Everywhere I park, people keep asking me about the Chevy Volt. Now, the most often asked question of “how exactly does it work?” can be answered by the car, a QR code and your smartphone. Read more »
Show me — that’s the common thread in the top 10 most-trafficked GigaOM cleantech stories of 2012. Exclusive photos and videos of emerging clean power and electric car technologies lead the year. (OK, we’re not so surprised by that.) Read more »
After a year of using 41 solar panels on our home, we generated more excess electricity than expected. So this past weekend, we drove a 2013 Chevy Volt of the lot and our first impressions are pretty positive, both for the technology and the efficiency. Read more »
Almost one in four electric cars sold by 2020 in the U.S. will be in California, according to a new report from Pike Research. Read more »
Batteries fall pathetically short of our customary fossil fuel energy storage medium. When we wake up to a declining global availability of petroleum, we won’t just switch over to electric cars. Read more »
Ford is finally showing off its biggest push to date into the electric car market: an electric version of its Ford Focus. For GigaOM TV’s Green Overdrive show, we bring you a test drive! Read more »
This quarter the EV market struggled to find its footing. Meanwhile, the smart-grid sector solidified and low-power technology proved itself important in the data center. Read more to learn what these news pieces and others mean for the larger space over the next few months. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
When it comes to electric cars, it’s already slow going, so why make electric car charging more confusing, says GigaOM Pro analyst Adam Lesser, who takes a look at the early emerging market for electric car charging networks. Read more »
With eVgo rolling out subscription model pricing plans for its EV charging network in Houston and Dallas, it’s time to take stock and consider the ramifications for customers of making charging networks more difficult to access. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
General Motors plans to relaunch a marketing, PR and advertising campaign for its extended-range electric Volt in the next 30 to 60 days, according to GM CEO Dan Akerson, to help boost under performing sales. Read more »
General Motors is suspending production of its electric car the Volt for five weeks to help supply catch up with demand, according to The Detroit Free Press. Read more »
A startup called Envia Systems that’s been working on lithium ion battery technology says it’s developed a key breakthrough that could one day lead to an electric car that has a 300-mile range and could cost around $25,000 to $30,000. Read more »
If you’re like many of us, you’re already thinking over some New Year’s resolutions that will make you a better “you” in 2012. But how are the tech industries’ thought leaders approaching the new year? We asked 12 of them for their resolutions. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Trotting out auto industry veteran and the former public face of Chevy Volt, Bob Lutz, as a spokesman, VIA Motors on Tuesday showed off its technology of converting conventional trucks, cargo vans and SUVs into hybrid electric vehicles and laid out production plans. Read more »
I look at the numbers for whether the DOE and Obama will be able to meet the goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Read more »
Is A123 Systems a company that is good at announcing deals but can’t profit from them? After cutting its 2011 sales forecast last Friday, A123 on Monday announced a licensing deal with Japan’’s IHI, which will make a $25 million equity investment in A123. Read more »
The courtship between A123 Systems and GM didn’t really work out before, but the two are giving it another try. GM on Wednesday named the lithium-ion battery maker as the supplier for its newly announced all-electric Chevrolet Spark, which is set for launch in 2013. Read more »
Looks like GM is planning to compete even more directly with Nissan’s all-electric LEAF. According to reports, GM is supposed to announce on Wednesday that it will start selling an all-electric city car, designed for urban markets in the U.S. and based on its minicar Spark. Read more »
GM just announced the next car in its extended range electric car lineup: the Cadillac ELR. Like GM’s Volt, the Cadillac ELR will have a t-shaped lithium ion battery to enable driving on electric power, but then also features an engine as a backup. Read more »
We stopped by one of the first Chevy dealers in the country, American Chevrolet of Modesto, Calif., that has installed a solar canopy and Volt charging stations. Check out the photos and what we’ve learned about the project. Read more »
