Why and how to joyfully move our butts around town, without mucking the place up.

Clean Energy and Transportation News for April 2018

SAE International Releases New Specification (SAE J3068) for Charging of Medium and Heavy Duty Electric Vehicles

(April 26, 2018) The task of charging a big truck in a reasonable time requires a heavier-duty charging system than the Combo Charging System used in electric cars. A big truck might easily have a 1 megaWatt-hour battery pack, and a reasonable time to recharge might require a half megaWatt charging rate. Those figures are educated guesses. A factor cited in the press release is a requirement for 1000 volt system voltage, which of course requires certain specifications for the wiring.

Volkswagen unveils fully-electric I.D. R Pikes Peak

(April 23, 2018) Volkswagen Motorsport is seeking to break the existing Pikes Peak International Hill Climb electric car record - 8:57.118 minutes. They're bringing to Pikes Peak what looks like the sort of race car used in endurance racing, but with a fully electric drive train. The drive train supplies 500 kW (650 NM) of power output, a 0-60 miles/hr time of 2.25 seconds, and a top speed of about 150 miles/hr. The Pikes Peak hill-climb race is a twisty mountain route ending at over 14,000 feet at the top of Pikes Peak, in Colorado. The last several years electric vehicles have taken a larger and larger role. Scroll down to the bottom of this for technical specs and a full presentation.

Target’s Charging Up Its Electric Vehicle Program to Reach More Than 20 States

(April 23, 2018)

Takata airbags can decompose and once in that state, if triggered the airbag will spew shrapnel on the passenger causing physical harm and possibly death. This is a big big safety deal, so why is Tesla refusing to replace these airbags for folks who've repaired and rebuilt a Tesla car? For that matter, why is Tesla going out of its way to throw roadblocks in the way of folks who've done so? Repairing and rebuilding cars is a widespread hobby/practice, and other car manufacturers support the rebuilders with parts and diagnostics tools. Not so with Tesla.

Jaguar I-Pace eTROPHY racecar to electrify Berlin

(April 23, 2018)

Department of Energy Announces $14.5 Million to Advance Geothermal Drilling Technologies

(April 23, 2018)

Morocco betting big on concentrating solar power, hopes to get half its power from renewables by 2040

(April 20, 2018) Morocco has no fossil fuels, making renewable energy an attractive alternative to importing fossil fuels. Morocco has over 3000 hours of sunlight every year. The goal is for the country to get half of its power from renewables by 2040. This plant is just the beginning, yet it is already the largest solar project in the world. Coming soon is phase 3, involving a tower surrounded by mirrors that in turn heats a pool of molten salt that supports generating electricity for 7 hours beyond sunset.

Denmark aiming to get 100% of its energy from wind and solar power

(April 20, 2018) Samso Denmark was the first island powered 100% on renewable energy. They started with wind turbines, lots of them, and produce an excess of wind energy all year long, bringing money to the island. For heating they grow straw, that's burned in centralized boiler plants to send hot water around the island. Denmark as a whole is building massive offshore wind parks. A third of commutes are by bicycle, and there is a tax credit for electric vehicles.

Electrify America installing electric vehicle chargers at more than 100 Walmart locations

(April 19, 2018)

Electrify America is looking to build a nationwide electric vehicle charging network. Some of that network will be at Walmart stores, and will utilize ultra-high-power charging stations running at up to 350 kiloWatts.

Designing and Deploying more than 2,000 Ultra-Fast Electric Vehicle Chargers across the U.S., Electrify America Selects ABB, BTC Power, Efacec and Signet as Charging Equipment Suppliers

(April 17, 2018)

Electrify America is looking to build a nationwide electric vehicle charging network. This describes the charging station vendors.

10th Annual REFUEL EV Track Event is July 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

(April 10, 2018) REFUEL is an opportunity to drive an electric car or motorcycle, in race conditions, on one of the pre-eminent race tracks in the USA, the famed WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway. It is conducted by a racing school, Speed Ventures, and is a time-trial race meaning participants are racing against the clock and not against each other. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the REFUEL racing event, and the organizers expect a large turnout -- if nothing else, lots of Tesla Model 3's will have been delivered by then, and Model 3 owners might turn out in droves.

Wireless Charging System Developed On Kia Soul EV

(April 10, 2018) Kia and Mojo Mobility have jointly developed a wireless charging system offering charging speeds up to 10 kiloWatts, at 85% efficiency. Wireless charging does not require the car be plugged into a wired connection for charging, of course, simplifying the charging experience. Instead of transferring electricity over a wired connection, wireless charging uses electromagnetic fields to send electricity to a receptor coil mounted on the car. Five Soul EV's were used in the project, which saw real-world durability, safety and performance testing.

UC Berkeley, CSU Sacramento and Cal Poly Set to Compete Ultra-Energy-Efficient Vehicles at Sonoma Raceway

(April 10, 2018) The Shell Eco-marathon is coming to Sonoma Raceway, a racetrack that has done more than most to sponsor electric racing activities. While many of the Shell Eco-marathon teams are running on gasoline, and are competing to set high fuel efficiency marks, some are powered on electricity. The Eco-marathon is a chance for student teams to get hands-on engineering experience, in a competitive setting, with the goal being to set the highest energy efficiency. That this is running on a 0.9 mile course says the teams will not use the main track at Sonoma Raceway. Instead there is a go-kart track on the site which looks to fit the description of 0.94 miles with 5 turns.

Jaguar unveils I-Type 3 concept livery ahead of Rome E-Prix

(April 6, 2018)

Tesla denying Takata airbag recall for salvage/rebuild cars

(April 4, 2018)

Takata airbags can decompose and once in that state, if triggered the airbag will spew shrapnel on the passenger causing physical harm and possibly death. This is a big big safety deal, so why is Tesla refusing to replace these airbags for folks who've repaired and rebuilt a Tesla car? For that matter, why is Tesla going out of its way to throw roadblocks in the way of folks who've done so? Repairing and rebuilding cars is a widespread hobby/practice, and other car manufacturers support the rebuilders with parts and diagnostics tools. Not so with Tesla.