Tag: battery industry

It’s been three months since we released The Economics of Grid Defection exploring when off-grid solar-plus-battery systems could reach economic parity with retail electric service.  These systems could become competitive with retail electric service within the next decade for many commercial customers and for many residential customers in the decade thereafter. Since the release of our results, the industry has

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Eight partnering states released their Multi-State ZEV Action Plan as the first promised milestone for the bi-coastal collaboration to pave the way for increasingly large numbers of zero emission vehicles: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The partner states are California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and

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After analyzing its potential for default, Standard & Poor, has designated Tesla stock as a B-, or “junk” rating. That’s the same S&P  that assigned “AAA” credit ratings to bundles of sub-prime loans that helped crater the economy in 2008, as well as downgrading America’s credit rating on the heels of a manufactured debt showdown by the Republicans. According to

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“At Tesla Motors, we depend on everybody to be as creative and productive as possible,” says Paul Lomangino, the Engineering Tools Director at Tesla Motors. That emphasis on creativity is part of what’s made the Model S a shining example of American industrial design – but, as much fun as it is to be creative, the word “productive” also plays

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Batteries do not age gracefully. The lithium ions that power portable electronics cause lingering structural damage with each cycle of charge and discharge, making devices from smartphones to tablets tick toward zero faster and faster over time. To stop or slow this steady degradation, scientists must track and tweak the imperfect chemistry of lithium-ion batteries with nanoscale precision. In two

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The AAA announced its Automobile Club of Southern California Automotive Research Center chose the Tesla S P85 as its top-scoring green car pick this year. The Palo Alto-based automaker’s car is featured with more than 80 other green vehicles in the latest AAA Green Car Guide.  The top-scoring and best value green vehicles were revealed May 28 at the motor

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Liberty Electric Cars has built the first test mule of its electric light commercial vehicle project. Green Automotive Company (GAC) announced its European based subsidiary, Liberty Electric Cars, has successfully completed the build of the first fully functioning example of DELIVER. DELIVER is an electric delivery vehicle funded by the European Commissions’ 7th Framework Program which brings together ten partner

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The first wave of electric cars and plug-in hybrids has been largely centered on smaller vehicles, mostly from mass-market brands (Tesla excepted). Four years later, German luxury makers are entering the fray–and the plug-in cars and utility vehicles they sell will markedly expand the offerings on the market. We’ve now been able to tease out the company’s schedule for its first

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Aerodynamics are a vital component of automotive efficiency. The more air you have to push out of the way to reach or maintain a certain speed, the more energy you’re using. And the more energy you use, the less efficient your journey will be. Tesla Model S owners don’t need aero numbers to confirm their car’s efficiency, but it doesn’t

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A new Code of Practice for Low Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) Power Distribution in Buildings will be published by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) next year. This Code of Practice, expected in early 2015, sets out the requirements for the design, specification, selection, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of LVDC power distribution in buildings, including LVDC supplies and

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