Electric Cars

The municipality of Falconara Marittima, Italy, has installed a free off-grid photovoltaic shade for electric vehicle charging at no cost to users. The system has a capacity of 7 kW and includes a 10 kWh battery.

We Drive Solar and MyWheels have announced plans to transform the Dutch city of Utrecht into the world’s first municipality with a “neighborhood battery on wheels.” The system will feature 25 Ioniq 5 vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech from Hyundai Motor.

Eindhoven University of Technology students have developed a 1,200 kg solar-powered car with a 630 km range. They said that the car is road-legal and entirely independent of charging stations.

Eaton, an Irish energy management specialist, has developed EV Charge Busway, an overhead power distribution solution that eliminates cable runs and major modifications to existing parking and conveyor structures.

The world would have been a different place today had John Goodenough accepted the Shah of Iran’s $7 million offer, in 1974, to carry out solar research. Instead, he secured a job as the head of inorganic chemistry at the University of Oxford. During his tenure, he made a lithium-ion battery discovery that would affect the lives of almost everyone.

PowerFlex CEO Raphael Declercq speaks to pv magazine about growing demand for solar-optimized smart charging. He says the company, which is owned by EDF Renewables, can control batteries and loads in microgrids with its newly expanded EV-charging management software.

Ionblox says it will use $32 million of series B funding to support the buildout of a novel silicon anode electric vehicle battery.

Bonna Newman, program manager at TNO, speaks to pv magazine about the road forward for vehicle-integrated PV, which will likely remain a niche over the short term, despite recent industrial developments. Several companies have started production, but high-volume output and the potential of other PV technologies beyond crystalline silicon remain key challenges for the future of vehicle-integrated solar.

German electric car manufacturer Sono Motors says it has failed to raise enough money from investors and is now trying to save its business by selling its Sion solar electric vehicles at a discounted price.

Squad Mobility will start selling its new two-passenger Squad solar electric vehicle in the US market in January. It is designed for quick trips like grocery shopping or short-distance commutes.