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
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
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
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
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)
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)
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
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
“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
Georgia creates incentive programme for charging stations: The U.S. state earmarked 281,000 dollars for rebates for state agencies and authorities, local governments and educational institutions looking to install charging points. Each organisation or campus can apply for up to 40,000 dollars in government aid. The goal is to install 20 to 30 new stations with the allocated funding. bizjournals.com
Car Charging Group wins service and operations deal: The company will operate the 27 Blink level-2 chargers in Nashville, Tennessee, and neighbouring Davidson county. According to the Car Charging Group, it is the largest nationwide provider of public EV charging services in the U.S. money.cnn.com
New Supercharger for California: According to the local newspaper Sierra Sun, six charging posts have been delivered to the town of Truckee. It is a mere 45 miles from Reno, Nevada, one of the sites where the manufacturer broke ground on what could become the Gigafactory. The exact location has yet to be confirmed. wallstreetpit.com, winnipegfreepress.com
Tesla to build Superchargers on theme park grounds: The carmaker has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Chinese theme park operator Haichang Holdings. The latter agreed to identify location on its grounds for the installation of two Supercharger stations in the northeast of the country. The agreement also foresees the installation of further stations in the future. forbes.com
First Nissan Leaf delivered in Puerto Rico: A family business focused on renewable projects purchased two of the EVs. Just recently, the car became available in Mexico. The Leaf, which has been sold about 135,000 times worldwide so far, is now available in 35 countries. electriccarsreport.com
Foxconn and BEV set up electric car rental in China: Operations are set to begin in Beijing and Hangzhou next month already. Beijing Electric Vehicle (BEV) announced that within the coming year, some 5,000-10,000 rental vehicles will be available across the country. digitimes.com
Michigan tests first hybrid-electric bus line: On top of being greener and quieter, the so called “Silver Line” also has an on-board technology to change traffic lights to green, allowing for faster connections. It also provides free Wi-Fi for customers. wzzm13.com (video)
Why electrifying Amsterdam will work: By 2015, the number of public charging stations in the city will reach 2,000. And to make sure people use them, their locations were chosen based in demand. In others words, they are located where people live and work, to ensure easy and convenient access. cnbc.com
Charging station from Russia: KRET has developed a charging station for the use with the EVs from Lada but says the system will be easy adaptable to charge EVs from other manufacturers according to IEC 61851-1. Currently the FORA charging station supplies AC, but a DC version is in the making. greencarcongress.com, kret.com
Proterra buses for Seattle: The manufacturer sold two 12-meter electric buses to the city of Seattle, USA. The sale also includes a fast-charging system. The buses will be tested for one year, after which Proterra could sell as many as 200 additional buses and charging systems to the city. electriccarsreport.com, greenpowertrain.automotive-business-review.com
Kuala Lumpur police goes electric: The police force in the Malaysian capital will deploy 30 electric motorbikes for use in the city. Moreover, it plans to use hybrid patrol cars. The fleet is part of the “Going Green” campaign, set to safe fuel and protect the environment. malaysiaedition.net, thesundaily.my
Eden EV to rent Tesla in the UK: Businesses as well as potential customers around London will be able to make use of one of ten Model S. Eden EV intends to expand its fleet to 15 Teslas by 2015 and has already placed an order for the Model X SUV. Moreover, it says it will renew the fleet every twelve months. fleetworld.co.uk, edenev.com
EV charging in Lincoln is evolving fast, as now two more stations will join five recently set up at Duncan Aviation (we reported) and two at local dealerships. Lincoln Electric System will install the ChargePoint stations at a parking garage this week, which makes Lincoln the city with the most charging points in Nebraska. journalstar.com
