Mar 12, 2014 - 09:37 am
Tesla, Cohere, KEBA, fahrE, Georgia.
Anti-Tesla regulation: Yesterday, the U.S. state of New Jersey passed a regulation that is prohibiting any vehicle manufacturer selling cars directly to consumers. The regulation is backed by the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers in fear of “Tesla crushing competition.” Tesla Motors, which is the only company with a direct-retail strategy, is also banned from direct sales in Arizona and Texas.
transportevolved.com, reuters.com
Charging solution for smart homes: Dutch start-up Cohere has developed a smart energy management and charging controller for smart home application. The web-based platform ‘Sem’ uses the open UDP interface of the KEBA wallbox to optimise green energy supply for EVs. A pilot project with 20 Teslas will be launched in the coming weeks.
kecontact.com
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University commuter: In April, the project “fahrE” kicks off at the Technical University Chemnitz. Headed by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Driving Assistance (I-FAS), university employees can use one of four EVs and eight e-bikes to commute between the different parts of campus.
tu-chemnitz.de (in German)
EV incentive scrapped: The proposed cut of Georgia’s 5,000-dollars rebate and 2,500-dollars tax credit for low-emission vehicles (we reported) has now become a bill. According to representative Chuck Martin, EV prices are dropping and sales no longer need to be incentivised. The bill is now on the table of the state senate for confirmation.
insideevs.com
Mar 11, 2014 - 09:43 am
CrossLink, Auchan, Long Beach, Fremont.
New charging network in the UK: The Milton Keynes CrossLink network features 14 rapid tri-standard chargers – the first in the UK – ready to recharge all the latest EVs to about 80% capacity in just 20 minutes. The project is funded in part by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and connects the East Anglia with the South West.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Charge while you shop: Together with Nissan, French supermarket chain Auchan will set up 130 fast chargers from DBT-CEV supporting CHAdeMO and 3-phase AC at car parks across the country. These will be available to Nissan drivers via the Nissan Zero Emissions Charge Pass ‘Kiwhi’ (we reported).
insideevs.com, chademo.com (PDF)
Unwanted e-buses: Californian city of Long Beach had ordered more than ten BYD e-buses, but the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) wants the contract to be reopened for bidding. The reason – BYD is not actually eligible for the deal, since it does not qualify for the state’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program.
chargedevs.com, presstelegram.com
Some 1,039 rebates for EVs were collected by residents living in Fremont, California, since 2010, making it the city with the second most electric-car purchase rebates granted in the Golden State. The reason, city officials believe, is that residents are more willing to try things “made in their backyard,” which in this case only happens to be the Model S, since the Tesla factory is located there.
greencarreports.com
Mar 10, 2014 - 09:40 am
BYD, Taxi Electric, The Elysian, Tesla.
1,200 BYD e-buses for China: The city of Dalian has signed an agreement with the Chinese company to purchase 600 electric buses this year and another 600 in 2015. The contract also mentions the conversion of 50% of the province’s cabs into “new energy vehicles.” As a result, BYD will open a new e-bus factory in the Dalian Huayuankou Economic Zone.
greencarcongress.com, electric-vehiclenews.com
Nissan e-NV200 fleet: The Dutch Taxi Electric is the first private cab company that will use the new electric Nissan van for its taxi fleet. Both companies have cooperated before when Taxi Electric were the first to fully electrify their fleet with Leafs in 2011. The city of Barcelona will use the e-NV200 as cabs soon too.
electriccarsreport.com, thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Charge at home for free: Residents of “The Elysian” condo in Los Angeles who own an electric car can now benefit from 20 Level-2 charging stations installed by the buildings developer Linear City. Charging is free for life. Furthermore, the landlord wants to introduce e-carsharing for his tenants.
greencarreports.com, hybridcars.com
Coast-to-coast with 60 kWh: A person called Sam has just driven a 60 kWh Model S from California to Virginia in only 107 hours, using Tesla’s Superchargers. Sam is now on her or his way back, while tweeting and uploading pictures to instagram.
twitter.com via teslamotors.com, hybridcars.com
Mar 7, 2014 - 10:07 am
Chargemaster, Toyota, Switzerland, Stuttgart.
Charged for charging: UK firm Chargemaster has just unveiled details of the new tariffs for users of its Polar EV charging network which will take effect from April. EV drivers will be charged by the hour, using up credits as a member, or for each charge event when choosing the PAYG option.
transportevolved.com
i-Road takes to the streets: Toyota has started trials of its electric three-wheeler in Toyota City, Japan. Here, the i-Road will be made available at public charging stations. Later this year it will enter a carsharing scheme in Grenoble, France.
greencarcongress.com
Swiss charging cooperation: Energy provider BKW Energie and Groupe E team up to expand the MOVE charging network. BKW will distribute charging stations to private households, companies and local communities and will integrate those into the Move network.
ee-news.ch (in German)
Living lab: At the Fraunhofer Institute Center Stuttgart IZS up to 30 EVs can re-charge at AC charge spots at the same time. If all spots in the Fraunhofer Campus garage are taken, the electric cars could amount for up to 20% of the centre’s energy demand thus making the installation ideal to test smart grid applications. The facility is part of the charge@work project in which the Daimler AG, University of Stuttgart and Fraunhofer scientists work on micro smart grids powered by renewable energy.
electricvehiclesresearch.com
Mar 6, 2014 - 10:20 am
BYD, Trans Tec, Car Charging Group, Daimler Mobility Services.
