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EVgo and Electrify America let you charge your EV with just one account
EVgo and Electrify America have announced a partnership that will make it less of a hassle for EV owners to find a charge. Drivers will be able to access public chargers on either network without the need to create a new membership or pay additional fees, the companies said. The agreement covers over 3,000 DC fast chargers at more than 1,000 stations across the US.
Tesla drops annual servicing for 'as needed' repair model
Tesla has quietly changed its EV maintenance policy, going from regularly scheduled service to an "as-needed" model, according to its "Car Maintenance" page. Before, it called for "recommended" service every 12 months and 12,500 for the Model S and X, and 24 months or 25,000 miles for the Model 3. Now, however, it simply says "your Tesla does not require annual maintenance and regular fluid changes," and instead recommends periodic servicing of things like brake fluid, air conditioning and filters.
Volkswagen will use Tesla batteries at its charging stations
Volkswagen announced today that it will be using Tesla Powerpack battery storage units on more than 100 of its Electrify America charging stations in the US, according to Reuters. The battery packs, which will be installed over the course of 2019, will be placed in regions where there is a higher concentration of electric vehicle owners in order to provide power during heavy charging hours. The packs will primarily be placed at charging stations on the west coast.
The Senate is considering extending EV tax credits
As US senate majority leader Mitch McConnell debates making cuts to social security and medicare, Senator Dean Heller (R) of Nevada is hoping to keep electric car sales zipping forward with a new bill that would extend tax credits until 2022.
Renault-Nissan and Didi plan self-driving ride service in China
Didi, the company that purchased the rights to Uber in China, plans to build an electric, autonomous ride-sharing service with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and other automakers. The two companies are currently in the exploration stages, but Renault said it will launch "robo-vehicle ride-hailing services" with Didi as part of its Alliance 2022 strategic plan.
China's extension of EV tax rebates is good news for car makers
Electric cars had their best year ever in 2017, but the market is still fragile -- without subsidies, prices still aren't cheap enough for the average consumer. The US decided to keep EV tax credits for 2018, much to the relief of EV fans and automakers, and China has announced that it will also extend them until the end of 2020, Reuters reports. The move, confirming previous rumors, will "increase support for innovation and development in new energy vehicles," China's Ministry of Finance said.
Toyota and Panasonic explore 'prismatic' EV batteries together
Toyota and Panasonic are teaming up on batteries that Toyota itself and other automakers could use in future electric cars. Rather than building cylindrical batteries like the type that Tesla and other EV makers use, the two companies are exploring the development of "prismatic" cells. Those are square, flat batteries with aluminum housings and are typically used in cell phones. They can be made smaller and lighter than battery packs that use cylindrical cells, but tend to cost more and are vulnerable to overheating and swelling.
Can Tesla avoid becoming the BlackBerry of electric cars?
It wasn't that long ago that the idea of a semi-autonomous, or even an electric car, driving on public roads was incredibly far-fetched. Sure, there were hybrids from companies like Toyota and Honda, but nothing that anyone with a straight face would call cool. Tesla changed all that, first with its roadster but then (more importantly) with its Model S and Autopilot. Its cars had an EV range of more than 200 miles and made caring about the environment and driving "the future" a status symbol. Tesla changed everything in the automotive world and now, well now, the industry has caught up and Elon Musk's company is mired in what he calls "production hell."
Mazda and Toyota will work together to design EVs
Six months ago, Toyota showed off a customized electric, self-driving Lexus. Just yesterday, the auto maker revealed an update to the vehicle line with new Lidar and deep learning AI that can better see objects around the car and predict safer paths on the road. Today, the company is announcing a new joint development agreement between Toyota, Mazda and auto component supplier Denso for the production of electric vehicles. The three companies are also forming a new company, EV C.A. Spirit Co., Ltd., to manage the collaboration.
Williams redesigns the chassis for lighter and stronger EVs
There is frequently a trickle-down from the world of high-end motor racing through to the cars on sale at your local dealership (and refrigerators). Which is why the latest project to emerge from Williams Advanced Engineering is so exciting for the future of EVs. The F1 company is showing off its lightweight electric car chassis that's designed to make electric rides lighter, safer and greener.
