Finding a spot to charge your electric vehicle in North America may be getting a little bit easier. At CES, software platform Hubject and Volta Charging announced a new partnership that will help make charging stations visible in navigation systems from more than 60 e-mobility service providers across the world, including major auto companies such as Mercedes Benz, Porsche, and the BMW Group.
With the partnership, Volta, which operates the biggest and most widely used free public electric car-charging network in the U.S., will be connected to the Hubject open B2B (business-to-business) platform, bridging the gap among electric mobility providers, EV charging network operators, and EV makers themselves.
Currently, finding an charging station is something of a hassle for EV owners. Different networks have different methods to search for, physically find, access, and then pay for when it comes to charging vehicles. But now that Volta and Hubject are working together, finding a charging station will be easier than ever. EV drivers should now be able to plan for their next charging station visit based on real-time, in-car data.
“Drivers often tell us they choose our retail partners when they discover free Volta charging stations,” said Volta CEO Scott Mercer. “Until now, there has been no seamless way for drivers to make these discoveries and get real-time availability in-car. Hubject offers a solution to this, and we cannot wait to finally establish an open and connected network with many more partners to come.”
Volta has a history of partnering with national brands who sponsor free public EV charging stations, and has deployed its chargers at what it describes as “prominent and convenient community venues.” Not only is charging free to drivers, but Volta claims that site hosts benefit as well from hardware, installation, and lifetime maintenance at no cost. As such, it comes as little surprise that Volta is set to double the size of its charging network in 2018. Already, the company has delivered nearly 16 million electric miles, saved 345,000 gallons of gas, and powered 1 million charging sessions across the U.S.
“Volta Charging has developed one of the most innovative business models in e-mobility to date and it is great to leverage this potential through the global intercharge network,” said Paul Glenney, CEO of Hubject, Inc. “Volta’s approach is a perfect example of the interconnection between open e-mobility and value-added services. We are very proud to have them as our first partner in the U.S., and look forward to a beneficial and successful cooperation for EV drivers across the U.S.”
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.