BYD for Nanjing: Placing the largest order for BYD to date, the Chinese city of Najing has ordered more than 600 K9 electric buses and 400 e6 electric taxis. Nanjing is one of the cities in China that has been chosen by the government to be a pilot region for their air quality improvement programs.
businesswire.com
CA’s first electric school bus enters service: The so-called Trans Tec SST-e has a Ford E450 cutaway chassis and features an electric powertrain by Motiv Power System. It has a range of 80 to 100 miles and could save the school district as much as 10,000 dollars in fuel and maintenance every year.
wsav.com, cleantechnica.com
Car Charging starts selling Blink HQ again: The 240 V, 30 A, level-two residential EV charging station is compatible with all electric vehicles sold in the U.S. It also includes an 18-foot cable. Blink HQ had been previously been sold by Ecotality, which was bought out by Car Charging in October 2013.
electriccarsreport.com, puregreencars.com
Corporate carsharing: Smart-VP Annette Winkler said in Geneva that Daimler Mobility Services is considering setting up a carsharing concept for its corporate clients. But that is not definite yet.
automobil-produktion.de (in German)
Mar 5, 2014 - 10:07 am
Tesla, Quebec, Honolulu.
Tesla tightens service grid in Europe: At the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the carmaker announced the opening of some 30 new service centres across the continent. Moreover, Tesla promised the rapid development of the Supercharger network in Europe.
greencarcongress.com
10,000 charging stations for Quebec by 2017: Of which a total of 3,500 will be set up by public administrations or private companies alone. To push development, these will be subsidised by a new incentive program that covers 75 percent (up to 5,000 Canadian dollars) of the installation costs. The only condition is that charging should be available free of charge for the respective employees.
avem.fr (in French)
Fuel cell onshore power supply in Hawaii: The pilot project will use hydrogen fuel cells to supply energy to docked ships at the Port of Honolulu. That way, they can turn off their combustion engines while at anchor there. In a six-month trial four 30 kW fuel cells will be housed inside a 20 ft shipping container and can therefore be moved around the harbour.
gizmag.com, greenoptimistic.com
Mar 4, 2014 - 10:01 am
Siemens UK, Stuttgart, Cayman Islands.
Siemens UK wins charging infrastructure deal: The company will deliver and install its rapid charging stations in Southwest England. The contract with the electric mobility incentive programme “Source West” also includes a three-year service agreement.
fleetnews.co.uk
H2-bus put to the test: The German city of Stuttgart is again testing fuel cell buses on its streets. This time, the Citaro FuelCell-Hybrid will have to prove itself on an 11-kilometre route. A total of four of the buses are said to be in service by mid-2014. The research project will take three years and cost some 1.8 million euros (2.5m dollars) – half of which is funded by the German government.
stuttgarter-zeitung.de (In German)
Wheego to the Cayman Islands: Residents and of course tourists will soon be able to rent the EV from a local Budget rental agency at a little under 100 dollars per day. It has a 100 mile range and charging is free, which makes up for the relatively high rental cost.
green.autoblog.com, cayman27.com.ky (video)
Mar 3, 2014 - 09:49 am
Bangalore, Plug Power, BMW Electronauts, Sichuan University.
First BYD e-bus in India: In Bangalore, the first electric bus of India has been unveiled. The Karnataka State and Metropolitan Transport Corporation based their decision on successful trials of BYD e-buses in cities around the world and expect the new bus to save Bangalore millions in fuel cost.
electriccarsreport.com
Walmart goes hydrogen: Plug Power Inc said, it has just received an order from various Walmart stores to roll out hydrogen fuel cell solutions across six of its distribution centres. The purchase includes 1,738 GenDrive units to power Walmart’s electric lift trucks, the infrastructure construction and supply of hydrogen and servicing over six years.
marketwatch.com
Reluctant ActivE hand-over: As BMW’s electric car trial scheme in the U.S. is nearing its end, participants are asked to hand in their electric 1-series prototypes. Keeping its testers on board by offering the i3 instead proves hard, as most Electronauts just do not see how they could pay for an i3 which lease is almost double of what they used to pay for their beloved ActivE.
transportevolved.com
Brave new charging order: A study by Sichuan University, China, is trying to give a solution for the management of millions of EVs at charging stations during peak times. Their prioritisation is based on an EV’s distance to destination and the urgency to get there, but would require drivers to actually state these infos correctly.
green.autoblog.com
Feb 28, 2014 - 09:45 am
Kandi, EV reasoning, Oxford Brookes University, Louis Vuitton.
