Thanks to its partnership with Tesla Motors, Panasonic now possesses 39% of the plug-in vehicle battery market — crushing its closest rivals, NEC at 27% market share and LG Chem at 9%. The market as whole is continuing to grow relatively rapidly — having more than tripled over the past three years. It currently rests at about 1.4 GWh per
We have just become aware of a last-minute attempt by the auto dealers lobby, via pressure on legislators, to bar Tesla from selling its vehicles direct to consumers in the state. This extraordinary maneuver amounts to a sneak attack to thwart due process and hurt consumer freedom in Missouri. In the last week before Missouri’s legislature ends its current session,
Sales of plug-in electric cars last month stayed about level with last month’s, based on the reports from all makers of plug-in electric cars sold in the U.S. (except for two that refuse to provide sales data). With all data now in, it was a steady month for plug-in sales, but not a spectacular one. The Nissan Leaf battery-electric hatchback
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said Tuesday it will launch at least two new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the next three years as it faces rising fuel-efficiency standards. The automaker disclosed it will launch a plug-in hybrid Chrysler Town & Country minivan in 2016 and a yet-to-be-named full-size Chrysler crossover in 2017. Chrysler chief Al Gardner said the new plug-in
Many of the gas-saving driving and maintenance tips for conventional vehicles also apply to hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric vehicles (EVs). However, here are some additional tips that may help you improve the fuel economy of these advanced vehicles. Reading the Owner’s Manual These vehicles can vary significantly in design, especially the way they manage energy use; tips that apply
Mobile devices are becoming an integrated part of our daily life. Let’s use the smartphone as an example. Instead of a simple phone call function, smartphones are now packed with rich features for social networking, web browsing, messaging, gaming, large HD screens and many others. All these features are pushing the phone to become a power-hungry device. Battery capacity and
One of the biggest names in the whole of the solar PV industry, JinkoSolar, recently announced that it has signed on to supply the PV modules for two large projects in Chile. In total, about 100 MW worth of modules will be supplied for the two projects. The two new projects will both be situated in the Atacama Desert region
One of the largest banks in the world, Wells Fargo, is investing $100 million of tax equity financing into nine new solar PV projects being developed by Strata Solar in North Carolina, according to recent announcements. The projects will all be utility-scale and will sell electricity directly to the utility company Progress Energy Carolinas. Out of said projects, Strata Solar
The Volvo V60 Diesel Plug-In Hybrid is everything we want in a car, and the newly-announced R-Design package adds extra street cred to this Swedish wagon. While purely an aesthetics package, this could be the first step towards the performance Volvo hybrid wagon we have all been dreaming of. For the unfamiliar, the in-demand Volvo V60 Diesel Plug-In is pretty
1. What are the benefits of integrating renewable energy with microgrids? The obvious first benefit is related to cost of generation reduction. With the increasing costs of traditional fossil fuel based generation, such as diesel, and the reduction in dollar-per-watt cost for renewables such as wind, the tipping point for renewables in remote microgrids has been passed. For remote and