charging
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The availability of charging stations for electric cars is likely to remain a major factor for many would-be owners as plug-in cars become more popular. While the United States boasts tens of thousands of charging stations, some areas remain better-covered than others. Unfortunately for taxi cab drivers in Washington D.C., the lack of charging stations has become a major issue. DON'T MISS: Gas stations aren't a model for electric-car charging: ChargePoint CEO Cab drivers in Washington, D.C., were thrilled to learn the district would offer $10,000 subsidies towards the purchase of an electric...
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Gas stations aren't a model for electric-car charging: ChargePoint CEOFor more than a century, motorists have been accustomed to gas stations, which provide places to stop and fill up a car with fuel, in recent years with larger and larger convenience stores attached. The model is so commonplace, it may mean drivers don't know electric-car charging stations even...
Sean Szymkowski -
Another 'electric highway, 1,250 miles along Australia's coastThe country of Australia is poised to build one of the world's longest "electric highways," which will span 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers). Specifically, the Northeast region of the country will see the electric highway open through the state of Queensland. In total, 18 stations will be installed...
Sean Szymkowski -
Electric-car discovery, education centers are now a thingBreaking with routine and tradition is never easy, especially when it comes to buying, owning, and operating a vehicle powered by an internal-combustion engine. Around the world, roughly 1 billion vehicle owners stop at fuel stations and keep cars powered by fossil fuels running—and have done...
Sean Szymkowski -
Should we buy a Toyota Prius Prime, Chevy Bolt EV, or Volt?It's now time to shop for a new car for my wife, as her wonderful 2006 Toyota Prius has 144,000 miles and we're ready for something new. So I thought I might throw the question out to Green Car Reports readers. What car should replace our 2006 Prius hybrid? DON'T MISS: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime: gas...
John Briggs -
BP follows other gas-station brands, adds electric-car chargingMajor oil companies are beginning to take the threat of electric cars seriously, and the latest evidence comes from British Petroleum. BP has begun discussions with electric-vehicle makers to partner on a network of charging stations. The move comes as many European countries announce plans to ban...
Sean Szymkowski -
Porsche has big plans to expand the capability of the Combined Charging System (CCS) DC standard into much higher voltages to allow much faster electric-car charging. Now, it's completed a first step: at the brand's new branch office in Berlin-Adlershof, Porsche has installed a prototype 350-kilowatt, 800-volt charging station. The new technology has the capability to charge an electric car's battery at speeds that simply can't be achieved using today's technology. DON'T MISS: Porsche's 800-Volt fast charging for electric cars: why it matters Modern CCS charging stations in the U.S. are...
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California should approve VW 'Electrify America' plan for electric-car charging: CARB analysisThis Thursday, the California Air Resources Board will meet to consider what action it will take on an important plan that could bring many more electric-car charging sites to the state. That document is the first 30-month investment plan submitted by Volkswagen for its "Electrify America" program...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Supercharger electric-car charging sites in CA surge (photos)In January 2016, before the public introduction for pre-orders of the Model 3, Tesla had 585 Supercharger locations around the world. By the end of June 2016, that number had climbed to 655. Then the potential of 400,000-plus reservations for the more affordable Model 3 pushed Tesla to promise it...
George Parrott -
Streetlights that charge electric cars arrive in California cityAs the market for electric vehicles continues to grow, electric-car infrastructure will need to keep up with the growing population of them. To solve the problem, companies are looking at a variety of new and innovative ways to charge more cars without actually taking up more space. Enter the ebee...
Sean Szymkowski -
To honor Energy Week, lease an electric car: 10 lessons from new EV driverThe White House has declared this week the inaugural "Energy Week," and what better way to mark the occasion than by driving electric cars? Cars that plug in to use grid energy for travel are a great catalyst for reducing energy consumption and reducing our use of fossil fuels. Now one reporter who...
Sean Szymkowski -
ChargePoint gets $125 million funding, will manage GE's electric-car charging network (update)It's been a big week for the ChargePoint electric-car charging network. On June 27, it announced it would take over management and operation of General Electric's charging network of 1,800 commercial and roughly 8,000 residential charging sites, made up of its DuraStations and WattStations. Then...