Carsharing for China: Kandi announced to expand its carsharing to Shanghai, Beijing and other Chinese cities as the service proved to be profitable. Since this announcement a few days ago, shares in the Chinese carmaker gained 18%, making it more than 300% since last year.
chargedevs.com, businessweek.com
EV reasoning: California’s Center for Sustainable Energy asked 8,756 plug-in car owners why they had bought their EV and found that the reasons vary depending on the model. Whereas Nissan Leaf buyers were more concerned about the environment, Chevy Volt owners were most attracted by the Volt’s promise of fuel savings and the possibility to use HOV lanes.
energycenter.org (complete study as pdf) via transportevolved.com
Cycle BOOM: This is the name of a new study led by Oxford Brookes University designed to find out what impact e-bikes can have on the mobility and well-being of people over 50. The findings are said to serve policy makers but also e-bike manufacturers as the study will be conducted with Raleigh.
bike-eu.com
Travel with style: Future buyers of the BMW i8 can now complete their look with a matching travel kit. BMW and Louis Vuitton jointly designed an exclusive carbon luggage collection matching the luxury plug-in hybrid. The price? Irrelevant for those who can afford the i8.
autoevolution.com
Feb 27, 2014 - 09:33 am
ABB, Sun Country Highway, London, Pennsylvania, Nashville.
Fast chargers for Canada: Sun Country Highway (SCH) has announced a new partnership with ABB. The Canadian charging infrastructure provider will integrate 20 or more of ABB’s DC quick chargers into its network. The 400 V stations come with dual port and thus support CHAdeMO and SAE Combo systems.
chargedevs.com, us7.campaign-archive1.com
Smarter grid for London: UK Power Networks is working with POD Point, Smarter Grid Solutions and Imperial College London on a five month trial affecting 65 public charging points across the city. Their aim is to explore how a new software could help to manage energy demand of EVs and avoid pressure on the grid at peak times.
businessgreen.com
Alternative fuel vehicle grant: The U.S. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) plans to offer 8 million dollars to businesses and various public entities in Pennsylvania. The grants can be used to buy or convert vehicles, choosing electric or other alternative fuel vehicles of any size.
automotive-business-review.com
E-buses for Tennessee: Proterra says it has sold seven battery-electric buses and one electric charging station to the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA). The buses will be delivered to Nashville later this year and are set to run around the “Music-Circuit” serving entertainment venues of the town for free.
greencarcongress.com, puregreencars.com
Feb 26, 2014 - 09:31 am
Switzerland, Zenith, Texas, California.
Public charging in Switzerland: Groupe E and Renault Suisse intensify their cooperation started in 2012. They have now opened 36 charging stations at Renault service centres to the public. The MOVE network includes 58 charging stations in twelve cantons thus making it the biggest public charging provider in Switzerland.
auto-wirtschaft.ch (in German), letemps.ch (in French)
Double pay-off: On Zenith’s salary sacrifice car schemes, drivers can get the BMW i3 for 310 pounds (517 dollars) a month. Apart from considerate savings on fuel, the company promotes its offer with low cost of ownership, claiming the i3 can cost 189 pound (315 dollars) per month less than a BMW 118d Sport over its life.
fleetnews.co.uk
No charge to charge: Nissan’s promotion to offer free charging to Texan Leaf buyers seems to pay off. In 2013, Leaf sales increased by 500% in the area. The ‘No Charge To Charge’ offer is valid for 12 months and allows unlimited free charging at eVgo stations.
cleantechnica.com
To be or not to be eligible for a white sticker remains a question for the BMW i3 REx. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) lists the i3 as qualified to wear a White Clean Air Vehicle Sticker but the range extended version is still missing. BMW said, the i3 REx qualifies for a green sticker, these are however limited and scarce with 29,000 of 40,000 for this year already assigned.
transportevolved.com
Feb 25, 2014 - 09:30 am
Israel, Bratislava, Bhutan, New Zealand.
Recharge at gas stations: Israeli gas station provider Paz Oil and Nissan importer Carasso agreed to strategically cooperate and install nine fast charging stations at Paz outlets. The chargers are paid per use and while being described as “universal” the stations will obviously not help former Better Place customers, since the Renault Fluence Z.E. is not capable of fast charging of any kind.
transportevolved.com, globes.co.il
Slovak battery swap: GreenWay has opened its first battery swapping station in the capital Bratislava last week. The service is for GreenWay’s rental vans, currently the electrified Citroen Jumper, but could be expanded nationwide or even to other countries. The battery swap itself is quite simple and anything but automatic: a forklift brings the new pack and extracts the old one from behind the driver’s cabin.
cleantechnica.com, oekonews.com, greenway.sk/en
Another buzz for Bhutan: Just after introducing the Nissan Leaf (we reported) prime minister Tshering Tobgay announced the launch of Mahindra’s e2o and Reva later this week. He is also hoping for an electric bus trial with British Ashok Leyland and is eyeing Tesla, which Tobgay says he wants to “encourage.”
eco-business.com
Tango for New Zealand: 15,000 of the Commuter Car’s Tango might soon be driving around Auckland. The project Microcar wants the city to buy the cars and then lease them to its commuters for 55 dollars per week instead of using the money for building new streets.
green.autoblog.com
Feb 24, 2014 - 09:28 am
Hamburg, Bhutan, Tusker.
