Video tip: See the road through the “eyes” of Google’s self-driving car and understand how it makes decisions autonomously. The video is guided by Chris Urmson, who heads up Google’s driverless car programme.
youtube.com
Reading tip: From the Economist comes a thorough run through of inductive charging technology with respects to all technologies that it could affect, like drones and phones. But the main focus is on the automotive sector.
economist.com
Video tip: This episode of Futuris from Euronews visits a cable-less charging station in Spain developed within the EU-supported Unplugged project to explain inductive charging technology as well as some of the challenges that lay ahead. The overall conclusion is that it this is the technology of the future.
euronews.com
Reading tip: The Idaho National Lab has looked into how much plug-in hybrids actually drive electric. According to recently published figures, the Chevy Volt has completed the most electric miles and is driving in all-electric mode 94 percent of the time.
hybridcars.com via greencarreports.com
Video tip: Whilst everyone’s eyes are on Detroit now, it is worth to take a look back at CES. To tease its appearance in Vegas, Audi released a video featuring not only the A3 e-tron but also inductive charging. No details were given but obviously the Germans have something coming.
youtube.com via insideevs.com
Reading tip: John Tuohy tried the BlueIndy electric car-sharing in Indianapolis. While the city’s and French Bolloré’s joint efforts are currently up in the air, Tuohy enjoyed his demo drive but is not a big fan of the small size and prominent branding of the rental EVs.
indystar.com
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Premium inductive charging: BMW and Daimler will join their efforts to develop wireless charging. The system is said to charge at a power rate of 3.6 kW with 90% efficiency. Like the inductive charging system by Swiss supplier Brusa (we reported), the German system seems to work without any external wallbox. A coincidence? The technology might go into serial production in two or three years, according to Daimler.
electriccarsreport.com
New H2 tank: Researchers from DLR with partners have developed a sponge-like tank in which hydrogen can be stored at 70 bar and normal outside temperatures. Researchers of the EU project SSH2S were able to fit the entire system to an Iveco Daily van and use it as an auxiliary power unit. A high-temperature fuel cell was used, delivering electricity and the heat required to release the hydrogen from the storage materials.
chemistryviews.org, dlr.de
Indian solar car: SolarMobil is a team of 27 engineers from Manipal University, India, that have put together a solar-powered two-seater. The ‘Solar Electric Road Vehicle (SERVe)’ is said to have a “cruising speed” of up to 120 kph, and 60 kph when running on solar panels only. The team will race at the South African Solar Challenge (SASOL14).
auto.ndtv.com
Most clicked link on Tuesday was our Short Circuit about the “Toro.” A Renault Twizy upgrade for bumpy roads.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Testing Centre for EVs: Germany’s postal service (Deutsche Post/DHL) wants to open a test centre near Aachen, in order to test alternative delivery methods, such as the StreetScooter (picture). Construction is set to start at the end of June. The reason the postal service chose the location is that it is located near the University RWTH Aachen.
aachener-nachrichten.de (in German)
Battery-body: Swedish researchers are testing if the carbon fibre shell of an EV could be used as an active electrode in a multifunctional structural Li-ion battery. Meaning, whether the battery could be integrated into the body. Others such as Volvo and the Imperial College London have also begun looking at the possibilities.
greencarcongress.com
Charging the market: In a new paper entitled “Strategic Analysis of Inductive Charging for Global Electric Vehicles (EV) Market,” Frost & Sullivan forecasts that the market for inductive charging will grow 126.6 percent annually between 2012 and 2020. Especially Europe will see tremendous growth, with many carmakers already testing the technology.
greencarcongress.com
Yellowstone gives batteries a second life: 208 decommissioned batteries used in Toyota Camry hybrids will be installed at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch inside the U.S. national park. With a combined storage capacity of 85 kWh, they will be able to hold enough excess energy produced by local solar panels and micro hydro turbines to power the farm off the grid.
hybridcars.com