Click tip: Tinkerer Jason Hughes took appart Tesla’s new 100 kWh battery pack, made up of 8,256 cells and a new cooling system. According to Hughes, real capacity is 98.4 kWh, plus a 4 kWh buffer. Meaning, you can actually get 102 kWh out of the new battery. electrek.co, teslarati.com
Video tip: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield from Transport Evolved thoroughly reviewed the wireless charging system from Evatran, using a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The video shows how it works and if it’s worth getting. The 3.7 kWh system does cost nearly 3,000 dollars, after all, and is less efficient than plug-in methods. youtube.com via greencarreports.com
Intelligent charging success: To charge batteries with green excess energy is sensible and economically viable. This is the result of the BESIC research project conducted at Hamburg harbour for 3.5 years. There, ten electric HGV ran with surplus green energy. The key was to develop a smart battery management that ensured charging when environmentally and operationally necessary. hafen-hamburg.de
Fiat and Google autonomous together: FCA delivered 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans equipped with self-driving tech to Waymo, formerly the Google car project. The move fits Fiat’s plan to reveal a fully electric vehicle based on the Chrysler Pacifica at the CES in Las Vegas. greencarcongress.com, bloomberg.com
Interoperability validated: Wireless charging bench testing has been completed and proves the interoperability and validity of the SAE TIR J2954. For the first time, interoperability between the so-called Double D (DD) and Circular Topologies has been demonstrated between 3.7 to 7.7 kW. greencarcongress.com
BMW i3 charges wirelessly at 7.2 kW: Evatran presents its inductive charging system for use with BMW’s electric car in the States. The 7.2 kW system translates to about 20 miles of range recharged per hour and applies to both the i3 and the range-extended version but costs 3,499 dollars. insideevs.com
VW unveils new mobility service brand: The new brand MOIA will initially focus on ride-hailing and (car-)pooling, taking on i.e. Uber. Later, the carmaker wants to develop an all-electric shuttle with autonomous driving options just for these new services. The new 50-person strong team will set up shop in Berlin, and is said to grow to 200 employees by the end of 2017. autonews.com, autocar.co.uk, bloomberg.com
BMW electric future: Autocar has learned that following the BMW iNext in 2021, which will most likely be sold as the i5, the Bavarians will launch an electric SUV (probably the i6) from 2022. Both EVs will most likely be offered with different size battery options. autocar.co.uk
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Tow tractor alliance: Toyota Material Handling Europe has acquired 66 percent of material handling company SIMAI, who designs and develops electric tow tractor and platform truck solutions. The Japanese plan to completely take over the Italian company at a later date. toyota-forklifts.eu
Wireless alliance: The cooperation between U.S. supplier Evatran and Chinese Zhejiang VIE Science and Technology Company (we reported) is bearing first fruits. JAC Motors presented its electric iEV6S at the Automechanika Shanghai, featuring a wireless charging system by Evatran and VIE. insideevs.com
Crowdfunded electric BMX: Prodecotech and Life Electric Vehicle have launched two aluminium-framed eBMX with a 250 W or 350 motor and stylish colour combinations. Top speed is limited at 12 and 20 mph. For financing, the companies turned to crowdfunding platform Indigeogo, where backers can get first dips on the electric bikes from 599 dollars. treehugger.com (with video)
Evatran extends wireless charging offer: The U.S. company wants to offer inductive charging for 80 percent of EV models in the U.S. by 2017. The plugless system can already be ordered for the Chevy Volt and Tesla Model S. Next on the list are the Model X and Model 3, as well as 6.6 kWh charging solution for other manufacturers. greencarreports.com
Heating technology for more range: As part of the EU-funded project JOSPEL (we reported), researchers have introduced a new heating system for electric vehicles. It is said to use 30 percent less energy than conventional solutions, as it applies ohmic heating principles. greencarcongress.com
Electric utility vehicles from Québec: The local government is funding the development of electric utility vehicles with 8.6m dollars. The financial aid has been allocated to Autobus Lion, TM4, AddEnergie, Solution Adetel and Alcoa, who are to deliver a total of four prototypes – including two electric trucks and two e-buses. ctvnews.ca
Johnson Matthey Battery Systems has opened the doors of its new production facility in Milton Keynes. The UK factory will see the production of batteries for hybrid vehicles, as well as e-bikes. businessgreen.com
Autopilot updates: Since the fatal accident with Tesla’s Autopilot, news keep coming in. Now, the U.S. Senate has asked Elon Musk to answer a few questions in person. Europe remains calm so far as the Dutch authority that approved the feature in the first place has “no safety concerns” given users would understand it as a driver assist system and not a self-driving system. A driver from Pennsylvania claiming the Autopilot was active in an accident was proven wrong. autoblog.com (U.S. Senate), electrek.co (Europe), insideevs.com (Pennsylvania)