Hydrogen for Hamburg: The German city’s minister of finance, Frank Horch, expressed strong interest in making Hamburg a hub for fuel cell technology at a meeting with Toyota’s Katsuhiko “H2” Hirose. Before, Horch had written a letter to the Japanese carmaker suggesting a fleet of 200 H2 cabs. Hamburg currently features three hydrogen fueling stations with another two scheduled for this year.
abendblatt.de (in German)
Nissan Leaf goes Bhutan: Prime minister Tshering Tobgay now officially teamed up with Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. The Japanese carmaker is supposed to deliver “thousands” of Leafs as cabs and for public fleets together with the infrastructure.
greencarreports.com, green.autoblog.com (with video)
EV salary sacrifice works: Since leasing company Tusker included electric cars into its ‘SalarySacrifice4Cars’ (SS4C) scheme three months ago its customer base has grown by 250%. The strong growth is partly due to the introduction of the BMW i3 but also because Tusker has been promoting EVs for some time now and encouraged their employees with four chargers at their Hertfordshire office.
fleetnews.co.uk
Feb 21, 2014 - 09:48 am
Switzerland, ClipperCreek, Naturpark Südschwarzwald.
EV sales Switzerland: Last year, swiss consumers acquired a total of 1,222 electric cars, an increase of 52% compared to 2012. The Swiss’ favourites were the Zoe (342) and Tesla (213) followed by 178 Leaf and 156 electric Smarts. Mitsubshi’s i-MiEV was sold 110 times while the BMW i3 showed a quick uptake with 106 units. Renault’s Twizy, which is classified as a heavy quadricycle under EU regulations, found 207 buyers – a decrease of 62.7% compared to sales in 2012 (555).
eco-way.ch (In German), renault.com (Twizy)
Four in one: ClipperCreek has just introduced its HCS-40. This charging station mounted on a pedestal comes with one or two 240 Volt outlets and an optional two sockets with 120 V each. It can therefore charge up to four EVs at the same time and costs from 1,300 dollars.
electriccarsreport.com
E-mobility for a whole region: A new project called ‘Naturpark Südschwarzwald’ in the German territory of the same name has started as part of the model region Baden-Württemberg. It is the first attempt to include a whole region thus bringing electric transport to a wider rural area. The project will include experiences from 20 already successful e-mobility programmes at municipal level which include e-carsharing and electric buses.
baden-wuerttemberg.de (In German)
Feb 20, 2014 - 09:38 am
Bhutan, West Coast Electric Highway, Delaware, Rotterdam, UK.
E-taxis for Bhutan: Mahindra will launch its Verito Electric in Bhutan by September this year. The Indian market will have to wait as the company does not want go ahead without government incentives for EVs being finalised. In Bhutan, the Verito will have to compete against the Nissan Leaf to be used to electrify the kingdom’s 5,000-strong cab fleet.
economictimes.indiatimes.com via indianautosblog.com
Charging charges: The West Coast Electric Highway in Washington State with its plenty DC quick-chargers will not be free to use any more. From April 1, 2014 users will have to pay to fill up their electric cars. The operator AeroVironment is expected to introduce two tariffs: a monthly flat rate at 19.99 dollars and a pay-per-charge fee.
transportevolved.com
Long distance chargers: In a new research project, the University of Delaware and the state of Delaware will install new fast charging stations to enable longer electric trips. The 16 kW stations will be strategically placed at key locations in Delaware and not more than 50 miles apart. The researchers want to monitor station usage and track emission reductions.
greencarcongress.com
BYD taxis in Rotterdam: Following a successful trial, the Dutch Rotterdam Taxi Centre (RTC) will put two BYD e6 into service as electric cabs. RTC plans to extend its fleet of all-electric taxis to 25 within the next 18 months.
cities-today.com
Mahindra goes UK: According to ‘Bussinessworld’, Mahindra wants to introduce its latest electric car, the Halo, in the UK by 2016. It also plans on relaunching the Reva and bringing it back to London later this year.
businessworld.in via indianautosblog.com
Feb 19, 2014 - 09:35 am
Beijing, London, Brunswick, Lucerne.
Simplified EV registrations: With Beijing being the second most air-polluted city in the world, citizens have to play the lottery if they want to register a new car. Not so with EVs: the government set aside about 20,000 EV license plates easily to get a hold of but has only received 1,700 applications so far. It seems like some Chinese would rather walk than drive an electric car.
green.autoblog.com
Broken dream: The deal between BYD and cab service Green Tomato Cars to bring 50 electric e6 taxis to London (we reported) has been called off mutually. The chauffeur service decided not to go ahead as it is worried about charging infrastructure not being sufficient in the British capital.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
One million for e-mobility: The German county of Lower Saxony will spend 438,000 euros (665,000 dollars) to install 16 DC fast-chargers in the city of Brunswick. An additional 644,000 euros (886,000 dollars) will be invested by Brunswick itself until the end of 2015. Currently, 229 electric cars are registered in Brunswick which share five AC charging stations.