Reviewing the ChargePoint app: The locator app lists charging stations, though does not allow customer reviews, a feature many EV drivers find helpful, the reviewer notes. Moreover, there are apps that also list residential locations, where private owners provide charging. Conclusion – the app loads very fast, but is missing some helpful features that other already have. greencarreports.com
China-ready: ABB has modified its ‘Terra 53’ fast charger to comply with the Chinese GB standard. The ‘Terra 53 Z’ is the first “foreign” charger to be fit for China, according to the company, and will be produced right there in Shenzhen. greencarcongress.com
Stylish solar charging station: BMW has opened its Point One S charging station at the BMW World in Munich. The representative charge spot was designed by EIGHT along with ABB, BMW, RWE and Deutsche Bahn and is part of the showcase-region initiative “Elektromobilität verbindet.” greenpowertrain.automotive-business-review.com
A new Tesla store will open in Belgium next week. The new outlet in Antwerp will be the third stronghold of the Californian carmaker in the country and “coincides” with the opening of the first Belgian Supercharger in Nivelles-Sud. electriccarsreport.com
“Faster than the internet”: This is the slogan of the electric cargo bike courier service in the Austrian city of Graz. The ‘bring mE’ service is funded by the European Union within the ‘smartset’ framework. Twelve shops in Graz offer shoppers to deliver their purchases right to their doorstep. graz.at (in German)
EV charging in Nebraska: Duncan Aviation is erecting five charging stations for the company’s customers and employees at their facility in Lincoln. Apart from two others at local car dealers, those five stations are the only charging opportunities in the city but the company already reserved space for five more. aviationpros.com
Zero bike on trial: The police in Ada, Oklahoma is currently testing a Zero electric motorcycle for two weeks. Already, the officers are pleased with the “stealth factor” of the black bike, especially as suspects cannot hear them coming. Therefore a purchase is very likely. kxii.com
Iran to be electrified: Apparently, the government in Tehran plans to replace most of the country’s motorbikes with 400,000 electric ones. Manufacturer will get subsidies of 300 dollars for every e-bike built. The plan also includes a ban of petrol-powered motorcycles in the capital’s centre. tehrantimes.com, dailytimes.com.pk
New Delhi to be electrified, too: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has issued a proposal to set up 65 charging stations across the city. Once the EV chargers are approved by the Delhi government, constructions of the stations, which are financed with the help of public private partnerships (PPP) can begin. thehindu.com
Electric car club: The city of Dundee, Scotland, is looking at expanding and electrifying its car sharing with money from TACTRAN and Transport Scotland. The money for maintenance of the cars and operation of the scheme would come from an annual charge for the members. A business plan has yet to be agreed upon. thecourier.co.uk
A ride around town: Electragirl travelled all the way to York to try the city’s new electric bus. While she does not travel too well on public transport – electric or not – the bus runs smoothly and silently and is charged via cable at a CHAdeMO DC fast charger. transportevolved.com
Campus charging: By 2015, Cal Poly’s campus will feature twelve EV charging stations, paid for with a 150,000-dollar grant from the California Energy Commission. Apart from students, also travellers from the near Highway 101 and Highway 1 will be welcome to use the stations. sanluisobispo.com
New partner for CEP: Bohlen & Doyen is the 19th member to join the ‘Clean Energy Partnership’ and will support the hydrogen initiative with its expertise in the installation and service of H2 gas stations. The company’s first contribution will be a mobile H2 station that is set to be ready by 2015. cleanenergypartnership.de
Electric school bus approved: The California Highway Patrol has given its approval for the ADOMANI electric Blue Bird school bus to start its service this fall. The bus was developed together with the Gilroy Unified School District which installed a solar-powered charging station to make the school bus a true zero emission vehicle. domesticfuel.com, news9.com
Model S for a day: In Los Angeles, the MPG Car Rental group is now offering a Tesla Model S at 375 dollars per day. The Model S is also part of MPG’s test drive programme, where drivers will get reimbursed the costs of the car rental when buying the car they have tested. hybridcars.com
Mitsubishi wins 2nd year in a row: The Outlander PHEV came first in the electric vehicle class of the FIA-certified Asia Cross Country Rally. The rough trail ran over almost 2,000 kilometres and the team completed it in 19:17:12, winning the 14th place overall. electriccarsreport.com
