My Perfect Automobile » Charging Stations

Chevy Spark EV to Offer AC and DC Charging

Larry Bell — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:40:16 +0000

Chevy Spark EV, under the hood

The Chevy Spark EV will feature both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) charging ports as well as a special communications link that informs the charging unit of exact amperage and voltage needs. Most electric cars available in the U.S. carry AC, but not DC capability. At present, no other vehicle has the U.S. version of an AC charger alongside a DC port. Two competing electric cars from Japan, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Nissan Leaf, carry DC ports that connect only to Japanese ChaDeMo charging units. Both those cars have universal AC ports as well.

Chevy Spark EV: Video

Electric car enthusiasts will enjoy the above video that describes the Chevy Spark EV in a simple, artistic way. Location of the battery pack and motor are shown, followed by a detailed cutaway of the motor, rendered in close-up. Magnets, stator, shaft, conductor and spinning rotor are featured in the second portion of the mini-documentary. After that, the video offers a fascinating, original explanation of the planetary gear set that viewers will not soon forget. Even the mechanically challenged will appreciate the cleverness of the rendering. The clip wraps up with an overview of the car’s regenerative braking system, using 3-D graphics to demonstrate how brake application sends captured kinetic energy to the electric battery. For a two-minute video that has no narration and uses simple, animated artwork, the official Chevy production is an eloquently educational lesson about how electric cars work.

Chevy Spark EV

With its ability to accept AC or DC charging, Chevy’s all-electric production car is positioned to capture a significant piece of the EV market segment from its competitors. Using the car’s DC charger, an owner can replenish the Spark EV battery to 80 percent capacity in just 20 minutes.

For more about Chevrolet, and about the Spark EV in particular, see the automaker’s official websites:
http://www.chevrolet.com
www.chevrolet.com/spark-ev-electric-vehicle.html

Larry Bell

Larry Bell + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Author, but we call him ‘The Expert‘. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Expert Author. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

All Eyes on Tesla Earnings Wednesday

Larry — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:31:47 +0000

Tesla Model S Road Test

PALO ALTO — Electric car enthusiasts as well as skeptics will be watching Tesla Motors (TSLA) on Wednesday as the Palo Alto-based automaker holds its quarterly earnings call, the first since its high-profile feud with The New York Times over an unflattering review of a Model S road trip.

The main thing they’ll be looking for is how many Model S vehicles were delivered to customers in the fourth quarter, whether or not the company has succeeded in ramping up production of the new luxury sedan and the pace of new reservations for the car.

In November, Tesla said it was on track to deliver 2,500 to 3,000 units of the all-electric Model S sedan in the fourth quarter after delivering just 250 cars in the third quarter.

Many analysts, including Ben Kallo, a senior research analyst at Robert W. Baird, expect Tesla to reach its target.

“We have them coming in at 3,013 cars for the year,” Kallo said.

Tesla has promised to reach a 400-car-per-week rate this year at its Fremont factory, which would allow the company to produce 20,000 vehicles a year. And as Tesla ramps up production, many hope to see costs, including sizable research and development costs, coming down.

CEO Elon Musk, along with CFO Deepak Ahuja, always participates in the quarterly conference call that follows the earnings release. Musk typically fields many of the questions.

Kallo said he wants to know how many new customers have put down $5,000 to reserve a Model S and how many of those reservations have been canceled. He wonders if some potential Model S buyers were spooked earlier this month when New York Times reporter John Broder wrote a story about his botched East Coast road trip in a Model S that resulted in the vehicle being rescued by a tow truck. Musk responded with a blistering blog post that defended the car and attacked Broder for what Musk claimed was deliberately setting out to write a negative review.

Tesla does not typically break out reservations by region, but the largest market for the Model S outside of the United States is Europe. There is strong demand from Norway and Denmark, where electric vehicles are excluded from high import taxes. And as Tesla rolls out more stores — it plans to open a showroom in Beijing this spring — that should drive ever-higher numbers of reservations.

“Nothing should matter more than the pace of net reservations,” said Aaron Chew of the Maxim Group. “They exited the third quarter with 13,000

A Tesla Model S electric sedan is driven near the company’s factory in Fremont, California, in this June 22, 2012, file photo. Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk disputed claims in a February 8th, 2013 New York Times article that the battery-powered Tesla Model S performed poorly in cold-weather testing. REUTERS/Noah Berger/Files (NOAH BERGER)

reservations. In my view, they need at least 2,500 new reservations for the quarter.”