braunschweigheute.de (In German)
Hybrid buses carry on: The Swiss city of Lucerne will continue its trial of hybrid buses with Volvo’s new 7900 Hybrid. The program started with six buses three years ago and since then the buses have been running for more than a million kilometres. Over the next five years, Lucerne’s public transport vbl will continue testing with just three hybrid vehicles rented from Volvo as it awaits advances in technology.
luzernerzeitung.ch (In German)
Feb 18, 2014 - 09:47 am
UK, Cologne, Tesla, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Underspent or over-funded: The uptake of electric cars in the UK is slower than expected even with generous incentives being available. If growth of EV sales remains at the current rate, roads minister Robert Goodwill will have to make good use of the 170 million pounds (284m dollars) unspent in the government’s EV scheme ending 2015.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Articulated e-bus: The city of Cologne, Germany, plans to order eight e-buses from Dutch manufacturer VDL by April. As they require a bendy bus currently not available on the market, the agreement expects VDL to customize their offer for Cologne’s public transport authority KVB. Before the buses can be built and go into service by 2016, KVB will have to decide if to opt for lead or lithium batteries.
rundschau-online.de (In German)
Tesla pricing Hong Kong: Chinese living in the “Special Administration Region” will get their Model S cheaper than consumers in mainland China. With prices similar to the U.S., ranging from 579,000 to 657,000 HK-dollars (74,700-84,700 USD), Tesla has already received 300 orders from Hong Kong.
electriccarsreport.com, puregreencars.com
New e-bus: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will supply two electric buses to Kitakyushu, Japan. The extra light buses come with new MLIX batteries and are said to run up to 80 kilometres on one charge at a top speed of 85 km/h.
greencarcongress.com
Feb 17, 2014 - 09:32 am
E-Car club, Vukee, Alpiq InTec, Norway, Lidl.
Cash for cars: UK carsharing service E-Car club received 500,000 pounds (837,000 dollars) of funding, allowing it to expand its fleet from currently 20 EVs to more than 100 over the course of 2014 and 2015. The fleet currently features the Renault Zoe and Fluence, as well as the Nissan Leaf.
businessgreen.com
Tesla to share: Palo Alto, California-based company Vukee will add 25 Model S to its carsharing offer. Electricity and insurance are included in the rental fee. And for a small donation, the company will even add your name to the hood of one the all-electric sports cars.
green.autoblog.com (Video)
New to the fleet: Over the next two years, Swiss company Alpiq InTec will replace 12 percent of its current fleet (700 vehicles) with EVs. Among the newcomers will also be the BMW i3.
alpiq-intec.ch
Market niche? Only one percent of bicycles in Norway are electric. Despite the fact that electric two-wheeler would make it much easier to conquer the hilly countryside, manufactures are not pushing sales hard enough.
bike-eu.com
German supermarket electrified: Lidl, a discount supermarket chain, added four electric Smarts to its fleet. They will be used for trips between company locations in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
stimme.de (in German)
Feb 14, 2014 - 09:35 am
ABB, Denza, Netherlands, Berlin, Vienna, Liberty E-care, Nissan.
ABB-chargers for Denza: BYD and Daimler’s joint venture, BYD Daimler New Technology (BDNT), authorised ABB to develop DC home fast-chargers for its Chinese consumers. The wall chargers can be monitored and controlled remotely with a mobile app and will be sold through Denza dealerships later this year. The Denza itself will debut at Beijing Auto Show with its launch being due soon after.
chinacartimes.com, greencarcongress.com, technologicvehicles.com (Launch)
Dutch EV sales: After an EV incentive running out in December last year had caused a run on electric cars in the Netherlands, things were back to normal in January. Overall 370 PHEV were sold with 34 of them being fully electric. Almost half of those were BMW i3.
evobsession.com
E-mail in its most literal sense is the subject of a new trial by Deutsche Post DHL and the Technical University of Berlin beginning in March. 20 electric delivery vans will deliver mail during the day while being charged over night. The test is part of the ‘Smart e-User’ project with the objective to fully integrate EVs into daily city logistics.
idw-online.de (In German)
Vienna’s electric buses have already driven more than 200,000 kilometres without major problems. The public transport authority of the Austrian capital is now looking into testing 12-metre electric buses. The current 12 ‘Citybuses’ mainly serve the 2A line and have become a tourist attraction. The Citybus is charged via overhead cable at terminals and its batteries can be pre-heated before starting in winter.
derstandard.at (In German)
Liberty e-care: Liberty Electric Cars has now launched its after sales program in France. First introduced in 2011 in the UK, ‘Liberty E-care’ covers services for the Ford Transit E-Connect, Citroen EV1, I-Moving range, and others.
electriccarsreport.com
Nissan charge pass: Nissan signed a partnership with French Green Park Solution for the start-up’s Kiwhi Pass. This card can be used at many charging stations in France thus enabling Nissan EV drivers to roam more freely in the future.
motornature.com
Feb 13, 2014 - 09:31 am
ChargePoint, MGM, Georgia, Nissan, Tesla.
