Jan 5, 2016 - 09:34 am India, Heathrow, Van Hool, Ohio, Chai Point, Derbyshire.
Charging offensive in India: The country may be considering a private-public partnership to set up a charging points at petrol stations across India. That would mean some 500,000 new chargers that could initially be subsidised. If India really goes through with its plan, it could become an electric mobility hotspot.
newindianexpress.com
Heathrow charges ahead: The London airport announced that it will invest some 2m pounds to set up 135 new EV charging stations. Heathrow already counts 21 charge points, as well as 150 electric vehicles in its fleet.
edie.net, youtube.com (Video)
H2 Buses for London: Transport for London (TfL) has ordered two fuel cell buses from Belgian manufacturer Van Hool. The buses will be used on line RV1 in the city centre.
vanhool.be
Ohio goes H2: The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) in Stark County, Ohio, wants to commission seven fuel cell buses by the end of next year. The company has already begun building a H2 filling station outside of its headquarters.
cantonrep.com
Electric tea delivery: Indian retail chain Chai Point kicked off its delivery service Chai-on-Call, using more than 60 electric scooters to deliver tea in the cities of Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad. Chai Points already plans to expand the service to Mumbai an Chennai.
financialexpress.com
Derbyshire plugs in: Eight hospitals in the UK county now have charging points, which are all open to the public. The purchase and installation were funded by the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
buxtonadvertiser.co.uk
Jan 4, 2016 - 07:24 am China, Mai Linh Taxi, Delta Electronics, DBT, eConnect.
Beijing charges ahead: 5,000 charge points will be installed in the Chinese capital this year. Furthermore, state-owned utility State Grid announced plans for chargers along the main highways in China, aiming to build 10,000 DC and 120,000 regular chargers in China by 2020. The latter might use technology by the Berlin-based start-up Ubitricity that turns street lamps into EV charge posts.
ecns.cn
Electric cab fleet: Vietnam’s second-biggest cab company Mai Linh Taxi wants to replace its entire fleet with electric vehicles. Up to 20,000 Renault EVs could be purchased by 2020. The first 30 electric cars will go into service in Hanoi in the next three months already.
thanhniennews.com
Multi fast-charging: Delta Electronics presents a new multi-standard rapid-charging station. It can be used by up to four vehicles at a time. Load capacity is 120 kW for DC and 65 kW in AC operation. The station is now in serial production and already in use in European countries including Norway.
pressebox.de (in German)
Cash for chargers: French charging station manufacturer DBT (Douaisienne de Basse Tension) went public one day before Christmas in the hope to raise 8.7 million euros (over 9.5m dollars). DBT was established in 1990 and partners with Nissan and CHAdeMO.
insideevs.com, euronext.com (listing)
Electric cab service: Those flying to London can now book a Nissan Leaf Teknas or Tesla Model S with chauffeur via eConnect. The car service cooperates with GET-E, which provides the international reservation platform for the airport shuttle.
econnectcars.com
Dec 23, 2015 - 09:58 am Vision Fleet, Uber China, Mahindra Reva, Cayman Islands.
Freedom Fleet: The electrification of Indianapolis’ communal fleet is back on track as Vision Fleet wins back its initial contract to replace 425 gas guzzlers with plug-in hybrids and electric cars. 212 vehicles had already been deployed before a lawsuit over procurement procedures delayed the project. The new contract runs over four years but does not specify a number of cars to be leased anymore.
greenfleetmagazine.com, insideindianabusiness.com
Uber China electric? The Chinese branch of the app-based cab service has found a new investor in Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC). While the investment is undisclosed, the cooperation will have a “particular emphasis on promoting new energy vehicles,” Uber China announced.
techcrunch.com, cnbc.com
Mahindra Reva is taking matters into its own hands, installing 120 EV charging stations in Indian Bangalore. 20 are capable of fast-charging. The Indian carmaker says the government being too slow and that for EVs to be accepted, infrastructure has to come first.
bangaloremirror.com
Electric mail delivery: The Cayman Islands’ government uses its first electric car to deliver packages. The Nissan e-NV200 will drive from George Town airport to the city centre and is to prove its value in a pilot throughout 2016. The island has eight EV charging stations.
petrolplaza.com
Dec 22, 2015 - 08:59 am Nissan + BMW, India, H2 Logic, Oregon, Autohom.
Nissan-BMW charging alliance: The two auto makers are working together in building up fast-charging infrastructure in the U.S. Some 120 locations have reportedly been fitted with 50 kW DC-chargers. CCS and CHAdeMO exist there side by side. No wonder that other countries are longingly looking at America…
bmwblog.com
Indian e-bus: The country has presented its first retrofitted electric bus, which previously sported a diesel engine. By March, another ten diesel buses will be converted within the scope of a new pilot project.
economictimes, netindian.in
H2 stations in Denmark: H2 Logic already received its fourth order for a hydrogen filling station from Danish Hydrigen Fuel (DHF). Starting 2016, the latter wants to operate five H2-fuelling stations across the country. The newest order was for the city of Esbjerg.
businesswire.com
Oregon wants incentives: On the website Change.org, there is currently a petition under way, with Oregon residents demanding a 2,500 dollar sales incentive when purchasing an EV or plug-in hybrid. The U.S. state offers only a 25 percent tax credit for the installation of charging stations.
change.org via cleantechnica.com
Ten e-Mercedes for York: Leasing and rental firm Autohom has added ten Mercedes B-class Electric Drive to its fleet in the city of York. The company continues to go green(er), having already installed six charge points and owning plug-in hybrid cars.
fleetnews.co.uk
Dec 21, 2015 - 09:41 am UK, Pod Point, Atlas EVSE, Santiago de Chile.