Next-gen battery material: The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and Hydro-Québec will research and develop novel lithium-ion and lithium-air battery materials for electric transport applications. Their focus is on inorganic solid electrolytes, in particular glass-ceramic electrolytes. isc.fraunhofer.de
American chargers for China: Evatran and Zhejiang VIE Science and Technology Company (VIE), have formed a joint venture. VIE is to integrate Evatran’s wireless EV charging technology Plugless into its existing OEM network in China. It will become available there by 2017. greencarcongress.com
Hybrid kits allowed: India’s government has permitted retrofitting of old vehicles to turn them into hybrids. It now looks to certify manufacturers of such kits and authorise installers as well. indiatimes.com, overdrive.in
Kreisel Electric builds battery factory: The Austrian company mainly known for retrofitting cars with electric drives, is increasing its battery production capabilities. Construction of a new facility named 3K One kicked off yesterday in northern Austria. From March 2017, battery packs with a combined capacity of 800,000 kWh will roll of production lines there annually. automobil-industrie.vogel.de, focus.de (articles in German)
Putting fuel cells to the test: Austrian AVL List and Canadian company Greenlight Innovation announced their corporation on the development of a test platform for fuel cell drivetrains. The testing system will be suited for passenger cars as well as utility vehicles. greenlightinnovation.com
Wireless charging for the Model S: U.S.-based company Evatran will offer its inductive charging system for the Tesla Model S from the end of May. It is already available for the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. The Tesla-option has a charging capacity of 7.2 kWh and will cost 3,290 dollars. insideevs.com, autoevolution.com, pluglesspower.com
Battery cooperation: Swiss tech company Bühler received an order from Chinese battery manufacturer Lishen for the installation of four production lines for EV batteries. The Swiss-developed manufacturing process is said to save 60 percent of space and energy, therefore making production much more cost efficient. cleantech.ch, buhlergroup.com (articles in German)
Leaf security glitch? Security researcher Troy Hunt says that because certain functions can be activated by simply entering the vehicle ID in the NissanConnect app, a Nissan Leaf can easily be hacked. There is no real danger. But hackers could i.e. slowly drain the battery. bbc.com, troyhunt.com
400 miles of freedom: U.S. company Freedom Trucking will soon launch an electric truck with a range of 400 miles (640 km). The vehicle was developed together with Ohio State University and will be put to work between Chicago and Minneapolis later this year. The batteries are provided by Oakridge Global Energy. globenewswire.com
First orders: British Tevva Motors will now take orders for its range extender powertrain, which can be used to retrofit any 7.5t truck. It features a 120 kW electric motor and 66 kWh battery pack, the range extender unit, as well as Tevva’s self-developed Predictive Range Extender Management System (PREMS). commercialfleet.org
Wirelessly charging Tesla: Evatran has opened the order books for its wireless charging system for the Tesla Model S. The 7.2 kW adapter is said to become available by April and can be reserved with a 244 dollar, refundable deposit. insideevs.com, transportevolved.com
Best practice: Green energy enabler GP Joule set up a company fleet with 15 BMW i3. The electric cars can be charged on company grounds at eight charging stations with 20 charge points. The energy comes from renewables. GP Joule’s move is part of an initiative with partners Alphabet, hySOLUTIONS and Öko-Institut that aim to integrate 450 EVs in fleets in the Hamburg region. gp-joule.eu
Fusion station: Hyundai completed the installation of its first fusion station that provides energy for fuel cell and electric vehicles at the same time. It took Hyundai’s Gwangju Creative Economy Innovation Center (GCEIC) five months and various fuel cell studies will follow. A second station will be installed within the coming six months. koreabizwire.com, businesskorea.co.kr
Italy sharing the Leaf: Italian Bari started an electric car sharing service. For now, 30 Nissan Leaf can be booked per day, per kilometre, as well as a “free flow.” The city hopes the fleet to be just a starting point and would like to see it grow to 300 or 500 EVs in the future. corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it (in Italian)
Incentive increase: Massachusetts tops up its MOR-EV programme with an additional two million dollars. Since the introduction in 2014, the scheme has offered rebates for 1,606 plug-in vehicles. automotive-business-review.com
Wireless expansion: The initial 3.2m dollars investment by VIE in wireless charging provider Evatran turns out to be just the starting point for a 10m dollar Series B Raise that might lead to a third round of funding. Evatran aims at global expansion. greencarcongress.com