Charging at the strip: Together with ChargePoint, MGM has started to install 27 charging stations at nine of its Las Vegas resorts. The stations will be installed in guest garages and at valeting parking areas and will be available for use free of charge.
electriccarsreport.com
Georgia to kill tax credit? A new bill proposed in the U.S. state of Georgia could eliminate the 5,000 dollar tax credit currently available to buyers of new EVs. The proposing senator wants to take the financial burden off the tax payers who are not driving an EV. Coupled with the federal 7,500 dollar tax credit, Georgia ranked among the top four states in terms of electric car registrations last year.
bizjournals.com via greencarreports.com
European bestseller: Nissan continues to revel in the success of the Leaf. With 11,120 units sold in 2013 it has been the first choice for European EV drivers. In comparison to the previous year, this is an increase of 204% and the company says it now holds 33% of the EV market in Europe.
puregreencars.com, electriccarsreport.com
Tesla road trip return: His journey from New York to Florida along the recently finished East Coast Supercharger Highway left David Noland with no doubts that Tesla’s network just works. So well, in fact, that Noland’s return was “pretty routine. Boring, even.”
greencarreports.com
Feb 12, 2014 - 09:25 am
Baden-Wuerttemberg, London, Avis, Isle of Wight, Malaysia.
Setting an example: The provincial government of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, has affirmed plans to further lower its county’s carbon emissions. Therefore, a tenth of the ministry’s fleet shall be electrified by 2015. Funding has also been extended to support electric buses and cabs. Baden-Wuerttemberg aims to have 200,000 electric vehicles on its roads by 2020.
mvi.baden-wuerttemberg.de (In German)
E-cabs in London: The 20 BYD electric taxis ordered by chauffeur service Thriev (we reported) are now in operation. London’s first electric cab fleet is expected to be joined by a further 50 cars in July ordered by minicab firm Green Tomato Cars.
businessgreen.com
Avis to include hybrids: The rental car service’s UK branch has now included Peugeot’s hybrid version of the 508 and 3008 in its fleet. The low-emission cars are available to customers across the UK.
fleetnews.co.uk
H2 on the Isle of Wight: ITM Power has received planning permission for five hydrogen stations on the Isle of Wight. Two of four sites will be ready for operation in November 2014. The four land locations will be complemented by one marine refueling station.
fleetnews.co.uk
E-buses for Malaysia: The Malayan transport authority Prasarana Transit has announced BYD as winning bidder to supply 15 electric buses. It is South East Asia’s largest electric bus project so far. The decision for BYD follows a trial of a BYD bus serving successfully in Kuala Lumpur since last August.
puregreencars.com
Feb 11, 2014 - 09:32 am
CHAdeMO, Nottingham, Munich, Charger Fixation.
CHAdeMO is spreading: The Japanese fast-charging standard can now be found all-over the globe. A total of 3,500 stations have been installed in Japan (1,967), the U.S. (554) and Europe (1,020), according to the CHAdeMO Association. At the same time, the organisation is calling for multi-system chargers.
chargedevs.com, chademo.com
Nottingham going green: After receiving another 1.5 million pounds (2.5m dollars) of the British government’s Green Bus Fund, the City Council will purchase 11 more electric buses. Eight are already in operation while a fleet of 50 is planned in Nottingham.
businessgreen.com
E-bus trial in Bavaria: Munich’s public transport authority MVG is currently testing the Solaris Urbino e-bus on its line 153, most-frequented by students. The polish midi-bus follows a trial with an electric bus made by BYD, which could not reach the promised range of 250 kilometres in Bavarian winter conditions. While MVG is giving a positive outlook for e-buses in the future, it critizies that they are still way more expensive than diesel-powered coaches.
sueddeutsche.de (In German)
Charger Fixation: With free charging becoming more widely available, a new problem arises: EV drivers, who plug-in and park for free despite their batteries being (almost) full. Whether limiting charging times or the introduction of charging fees can fix this condition has yet to be seen.
ocregister.com via greencarreports.com
Feb 10, 2014 - 09:48 am
Hamburg, Nissan, Ecotricity, Tesla.
Carsharing in the red-light district: A project called ‘e-Quartier Hamburg’ in Germany has just received two Fiat 500e. The electric Fiats can be rented through Deutsche Bahn’s car sharing service Flinkster and are located in Hamburg’s notorious red-light district of St. Pauli. Two charging stations will be supplied by utility provider Vattenfall. The project seeks to explore the impact of transport offerings on district management.
dmm.travel (In German), deutschebahn.com (In German)
1,000% increase: With vehicle sales of alternative fuelled cars in the UK growing rapidly, Nissan is experiencing a particularly huge spike in demand. Its Leaf sales surged 1,000% last month to 230 units, while in the same month last year only 20 Leafs had been sold.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
EV owner incentive: Utility provider Ecotricity, UK, now offers customers owning an electric car an annual discount of 40 pounds (65 dollars), equalling charging an EV for 1,000 miles for free. Under the ‘Green Electricity + Car tariff,’ Ecotricity customers will also be signed up for the company’s network of about 120 fast-charge stations all over the UK.
