In California, Flixbus has tested America’s first purely battery-powered long-distance bus. The MCI D45 CRTe LE CHARGE from Motor Coach Industries (MCI) completed its first test with a round trip from San Francisco to Sacramento.
North America’s largest bus manufacturer, NFI Group, which also produces electric buses under the New Flyer brand, is taking over the Scottish bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited for around 405 million US dollars. ADL is known above all for its double-decker buses and also cooperates with BYD on electric buses.
London’s red double-decker buses will soon approach silently. Busmaker Optare has ordered the AxTrax AVE electric portal axle from ZF to equip 31 buses. Also in the States ZF announces a new chapter in their existing partnership with New Flyer as they are to equip 100 buses with ZF’s technology.
New Flyer has joined OppCharge, the global initiative to support the integration of interoperable charging systems for electrified vehicles. The US manufacturer is the first company outside of the Volvo Group, who is joining the initiative from North America.
The transit agencies of Montreal (STM) and Laval (STL) have formed a buying community. Together they ordered 40 electric buses from New Flyer. 30 of the buses will go to Montreal and ten to Laval. They expect delivery in 2020.
New Flyer Industries, based both in Canada and the USA, has joined the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) as a new core member, developing an industrial standard for charging solutions.
New Flyer of Canada have received a large order from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for ten electric buses with an option for another 30. The order is part of TTC’s plan to electrify their entire fleet by 2040.
New Flyer is working hard to deliver another 100 hybrid buses for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). It is the third instalment of a five-year contract. Once fulfilled, SEPTA’s fleet will be 95% electrified.
The SunLine Transit Agency has ordered additional H2 buses from Canadian bus manufacturer New Flyer, namely five Xcelsior fuel cell-electric buses of 12 metres each.
Dutchmen to ban combustion-powered cars by 2030: The new Dutch government coalition has published its plans for the upcoming years, underlining the ambition to make all newly registered cars emission-free by 2030. A ban of diesel and petrol vehicles has been discussed in the Netherlands since last year. But the new government, consisting of four coalition parties, had to struggle a lot to find common positions. Now, more than 200 days after the election in March, they have finally released the plan they agreed upon. electrek.co, nltimes.nl, telegraaf.nl (in Dutch)
EU to introduce carbon credits instead of EV quota? The European Union refrains from the idea to implement an EV quota, Reuters reports. Instead it favours a carbon credit initiative, inspired by California’s zero-emission policy – with the difference that carbon credits shall not be tradable in the EU. According to the press agency, the proposal additionally includes 800m euros of EU funding to motivate governments, regions and cities to erect more EV charging points and 200m euros to boost battery development between 2018 and 2020. The EU proposal’s official release is expected on 8th of November. reuters.com
A dozen bills for more EVs in CA: California’s governor Jerry Brown has signed a dozen bills to accelerate the state’s shift towards electric mobility. Besides extending the EV incentive programme with special focus on low-income Californians through 2019, pilot schemes for new charging stations and giving EV drivers further the right to use the carpool lanes, the government itself is willing to set a good example: At least half of the state’s car fleet shall get emission-free by 2025, the same is required for 30 percent of the state’s heavy-duty fleet by 2030. sacbee.com, gov.ca.gov
Electric bus made by New Flyer: The U.S. manufacturer has presented the next generation of its electric-powered bus Xcelsior called Xcelsior Charge. The new model is equipped with a Siemens motor and a battery pack by XALT Energy or A123 Systems, enabling a capacity of up to 600 kWh. Bus operator LA Metro has already ordered 35 units for Los Angeles and signed an option to purchase again 65 buses. greencarcongress.com
Mahindra extends its EV line-up: The Indian car giant plans to add all-electric versions of each of its existing SUV and crossover models to its line-up. First model to get a fully electrified twin next year is Mahindra’s compact SUV KUV 100. So far, the company’s electric assortment includes just two cars: the E20 and the e-Verito. autocarindia.com, financialexpress.com
