Automakers in the United States, Asia, and France have been at the forefront of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) development since the vehicles hit the mass market reality. Tesla, Chevrolet, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Renault, and a slew of Chinese automakers have led the charge since 2008, but no German automaker had placed a PEV in a major market until March.
From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2013/04/17/german-plug-ins-arrive-finally/
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
More than 48,000 Public Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles Have Been Deployed Worldwide, According to New Navigant Research Tracker
BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Over the last two years, growing sales of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have fueled a burst of activity in electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) infrastructure development. To realize the economic and environmental benefits of electrified transportation, national and local governments across the globe are backing deployments of PEV charging stations in an effort to increase consumer interest in PEVs. According to a new tracker report from Navigant Research, there are currently 48,705 public charging stations around the world.
“Numerous companies offering various technologies and business models have emerged to take advantage of the large public investments in this emerging industry,” says Lisa Jerram, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “There has also been enormous private investment in EV infrastructure as these companies respond to and anticipate growing demand. As the market for PEVs grows, and government support for charging infrastructure tapers off, the EVSE industry will become more dependent on private investment to expand.”
Public networks of charging stations for electric vehicles are spread among those operated by manufacturers, utilities, and third-party service providers. Charging stations also vary widely from country to country in terms of size, number of units, and configuration, while charging systems encompass AC and DC technology, as well as battery-swap modes. The wide range of ownership and operating models reflects the lack of clarity within the EVSE industry as to the best business models for public charging, according to the report. Companies in this sector are still figuring out how much customers are willing to pay for charging, and what return on investment station hosts should expect.
The report, “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Tracker 1Q13”, surveys more than 150 key players in the EVSE industry and tracks the total number of publicly accessible EVSE units, segmented by region and technology, with an additional focus on all commercial EVSE installed in the United States, both public and private. In addition, the report examines EVSE technologies, business models, and market barriers on a regional basis. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.
About Navigant Research
Navigant Research, the dedicated research arm of Navigant, provides market research and benchmarking services for rapidly changing and often highly regulated industries. In the energy sector, Navigant Research focuses on in-depth analysis and reporting about global clean technology …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Nearly 200,000 Plug-In Electric Vehicles Equipped with Vehicle-to-Building Technology Will be Sold Through 2020, Forecasts Navigant Research
BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– With vehicle-to-building (V2B) technology – which makes the energy stored in plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) batteries available to commercial and residential buildings – vehicles can compete with both traditional local generation and stationary storage for offsetting demand charges or providing peak shaving services. V2B technology has been studied for the purpose of emergency backup power since the 1990s, and is gaining new attention as PEV sales climb and building managers and homeowners seek innovative ways to manage energy costs. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, nearly 200,000 PEVs equipped with V2B technology will be sold from 2012 through 2020.
“V2B technology can benefit both vehicle and building owners, by offsetting some of the cost of PEVs, by lowering the energy costs of the building, and by providing reliable emergency backup services,” says John Gartner, research director with Navigant Research. “Numerous pilot projects around the world are developing and testing V2B technologies, most of them as part of larger microgrid and smart grid projects.”
Although recent projects are becoming more ambitious with regards to the number of PEVs participating, they are still at the scale of integrating hundreds – not yet thousands – of vehicles, the study concludes. Automotive and building companies in Japan, for example, have responded to the widespread loss of grid power after the 2011 tsunami by developing V2B programs, mostly focusing on residential buildings.
The report, “Vehicle to Building Technologies”, examines the market opportunity for V2B technologies targeted at demand charge avoidance, peak shaving, time-of-use pricing, and other utility energy pricing programs to reduce the cost of building operations and to provide emergency backup power. The study analyzes both the technology issues and government policy factors associated with the growth of V2B, as well as key barriers to adoption. Key market participants are profiled and forecasts are provided for V2B-enabled vehicles and service revenues through 2020. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.
About Navigant Research
Navigant Research, the dedicated research arm of Navigant, provides market research and benchmarking services for rapidly changing and often highly regulated industries. In the energy sector, Navigant Research focuses on in-depth analysis and reporting about global clean technology markets. The team’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Henrik Fisker, the co-founder of EV maker Fisker Automotive, has resigned his post as executive chairman. The move is not uncommon, especially in the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) industry. Fisker joins Martin Eberhard of Tesla, Kevin Czinger of CODA, and Shai Agassi of Better Place as founders of next-generation automakers who are no longer part of the company they created. The departure of the founder is often a necessary function of the company’s growth, as visionary perspectives of the market and the product must eventually give way to more market-driven and realistic outlooks. Little information concerning the specific differences Henrik Fisker had with management is available; however, the circumstances that led to the split are well documented. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
