Electric Vehicles
How Much Does an EV Conversion Cost?
Have you ever considered turning a gas-guzzler into an all-electric vehicle (EV)? How much do you know about EV conversion cost? Let’s take a look at the basics and see if we can avoid some common pitfalls that come with the process. It’s just sitting there. Collecting dust. Taking up space in your garage. You promised your wife you would either start working on it or get rid of it but the weekends just keep slipping by. I get it. I’ve been there, friend. The old car that I was going to bring new life to was a 1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. It got about 8 miles to the gallon and sputtered a bit when I turned the ignition off. I bought it for $1,000 and convinced myself that I could spend a couple grand on it and make it shine. As much as I loved that car, I soon realized t...
Bentley Celebrates 100 Years With an Electric Super Coupe
Bentley celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, and it’s been quite a century. From racing glory and “the world’s fastest lorries” at LeMans to what amounted to a rebadged Rolls-Royce in the 1970s and on to a turbocharged renaissance in 1980s, Bentley has had its share of ups and downs. Through it all, however, the Flying B remained a symbol of conspicuous wealth– but Bentleys will have to be more than expensive to survive another hundred years, and Volkswagen (Bentley’s parent company) knows it. That’s why the car that Bentley built to celebrate its first century and carry it into its second is what it is. Meet the Bentley EXP 100 GT, the most sustainable Bentley ever. I know, I know– that sounds a bit absurd on the surface of it. But, ...
French Gov’t Votes to Uphold 2040 Fossil Fuel Ban
The French government this week moved to turn their stated goal of making the country carbon-neutral by 2050 into law, in a move that will uphold a planned ban on the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars after 2040. “We have target for carbon neutrality by 2050, and we need a credible trajectory towards that, which includes a ban on the sale of vehicles that consume fossil fuels by 2040,” French Transport Minister, Elizabeth Borne, said on Tuesday. She believes the move will help the French auto industry switch to electric or hydrogen-electric vehicles. “Since the start of Emmanuel Macron’s term, our target is the climate plan that Nicolas Hulot announced in the summer of 2017. We will now inscribe this target into law.” The new “electric mobility law”...
Plug-In Cars = 60% Of New Car Sales In Norway In September
[Originally published on CleanTechnica] Exponential electric vehicle adoption has been at play in Norway for several years. I remember attending AVERE’s EVS27 in Barcelona back in late 2013 and the hottest news of previous months had been Norway achieving stunning EV market share milestones. That September and October, plug-in vehicles had risen to 7% and 8% market share! (As you’ll see in a few minutes, 7% and 8% market share were figures no other country would touch for years.) Electric cars had been the top selling cars in the country two months in a row — the Tesla Model S in September and the Nissan LEAF in October. As you read on, I’m tossing in this Michael Jackson classic as a soundtrack for the story: Questions at the 2013 conference concerned coming EV policy ch...
The Newest EV Data: CleanTechnica’s 2018 EV Report is Now Available
For the third year in a row, CleanTechnica has published an in-depth report on electric car drivers in North America and Europe. For the cross-continental report, we surveyed over 2,000 electric car drivers. This year, we also surveyed over 1,000 people who don’t yet have an electric car. You can read the executive summary below, get a free preview of the report here, or go ahead and buy the full report at a 50% discount in the coming week ($1500 instead of $3000). If you will be at AEC2018 in Brussels in a couple of days, I will be presenting additional findings from the report there during the opening plenary — along with other electric vehicle findings and hopefully useful insights. The electric transport industry is one of the hottest industries in the world. Billions of dollars ...
EV Charging Vs. Rolling Gas Stations: Shell Spots An Opportunity
In a true story ripped from the pages of The Onion, Royal Dutch Shell is bringing all the convenience of EV charging to the gasoline-buying public. The company is pilot testing a fleet of rolling gas stations that will deliver fuel to wherever your car is. The idea is to mod out a tanker truck with pumps, and bring it to convenient spots like restaurants and shopping malls — and perhaps to gasmobile drivers who run out of gas on some lonely road miles from the nearest gas station. No, really. It’s really real. Do the google yourself — Shell launched its “Shell TapUp” service in Rotterdam last year and is now launching a new pilot program for the service in Houston. So, is this a super smart strategy to sell more gas in a shrinking market, or does it point to a...
What’s Driving Oil & Gas Companies Towards Electric Charging?
Is it the end of oil & gas as we know it? As BP and Shell invest heavily into battery and electric car charging businesses, are we entering a new age of electrification?
The Tomahawk Will Be World’s First Electric 4 Passenger Sports Car
The Tomahawk from Duboc Motors is a different type of sports car. This machine will have a range of 400 miles, with a top speed of 160 MPH, and 0-60 acceleration runs take just 2 seconds.
New Tesla Patent Will Identify Short Circuits in Battery Packs
Tesla's newest patent is another attempt to ensure high levels of EV safety for consumers.
Fleet Learning Capacity is the Key to Tesla’s Lead in the Self-Driving Race
Tesla's current data collection capacity pushes it to the top of the autonomous driving race.
China’s BYD is World’s Largest EV Manufacturer
We all know Elon Musk plans for Tesla to be selling “millions of cars” in a few years, but China’s BYD may become the largest EV company in the world long before then. In October, it sold 6,099 electric vehicles — more than any other manufacturer! For 2015 through the month of October, BYD sold 43,073 electric vehicles worldwide. More than any other single brand. Sure, if total EV sales by Nissan and Renault are combined, the French/Japanese company leads all others- but not under a single brand, and remember, too, that BYD doesn’t sell in the US … which is still a pretty big market. Unlike Tesla, which is committed to starting at the top of the market and working its way down, BYD has a plan to take virtually everything on wheels and convert it to elect...
California Strengthens EV Incentives
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law six bills in a continuing effort by California to grow the EV market within the state.