Oct 9, 2014 - 08:41 am

Verbund, Germany, Denmark, France, California.

Fast charge roaming in Central Europe: Led by Austrian utility Verbund, the ‘Central European Green Corridors’ (CEGC) initiative will see the installation of a fast charging network spanning Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia by the end of 2015. Eleven partners, among them BMW, Nissan, Renault, and VW, utility providers, and the Slovenian government are set to erect 115 multi-standard DC-charge points.
verbund.com (in German)

H2 to arrive in Germany: Daimler and Linde announced plans to begin the installation of 20 planned hydrogen stations this year. Both companies will invest about ten million euros each and have already identified 13 locations at filling stations from Total, OMV, Avia and Hoyer. There, installation is set to finish by the end of 2015 while the other seven stations are still being negotiated.
electriccarsreport.com, greenpowertrain.automotive-business-review.com

Danish EV incentives: Denmark intends to invest 38 million kroner (6.5m dollars) in e-mobility. Funds for carsharing and lease programmes shall make electric cars a more viable, price compatible solution. Ultimately, the money is hoped to put another 1,400 EVs on the country’s roads by the end of next year.
cphpost.dk

An impressive 8,600 charge points can be found in France, according to the “Avere France” association. Their new graphic shows the charging station density across the different “departements” or regions.
france-mobilite-electrique.org (in French)

More fast charger funds: The Californian Energy Commission has granted 920,000 dollars for the deployment of new DC charge spots. Three new ones will be erected in the Sacramento area while in the South Coast district the money will be used to add more versatile stations to the existing ones.
greencarcongress.com

Oct 8, 2014 - 08:41 am

Lexus, Envision Solar, British Columbia, Belarus.

Lucky Lexus: Diet club Slimming World will acquire 76 hybrid vehicles from Toyota’s luxury brand within the next three years. The models NX 300h, CT 200h and IS 300h will help the company’s district and field managers on their visits to customers. For Lexus, it is the largest fleet contract to date.
fleetnews.co.uk

Mobile charging station: Envision Solar will install three solar charging stations in San Francisco by the end of the year. The EV Arc (autonomous renewable charger) station stores the power from the sun in a battery pack and will thus be moved around to test different locations.
sfgate.com

Public EV charging has doubled in British Columbia, Canada. At least at the 350 of the province’s 550 public charging stations that were monitored. August saw 3,745 charging sessions, which is a 120% increase over the same month last year (1,684). In total, B.C.’s chargers were used 40,000 times.
metronews.ca

In Belarus, the first CHAdeMO charge point is set to be opened tomorrow. It is located at a motorway exit close to the country’s capital Minsk. The organisers hope this to be start of wider EV adoption in the country.
belta.by

Oct 7, 2014 - 08:31 am

California, Baden-Württemberg, Barcelona, intercharge direct.

H2 stations for California: Air Products has signed an agreement with FirstElement Fuel Inc. to supply hydrogen fuelling stations and technology. The initial network consists of 19 H2 stations to be built throughout the Golden State in 2015. The deal is worth 25.5 million dollars.
airproducts.com, businesswire.com

Another eight H2 stations will be erected in Baden-Württemberg in the South of Germany. Their exact location has now been revealed by the Clean Energy Partnership at the World of Energy Solution show. Already the federal state has five hydrogen stations. By the end of 2015 there will be 13. They are part of a nationwide network of 50 stations for FCVs.
cleanenergypartnership.de (in German)

Quick charger in Barcelona: The Spanish city intends to expand its AC charging network of 262 with fast charging devices. One Trio Quick Charger by Circontrol has now been connected. The unit features both CCS and CHAdeMO charging and a 43 kW AC option.
circontrol.com

Direct payment: Hubject now enabled its new ‘intercharge direct’ payment solution. It allows EV drivers to pay any utility provider directly and without contract by scanning a QR code with their smartphone and pay via PayPal. Charge point operators within the European intercharge network can activate the new option without any additional technical effort.
hubject.com (PDF)

Demo home with EV: Ford’s plug-in hybrid C-Max is part of a KB Home energy efficient house and serves to showcase a net-zero lifestyle. The house incorporates parts of Ford MyEnergi Lifestyle initiative. Most of the home’s energy needs are fulfilled by solar panels that feed into smart home appliances.
hybridcars.com

Oct 6, 2014 - 08:24 am

Gnewt Cargo, The New Motion, CarCharging, Tesla, Delaware.

55 electric Renault Kangoo will now serve at Gnewt Cargo, which takes care of 5,000 deliveries a day in London. This was made possible by a deal with myHermes and with support of Alphabet, which was able to deliver the vans in just one month.
fleetnews.co.uk

Europe on one card: Hubject and charging infrastructure operator The New Motion (TNM), which already has roaming agreements with networks such as Ladenetz or Smatrics, have now announced their partnership. That means that TNM customers now have access to all 3,000 intercharge-connected charge points, like charging stations from RWE for example.
hubject.com (PDF)

CarCharging takes over Houston charging network: The former signed an agreement with the Texan city to buy and operate Houston’s 70 Blink Level 2 charging points. These had originally been put in place by ECOtality. The agreement also includes the installation of another 20 charging stations in the Houston metropolitan area.
electriccarsreport.com

70 Superchargers in Europe: Tesla reports that over the past week, it added seven of its fast-chargers across the continent – one each in Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as two in each France and the UK. That brings the total number of Superchargers worldwide up to 207.
green.autoblog.com

Power plant on wheels: The University of Delaware’s electric fleet is generating cash by selling power back the grid. The nine electric vehicles are interconnected, forming a virtual power plant. The total storage capacity is around 100 kWh, which is the minimum required for such a project. According to utility provider NRG Energy, each vehicle could generate around 110 dollars per month.
online.wsj.com

Oct 2, 2014 - 08:53 am

Hamburg, IES Synergy, CCS fast charging, DriveNow.