Clean Air Zones: Until 2020, so-called Clean Air Zones are to be established in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton to reduce air pollution. Within the boundaries of these zones, drivers of conventional buses, lorries and taxis will have to pay a toll.
bbc.com, gov.uk
Pod Point fully funded: The British charging infrastructure provider Pod Point successfully raised 1.75m pounds through crowdfunding. Both online campaigns (we reported) are still open. The company wants to roll out ‘top up’ charge points, where EV drivers can park for an hour or more.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Atlas EVSE: Ever Win International has founded a charging equipment unit called Atlas EVSE. First products are expected in January at the CES in Las Vegas. The sub-unit is said to focus on residential Level 2 charging with up to 30 Amps.
pr.com
E-taxis in Santiago: Three electric taxis from BYD have gone into operation in Santiago de Chile. Chilean utility Chilectra will supply the electricity to the three BYD e6 taxis free of charge for the first year.
automotiveworld.com
Dec 18, 2015 - 07:46 am Plug-In Grant, San Diego, Renault-Nissan, Green Tomato Cars.
Planning security: The UK Plug-In Grant has been extended until March 2018. But instead of 5,000 pounds, buyers of cars with at least 70 miles of electric range will receive 4,500 pounds. Plug-in hybrids are eligible for 2,500 pounds if their price is below 60,000 pounds. The grant to install a home charging station has been reduced to from 700 to 500 pounds. The changes will come into force by March 2016.
fleetnews.co.uk, autocar.co.uk, gov.uk
Climate Action Plan: The San Diego environment committee adopted a plan that will see the city cut carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2035. This decade, half of the government fleet will be electrified, 90 percent by 2035. The plan also includes more facilities for cycling and walking in the city.
sandiego6.com
Electric shuttle summary: The 200-strong fleet of Nissan and Renault electric vehicles drove 175,000 km at COP21 in Paris, saving 18 tons of CO2 emissions and 29,000 litres of petrol. About 3,800 transfers of delegates were made in Zoe, Leaf and e-NV200 vehicles driven by volunteering employees of the carmaker alliance.
media.blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com
Green cabs in London: Taxi operator Green Tomato Cars adds two Toyota Mirai to its fleet and is thus the first cab company in London running on hydrogen. Another five fuel cell cabs may follow in spring. Green Tomato Cars mostly uses Toyota hybrids in its 600 vehicle fleet.
standard.co.uk (with video)
Green car club: The City Car Club is coming to West Yorkshire. About a 100 vehicles, including 20 hybrids and five electric cars, will be available to share in Bradford, Calderdale and Wakefield. The car club cooperates with public transport as annual MCard holders benefit from reduced rates.
fleetnews.co.uk
Bank & Charge: TD bank will install EV charging stations at seven locations in British Columbia, Canada. Charging is free for customers of the self-declared first carbon neutral bank.
td.mediaroom.com
Dec 17, 2015 - 09:33 am Fast-charging corridor, Chargemaster, Wellington, ChargePoint.
429 fast-charging stations with multiple standards installed in 10 countries by four EU projects were merged into one pilot network, which has been completed this month. A total of 26.3m euros came from TEN-V as well as BMW, Nissan, Renault and Volkswagen plus EDF, E.ON, ESB and Verbund. Benefiting countries are among others the UK, Austria and Denmark. The EU hopes to enable electric travel across borders to spur longterm confidence in EVs.
energie.de (in German)
Sleep and charge: AccorHotels teams up with Chargemaster to provide EV fast-charging facilities at Ibis and Novotel hotels across Great Britain. The first phase starting early next year will see 60 hotels being fitted with EV accommodations. Guest can charge their electric cars for free.
traveldailymedia.com, hotelowner.co.uk
Electric bus fleet: Wellington aims to successively electrify its entire bus fleet within the next five years, beginning with an electric bus demonstration in the first half of next year. The move is backed by the region’s council, which also plans to introduce ten hybrid buses in the interim period.
wellington.scoop.co.nz
Charging the USA: Philadelphia Airport now opened seven charging stations with two spots each, where charging is free at least until April. The stops are operated by ChargePoint. Salt Lake City, too, installed DC charging stations at six locations throughout the city. They are part of the EVgo network.
philly.com (Philadelphia), csrwire.com (Salt Lake City)
Dec 16, 2015 - 09:29 am India, U Drive Electric, Alpiq, Smatrics.