Utilities know by now that they need to adopt steps manage electricity supply and demand if electric cars become popular. The trick is to figure out what to do. The Electric Power Research Institute released a report on Tuesday that addresses the utility concerns. Read more »
GPS can provide an important function for the emerging electric car industry: battling so-called range anxiety. On Monday, electric car charging company Coulomb Technologies announced that it has partnered with navigation company TomTom to offer charging locator, reservation and information services for plug-in car drivers. Read more »
Wireless charging is an appealing concept for many of us who loathe the sight of messy power cords or the need to find outlets in public. Carmakers like it, too. Toyota announced a deal Wednesday with WiTricity to bring wireless charging to cars. Read more »
At Green:Net next week, we’ll be exploring how adding IT technologies to anything from the power grid, to data centers, to buildings, to lighting can lead to energy efficiency and a more sustainable consumption of increasingly-constrained resources. Read more »
Freescale Semiconductor and Fuji Electric Systems are forming a new partnership focused on hybrid and electric vehicle tech. The two companies announced plans to collaborate on a type of power semiconductor for electronic powertrains, as well as other products for green cars down the road. Read more »
With my daily commute, Nissan’s all-electric LEAF car isn’t a good fit for me, but GM’s extended range electric car the Volt isn’t exactly an inexpensive car. Here’s how the economics work out and why a plug-in hybrid car could be a real game changer. Read more »
It’s that time again, when automakers haul their wares out to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show. The event, which kicks off on Monday, will include an array of concepts for more efficient and less polluting cars, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles. Read more »
After 6 months and close to 30 shows on green vehicles, we’re ready to ring in 2011 with a brand new year of eco-vehicle content for the Green Overdrive. Here’s my personal favorite 10 (+1) episodes from the Green Overdrive Show in 2010: Read more »
With a fresh blanket of snow covering the East Coast, the electric cars that have just been delivered to consumers in the U.S. will have their first chance for a winter driving test. Will GM’s Volt and Nissan’s LEAF maintain their battery range? Read more »
According to filings via the Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, GM outspent Nissan North America when it came to climate and energy-related lobbying in 2010. Will that give either company an edge in the U.S. market with their inaugural EVs? Read more »
Yep, it’s that time of year again; get ready for the flurry of end-of-the-year market prediction posts. Here’s 9 predictions from Jeff St. John (plus 1 from me) laying out what the greentech sector will look like in 2011. Read more »
Would you save money on your commute if you bought an electric car? Here’s a handy dandy Facebook app that will help you figure it all out: Read more »
After months of waiting, the first dozen buyers of GM’s inaugural electric car the Volt are finally getting their cars this week. While we test drove the Volt earlier this year, we revisit the car, which some are calling revolutionary, again at the LA Auto Show. Read more »
The first dozen customers of GM’s electric car the Volt, are expecting their cars shortly after Thanksgiving. The green car that GM hopes will help revive its brand has finally made it to market. Read more »
On the heels of management changes at Coda Automotive, the electric car startup has decided to push back the sales date of its inaugural all-electric sedan to the third quarter of 2011 from December 2010, interim CEO Steven “Mac” Heller told me in an interview. Read more »
If you’ve been following the buzz about Big Brother and electric vehicles, here’s my take: EVs along with traditional cars are all becoming connected cars and we need to start getting used to the idea. Read more »
GM’s upcoming electric car the Volt has a lot in common with your laptop — it’s got an IP address, 10 million lines of code, and 40 percent of the car is electronics. Read more »
While the Nissan LEAF folks turned to cute animals and bear hugs for its ads to sell Nissan’s all-electric LEAF, GM is going for the more, um, patriotic angle. Read more »
Everyone agrees that the batteries that will run the next-generation of our electric vehicles need to operate within a certain temperature range. But not everyone agrees on what to use to baby the battery. The debate over liquid vs air-cooled batteries rages on. Read more »
Electric vehicle maker startup Coda has finally released the pricing of its inaugural vehicle, and at almost $45,000 it’ll cost you almost $4,000 more than GM’s Volt, and over $12,000 more than the Nissan’s all-electric LEAF. Read more »