Green4U presents electric SUVs: Don Panoz’ Green4U Technologies intends to launch two electric-powered SUVs in 2018: Both, the MTU-6 and the Enov, shall be able to reach up to 370 km. In the upcoming years, the U.S. company plans to create more and more electric models – among them sedans, vans and utility vehicles. autoblog.com, government-fleet.com
Gogoro spices up electric scooter: The manufacturer has presented an update of its electric scooter which is part of the sharing scheme Coup. The free-float service is available in Berlin and reportedly about to be applied in Paris. The Gogoro 2 comes with 6.4 kWh swappable battery just as the original, but shall allow smoother torque and more control. Its launch is scheduled for July in Taiwan before it will enter other countries by late 2017. theverge.com, engadget.com
Charging infrastructure for the Algarve: Portugal’s South shall soon attract both local as well as travelling EV drivers by offering 32 EV semi-fast charging points. They are part of a pilot kicked-off by the country’s government and executed by Mobie.E. Two charging stations each will stand in all the Algarve’s 16 municipalities and the network is supposed to go live within two months. theportugalnews.com
Chargemaster to supply black cabs: The London Taxi Company has chosen Chargemaster as official supplier for charging equipment for its new range-extended electric taxis. As reported, LTC cabs will hit the roads of Britain’s capital later this year before their international launch in 2018. chargemasterplc.com
Big hybrid bus order: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has ordered 55 hybrid buses from New Flyer. The contract includes the supply of 47 Xcelsior diesel-electric series buses for 51m dollars and an option for up to eight additional buses in 2018. greencarcongress.com, newswire.ca
New UK charging network planned: EV Hub wants to set up a charging network at supermarkets and cafés in the UK. It is currently looking to collect 500,000 pounds via crowdfunding to kick start its project in London, which will then successively expand to other parts of the country. thisismoney.co.uk
Sells like hotcakes: Kandi has signed another deal, this time with Pang Da Automobile that ordered 60,000 EVs that will be delivered over the next four years. The electric cars will be stationed at universities across the country. globenewswire.com
Seattle plugs in: Utility Seattle City Light will install 20 new rapid-chargers, as well as set up charging at several hundred private homes. Previously, the company had announced plans to set up 10 fast-chargers. seattletimes.com
Electrifying Dubai: The UAE’s biggest city wants that by 2020, at least two percent of all new cars registered there will be electric of hybrid – a number said to grow to 10% by 2030. Meanwhile. Dubai’s taxi service Careem is working with Next Future to set up a shuttle service with self-driving electric pods. tradearabia.com, timeoutdubai.com (pods)
Public electrification: Thanks to federal grants, Portland is looking to purchase four all-electric New Flyer buses and the corresponding charging infrastructure. Service will start in 2018. The city of Everett, located in the U.S. state of Washington, has received 3.4m dollars in grants to replace four older buses with electric ones from Proterra. patch.com (Portland), heraldnet.com (Everett)
Carshare Israel: The Israeli city of Haifa is planning an electric carsharing scheme. The first stage includes 120 electric and 80 hybrid vehicles from car2go. The Israel Electric Corporation will also build charging stations to support the programme. globes.co.il
Belarus programmes: Belarus plans to stimulate EV uptake by developing charging station networks and offering incentives. They hope to get a minimum of 10,000 electric vehicles on the road in Belarus by 2025. More optimistic calculations expect that number to surpass 32,000. belta.by
New chargers for Tesla: New York parking facilities owner iPark partnered with Tesla and Beam Charging, a subsidiary of CarCharging, to bring Tesla-specific and universal charging stations to over 25 iPark facilities. Five more locations will be outfitted with Tesla chargers by the end of 2016. prnewswire.com
New Flyer buses: New Flyer of America Inc. has won a 3.19m dollar order for five Xcelsior XDE40 buses going to Eugene, Oregon, where the Lane Transit District will be replacing older buses. The district may also order as many as 70 more buses in the next five years. canadianmanufacturing.com
Kings Group buses: Australian Company Kings Transport and Logistics is making a large-scale investment in electric trucks. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian electric automaker SEA Automotive for the order of nine trucks. primemovermag.com
Renault starts charging platform: The French manufacturer launched the online platform Elbnb in Sweden, making it possible for EV drivers to charge their car at someone else’s home anywhere in the country. In other words, it’s Airbnb for electricity. Pricing is said to be agreed upon directly between users and more than 1,200 private charge points have already been registered. reset.org, elbnb.se
