Electric Vehicles

  • Electric car owners now have a place to "fill up" in downtown Montgomery.
  • Fresh off its first profitable quarter, Tesla Motors Inc. plans to raise about $830 million in a stock and debt offering that will enable the electric car maker to pay off its $465-million federal loan.
  • The focus for a small green-technology company in Cordova has shifted from supplying American homes with wind turbines that would help supply electricity to helping the Republic of Tatarstan plan for a town served by a fleet of truly green electric vehicles.
  • Tesla Motors has altered the competitive landscape of the fledgling electric car market.
  • Apr 29, 2013 | Sarah Battaglia
    A new trend in the electric vehicle industry is emerging. Several states are proposing a gas tax on vehicles produced in 2015 or later that get 55 miles per gallon or more. Cars like the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, and Toyota Prius are just some of the cars that will incur this per-mile fee.
  • EDTA sees myriad trends driving gradual EV adoption

    Dec 19, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Utilities that engage customers over the purchase of an electric vehicle have higher than average ratings for customer satisfaction, according to Brian Wynne, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, and J.D. Power and Associates. 

  • EDTA sees myriad trends driving gradual EV adoption

    Dec 18, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Brian Wynne, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, shares his views on EV technology, the market and the future. As a pragmatist, he knows electrification of transportation is a long-term proposition. 

  • General Motors and ABB today showed the next stage in battery reuse, the repackaging of five used Chevrolet Volt batteries into a modular unit capable of providing two hours of electricity needed by three to five average American homes.
  • New commercial venture generating interest

    Oct 04, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Vehicle-to-grid technology and its business case have advanced to commercialization and, despite persistent skepticism, San Diego Gas & Electric and the PJM Interconnection are actively examining both. We bring you the conclusion of a two-part article, with links to more.

  • Doubters may bray, but it's going to market

    Oct 03, 2012 | Phil Carson

    While the power industry continues to debate the feasibility of V2G or vehicle-to-grid, one scientist/inventor has quietly accomplished enough enabling technology to go to market. We look at the latest developments in commercial deployment as well as at a leading utility and an RTO.

  • The first ABB DC fast charger for electric vehicles in the United States is now installed and operational in New Berlin, Wisconsin.
  • Technology and business case go hand in hand
  • Sep 25, 2012 | Jason Jungreis
    Electric vehicles (EVs) have numerous advantages, but of course they must be charged. How do you charge your EV if you live in a common interest development such as a condominium, community apartment project, or planned development, operated by a homeowners association (HOA)? California now has a law that requires HOAs to allow EVs to charge, and helps establish standards for this arrangement. This article will generally explore EV advantages and EV charging, and then focus on HOA EV charging requirements: installing a charging device requires certain steps, but they are common-sense and to the mutual benefit of all parties.

  • ABB, the leading power and automation technology group and a major employer in North Carolina, announced today that it has received the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listing for its best-selling Terra 51 direct current (DC) fast charger.
  • Essayists debate whether it helps decrease pollution

    Mar 25, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Are energy efficiency measures, for light bulbs, for cars, for applicances, barking up the wrong tree? There's evidence that efficiencies simply lead people to use more than they once did, erasing any benefits. There's also evidence that the slippage that does occur does not amount to the energy saved. Five ways to look at the subject.

  • Window opens in two to four years, claims vendor

    Mar 12, 2012 | Phil Carson

    The word "breakthrough" gets bandied about with alarming regularity. Anyone who performs science or covers it should know better than to use that phrase.

  • Role in EVs certain, less so for grid storage

    Feb 21, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Lithium-ion batteries drive electric vehicles, an application that provides a clear view of the market ahead. The role of Li-ion batteries in grid storage is far less clear because the technology's value stream goes up against other storage technologies. For nuances around these two markets, read this column.

  • Insights from the UAI Summit 2012

    Feb 15, 2012 | H. Christine Richards

    Christine Richards reveals key analytics findings, and analogies, from the first day of the Utility Analytics Institute Summit in Orlando, Florida.

  • Utilities compete for analytics talent

    Feb 13, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Big Data is now Big News and consumers are getting hip to the uses and abuses of that data well before electric utilities have had a chance to communicate their own approach. In practical terms, utilities are behind the curve in recruiting for the data analytics practitioners much sought after by all enterprises.

  • Join an IOU, a muni and a co-op discussion

    Jan 29, 2012 | Phil Carson

    Customer engagement can take many different forms, depending on a utility's business model, geographic location, customer demographics and intended messaging. Join an Energy Central webcast with three utilities of different stripes on different missions to gain insight into their approaches and lessons learned.