charging

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf does 520 Miles in 2 days

    The former CEO of electric-car charging network 350 Green pleaded guilty last week to fraudulently obtaining federal grants intended to be used for installation of public charging stations, notably in the Chicago area. The original 2011 announcement of the grants came with large fan-fare, but the company never remotely delivered on what was promised. Timothy Mason may get up to 5 years in prison; his former co-CEO, Mariana Gerzanych, who cooperated with the FBI, has been ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and complete 200 hours of community service. DON'T MISS: Electric-Car Charging Station...

  • Tesla factory, Fremont, California
    Solar panels, EV chargers required in new homes in Fremont, CA

    Half a century ago, the General Motors assembly plant was the largest employer in Fremont, California, and the town was known for its dragstrip. Today, that plant makes Tesla electric cars and Fremont is a part of the San Francisco Bay Area's Silicon Valley, creating advanced technology for the...

  • 2015 Nissan Leaf
    Electric car charging: the basics you need to know (updated)

    The number of plug-in electric cars on North American roads grows every year, and with them come new buyers. Each new electric-car driver will have a few things to learn, so we've rounded up some tips on how, where, and when how to charge up that new plug-in vehicle. Whether you're already an...

  • Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]
    Tesla to double global Supercharger fast-charging network this year, it says

    Tesla continues to make sweeping changes as it prepares for the launch of the Model 3, its first mass-market electric car. The company has announced a significant expansion of its global network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. Executives believe, it said, that charging should be...

  • Nissan EVgo I-95 Charge ARC
    Nissan, EVgo add Boston-to-DC fast chargers; BMW adds charging to national parks

    Nissan is making it easier for electric-car owners to travel between the Boston area and Washington, D.C. The automaker has partnered with EVgo to add a network of nine charging sites along Interstate 95, with a total of 50 stations, each equipped with two fast-charge plugs. Dubbed the "I-95 Fast...

  • BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf electric cars using Combined Charging System (CCS) DC fast charging
    VW Electrify America plan for electric-car charging across U.S. released

    Two billion dollars is a lot of money. When VW Group of America agreed to fund a $2 billion project to spread zero-emission vehicle infrastructure across the U.S. as part of its settlements in the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal, that immediately changed the playing field for electric-car fast...

  • Fast-charging 2015 Nissan Leaf at evGo station in Auburn, MA   [photo: John Briggs]

    Much like the cell-phone network industry in the mid-1990s, the electric-car charging industry is on a fast pace of network expansions and mergers. EV charging companies are on the verge of rapid global growth as utility companies and large multinational corporations put up big money, according to a report from Navigant Research Blog. For investors, timing is everything: just a few years ago, the electric-car charging network segment was still viewed as regional, with larger, more established companies like Siemens and Schneider Electric mostly staying in the background. DON'T MISS: Energy...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car at EVgo fast-charging station, Newport Centre, Jersey City, NJ
    More details on fast-charging rate in 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car

    For a few years now, Tesla has shown what a nationwide network of DC fast-charging sites for long-range electric cars should look like. Its Supercharger network now covers virtually all of the lower 48 states, and until earlier this year, it was completely free to Tesla drivers. The Chevrolet Bolt...

  • 2017 Tesla Model X
    Tesla Model X electric car vs Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car: CA road trip

    The ability to travel long distances has long been a distinguishing feature of Tesla's luxury electric cars, whose Supercharger fast-charging network now offers access to essentially every part of the 48 continental states. But where hydrogen infrastructure exists, which can cover a long road trip...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car at EVgo fast-charging station, Newport Centre, Jersey City, NJ
    Fast-charging a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car

    The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first mass-priced electric car with more than 200 miles of range to go on sale in the U.S. That alone makes it a landmark vehicle, and has led to significant interest in the first electric car that provides comparable range to that of Tesla cars over the last nine...

  • 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf
    Germany, Austria electric-car charging networks improve, fast

    Two adjacent European countries are stepping up efforts to improve their public electric-car charging infrastructure. Initiatives in Germany and Austria should see major improvements to charging networks in a short period of time, as both countries aggressively promote electric cars in an effort to...

  • 2013 Honda Fit EV
    Honda researches high-power electric-car charging, at highway speeds

    Even with recent efforts to expand it, electric-car charging infrastructure is nowhere near rivaling the ubiquity of gas stations. But what if electric cars didn't need to stop to charge? That's essentially what a new Honda research project aims to investigate. DON'T MISS: Honda Clarity EV electric...