Kandi goes to Shanghai: From now on, the Chinese automotive company has an electric presence in Shanghai. A total of 208 Kandi EV have now been deployed for Shanghai’s carsharing program. This is only the start, as Kandi plans to deliver 3,000 to 5,000 electric cars by this year’s end. marketwatch.com, money.cnn.com
Hybrid dairyman: West Horsley Dairy now delivers its milk products with a FUSO Canter Eco Hybrid truck in London. The lorry comes with a special cooling body with an eutectic cooling system, which is based on frozen gel that keeps goods cool even when no power source is available. fleetnews.co.uk
Methane to miles: The garbage collection company in the Croatian city of Karlovac plans to electrify its entire fleet. On top of it, the business will produce its own energy for the EVs by using methane – a by-product of waste decomposition at its local landfill. dalje.com
No cable, no charge: In the Vancouver area, cable theft is increasingly becoming a problem for EV drivers as thieves are cutting the long charging cables to get their hands on the copper inside. Some stations had seen their charging cables stolen more than once. transportevolved.com
Electric bike-sharing in Qatar: Students and staff at the Qatar Foundation in Education City will have access to the pedelecs, providing them transportation around campus. Initially, 60 units will be placed at 19 stations. Before beginning to pedal, the user must pass a cycling test. gulf-times.com
Orange EV gets stamp of approval: The company’s T-series electric terminal truck has qualified for the Drive Clean Chicago programme with cash subsidies ranging from 45,000 to 75,000 dollars. Orange EV strips diesel trucks of its core and electrifies them. According to the manufacturer, the e-trucks can haul the same load as its diesel-run cousins, while saving 90% in fuel costs. chargedevs.com
No more Tesla taxi in Copenhagen: Although Drivers and customers loved the smooth ride, the Model S was not able to compete with the normal taxis in terms of costs and reliability, according to Carsten Aastrup director of 4×48 TaxiNord. The Tesla will have to leave the taxi fleet after only one year of operation. politiken.dk (in Danish)
Lorry levies in the UK had been introduced in April this year. The new regulation wants foreign lorries to pay levies when using UK roads. These amounted to 17 million pounds (28.4m dollars) in the first four months. The money raised is the equivalent of funding to operate 140,000 street lights for a year. Or it would be enough to pay the incentives for some 3,400 new electric vehicles, says FleetNews. fleetnews.co.uk
Ford is setting up solar charging car park in Michigan. The station which is being erected together with DTE Energy will offer recharging for 30 electric vehicles and roofed shelter for 360 cars. The solar car port is part of DTE’s ‘SolarCurrents’ Program and is expected to generate 1.13 million kWh annually. electriccarsreport.com, businesswire.com
Shop & Charge: The CarCharging Group has agreed on a partnership with the mall “Legends at Sparks Marina” and “Outlets at Sparks” close to Reno, Nevada, to set up charging stations for diners and shoppers. The stations will be financed with the help of utility provider NV Energy. greenpowertrain.automotive-business-review.com
BMW i3 in South Africa: The South-African branch of BMW will get the first electric and hybrid BMW’s in March 2015. To get ready it is working with the ‘National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa’s’ (Naamsa’s). Eleven BMW dealerships will feature chargers while another 60 public stations are planned. techcentral.co.za
E-motorbike police: The Des Moines Police Department is testing an electric Zero to join their fleets of Harleys and Kawasakis. While the latter are for representative purposes the electric motorbike from Zero would actually go into police work. The purchase has already been approved, but the department needs to find the money still. Sell a petrol one maybe?! desmoinesregister.com
Germany creates new incentives for electric cars: The country has proposed a new draft law, allowing electric vehicles to use bus lanes. A model that has worked well to increase the use of EVs in Norway, though plug-ins there are also exempt from import taxes. The German government hopes to put one million EVs on the road by 2020, a goal that experts still think is unrealistic. thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
E-mobilization I: France has now put its plans to strengthen electric transport into a law proposal. The current rebate shall be increased by 10,000 euros, if the purchase of a new EV means the scrapping of a diesel. Furthermore, the bill includes plans to install seven million charge points in France by 2030. insideevs.com, evfleetworld.co.uk
