPower EV350 40 models. The funds were granted from CARB’s Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Pilot Programme.
wallstreet-online.de, greencarcongress.com
Scoot Networks expands: The LEV sharing service from San Francisco wants to launch in other cities in Europe, Latin America and Asia and has already named first partners such as Mahindra for its GenZe e-scooter and Renault for the Twizy. The fleet of various light-electric vehicles is managed via the new Scoot MOS platform.
prnewswire.com
Mar 10, 2017 - 08:41 am
Brisbane, Delhi, Singapore, New York State, Air Products.
Banana bus for Brisbane: The Australian city looks to introduce a new transport system but without the digging and has come up with the Metrobus. Sold as if it were a subway, the Metrobus is in fact a twin-bend or bi-articulated electric bus as long as 30 metres. So far Brisbane’s city council is looking at two proposals until May but the “metro” could cost about 1bn dollars in any case.
brisbanetimes.com
1,000 EV charging stations in Delhi: Tata Power announced it wants to install a 1,000 EV charge stop in the Indian capital within the next 4 – 5 years. Discussions with the authorities are underway for space – a crucial factor when two-, three,- and four-wheelers will eventually need to charge for hours.
indiatimes.com
Tender for green buses: The Singapore Land Transport Authority looks to buy 50 hybrid and 60 electric buses this year to expand its trial. The LTA plans to have three bus routes served by electric buses only.
straitstimes.com, channelnewsasia.com
50 EV charge spots with 200 charging opportunities are to emerge throughout New York State. Installation is handled by EV Connect and funded through an award by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
prweb.com
Cheaper hydrogen: At several H2 fueling stations by Air Products in California, FCV drivers can now buy hydrogen for less than 10 dollars per kilogram. Higher demand and better fueling technology enabled the price cut.
greencarcongress.com