Electric deliveries in Delhi: Indian online grocery retailer BigBasket plans to use electric cars for deliveries in India’s capital and surrounding areas. Talks with Mahindra Reva are under way, as is a prototype. The internet start-up plans on initially 100 EVs with deliveries to begin within the next six months.
economictimes.indiatimes.com
U Drive Electric is a new programme by Utah University designed to help staff and students go electric. They can benefit from a five up to 20 percent discount on the purchase or lease of electric or plug-in hybrid car. The offer is available at three participating dealerships from Ford, Nissan and BMW until the end of 2015.
kuer.org
Audi and Alpiq connect: Drivers of Audi plug-in hybrids will be able to install their own home charging station supplied by Alpiq E-Mobility in Switzerland. The cooperation requires Alpiq to take charge of installation and commissioning of the stations.
cafe-europe.info
Charging more freely: Starting next year, Smatrics will offer Swiss customers three new tariffs based on charging time. The deal does not require customers to pay a monthly base fee and new customers get access charging stations via mobile phone instead of a charge card.
ots.at (in German)
Dec 15, 2015 - 09:31 am EV consortium, retailers, Hanover, Arctic Roads, Florida.
West Coast EV consortium: Mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Eugene have teamed up to reduce CO2 emissions in their cities by 80 percent by 2020. They formed a consortium to bundle purchasing power for electric vehicles, including i.e. garbage trucks. They also joined the ZEV Alliance, reportedly launched at COP21, which aims for all new cars to be emission-free by 2050.
greencarreports.com
Retailers support Paris: German retail companies announced their support for the Paris agreement. In a joint declaration, retailers vow to increase energy efficiency of their operations, to reduce emissions from transport and to support electric cars by installing charging infrastructure.
einzelhandel.de (in German)
Circular energy economy: A new trial with three electric buses is in preparation in Hanover, with public transport provider üstra installing two pantographs. They will fast-charge electric buses next year and are powered by energy regenerated from braking street cars.
hannover.de (in German)
Fast charging record: Arctic Roads says it can recharge a Nissan Leaf with a 30 kWh battery in only 26 minutes and 33 seconds using 21 kWh and a DC fast charger from Delta Electronics. It recently took Fastned a little longer (33 min) to charge a Leaf from almost empty to 90 percent.
insideevs.com
New Hybrid buses: Broward County, Florida, is en route to modernise its transport, investing a total of 26m dollars in new buses. Among the new arrivals will be five hybrid models.
sun-sentinel.com
Dec 14, 2015 - 10:02 am Pennsylvania, Chargepoint, eMobilityCity, Van Hool, Z Energy.
Rebates in Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania residents can now receive up to 2,000 dollars in rebates if they choose to purchase an ‘alternative fuel vehicle’. All-electric cars are eligible for the full 2,000 dollars, while hybrids including plug-ins, natural gas, propane or hydrogen-powered cars qualify for a rebate of 1,000 dollars.
prnewswire.com
Chargepoint places: Infrastructure provider Chargepoint partners with retailers and hotels to help them promote exclusive offers for EV drivers on the Chargepoint platform.
chargedevs.com
Thuringia electrified: The eMobilityCity network consisting of 17 companies and universities wants to deploy 300 vehicles, 150 charging points and tangible marketing and sales concepts in Erfurt, Germany. Starting in January, fleet owners are to be targeted with full service packages, including i.e. vehicles and charging station. The initiative hopes for 70 new EVs in Erfurt by September.
jenapolis.de, emobilitycity.de (articles in German)
E-buses for Sardinia: The first of 14 electric trolley buses from Van Hool and Vossloh Kiepe have been delivered to Cagliari’s public transportation services. Four models are equipped with a fully electric powertrain and traction batteries; the other buses feature a diesel generator that is used to produce electricity.
pressebox.de (in German)
Fast charging in New Zealand: Z Energy will install three new fast charging stations in Auckland, two in Wellington and one in Christchurch by the end of February. The stations are supplied by Charge.net.nz and will offer 100 percent renewable energy, at least at night.
stuff.co.nz
Dec 11, 2015 - 09:37 am UPS, Kesko, Gujarat, Envision Solar, Ford.
Electric delivery: UPS has added another five electrified Mercedes-Benz Vario to its fleets in the German cities of Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The company therefore as a total of 40 electric cars in its fleets across the country and says it will crack the 50 mark before the end of the year.
auto-medienportal.net, grueneautos.com (articles in German)
Shop and charge: Finnish company Kesko will fit its retail locations with EV charging stations. Four chargers will be erected in each Vantaa, Espoo, Turku and Lahiti. Charging is free for customers.
eprretailnews.com
E-bus pilot project: Indian state Gujarat will kick off a pilot project with six all-electric buses for public transport. Moreover, solar-powered charging stations will be set up at the central bus station in the town of Gandhinagar to keep the electric buses running. Gujarat Transport Minister Vijay Rupani meanwhile invited the auto industry to “manufacture electric vehicles in the state.”
economictimes.indiatimes.com
Solar charger patent: Envision Solar has received a patent for its portable solar charging station EV ARC in the U.S. The company also announced that the EV ARC is patent pending in China and the EU.
power-eng.com
Sleep and drive: Ford has teamed up with the Limehouse Holiday Inn Express hotel in London as part of the expansion of its GoDrive car-sharing scheme in London. Guests will be able to choose from a Ford Focus Electric, or the Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre Ecoboost.
fleetnews.co.uk
Dec 10, 2015 - 09:05 am London, H2 Logic, BYD, EVgo.
