Tesla announces bigger Megapack for stationary storage

Artist's rendering of Tesla Megapack grid storage installation with wind farmLast week, Tesla introduced something bigger than its Powerpack energy-storage systems: the Megapack, for large utility-scale storage installations.. Tesla says the Megapack, which stores 3 megawatt-hours of electricity, has 60 percent more energy density than the Powerpack. For grid power installations, that means companies can install fewer than...

Shorter range Audi E-tron planned for Europe

2019 Audi E-tron  -  first drive report  -  Calirornia, May 2019Audi is already introducing a new version of its E-tron quattro electric SUV in Europe with smaller batteries. The short-range model will have a 71-kilowatt-hour battery pack in place of the original's 95-kwh battery pack. Audi confirmed to Green Car Reports that the new model won't be sold in the U.S. In Europe, it will be rated at 186 miles on...

2020 Kia Optima Hybrid includes more active-safety features

2020 Kia Optima HybridThe 2020 Kia Optima Hybrid joins non-hybrid Optima models in making several important safety features standard. In 2019, automatic emergency braking and automatic lane control were optional on the Optima Hybrid EX and were not available on the Plug-in Hybrid. For 2020, the Optima Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid again come only in the EX trim level...

VP Mike Pence says Workhorse deal to proceed for GM Lordstown plant

GM Lordstown, Ohio, factoryOn a visit to Ohio on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that Workhorse Group has secured financing to buy GM's factory in Lordstown, Ohio, to build electric trucks. After General Motors idled the small-car factory in March, Lordstown has become a hot-button issue for President Trump, who built much of his electoral strategy on bringing...

Report: New lithium mines may bring battery prices down

Lithium SaltsAutomakers continue to express concerns over the supply of raw materials for electric-car batteries. A Bloomberg report suggests that might not be the reality at all. Enough new lithium supplies are coming online that mining companies are concerned about a price collapse. While automakers are preparing a raft of new electric models, they can't...

Project examines how to automate charging for self-driving fleets

Automated charging pilot project  -  EA and Stable AutoWithin the next decade, companies and fleet operators face a serious logistics dilemma: If the future is autonomous and electric, as some major automakers now argue, the only way this works smoothly is if the charging is as well-automated as the driving itself. That’s what Electrify America plans to study together with the San Francisco...