E-mobilization II: Neighbouring Spain is running a similar programme called Movele 2014. There, every EV is eligible for a 6,500-euro rebate. Electric buses are funded with 20,000 euros even. The incentives already seem to be working as EV sales have gone up by 15% since the introduction of the scheme. handelsblatt.com (in German), movele.es (project’s website in Spanish)
Canada recharges: Le Haut-Richelieu community in Quebec now offers charging to EV drivers at 14 new public charging stations. Those are part of the ‘Electric Circuit’ network which already boasts 300 charge points across the Canadian province. newswire.ca, hybridcars.com
Range record: The new electric bus from BYD that serves the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) in California exceeds expectations. AVTA sent it on a 24-hours run, circling between Palmdale and Rosamond 18 times thus operating for 746 miles. Only three charges, each after about 250 miles, were needed to set up this new best. businesswire.com, greencarcongress.com
Free home chargers: Chargemaster will continue the free installation of is ‘Homecharge i 3kW’ in the UK. The programme is backed by the 9-million pound (15 million dollars) government scheme (EVHS). To top it up, Chargemaster offers a free POLAR membership for six months with any domestic charging unit. thegreencarwebsite.co.uk, puregreencars.com
BMW i charging in Singapore: Greenlots is the partner of choice for BMW in the Asian city state. The provider will install wallboxes for customers of the i3 and is also supposed to erect public charging infrastructure. 30 charging stations are said to be service in Singapore by the end of this year. chargedevs.com, greencarcongress.com
South Korea’sministry of environment has erected six fast charging stations along three of the the country’s motorways. By 2017, 600 charging stations shall be available to Korean EV drivers. The government’s goal is to have 200,000 electric cars on on the roads by 2020, however, only 1,871 have been registered to date. koreatimes.co.kr
Electric food supply: The event caterer of Newcastle University will now deliver the buffet using its newly acquired Ligier Flex L3. The electric compact quad comes with a payload of 400 kilos and has a top speed of 25 mph with a range of 35 miles per charge. thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Charge & fly: At Los Angeles airport (LAX) another 14 EV charging points have been installed bringing up the total number to 52. While charging is free, regular parking rates apply. The stations have been funded by the “Charge UP L.A.!” programme. dailybreeze.com
Less amps for home charging: CarCharging, which acquired the Blink network in Florida, is decreasing the current output of its domestic level 2 charging stations from 30 amps to 24 amps. The move serves to address safety concerns due to the possibility of overheating charge cords. Replacement parts will be made available but at the cost of the owners. transportevolved.com
Leading by e-xample: According to a new plan, 50% of the government fleet in France is to be plug-in hybrid or electric by 2016. Translated to numbers, the French government is eventually looking at about 2,500 plug-in vehicles. Currently, alternative fuel vehicles account for 25% of the federal fleet. insideevs.com
EV home charging: A 100-dollar incentive is offered by the city of Ashland, Oregon to new home owners who agree to install an EV home charger. Eligible are only homes built to energy efficiency standards that often include solar panels. dailytidingschargedevs.com
Rapid charging in York: The council of the City of York has installed five quick charging stations in Yorkshire. The stations were funded mainly by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles. Users will be charged 0.15 pounds (0.25 dollars) per kWh through the ChargeYourCar service on pay as you go basis. airqualitynews.com, chargeyourcar.org.uk
Lawyers gone green: The law firm Arnall Golden Gregory employs 150 attorneys of which at least nine are now driving Nissan Leafs. Bill Moore has spoken to two of them on their reasoning behind going electric – it was not a company’s initiative – and what they think of Atlanta’s EV rebate programme. evworld.com (with video interview)
Residential electric carsharing: Austria’s ‘Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft BIG’ (federal real estate agency) is looking at adding one EV by a “premium manufacturer” to every 40 apartments built. The luxury electric car would be available to all residents to share free of charge. BIG is currently negotiating to start the project in two developments in the Austrian cities of Vienna and Graz already this year. kurier.at (in German)
Plug-in sales jump 77 percent in Europe: EVs and plug-in hybrids are doing well compared to the same period last year. Especially Norway had EV sales grow (+302%), while France saw a small drop (-12%). The Nissan Leaf remains the best-seller among EVs, followed by the Tesla Model S and Renault Zoe. thinkprogress.org
