Charged Magazine

The Tesla Semi is on its way, but it’s been stuck in traffic on the Interstate. Elon Musk now says the new electric and autonomous Class 8 tractor is “tentatively scheduled” for unveiling and test rides on October 26, about a month behind the previously announced schedule.
“Worth seeing this beast …read more

The Electrification Coalition (EC) has released a case study documenting the nation’s first EV accelerator community: Drive Electric Northern Colorado (DENC).
The EC first described its accelerator community concept in its 2009 Electrification Roadmap. The idea is to leverage public-private partnerships to drive widespread EV deployment.
DENC was launched in 2013 in …read more

Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller rejected predictions of diesel’s demise, saying that the diesel engine has “a great future” ahead of it.
“The diesels we are offering today are clean,” Mueller told CNBC at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. “They comply with the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure requirements, and they …read more

The Trump Administration has just held a hearing to solicit public comments on its effort to weaken the EPA’s fuel efficiency standards. The EPA has reopened the previously-completed mid-term review of vehicle efficiency standards. While the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers supports re-opening the review, it has suggested that it would …read more

Bosch has developed a new electric axle drive, or e-axle, that integrates the motor, power electronics, and transmission into one compact unit that directly drives a vehicle’s axle, saving both space and costs. An electric axle delivering 150 kilowatts weighs roughly 90 kg – far less than currently available individual …read more

Waste Management NZ has demonstrated its first electric truck for residential wheelie bin waste collection. The city of Christchurch will put an electric truck into service in October, and more are scheduled to join the fleet in other New Zealand cities by the end of the year.
The company has already …read more

Williams Advanced Engineering unveiled a lightweight EV platform concept called the FW-EVX at the recent Low Carbon Vehicle Show in Millbrook, UK.
The concept features several innovations in battery pack design, cooling systems and lightweight structures, all integrated into a single scalable platform.
Williams’s engineers developed an automated, near-zero-waste process that creates …read more

The BMW Group announced big plans for electrification at a recent event for journalists in Munich. “By 2025, we will offer 25 electrified vehicles – 12 will be fully electric,” said CEO Harald Krueger, adding that the company’s EVs will have ranges of up to 435 miles.
The company plans to …read more

Clemson Area Transit (CATbus), which serves 1.9 million riders annually in three South Carolina counties, has purchased ten 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 buses and related charging infrastructure. The new e-buses will join six Proterra buses already operated by CATbus in Seneca, SC.
In 2015, Seneca became the first city in the …read more

AxleTech International has announced a partnership with motor manufacturer TM4 to develop integrated electric axles (e-axles) for heavy-duty vehicles.
As part of AxleTech’s Electric Drivetrain Systems product line, the company is developing e-axles with multiple-speed gearboxes that are integrated with electric motors. These integrated drivetrain systems are designed to be compact, …read more