Britain’s BlueCity: Bolloré calls its electric car sharing service in London BlueCity despite the cars being reportedly red. Public kick off is set for February and the French provider plans to operate 3,000 EVs in the UK capital by 2019 with matching charging infrastructure. Potentially, Manchester is next as Bolloré expects the city to issue a tender for a scheme by 2016.
autocar.co.uk
Germany will get another H2 fuel station as the H2 Mobility consortium awarded a contract to H2 Logic that includes an option for a second facility. The station will be built in the north of the country in 2016. H2 Mobility aims to install 400 stations by 2023.
businesswire.com
BYD lands in Sweden: The Copenhagen Malmö port took delivery of two electric buses from the Chinese company, a move that introduces a shipping partnership between BYD and CMP. The buses will run on local routes in Swedish Ängelholm and Eskilstuna.
insideevs.com, cmport.com
Freedom x 100: California’s 100th EVgo Freedom Station is open to the public. The location in Fremont features four 50kW DC Fast Chargers that can be used by multiple vehicles at the same time. All chargers support CHAdeMO and DC Fast Combo and more charge spots can be added on demand.
prnewswire.com
Dec 9, 2015 - 09:07 am Beijing, Ontario, Renault & Eneco, Paris.
Electric bus charging depot: Up to 30 electric transit buses can fast charge at the same time at Xiaoying Terminal in Beijing. Built by China State Grid, the facility spans 26,500 m2 and hosts 25 chargers at 360 kW and 5 chargers at 90 kW. More EV charging stations and depots are planned to electrify further transit routes.
greencarcongress.com
20m dollars for infrastructure will be invested by the Ontario province in Canada. The government will provide the money in grants to the private and public sector. Announced at COP21 in Paris, details of the programme will follow later this month. Ontario aims to reduce emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050.
winnipegfreepress.com, thestar.com, news.ontario.ca
Eco charge via app: Renault and Eneco subsidiary Jedlix will jointly adapt an existing smart charging app to the Zoe EV. Users will then be able to charge their electric car with energy from renewable sources when tariffs are most favourable. A pilot in the Netherlands led to cost savings of up to 15 percent.
greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com
BlueTram in Paris: An electric streetcar runs up and down the Champs-Élysées. The BlueTram by Bolloré can be used free of charge until mid January. The 20 passenger vehicle runs with supercaps and needs neither cables nor tracks to move along (we reported).
leparisien.fr, lefigaro.fr, youtube.com (all in French)
Dec 8, 2015 - 09:24 am PREMIUM, Geneva, ABB & Alpiq, Teheran, ITM Power & Ove Arup.
BMW i3 is most test driven EV: According the German state-funded research project PREMIUM, some 13 percent of German drivers have already had first encounters with electric mobility. Most chose to test the BMW i3. Many would love to drive electric to protect the environment, but say that range and vehicle cost are still too big of an issue.
uni-passau.de (in German)
Geneva votes for e-buses: The city will introduce eleven all-electric buses on its line 23 from 2017, replacing the current diesel-powered fleet. The deal worth tenth of millions of euros will most likely be signed very soon. The electric buses were already been tested during the Tosa pilot project.
bzbasel.ch (in German)
ABB and Alpiq cooperate: Alpiq E-Mobility now carries all ABB rapid-charging solutions and will take charge of the conception and planning phases, as well as the installation and service of the EV chargers. ABB will continue to focus on the development and production of charging solutions.
abb.ch (in German)
Teheran bets on hybrids: The Iranian capital wants introduce at least 10,000 hybrid taxis within three years. 200 are already on the road and will be used at “airports, hotels and luxurious places.” The vehicles will of course be imported.
tehrantimes.com
H2 alliance: Companies ITM Power and Ove Arup & Partners will work together to identify sites for new hydrogen refueling and energy storage systems using technology.
greencarcongress.com, itm-power.com
Dec 7, 2015 - 09:27 am My Electric Avenue, Belfast, Toyota, Nissan, Winnipeg.
How many EVs for UK grid? The project “My Electric Avenue” finds that the grid will need to be upgraded when 40 to 70 percent of people in the UK drive electric. The project is also working on “Esprit,” a more cost-effective piece of technology that can regulate EVs charging when demand is too high.
autocar.co.uk, electriccarsreport.com, myelectricavenue.info
Hybrids for Belfast: The Northern Irish city has ordered 30 Van Hool Exqui.City trambuses with hybrid diesel-electric drives. It will be the first right-hand drive trambus in the UK and will go into service from September 2018.
vanhool.be
Mobile H2: Since the density of H2 filling stations in California is still lacking, Toyota is sending temporary hydrogen stations to dealerships to meet demand. The technology is provided by Air Products & Chemicals and one mobile fuelling station can fill about the half of a Mirai’s tank.
carscoops.com, hybridcars.com
Nissan charges Twin Cities: The carmaker’s “No Charge to Charge” programme has arrived in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. It is the 22nd market for the initiative and allows LEAF drivers to charge for free at public chargers for two years after purchase.
automotiveworld.com, insideevs.com
Electric airport: The James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in the Canadian city of Winnipeg has installed eight EV charging stations for public use. Another six stations will follow and will be used to power electric carts to transport luggage between the airplanes and terminals.
winnipegsun.com
Dec 4, 2015 - 09:46 am Foxconn, Norway, DriveNow, Clever, Vital Energi.