Stuttgart gets electric taxis: Four Mercedes B-Class ED and one Vito E-Cell will roam the streets of the German city. Daimler, Bosch, the University of Stuttgart, the Research Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart (FKFS), Dekra and local taxi companies are all part of the project named ‘Guest.’ The trial is also supported by the German Ministry of Transport with 1.12 million euros. stuttgarter-nachrichten.de, badische-zeitung.de (both in German)
ElectrAA-fying the UK: A group of motorists from the British town of Malvern (just south of Worcester) has founded the Malvern Hills Electric Automobile Association (ElectrAA) to promote the use of electric vehicles. It says that the area is especially equipped to swap nuzzles for plugs, since six charging points were installed there that people can use for free. worcesternews.co.uk
EVs to the rescue: In order to make up for lost power sales, utility companies should focus on providing power to electric vehicles and push for the electrification of the transportation sector, says Peter Kelly-Detwiler of Forbes. There is a lot up for grabs – to date, about 93% of power in that industry still comes from petroleum. forbes.com
Google drive: The residents of Mountain View will soon be able to hop on and off an electric shuttle bus sponsored by the internet company. The pilot project is set to start this autumn with four 16-seaters that also come with bicycle carriers. The service will run every 30 minutes and is free. bizjournals.com, losaltosonline.com
Who is to pay for BlueIndy? Apparently, the city of Inidianapolis has urged its utility provider to apply an extra charge to help finance the planned electric car sharing by French Bolloré group. Obviously, this plan has now sparked opposition by ratepayers, who would never have anything to do with the electric cars. indystar.com
Special edition P1: McLaren’s Special Operations team has been commissioned by a North American customer to outfit his hybrid super car to unique specifications for the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. While the “regular” P1 is limited to 375 pieces, now only 374 of them will be left alike. autoblog.com
EV license plate: Rhode Island created a special license plate for EVs. Its aim is not primarily privileges but to give first responders an indication that they are approaching an electric car. Instead of “Ocean State” the words “Electric/Hybrid” will appear on the plate. valleybreeze.com
EV sharing in Yokohama: The Japanese branch of Mercedes-Benz will be offering a one-way car sharing service called Smaco in Japan from September. Together with Orix and Amano, the carmaker will deploy 20 Smart ED which can be collected and returned at eight stations in the metropolis. orix.co.jp
Linde’s global H2 technology: In Japan, Iwatani has opened the country’s first commercial hydrogen fuelling station in Amagasaki. Its components are made in Germany by Linde. The North American branch of Linde has meanwhile erected two new H2 stations in California. hydrogenhq.com (Japan), green.autoblog.com (California)
Electric Jeepney: In the Philippines, the “jeepney,” a decorated bus-like vehicle, gets electrified. The task has been taken on by domestic Global Electric Transport together with its partner Pangea Motors from the States. They now started serial production of the COMET (City Optimized Managed Electric Transport) and plan to build 20,000 of the 18-seater over the next five years. wheninmanila.com, green.autoblog.com
Hydrogen at Heathrow: Air Products, the operator of the London airport’s H2 station, has introduced an additional SmartFuel hydrogen high pressure tube trailer to its fleet. It will add a 700 bar refuelling capability to the public hydrogen refuelling station. fleetnews.co.uk
Hurry up, if you happen to live in North Yorkshire. The Richmondshire District Council together with Yorkshire Energy Partnership is offering to set residents up with a free charging facility to those with off-street parking space. However, the ‘Electric Richmondshire’ scheme is only available until August 18. thenorthernecho.co.uk
OMV looks into hydrogen: The Austrian energy corporation is looking to invest about 20 million euros into further developing hydrogen technology. In 2012, OMV opened its first H2-station in Vienna and another one is set to follow in Innsbruck this year. Furthermore, the company is part of an initiative that aims at erecting 400 public hydrogen stations in Germany by 2023. kurier.at (in German)
Plug-in only: The Arizona Department of Transportation redefined access to the HOV lanes. Whereas before Toyota Prius, Honda Civic hybrids and Honda Insights were eligible, now only plug-in hybrids and range extended models are allowed to use the extra lanes on the road. azdot.gov (full list) via azcentral.com
