An EV Challenge
One of the challenges that auto companies face when it comes to selling (or more likely leasing) electric vehicles (EVs) is that not only must they convince potential customers of the viability and reliability of the vehicles, not only must they do tremendous work explaining that while it is pretty much like a car it doesn’t make any engine noise because it doesn’t have an engine, not only must they try to overcome the objection that the range is limited even though the person who may buy the car is likely not to regularly commute for a distance that is even a fraction of the total potential battery range. . . they must also help develop the infrastructure for the EVs.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Design & Production
PACE Award Nominees Announced
Automotive News has announced the list of finalists for the 2016 PACE Awards (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence). The group includes 28 technologies from 21 different suppliers in seven countries.
New Volvo Plug-In Hybrid to Include Level 2 Charger
Volvo Car Corp.'s XC90 T8 plug-in-hybrid crossover will be the first PHEV to get a standard dual-volt charger when U.S. sales begin later this year.
Nissan to Offer Leaf Buyers Free Battery Charging
Nissan Motor Co. is preparing to introduce a new program in July that will give some of its U.S. customers to buy or lease a Leaf electric car free public charging for two years.
Kia Reveals Electrified Soul
Kia Motors Corp. will begin selling its first U.S. electric model, the Soul EV, this autumn.
Nissan to Offer Low-Cost Quick Charger for EVs
In January Nissan Motor Co. and Sumitomo Corp. will introduce a 480-volt quick charger for electric vehicles that costs only $9,900 less than one-third the price of other such devices currently offered in the U.S.
Nissan Leaf Charges Ahead
Nissan Motor Co.'s Leaf all-electric hatchback, which is due to be launched in the U.S., Japan and Europe later this year, was named Green Car Journal's Green Car Vision Award winner at the Washington, D.C., auto show this week.
Growth in EV Charging Stations Predicted
One of the inhibitors of the proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) is, quite simply, the lack of charging stations.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Design & Production
New Benchmark for EV Recharging: Zero to 80% in 15 Minutes
Norwegian electric vehicle maker Think Global AS says a new quick-charge system developed by AeroVironment Inc. will allow the tiny Think city vehicle to recharge its battery pack to 80% of capacity in just 15 minutes.
Nissan's EV and Battery Plans, Part 3 of 5
Nissan's 2010 electric vehicle isn't a two-seat city vehicle, but rather a 4-5 passenger sedan powered by a laminated lithium-ion battery pack. "We aren't buying this technology," says Mark Perry, director, Product Planning and Advanced Technology Strategy, Nissan North America, Inc., "and we are ready to share it with other automakers." Each laminate layer is about the size of a laptop computer, and modules are created by stacking laminates on top of one another while leaving room for cooling air to circulate between them.
Christopher A. Sawyer
Contributing Editor
The Ultimate Design Machine: BMW Designworks
Yes, they work on vehicle designs for BMW. But as a leading design firm, they’re taking on plenty of things that don’t have wheels and tires.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Design & Production