5,000 EVs for Hangzhou: Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile has invested 1.2bn Chinese yuan (more than 180m USD) to set up an electric car rental service company in Hangzhou, China. FIH plans to deploy up to 5,000 electric cars within the next three years.
digitimes.com
H2 coalition: Norwegian hydrogen specialist NEL has signed a letter of intent with Uno-X, a chain of fuel stations throughout Norway and Denmark, to establish a joint venture. The companies plan to rollout a minimum of 20 hydrogen refuelling stations covering all the major cities in Norway within 2020.
businesswire.com
BMW i3 expansion: The car-sharing programme DriveNow continues the electrification of its fleet as it introduces 20 BMW i3 in the Austrian capital Vienna. Car-sharers can already get their hands on the electric car in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Cologne, London, and Copenhagen.
oekonews.at (in German)
Clever expansion: Danish EV infrastructure provider Clever will cross the border as it plans to launch four fast charging stations in Northern Germany by the end of this year. The stations will support all DC and AC connectors (CHAdeMO, CCS, Type2).
emobilitaetonline.de (in German), energy-supply.dk (in Danish)
Hybrid fleet: British sustainable energy company Vital Energi will shortly take delivery of six Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in hybrids, taking its fleet to a total of 40 hybrids. The company already has 19 Mitsubishi PHEVs, eight Lexus hybrids, six Toyota hybrids and one VW Golf GTE.
fleetnews.co.uk
Dec 3, 2015 - 08:56 am New York City, Munich, Paris, CHIC, London.
NYC committed to e-mobility: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the NYC Clean Fleet, a plan to create the largest municipal fleet of electric vehicles in the country. Over the next decade, about 2,000 city-owned fossil fuel sedans will be replaced with plug-in electric cars. The plan’s costs are expected to range from 50m to 80m dollars and will also include the creation of new charging stations.
nytimes.com, electriccarsreport.com
Munich supports EVs: The German city will launch a 22.2m euro programme in Q2/2016 to fund the adaptation of EVs. Businesses will receive grants between 4,000 and 5,500 euros when they buy a four-wheeled EV and up to 1,000 euros for the purchase of an electric scooter or an e-bike.
abendzeitung-muenchen.de (in German)
Paris, Capital of H2 cabs: The Société du Taxi Electrique Parisien (STEP) will launch a hydrogen-powered taxi fleet. The first five Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell will soon be commissioned and the H2 taxi fleet is expected to grow to 70 vehicles within a year and as many as several hundred within the next five years. The first hydrogen filling station in downtown Paris has just been inaugurated by Air Liquide.
gasworld.com, businesswire.com; breezcar.com (in French)
H2 buses fight climate change: In the EU-funded CHIC project (Clean Hydrogen in European Cities), 56 fuel cell buses have been operated in eight cities and have avoided over 4 million litres of diesel and 6,000 tonnes of greenhouses gases. The CHIC project will run until the end of 2016. The city partners are currently planning for the expansion of their use of the technology.
chic-project.eu
E-cab crowdfunding: London-based taxi firm eConnect Cars has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance the next phase of its growth ahead of the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone. So far, the company has already raised more than 25 percent of its £400,000 crowdfunding target.
nextgreencar.com, crowdcube.com (campaign)
Dec 2, 2015 - 09:35 am Kandi, Winnipeg, Wellington, Fortum.
Sharing Chinese EVs: Kandi announced that its EV joint venture with Geely plans to deliver 2,000 Kandi electric vehicles to ZuoZhongYou in Hainan. The electric cars are destined for a Micro Public Transportation (MPT) programme in Haikou. Delivery is expected by the end of 2015.
money.cnn.com
All-electric public transport? Canadian Winnipeg is looking into replacing its entire bus fleet with electric vehicles. One such bus is already running and together with manufacturer Manitoba the city explores the conversion of 618 buses to electric. The report is expected in spring 2016.
cbc.ca, winnipegsun.com
All-electric public fleet? New Zealand’s capital Wellington plans to put an EV charging network in place that shall span the entire region. A working group will be set up including local councils to see how to get the infratsructure in place. Once set up the councilors vowed to replace their existing fleet with electric vehicles possibly starting by March 2016.
stuff.co.nz
Fortunate take over: Fortum expands its Charge & Drive network in Norway as it acquires ten EV charging stations from EV Power in Trøndelag. The firm will extend the existing spots to include two fast-chargers and one semi-fast charging station with twin outlets and also plans to install additional ones.
fortum.com
Dec 1, 2015 - 09:25 am China, Leipzig, Tesla, GreenPower, Volvo.
China charges ahead: The recently decided guideline on Development of EV charging Infrastructure calls for 4.8 million individual charge points by 2020, as well as 12,000 large charging stations. Some 3,850 will be reserved for electric buses, another 2,500 for electric taxis.
insideevs.com, gasgoo.com
Electrified Leipzig: The German city of Leipzig, home to the BMW production plant for the i-series, received 50 BMW all-electric i3. The electric cars are being leased over two years and will be used by i.e. the local utility company and local government itself. BMW will also aid the city in further developing its charging infrastructure.
l-iz.de, dmm.travel (articles in German)
Supercharger coming soon: Tesla updated its map of European Supercharger locations and space is getting tight. Development is said to continue quickly. Many locations in central Europe as well as in Spain, Finland and even Tukey are marked with “opening soon.”
teslamotors.com via teslamag.de
E-bus for Canada: GreenPower will lease its EVC550 all-electric double decker to The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and CVS Cruise Victoria in Canada. The bus is expected to be delivered by April and will be part of a pilot programme. There is a purchase option after three years.
cnn.com
Volvo heads to India: Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) will kick off a pilot project with Volvo hybrid buses in the first half of next year. The buses will be manufactured in the company’s facility in Bengaluru. Volvo is the first company to bring hybrid bus technology to India.
thehindubusinessline.com, newkerala.com
Nov 30, 2015 - 09:16 am Posten Norge, Carrefour, ITM Power, Tesla.