MEA for business: The My Electric Avenue project extended its scope to enclose trials at the workplace. In the North East of the UK, Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) became one participant. The company has now six chargers on its premises to be used by 13 employees who leased the Nissan Leaf privately. bdaily.co.uk
Sales of used EVs double: Experian Automotive reports an increase in the purchase of used electric and hybrid cars in the UK. In the first quarter of this year, EV sales rose by 47.10% while used hybrids were bought 24.16% more often than in the same period in 2013. fleetnews.co.uk
Charging design flaw? Like with most multi-system charging stations, at Ecotricity’s stations only one charge unit can be used at a time. That means that EVs with standard AC chargers (Type 2 with 3.7 kW) keep others with AC 43 kW or CHAdeMO and CCS from fast charging. Reason enough for some frustration. transportevolved.com
BYD built the biggest charging station for e-buses to date in Nanjing, China. Up to 300 electric buses can be recharged there at once. This is a realistic scenario, as the city recently ordered 600 electric buses from BYD (we reported). 20 more of these charging sites are to follow. wantchinatimes.com
Supercharger density: Tesla is keeping busy putting up new charging stations and has just announced five new ones in Europe. For Belgium, it is definitely the first one and also Slovenia now has a (red) spot on the Supercharger map. twitter.com, teslamotors.com (with maps)
Greece to promote EVs: The Greek Ministry of Energy aims to promote e-mobility in the country. A first step will be the establishment of the ‘Network of Electric Mobility’ to start a public campaign. To date, only 25 EVs have been registered in Greece, putting the country far off the EU’s agenda. greekreporter.com
Electric tour guides: On Malta, the start-up Xception Malta has started the ‘Rolling Geeks’ service. Electric cars of the same name take tourists on a pre-designed trip around the island while voicing information about the attractions along the way. timesofmalta.com
Walmart to stock up on fuel cells: The company just extended its deal with Plug Power to receive additional 286 GenKey units on top of their initial order of 1,783 units (we reported). The GenDrive fuel cells are used in electric forklifts and Plug Power will also provide refuelling and servicing infrastructure to a total of now seven sites. online.wsj.com
Multi-million fuel cell deal: Intelligent Energy says it signed a two-year “multi-million” pound contract with an unnamed Japanese automotive company. The British fuel cell maker already works with Suzuki and will use the money to further develop its products. bloomberg.com
40-A charge connector: Leviton officially introduced their 40-amps charge connector assembly. This single-phase Type 1/J1772 connector will allow for charging rates of up to 9.7 kW and is used in Leviton’s Evr-Green 400 Charging Station. In the U.S., Levington is the preferred level-2 charging supplier for Toyota, greencarcongress.com
E-Up joins German army: The Bundeswehr has taken delivery of ten electric Volkswagen. The E-Ups are part of a newly set up carsharing project in Koblenz/Lahnstein where they will serve the ‘Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support’ (BAAINBw). firmenauto.de, autoflotte.de (both in German)
A world with superchargers: The Verge has published three animated maps showing the planned growth of Tesla’s Supercharger network in North America, Europe and China. In the states the company plans to cover 98% of the population with its charging stations by 2015. theverge.com
E-buses in London: Optare, the British subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, has delivered four electric buses to the city of London. The low-floor Optare MetroCity buses are funded by Department of Transport’s Green Bus fund and shall prove the feasibility of zero emission transport in the British capital. indianautosblog.com
More funding needed: The Swedish rebate program for electric vehicles is coming to an end. Only 800 EVs or hybrids are left to be partially funded and the trade group Bil Sweden is asking the government to top up its incentives quickly. adn.com
Car sharing in Korea: According The Korea Times, the country’s youth who often studied abroad is missing a car sharing culture in their homeland as not many offers are available yet. However, Green Car, Korea’s largest car sharing service is seeing constant growth since its introduction in Seoul in 2011. koreatimes.co.kr
Anonymous EV charging: A*STAR from Singapore has designed and electronic payment system that protects the privacy of EV drivers recharging their electric vehicles at public chargers. It is based on an in-car unit similar to a smartphone or tablet that allows two-way anonymous payments. sciencedaily.com
