US electric medium and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer GreenPower Motor has announced the launch of the Nano Beast: a purpose-built, battery-electric, Type A school bus with a range of up to 150 miles per charge.
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The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) in California has become the first transit authority in North America to reach the goal of an all-electric fleet.
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Workhorse and GreenPower Motor have signed a multi-year supply agreement to facilitate the manufacturing and delivery of medium-duty Class 4 electric step vans into the North American market.
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GreenPower Motor has received an order for four wirelessly charged EV Stars electric vans from Grant Transit in the US state of Washington. The four GreenPower EV Stars ordered by Grant Transit are the first to include Momentum Dynamics’ wireless charging system.
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The US charging system developer Momentum Dynamics, which specializes in wireless charging for electric vehicles, is cooperating with the North American vehicle manufacturer GreenPower Motor. They aim to integrate Momentum Dynamics’ inductive charging technology into GreenPower’s EV Star shuttle bus and to distribute it in the USA, Canada and Europe.
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The U.S. bus manufacturer GreenPower has announced their intention of tripling their production capacities for electric buses. For this purpose, the company has leased a factory in the Californian Porterville with an area of more than 50,000 m².
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Diesel restrictions in Seoul: 30 percent of new vehicles sold will be electric by 2020, the South Korean government announced. They will also be limiting diesel-powered vehicles in the Seoul area and replace diesel buses with compressed natural gas vehicles. To accompany the new electric vehicles, the government plans to erect electric charging stations at all expressway rest areas by 2018.
yonhapnews.co.kr, kbs.co.kr
Quebec sales quotas: A proposed bill in Quebec would require car dealerships to make 15 percent of their sales from green vehicles. Dealers who do not meet the quota could face fines. It is unclear whether the bill will pass, and store managers seem sceptical that quotas will lead to more sales.
ctvnews.ca
110,000 stations in China: Chinese companies Chongqing Liangjiang and Laidian Alternative Energy Co., Ltd plan to build 110,000 charging stations in the city of Chongqing, China, by 2020. They are also creating shops for customers to test out vehicles before buying online.
gasgoo.com
Possible bus order for GreenPower: The company says it received nine separate Letters of Intent for a total of 25 GreenPower all-electric school buses in California. Most requests are for Type C school buses, though there is also interest in Type A buses (with wheelchair lift). Both types feature in-wheel drive motors and can go 100 miles on one charge.
greenpowerbus.com
Hotel electrifies fleet: Hotel Icon in Hong Kong has created a fully electric transportation fleet comprised of an electric hotel shuttle, two Tesla Model S and a BMW i3. Select guests can use the Tesla for airport transfers, while the other vehicles can be used for a fee.
asiatraveltips.com
Porsche photovoltaic pylon: A new Porsche centre in Berlin is powered by the now completed pylon. It is 25 metres high and includes 7,776 solar cells that can annually generate up to 30,000 kWh of electricity. Electric car owners are welcome to charge on-site for free.
thestack.com
Disciplinary move: Glasgow council scraps free parking in charge bays, limiting park time to two hours at 3 GBP each. Officials say the spaces are overused by EV and PHEV drivers and that the measure will bring greater availability for actual charging by the summer. Electricity remains free-of-charge.
heraldscotland.com
EVs and charging in Connecticut: Middletown added six Ford Focus Electric cars to its fleet and the same number of public charging stations. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection funded the project with 115,064 dollars while the city had to add 78,606 dollars.
courant.com
A new electric bus has been approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). GreenPower’s EV350 model can be sold as as heavy duty bus in the Golden State. The EV is eligible for the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), worth 95,000 dollars.
money.cnn.com
Local EV fleet: Rochdale Borough Council purchased three electric cars. The EVs are already in use for waste and recycling, as well as transport services and the council hopes to save about 500 GBP on fuel cost per year and per EV. Bracknell Forest council, too, acquired its second Nissan e-NV200.
rochdaleonline.co.uk, bracknellnews.co.uk
China charges ahead: The recently decided guideline on Development of EV charging Infrastructure calls for 4.8 million individual charge points by 2020, as well as 12,000 large charging stations. Some 3,850 will be reserved for electric buses, another 2,500 for electric taxis.