Andrea James, an analyst with Dougherty & Co., is also focused on reservations. As the company moves through the reservation list and fulfills orders for early adopters, the question for Tesla becomes its ability to breakthrough to mainstream consumers.

“I’d like to see that they are sold out,” said James. “That will help prove that demand is there to people who are still not believers. This is the year where Tesla is going to prove whether or not its model works.”

Tesla’s stock rose more than 6 percent Tuesday, to close at $39.29, after Margaret Sullivan, The New York Times public editor, took reporter John Broder to task for errors in judgment and “taking what seem to be casual and imprecise notes along the journey.” Others, including CNN, CNBC and a group of devoted Model S owners have recreated Broder’s rode trip with no problems.

Tesla published a new blog post from Musk on Tuesday that thanked Sullivan for looking into the matter and thanked customers who “rallied immediately to the defense of Tesla and the electric car revolution.”

“The bottom line is that the Model S combined with Supercharging works well for a long road trip, even in a cold, snowy winter,” wrote Musk in the blog post. “Nonetheless, we will keep increasing the number of Superchargers, improving the software in the car (via over the air updates), and the technology behind the Supercharger itself.”

Tesla reports earnings at 2:30 Wednesday, after the close of the stock market.

Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.

Larry Judkin

Larry Judkin + is My Perfect Automobile’s General Manager, but people call him Lar’. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Co-owner of My Perfect Automobile. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

German Co. Offers New Way to Charge Electric Cars

Larry Bell — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:48:32 +0000

Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid

German manufacturer Ubitricity will make at least 1,000 portable car-charging devices as a first production run. The new unit, which is capable of acting as a mobile charging station, could have a significant impact on the current state of electric vehicle infrastructure. Rather than using a large, expensive charging unit to deliver electricity to an EV, the Ubitricity unit would allow any driver to hook up to one of the company’s special outlets and be billed automatically.

Germany’s Ubitricity: Video

“Rethinking infrastructure for electric vehicles,” intones the narrator in the informational clip below, as she explains exactly how the Ubitricity system works via graphics and animation. The idea takes a bit of time to sink in, but essentially, it operates as though any electric car could plug into any socket, or in this case specifically designed sockets. Leaping past the concept of charging stations completely, the Ubitricity plan is for car owners to purchase the units and carry them in the trunk, enabling billing and charging from any proprietary outlet. As long as an EV driver is plugged into one of the unobtrusive Ubriticity outlets, billing and charging take place at the same time, and seamlessly deliver metered power to the car. Unique in its simplicity and application, the Ubitricity charging method might just eliminate the need for conventional charging stations.

German Company Ubitricity

The company says that the sockets would be as easy to install as standard electrical outlets, which could enable building owners, municipalities, and homeowners to put sockets wherever needed, all for a fraction of the expense of a full-blown charging station. In many ways, a system such as Ubitricity’s would create instant infrastructure for all electric vehicles.

For more about the German company that has developed the portable charging unit, see the official website:
http://www.ubitricity.com/

Larry Bell

New York EV Charging: Mayor’s Announcement

Larry Bell — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:28:52 +0000

New York Charging Spots (Pictured: Ford Focus Electric)

New York City officials have plans to amend building codes in order to vastly expand electric car-charging infrastructure in the Big Apple. One plan features a provision that would require about one-fifth of all new parking spaces to be equipped for EV charging. Before the decade is out, that could add up to as many as 10,000 electrified parking spots in a city that is sometimes ranked among the most hostile parking environments in the world.

EV Charging: Video

One of the largest cities in the world, Mexico City, has been in the midst of an experiment with electric cars for the past year. Various federal and local government agencies sponsored a program to fund a fleet of Nissan Leaf taxis. Drivers and passengers provide feedback to the program’s administrators on a range of topics. The news clip below features an interview with one of the drivers, who seems to love the car and the program. His prediction is that electric cars will catch on as taxis in Mexico because most of the drivers enjoy driving non-polluting cars, appreciate the simple controls of the Leaf, and at least in his case, enjoy the attention from passengers who routinely quiz them about the EV taxi.

NYC Leads the Charge

While New York City officials intend to install about 50 more public charging stations this year, the city boasts 100 stations already, and perhaps as many as a thousand private, corporate locations where EV owners can recharge battery packs. If the building code can be changed, the number of public charging stations could increase along with demand. City officials are expected to fine-tune the plan before formal legislation is written.

