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November 18, 2013
General
Utility PG&E to Replace All of Its 942 Class 5 Work Trucks With Plug-In Hybrids
The task of replacing all 942 of its Class 5 work trucks with plug-in hybrids is now officially underway at utility PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric). PG&E Service Area Map PG&E received a $2.2 million grant from the California Energy Commission and used some of that money to purchase its first plug-in hybrid Class 5 truck. The truck, manufactured by Electric...
18 November 2013
Battery Tech
Valence Technology Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Li-ion battery manufacturer Valence Technology, based in Austin, TX, announced that soon will exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which the firm filed in mid-2012: "I am pleased to announce that yesterday the US Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas approved Valence Technology's plan to exit Chapter 11. As part of that exit plan, Valence today closed on a $20 million loan provided by its n...
18 November 2013
General
Torotrak CEO at Automotive Cleantech Conference: Electric Vehicles Steer "Funding Away From Potentially More Effective and Near-
Torotrak's Annual General Meeting is Looking a Bit Empty We'll preface this post by stating that this will likely be one of the most unusual articles you'll come upon on InsideEVs. Torotrak Slogan What's so unusual, you ask? Well, the CEO of Torotrak, a UK-based developer of infinitely variable transmission systems and flywheel technology...
18 November 2013
General
Porsche Finalizes Performance Figures for 918 Spyder - 0 to 62 MPH in 2.5 Seconds - 0 to 124 MPH in 7.2 Second
Porsche 918 Spyder The final bit of tweaking on the Porsche 918 Spyder is now complete and the figures put forth by Porsche are mind blowing. 918 Spyder 0 to 62 MPH in 2.5 Seconds 0 to 124 MPH in 7.2 Seconds 0 to 62 MPH in Electric-Only Mode 6.2 Seconds or 6.1 With the Upgraded Weissach Package 0 to 186 MPH in 19.9 Seconds 4.6...
18 November 2013
General
KBB: 2014 Honda Accord PHEV Grabs Best Resale Value Title for Plug-In Vehicles
Honda Accord PHEV After 36 months, the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid is expected to retain 53% of its value. KBB Results for Honda Accord PHEV After 60 months, the 2014 Accord PHEV is expected to retain 40% of its value. Those two figures put the Accord PHEV on top of Kelley Blue Book's resale value list for plug-in vehicles, which ...
18 November 2013
General
2015 Mini Cooper Gets Revealed - Plug-In Hybrid Version in the Works
2015 Mini Cooper Interior The completely revamped 2015 Mini Cooper has finally been officially revealed. You won't see a plug-in version here, but Mini says it's coming. Let's hope it arrives soon. Since the revealed Mini Cooper doesn't have a plug, we'll keep this brief by sticking to the need-to-know stuff. The 2015 Mini Cooper will launch in Spring of 2014. It's...
18 November 2013
General
Japanese Team Sets New EV Record of 808 Miles On Single Charge
According to a report in The Japan Times, we see that a new world record of distance traveled on single charge for electric vehicles has been set. The Japanese team, led by Kenjiro Shinozuka, the first Japanese driver to win the Dakar Rally (1997), used converted Suzuki Every with lithium-ion battery pack of undisclosed capacity to drive 1,300 km (808 miles) on a 25-km course in Akita Prefectur...
18 November 2013
Video: Bloomberg Asks, "Can This $136,000 BMW Topple Tesla?"
Short answer...nope. BMW i8 In comparison to the Tesla Model S, the BMW i8 comes off as an overpriced, under-performing automobile. The i8 is not quite as quick as the top-of-the-line Model S, yet it costs tens of thousands more. Furthermore, the i8 is basically a 2-seater (it seats 4, but only in a pinch or if the back two seats are occupied by kid-si...
18 November 2013
General
Road & Track Selects Fiat 500e as "Best Electric Car of 2013"
Fiat 500e Despite it being purely a compliance EV and sold in limited numbers, the Fiat 500e was selected by Road & Track as the winner of the magazine's "Best Electric Car of 2013" award. 500e Interior Aside from the compliance aspect, we think the 500e is worthy of this accolade, as its one of only a few reasonably priced electrics out ...
18 November 2013
General
Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive Quietly Pushed Back To Summer 2014, Won't Be Nationwide Until 2015
Slippage. The word best to describe what has been happening of late with plug-in offerings from Daimler is slippage. smart ED Has Been Received Well By The Public, In Fact It Caused A Bit Of A Battery Supply Issue For Daimler First the company's national roll-out of the smart ED moved quietly from September of 2013 to October of 2013, to sometime in 201...
18 November 2013
General
Argonne Computer Model And The Implications For The 3rd Generation Tesla
Tesla Has Promised A $35,000 (ish), 200 Mile EV In 2017 Tesla has promised us an affordable electric car in around 2017 (we will just call it the Model E for now). Being affordable means having access to a battery that is even lower cost than today’s technology will allow. What path do we follow to get to this battery? Panasonic and Tesla have inked a new agreement for many m...
18 November 2013
Charging
Volvo Debuts World's Most Useless Solar Canopy Plug-In Vehicle Charger
There it is...Volvo's vision of the plug-in vehicle charging future. Takes Up Like 3 Parking Spots...Maybe 4? Only problem is there is no way this could work. Volvo's Pure Tension Pavilion made its debut in concept form in Italy. It's the work of designer Alvin Huang and it's part of what Volvo calls Synthesis Design + Architecture. The idea is tha...
17 November 2013
Video: BMW to Battle Tesla for EV Supremacy
With BMW now entering the plug-in vehicle scene, several reports have surfaced suggesting that the German automaker may well be the only one capable of challenging Tesla in the high-end EV segment. BMW i8 to Challenge Tesla Model S? While Tesla argues that the Model S is not a luxury vehicle, the media seems to disagree. The Model S is constantly lumped in w...
17 November 2013