Tag: Transportation

The world’s first two-seat electric helicopter took its initial test flight this week in Germany. The emissions-free VC200 Volocopter hovered over its creators, the E-volo team, in a hangar in the City of Karlsruhe. The “multicopter” has 18 spinning blades and quietly soared to about 72 feet.  Following the test flight, the company described the vehicle as having…

By Rob Perks [caption id="attachment_312310" align="alignright" width="360"] Photo courtesy of Shutterstock[/caption] I recently returned from a transportation conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on the economic benefits of building a light rail system to connect the Triangle region (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). The event—dubbed the “Transit Makes $ense” summit—was organized by the area’s leading “good growth” advocacy group WakeUP Wake…

[caption id="attachment_312177" align="alignright" width="360"] Photo credit: @TeslaMotors on Twitter[/caption] Tesla’s latest idea might be bigger than any discussed in the company’s decade-long existence. CEO Elon Musk told Business Insider that his brand would release an electric pickup truck to rival the popular, far less efficient Ford F-150. Musk didn’t make a formal announcement about the truck.…

With an automaker incentivizing businesses with $15,000 to build charging stations and a coalition of governors plotting to reduce emissions and strengthen infrastructure, it’s safe to say the adoption of electric vehicles (EV) around the U.S. is trending upward. Sales tripled from 2011 to 2012, people are making EV-based documentaries and small businesses are developing technologies around…

With the most zero-emissions vehicles on the road and the country’s first electric school bus, California’s new competitive grant program will significantly augment its electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. A big part of that is making even more charging stations available. The California Energy Commission (CEC) began soliciting for a $6 million grant program this month that…