EV rebates in Hamburg: In Hamburg, both the chamber of commerce and the chamber of trade have set up the ‘Hamburg macht e-mobil’ (Hamburg goes electric) initiative. The 80,000 chamber members will receive discounts of 6 to 23% when choosing from one of nine electric cars from manufacturers like Daimler, Mitsubishi, VW, Nissan, and Renault. The chambers think their initiative could put as many as 18,000 electric company’s cars onto Hamburg’s streets by 2020.
welt.de (in German), hk24.de (list of cars, in German)

Charger on wheels: IES Synergy announced that it has become a supplier to Volkswagen. The company says it will equip the carmakers European dealers with its Keywatt Trolley DC fast chargers that can be rolled around on wheels.
ies-synergy.com

Charging experience: This couple has seen them all, as they first drove the Mini-E, then became BMW ActiveE drivers and consequently now own a BMW i3 each. With that, the future has finally arrived, the future of charging that is, embodied by the here tested 50 kW CCS fast charging spot. “It’s amazing!”
insideevs.com

DriveNow to come to Vienna: BMW and Sixt will introduce their car sharing in the Austrian capital in about two weeks. 400 BMW and Mini will be made available to the Viennese, none of them is yet electric. However, this might change once the i3 makes it into the DriveNow fleet.
österreich.at (in German)

Oct 1, 2014 - 08:34 am

Nissan, CCS, PlugSurfing, Scotland, PTI Airport, Los Angeles.

No charge to charge goes Germany: Nissan now introduces free of charge charging in Germany where the programme runs under the rather descriptive name ‘Freistrom für alle.’ The Japanese carmaker offers free charging at all its dealerships, regardless of the make, as long users don’t occupy the charging spot longer than necessary and only during opening times. Depending on the outlet, standard sockets, Type 2 or CHAdeMO chargers are available. Dealers are offered financial support to erect more chargers.
presseportal.de (in German)

CCS coverage in Europe: According to ccs-map.eu, there are more than 400 CCS fast chargers available in Europe at the moment, covering one third of the continent. The biggest expansion is seen in the UK while France and Italy are only now starting to charge up.
insideevs.com

PlugSurfing expands its coverage: The Berlin-based company now offers access to an additional 10,000 charging points in the Netherlands, including stations from Nuon, Essent, Eneco, ANWB, Greenflux and The New Motion. PlugSurfing describes it as an important step in connection EV infrastructure across Europe.
plugsurfing.com (in Englisch), plugsurfing.com (in Dutch)

Saving ones own: The Scottish Government has ordered a new hybrid ferry from Ferguson Marine Engineering. Without the 12.3-million pound (19.9m dollar) contract, the Scottish ship builder would be threatened with closure. The diesel-hybrid ferry is the third that is built by Ferguson for ferry operator CalMac and is set to enter service in late 2016.
pressandjournal.co.uk

Charge and fly: Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina now has installed four charge points. This makes it the only airport offering EV charging in the region. Rejoicing the electric car is for free while parking fees still apply.
wfmynews2.com

Campus charging: The California State University Los Angeles now has a total of 15 EV charging points on its campus. The start of the project dates back to 2010 and has recently received a grant from the Department of Energy to fund more stations.
csulauniversitytimes.com

Sep 30, 2014 - 08:25 am

Total, Source London, Rolec Services, California.

“Multikulti” is German slang for multicultural and seems like a fitting description of Total’s idea behind its ‘Multi-Energie-Tankstelle’ (multi energy filling station). Together with Daimler, Linde and RWE, the company has inaugurated the fourth station at which drivers can refill their vehicles with either regular fuel as well as hydrogen and electricity via CCS and CHAdeMO. Total currently services four H2 stations in the German capital and one in both Hamburg and Munich. More stations are set to follow this year.
presseportal.de (in German)

Temporarily unavailable: New owner of the Source London public charging network, French IER, has found 168 of the 464 charging stations to require maintenance work. That is about a third of all stations but IER says it is making good progress together with no less than six charge point manufacturers to fix the network. In the future, rapid charging is expected to be introduced.
zap-map.com

Rolec Services is offering free 32 amp EV home chargers to private customers. Rolec subsidises its offer which is part of the British Government’s OLEV Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme. To be eligible, customers only have to own or have ordered a plug-in vehicle or drive a company EV for more than six months.
fleetnews.co.uk

EV ready homes: California is musing yet another pro electric transport bill. This time, developers of new homes or large parking lots would be asked to have enough capacity ready for EV chargers to be installed at a later date. AutoblogGreen suggests, this anticipatory move could cost as little 50 dollars.
green.autoblog.com

Sep 29, 2014 - 08:30 am

BMW i, Canada, Charleston, Car2go, ubitricity.

New BMW wallbox: After the Wallbox Pure, BMW i introduces the Wallbox Pro. It can be integrated in a smart home grid and use self-generated electricity to charge the EV. The wallbox is to come available worldwide and can charge at a power rate of up to 7.4 kW. In Germany it is limited to 4.6 kW, due to local grid regulations.
hybridcars.com, slashgear.com, press.bmwgroup.com (4.6 kW, in German)

Electric corridor opens in Canada: The first charging stations between Quebec City and Montreal have gone into operation. A total of twelve charging points, including five fast charging ones, will be installed on the electric corridor between the Highways 10 and 138 this fall already.
montrealgazette.com, hydroquebec.com

Free Leaf Taxi: A new driving service is ready to launch in the next two weeks in Charleston, South Carolina (USA). Scoop CHS will feature four Nissan Leaf and will drive customers to their destination free of charge. The idea is to finance the service purely with advertisements.
charlestoncitypaper.com

Car2go conquers Brooklyn: The carsharing company will extend its offer to the New York neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Starting on October 25th, 400 Smart fortwo will hit the road there. The NYC fleet will not feature any electric vehicles, however.
prnewswire.com

Intelligent charging system: Five German welfare and caritas associations have acquired a total of nine EVs. The charge cables are supplied by Berlin-based ubitricity and include mobile electric meters. That enables employees to charge the cars at home without having to pay. Because of the intelligent charging technology, electricity consumption is monitored by ubitricity and billed directly to the company.
suedkurier.de, erzbistum-freiburg.de (both in German)

Sep 26, 2014 - 08:26 am

E-Mart, Ho Chi Minh City, MobyPost, Eurotunnel, Greece.