For more about one of the newest electric cars on the market, see the official website for the Ford Focus Electric:
http://www.ford.com/electric/focuselectric/2012/

Larry Bell

Glow-in-the-Dark Highways from Dutch Designers

Larry Bell — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:18:29 +0000

Nissan ESFLOW electric concept car

A design company in the Netherlands has come up with a unique concept for highways of the future. If the firm’s engineers have their way, we will someday be driving on glow-in-the-dark roads that feature inductive charging lanes for electric vehicles. The concept will become reality by the end of the year, in fact, when Studio Roosegaarde’s ideas will be tested out on a stretch of roadway in the Netherlands. If the pilot program is a success, these “dynamic roads,” which are able to collect solar energy in the daylight hours for nighttime use, will get a tryout in other European nations.

Glowing Highways: Video

The video clip above features some rather startling animated footage of what highways of the future might look like. Studio Roosegaarde engineers and designers have, however, created a world that might come to pass sooner than you think. Prototypes of the glowing, smart highways will be tested soon. If the project gets a green light, no pun intended, other European locales would see test roads that offer sensor-driven lighting, glowing road markers, inductive EV-charging lanes, and other design touches that green transportation enthusiasts will appreciate. Roosegaarde has a reputation for thinking outside the box. In fact, they think so far outside the box that if their road design goes according to plan, they will perhaps go down in history as the creator of the first smart roadway.

Glow-in-the-Dark Highways

Perhaps the most revolutionary component of the Roosegaarde roadway is the inductive charging lane, which would allow EV drivers to juice up their batteries while tooling down the highway. No need for stopping at a charging station if you can get your electricity from the road. Keep an eye on Roosegaarde’s roadway experiments throughout the year.

For more about the Dutch company that is on the cutting-edge of futuristic design, see the official website of Studio Roosegaarde:
http://www.studioroosegaarde.net/info/profile/

Larry Bell

Chevy Spark Charge Time: 20 Minutes

Larry Bell — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 03:34:03 +0000

Chevy Spark EV

Chevrolet’s new Spark EV will offer a 20-minute quick-charge option for GM’s newest all-electric vehicle, provided it hooks up to a Level-3 supercharger. The fast charge will replenish the battery pack much quicker than a 240-volt hookup, which takes approximately seven hours. When the car arrives in showrooms, it will at first be for sale only in Oregon and California domestically, and South Korea, Canada, and Europe for the international market.

Chevy Spark: Video

The Chevy Spark EV has been making the rounds of auto shows and special events lately, but spectators are often allowed to view just the exterior of the car. At one recent public display of Chevrolet’s newest alternative-fuel model, the closest anyone got to the interior was with a quick look in the driver-side window. In any case, if you feel shortchanged, and would like to gaze endlessly at all the stylish design features of the fresh electric vehicle from GM, scroll to the video below for an interior tour to beat all interior tours. For what is considered a small EV, the inside of the Spark looks quite roomy, modern and classy. The muted color scheme and high-tech control dash panels go a long way toward conveying a futuristic feel. Spend some time inside the Chevy Spark EV and you will fast become a fan.

Chevy Spark EV

The compact EV reaches 60 mph in just 8 seconds, and will go on sale this summer for an expected MSRP of $32,500. After federal and some state rebates, that could bring the effective price down to $25,000. GM is hoping the Spark EV will be as popular with owners as its groundbreaking Volt hybrid car is. The Chevy Volt has attracted critical and popular acclaim for its reliability, design, and value.

For more about the Spark EV and all of Chevrolet’s other vehicles, see the U.S. carmaker’s official corporate website:
http://www.chevrolet.com

Larry Bell

Wireless Charging Could Beat Range Anxiety

Larry Bell — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 20:50:22 +0000

Wireless charging system diagram

A new study from Pike Research suggests that wireless charging systems could go a long way toward alleviating consumer range anxiety associated with electric vehicles. Pike’s data estimates that there will be more than 280,000 wireless charging points by the end of this decade. Because the units can be embedded in roadways and public parking spaces, some look at inductive charging as a way to top-off a car battery while it idles at a stoplight or sits in rush hour traffic.

Wireless Charging: Video

There is a valid reason why car owners want wireless charging. It’s convenient. In the video clip that follows, Plugless Power walks us through their standard inductive unit for passenger cars. The system is installed in the garage and merely requires that the driver position the vehicle over a small floor device. As the narrator explains, there is actually an on-screen guiding system to make the whole thing goof-proof. Whenever the owner of an inductive unit wants to physically plug in, for whatever reason, there is no need to use the wireless method. The freedom of choice to switch between plug and plug-less is perhaps the most attractive feature of the Plugless Power inductive charging device.