John Voelcker -
A German company has brought forth its idea of how to provide convenient, cost-effective electric-car charging and now it has made its way to the United Kingdom. Ubitricity rolled out its streetlight car charging ports two years ago, but the German company has now spread its innovation to the UK. In a recent video, the Fully Charged Show takes a look at how the streetlight charging station works and how easy it is for plug-in vehicle drivers to use. DON'T MISS: Ubitricity: German Charging Cord For Wall Sockets Includes Billing It's especially helpful in West London—where the video was...
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Tesla extends free Supercharger use to all current owners (updated)Tesla has bestowed upon its current owners a sought-after perk previously reserved for early adopters: free Supercharging. Last year, Tesla announced it would begin charging for Supercharger station use for buyers of its electric cars after a certain date—but now it appears to have walked...
Sean Szymkowski -
Chargeway: the best electric-car idea you've never heard ofPretty much everyone knows how to put fuel into a conventional car. You pull up to the pump, open the vehicle's fuel door, put a credit card into the pump, select diesel or one of three grades of gasoline, lift the hose, and pump. (In New Jersey and Oregon, someone else does this for you.)...
John Voelcker -
Does Michigan hate electric cars? Buyers, drivers challenged by myriad factorsAs Kermit the Frog sang, sometimes it's not easy being green. That appears to be particularly the case in Michigan, home to the three largest U.S. automakers. The Great Lakes State is a global hub of automotive technology, the bulk of it centered around internal-combustion engines. CHECK OUT...
John Voelcker -
2017 Ford Fusion Energi: low electric range, no public charging frustratingElectric-car charging infrastructure in the United States is getting better, but still has a very long way to go. While anyone that's given even a passing glance to plug-in vehicles would likely tell you the same thing, I experienced the impact of a charging-free society first-hand while driving a...
Brandon Turkus -
Car buyers have no idea electric-car charging stations even existElectric cars have promised to revolutionize transportation for years now. As more manufacturers offer electrified vehicles and prices continue to drop for battery technology, the easy correlation would be to assume that consumer interest has spiked. Actually, it remains pretty darn low, according...
Sean Szymkowski -
One owner has now run his 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric's battery down all the way to "empty" so other owners know what to expect. The Ioniq Electric is EPA-rated at 124 miles of range from the 28-kwh battery pack that powers an 88-kilowatt (118-horsepower) electric motor. The driver in the video tells viewers that his car has been returning 137 miles on average, which means depleting the battery takes longer than anticipated. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric: first drive review of 124-mile electric car At 5 percent of charge left, the Ioniq Electric seriously cuts power output, and...
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Tesla Supercharging: happy days are here again (charge rate unchanged, still free for me)Last week, I was in a bit of a Tesla funk. That’s not normal; my four-plus years of Tesla Model S ownership have been a mostly giddy ride, with the few bumps minor and temporary. But last week I was facing the prospect of two long-term permanent downgrades to my personal Tesla World, both...
David Noland -
DC fast charging for electric cars: what's here, what's coming, what's hype?Drivers who want to use their electric cars for trips beyond a radius from their home charging site rely on DC fast-charging sites. Now Charged magazine has written a comprehensive guide to the current state and future of DC charging. Today, most publicly available chargers using the CHAdeMO and...
Zach Bowman -
Renault, Qualcomm show off electric-car road charging at 60 mphIt's long been an inspiring futuristic concept: electric cars that can recharge continuously at speed, driving along roadways with built-in inductive charging. Think a modern-day version of slot cars, but at 1:1 scale. Now French automaker Renault has demonstrated a prototype of just such a system...
John Voelcker -
Car Dealer 101: electric cars that aren't charged won't sellElectric-car owners and advocates have a tenuous relationship with the franchised independent car dealers who are the only legal way to buy a new vehicle in the U.S. Tesla excepted, if you want to buy a new car, you have to go to a dealership over which the carmaker has only limited control. Horror...
John Voelcker -
Chargie app connects electric-car drivers, UK homeowners; 'AirBnB' for charging?The internet has transformed how many perceive property, allowing the rental of other peoples' personal vehicles, apartments, and other spaces when owners are not using them. Now, the idea is being applied to charging stations across the United Kingdom with the introduction of the Chargie...
Sean Szymkowski