EV-friendly shopping: E-Mart, the largest discount retailer in Korea, plans to erect charging infrastructure. A total of 119 EV charging stations are said to be built at 80 stores through 35 cities, while another 70 chargers are to follow at a later date.
koreaittimes.com

Electric transport in Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, which is the largest city in Vietnam, is planning a project with electric buses and cabs. Hanoi already has a similar project (we reported). At HCM City, the electric vehicles would mainly service tourist areas.
eco-business.com

Meet the MobyPost: Based on the Ducati Energia, this hydrogen vehicle has been specifically designed for the needs of postal workers. Currently, ten MobyPost with a top speed of 50 kph and a range of up to 50 km are being tested in the departments of French Doubs and Jura.
technologicvehicles.com

New EVs for Eurotunnel: On the French side of the English Channel, the Eurotunnel Group and its facility management partner ISS will acquire 18 electric cars for their employees. Already, seven charging stations have been erected at the site in Coquelles.
evfleetworld.co.uk

More EVs for Greece: The Public Power Corporation (PPC) is planning to lease 15 electric cars while introducing a pilot scheme with 15 charging stations, eight in Kozani and seven in Athens. This will bring the number of EVs in the country to a humble 75 but PPC expects the market to grow soon.
ekathimerini.com, ansamed.info

Sep 25, 2014 - 08:30 am

Nissan, Solaris, Efacec, Plug Power.

E-NV200 for SMEs: Nissan is to launch the ‘e4Business’ online platform for small companies and start-ups to pitch their business to the Japanese company. The best ideas will receive marketing support. In France and Germany, the website is already running and successful applicants get a Nissan e-NV200 electric van in their company’s branding including a wallbox.
fleetnews.co.uk, electriccarsreport.com

Solaris e-buses: The Polish manufacturer unveiled its new Urbino 18 electric. Four of those electric buses will serve in the German city of Brunswick where they are charged inductively with technology by Bombardier. Also, the Hamburg Hochbahn acquired two Solaris, the Urbino 18,75 electric. They feature a fuel cell as range extender.
busportal.sk (in Polish)

Light and compact charger: Efacec will present a new DC charger at eCarTec in Munich. According to the company it will be the “lightest and smallest in the market” – although the QC24S still weighs 55 kilos. The new charger is aimed at both European and North American customers. A CHAdeMO model is to follow this year.
efacec.pt

Fuel cell financing: Plug Power is to offer financing packages together with M&T Bank for customers looking to purchase fuel cells, hydrogen refuelling stations and service agreements. Plug Power hopes to thus facilitate buying decisions of the fuel cell forklifts and its ‘GenKey’ service and infrastructure deal.
bizjournals.com

Sep 24, 2014 - 08:23 am

Berlin, L.A., Daimler & Recargo, ThyssenKrupp, COMOS, Abu Dhabi.

Fast-charging Berlin: The ‘Schnell-Laden Berlin’ initiative yesterday inaugurated five CCS charging stations in the German capital. These are the beginning of a project which will see Berlin and the surrounding areas being connected with a simple and unified pay and fast-charge system. Another three chargers are said to follow this year. The showcase project is led by RWE Effizienz and supported by Vattenfall, Total, Daimler, VW, DLR, and TÜV Rheinland. The TU Berlin is the academic partner.
schnell-laden-berlin.de (project’s website in German)

Electric buses for LA: Californian public transport provider Foothill Transit recently acquired twelve electric buses by Proterra. The new EVs will serve on line 291 which connects the cities of Pomona and La Verne in Los Angeles County.
greencarcongress.com

Daimler to cooperate with Recargo: Drivers of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive will soon get access to Recargo’s PlugShare network. PlugShare is a smartphone app that allows users to find charging stations and connect with other users and will be incorporated into Daimler’s navigation system via the e-Navigator App.
greencarcongress.com, greencarreports.com

ThyssenKrupp electrified: ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas has converted some of their fleet vehicles using the XL3 hybrid-electric systems from XL Hybrids. The new vehicles will be operating in Atlanta, Dallas, and Boston and are part of a growing fleet of fuel saving vehicles of the company that also incorporates CNG vehicles.
powerengineeringint.com

Malaysian EV carsharing about to start: COMOS has officially introduced its electric carsharing (we reported) to the Malayan public and has now opened membership registration. The 46 Renault Zoes and 30 Renault Twizys will be available for use starting in October.
paultan.org

Hybrid cabs in Abu Dhabi: Cab company Cars Taxi has integrated 15 hybrid cabs (presumably Toyota’s hybrid Camry) into its service in Abu Dhabi and plans to acquire more. In total, a hundred hybrid taxis are said to serve the population of the United Arab Emirates already this year.
gulfnews.com

Sep 23, 2014 - 08:20 am

California, Sonoma County, Laos, Enel, Ogilvie.