Connected EV: BMW is using the CES in Las Vegas to present new technologies for its i3 and i8. The BM i8 Concept Spyder i.e. embodies the manufacture’s vision of automated driving and digitally connected vehicles, featuring cameras rather than side mirrors. Also, the i3’s battery charge level can soon also be displayed on your own hallway or bedroom mirror. How very useful… mashable.com, autoblog.com
Evatran eyes China: Chinese supplier VIE is pouring 3.2m dollars into Evatran, whose inductive charging technology will also become available in China. In North America, the latter currently offers its wireless system for the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and Cadillac ELR. The technology is said to also available for other models already this quarter. businesswire.com
Autonomous alliance: GM has invested 500m dollars in Uber opponent Lyft, with the goal of getting an “autonomous on-demand” fleet on the road. The Chevy Volt is a likely first choice, as General Motors will start testing a fleet of self-driving Volt in Canada. worldcarfans.com
Aguri looks for partner: Aguri will get its electric powertrain from a rival Formula E team next season, since the development of the own technology is too costly. It looks as though Renault is the current favourite. autosport.com
New electric drive by Continental: The supplier integrated electric motor, transmission and power electronics in one unit. Scalable from 60 to 120 kW, the new drive covers all performance levels and will be available as either asynchronous or permanent synchronous drive. Continental will unveils its new compact electric drive system at the IAA, and says that it is destined for the Chinese market. automobil-produktion.de (in German)
Electric truck trial completed: Mercedes finished a one-year trial with eight Fuso Canter E-Cell electric trucks in Portugal. The EVs were tested with customers under real world conditions and met expectations fully. Ranges of up to 100 kilometres a day were easily reached and first analysis points at cost savings of up to 1,000 euros per 10,000 km compared to diesel trucks. auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com, media.daimler.com
Evatran received 1.6m dollars from Chinese Zhejiang VIE Science and Technology Company (VIE) to develop inductive charging technology for China. The strategic investment by the component manufacturer is only the first step of a progressive partnership, as VIE plans additional investments. greencarcongress.com, automotive-business-review.com
Nanogenerator: Researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The nanogenerator drives on an electrode integrated into a car’s tire. As the electrode comes into contact with the ground, the friction produces an electrical charge. greencarcongress.com
Plugless in Sweden: Evatran is about to start a test run with its wireless charging system Plugless. More than 20 inductive chargers will be delivered to the Swedish cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Uppsala as part of the 18-month research project WiCh. The goal is to determine what effect wireless charging has on EV usage. fleetsandfuels.com, pluglesspower.com
Sharing is charging: Dutch Fastned is trying to win investors by offering free charging for a lifetime. The offer is valid for everyone who buys at least 2,500 shares, priced at 10 euros each. fastnedpr.pr.co
Renault goes to Seoul: Renault-Samsung has won the bid to deliver 40 electric taxis to the Korean capital this year. The SM3 Z.E. will help the government reach its own goal. It had announced that of 25% of newly acquired vehicles for government and public-service use will be electric. whowired.com
Green sightseeing: British York put a newly converted electric bus into service. The City Sightseeing open top bus, formerly a diesel, is now available for city tours. If successful, another five electric buses might follow. yorkpress.co.uk
Extended fleet: The University of Dundee is expanding its electric fleet, adding three more electric vans and 12 electric bikes. The vehicles are paid for with a 70,000-pound funding package (108,558 USD) from Transport Scotland. The university now has seven electric vans, one electric car and a hybrid flatbed truck. The bikes are available to students as well as staff. evfleetworld.co.uk
F1 technology in London buses: Go-Ahead has ordered GKN Power Hybrid to retrofit 500 buses with its electric flywheel system called Gyrodrive Kinetic Energy Recovery System. It includes the flywheel, as well as the company’s EVO electric motor, gearbox, and installation. The buses will come to London one by one over the next two years and are said to save up to 20% fuel. transportengineer.org.uk, greencarcongress.com
Cadillac to charge wireless: Evatran will be offering its inductive charging system for the Cadillac ELR by the end of this year. The system is already available for the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt. Furthermore, Evatran announced it would soon include two more premium models but has not specified which yet. greencarcongress.com, ecomento.com