Wireless Charging

Since the beginning of 2011, every major carmaker has investigated wireless charging, and most have created partnerships with firms who build the devices. Nissan and BMW, to name just two companies, have already found partners that will help them produce the inductive technology for the new wave of electric vehicles that will hit the roads, and showrooms, by 2015. In Italy, electric buses use wireless charging units that are embedded at each stop, allowing the vehicles to drive their entire route without having to plug in.

For more information about one company that makes inductive charging systems for cars, see the following corporate website for Plugless Power:
http://www.pluglesspower.com/
For a look at Pike Research, see their company’s website:
http://www.pikeresearch.com

Larry Bell

ChargePoint Mobile App Maps All EV Stations

Larry Bell — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 02:10:13 +0000

ChargePoint Mobile App (Photo- ChargePoint)

ChargePoint this week introduced a new mobile app that allows drivers to locate EV charging stations located all over the U.S., whether the stations are affiliated with the ChargePoint network or not. The app lets users see which of the stations have pricing, and shows exactly how far away each charging location is from the driver. The free app lets EV owners check in with their Twitter and Facebook accounts as well. Pat Romano, ChargePoint’s CEO and president, noted that the company is the world’s largest entity of its kind. He said the new app gives EV drivers exactly what they want, namely the ability find electric service points and navigate to them any time of the day or night. For drivers in North America, there are well over 10,000 charging stations available, and the new ChargePoint app has them all in its database.

ChargePoint: Video

For a complete overview of how the ChargePoint system works, scroll to the short clip below. From a driver’s point of view, notice how the company created a method to locate charging stations easily with cutting-edge technology. The new app mentioned above brings all the data together so that users can get electricity for their vehicles anywhere, anytime. ChargePoint is the world’s biggest online network of EV charging stations. Independently owned stations comprise the bulk of ChargePoint’s client base.

ChargePoint Mobile App

ChargePoint operates the largest online charging service in the world, servicing a diverse array of industries in more than a dozen nations. Using a cloud-based system to handle driver support and billing, ChargePoint’s clients get maximum flexibility in the way they build and dispatch their EV fleets. Because the company’s system is compatible with charging stations from any manufacturer, fleet owners are able to simplify their control of EV operation. A short list of the company’s clients includes Orlando Utilities Commission, the City of San Francisco, the City of New York, Austin Energy, and many large private entities.

For more about ChargePoint, see the company’s website:
http://www.chargepoint.com

Larry Bell

Infrastructure Company ‘Better Place’ Surges Ahead

Larry Bell — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:44:57 +0000

Better Place: Battery-swap entrepreneur

Better Place, the infrastructure firm that operates a network of EV battery switching stations in Denmark and Israel, announced this week that it has raised an additional $100 million. The funds will be used primarily to sign up more subscribers for the service. Financial giants HSBC, General Electric, and others have already invested more than $750 million into Better Place, but the company is now at a crucial development stage where additional funding is necessary to expand the subscriber base.

Better Place: Video

There is no better explanation of the Better Place battery switch system than the following short video. As the narrator says, the entire process takes less time than filling up a gasoline tank, except that you get a fresh battery, and the whole thing is done by robots. At strategically placed locations, the Better Place battery switch stations can service a large number of vehicles per hour if need be, and are staffed by a fully automated robotic battery-changing team. Toward the end of the video, the founder himself, Shai Agassi, makes a cameo appearance in order to give the final word on why the Better Place method makes sense, saves drivers money, and is good for the environment.

Better Place: Background

Founder and CEO Shai Agassi recently left the company and was replaced in the top spot by Evan Thornley, who had previously run the firm’s Australian unit. Drivers who use the Better Place switching stations buy their cars but lease the battery packs, which brings down the cost of the car, but entails a monthly fee for electricity based on miles driven. While Israel and Denmark are already on the Better Place grid, several new markets are on the horizon for the company. In geographically small areas like Israel, the business model works well because drivers are never very far from a station.

For more information about Better Place, see the company’s official website:
http://www.betterplace.com

Larry Bell

Charging Expo Set for Nov. 13

Larry Bell — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 01:22:33 +0000

Charging Expo: All about electricity

The Charging Infrastructure Expo, a free event that shows off the freshest technology in the automotive charging business, will be held in Novi (Detroit), Michigan from Nov. 13 through Nov. 15. The event draws a wide demographic from the transportation industry, including utilities, vehicle manufacturers, and anyone who wants to know more about how to implement the latest charging technology. The expo is free, but prospective attendees are encouraged to register at the Charging Expo website (see below).