Where to charge for free? PlugShare is now showing Nissan EV drivers the way to the next charger taking part in the ‘No Charge to Charge’ programme. A filter within the PlugShare app will list only stations where charging is free for Leaf drivers for two years after purchase. puregreencars.com
Cloud grid: The Electric Power Research Institute, eight carmakers and 15 utility providers are working on a cloud based platform to integrate EVs, plug-in hybrids in the grids. BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi and Toyota are taking part in the two-way communication approach. electriccarsreport.com, greencarcongress.com
E-Trike Network: The Philippine’s capital Manila is looking to fully electrify its electric trike taxi network. The 500-million dollar program is funded by the Asian Development Bank as well as the central and local government and will see 100,000 electric tricycles on the road by 2016. fastcoexist.com
Hong Kong counts 1,000 charge points already and is planning to add another 100 next month. This means the metropolis has more chargers than it has EVs as there are currently 650. Only ten of all charging stations come with quick chargers. scmp.com
Ireland’s charging network: On the island, there are now 1,200 public charging points, according to the Electricity Supply Board (ESB). That means on average, there is a charger every 60 kilometres on the main roads with all big Irish towns and cities having at least a few. independent.ie
Geo-fencing electric mode: Switching to electric on demand is the latest idea of London’s mayor Boris Johnson. Geo-fencing technology will enable hybrid buses and taxis to automatically go into electric mode as soon as they cross into a highly-polluted zone. From 2018, any new cab in the city has to be ‘zero emission capable’. dailymail.co.uk
Manchester gets e-buses: Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has taken delivery of its first three electric buses from Optare. They will serve on the free Metroshuttle routes in the city centre and are supported by the Department for Transport Green Bus Fund. The three e-buses join 17 hybrid buses already serving Manchester. businessgreen.com
Diesel is next on the list of London’s Mayor Boris Johnson’s air-improvement plan. From 2020, all diesels might be charged an extra ten pounds to enter the low emission zone in the inner city. The same goes for petrol vehicles from before 2006. Only diesel vehicles vehicles that meet the Euro 6 emissions will be exempt from the congestion charge. At the same time, more cities in the UK, among them Birmingham and Bristol, are also considering to introduce low emission zones. dailymail.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk
Fast chargers for Maryland: In June, the Maryland Energy Administration began its ‘Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program’ (EVIP). One billion dollars are reserved for the installation of quick chargers in the state and applications will close on October 1st this year. maryland.gov, stardem.com
Electric school buses: The consultancy National Strategies (NSI) has received a 1.4-million dollar grant from the California Energy Commission to start a demonstration project for V2G technology. Together with earlier funding, a total of 2.2 million dollars is now available to develop six electric school buses to be deployed in The Golden State. chargedevs.com, nsi.publishpath.com
Better living with charging: Civita is a newly developed community in Mission Valley with about 5,000 homes. Developer Sudberry Properties said it is working together with NRG eVgo to install EV charging stations there. More EV chargers are planned as the city within the city grows. By late summer, twelve charging stations will be in operation, which can also be used by car2go San Diego. timesofsandiego.com
The first of 124 charging stations were installed at the Seacombe Ferry terminal and mark the beginning of Merseyside’s charging infrastructure development. The project is funded by the UK government and led by Merseytravel, which plans to erect the public chargers at key locations in the metropolitan county. Shropshire in the West Midlands also inaugurated its first charging point. It was erected in Church Stretton together with Co-Op, the Councils and has received a grant from ‘Plugged in Midlands.’ wirralglobe.co.uk (Merseyside), shropshirestar.com (Shropshire)
Electric Jeepney: In the Philippines, the “jeepney,” a decorated bus-like vehicle, gets electrified. The task has been taken on by domestic Global Electric Transport together with its partner Pangea Motors from the States. They now started serial production of the COMET (City Optimized Managed Electric Transport) and plan to build 20,000 of the 18-seater over the next five years.