Hybrid / EVs
How Much Electricity Does It Take to Charge a Chevy Volt?
Today we take a look at how much electricity it takes to charge a Chevy Volt. Before we attempt to answer this question, let’s take a look at some of the basics… The Chevrolet Volt was first introduced on the U.S. market in December of 2010. Since then, the car has managed to become the best selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) world wide. The Volt owes much of its success to owners in the United States, but has also been wildly successful in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and China. Like other PHEVs the Volt uses a combination of electric power and gasoline to make the car go. When the car’s battery runs out of electricity, it switches over to the car’s internal combustion engine (ICE) for power. The latest generation of Volts can achieve an all-electric...
Maryland EV Tax Credit – Everything You Need to Know
What thoughts come to mind when you think of Maryland? For me it’s good times at the Baltimore Aquarium and eating at awesome seafood restaurants on the Chesapeake Bay. Being a resident of Virginia, I find myself venturing into The Old Line State from time to time. My beloved commonwealth doesn’t currently offer any incentives, although legislation has been introduced to do so in the past. If you’re one of the 6 million residents of the State of Maryland, you may be in luck if you’re in the market for an all-electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). This is everything you need to know about the Maryland EV tax credit. A Bit of History In October of 2013, eight U.S. states entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with each other committ...
Can the Chevy Volt Factory 120v Charger Be Plugged Into 240v?
The Chevy Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that was manufactured by General Motors from 2010 to 2019. In addition to North American markets, GM also produced slightly modified versions of the Volt for Australia, China, and much of Europe. In November of 2018, Chevrolet announced that they would be discontinuing the Volt in favor of more all-electric models. The Volt comes standard with a factory 120v charger. The Volt and its variants are the top-selling PHEVs of all time both worldwide and in the United States. Please see our article here for a discussion of PHEV and EV batteries. It will be interesting to see if GM’s pivot pays off… That being said, there are still over one million Volts and Volt variations on the road today. These vehicles need to be charged ...
How to Use Honda Clarity HV Mode
In 2017, Honda added two new models to its Clairity line. The all-electric vehicle (EV) Clarity is well, all-electric and gets about 89 miles of range on a single charge. Unfortunately for those of us on the East Coast of the United States, this model is only available in California and Oregon. The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Clarity has an EPA-rated all-electric range of 47 miles, and a total combined gas/electric range of 340 miles. Unlike its EV cousin, the PHEV Clarity is available in all 50 U.S. states and Canada. Like other PHEV models on the market, the Clairity can switch between using the electric battery exclusively and using the car’s internal combustion engine (ICE) depending on driving needs. Here we take a look at how to use the Honda Clarity HV mode. It Just Depends I’...
Tesla Battery Replacement Cost: How Much
In previous articles, we’ve mentioned that anxiety relating to all-electric vehicle (EV) battery replacement is a real phenomenon. Among EV owners and potential owners, this worry is second only to concerns about range. Many people seem to be apprehensive about pulling the trigger on an EV because of this. I readily admit that I worry about having to replace the battery in my Nissan Leaf one day. Being a true EV, Teslas are no exception. Here’s what you should know when it comes to Tesla battery replacement cost. Warranties Still Going Strong Good news: your Tesla is almost certainly still under warranty. From Tesla’s official website: “The Battery and Drive Unit in your vehicle are covered for a period of: Model S and Model X – 8 years (with the exception of the or...
Hybrid Police Cars in Hot Pursuit of Fuel Savings
Ford debuted its latest Explorer crossover/SUV at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year– and, while a big SUV isn’t something we normally get all that excited about here at Gas2 Enrg.io, this one was a little different. What made it slightly different from what we were used to was Ford’s commitment to using recycled and recyclable materials throughout the vehicle. What made it really different, though, was that this new Explorer was available in a hybrid version … a hybrid version packing more than 300 HP. We weren’t the only ones to notice that, either! Local police departments from California to New England are snapping up the new hybrid police cars (both the Ford Explorer and and Ford Fusion-based Interceptor Hybrid models) in a bid to both reduce their d...
