Category: Battery (Page 3 of 6)

Utility pole-mounted chargers can help ease the challenge of charging EVs in urban areas

2023-02-04 / Robert Vinet

Local utility company National Grid recently installed a number of pole-mounted electric vehicle chargers in Melrose, Massachusetts.

According to National Grid, transportation is the single biggest cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts at 43 percent and the expansion of EV’s is a feasible route to help the State become net-zero by 2050.

One of the biggest challenges to mass EV adoption is the lack of reliable charging infrastructure. One of the ways to build public confidence is by installing easily accessible chargers. Being able to charge at home, overnight, is a huge benefit for many potential owners, however not everyone has the luxury of private garage or a dedicated parking spot. These installations provide charging access for these potential EV owners.

The US EV charging network could use a significant upgrade

2023-02-03 / Robert Vinet

Chris Teague, Autoblog »

In late 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed, creating the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) to support the creation of a nationwide fast-charging network. There’s much work to do, as a new study from the Great Plains Institute (GPI) shows a need for more than 1,000 DC fast-charging (DCFC) stations to meet the program’s goals.

The study looked at non-Tesla DCFC stations, of which there are 4,943 in the contiguous 48 states. Among them, only 509 stations meet the requirements laid out under the NEVI program, which include:

Charging stations must have at least four DCFC ports with CCS connectors and the ability to charge four EVs simultaneously at 150 kW each for a combined capacity of 600 kW or more.
Stations must be spaced no more than 50 miles apart on designated corridors and located within one mile of the corridor.

Read the whole story »

Download the GPI report » EV Corridor Roadmap (.pdf)

Elsewhere » Green Car Reports / Electrek /

Tata is considering setting up an EV battery production plant in Spain or the UK

2023-02-03 / Robert Vinet

Reuters »

India’s Tata Group is considering setting up a battery cell plant for electric vehicles (EV) in Spain or Britain, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as its carmaking unit seeks to boost supply chains in Europe.

Read the whole report »

Nissan expects to launch an electric vehicle with a solid-state battery by 2028

2023-02-03 / Robert Vinet

2022 Nissan Leaf

Mark Tisshaw, Autocar »

The Japanese firm, which was first to launch a mass market electric car (the Nissan Leaf) in 2010, plans to have a pilot solid-state battery production plant up and running by 2025; to have completed engineering on the initial technology by 2026; and to then ramp up towards mass production in 2028 with the first application in a car.

David Moss, Nissan’s senior vice-president for research and development in Europe, said: “We think we have something quite special and are in a group leading the technology. We want to get the cost down [compared with lithium ion batteries] by 50%, to double the energy density and to offer three times the charging speed.”

Read the whole article »

The US EPA’s mileage range for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 have been announced, and it’s impressive!

2023-02-03 / Robert Vinet

Hyundai Ioniq 6

The Hyundai Ioniq 6, when configured as a rear wheel drive, and single motor, will have a range of 581 km (361 mi) when equipped with 18-inch wheels.

The twin motor, AWD version with 20-inch wheels, has a range of 435 km (270 miles).

The US EPA states the Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD is rated at 131 MPGe, while and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is rated at 140 MPGe in the SE RWD Long Range configuration.

The slick Ioniq 6 moves through the air with a low drag coefficient of just 0.22 in its U.S. specs. The Korean market is even slipperier with a drag coefficient of 0.21.

Elsewhere » Media Release / Car and Driver / Auto123 / InsideEVs / Green Car Reports / The Detroit Bureau / Auto Blog

Volkswagen Group considering building battery cell factory in Ontario

2023-01-01 / Robert Vinet

VW Brand

Canada has the raw materials and knowhow required for modern battery production. It would only make sense to set up a factory central to the trending demand. It’s the next logical step.

Reuters »

Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is looking at setting up a battery cell factory in Ontario, Germany’s Handelsblatt business daily reported on Tuesday, adding the Canadian province had offered investments and other incentives.

Five entries from this month are listed in a lobby register of the province for Volkswagen, including one that mentions Volkswagen Chief Executive Oliver Blume by name, the report said, citing the documents.

Read the whole Reuters report »

Elsewhere » Car Scoops

GM is considering investing more than US$4 billion in two Michigan plants to boost its EV production capacity

2021-12-10 / Robert Vinet

David Shepardson and Paul Lienert / Reuters »

GM has proposed building a $2.5 billion battery plant near Lansing with partner LG Energy Solution, the documents show.

The largest U.S. automaker is separately considering a $2 billion overhaul of its Orion Township assembly plant north of Detroit to build next-generation electric vehicles. The total investments could top $4 billion, a source familiar with the plan told Reuters.

Documents posted by the city of Lansing show GM is considering building a battery cell manufacturing plant in nearby Delta Township that could employ 1,700 people by 2028. The Lansing City Council is expected to consider the proposal on Monday.

Elsewhere » The Detroit Bureau