Hasta La Gadget!

Everywhere you go in Japan there are vending machines. Whether you’re in a Buddhist monastery or a botanical garden you’re never far from a cold bottle of Pocari Sweat or Gokuri Apple. Soon Japanese drivers will never be far from a place to charge their EV, either. Forking Company, which oversees 1.2 million vending machines across Japan, is going to start working with Panasonic to deploy chargers for electric vehicles along with those machines. It’s a potentially perfect solution, since these stations already having power and, often, connectivity. Over the next 12 months the plan is to deploy 10,000 such chargers — and probably just as many menacing looking posters of Tommy Lee Jones hawking his particular blend of coffee.

Continue reading Japanese vending machines to get EV chargers, will quench both thirst and range anxiety

Japanese vending machines to get EV chargers, will quench both thirst and range anxiety originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you the sort that doesn’t mind letting random people pull up in your driveway to recharge their electric vehicle? Then you might want to consider using the new PlugShare app for iOS devices that was just released today, which will let you broadcast your location and plug status to everyone passing by. Of course, there are also some privacy settings if you prefer to control things a bit more tightly, and the app also includes a complete database of public charging stations across the US if you’d rather not bother someone else at all when you’re out on the road. What’s more, while the app is iOS-only at the moment, the company promises that an Android version is “coming soon.” Head on past the break for a quick demo video.

Continue reading PlugShare app lets you share your plugs with other EV drivers

PlugShare app lets you share your plugs with other EV drivers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neither Chevrolet nor Nissan have felt proud enough of their EV sales numbers to list them on their latest press releases, but our colleagues over at Autoblog Green have dug those numbers up anyhow. They make for dispiriting reading if you’re an electric car well-wisher, as the Volt‘s sales declined from January’s tally of 321 to an even less impressive 281, while the Leaf closed February with only 67 US sales, down 20 on last month. Upon seeing their previous numbers, we postulated that both cars are suffering from constrained supply, which is likely still the case, but it feels ironic to us that electric vehicles, whose driving experience offers instant torque, are taking their sweet time to rev up their sales.

Electric car sales watch: 281 Volts and 67 Leafs sold in US during February originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s going to be a little while before you’re able to recharge your battery-electric EV as quickly as you can refuel your gasoline-powered machine. Until then there’s Better Place, offering a suite of options including traditional recharging and fast battery-swapping. The idea is you don’t buy a car with a battery you buy a car then lease the battery, and now we’re getting an idea of what that lease is going to cost. It’s launching first in Denmark with the Renault Fluence Z.E., a €27,496 ($38,500) car. If you’re okay with driving less than 20,000km per year you can get by with monthly battery fees between €199 and €249 ($278 to $348), which includes recharging at Better Place locations or five-minute battery swaps if you’re in a hurry. For €399 monthly ($558) you get unlimited mileage, but all plans get stuck with a €1,341 ($1,874) up-front fee to install a home charging station — a bit steep compared to Ford’s $1,500 option but not bad overall.

Renault is also announcing Better Place support for its Twizy, which is featured in a video below. It’s a tiny little thing that will cost just €6,900 ($9,640) and is due to ship this year. That’s astonishingly cheap for an EV but, of course it comes without a battery pack, so you’ll need to be leasing one. However, we’re told there’ll be a 7,500km lease option for just €45 ($63) per month. It also won’t be coming to the States, planned only for a European launch, a land of smaller roads that’ll be better suited to this flea-sized creation. And now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be sending our poor currency-converting intern on break. Poor gal really needs a coffee.

Continue reading Better Place swappable EV batteries priced, Renault is definitely onboard

Better Place swappable EV batteries priced, Renault is definitely onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The word “experimental” isn’t something you’d often apply to a Rolls Royce, a company with a history that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and clientele that isn’t much younger. However, it does have a history of producing so-called EX cars, experimental models, and the 102EX is the latest — and the most daring. It’s the world’s first fully-electric ultra-luxury car, featuring a hulking 71kWh battery (almost three times the capacity of the Nissan Leaf) that can be charged in as quickly as eight hours. Inductive charging is also available, like the wireless Tesla Roadster we saw at CES, though Rolls isn’t saying how long that takes. Range is said to be up to 200km, about 125 miles, and the 0 – 60 roll takes somewhere under eight seconds. That’s not bad for a 6,000lb monster. No estimated cost has yet been applied, nor any real intent for production, but if this does start easing off production lines we hope it does so without the tacky glowing hood ornament. The Spirit of Ecstasy looks best when shined by polish, not LEDs.

Continue reading Rolls Royce unveils 102EX, the all-electric Phantom (video)

Rolls Royce unveils 102EX, the all-electric Phantom (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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