More electric mail in Norway: The Norwegian postal service further expands its fleet of 900 electric vehicles, ordering another 240 Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E. The electrification is part of the Posten Norge’s strategy targeting a 40 percent reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2020 (we reported).
automotiveworld.com, renault.com
Carrefour charges Beijing: In Beijing, French retailer Carrefour opened its biggest store in Asia. The location includes 15 charging stations for electric shuttle buses and another five for electric cars.
ecns.cn
Essex gets H2 filling station: Company ITM Power now received permission for the construction of the hydrogen fuelling station. It will be located near the A13 road in Rainham, Essex, and is part of the EU-funded HyFive project. The station will open to the public in spring 2016.
hydrogenfuelnews.com, proactiveinvestors.com
New Supercharger Down Under: Tesla installed another one of its fast-charging stations in Gundagai, Australia. The strategic location completes the Sydney to Melbourne route along the Hume Highway, one of Australia’s major inter-city highways.
themotorreport.com.au
Nov 27, 2015 - 08:30 am UK, Bogota, Dundee City Council, Merseytravel.
UK EV policies: British government has earmarked 600m pounds to promote the uptake and manufacturing of electric vehicles until the next decade. If that means that i.e. if the plug-in car grant will be extended beyond February 2016 has not been addressed in detail yet.
airqualitynews.com, fleetnews.co.uk
Electric bus for Bogota: BYD enters Columbia with a custom model that will enter the Transmilenio public transport of Bogota in the next two weeks. It will replace an ageing fleet of diesel vehicles. Medellin also voiced interest in the 12 and 18 meter Chinese electric buses.
ecns.cn
Long-term EV fleet effects: Dundee City Council managed to decrease CO2 emissions by 30 percent since 2012, adding 30 electric Peugeot iON. The electrification saved 36,750 pounds on fuel costs. The EVs are used by 300 drivers and the Scottish municipality says Peugeot “exceeded expectations.”
fleetnews.co.uk
Electric transport maintenance: Liverpool’s public transport authority Merseytravel added three Nissan e-NV200 to its 40-strong fleet that also includes a Leaf. The electric vans will be used by transport workers charged with the task of keeping the British city moving.
commercialfleet.org, electriccarsreport.com
Nov 26, 2015 - 09:07 am Berlin, Tesla, OPA, California.
Electric buses back in Berlin: The German capital launched its first electric bus line last August but had to stop it again only a few weeks later due to high-voltage problems leading to short circuits. Now, the four Solaris buses are back on track after adaptations. Operator BVG is confident that the trial will continue without any more major incidents on route 204.
tagesspiegel.de (in German)
Tesla connects China: North and South China are wired with 320 Superchargers and 1,500 Destination Chargers, the Californian EV maker announced. The Tesla network thus includes industrial hot spots like Shenzhen and Harbin and runs through major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
eco-business.com, chinadaily.com
1,000 Kandi K10 EVs will go to Tianjin after the Geely and Kandi joint venture sealed a deal with Tianjin Pang Da. The electric compact cars are destined for a carsharing programme to be set up in the Chinese city. Kandi expects to complete delivery before the end of the year.
globenewswire.com
Open standard: Open Charge Alliance (OPA) selected OASIS to further standardise the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) and to integrate it with IEC framework.
greencarcongress.com, satprnews.com
California charges further: The city of Fremont will install eight public EV charging stations. An hour of charging will cost 1.50 dollars. The stations are funded by a state grant of 91,000 dollars and another 31,366 dollars will be paid by the city.
mercurynews.com
Nov 25, 2015 - 09:10 am Charging corridor, South Korea, Regensburg, Hyundai, California.
Franco-Iberian cooperation: France, Spain and Portugal want to push electric mobility in their regions. A 10-point-plan includes funding, support for research initiatives and expansion of charging infrastructure. For the latter, they want to open an interoperable charging corridor between the three countries.
avere-france.org (in French)
South Korea expands infrastructure: The South Korean government wants to quadruple the number of rapid-chargers in the country by 2020, making them available at 1,400 locations. H2-infrastructure will also be developed further. The expansion is part of the country’s goal to one million EVs on the road by 2030.
nikkei.com
Regensburger electric bus: The German city will purchase two electric buses next year, compared to the five it wanted to originally buy. The remaining three e-buses will follow in 2017. Moreover, the city considers fitting the buses with sound generators to warn pedestrians.
mittelbayerische.de (in German)
Hyundai partners with AeroVironment: The latter will provide the charging infrastructure at dealerships in North America carrying the 2016 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid. The 240-volt TurboCord and the EVSE-RS by AeroVironment can charge the PHEV in less than three hours.
greencarcongress.com
Sticker shortage: HOV stickers allowing electric and plug-in vehicles to drive in the carpool lane in California are running out. Only 4,000 of the originally 85,000 available stickers remain. If California will raise the limit a fourth time is still unclear.
hybridcars.com
Nov 24, 2015 - 09:00 am South Korea, Kandi Electric, Gogoro, Nissan.
