The Hornsdale Power Reserve lithium ion (li-ion) battery built by Tesla (located in South Australia) injected 7.3 megawatts (MW) into the national electricity grid just 140 milliseconds after the Victoria Loy Yang A3 unit failed. The 1,680 MW Gladstone coal-fired power station also provided backup power -- but after 4 seconds.  (Source: The Observer)

 

The China Finance Ministry will extend a tax rebate on purchases of new-energy vehicles (NEV) until the end of 2020. The tax exemption that was set to expire at the end of this year will run from Jan. 1, 2018 until Dec. 31, 2020 for electric vehicles (EVs).  (Source: Reuters)

 

China is building roadways with solar panels underneath could have the ability to charge cars wirelessly. The project is part of the Jinan City Expressway (a 1.2 mile stretch), which involves installing transparent concrete over a layer of solar panels. The solar highway is formed with three layers. The top layer is a transparent concrete that has similar structural properties with standard asphalt. The central layer is the solar panels and the bottom layer is to separate the solar panels from the damp earth underneath. The road will be durable enough to handle vehicles as large as a medium sized truck.  (Source: Electrek)

 

Tesla is planning to make an electric pickup truck (etruck) after the Model Y (a crossover SUV) is launched. The etruck could be slightly larger than the Ford F150 to accommodate a game changing feature.  (Source: Express)

 

The Government of Québec has approved its Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Standard. The standard is consistent with the targets set out in the Transportation Electrification Action Plan 2015-2020 and the 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan. The standard will come into effect next month with a goal of targeting ~10% ZEV and LEVs by 2025. 

(Source: Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques)

 

Nissan Motor is offering its EV drivers free installation of solar panels for their homes if they sign up for an electricity retail plan offered by Ecosystem Japan, which is part of a joint campaign by the two companies. New LEAF owners who sign up for Ecosystem's Jibun Denryoku (personal electricity) plan qualify for free installation of a solar power generation system.  (Source: Nissan Motor) 

 

Goldstone Infratech ( Hyderabad-based) is planning to set up a greenfield electric bus (ebus) manufacturing facility with an investment of 500 crore ($77.5 million). The plant will be set up by mid-2018 in Telangana or a neighboring state. Currently, the company is assembling ebuses in India in technical collaboration with BYD.  (Source: The Hindu) 

 

Wistron ( Taiwanese contract manufacturer) announced it will team up with Chinese automaker Nio. The company is supplying the electric control system for the EV and has a joint venture in place to invest in auto-related technologies together.  (Source: Nikkei Asia)