AddEnergie launches FLO: It will be Canada’s biggest charging network and will connect nearly 2.000 chargers in Québec, Ontario, and other provinces. AddEnergie will also install another 8,000 stations over the next five years and offers an app to locate chargers and pay for the session. ctvnews.ca, montrealgazette.com
New Flyer launches mega-deal: The manufacturer has received an order for 90 hybrid buses from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The deal also includes an option for another 460 hybrid buses over the next five years. newswire.ca
Zhongshan electrifies: The Chinese city wants to erect more than 10,000 charging points by 2020 and therefore get some 9,500 electric and hybrid vehicles on the road. It says it will invest 1.1bn yuan, about 167m dollars to get the project off the ground. autonews.gasgoo.com
Electric exploration: Cornwall-based Eden Project that allows visitors to explore the world’s largest indoor rainforest, has added another 18 electric cars from Renault to its fleet. The 13 Kangoo Z.E. are destined for the crew for maintenance, security, catering, etc. evfleetworld.co.uk
Tesla supercharges Mexico: The California EV maker hat opened its first Supercharger south of the U.S. border. It includes six chargers and comes just in time for the Model X launch in Mexico. electrek.co
Testing charging in public: Oxford intends to set up 100 on-street EV charging points by 2019 but wants to test at least six solutions by different providers first. Residents of the university town are asked to put their interest forward to have a charging point close to home. The trial is being funded through an 800,000 pound grant from the UK government’s ultra-low cities fund. airqualitynews.com
Luxembourg is to get hybrid buses as Autobus de la ville de Luxembourg orders 5 from Volvo as a turn-key solution. The 7900 Electric Hybrid is a plug-in that can operate 70 percent of the time electrically. Fast-chargers for the buses come from ABB with all deliveries due by the end of 2016. greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com
Marseille turns to electric transport: The French city put its first 12 metre electric bus in service. The Irizar i2e has a 374 kWh battery pack, that offers a range of up to 155 miles and needs five hours of charging to be ready for a 14 to 16 hour shift. Marseille is also testing hybrid options. greencarcongress.com
Fleet renewal: New Flyer is to deliver 267 hybrid and diesel buses to Connecticut’s Department of Transportation (CTDOT). The contract is worth about 122m dollars and includes an option for an additional 218 vehicles. It has not been said however, how many of the buses will be partially electric. canadianmanufacturing.com, newflyer.com
Pilgrims’ carriage: 18,000 carts will be made available at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s capital Abu Dhabi during the holy month of Ramadan. The fleet for worshippers includes at least 300 electric scooters and electric cars as well as special vehicles. arabnews.com
Chinese connected cars: Kandi wants to push connected EVs, setting up a strategic partnership with internet firm Alibaba, which will deliver Big Data analytics, as well as Uber, which will contribute its carsharing know-how, Geely and ZTE. According to Bloomberg, BYD will not be part of the initiative. bloomberg.com
Geely electrifies: The Chinese manufacturer wants to offer most of its models with all-electric or hybrid drivetrains, in order meet the country’s ever stricter emission standards. More details on the plan will be announced on November 18th. bloomberg.com
Takeover: U.S.-based manufacturer New Flyer, which also makes electric and hybrid buses, has acquired Motor Coach Industries International, the leading manufacturer if intercity buses in the U.S. and Canada. The deal is worth 455m dollars and has to be approved by the U.S. antitrust and Canadian Competition Act. morningstar.com, prnewswire.com
Venom EV? Hennessey is talking electrification of the Venom GT supercar once batteries “become lighter and have more capacity,” John Hennessey told TopGear. Once that is achieved, the electric hybercar could boast 1,000 bhp. topgear.com
First e-bus from Ukraine: The newly presented Electron E19101 has room for some 100 passengers and can go up to 200 km on one charge. Top speed is set at 70 kph. Blueprints also show that the bus will be equipped with air-conditioning and a kneeling function. ukrinform.net
Cheaper Porsche: Porsche dropped the base price of the 2016 model year of the Panamera S E-Hybrid in Canada by 3,400 Canadian dollars (2,560 USD). The plug-in hybrid now starts at 106,000 CAD. electriccarsreport.com, autoblog.com