One million by 2030: South Korea presented an ambitious goal as part of its long-term plans to electrify the transportation sector. In order to get one million EVs on the road by 2030, the country wants to improve infrastructure and replace all public buses. Hopefully South Korea is not using Germany as an example to follow.
yonhapnews.co.kr, koreatimes.co.kr
Kandi Electric gets deal in Nanjing: The EV maker, a joint venture between Kandi and Geely, is to deliver more than 3,000 K17 EVs to the Chinese city. They were ordered by battery manufacturer Nanjing Bustil. The first 500 vehicles will be delivered before the end of the year.
streetinsider.com
Battery swapping and a Slushy: Gogoro opened its first battery swapping station next to a 7-eleven convenient store in Taiwan. The scooter manufacturer already has 96 of the so-called GoStations that offer 24-hour battery swapping in Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan. But these are mostly located at gas stations.
focustaiwan.tw
New Nissans for NHS: The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has added 13 Nissan e-NV200 to its fleet. The electric vans will i.e. be used for collections and deliveries of health supplies are said to reduce transportation cost by 80 percent. The deployment follows a recent trial.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Nov 23, 2015 - 06:05 am ROEV Association, Toyota, Tesla, Utah.
New Charging Association: The newly founded ROEV Association in the U.S. is an industry collaboration aimed at pushing public charging infrastructure. The three largest operators CarCharging, ChargePoint and NRG EVgo are already part, as are carmakers Audi, BMW, Honda and Nissan.
autoblog.com, chargedevs.com
i-Road in Japan: Toyota has begun testing its electric two-seater i-Road in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. The tests are part of the Open Road Project, which launched in July. The short-range, ultra-compact electric car is already used for a carsharing scheme in Grenoble, France.
greencarcongress.com, marketwatch.com
Tesla charges the U.S.: Between September 2014 and September 2015, the EV pioneer reportedly installed 751 new Destination Chargers and 107 new Superchargers in the United States alone. That means the latter grew by 91 percent (from 117 chargers) and the former even by 220% (from 371).
chargedevs.com
Utah wants EVs: The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) wants to apply for a federal grant to purchase six electric buses from Canada-based New Flyer. The two already showcased a 40-foot e-bus in the U.S. state last week. One bus 800,000 to 900,000 dollars.
masstransitmag.com
Nov 20, 2015 - 08:09 am BMW, Renault-Nissan, Canada, Fastned, CHEAPR, Cumbira.
BMW charges U.S. faster: Together with EVgo, the German carmaker will expand the ‘ChargeNow DC Fast’ in the States. 500 more rapid-chargers across the U.S. will join the existing 100 stations in California by 2018. 50 will be installed this year already. BMW i3 drivers can use the network free of charge for two years after purchase. We do wonder why BMW has not launched initiative of a similar scale on its home market yet…
greencarcongress.com, transportevolved.com, insideevs.com
Charging COP21: Renault-Nissan will install 90 new charge points in and around Paris together with EDF, Schneider Electric, Aéroports de Paris, the Paris municipality and transport agency SNCF. They will power the electric shuttle service set up for delegates of the UN climate change negotiations (we reported).
alliance-renault-nissan.com, cleantechnology-business-review.com
Electric cabs in Canada: Montreal officially unveiled the announced electric taxi fleet. Operated by Téo, Nissan Leafs, Kia Soul EVs and Tesla Model S will hit the road next week. Only 500 selected users will be able to book the cars during a trial run until March 2016. After that, the 50-car strong fleet will be available to the public and is expected to grow to 2,000 taxis by 2019.
montrealgazette.com
Fastned for cities: Five fast-charging stations will be installed in The Hague by next year. The Dutch infrastructure provider says that more cities are to follow.
fastned-en.pr.co
An additional two million dollars will be poured into Connecticut’s CHEAPR programme that offers a cash rebate of up to 3,000 dollars to buyers of an electric, hydrogen or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Since the programme was launched in May, 278 such vehicles have been purchased or leased.
ctpost.com, fairfield.dailyvoice.com
Electric emergency service: The North East Ambulance Service in Britain adds five Nissan Leaf to its fleet, replacing five conventional gas guzzlers. They will be charged at nine charging points said to be capable of smart charging installed by Dutch ICU.
evfleetworld.co.uk
England charged: Cumbria will see the installation of 14 rapid-charging points. They are part of a total of 24 stations to be installed across the region by the Middlesex-based firm APT Control Group.
nwemail.co.uk
Nov 19, 2015 - 08:41 am Berlin, charging challenge, Evercar, Vietnam, Honolulu.
