When planning our solar panel home project in 2011, we figured on paper that it would take nearly a dozen years to break even on the investment. Turns out that adding an electric vehicle has cut that figure roughly in half.…
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Chevy Volt to my smartphone: “You complete me.”
Piping Bluetooth audio to a car isn't all that new, but running smartphone apps on the car is and it's quickly gaining momentum. Here's how important my smartphone is to my current vehicle.…
Read MoreOne month with the Chevy Volt; so far, so very, very good
Has it really been four weeks since we bought a Chevy Volt to supplement our 41 solar panels? Indeed it has and after topping 1,300 miles we're about to fill the gas tank for the very first time. Here's how the initial month of driving went.…
Read MoreMobileTechRoundup podcast 285: Surface RT as iPad replacement?
After a few weeks of use, Matt's Surface RT has replaced an iPad for most purposes. But what bought the Surface Pro: a compelling package or a let down? Hear about portable speakers from both hosts and learn more about the very connected Chevy Volt.…
Read MoreGoing electric: Adding the 2013 Chevy Volt to a solar-powered home
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 MoreReading Tesla’s tea leaves
Tesla has drawn fire for raising more cash and being 4 to 5 weeks behinds its production schedule. It still has challenges but is ultimately laser focused on avoiding recalls and laying the groundwork for future EV rollouts.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
Ford is taking its shot at the Toyota Prius with its C-Max Hybrid and its C-Max Energi. The plug-in hybrid C-Max Energi…
Read MoreHow electric vehicles are paving the way for better telematics
This is the year of the electric vehicle rollout. Offerings in the EV space will explode with everything from a long-awaited plug-in Prius to the first all-electric SUV, from Tesla. And the most innovative aspect of this flurry may not be that the vehicles are electric but that they are ushering in the era of the connected car and an entirely new relationship between a driver and his vehicle.…
Read MoreWaiting for the EV market to materialize
It was a tough week for electric cars, with Chevy Volt's sales falling short and Aptera's filing for bankruptcy. The barriers to EV adoption are widely known but center around a few major issues, including range anxiety, charging time and initial cost. Range anxiety and unease about charging time will decline as consumers get more comfortable with the product. That leaves the real long-term issue: initial cost.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
News arrived yesterday that GM won’t hit its 2011 sales goal of 10,000 for the Chevy Volt. Add to that was a…
Read MoreGM won’t meet its Chevy Volt 2011 sales goal
Whether you like the Chevy Volt or not, if you are a supporter of electric cars, you should be disheartened by the news that the Volt won’t meet its 2011 sales goal after all. Not hitting the goal will have a greater impact beyond GM.…
Read MoreElectric car startup Coda to buy battery management tech
One of the big hurdles in engineering electric cars is to figure out how to effectively monitor and control the battery systems. For Coda, that means buying EnergyCS to beef up its battery management system development and expand into the grid energy storage market.…
Read MoreFisker to use BMW engine for second electric car
Fisker Automotive, which finally began delivering its first plug-in electric hybrid car this summer, has begun promoting its second model in earnest as well. The company announced Thursday that its next car, dubbed “Project Nina,” will come with engines and other parts by BMW.…
Read MoreWhy Obama’s electric vehicle goal will be hard to reach
We've heard of bullish forecasts for electric cars, but we also have seen reports about the coming of an oversupply of lithium-ion batteries. Managing the supply and demand can be tough for any industry, but it might be extra difficult for the new, electric car market.…
Read MoreLG joins forces with GM to design electric cars
The team approach is becoming popular in the electric car development space. General Motors and LG Group announced Thursday a plan to co-develop electric vehicles in order to speed up their deployment.…
Read MoreCars to surpass laptops as largest li-ion battery market
Will electric vehicles provide a big market for lithium-ion batteries? A report by IHS on Monday says yes and predicts that carmakers will take over laptop manufacturers as the biggest customers of lithium-ion batteries by 2015.…
Read MoreHow to Convince Consumers to Buy Electric Cars: Free Parking
How do you encourage consumers to switch to electric cars? Here's two not-so-obvious ways, according to an Accenture (s ACN) survey released on Wednesday: offer free parking and get more utilities to build charging networks.…
Read MoreFallbrook Pulls IPO, Still Revving for China
The blockbuster IPO by Tesla Motors revved up the public profile of electric cars over the past year. But Fallbrook Technologies, which makes transmission systems for bikes and EVs, pulled its $50 million IPO plan because of “unfavorable market conditions.”…
Read MoreGot EV Range Anxiety? There’s an App for That
The electric car has encountered a number of hurdles in its ongoing path to the mainstream, and they haven’t all been technical.…
Read MoreGoogle Links With DOE for Electric Car Charging Maps
The federal government, which is one of the biggest boosters of electric cars, announced two initiatives on Tuesday: a Google Map project featuring charging stations nationwide, and $5 million in funding for cities to come up with plans to popularize electric cars.…
Read MoreTesla to Become the 4th American Automaker… Really?
Are we underestimating the electric car market? A bullish outlook from Morgan Stanley and President Obama’s energy speech apparently have raised that question, even though neither has made a good case for the answer to be “yes.”…
Read MoreDOE: How to Get to 1M Electric Cars by 2015
The U.S. Department of Energy issued a report Tuesday that outlines how President Obama will achieve his goal of seeing 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015. The answer: combine the stimulus funding, with fuel economy standards, and more incentives.…
Read MoreVIDEO: The Super Bowl Chevy Volt Ad!
In case you missed the Super Bowl game last night, GM debuted another Chevy Volt ad focused on historical innovations. Instead of the "more car than electric" tagline, GM went with a simpler approach, highlighting how important the Volt technology will be for transportation.…
Read MoreGM and LG Chem Turn to Argonne Lab for Battery Tech
GM and LG Chem are licensing a broad suite of patents from Argonne National Laboratory to develop lithium-ion battery cells and packs for next-generation electric cars. LG Chem will use the IP to make cells in Michigan starting next year.…
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