Six pro EV bills in a row have just been signed by California’s governor Jerry Brown. Electric vehicles now get free or cheaper access to newly introduced high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, while more HOV stickers for plug-in hybrids have been made available. Low-income communities were promised easier access to EVs while renters now got the right to install chargers at their temporary homes.
greencarcongress.com, insideevs.com

Tribal EVs: The Kashia tribe of Sonoma County, California, purchased two Toyota RAV4 EVs and two plug-in hybrid Ford C-Max Energis. The EVs serve Kashia’s Department of Environmental Planning. Additionally, six charging stations will be installed in both remote and urban areas.
insideevs.com, sonomacountygazette.com

Mitsubishi in Laos: Mitsubishi’s importer in Lao just recently donated two i-MiEV to the Southeast Asian country’s government. The gesture is part of the Japanese company’s expansion into new markets. In Lao, hopes lie on green electricity generated through the country’s large rivers.
ecoseed.org

Hubject goes south: The Berlin-based IT platform operator for charging infrastructure expands its European network once more by signing an agreement with Enel. The latter operates about 1,600 EV charge points in Italy and Spain which will become part of the eRoaming framework that now allows charging at 5,000 stations.
hubject.com

Tesla to lease: British Ogilvie Fleet took delivery of two Model S that came together with two charge points at the company’s Stirling head quarters. The Teslas are available to the directors, staff as well as customers of the leasing company.
fleetnews.co.uk

Sep 22, 2014 - 08:24 am

Yokohama, Gliide, e-Bürgerbus, Govecs, Rouyn-Noranda, Vietnam.

Nissan extends carsharing programme: The “Choimobi Yokohoma” electric carsharing scheme, featuring Nissan’s New Mobility Concept, will continue at least one more year. Since October 2013, more than 10,000 people registered for the programme in the city of Yokohama, Japan.
electriccarsreport.com, puregreencars.com

Chauffeur-driven Tesla: Gliide is London’s first all-electric chauffeur-driven service and it will use Tesla Model S only. Just a few weeks ago, UK car rental company EVision also specialised on hiring out the luxury EV (we reported).
businessgreen.com, evfleetworld.co.uk

Electric citizen buses: The programme called e-Bürgerbus in German kicks off in Stuttgart today. During a two-year trial headed by the University of Stuttgart, citizen-operated electric and hybrid mini buses will be used to test how electric transportation can be extended to rural areas.
idw-online.de

Pizza delivery electrified: The Domino’s Pizza branch in Fontainebleau, just south of Paris, has bought three Govecs GO! T2.4 electric scooters. The company hopes to save on fuels costs and improve its ecological image.
govecs.fr (in French)

New charge points at Niagara Falls International Airport: The airport in the northern New York State now features two stations, where travellers can hook up their EVs. During a four-year trial, charging is free. But the stations need to be reserved ahead of time.
niagara-gazette.com, bizjournals.com

Charging in Canada: The city of Rouyn-Noranda has joined the Electric Circuit public charging network, setting up two charge points in municipal parking lots for public use. Electric Circuit is the largest charging network in Quebec.
newswire.ca

Electrifying Vietnam: Starting as early as May of next year, some 7.5 kilometres of electric tram lines could go into service in Ho-Chi-Minh City, the country’s largest city. First, transport officials will have to determine demand. In the capital Hanoi as well as the city of De Nang, tourists are already being chauffeured in electric cars.
ttrweekly.com

Sep 19, 2014 - 08:28 am

Bouygues, M-BEAM, White Plains, West Springfield.

Old batteries to the grid rescue: A French consortium led by construction company Bouygues has developed the ‘Eco2charge’ system for Ev charging. The system uses old batteries as energy storage to stabilise the grid in the event of many electric cars charging at once. The system has been tested at Bouygues as well as Renault sites and is said to be ready for the market already by next year.
reuters.com

Swap some modules, not the full unit is the idea behind the ‘Modular Battery Exchange and Active Management (M-BEAM).’ Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, are converting a VW Golf and plan to prove the feasibility of their idea with a road trip through the States.
rdmag.com, modularexchange.com

More charging around NYC: White Plains, a suburb of New York City now installed ten EV charging stations in public parking garages, thus doubling the number of chargers in the city. The new stations were supported and erected by the New York Power Authority and the state Energy R&D Authority.
whiteplains.dailyvoice.com

Environmentally aware community: West Springfield in Massachusetts added a Ford Focus Electric to its fleet. It will be used by the municipality’s water meter reader while a hybrid vehicle and charging station are soon to follow. The electrification effort is fuelled by grants by the state.
masslive.com

Sep 18, 2014 - 08:21 am

Hong Kong, Warsaw, PlugSurfing, Cadillac, ChargePoint.

Electric van testing: Hong Kong District Cooling Company Limited (HKDC), a Veolia subsidiary, has begun field-testing the Nissan e-NV200 at Kai Tak Development (KTD) in Hong Kong. The electric van will serve under real life conditions and will be utilised for both developed areas and those under construction.
greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com

Poland plans electric car sharing: The city of Warsaw is about to publish a tender for a carsharing system that is expected to see at least 300 electric or hybrid vehicles. Already Daimler as well as Fiat have expressed their interest. Meanwhile, Wrocław will introduce a car sharing called GoGet next year – if electric is not yet clear.
thenews.pl

PlugSurfing extended: Users of the PlugSurfing app now have access to charge points of two more providers. Apart from E.On, which is responsible for the fast chargers along the German Autobahn A9, users can now plug and pay at Ebee stations in Berlin.
plugsurfing.com

A free charging station is the latest lure Cadillac came up with to win over buyers for the ELR, this time in Canada. There, as in the U.S., every new owner of the luxury volt gets a complimentary 240-V home charger by Bosch, including installation.
hybridcars.com

On-campus charging: ChargePoint says it has installed 1,134 charge points on university and college campus so far. This number was increased from 838 last year, right in time for the beginning of the new academic year. With 38 spots, the University of California at Davis is the most accommodating for electric vehicles.
puregreencars.com

Sep 17, 2014 - 08:22 am

Indianapolis, Chicago, California, Georgia, Tesla.

