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Daimler is bringing electric school buses to Virginia
The state of Virginia has taken a big step toward greener school transportation by ordering 50 of Daimler's Thomas Built electric buses, Daimler announced. The Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley models with 134 miles of range will go into service in the first phase of a plan to replace over 1,000 diesel models. The e-buses have an upfront cost that's about $120,000 higher than diesel models, but Virginia power company Dominion is reportedly paying the difference and setting up charging stations for select schools.
Oppo's next phone can be fully charged in just 30 minutes
While a handful of recent flagship phones -- namely Samsung's Note 10+ (with the optional 45W adapter) and Vivo's NEX 3 5G -- can be fully charged in a little over an hour, Oppo's upcoming tech will soon render such "fast" charging speeds obsolete. We're talking about juicing up a 4,000mAh battery in just 30 minutes! That's the claim for Oppo's 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 feature, which will debut on the gaming-centric Reno Ace due October 10th, according to the company's Shenzhen event yesterday.
Apple finally includes a fast charger with the iPhone 11 Pro
After years of rumors, Apple will finally include a fast charger with at least one of its iPhone models. Starting with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, the company will ship an 18W power adapter inside the box. The 18W USB-C power adapter is the same one the company ships with the 2018 iPad Pro. Since the iPhone 11 Pro still features a Lightning Port, Apple is also including a USB-C to Lightning cable, which means you'll finally be to connect your iPhone to one of the company's current Macs without buying an additional cable. This marks the first time one of Apple's smartphone hasn't come with the company's outdated and slow 5W charger.
Samsung chips promise secure 100W USB-C fast charging
Samsung released two new USB Type-C power delivery (PD) controller chips for power adapters, SE8A and MM101. The chips included built-in security safeguards and are able to communicate with devices that meet USB-PD 3.0 specifications to deliver the optimum power for each device. With up to 100W-charging, they support fast charging on power-hungry products like laptops and tablets, too.
Penske debuts fast charging stations for electric delivery trucks
Today, Penske Truck Leasing opened 14 DC fast charging stations at four facilities in Southern California. According to the company, they're the first high-speed charging stations specifically designed for heavy duty, commercial electric vehicles in the US. And they'll be used to charge semi trucks, like the Daimler Freightliners that Penske has been testing.
OnePlus won't replace the 2's flawed USB Type-C cable
Google engineer Benson Leung recently tested the OnePlus 2's USB Type-C cable and said it "may cause damage to your charger, hub or PC USB port" if used on a fast-charging device. OnePlus has now admitted that it doesn't conform to the USB Type-C 1.1 spec, and has agreed to give refunds to its customers. There's one large caveat, however. Since the cable can't cause problems with the OnePlus 2 itself (it's not a fast-charging phone), the company won't give refunds or replacement cables to buyers of the handset. Instead, it will only refund customers who purchased the cable separately.
Estonia officially opens nationwide EV fast charging network
If certain reporters had lived in Estonia, how different things might be. The small European state has just cut the ribbon on its nationwide EV fast-charge network -- providing 165 charging stations no further that 60km apart. Implementing a national or state-wide network of charger locations is something either under way, or in place in locations from Australia to Indiana. The Estonian implementation is state-backed, has a unified payment system, and offers three tiers of service to customers, from a basic pay-and-go option to a €30 all-you-can-drive monthly electricity buffet. It's claimed that up to a 90 percent charge can be achieved in half an hour, with the range that achieves depending on your vehicle of choice. Estonia has 619 all-electric cars registered with the traffic office, and the network extends beyond the mainland, ensuring even those weekend road trips should be covered.
Toshiba SCiB to be used in Mitsubishi i-MiEV, recharge to 80 percent in just 15 minutes
Toshiba's SCiB (Super Charge Ion Battery) technology has long been the source of great hope and anticipation in electronics circles, but it's never quite delivered the world-changing retail products that its marketing promised. Hoping to correct that in a big way, the company's now hooked up with Mitsubishi to distribute said fast-charging cells in the taxman-friendly i-MiEV (to be known as Mitsubishi i in the US) and its taxi variant, the MINICAB-MiEV. How fast-charging, you ask? We're told recharging will be done in 15 minutes for 80 percent, 10 minutes for 50 percent, and a mere 300 seconds for 25 percent. You'll need a CHAdeMO charger to achieve such rapid revitalization rates, but those stations are sprouting up across the US now. There are other favorable qualities to Toshiba's batteries, including "excellent charging and output" under very low temperatures, 2.5 times the number of charge / discharge cycles of regular lithium ion cells, and safer operation than most other alternatives. Check out the full PR after the break.
Renault DeZir recharges while you stare, not while you wait
Oh, sure -- Shelby's practically nonexistent Aero EV can recharge in around 10 minutes, but if you're hoping to find a similarly quick vehicle that's even close to your price range, you've probably come up empty so far. Thankfully, Renault has a mind to change that with the new DeZir. Slated to take the stage at this year's Paris Motor Show, the lascivious concept rolls with a mid-mounted electric engine capable of screaming a solid 100 miles before petering out. The good news here, though, is that the outfit's Quick Drop technology enables the battery packs to regain 80 percent of their charge in just 20 minutes using a 400V three-phase current, though a standard household plug will require a good night's rest (read: eight hours) to rejuvenate it fully. 'Course, only time will tell if this beaut will ever hit the production line, but we'd go ahead and brace yourself for it to look far tamer should that green light ever get lit.
JFE Engineering's quick auto charger does 50% charge in three minutes, hits parking lots in March
While range is an unfortunate limiting factor for electric vehicles, slow recharging time is perhaps even more troubling. Going 100 miles on a charge would be okay if you could stop at the corner electron stand and top up your cells while hitting the potty, and JFE Engineering's quick charger gets makes that a reality, able to charge an EV's batteries to 50 percent in just three minutes. Five minutes gets you a 70 percent charge, but from there things go downhill, with 30 minutes required for an 80 percent charge. The company is now pledging that these units will be ready for installation at convenience shops and the like by March -- in Japan, of course. The "low cost" version is said to go for $60,000, while the standard model costs twice that. Fast-flowing electrons: expensive business.
Europe gets first fast-charging EV station, hungers for more
Epyon, a small Dutch startup, is showing the big boys how it's done with its recently unveiled fast-charging station for electric vehicles. Billed as Europe's first commercially available charger of its kind, this unit will recharge anything up to a nine-seater taxi van within 30 minutes, thanks to its 50 kilowatts of power capacity. It's now installed alongside more conventional petrol and diesel refilling points in a fueling station over in Leeuwarden. That's the capital city of Friesland, a Dutch province that has set itself the ambitious goal of having 100,000 EVs on its roads by 2015. That aim is shared by the wider European Union as well, which yesterday agreed on defining a common electric recharging standard, whose universality might attract skeptical consumers and more cautious investors into the field. They've set themselves a deadline of "mid-2011," though the broad outlines and new incentives for buying greener cars are likely to appear by the end of this year.