iCar close to reality? Apple’s project Titan seems to be moving ahead more quickly than originally believed. The Guardian claims to have documents showing this project is actively seeking to use a special facility to test autonomous tech. According to the report, Apple already has a self-driving electric car “almost ready for the road”! theguardian.com
Fuel cell bus demonstration: New Flyer announced that the California Energy Commission has approved a 2.1 million dollar grant to conduct a demonstration project involving a New Flyer Xcelsior electric transit bus with a Hydrogenics CelerityPlus fuel cell. The demonstration bus will use a Siemens ELFA electric drive motor for propulsion and the Hydrogenics fuel cell as a range extender. fuelcellsworks.com
Maintenance costs: Some Toyota hybrids are capable of saving up to 1,000 euros in maintenance after three years, according to research conducted by Tec-RMI. But the Toyota Auris Hybrid and Lexus IS 300h were in fact the only hybrid models generating savings for their owners. Other brands’ hybrids ended up costing more than their diesel and petrol counterparts. automotiveworld.com
Driverless electric shuttle: Auro Robotics is currently testing a driverless electric shuttle car at various universities in the United States. The company is also planning to expand to other markets like amusement parks, retirement communities and small islands later this year. techtimes.com, techcrunch.com
Audi confirms Q8 and all-electric Q6: The German brand said the Audi Q8 can be expected in 2019. It will sit on top of the Q-range and will most likely feature a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Furthermore, Audi is preparing a sporty SUV for 2018. Likely dubbed Q6 e-tron, the new model will be fully electric while reaching a range of about 500 kilometres on one charge. worldcarfans.com, autoblog.com
505-hp hybrid from China: BYD now set the launch date for its Tang SUV in China on 6th July. It will be offered from about 300,000 yuan (about 48,300 dollars). The Tang’s plug-in hybrid system combines a petrol engine with two electric motors. Together, they power all wheels with 505 hp and 820 Nm. carnewschina.com
Electric scooter by Honda? The Japanese seem to be working on an electric scooter model designated for the Indian market. At least this is what drawings accompanying a patent application suggest. It looks like the electric model could be based on Honda’s ‘Metropolitan’ scooter. cartrade.com, gaadiwaadi.com
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Mobile Tesla store: The Californian EV maker is again expanding its reach, this time with the ‘Tesla Mobile Container Store.’ Designed as a moving pop-up store, which unfolds within a few hours, the Tesla trailer will go on tour in the U.S. as well as in Europe. Santa Barbara is the first stop this week. treehugger.com, fortune.com
Super hybrid recall: Porsche is asking all 918 Spyder owners worldwide to return to the garages in what it calls a “precautionary” move. The recall concerns 223 cars in the States. The issue is with an electric wiring harness for a radiator fan that could eventually be damaged by a carbon-fiber component. carscoops.com, nydailynews.com
Qualified for incentives: New Flyer of America announced that its electric buses XE35 and XE40 are now eligible for the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). The voucher amount per bus is 95,000 dollars, with an additional 10,000 dollars available in rebates for the first three purchases of electric buses. ngtnews.com
Battery-electric fuel cell bus: New Flyer will begin the development of an 18-metre bus featuring batteries, a fuel cell and hydrogen storage. It is based on New Flyer’s Xcelsior platform, while the systems are supplied by Ballard and Siemens. The bus will go to Connecticut Transit. greencarcongress.com, newflyer.com
Smart battery: Stanford University researchers have developed a Li-ion battery that gives warning before overheating. The “smart separator,” a copper layer on one side of the polymer separator, makes it possible to measure the voltage difference between the anode and the separator. stanford.edu via scinexx.de
Electric snow mower: Honda will begin selling its electric snow thrower ‘Yukios e’ by mid-November. This mini snow plough is operated by pushing, piling snow up on the side. world.honda.com
Chinese e-plane: The RX1E is a light and small electric plane that sits two. It recently took off at the Shenyang Faku International Flight Convention in Liaoning, China, where it is also manufactured. Charging for a 40 minute flight at a max. height of 3,000 metres takes just 1.5 hours. ev.com
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Most clicked link on Tuesday was our report from the Ecosummit conference in London on the five electric transport start-ups to watch out for. electrive.com