An all-electric bus line might soon enter service in Indianapolis. The city is granting two million dollars for a feasibility study and soon will release more details. The e-bus would fit in well with Indianapolis’ plans to install the biggest electric car sharing of the States together with Bolloré (we reported).
theindychannel.com

America’s first electric garbage truck will help keep Chicago clean. The ERV (Electric Refuse Vehicle) is made by Motiv Power Systems and the company plans to build 20 of these for the city over the next five years.
insideevs.com, prnewswire.com

H2 roadmap: the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) has published a road map showing the planned hydrogen infrastructure. The accompanying report called Hydrogen Progress, Priorities and Opportunities (HyPPO) points out the next steps.
greencarcongress.com

High EV market share: Georgia currently has the lead in the race for EV adoption as 1 in 60 vehicles in the state are now electric, helped along by a generous tax rebate of 5,000 dollars. That is a market share of 1.6%, which puts Georgia ahead of California (1.4%).
insideevs.com

Supercharged Europe: Tesla plans to expand its fast charging network on the continent extensively over the coming year. A new map shows Superchargers as far south-east as Istanbul, Turkey, and up north as Finland while Eastern Europe is part of the expansion, too.
twitter.com (map)

Sep 16, 2014 - 08:34 am

La Poste, e.CODRIVER, Italy, New Delhi.

Postal e-trike: La Poste has ordered 100 ‘Staby’ be French Ligier. The electric three-wheeled scooters have been customised for the French mail service and will join the organisations extensive electric fleet. If demand allows, Ligier is prepared to deliver up to a 1,000 e-trikes by 2015.
postandparcel.info

EV drive simulation: A newly developed app by Dutch Gent University estimates EV range for different models based on the user’s driving behaviour in a regular car. This way, the ‘e.CODRIVER’ app is said to help find the right electric car for ones needs.
e-mobility-nsr.eu, play.google.com (app)

Italy’s bicycle market was overall declining in 2013, only e-bikes saw an increase of 11.8%. That are 51,405 electric bicycles sold despite harsh economic conditions. Pedelec exports almost doubled to 2,859 units. City and e-bikes now hold almost 50% of the Italian market, which shifts away from its sport-only orientation.
bike-eu.com

Battery-electric buses will eventually replace electric rickshaws on New Delhi’s streets. The electric mini cabs on three wheels have just been banned, hence this is why the Indian government is looking into alternatives. An e-bus trial in Bangalore however, is now facing financial difficulties as initial operational costs are high.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Sep 15, 2014 - 08:27 am

Grenoble, M. Barnwell Services, Ostroleka, Seoul.

Colourful carsharing in France: The pilot programme ‘Cité lib’ kicks-off on October 1st in the city of Grenoble. 70 EVs are up for hire, half of which are Toyota i-Roads, the other Toyota Coms. That means 35 of the 45 i-Roads built so far will be on the road in southern France. These can be booked via an app. The trial will last three years.
theautochannel.com, greencarcongress.com

M. Barnwell Services hybridised: The British stockist and distributor of fluid sealing products is replacing its fleet with 25 Toyota Auris Hybrid Touring Sports. The cars are meant for the company’s sales team and a step towards reducing its carbon footprint and being in line with new standards for environmental management.
fleetnews.co.uk

Poland gets first electric buses: Polish company Solaris has delivered two of its Urbino 8.9 LE Electric to the city of Ostroleka. These feature a 160 kWh battery and three-phase chargers, which has been mounted on the roof for easier access. The drivetrain is delivered by Polish company Medcom.
auto-medienportal.net (in German), energiamax.pl (in Polish)

Free electric taxi for Seoul: Renault Samsung Motors is letting members of the Seoul Taxi Association in South Korea use ten of its SM3 Z.E. free of charge. The idea is for taxi drivers and passengers to discover the benefits of electric mobility. For the drivers, other perks include free use of toll road tunnels, cheaper parking and free access to the city’s charging points.
greencarcongress.com

Sep 12, 2014 - 08:24 am

Open Charge Alliance, South Korea, New Zealand, Cenex, Supercharger.

Open charging: The Open Charge Alliance (OCA) has adopted the Open Smart Charging Protocol (OSCP) which focusses on energy capacity planning. The protocol can be used by infrastructure providers to learn about physical net capacity by the local network operator to predict available capacity.
openchargealliance.org

South Korea serious about EVs: One in every four vehicles bought by Korean government agencies will have to be electric. The new regulation will come into effect next year and is said to help replace up to 700 vehicles. Under current regulations, 50% of the government’s fleet had to be at least small or hybrid cars.
chosun.com

The Green party of New Zealand is living up to its name as it promises to invest 20 million dollars (16,3m USD) into EV promotion if successful in next week’s election. Half of the money would go into building fast-charging infrastructure while the other ten million would be spend on 1,000-dollar cash-backs for the first 10,000 EV buyers.
nzherald.co.nz

Real world data tool: Cenex has launched a service for fleet managers at this week’s LCV event. The ‘FCRT Lite’ tool is designed to asses the viability of low carbon vehicles. It is said to be based on real world duty cycles, fuel consumption and EV range and can be accessed for free.
cenex.co.uk (tool) via fleetnews.co.uk

Supercharger leasing: Tucker Development has leased eight charging stations from Tesla for their Country Club Plaza shopping centre in Illinois. Seems like a clever idea to attract the business of Model S driver travelling between Chicago and Indiana.
rejournals.com

Mini update: ClipperCreek has upgraded its Level-2 HCS-40 and CS-40 EV charging stations. They now feature 32 instead of 30 amps but are available for the same price as before.
greencarcongress.com

Sep 11, 2014 - 08:29 am

UK Rapid Charge Network, Electric Circuit, South Korea, Suwon City.

