BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the highest-powered charging network in Europe. The goal is the quick build-up of a sizable number of stations in order to enable long-range travel for battery electric vehicle drivers. This will be an important step towards facilitating mass-market BEV adoption.
The projected ultra-fast high-powered charging network with power levels up to 350 kW will be significantly faster than the most powerful charging system deployed today. The build-up is planned to start in 2017. An initial target of about 400 sites in Europe is planned. By 2020 the customers should have access to thousands of high-powered charging points. The goal is to enable long-distance travel through open-network charging stations along highways and major thoroughfares, which has not been feasible for most BEV drivers to date. The charging experience is expected to evolve to be as convenient as refueling at conventional gas stations.
The network will be based on Combined Charging System (CCS) standard technology. The planned charging infrastructure expands the existing technical standard for AC- and DC charging of electric vehicles to the next level of capacity for DC fast charging with up to 350 kW. BEVs that are engineered to accept this full power of the charge stations can recharge brand-independently in a fraction of the time of today’s BEVs. The network is intended to serve all CCS equipped vehicles to facilitate the BEV adoption in Europe.
Today, we look at the 2017 range of Zero electric motorcycles, a Toyota researcher discusses progress in battery research and development, and the White House prepares to host an electric-car "datathon." All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla and SolarCity collaborated on a renewable-energy installation on the island of Ta'u in American... 
As the Volkswagen diesel scandal lumbers onwards, German media outlets have often broken the latest news and revelations from deep inside VW Group. While the German auto giant had hoped at first to have the issue largely wrapped up by now, the scandal first publicly revealed in September 2015 shows no signs of abating. The updates to... 
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The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car gets a number of notable updates this year, including considerably increased range and a more powerful electric motor. Unveiled at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, the e-Golf gets similar styling and content changes to other models in 2017 Golf lineup. Crucially, the electric version also gets a 50-percent... 
When it launched in the U.S. back in late 2010, the current Fiat 500 marked the return of the storied Italian brand to these shores. The little three-door hatchback gave buyers another retro small car in the vein of the BMW-built Mini Cooper. But six years later, the 500 is fairly old by industry standards, and it faces a market that has shunned... ![The White House, Washington, D.C. [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/white-house_100170583_t.gif)
The Obama Administration will make at least one more push to promote electric cars as it enters its final two months. The White House will hold its first-ever "Electric Vehicle Datathon" tomorrow, with the goal of devising ways to use data to increase electric-car adoption. Held in concert with the Department of Energy and four of its national... 
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Autumn is here, the leaves are changing and as the riding season winds down we continue our annual tradition of discussing what’s new for the Zero Motorcycles lineup of electric motorcycles. This year Zero has a few surprises in store to broaden their bikes' appeal to new riders. There are now 14 configurations of Zero Motorcycles ranging in... 
Which 2017 car set a new record for energy efficiency among passenger vehicles on sale this year? What is Tesla doing on a tiny island way out in the Pacific Ocean? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, November 25, 2016. First, our apologies for not reviewing our... 
It's been over a year since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disclosed Volkswagen's use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests. But VW had another dirty little secret waiting to come to light. That is its recall rate: cars from its Volkswagen and Audi brands have had the highest rate of recalls... 
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