California Releases Vehicle-Grid Roadmap
Building better batteries isn't the only way that the cost of a plug-in-electric vehicle can be lowered. Finding more uses for the batteries that are already in the vehicles is another way to lower costs. California just released a plan that explores one way to do that.
6 Workplace Chargers, 26 Drivers: A California Company's Etiquette Solution
Charging was easy when maybe two employees owned EVs, but it's gone well beyond that now. Here's how one electric-friendly Silicon Valley concern handles the issue.
Airport EV Parking: The Charging's Free, but the Space Will Cost You
LAX created chaos when it combined free parking and free charging for electric cars, so around the country now it's mostly just the electricity that's provided gratis.
New York Requires Garages and Lots to be Built EV-Ready
The City Council, following London and Vancouver, has passed a new law ensuring that 20 percent of all new garages and lots embed conduit for electric car charging.
Nissan and Green Parking Council Team Up to Deploy Fast Charging Stations
This week the Green Parking Council (GPC) and Nissan announced a partnership in which the Japanese automaker is offering significant funding and charging station hardware to GPC members, as long as they commit to an accelerated installation schedule. The program is an extension of announcements by Nissan throughout 2013 that it will subsidize a CHAdeMO-based fast charging network across the U.S.
Nissan LEAF Owner Put Behind Bars Over Unapproved 20-Minute Charge
A Georgia man spent more than 15 hours in DeKalb County Jail on theft charges after police determined that he had stolen electricity from a local school when he briefly used an outlet there to charge his Nissan LEAF as his son played tennis. Kaveh Kamooneh was eventually charged with "theft by taking without consent" 11 days after the incident, when police showed up at his house and led him away to jail.
$6 Million in Charging Money, and Not One Penny for Level 1?
California is generously supporting plug-in infrastructure in the state, but why is excluding the 110-volt option, which works very well for workplaces?
NRG's California Fast-Charging Network Progressing Slower Than Expected
Last year, California entered into a settlement agreement with the utility NRG to install more than 10,000 electric vehicle charging stations statewide, including at least 200 fast-charging "Freedom Stations." To date though, just seven Freedom Stations are operational, well behind the target of 40 by December 5, 2013.
Could Limited Residential Parking Put a Cap on EV Adoption?
A Carnegie Melon study has found that while roughly 79 percent of households have at least one off-street parking space, just 56 percent of the total vehicles on the road in the United States have a dedicated parking spot. The study concluded that this limitation could cap plug-in adoption at just 22 percent of the vehicle market until widespread infrastructure upgrades are made.
Self-Driving Cars Are Coming Fast, and They're Likely To Be Electric
Autonomous vehicles are a "disruptive" technology, said McKinsey. Sure they are, but the developing synergies say they'll also have batteries and work with wireless charging.