UK Rapid Charge Network: Nissan is, together with BMW, VW and Renault, building a network of multi-system DC chargers throughout the UK. The programme is financed with more than 7 million euros through the European Union’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) scheme. The first ten of 74 chargers have now been erected.
puregreencars.com

Collège charging station: Collège Montmorency and The Electric Circuit, the largest public charging network in Quebec, opened a first charging station at the parking lot of the Collège. The main goal of the institution is to raise awareness for the electric car.
newswire.ca

South Korea doubles EV subsidies: By the end of this year, 800 electric cars will have been subsidised by the Korean government. The number will be doubled to 1,600 in 2015. Furthermore, tax exemptions as high as 2.7 million won (2,600 dollars) for hybrid vehicles will be extended and also granted after 2015.
koreaherald.com, just-auto.com

Sustainable EcoMobility World Festival: In September 2013, Suwon City in South Korea went car-free for an entire month. Now, one year later, residents are still feeling the positive impact of the event, which clearly changed their mindset of cars being the only way to maintain an urban lifestyle.
green.autoblog.com

Sep 10, 2014 - 08:23 am

Kia, UK, Go Ultra Low, Supercharger, Nissan Leaf roadtrip.

Kia fast chargers in Europe: The Korean manufacturer installed its first two DC chargers at its European HQ in Frankfurt, Germany. The 100-kW multi-system stations have been developed by Korean Signet Systems. Kia plans another 233 charging stations in Europe which will accompany the introduction of the Soul EV later this year.
elektroniknet.de (in German)

The UK government announced the winners of its 5-million pound Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF). 17 councils will be sharing the money to “green” all sorts of vehicles. Southhampton City Council alone gets 351,900 pounds to equip 23 buses with flywheel technology. Newcastle does the same but for 30 buses while Portsmouth will hybridise 18 vehicles.
businessgreen.com, gov.uk (pdf with all projects)

Go Ultra Low: Another UK project is this campaign from government and industry that strives to educate and enthuse motorists on the benefits of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEV). For those want to get on board, the SMMT has compiled the most important ingredients to go ultra low.
smmt.co.uk

Supercharger update: Tesla has just erected three new European charging sites. One Supercharger each now awaits Model S drivers close to Frankfurt and Neuberg, Germany, another one stands in Danish Køge. The latter is rumoured to become the biggest in Europe with 12 spots, solar panels and energy storage, according to the German Tesla forum. But also in its home state, the company does not rest and erected another Supercharger site in Cornwall.
teslamotors.com (Germany), teslamotors.com (Denmark), tff-forum.de (in German), choosecornwall.ca (California)

Charging experience: Tyrel Haveman went on a 1,500-mile trip from Canada to California with his Nissan Leaf and gives an interesting account of the various network operators. He mostly used DC quick chargers that line the West Coast Electric Highway which curiously cuts off in California.
insideevs.com

Sep 9, 2014 - 09:16 am

UK, Lower Austria, Sioux Falls, Dubai.

UK takes up on EVs: With 5,710 EVs registered this year in the UK, EV sales have already doubled the full year sales of 2012 (2,254 vehicles). It is expected that by the end of this month, British buyers will have opted for more electric cars than in the last two years together (5,838).
fleetnews.co.uk

E-mobility at schools: In Lower Austria, a new project has started, presenting electric cars to the drivers of tomorrow: pupils. “e-mobil macht Schule” (to catch on electric mobility) is directed at teenagers between 14 to 16 years old and consists of a theoretical introduction and a practical driving part, which is where the fun starts. The initiative is coordinated by the county.
ecoplus.at (in German)

Feasibility study: The city of Sioux Falls has hired a consultant to look at their fleet to determine if hybrid and electric vehicles would be a viable alternative to save money long-term. The study will include all sort of vehicles owned by the city like snowplows, fire trucks, or police vehicles and sedans.
argusleader.com

Charging stations in Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) announced its plans to erect charging station at six of its offices in the desert state before the year’s end. Furthermore, Dewa intends to install a 100 EV charging stations across Dubai.
khaleejtimes.com

Sep 8, 2014 - 08:15 am

Bombardier, Emobility Works, Ireland, Hermosa Beach.

Streetcar unplugged: In China, the first four of 15 catenary-free trams with Bombardier technology have been delivered to the city of Nanjing. They are equipped with Primove traction batteries and charged via pantograph. Two trams have already been serving the eight-kilometre Hexi line this August.
railjournal.com, bombardier.com

The EU project ‘Emobility Works’ just launched in Germany. It is designed to support 27 municipalities in nine participating countries as well as at least a 100 companies in their efforts to introduce electric transport by providing action plans.
derwesten.de (launch in German), ec.europa.eu (project)

EVs in Ireland: Incentives and charging infrastructure in Ireland seem to be ideal for early adopters of electric cars. But why are EV sales not taking off as one might expect? Green Car Reports takes a look at the current situation and delivers some insights on what it would take to get to the tipping point.
greencarreports.com

Freedom Station: NRG eVgo opened the first fast-charging station in Hermosa Beach, California. The “Freedom Station” consists of both CHAdeMO and Combo DC fast chargers and one standard Level 2 outlet. According to NRG eVo, this is the first Combo (CCS) fast-charger install in greater Los Angeles metro area.
easyreadernews.com, nrgevgo.com

EV-friendly National Park: Point Reyes National Seashore received a donation of multiple charging points for its National Park. Located at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, the station is free to use and powered by solar energy produced by the park’s own solar panels.
nationalparkstraveler.com

Sep 5, 2014 - 08:25 am

BMW, York, Copenhagen, Burlingame, Telefonix.

