Tag Archives: solar-charged
NREL Gets 2nd Solar Canopy
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) now has a second Envision Solar International Solar Tree array at its Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility. Envision completed the installation of the solar EV charging canopy at NREL’s Golden, Colo. facility in mid-April. “I’m proud that we have been chosen again by NREL. They are delighted the [...]
Tesla’s Solar Charged EV Plan
Many people dream big, but relatively few follow through and make those dreams a reality. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is one of them. And, no, I’m not talking about Musk’s electric car company, which, of course, is a great example of a big dream transformed into reality. What I’m talking about is Musk’s dream [...]
Electric Vehicles Running on Moonlight?
EVs will soon be able to be powered not only by sunlight but also with moonlight thanks to German architect Andre Broessel whose new spherical glass solar energy generator, the ß.torics, will allow electric cars to recharge using moonlight. According to a story published on the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) web site, the sun-tracking glass [...]
Envision Solar Trees Juice Up Chevy Volts
Envision Solar and GM are teaming up to plug more Chevy Volts directly into the sun. Envision announced recently it has broken ground on a project to build a Tracking Solar Tree with EnvisionTrak technology at GM’s Milford Proving Ground. The ‘Solar Tree’ will be outfitted with EV charging stations so that Volts parked underneath [...]
Solar Leasing: Good for the Consumer?
The CEO of a Connecticut-based solar installation company distributed a firm warning to solar industry leaders in late August that they need to “clean up their act.” Jeffrey Mayer, CEO of Soluxe Solar, issued a press release saying he expects the solar industry will be a “falling star” if leasing companies and some of his [...]
Solar EV Charging Canopy Installed at the San Diego Zoo
Smart City San Diego and the San Diego Zoo will install a solar PV canopy that will charge electric vehicles (EV) in the Zoo parking lot. The Solar-to-EV project began construction Sept. 4. One of the first of its kind in the region, the project will harness energy from the sun to directly charge plug-in [...]
The Princeton Satellite Systems’ SunStation EV Charging Station
Solar EV charging stations are hardly new – as regular readers of SolarChargedDriving.Com surely know. But every now and then something comparatively new comes along in the world of solar EV charging. Now is one of those times, at least according to Princeton Satellite Systems, which claims it will soon be producing “the first 100 [...]
Solar Leases: The Pros and Cons
The concept of “leasing,” whether you’re talking about cars or a solar PV array, sometimes gets a bad rep in financial circles. When I leased my car, it turned out to be a very smart move. Even though I’ll have nothing to show for my payments at the end of three years, the peace of [...]
In Focus: BMW’s Solar-Wind Package
BMW is launching its all-electric ActiveE vehicle with a lease program for 700 dedicated customers. The pitch for the upscale car is that it’s “100 percent electric and 100 percent BMW.” The rollout is basically “a field trial” of the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) marketplace for BMW, according to Green Mountain Energy Vice President Scott [...]