Beverly Hills bans plug-in hybrids from public charging stations

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car at EVgo fast-charging station, Newport Centre, Jersey City, NJWell, that's ... interesting. The city of Beverly Hills, California, has issued new regulations for parking and electric-car charging. As of Monday, April 2, only battery-electric cars will be allowed to park and plug in at any of the city's 35 public charging stations—plug-in hybrids will not. DON'T MISS: Charging etiquette for electric-car...

Scotland power boss: Peak charging could cause grid problems

Nissan Leaf in ScotlandVastly greater numbers of electric cars on United Kingdom roads could pose problems for the power supplies used to recharge them—if, that is, they all plug in during the day. Frank Mitchell, head of SP Energy Networks a unit of ScottishPower, said a rush to electric cars in the U.K. could burden the power grid if owners opt to charge those...

Blink charging-station network hits up users to buy shares

Blink network  -  charging by the kWhIt's not unheard of for the fans of well-loved brands—e.g. Tesla—to decide to buy shares in the company. It's somewhat less common for companies to reach out to their customers en masse and pitch all of them on buying shares in the company. That's apparently what the Blink charging network has done, according to numerous posts in...

Europe takes the lead in very fast electric-car charging

Allego 175 kw Ultra-E Charging Station in GermanyEuropeans will soon have the opportunity to enjoy quiet, emission-free, long-distance motoring with far shorter charge times when driving electric cars along Germany's autobahns. The charging network Allego has rolled out its first 175-kilowatt ultra-fast charging stations—dubbed "Ultra E"—at its first location in Kleinosthei, along...

How to recharge an electric car in the middle of nowhere: Amazon drone?

Amazon patent for mobile drone electric car chargingAmazon, once a humble bookseller, now dips its toes into numerous technology realms. Its next potential act? Perhaps it will be drones that can charge electric cars on the fly. The online retailer and technology company filed an application to patent a drone specifically built for electric-car charging when a charging station isn't nearby. The...

People have no idea what electricity is or how it works (video)

Frame from man-on-the-street interviews on electricity, utilities by E-Source LLC, 2011  [YouTube]Everyone knows what a gallon of gasoline is, or what they paid the last time they put fuel in their car. But trying asking your friends, relatives, and neighbors how much they paid per kilowatt-hour in their last electric bill. Or even what a kilowatt-hour is. We guarantee you that 19 out of 20 of them won't have a clue. DON'T MISS: Chargeway: the...

Toshiba claims 6-minute recharge for new electric-car battery cell

Toshiba SCiB battery cellElectric cars pale in comparison to gasoline or diesel-powered cars when it comes to the time presently required to add energy for more driving distance. Although automakers have begun to curb "range anxiety" with longer-distance electric cars, battery charging times on lengthy road trips remain a hurdle for many buyers. The fastest "quick...

Wireless charging or plugs for electric cars? Take our Twitter poll

2018 BMW 530e iPerformance wireless chargingAsk an electric-car owner how long it takes to charge the car, and you may get an answer you didn't expect. "Oh, five or 10 seconds," is a common response from experienced drivers of plug-in vehicles—meaning the time it takes to plug in. Statistically, that happens most often at night, so the car is fully charged and offers maximum range by...

How Teslas charge in US and UK.: similarities and differences

Tesla charging port in the United KingdomIt's well-known that electrical outlets in the United States and elsewhere vary, but it also makes for somewhat different charging experiences with the Tesla Model S. In Europe, the standard voltage is higher than the United States, which means more power can be drawn from a standard wall outlet. However, higher-rated charging connectors, such as...

Electric-car discovery, education centers are now a thing

Plug'n Drive Education Center TorontoBreaking with routine and tradition is never easy, especially when it comes to buying, owning, and operating a vehicle powered by an internal-combustion engine. Around the world, roughly 1 billion vehicle owners stop at fuel stations and keep cars powered by fossil fuels running—and have done for a century now. Inevitably, it will take more...

Streetlights that charge electric cars arrive in California city

ebee streelight charging stationAs the market for electric vehicles continues to grow, electric-car infrastructure will need to keep up with the growing population of them. To solve the problem, companies are looking at a variety of new and innovative ways to charge more cars without actually taking up more space. Enter the ebee Smart Technologies streetlight charging...

To honor Energy Week, lease an electric car: 10 lessons from new EV driver

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe White House has declared this week the inaugural "Energy Week," and what better way to mark the occasion than by driving electric cars? Cars that plug in to use grid energy for travel are a great catalyst for reducing energy consumption and reducing our use of fossil fuels. Now one reporter who took the plunge and leased a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt...

Chargeway: the best electric-car idea you’ve never heard of

Chargeway electric-car charging symbols for Chevrolet Volt, BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model SPretty much everyone knows how to put fuel into a conventional car. You pull up to the pump, open the vehicle's fuel door, put in a credit card, select diesel or one of three grades of gasoline, lift the hose, and pump. (In New Jersey and Oregon, someone else does this for you.) Electric-car charging isn't quite that simple. DON'T MISS: Car buyers...