Electrified shuttle service: BMW and hotel chain Fairmont in Beijing have signed cooperation. For the coming three months, hotel guests can use the i3-shuttles for a ride to the airport or to tour parts of the city.
rushlane.com, asiatraveltips.com

Seeing electric: The city of York has electrified its diesel sightseeing buses. Moreover, it claims to now have the only double-decker gone electric worldwide. The was converted by Sheffield-based Magtec and uses lithium-ion batteries that allow for all-day operation without recharging.
yorkshirepost.co.uk

No electric Car2go for Copenhagen: The carsharing service will kick-off in the Danish capital on September 17th. It is the first Scandinavian city to get Daimler’s carsharing scheme. Unfortunately, the 200 Smart cars will all be petrol-powered. Too bad, since Copenhagen has quite some charging infrastructure.
media.daimler.com

Two charging points for Burlingame: The Californian city will soon get two dual cord Level-2 EV charging stations by ChargePoint. These will be installed by REJ Electric on city-owned property, in the city’s downtown area. Because there was no power available at the selected site, the installation costs total 49,363 dollars.
smdailyjournal.com

Telefonix focuses efficiency: The company’s L2 PowerPost has now received UL approval. It is a low-current Level-2 charging station, designed especially for commercial use and long-term parking. It is also said to be more cost efficient than other stations, since it only charges with 20 amps, which allows for the installation of more stations with a given electrical supply.
chargedevs.com

Sep 4, 2014 - 08:47 am

Renault-Nissan, Mitsubishi, Tokyo, Chivas, CarCharging, Schneider.

EVs for Orange: Renault-Nissan closed a deal with French telecommunication giant Orange to deliver 200 Renault Zoe and Kangoo Z.E. as well as Nissan LEAF and E-NV200 by 2015. Orange already has 30 Renault Twizy and plans to use the new arrivals mainly in internal carsharing.
greencarcongress.com, nissan-global.com

Electric Carabinieri: The Italian police acquired 23 Electric Vehicles (formerly known as i-MiEV) from Mitsubishi’s Italian distributor. The electric cars will serve mainly in locations with cultural-historical value.
autosieger.de (in German), gazzetta.it (in Italian)

More H2 for Japan: After Toyota recently started construction of its first public hydrogen station (we reported), Iawtani has announced another one. This first out of 20 planned H2 stations will be located at the Tokyo Tower and is set to be operational by March 2015.
ajw.asahi.com

Saving money is the motivation for Chivas Brother to electrify more of their fleet. The British company currently operates ten EVs and seven hybrids and sees savings of up to 1,600 pounds (2,600 dollars) per car and year already. The switch has been accompanied by advice from the Energy Saving Trust.
fleetnews.co.uk

New charging policies: CarCharging Group has now introduced kilowatt-hour (kWh) pricing on parts of its Blink network. Before, customers where charged for the time it took for the EV to charge rather than for the energy consumed. However, not all states in the U.S. permit the kWh-based pricing.
transportevolved.com, electriccarsreport.com

Discounted home charger: Schneider Electric offers its EVlink 30-Amp Generation 2.5 Level 2 charging station for 499 dollars this month to customers of Home Depot. The code to claim the 100-dollar discount is “EVLINKSUMMER”.
greencarreports.com

Sep 3, 2014 - 08:19 am

Kia, San Joaquin Valley, Moscow, UK.

Fast-charging at Kia: Together with Greenlots and ABB, the South Korean carmaker will erect fast-charging stations at Kia dealerships in the U.S. to support the introduction of the Soul EV. In California, 17 new fast chargers will be installed for Kia. Just like the Nissan Leaf, the Soul EV uses SAE J1772 (Type 1) for AC and CHAdeMO for DC charging.
electriccarsreport.com, greencarcongress.com, prnewswire.com (California)

Police force on e-bikes: Clovis Police Department of San Joaquin Valley in California purchased five electric motorcycles from Zero with public funding. Another 30 Zero bikes are already lined up to serve in other police patrol units in the region.
chargedevs.com, kvpr.org

Russia to upgrade: In Moscow, 150 new charging stations shall be erected by year’s end at parking locations subject to a charge, the Russian traffic ministry announced. So far, only 28 chargers can be found in the 11-million people metropolis.
ria.ru

Britons to drive EVs: London’s mayor Boris Johnson is loudly thinking about a return of the scrappage scheme to facilitate the switch to more eco-friendly cars. On the national level, the government’s ‘Go Ultra Low’ campaign is now urging parents to drop off their kids at school electrically and points to the savings that could be made when driving an EV.
businessgreen.com (scrap the diesel), thegreencarwebsite.co.uk (school run)

Sep 2, 2014 - 08:22 am

Renault Samsung, Toyota, Hamburg, Graz, Munich.

Spearheading e-volution: South Korea’s Renault Samsung has agreed with the city of Seoul to supply ten electric taxis free of charge. The SM3 Z.E. will be used in a pilot project designed to showcase the suitability of EVs for public transport. The South-Korean capital will take care of charging infrastructure.
just-auto.com

H2 station from Toyota: The Japanese carmaker began construction of its first commercial hydrogen refuelling station in Nagoya, Japan. The fuel will be provided by French Air Liquide. Another two stations are set to be build with in the next few months before the planned introduction of Toyota’s FCV car in March 2015.
online.wsj.com

Hamburg’s harbour electrifies fleet: Hamburger Hafen and Logistik AG (HHLA) is adding another four Renault Zoe and three Smart ED into its fleet of now 64 EVs at the European port. They will replace older petrol models and will have their own charge point each.
noodls.com

E-bike sharing in Austria? The E-Mobility-Graz-Gesellschaft has come up with a bike sharing system which might go into operation in the city of Graz already next year. The system will include pedelecs with digital locks to be opened via bluetooth and smartphone app. The project plans to work with existing rental stations.
kleinezeitung.at (in German)

Meanwhile in Bavaria, the ‘Mobility Station’ is already past planning stage as construction has started. The station in Munich will include parking reserved for car sharing vehicles of multiple operators, an EV charging spot and a centre for rental bikes. Its opening is set for November.
merkur-online.de (in German)

Sep 1, 2014 - 08:24 am

Tesla, SAIC, Östfold, Shasta Lake, California.

