In the USA, the state of Delaware has announced that the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is extending the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program through the end of the year, providing rebates for drivers switching to electric vehicles.
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The US battery and fuel cell truck developer Nikola has significantly expanded its sales and service in the US. The cooperation with five new independent dealers adds 51 new locations in Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida, Delaware, Virginia and Maryland.
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Swiss charging infrastructure provider Juice Technology is expanding into the USA and founding the subsidiary Juice Americas Inc. with headquarters in Delaware. The market in North America will be served from there.
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Several US American states have launched initiatives to support the electrification of their traffic. Massachusetts and Delaware extended their subsidy programmes, while Ohio is angling to introduce one. California extended traffic benefits to include those driving used EVs.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla would open stores in Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia and most Eastern Europe states by early next year. Meanwhile, Model 3 has arrived in Australia, and back in the company’s home country, a judge in Delaware, USA orders Tesla to defend Elon Musk’s potential payout.
Read moreBerlin’s electric cab funding: The German capital’s mayor Michael Müller has announced a funding programme for electric taxis. Thus, taxi companies that replace diesel-powered cars through new hybrid-powered, electric or fuel cell-based taxis get – on top of the existing federal subsidy – money from the state of Berlin. Being asked about concrete figures, Müller says that the federal funding of 3,000 to 4,000 euros could be doubled.
rbb24.de, welt.de, berlin.de (all in German)
More ABB chargers for Germany’s autobahn: German energy company EnBW has ordered additional fast-charging stations of ABB in order to extend the charging network along German highways. Before the year’s end, ABB is to erect 117 50-kW charging stations at locations of service station operator Tank & Rast. Already last year, EnBW purchased 68 ABB charging stations.
new.abb.com
Rapidly growing Corri-Door net: Sodetrel’s fast-charging network brand Corri-Door has tripled its number of chargers along French highways to 3,000 within one year. In the next months, the company plans to add new locations and to enlarge highly frequented stations. Sodetrel is the electric mobility business of French utility EDF.
reuters.com
eMotorWerks and EDF team up in order to create cloud-connected and intelligent charging stations. French EDF thus combines charging hardware of eMotorWerks with its JuiceNet software platform.
prnewswire.com
10 electric buses for Delaware: In order to buy 10 electric buses, the Delaware Transit Corporation receives a 1m dollars grant from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The money shall help the corporation as well to purchase associated charging infrastructure.
delawarebusinessnow.com
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More interoperability with NeMo: The EU-funded project Hyper Network for electro-Mobility (NeMo) unites 19 partners from eight European countries, working to improve interoperability of electric mobility services. The project will continue for three years.
.itsinternational.com
ChargeNow update in Asia: BMW now offers ChargeNow in Japan. Drivers of the Bavarian’s electric and plug-in hybrid models can plug in at some 14,000 NCS network locations across the country. Meanwhile, BMW partnered with GreenTech in Malaysia, giving its customers access to the ChargEV network with 95 locations.
japan.ahk.de (Japan; in German), carlist.my (Malaysia)
DriveNow starts in Milan: The carsharing scheme from BWM and Sixt will be available in Italy’s second biggest city from October 19th. A total of 480 BMWs will be made available. An additional 20 BMW i3 will join the fleet in the coming months.
newfleet.de, biztravel.fvw.de
EV incentives prolonged: The U.S. state of Delaware will renew its incentive programme for cars with alternative drivetrains when it runs out at the end of the month, as well raise the rebate from 2,200 to 3,500 dollars for battery-powered vehicles. Moreover, the state will foot half the bill of a private charger and even 75 percent of the cost for an EV charger in a commercial environment.
delmarvanow.com, delaware.gov
Preferential lanes: Nottingham kicked off works for a six-mile Eco-Expressway. It will see an extra lane in both directions that is reserved for electric vehicles only. Electric buses will be allowed to use the lane as well.
