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GM, Kleiner Perkins bet on electric bus maker

General Motors isn't in the business of city buses, but an investment announced today in electric bus maker Proterra opens up the possibility

Proterra said that GM Ventures and venture capital company Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers have put $30 million into the Golden, Colo.-based start-up. Kleiner, Perkins led the round, which also brought money from Japanese industrial conglomerate Mitsui, Vision Ridge Partners, and 88 Green Ventures.

The investment will allow Proterra to further develop and market its all-electric bus, which the company has designed as a replacement for typical diesel municipal transit buses. The buses are already … Read more

GM offers lower-priced 2012 Chevy Volt

General Motors said today that dealers in all 50 states can take orders for the 2012 Chevy Volt, which will come in a model priced just below $40,000.

The plug-in hybrid Volt is now available in six different models, rather than three, with the lowest listed at $39,995, or about $1,000 less than the 2011 price. The high-end model with leather, backup camera, navigation system, and other features is $46,265. Prices include the destination fee but not other taxes and fees.

Buyers can benefit from a federal tax credit of $7,500 for plug-in vehicles with … Read more

This Day in Tech: Microsoft loses patent case, Hulk Hogan at E3

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Thursday, June 9.

Daily cost of a 'promoted trend' on Twitter: $120,000 Cost of buying space in Twittersphere zeitgeist is up more than 400 percent. More

Hulk Hogan at E3 2011 (Video featuring Brian Tong) Hulkamania runs wild at E3 2011. Brian Tong flexes with the wrestling legend to talk pythons, pistols, and toothpicks. More

Microsoft loses patent case at Supreme Court Software giant loses legal battle with a small Canadian company in a decision today that will cost … Read more

Google: We have largest EV charging network

Count this as another perk of working for Google: free fuel for your electric car.

Google today said that it counts itself as the largest electric-vehicle charging station operator with about 200 chargers installed and another 250 ordered. The company's goal is to have 5 percent of its parking spaces equipped with electric-vehicle chargers, made available for free to Googlers.

"Our expanded charging system has already helped several Googlers decide to buy new EVs of their own, and we hope others will, too," wrote Rolf Schreiber, technical program manager for electric transportation at Google, in a company blog. … Read more

Oregon to install electric-vehicle chargers along I-5

Oregon is planning to install Level 3 DC fast-charging stations along a portion of Interstate 5, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced today.

AeroVironment was chosen to be the supplier for the electric-vehicle charging stations which will be sprinkled throughout a 150-mile stretch of highway.

Interstate 5 is the main interstate highway that runs north and south through the western U.S. The electric-vehicle charging stations will be placed starting at the California-Oregon state line and up to Oregon's Willamette Valley.

The 480-volt Level 3 chargers are CHAdeMO (Charge de Move) compliant, a standard that is compatible with the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and Subaru R1e. It's capable of fully charging an electric-vehicle battery in about 30 minutes, according to AeroVironment.

The exact locations for the stations have not yet been chosen.

AeroVironment has also been tasked with researching the best spots in conjunction with local utilities, based on an analysis of things like area traffic patterns and vehicle range. The stations should be in place and available to drivers by the end of this fall, according to the company.… Read more

Volvo working on wireless charging for EVs

Volvo's electric vehicle technology is about to become cleaner. The car maker will begin testing wireless charging technology on its Volvo C30 Electric that will let drivers recharge the battery without touching a cable or dirtying their hands.

The current C30 Electric that will begin customer testing in Europe later this year uses a cable to plug into the car's grille via a specially designed charge connector. In a new partnership agreement, Belgium's state-owned Flanders' Drive will modify a Volvo C30 Electric so a 20kWh battery can be recharged wirelessly using induction charging.

With inductive charging, a … Read more

Survey reveals consumers prefer plug-in hybrids over EVs

Given the choice between full electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, consumers prefer a battery-powered car that comes with a built-in backup plan, according to Accenture.

The consulting group conducted a survey of 7,000 people in 13 countries to gauge consumer readiness for the new clean automotive technologies coming to market. Accenture found that 58 percent of drivers were in favor of battery-powered vehicles replacing conventional gasoline-powered cars, but they weren't ready to give up gasoline all together. If they had to choose between a a plug-in hybrid or a pure electric vehicle, 71 percent of the responders favored … Read more

BMW ActiveE home charging supplier also powers Leaf, Volt

To power its upcoming test fleet of electric vehicles, BMW announced AeroVironment as the preferred supplier and installer for the ActiveE's 240-volt home charging dock.

Based on the 1-Series, the BMW ActiveE has a 32-kWh lithium ion battery pack that provides a 100-mile range. The AeroVironment EVSE-RS charging station uses the industry standard SAE J1772 connector to deliver approximately 25 miles of driving range per hour of charging time. Using the EVSE-RS charger, a completely drained battery can be fully recharged in 4 to 5 hours.

BMWs aren't the only electric cars the EVSE-RS can charge--AeroVironment's weather-proof … Read more

Share your electricity with EV drivers using PlugShare

One of the first questions that comes up whenever we're discussing electric vehicles is, "Where am I going to charge the darn thing?" The new PlugShare app for iPhone (along with the network of users behind it) aims to help EV owners to charge in some pretty unorthodox places--for example, other people's driveways.

After downloading and installing the PlugShare app, you are presented with a Google Map filled with icons indicating user-submitted locations where EV drivers can plug in. There are separate categories for basic household plugs, privately owned J1772 charging stations, and public and commercial charging points.

You can elect to share your own outlet or charging point with PlugShare's other users, expanding the charging network. However, sharing an outlet is not a required condition for accessing PlugShare's network via the app. And you don't need to be an EV owner to try it out and, if you're feeling generous, to start sharing your electricity with your friendly neighborhood electric vehicle owners.

PlugShare is a free download in the Apple App Store. An Android version is said to be coming soon. … Read more