Qualcomm can charge EVs while they're moving
Forget about better batteries, what if you could just drive your EV forever? Qualcomm just showed off technology called dynamic electric vehicle charging (DEVC) that juices an EV via road-embedded wireless charging hardware while you're driving. During the demonstration, two Renault Kangoo vehicles equipped with Qualcomm's "Halo" DEVC receivers were charged simultaneously while moving down a 100 meter test track.
People are really starting to embrace electric cars
As with any new transportation technology, it's not as simple as building your first vehicle and expecting the whole world to change. And yet, it appears as if the world is finally cottoning on to this whole electric cars are better and cheaper to run thing.
BMW is adding 100 EV charging stations to US national parks
Today BMW turned on a EV charger at Thomas Edison National Historical Park, the former home of the inventor. It's the first of 100 stations that the German automaker plans on installing in US national parks over the next few years.
Tesla plans to show off its electric semi truck this fall
According to Telsa CEO Elon Musk, the automotive arm of his company will unveil a semi truck this coming September. Musk dropped the news via a tweet. The company is currently gearing up to start full production of the Model 3, set to start being delivered at the end of 2017. But now it looks like Musk is getting ready to dive into into long-haul trucking.
Faraday Future unveils 'world's highest energy density' EV battery
Faraday Future has partnered with LG Chem to build battery packs for Faraday's upcoming FFZero1 supercar and other vehicles that use its new electric car platform. In a joint press release, the companies said they have produced "the world's highest energy density for a production automotive battery." Faraday Future and its products are still a mystery, but LG Chem is a well-known firm that's supplying batteries for two important EVs set to arrive this year: the Chevy Bolt and Renault Zoe.
EV concepts merge with reality at the Paris Auto Show
I might have been imagining things, but automakers seemed a bit nervous at this year's Paris Auto Show. Maybe it's because it's first the first major car event to follow Tesla's successful Model 3 campaign, in which it snagged around 373,000 pre-orders for the EV. If Elon Musk's company can build that many (and that's a big if), the Model 3 will become one of the top ten selling vehicles in the US and a huge thorn in the side for mainstream manufacturers and dealers.
Mercedes will reportedly challenge Tesla with four new EVs (confirmed)
Executives from Mercedes-Benz haven't been coy about the company's EV plans -- it wants to go head-to-head with Tesla. As part of this strategy, Bloomberg reports that Mercedes is getting ready to introduce four electric vehicles, including two sedan models and two SUVs. The new fleet is said to be the starting point of a new sub-brand for Mercedes, although the German automaker still hasn't decided what that will be called. Last month, Mercedes' David McCarthy revealed that a concept electric would be shown sometime in September. In other words, it won't be long before we see what Mercedes has up its sleeve.
Aston Martin is partnering with Faraday Future on electric cars
British luxury carmaker Aston Martin has signed a deal with Chinese tech company LeEco (formerly LeTV) and electric-car startup Faraday Future. As Reuters reports, the plan was revealed at a news conference in Frankfurt, Germany. Aston Martin is forming a joint venture that will work to develop an all-electric take on the Rapide S. That car was announced last year as an 800-horsepower saloon with a 200-mile range. With the tech giant's help, Aston Martin hopes to bring it to market in 2018.
US regulators delay law that will make electric cars more noisy
Electric cars are famous for how quiet they are compared to regular gas-guzzlers. This is good for noise pollution, bad for pedestrians -- especially the visually impaired. Manufacturers are well aware of the issue, and solutions like Toyota's proximity notification system are becoming more popular. What's not in place, yet, is industry-wide legislation to ensure all EVs and Hybrids have such a safety feature built-in. A law requiring cars have automatic audible alerts for pedestrians proposed in 2013 is in process, but Reuters reports the U.S. Department of Transportation that's just been delayed until at least March next year -- it was originally planned to come in to action this fall. The law would cost automakers an estimated $23-million in the first year to implement.
Switching to electric cars would help cool down cities
Electric cars can do more for the environment than cut back on air pollution and fossil fuel use -- they can make sweltering summers more bearable, too. Researchers have determined that EVs create a cooling effect in urban areas, since they aren't producing heat that builds up in traffic jams. That, in turn, reduces the need for air conditioning, which spews out pollution and chews up additional energy. In Beijing, a wholesale switch to electric cars in summer 2012 would have cooled things down enough to eliminate 11,779 tons of air conditioning-related carbon dioxide emissions per day, and 14.4kW of matching electricity use.