A New York City council bill would mean more EV chargers on the city’s streets. Councilman Costa Constantinides’s bill would create a four-year pilot program to install seven city-owned chargers in each of the five boroughs. The Department of Transportation would choose the locations and prices for the chargers. “There is no incentive to buy an electric car if there is nowhere to plug it in,” says Constantinides. Read more from AM New York.
Europe is expected to add 250,000 plug-in hybrids to its road annually by 2018. According to a study by LMC Automotive, the number of hybrids and PHEVs will triple to more than 750,000 over the next three years. Incentives will be responsible for much of this growth, as well as tougher emissions laws. Mild and micro hybrids are also expected to see a surge in numbers, with sales reaching 275,000 by 2018, up from 11,468 in 2015. 48-volt systems offer “a good improvement in CO2 for considerably less cost than a full hybrid,” according to LMC powertrain analyst Al Bedwell. Read more at Inside EVs, or from Automotive News Europe.
SAE International and the MI Innovation Alliance have named the finalists in their Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Competition. In addition to safety and production innovations, some team projects focus on lithium-ion battery production, emissions reduction, ridesharing, anda laser-powered, clean paint removal system. The winners will be chosen in April at the 2016 SAE World Congress in Detroit. Read more from Investor Ideas.