China Unicom partners with Tesla: The second-largest mobile phone company in China and Tesla agreed to jointly build 400 regular charging stations and 20 Supercharger in 120 cities. Tesla will supply the equipment, whereas China Unicom will provide land at its outlets.
bloomberg.com, reuters.com, electriccarsreport.com

Electric car rental in China: Shanghai-based eHi Auto Services corporation signed a deal with SAIC Motor to supply 1,000 electric and hybrid cars (Roewe E50 and Roewe 550) over the next two years. Last year, eHi had already ordered 50 pure-electric Roewe cars and put them in service as as rental cars.
shanghaidaily.com

Foundations for charging infrastructure: Norwegian Östfold County is partnering with Swedish start-up Unimi Solutions, which supplies its foundations to help the county’s infrastructure goal of having 20% of all public parking EV-ready. According to the county’s industry advisor Joakim Sveli, the Unimi foundations deliver costs savings of up to 60%.
chargedevs.com

Solar charging from Envision: The Californian city of Shasta Lake installed one stand-alone solar charging station from Envision. Thanks to it 22 kWh buffer battery, the station does not need any foundation or grid connection. In May, Boulder in Colorado deployed two of these stations (we reported).
hybridcars.com, chargedevs.com

Domestic charging by law: California issued a bill, which would make it easier for EV drivers who rent their homes to get charging taken care of. If Governor Jerry Brown signs it into law by end of the month, landlords have to allow the installation of charging equipment if the renter wishes and pays for it.
greencarreports.com, chargedevs.com

Aug 29, 2014 - 08:46 am

Tesla, California, EVision, Pittsburg, Japan, Bologna.

More than Superchargers: Apparently, Tesla not only installs its fast-charging stations across the U.S., but also 80-amp high-power wallboxes at i.e. hotels and restaurants. Some 106 are already up and running and can be used by Tesla drivers free of charge.
wsj.com, teslamotorsclub.com

An additional one million dollars in funding has been approved by the California Energy Commission (CEC) for the installation of fast-chargers in the south of the U.S. state. The commission already provided 400 million dollars for EV infrastructure as part of its ARFVT programme.
greencarcongress.com

EVision launches Tesla fleet: The 34 luxury EVs are available for hire in the UK – with or without a chauffeur. When renting just the vehicle, customers will have to pay 60 pounds (100 dollars) an hour or 350 pounds (580 dollars) for a day. EVision plans on running its fleet for at least three years.
transportevolved.com, fleetworld.co.uk, evdrive.co.uk

Charging stations for Pittsburg: CarCharging and Alco Parking have signed a partnership agreement. The former will set up Blink level-2 charge points at SouthSide Works, an open-air retail, office, resident and entertainment complex in the city.
prnewswire.com

Two H2 stations in Japan: Japanese company Osaka Gas will install two hydrogen stations by the end of the 2015 fiscal year, so by end of March. Whether the company will build more stations in the future will depend of sale figures of fuel cell vehicles in the country.
nblo.gs, japantimes.co.jp

Bologna electrifies last mile: The Italian city begins operation of four electric vans for last-mile delivery services of fruits and vegetables to the city centre. The MovingSun programme is being developed together with the local University and powered by solar panels on the roof of the city’s agribusiness centre.
eltis.org

Aug 28, 2014 - 09:01 am

Rapid-Chargepoints, Hamburg, Tesla, South Africa, Cincinnati.

“Rapid Chargepoint” initiative: Transport for London and the Energy Saving Trust want to identify potential locations for charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles in London. They have invited business fleets who operate small lorries (up to 12.5 tonnes) and commercial vans to take part in the project. The goal is to further push for businesses to electrify their fleets.
businessgreen.com, fleetnews.co.uk, greenpowertrain.automotive-business-review.com

Hamburg to quadruple charging stations: The North German city wants to have a total of 592 charging points by mid-2016. Of those, 70 will be DC fast chargers. Currently there are 138 across the city. Also, Hamburg’s senate is looking to trade its petrol cars for vehicles with alternative drives. Hamburg aims to become a leader in the field of electric mobility in Germany and expected to have 5,000 EVs on its roads by 2016.
abendblatt.de, spiegel.de (both in German)

Madrid next on Supercharger map: According to a tweet by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Superchargers will be installed across southern Europe soon. Spain and Portugal are said to be covered by the end of next year. While the supercharger website was not updated yet, Tesla twittered the newest up-to-date version.
twitter.com via cleantechnica.com

BMW and Schneider Electric partner up: With the introduction of the BMW i3 in South Africa next year, the companies agreed that Schneider Electric will be in charge of installing chargers at dealerships, as well for the installation of wallboxes in customers’ homes. BMW and Schneider Electric have a similar agreement in Germany.
techcentral.co.za, businesstech.co.za

Cincinnati airport gets charging stations: Travellers who leave their car at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) can now use one of six charging stations. Two are located in the long-term parking lot, the others at terminal parking. Parking and charging is free. According to CVG, almost all types of plug-ins can be charged there in about eight hours.
bizjournals.com, local12.com