Charging Expo: Video

Inductive car chargers are among the industry’s hottest new trends, and the video clip below is a great way to learn the basics of the technology. Conducted primarily in interview format, the piece walks through every aspect of inductive charging, charging pads, and related issues. The interviewer seems to come up with exactly what is on our minds when he queries the expert on a wide range of topics: Can anything interfere with the charging pad? Is any electrical charge ‘lost’ during the process? Can a person be injured by standing on a charging pad? Can charge pads be buried in the ground yet still be effective? The expert even expounds on the fascinating topic of electrified roadways.

Charging Expo

The Charging Expo features a long list of expert speakers, starting off with the keynote talk entitled, “What’s the Tipping Point for Electric Vehicles?” by Joe Barrett, Senior Director for Marketing and European Innovation Development for Qualcomm. Barrett will touch on issues such as market barriers for electric vehicles, and why EVs are the future of the transportation sector.

Immediately after Barrett’s talk, Andreas Zuehlcke will take the stage and deliver an in depth analysis of inductive charging. Zuehlcke is the Vice President of Sales for BROSE-SEW GmbH & Co.

For more about the event, see the official Charging Expo website. It includes a complete list of speakers, topics, and related activities:
http://www.chargingexpo.com

Larry Bell

Tesla Offers Free Charging for Life

Larry Bell — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 23:26:24 +0000

Tesla solar charging station

Tesla Motors revealed a network of fast charging stations that runs on solar power and is free for Tesla owners to use. The network of charging locations was constructed in secret and currently covers most of California, but will soon encompass the entire U.S. Company co-founder Elon Musk said at a special event this week that the stations will charge a Tesla battery to full in about twenty minutes, the average time for a rest stop.

Tesla Charging: Video

The video clip below, at about ten minutes, is longer than most we post here. If you watch even the first few minutes, the importance of it will begin to sink in. It is simply the short presentation Elon Musk made just a few days ago when he unveiled the Supercharger system. In fact, no other electric carmaker has anything like it, and as Musk says, you can now drive your Tesla electric car on sunlight, forever, for free.

Tesla News

Tesla has partnered with SolarCity for the photovoltaic panels which will create electricity for the cars. In fact, as Musk states in the video above, the panels have been designed to generate more power than the cars will use, thus allowing for a net addition to the grid.

Right now, only Tesla’s 85- and 60-kWh models will be able to use the Superchargers. The company’s base model 40 kWh car, as well as other automakers’ electric vehicles, are unable to use the units. A similar array of charging stations for Tesla cars is slated for Europe within the next few years.

For all the latest news about Tesla Motors, there is no better place than the company’s official website. Unlike most other car manufacturers, Tesla uses its site as a primary news outlet to announce developments about new models, financial information, and other relevant topics.
http://www.teslamotors.com

Larry Bell

FREE Charging Station to Any Workplace Location

Larry — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:59:51 +0000

ChargePoint Where You Work

We have great news! For a limited time only, ChargePoint is giving away electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for the workplace. ChargePoint is making available one FREE charging station to any workplace location that doesn’t already have a ChargePoint station in their parking lot.

ChargePoint’s ‘JumpStart’ program is designed to assist you with encouraging your employer to install a FREE ChargePoint station. Any California employer with more than 50 employees is eligible! This is the perfect opportunity for anyone with sustainability agendas, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) programs, new construction and renovation programs.

To assist your employer in making workplace EV charging prevalent, ChargePoint can also assist in finding a low cost installation provider.

Why are we doing this?

With the ChargePoint JumpStart program, we want to help EV drivers like you get EV charging services at your place of employment. Some of the most progressive and forward-thinking organizations in the world including Google, SAP, 3M, Facebook, Dell and Adobe, provide ChargePoint charging stations for their employees. With ChargePoint JumpStart we’re putting the power to charge in the hands of drivers!

How do you apply?

You can either take the attached offer to the appropriate decision-maker inside your company or apply through the ChargePoint website by October 15, 2012.

JumpStartRebate-1_pdf.html

Click HERE to apply online.

The free ChargePoint stations are available on a first come first served basis.

Sincerely,

Team ChargePoint

P.S.

This is not a secret. If you know of an employee that needs a free ChargePoint station at their workplace, please let them know about this great offer.

Larry Judkin