Congress questions VW $2 billion in zero-emission infrastructure funding

U.S. Capitol BuildingThe Volkswagen diesel settlement for 2.0-liter TDI models, approved at the end of October, includes a provision for $2 billion in funds to install charging or fueling infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles. There has been considerable debate over what those funds should be used for, and how they should be administered. The vast majority of the...

White House designates 48 electric-car charging corridors on U.S. highways

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]The White House today announced a range of actions intended to stimulate and speed up the deployment of zero-emission electric vehicles in the U.S. It took these actions, it said, as part of its efforts to "combat climate change, increase access to clean-energy technologies, and reduce our dependence on oil." Today's announcements are part of "a...

Wireless electric-car charging: perfect for automated parking?

Evatran Plugless wireless charger for Tesla Model SWireless electric-car charging seems to offer a somewhat more convenient experience. Instead of plugging in a charge cord, drivers simply park their electric cars over a pad, usually on the floor of a garage. But what if they didn't even have to do that? DON'T MISS: Plugless charging for 80 percent of electric cars by end of 2017: Evatran Evatran...

Porsche’s 800-Volt fast charging for electric cars: why it matters

Porsche Mission E Concept  -  2015 Frankfurt Auto Show live photosThe future of electric cars for practical transportation relies to some degree on the future of DC fast charging, and how it develops over the next decade. As in other spheres of electrifying transport, Tesla Motors has pointed the way to one vision of the future with its expanding network of Supercharger fast-charging sites. But Tesla's network...

Charging etiquette for electric-car drivers: what you need to know

2015 Nissan Leaf at evGo fast charger at Livingston Mall, Livingston, NJ   [photo: John Briggs]As electric-car adoption expands past early adopters into more general buyers, it may be difficult for public charging infrastructure to grow as fast as the number of electric vehicles on the road. Here in the U.S., every month roughly 10,000 new plug-in vehicles are sold or leased—and that number could rise dramatically once the highly...