Since the launch of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, in late 2010, plug-in electric vehicles have become more widely available in Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe. Hybrid electric vehicles, which first appeared a decade earlier, are now selling steadily in those regions as well. Sales of EVs have not lived up to automakers’ expectations and politicians’ proclamations, [...]

Across Europe, a greater variety of hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicle models are being offered by manufacturers each month. Although government support is waning, the increasing availability of vehicle charging infrastructure that enables vehicles to charge at home, at the workplace, and in public places is facilitating market growth. The top six European countries for electric vehicles [...]

Lately, economically friendly vehicles have hit the automotive market hard. This has actually posed a lot of competition for the traditional, gas powered vehicles. They are much more affordable now, and have been improved mechanically as opposed to earlier models. The gas mileage of a hybrid vehicle alone is enough to consider purchasing one; and an electric vehicle does not [...]

The Department of Energy announced that 19 transformative new projects will receive a total of $43 million in funding from the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop breakthrough energy storage technologies. These projects are supported through two new ARPA-E programs — Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) – and [...]

European traction motor market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50 percent for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan. Permanent magnet motors are expected to dominate the market by virtue of their performance and efficiency. However, the growing concern over the availability and pricing of rare earth [...]

Panasonic Corporation announced on Friday that it will supply lithium-ion battery cells for Ford’s hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The upcoming models of the Ford Fusion Hybrid Electric and C-Max Hybrid Electric as well as the Ford Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids will use Panasonic battery cells in combination with a gasoline engine. Panasonic is already [...]

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) combined will represent 3.1% of worldwide auto sales by 2017. Thanks to higher penetration rates in the United States, HEVs and PEVs will account for 5.1% of total U.S. vehicle sales in 2017, according to a new study by Pike Research, a market research firm for the clean technology industry. Overall, [...]

Plug-in electric vehicles with small battery packs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that don’t plug in can reduce life cycle impacts from air emissions and enhance oil security at low or no additional cost over a lifetime, but plug-in vehicles with large battery packs are more costly and may have higher or lower emissions than HEVs depending on where and [...]

Cumulative sales of plug-in electric vehicles will reach 5.2 million units by 2017; up from just under 114,000 vehicles in 2011, according to a new report from Pike Research. By the same year, cumulative sales of hybrid electric vehicles will represent an additional 8.7 million vehicles, for a combined total of 13.9 million units in all electrified vehicle categories. Pike [...]

Ford Motor Company has selected Toshiba Corporation to supply automotive inverters for its hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Ford plans to start mass production of new models of both kinds of vehicle in 2012. Toshiba will support Ford with a new inverter production line at its plant in Mie Prefecture, Japan, which has extensive experience [...]