Berlin’s water utility added 20 Nissan Leaf to its fleet. That makes 10 percent of BWB’s fleet, not counting the BMW i3, which the company got for free. Before choosing the Leaf, BWB tested various electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. The EVs are leased for four years and were simply the cheapest alternative.
bwb.de (in German)
Ministerial charging: The U.S. Department of Transportation is the first federal agency to join the Department of Energy’s workplace charging challenge, aiming to provide 500 EV charging stations by 2025.
masstransitmag.com, energy.gov
Rent an electric cab so you can offer rides via Uber or Lyft. That is the business model of Evercar. The electric carsharing service is directed at freelance drivers and charges them five dollars an hour. The service will kick off in LA after the LA Auto Show, while Evercar aims to go nationwide before the end of 2016.
cleantechnica.com, insideevs.com, myevercar.com
Electric tourism: Two electric vehicles have gone into service in the city of Quy Hnon, Vietnam, to shuttle tourists for less than a dollar. Up to 12 people fit in the open carriers that can drive with up to 30 kph. The pilot service is one of several such initiatives in the country.
wordhanoi.com
8 hybrid buses now serve on Honolulu, as Hawaiian firm TheBus adds them to the fleet. The buses come from Gillig Corp. and cost 700,000 dollars each. Yet, almost 83 percent of the investment is covered by a five million dollar government grant called TIGGER.
staradvertiser.com
Nov 18, 2015 - 08:00 am China Gogoro, Ford, Edinmore Contracts, Montral.
Private drive for infrastructure: In China, EV charging infrastructure booms thanks to the government opening up the sector to new companies and making clear its preference. Both Beijing Automotive and SAIC set up subsidies to deploy EV charging stations. SAIC’s Anyue plans to build 50,000 nationwide by 2020. Technology companies like LeTV or ZTE are also part of the effort. In Shanghai alone, 100,000 charge spots will be build if crowdfunding campaign Star Charge is successful in its quest for spaces.
china.org.cn, shanghaidaily.com (Star Charge)
Gogoro goes Europe: The battery-swapping rental scooters are bound for Amsterdam in 2016. More European cities are to follow after the Dutch capital, where Gogoro works with the Smart City Experience Lab. The system already runs with 90 GoStations and 2,000 electric scooters in Taiwan.
autoblog.com, gogoro.com
EV 1-2-3 Charge: Ford started a pilot project in the USA. Everyone who buys or leases a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi in California or Maryland gets free access to 500 charging stations from NRG EVgo and SemaConnect. Ford promises three years of free charging.
greencarcongress.com, insideevs.com
Hybrid fleet: Scottish Edinmore Contracts adds seven Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV to its fleet. The plug-in hybrids will travel with the team across all of Scotland. The insurance firm looks to successively make the Outlander PHEV its standard fleet vehicle.
fleetnews.co.uk, fleetpoint.org
Montreal opens a lane on Highway 20 just for electric vehicles. Also taxis, buses, and vehicles with three or more people are allowed on the 4.5 km long left-hand stretch.
montreal.ctvnews.ca
Nov 17, 2015 - 09:39 am Hydrogenics, China Dynamics, India, Supercharger, EV Connect.
Chinese-Canadian cooperation: Hydrogenics says it sealed several deals with EV integrators from China to supply its fuel cell technology and hydrogen stations. The agreement covers more than 2,000 vehicles over the next three to five years, the Canadian company reports.
globenewswire.com
100 electric buses: The city of Xingtai in Chinese Hebei province ordered a hundred electric buses from China Dynamics after a successful trial. Deliveries will be completed before the end of this year. 90 of those electric buses measure eight metres in lenght, the another ten are 10.5 metres long.
chinadynamics.com (PDF)
10 electric buses: The government of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh bought ten electric buses with subsidies to serve on the Manali-Rohtang route and elsewhere. At the same time, a trial with Mahindra’s electric maxi-cabs will start in the second week of December.
tribuneindia.com
154.2m dollars net book value is what Tesla reports for its Supercharger network. At the end of the last quarter, 536 charging stations were live worldwide resulting in average costs of 284,000 dollars each.
insideevs.com
2.7m dollars in funding were collected in EV Connect’s latest round of equity financing. The company provides software solutions to manage EV charging infrastructure via cloud. The money will be spend on growth and to take EV Connect to profitability.
prweb.com
Nov 16, 2015 - 08:39 am Norway, Proterra, London, Kentucky, Washington.
Electric mail: The post office branch in the Norwegian province of Rogaland replaced its fleet with 16 electric cars. It is part of the Posten Norge’s strategy to replace all vehicles with electric ones by autumn 2016 (we reported) and intends to buy another 300 EVs from Renault and Nissan next year.
aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian)
Country meets electric: A total of nine Proterra electric buses are now in service in Nashville, Tennessee. They are running on the blue and green line of the Music City Circuit. Some 50 bus drivers were trained to operate the all-electric buses, which have room for up to 42 passengers (27 seated).
tennessean.com, masstransitmag.com
Room for EVs: London neighbourhoods Hammersmith and Fulham are said to build 40 charging points for electric vehicles by the end of 2016. The application for ten on-street car-charging spots (each with two chargers) has been submitted; another ten are said to follow shortly.
getwestlondon.co.uk
Kentucky charges ahead: Utilities Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company want to each install ten charging stations in the U.S. state. These will all be public. Moreover, business owners will have the chance to host a charger, if they agree to a five-year commitment.
lanereport.com, wtvq.com
ZEVs for dam project: The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State, USA, will add 27 Electric Utility Vehicles (EUVs) to its fleet, to cut the use of petrol by 10 to 15 percent. The cars feature Li-ion batteries, have a top speed of 20 mph and will be used to make short trips around the 18 square mile campus.
krem.com