businessgreen.com, transportevolved.com
Roadtrip, for real: Tesla has recently made news with different combos travelling along the supercharger route in no time. So how about going off the (supercharger) beaten track and travel from Texas to Panama with nothing but a bundle of adapters and a spare tyre?! Randy Denmon and Dean Lewis are attempting exactly that and have reached Nicaragua by now. Next stop: Panama canal.
evworld.com, greencarreports.com
Car sharing takes its toll on the car market, according to a study by consulting firm AlixPartners. The study suggests that already half a million vehicles have not been sold because of carsharing companies like Zipcar or Relay Rides. It further forecasts that by 2021 an additional 1.2 million purchases of new cars could be replaced through carsharing.
cnbc.com, alixpartners.com
Feb 7, 2014 - 09:47 am
BMW, UK, Charge Your Car, Mitsubishi.
Premium acronym: BMW, the business mobility provider Alphabet and three German universities are joining forces in a research project to better understand user’s acceptance of EVs with or without range extender, hybrids as well as charging infrastructure. The project will run for three years.
springerprofessional.de (In German), press.bmwgroup.com (In German)
Brits jump on EV bandwagon: In January, 325 pure electric cars were newly registered in the UK, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. This is an increase of 755% compared to the 38 units of January 2013. Other fuel-efficient cars were on the uptake as well, with PHEV sales growing by 41.3%.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk, smmt.co.uk
Charge Your Car: The aptly named infrastructure provider now operates a network with 1,500 chargers all over the UK. The pay-as-you-go service is used extensively by the 1,637 registered users, as Charge Your Car has just counted its 100,000th charging and delivered a total of 549,399 kWh so far. The CYC Lifetime Card is valid across providers and is available for a one-off payment of ten pounds.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Japan’s new favourite: In its first year, Mitsubishi’s Outlander already has been sold 9,608 times in Japan – almost as often as the Nissan Leaf in its first year of availability. With another 8,197 units shipped to Europe, Mitsubishi sold its PHEV 17,805 times in 2013 and is now aiming on making it 30,000 worldwide by the end of March.
insideevs.com
Feb 6, 2014 - 09:33 am
Tesla, Hubject, H2 Logic, BYD.
Tesla starts battery swapping: When Elon Musk was visiting the European Tesla stores last week, he leaked some interesting details. For instance, that a 4WD Model S will come by 2015. Furthermore, he expects the Giga factory to bring down battery prices by 30-40% while bigger batteries are already on the way as well as 135 kw superchargers. Those might not be necessary in L.A. and Frisco as Tesla will introduce battery swapping there.
green.autoblog.com
Strengthening e-roaming: German Hubject Gmbh and Gireve SAS are joining forces to promote eRoaming thus enabling interconnectivity of the EV charging infrastructure between France and Germany. Hubject is a joint venture between BMW, Bosch, Daimler, Siemens and the utility providers RWE and EnBW. The company operates a business and IT platform connecting infrastructure, service and mobility providers.
hubject.com (Press info) via elektroniknet.de (In German)
Hydrogen station for Hamburg: H2 Logic has made a successful bid to supply the German city with a H2 fueling station. It will be based on the 70 MPa H2Station and is an initial trial before a network of 50 H2 station is eventually built by 2015. These are part of the H2Mobility Germany initiative running until 2023 with 400 planned stations in total.
greencarcongress.com
BYD keeps promise: A ten-month trial with BYD’s electric bus in Canada (we reported) has proven the company’s claim. The 40ft e-bus indeed managed to run 155 miles (250 km) on one charge. This prompted Salah Barj, Director of P & D at STO to say: “The BYD electric bus was nothing like anything we had seen or tested before.” A dream come true…
chargedevs.com, greencarcongress.com
Feb 5, 2014 - 09:37 am
Car2Go black, Ford, E-Wald, Austria.
Car2Go black: Daimler announced to integrate its B-class into its car sharing, which only offers Smarts so far. In a first step 200 Mercedes B will be deployed to Berlin and Hamburg, Germany, where they can be rented and unlocked via smartphone. Other than with the Smart, the black cars can only be picked up and returned at designated parking lots but can be driven one-way between the two cities. Since Berlin and Hamburg already have some H2 stations, why not make the B-Class f-cell part of the scheme?!
handelsblatt.com (In German)
Focus EV promotion: With Ford selling only a couple of hundreds electric cars every month, the carmaker has now announced a new finance package for buyers of the Focus EV in the U.S. Together with a additional cash sum of 6,000 dollars refunded by participating dealers, the Focus finally comes in the pricing range of its competitor Nissan Leaf.
transportevolved.com
Rural electric transport: In its current project, German E-Wald is showing that electric cars can also work in rural areas. In Deggendorf, this has proven rather successful so far: 95 out of 151 electric cars are let longterm while another 30 can be shared on demand. More towns in the Bavarian Forest are scheduled to join the project.
pnp.de (In German), e-wald.eu (In German)
klima:aktiv mobil: The Austrian climate initiative has already helped to save 570,000 tons of carbon with 4,900 mobility projects which have been funded with 66.6 million euros so far. In the county Tirol alone, 510 green jobs were created and 42.6 million euros invested by private companies and initiatives with the government only helping to start it off with 5 million euros.
oekonews.at (In German), klimaaktiv.at
Feb 4, 2014 - 09:31 am
ZeEUS, NASA, Hydrogenics.