bbc.com, nottinghampost.com
Multicity loses electric edge: The previously all-electric carsharing scheme added 100 petrol-powered Citroën C1 to its fleet in Berlin. With 250 Citroën C-Zero, the offer is still mostly EV, but citing customers’ “growing mobility needs,” Berlin seems ready to abandon its role as the capital of electric mobility.
autoflotte.de
Updating Ontario: The province of Ontario will spend 20m dollars to build nearly 500 new electric vehicle charging stations around the province next year. Working with 27 private and public partners, the project will span over 250 different locations. Highways, inner cities, workplaces, condominiums and public areas are possible sites.
cbc.ca
100 rebates: The U.S. state of Delaware has allocated 100 more rebates for electric and plug-in vehicles purchased or leased in the state. The rebates are valued at 2,200 dollars each and are now available.
doverpost.com
Growing network: The California charging network got another nine stations, all located in Humboldt county, including one at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. Stations were built using grants from the California Energy Commission with matching funds from the Redwood Coast Energy Authority. There are now 14 total charging stations in the northern county.
krctv.com
Bonn bus: As part of the EU’s Zero Emission Urban Bus System project, the German city of Bonn has implemented six new electric buses. The move to switch all of the city’s buses to electric could theoretically be completed by 2030.
nahverkerhs-praxis.de (in German)
Can all taxis be electric? Belgian taxi operator association GTL launched a study to see if all cabs could be electric by 2020. For starters, two electric taxis are now in operation in Antwerp. The theoretical side is taken care of by MOBI Research Centre of the Flemish University of Brussels (VUB) and The New Drive (TND) consultancy.
icvue.eu
BEV bus funds: Delaware is seeking 3m dollars in federal funding to acquire six electric buses. The bus agency competes with others across the country to get a bit of the 55m dollar fund set up by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
delawareonline.com
EV charging funds: Simcoe County in Canada’s Ontario province received 267,350 dollars to install EV charging stations at three locations. The initial request included five sites, two of which were turned down. The spots are mainly aimed at travellers rather than commuters.
barrietoday.com
Tesla holiday package: The Ritz-Carlton of Half Moon Bay in California offers a ‘Tesla Driving Experience Package’. It includes access to all fitness and spa facilities, as well as a Model S for the length of the stay. They can even request to be picked up from the airport in the EV.
drivingthenation.com
CharIN changes management: The innos – Sperlich GmbH was appointed operative management of the Charging Interface Initiative in January, and has been a trusted partner. CharIN is a consortium that includes carmakers and infrastructure providers that look to promote the CCS standard.
charinev.org
Carsharing in Copenhagen: Car2go will leave the Danish capital by mid-February. Maybe its petrol driven fleet was not as attractive as the electric cars operated by DriveNow – 400 BMW i3 are available to rent in Copenhagen.
autorentalnews.com
Electric bus fleet: In Florida, Pinellas County’s transit authority is thinking about replacing old buses with up to 12 electric ones. Tests with an electric bus have been successful and the PSTA already applied for funding from the government. A decision is likely to be made this summer.
wmnf.org
Deadline: Proposals for the Delaware Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program will be accepted through Feb. 29th. A total of 1.4m dollars in funding is available for projects that expand infrastructure for alternative vehicles of all kinds in Delaware.
capegazette.villagesoup.com
Charge equipment for lease: The Mobility House and Grenke Leasing offer business customers a full charging package. The offer includes the complete charging infrastructure like charging stations, accessories, installation and servicing. Rates are available over two, three, and four years.
mobilityhouse.com (in German)
75m for electric transport: The British government and industry awarded almost 75m pounds to five projects. The biggest bulk (46.5m GBP) goes to the London Taxi Corporation to develop electric cabs. Morgan Motors receives funding to develop hybrid- and electric drives for sports cars, while AGM Batteries is working on battery packs. Parker Hannifin looks at electric forklifts and last, Jaguar Land Rover receives 13.1m GBP for turbocharger supply in the UK.