insideevs.com, gasgoo.com
Electrified Leipzig: The German city of Leipzig, home to the BMW production plant for the i-series, received 50 BMW all-electric i3. The electric cars are being leased over two years and will be used by i.e. the local utility company and local government itself. BMW will also aid the city in further developing its charging infrastructure.
l-iz.de, dmm.travel (articles in German)
Supercharger coming soon: Tesla updated its map of European Supercharger locations and space is getting tight. Development is said to continue quickly. Many locations in central Europe as well as in Spain, Finland and even Tukey are marked with “opening soon.”
teslamotors.com via teslamag.de
E-bus for Canada: GreenPower will lease its EVC550 all-electric double decker to The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and CVS Cruise Victoria in Canada. The bus is expected to be delivered by April and will be part of a pilot programme. There is a purchase option after three years.
cnn.com
Volvo heads to India: Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) will kick off a pilot project with Volvo hybrid buses in the first half of next year. The buses will be manufactured in the company’s facility in Bengaluru. Volvo is the first company to bring hybrid bus technology to India.
thehindubusinessline.com, newkerala.com
Electric taxi fleet: 50 electric cabs will start taking passengers in Montreal in mid-November. The pilot is run by start-up Taxelco, that bought the city’s second-biggest cab operator and plans to electrify the entire 500-strong fleet. Taxis, including Teslas, Kia Soul EV and Nissan Leaf, can be hailed via app.
electrek.co
Electric delivery fleet: UPS has received 18 electric trucks built by Workhorse specifically for stop-and-go operations postal service entails. The E-100 delivery vehicles that were purchased with the support of the DoE, local governments and non-profits, will serve in the Houston-Galveston area.
ngtnews.com, postandparcel.info
Copenhagen is to test lightweight electric buses from summer 2016 as two buses built by Finnish Linkker will serve on route 3A over two years. Rapid charging technology by Dutch Schunk/Heliox can partially recharge the buses in less than three minutes with electricity sponsored by E.ON.
cphpost.dk
Electric school buses: Canadian GreenPower signed a letter of intent to deliver a total of 20 electric school buses to Adomani. Delivery is due within a year’s time.
marketwatch.com
Hybrid bus fleet: As another seven hybrid buses join the fleet of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) in Florida, it grows to 68 in total. Comes next year, the transport provider will consider to add a number of purely electric vehicles as well in its overall fleet of 200.
tbo.com
EV production in Thailand: The South-East Asian country and Japan are negotiating a deal that would turn Thailand into a manufacturing hub. Toyota for example is willing to start building hybrids and more surprisingly EVs here, but only if the Thai government starts to install charging infrastructure first.
bangkokpost.com
2017 Mercedes E Class: Renderings of Daimler’s next-gen E Class were published by German Auto Bild. The model is expected to debut in Detroit 2016 and will most likely feature mild-hybrid tech in nearly all petrol and diesel variants. PHEVs are planned as well with electric motor output from 75 to 120 kW.
indianautosblog.com, autobild.de (original source in German)
Electric double-decker: GreenPower sold the presumably first all-electric double decker bus in North America to EV Power for more than a million dollars. Delivery of the EVC550 is set for mid 2016. Its 400-kWh batteries translate to 240 miles range while the electric bus can carry up to 125 passengers.
marketwatch.com
Bike bargain: Spanish Volta Motorbikes is asking less than 10,000 euros for its electric models BCN City and BCN Sport (9,065 and 9,771 euros). The bikes’ motor delivers 25 kW and peaks at 33 kW. Weighing 135 kilos, both electric bikes include a 4-kW battery pack that lasts for 70 kilometres.
motorfreaks.nl (in Dutch), voltamotorbikes.com (company’s website)
10m dollars before the month’s end or else it is bankruptcy for Smith Electric Vehicles. The electric truckmaker has informed investors about its desperate need for cash. Smith EVs has a history of funding gone foul as both the UK and the Obama administration plus various investors chipped in before.