Hyundai on 48 volts: LG Chem has developed a 48-V litium-ion battery to be exclusively used in SUVs by Hyundai to power the on-board electronics. It will replace the 12-V system in a not yet specified electric SUV set for launch in 2017. Furthermore, by implementing 48-volt systems carmakers can adopt electric drive technologies more easily than by using dual-battery systems. koreatimes.co.kr
Battery simulation tool: CD-adapco has completed the development of a software providing seamless integration between the work of electrochemists and thermal engineers designing batteries together. The tool is part of the DoE project CAEBAT (Computer Aided Engineering of Electric Drive Batteries) which started back in 2011. newswire.ca
– Feedback –
Most clicked link on Tuesday was our review of the Audi A3 e-tron that our editor-in-chief took for a spin around Vienna. electrive.com
Inductive charging: Together with the Mr. Electric Franchise Group, Evatran has started to roll out its wireless charging system Plugless L2 in the U.S. and Canada. The system is available for the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt and is said to be opened up to other models in the future. electriccarsreport.com, puregreencars.com
Hubject to grow again: Dutch infrastructure provider Allego is the latest to come on board the international joint venture and eRoaming platform. Allego’s chargers are said to be integrated into the intercharge network already this year. hubject.de
Tesla tackles Stockholm and Texas: According to Tesla’s twitter account, the carmaker has opened its first store in Stockholm, Sweden. The country also just got its first Model S taxi. The Californian also opened its third location in Texas. As they are not allowed to sell cars directly to customers there, it is more of an EV showroom. twitter.com, teslaclubsweden.se (store opening in Swedish), green.autoblog.com (Texas 1), transportevolved.com (Texas 2)
E-bike incentives in the UK? Outgoing chairman of the British Electric Bicycle Association (BEBA), Mark Loveridge, has been lobbying to include electric bicycles into the UK government’s grant scheme that offers up to 5,000 pounds for EV buyers. While the position is being considered, a final decision will only be made in August. bikebiz.com
Early bird bargain: The first 250 buyers of the wireless charging system introduced by Bosch and Evatran at the CES, are eligible for a discount of 1,000 USD (734 EUR). The discounted inductive charging system then costs 1,998 USD (1,467 EUR) and is compatible with the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. greencarcongress.com, green.autoblog.com, chargedevs.com
Fuel-cell bus testing: The public transport network of Antwerp, Belgium, will soon introduce five fuel-cell busses into their fleet. In San Remo, five of these H2 busses were already in trial with testing set to resume in spring this year. The project is supported by Solvay, a chemical company who will supply the new vehicles with hydrogen they produce as a byproduct. oekonews.at (In German)
Most EV-friendly cities: Infrastructure provider ChargePoint has issued a list with the top ten cities for electric cars. Their score is based on the number of EVs owned and the number of public charging stations (ChargePoint only). On top of the list is San Francisco, followed by Seattle and San Diego. smartgridnews.com
Intelligent charging success: To charge batteries with green excess energy is sensible and economically viable. This is the result of the 
VW unveils new mobility service brand: The new brand MOIA will initially focus on ride-hailing and (car-)pooling, taking on i.e. Uber. Later, the carmaker wants to develop an all-electric shuttle with autonomous driving options just for these new services. The new 50-person strong team will set up shop in Berlin, and is said to grow to 200 employees by the end of 2017.
Autopilot updates: Since the fatal accident with Tesla’s Autopilot, news keep coming in. Now, the U.S. Senate has asked Elon Musk to answer a few questions in person. Europe remains calm so far as the Dutch authority that approved the feature in the first place has “no safety concerns” given users would understand it as a driver assist system and not a self-driving system. A driver from Pennsylvania claiming the Autopilot was active in an accident was proven wrong.
Kreisel Electric builds battery factory: The Austrian company mainly known for retrofitting cars with electric drives, is increasing its battery production capabilities. Construction of a new facility named 3K One kicked off yesterday in northern Austria. From March 2017, battery packs with a combined capacity of 800,000 kWh will roll of production lines there annually.
Leaf security glitch? Security researcher Troy Hunt says that because certain functions can be activated by simply entering the vehicle ID in the NissanConnect app, a Nissan Leaf can easily be hacked. There is no real danger. But hackers could i.e. slowly drain the battery. 
Connected EV: BMW is using the CES in Las Vegas to present new technologies for its i3 and i8. The BM i8 Concept Spyder i.e. embodies the manufacture’s vision of automated driving and digitally connected vehicles, featuring cameras rather than side mirrors. Also, the i3’s battery charge level can soon also be displayed on your own hallway or bedroom mirror. How very useful…