Zero Emission Urban Bus Systems (ZeEUS): This EU project unites 40 partners in eight European cities to research the emission saving potential of e-buses in public transport. In the city of Münster, Germany, a complete bus route will be operated with five all-electric buses recharging at two fast-charging stations. The test is coordinated by two institutes of RWTH Aachen university. ZeEUS will receive funding from the EU worth 13.5 million euros (18.3m dollars) until 2017.
emobilserver.de (In German), egvi.eu (Project coordination)
NASA’s electric car trial: A programme designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions at Kennedy Space Center has brought “really insane” results in its first three months, according to NASA’s Frank Kline. Ten employees using electric cars and charging them with green energy on-site have already saved 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in only three months – mission to be continued.
redorbit.com, greencarreports.com
H2 stations for UK: Fuel cell developer Hydrogenics announced it won two contracts from the British government to provide its electrolyser technology for new hydrogen fuel stations. The company’s HyStat 60 and 30 electrolyser will be used by BOC, a subsidiary of the Linde Group.
networkedblogs.com
Feb 3, 2014 - 09:51 am
AeroVironment, Route 66, Tesla.
Portable compact charger: AeroVironment introduced the TurboCord, a portable charging cordset. TurboCord is available in a 240-volt only version for 599 dollars or as dual mode for 649 dollars. The compact charger plugs directly into the socket and gathers all miniaturised electronics in a box right at the wall end of the cord.
greencarcongress.com
Electric Route 66: The Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation (HEVF) entertains the idea of installing EV charging stations along the legendary highway also dubbed the ‘Mother Road.’ However, the project is at a very early stage as no details are yet known on who might pay for or install the chargers.
green.autoblog.com
West-to-east-trip complete: Two Tesla teams have just completed a cross-country journey with the Model S going from Los Angeles to New York. Thanks to the network of Tesla’s Superchargers it took them only 76,5 hours to cover almost 3,500 mi.
teslamotors.com
Jan 31, 2014 - 09:41 am
GoUltraLow, LHNE, Tesla, Sixt, Hawaii.
UK’s going ultra low: The British government just announced to spend 9.3m pounds (15.3m dollars) on the ‘GoUltraLow’ campaign, which is backed by industry leaders like BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall. The funding will be used to install 140 new fast chargers, making it a network of 500 across the country. Another 5m GBP (8.2m USD) will be spent on promoting green driving to the public.
businessgreen.com, thegreencarwebsite.co.uk, gov.uk, goultralow.com (Campaign page)
First UK lease of ix35: British Air Products just signed a lease contract for a Hyundai ix35 hydrogen fuel cell car as part of the London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LHNE). Another four LHNE partners are expected to sign their lease in due course.
fleetnews.co.uk, hy-tec.eu
Tesla leasing in Germany: At an invitation-only event last night in Munich, Elon Musk announced that Tesla will offer the Model S for leasing, partnering with car rental company Sixt. The leasing rate for the Model S will start at about 500 euros (680 dollars) which is just above the rate for a 5-series BMW. Tesla hopes that the leasing option will ramp up annual sales in Germany to 10,000 cars by the end of 2014.
wiwo.de (In German), automobil-produktion.de (In German)
No-charger fine: If Senate Bill 2651 goes into law in Hawaii, operators of large car parks will face a fine when failing to provide dedicated EV parking. From 2015, lots with more than 100 spaces, would have to provide at least one parking space with EV charging capability.
transportevolved.com
Jan 30, 2014 - 10:10 am
Estonteco, ClipperCreek, Miyakojima, Netherlands.
500 charging stations for rent: In the next five years, Luxembourg-based company Estonteco wants to set up 500 charging points across neighbouring Belgium. These will be rented out to parking garages, supermarkets or other publicly accessible places that will get parts of the earnings. The company will also offer repair and location services.
lavenir.net (In French)
Plug-in wallbox: American ClipperCreek is now ready to deliver its HCS-40P charging station equipped with NEMA wall plugs. It can be installed wherever there is a 240 Volt connection and only uses two wall screws to fix it. Starting price for the 30 A station is 644 dollars.
greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com
Micro commuter in Miyakojima: Honda selected the city on one of Japan’s islands to test its MC-β micro EV. As part of the Small-sized Electromotive Mobility Project, the mini Honda will be used to explore a CO2-free community and therefore charged at solar charging stations newly built from Toshiba.
electriccarsreport.com, thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Cable carnage: In the Netherlands, a peacefully charging Renault Zoe got assaulted. The attacker apparently tried viciously to unplug the EV but “only” managed to dismantle the plug, stripping the metal pins of their plastic cover.
motornature.com, autoweek.nl (In Dutch)