nlpc.org
Ireland to go green: The Emerald Isle will spent 94.9m pound (144m dollars) in an attempt to become energy efficient. Apart from investments in renewables and upgrades to homes, electric transport incentives will receive some funding as well.
energylivenews.com
Cheap EVs from Italy: Askoll usually produces electric motors for household goods but has now decided to extend its scope to mobility devices. Electric bikes, electric scooters and even electric cars at prices from 990 euros for an e-bike to 7,800 euros for a two-seater EV surely can be called competitive. The EV segment will be run by the new subsidiary ‘Electra Vehicles Askoll’ in which the company plans to invest 60 million euros. By the year’s end, already 100 outlets are set to be spread across Italy.
pressetext.com (in German), veicolielettricinews.it (in Italian)
Next-gen EVs in 2018: Allegedly, VW will offer the e-Golf successor by 2018 while Nissan is to bring the new Leaf in early 2018, Reuters reports quoting inside sources. Both electric cars are said to then offer a significantly greater range due to better batteries. Ford too, is planning a new EV around that time, which is to boast at least 200 miles of range, Reuters was told by suppliers.
reuters.com
True Chevy hybrid: Chevrolet is to present the new Malibu at next week’s New York Auto Show. This time it will be offered as a full hybrid version using technology from the new Chevy Volt.
autonews.com, greencarcongress.com
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Baden-Württemberg Pavilion | Hannover Messe 2015 Electric mobility made in Baden-Württemberg – The cluster Electric Mobility South-West connects over 80 key players from business and science. Meet the experts on more than 600 sqm exhibition area and get an insight into latest developments. Visit us at the MobiliTec: Hall 27, Booth H85.
www.e-mobilbw.de
More range for less money: The new Renault Zoe has arrived in France, where it is sold for 500 euros less than its predecessor. Furthermore, the latest model sports 30 kilometres more range (we reported).
insideevs.com, technologicvehicles.com
Soul EV roll out: As previously hinted at, Kia’s electric car was so well received in the States that the Koreans will now make it available in more states. Namely Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii are to get some Soul this June.
automobilemag.com, prnewswire.com
Electric bus roll out: Canadian GreenPower now started production of the EV350 electric bus in China. The model comes with more range and increased space for up to 40 seated passengers. Final assembly is located in the United States.
marketwired.com
Japanese H2 efforts: Honda and Toyota both aim for an annual production of 1,000 fuel cell vehicles by 2015. Honda’s sedan is expected to travel 500 kilometres on one tank and will cost less than ten million yen (96,890 dollars) in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. Toyota plans similarly but wants to scale up production considerably comes 2020.
asia.nikkei.com
Audi parades R18 e-tron in Le Mans: The new hybrid race car of the German carmaker has made its entry on the streets of the French city. Tom Christensen drove the R18 e-tron about six miles from the cathedral to the race track. The 2014 R18’s diesel engine is enlarged to 4 litres, 300 ccm more than last season.
hybridcars.com, puregreencars.com
Nissan recall: The American NHTSA and the Japanese carmaker are recalling more than one million vehicles mostly in North America, due to a software problem concerning the airbag. Among the affected cars are the Nissan Leaf, Pathfinder and some Infiniti from the model years 2013/14.
reuters.com, autoblog.com
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MobiliTec – German Pavilion – Baden-Württemberg | 7 to 11 April 2014 | Hannover Messe: Electric Mobility made in Baden-Württemberg – The cluster Electric Mobility South-West connects over 80 key players from business and science within the region of Karlsruhe – Mannheim – Stuttgart – Ulm. Visit us: Hall 27, Booth H85. More cluster information >>
Millions for mobility: The Mobility Fund is a foundation by Toyota designed to support initiatives that address mobility issues worldwide. Programmes by non-profit organizations and research institutions can expect grants totalling 3 to 4.5 billion yen (29 to 39m dollar) annually. The Mobility Fund will be registered in Japan by August this year.
greencarcongress.com
New electric bus: Greenpower Motor Company from Canada will present its lightweight EV350 with Siemens components at the end of April. The electric bus is said to have a range of 250 kilometres per charge. Greenpower has appointed StarPoint as one of its U.S. distributors.
marketwired.com
