A new system for integrating solar cells into the roof of an electric car will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, and they promise to not only extend the driving range of an electric vehicle but also be completely indistinguishable from the rest of the vehicle’s body. Developed by German solar research institute Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the system involves using solar cells in a preformed roof that can then be painted any colour, while providing extra energy for an electric vehicle.
The Driven 3rd Sept 2019 read more »
United States power and energy company Dominion Energy has announced plans to develop the country’s largest electric school bus deployment, which will see 1,050 electric school busses deployed in its Virginia service territory by 2025, with an aim to replace all diesel school buses by 2030. Dominion Energy Virginia announced the plans with the three-fold aim of reducing emissions, providing cost savings to school districts, and enhancing grid reliability. The initial phase of the electric school bus deployment aims to see 50 buses operating within Dominion Energy’s Virginia service territory by the end of 2020 – without any changes in prices paid by customers. The second phase of the project, requiring state approval, would expand the program to bring an additional 1,000 buses online by 2025. Additionally, when all 1,050 buses are operational, the buses batteries could provide enough energy to power more than 10,000 homes, serving as an additional grid resource to further support the company’s integration of distributed renewable energy resources such as wind and solar. The “vehicle-to-grid” technology would leverage the bus batteries to store and inject energy onto the grid during periods of high demand when the buses are not otherwise being used for transport. The third phase of the project is simply to completely replace all diesel-powered buses by 2030.
Renew Economy 2nd Sept 2019 read more »
A new Scottish £7.5m public and private sector partnership is aiming to deliver more electric vehicle charging points and supporting infrastructure across the country. The partnership includes Scottish government funding of £5m via Transport Scotland, and at least an additional £2.5m from SP Energy Networks and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN). It will deliver trial projects to take place in 2020-21. SSEN will examine what electricity network infrastructure will be required to support the increasing number of people travelling to the north of Scotland by electric vehicles. Infrastructure needs for new charging points along the route of the Electric A9 will be also be identified and mapped.
Infrastructure Intelligence 2nd Sept 2019 read more »