ZF Reveals 2 Speed Transmission for Electric Cars
Most electric cars like the Tesla and Nissan LEAF— heck, even the 250 MPH Koenigsegg Regera!– use a one-speed transmission, or single reduction gear, that is linked to the electric motor. It’s a simple, durable solution that takes full advantage of the fact that electric motors generate peak torque at 0 RPM. Around town in stop-and-go traffic, it works great, and it was the ideal solution for electric cars that were built around commuting and shorter driving distances. Notice how I said, “was”? That’s because today’s electric cars offer ranges in the hundreds of miles and, with an infrastructure of fast-charging stations that’s just getting bigger every day, will soon be good enough to serve as solid road trip companions. At highway speeds, a...
Video: Inside the Koenigsegg Regera Direct Drive Transmission
Christian von Koenigsegg has been called many things, but it would be hard to argue that he isn’t a visionary. The engineering coming out of the Swedish design firm that bears his name can sometimes a Tesla look like Model T, and the multi-million dollar, 1500HP Koenigsegg Regera hybrid hypercar is chock full of it. From the car’s advanced, power-packed battery to its biofuel-capable, twin-turbocharged V8 engine and lightweight, aerodynamic body, the Regera oozes big-brain details. Its most impressive detail, though, may be its unique, “direct drive” transmission. Instead of a multi-speed transmission, the Koenigsegg uses a viscous a fluid to transmit mechanical power from the engine directly to the rear axle. The coupling can open and close, connecting or disconnec...
Illinois Doubles Gas Tax, Cuts Proposed EV Fee Hikes
The State of Illinois recently passed some pretty serious measures to curb– or, at least, tax the snot out of– the proliferation of fossil fuel-burning vehicles. In addition to doubling the State’s gas tax, Illinois lawmakers have increased the cost of registering gas-powered cars by more than 50%. The change in fee prices follows a proposed hike in the cost of electric vehicle registration from $17.50 to $1000 (yeah, that says “one thousand US/American dollars”). The justification of the proposed hike was that, since gas taxes fund road maintenance and EV owners don’t buy gas, EV drivers weren’t paying their fair share of escalating infrastructure costs. In something of an about-face on the matter, Illinois put that burden even more squarely on ga...
Toyota Releases Thousands of Hybrid Patents
In a complete reversal of its longstanding policy, Toyota has decided to stop suing every manufacturer that dares to offer a hybrid vehicle to the public in an effort to protect its more than 24,000 patents on the technology. It says everyone is free to use those patents without paying royalties from now until 2030. Why? Because it thinks there is more money to be made consulting with others than preserving the moat it has built around it hybrid systems. Toyota executives believe that other companies will be happy to pay it fees to use its tech, saying “when (other companies) use Toyota’s motors, batteries, PCUs, control ECUs, and other vehicle-electrification system technologies as part of their power train systems,” according to Green Car Reports. More Hybrids for More People Toyo...
Bloomberg’s Tesla Q1 Estimates Were Way Off
We have to eat crow. That is the civilized way to say it. What we wrote was completely off. It was logical, believable, and wrong. After submitting it, I thought I should have included that famous line about complex problems having simple answers that are completely wrong — a point I did prove. Another way of saying it, it was FUBAR. Like many other people, we were fooled by a desire for Tesla progress and trust in the Bloomberg Tracker. There was a nagging feeling it was too optimistic, but no expectation that it was this far off. It was supported by rumors from Gigafactory 1 (GF1) that battery pack production was at a steady 6,000+. Those are either in storage, or those reports were too optimistic, too. What is happening with Model 3 production is worth a long explanation by ol...
Will Tesla Production in Q1 Shock the Market?
Tesla will report its first quarter 2019 production and delivery figures in the next few days. The Q1 sales report is an extremely anticipated one as it will tell us whether or not Tesla managed to increase production and if the company was able to generate enough demand for the cars it has built over the last three months. Tesla is not the kind of company that we associate with a demand shortfall, as the company has always managed to create demand that far outstripped their production. Demand for Tesla Roadster 2008, Model S, Model X, and Model 3 have always remained on the higher side since the day they were launched. But the first quarter of 2019 has the potential to break that trend — even as Tesla pulled a multitude of demand levers in order to sell as many cars as they possibly could...