gov.uk
Joint fuel cell production: Honda and GM will set up a joint fuel cell production facility. The firms have been working together on the technology since 2013 and aim for a mass market eco car. The move is expected to decrease costs. Serial production of fuel cells will start by 2025 at the latest.
asahi.com
Fuel cell price break: A team from the University of Delaware was able to replace platinum catalysts with cheaper nickel ones, switching the operating environment from acidic to basic. The resulting hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cell is hoped to considerably bring down cost of FCVs.
phys.org, greencarcongress.com
EV testing facility: Milton Keynes continues to bolster its smart city approach, opening a new testing centre for electric and hybrid vehicles. The Intertek facility has the biggest capacity in Great Britain and includes battery simulators and emissions measurement equipment.
miltonkeynes.co.uk, businesscar.co.uk
Large electric cab fleet: Over 800 BYD e6 eTaxi operate in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Pengcheng Electric Taxi started the electrification of its fleet in 2010 with 50 EVs. After only the first year, it already reported fuel savings of over 1,167 dollars per month per taxi that drive an average of 250 miles a day.
ev.com
Green car club: British car sharing club Co-wheels named the Renault Zoe its electric car of choice, adding a total of 20 of the French EVs to fleets at a number of new locations in Scotland. The club offers low emission, hybrid and electric cars for organisations and communities on a pay-as-you-go basis.
puregreencars.com
Tesla goes to Mexico: The Californian EV maker crosses into Mexico, “establishing charging and service infrastructure now,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter. The official launch is scheduled several months down the road.
twitter.com via autoblog.com
Nissan is already in Mexico, installing two additional EV charging stations in Mexico City. The stations come from Schneider Electric and were erected in conjunction with state utility CFE and Mexican infrastructure firm Grupo Indi in a parking garage.
bnamericas.com
Alternative fuel station grants: Delaware set aside 1.4m dollars to partially fund EV fast-charging and hydrogen stations, as well as natural gas and propane autogas fuel stops. Delaware businesses, organisations or municipalities can each qualify for up to 500,000 dollars.
ngtnews.com
Volts instead of Leafs: At Orlando International Airport, hiring company Enterprise god rid of its 15 Nissan Leaf in favour of 14 Chevy Volt and plans to add another 10 Volts. These can be hired for about 30 dollars/day. The move is part of a larger initiative led by the City of Orlando in order to promote electric vehicles. There are already over 300 charging stations in the Orlando area.
orlandosentinel.com
Jacksonville gets charging: Construction of 28 public EV charging stations with featuring Level 2 chargers will begin in Jacksonville, Florida, in October. The chargers paid for with a 300,000 dollar federal grant. There are currently 670 electric cars on the road in the Jacksonville area.
jacksonville.com
Delaware adds chargers to the map: Delaware added five new charging locations with eleven chargers to the “Charging up Delaware” network that now counts 21 public charging locations. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is partnering with the University of Delaware to analyse usage of the stations.
udel.edu
Wind-powered H2 station: ITM Power has opened a hydrogen filling station in South Yorkshire, England, powered by a 225 kW wind turbine. As part of the HyFIVE project, ITM is also deploying a solar-powered H2 refuelling station in Rainham, scheduled to open in mid-2016.
greencarcongress.com
Commercial loan program: Utility Eugene Water & Electric Board in Oregon, USA, has started a lucrative loan programme with an interest rate of 4 percent for businesses, fleet operators and landlords looking to install charging infrastructure.
registerguard.com
Exactly 27,575 EVs were newly registered in the European Union in the second quarter of this year, according to ACEA. That means electric vehicle sales are up 53 percent. Hybrids totalled 53,443 units, a 22.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2014.
automotiveworld.com
30 charging stations is what real estate investment company Emmes Reality Services has set up in its in its public parking garage in downtown San Diego, California. The chargers can be used via the ChargePoint app and are free to use until the end of August.
