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Texas is launching a “virtual power plant” pilot program that will reward Tesla Powerwall owners for using their in-home battery packs to support the grid. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s electricity grid, was directed to begin developing the pilot program in 2022 by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which in a press release announced the go-ahead to start the project in two regions. Under the pilot program, Powerwall owners in those regions have agreed to sell surplus power through ERCOT’s market. “Today’s launch of the first phase of the Tesla Virtual Power…
The field of swappable batteries for electric motorbikes is booming, and Honda is trying to play catch up with its own design. The Honda Mobile Power Pack e: (MPPe:) is headed to Indonesia as the company makes a play for greater international market share. The Honda MPPe: is a Gogoro-style swappable motorbike battery that even comes with its own Gogoro-style battery cabinet known as the Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: (HPPEe:). Honda has been dragging its feet on electric vehicles for years, not just in cars but also in its motorcycle division. The swappable battery system developed by Honda has…
In 1880, a water-powered turbine generated its first spark of electricity. It powered a theater and storefront in Grand Rapids, Michigan. By 1893, the first commercial hydropower plant was operating in Redlands, California. And according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in 2022, hydropower accounted for more than 28% of all renewable electricity generation in the United States. Needless to say, hydropower is not new. In fact, hydropower’s consistency, flexibility, and dispatchability (more on that later) have already made it essential to the grid—and to our clean energy transition. The virtual Renewable Energy Discovery (REDi) Island, an educational resource developed by the…
The Nio House is Nio’s largest in the world, with a corridor connecting directly to its F2 factory. Nio (NYSE: NIO) will open a new Nio House at NeoPark in Hefei, Anhui province on August 28, the company said. Nio shared the information on Weibo today, offering no further details but sharing a brief video showing the process of building the Nio House from scratch. In the video, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker hinted that the opening ceremony for the Nio House would begin at 10 am on August 28 Beijing time. On May 31, a YouTube video…
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded Monday through Thursday and again on Saturday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available. Stories we discuss in this episode (with links): Subscribe to the Electrek Daily Channel on Youtube so you never miss a day of news Follow Mikey: Twitter @Mikey_Electric Listen & Subscribe: Share your thoughts! Drop us…
Kia has taken the wraps off of its EV5, a smaller, five-passenger version of the EV9. Squint a little and the two cars look almost identical. That’s a good thing, as the EV9 is basically a box on wheels, which means there’s a ton of room inside for people and their stuff. Other manufacturers are hell bent on designing SUVs with low, swooping roof lines they call “coupe-like.” They may be lovely to look at and they certainly are more aerodynamically efficient, which translates into longer range, but they can’t deliver the same rear-seat headroom or cargo carrying capacity as…
The Kia EV9 is set to arrive at United States dealerships by the end of this year. The electric SUV will be quite large, with a length of around 197 inches, putting it in the same size category as its internal combustion engine-powered Telluride sibling. While pre-order holders eagerly await their vehicles, the Korean automaker recently released a features list for the SUV. Unfortunately, Kia’s features list does not include pricing but displays all the available and standard features across the lineup. The Kia EV9 will arrive in five trims: Light RWD, Light Long Range RWD, Wind AWD, Land AWD,…
This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time that includes new moped-style e-bikes from Electra, e-bikes and the right to repair debate, e-bike vans coming to NYC, sustainable replacement for e-bike boxes, ordering e-bikes from Indiegogo and more. The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.…
Ultium Cells LLC operates as a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution. The two companies are currently building battery cells and packs for the GMC Hummer EV, the Chevrolet Blazer EV, and the Cadillac Lyriq. By the next year, the list of Ultium-powered EVs on the road will multiply even further. Within the venture, there have been disputes regarding employee wages and working conditions. The starting hourly pay at the plant is currently $16.50. As for the conditions, the UAW’s boss, Shawn Fain, said there was employee exposure to non-OSHA-regulated chemicals. Fain added that there were reports…
Which EV is the lowest-rated by the EPA in efficiency? Which state is revamping its EV incentives toward low-income drivers? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending August 25, 2023. A series of tech and styling improvements due in the 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB EV will help make this compact yet boxy and spacious SUV—seating up to seven—even more distinctive in the market. Plug & Charge compatibility, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a new infotainment system are among the upgrades. Kia EV5 The Kia EV5 was officially revealed…