  • Prototype EVgo 350-kw fast-charging station Fremont, CA

    Charging infrastructure projects for electric cars have mostly focused on expanding the number of charging sites available to the public over the last six years. But now significant effort is also being put into increasing the power those public charging stations can provide. This is due to anticipated technological improvements to electric-car charging, boosting the capabilities of both onboard chargers and battery packs. DON'T MISS: Chevy Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq show slow, confusing state of 'fast' charging today Network operators will need to "future proof" their stations to provide for...

  • Electric-car advocate Bjorn Nyland shows off Vulkan parking garage, Oslo, Norway  [video, Mar 2017]
    World's largest electric-car charging site in parking facility: in Norway, of course (video)

    Parking garages often aren't very well-lit, and a video tour of one may not sound like a particularly enjoyable way to spend time. But if you're an electric-car driver or advocate in North America, an 11-minute tour by electric-car advocate (and Tesla fanatic) Bjørn Nyland may be time well...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Volt
    Michigan utility cancels electric-car charging stations after opposition

    In multiple states, electric utilities are beginning to establish networks of electric-car charging stations. But plans for such a network in Michigan recently hit a roadblock. Last week, local utility Consumers Energy withdrew its request to install public electric-car charging stations at an...

  • BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf electric cars using Combined Charging System (CCS) DC fast charging
    VW's Electrify America submits electric-car charging plan to EPA, CARB: now what?

    Volkswagen has submitted a plan for electric-charging infrastructure to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. VW's "Electrify America" plan shows how the automaker would spend funds it is required to commit to zero-emission vehicle infrastructure under the...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Chevy Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq show slow, confusing state of 'fast' charging today

    When you drive into a U.S. gas station to pump gas, every pump works exactly the same way. The only choice to make is which grade of gasoline you want. If you want diesel fuel, of course, you may have to find one of the six out of 10 stations that offer it. DC fast charging for electric cars isn't...

  • 2017 Nissan Leaf
    Five electric-car questions to worry about this year

    It seems fair to say that the new presidential administration may have increased the generalized level of worry among many Americans, not to mention the rest of the world. Among the things to worry about are the future of incentives, infrastructure, and legislation encouraging the adoption of...

  • Owner Dawn Hall before 800-mile road trip in 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car

    With about twice the range of any non-Tesla electric car, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has generated a great deal of excitement and won numerous awards over the last year. In combination with a nascent DC fast-charging infrastructure, it offers the possibility of much longer road trips powered solely by grid electricity. One early Bolt EV owner is Dawn Hall, of San Jose, California, who has already taken an 800-mile road trip in her electric car—and written about it exclusively in this report. What follows are her words, edited by Green Car Reports for comprehension, style, and length...

  • Quick Check convenience store with Tesla Superchargers under construction, Kingston, New York
    $8 billion cost to make Tesla Superchargers as common as gas stations: analyst

    Tesla is the world's only automaker to build and operate its own large-scale network of public charging stations. This year, the Silicon Valley automaker hopes to double the number of Supercharger DC fast-charging sites, to make it more convenient for U.S. Tesla owners to undertake longer road...

  • Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept, 2016 Paris auto show
    Daimler invests in ChargePoint to grow electric-car charging in Europe, joins BMW

    As automakers produce electric cars in greater numbers, public charging infrastructure will become even more crucial to lure new buyers and convince them the cars can be practical. Some automakers have already invested in charging infrastructure, while others are just starting to contemplate public...

  • Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]
    Tesla plans major U.S. expansion of Supercharger fast-charging

    Tesla will undertake a major expansion of its Supercharger network of DC fast-charging stations this year. The Silicon Valley automaker is already one of the most committed to offering widespread DC fast charging, positioning the stations as a way for customers to complete longer journeys more...

  • Tesla Supercharger site in Newburgh, New York, up and running - June 2015
    Tesla now tells electric cars about charger status en route

    Unlike most automakers, Tesla doesn't schedule redesigns, updates, and new features for its cars to coincide with traditional model years. Aided by the fact that most of its new features are software-related, Tesla takes a more flexible approach. Many new features are pushed to its electric cars...

  • Nissan Leaf electric car using DC fast-charging station at BP in Metrolina area of Charlotte, NC
    Should electric-car makers subsidize fast charging for owners?

    By now, purchase incentives are a well-proven and valuable tool in increasing electric-car adoption. But what if incentives were applied to more than just the cars? Different automakers have shown varying levels of interest in developing DC fast-charging networks for the electric cars they produce...

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