sdbj.com, seasidecourier.com
Delaware incentivises: The U.S. state earmarked 2.7 million dollars for its Clean Transportation Incentive Program (CTIP). EVs and PHEVs qualify for a 2,200 dollar rebate, while the installation of a charging station will be funded with up to 500 dollars.
ngtnews.com
Budapest buys electric: The city’s public transportation company BKV wants to buy 20 electric midibuses. A tender runs until the end of next month and the buses are set to be delivered by mid-December. So far, Hungarian company Evo Pro seems to be ahead in the running to secure the bid.
hungarytoday.hu
Bristol goes green: Five Nissan Leaf will provide transport for Bristol’s year-long stint as Europe’s Green Capital. The EVs will be used by the Bristol Green Capital 2015 team to deliver a programme of events across the city throughout the year.
fleetnews.co.uk, electriccarsreport.com (with video)
The Dover Police Dep. in Delaware started a new series – the DashCam Confessionals. The star of this episode is a cop, rocking out to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” Literally dancing behind the wheel, he does put on a serious face every time there is a passerby – just to continue his dance routine when only YouTube is watching.
youtube.com
55 electric Renault Kangoo will now serve at Gnewt Cargo, which takes care of 5,000 deliveries a day in London. This was made possible by a deal with myHermes and with support of Alphabet, which was able to deliver the vans in just one month.
fleetnews.co.uk
Europe on one card: Hubject and charging infrastructure operator The New Motion (TNM), which already has roaming agreements with networks such as Ladenetz or Smatrics, have now announced their partnership. That means that TNM customers now have access to all 3,000 intercharge-connected charge points, like charging stations from RWE for example.
hubject.com (PDF)
CarCharging takes over Houston charging network: The former signed an agreement with the Texan city to buy and operate Houston’s 70 Blink Level 2 charging points. These had originally been put in place by ECOtality. The agreement also includes the installation of another 20 charging stations in the Houston metropolitan area.
electriccarsreport.com
70 Superchargers in Europe: Tesla reports that over the past week, it added seven of its fast-chargers across the continent – one each in Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as two in each France and the UK. That brings the total number of Superchargers worldwide up to 207.
green.autoblog.com
Power plant on wheels: The University of Delaware’s electric fleet is generating cash by selling power back the grid. The nine electric vehicles are interconnected, forming a virtual power plant. The total storage capacity is around 100 kWh, which is the minimum required for such a project. According to utility provider NRG Energy, each vehicle could generate around 110 dollars per month.
online.wsj.com
E-taxis for Bhutan: Mahindra will launch its Verito Electric in Bhutan by September this year. The Indian market will have to wait as the company does not want go ahead without government incentives for EVs being finalised. In Bhutan, the Verito will have to compete against the Nissan Leaf to be used to electrify the kingdom’s 5,000-strong cab fleet.
economictimes.indiatimes.com via indianautosblog.com
Charging charges: The West Coast Electric Highway in Washington State with its plenty DC quick-chargers will not be free to use any more. From April 1, 2014 users will have to pay to fill up their electric cars. The operator AeroVironment is expected to introduce two tariffs: a monthly flat rate at 19.99 dollars and a pay-per-charge fee.
transportevolved.com
Long distance chargers: In a new research project, the University of Delaware and the state of Delaware will install new fast charging stations to enable longer electric trips. The 16 kW stations will be strategically placed at key locations in Delaware and not more than 50 miles apart. The researchers want to monitor station usage and track emission reductions.
greencarcongress.com
BYD taxis in Rotterdam: Following a successful trial, the Dutch Rotterdam Taxi Centre (RTC) will put two BYD e6 into service as electric cabs. RTC plans to extend its fleet of all-electric taxis to 25 within the next 18 months.
cities-today.com
Mahindra goes UK: According to ‘Bussinessworld’, Mahindra wants to introduce its latest electric car, the Halo, in the UK by 2016. It also plans on relaunching the Reva and bringing it back to London later this year.
businessworld.in via indianautosblog.com
