Tag Archives: electric cars

Flying cars update

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They’re coming, part one. Aviation startup Alef Aeronautics recently received Federal Aviation Administration approval to test its flying car. Details: The all-electric “Model A” is designed to take off and land vertically, putting it in the emerging category of eVTOL — electric vertical … Continue reading →

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Cruise cars spotted in the wild

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There I was at the WalMart on Yale this week, with my parents, and what did I see but this: Yes, it’s a Cruise car, charging up in the parking lot. We knew that at least initially they will have … Continue reading →

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Here come some hydrogen-powered trucks

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to do no-emissions transportation. The first time Rodrigo Peña climbed into the Hyzon truck’s cabin and eased his foot off the break, it wasn’t the awe of being inside the first hydrogen-powered freight truck to … Continue reading →

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HISD to get funding for electric school buses

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. Houston Independent School District is hopping on the city’s net-zero carbon emissions bus, so to speak, thanks to more than $6.2 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. The funds are part of the EPA’s Clean … Continue reading →

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Electric trucks and the power grid

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Next month, Tesla Inc. plans to deliver the first of its electric Semi trucks—able to haul a full 40 ton-load some 500 miles on a single charge. These massive batteries-on-wheels may accelerate the transition to electrified transport, but … Continue reading →

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More on the DeLorean reboot company and its interesting legal history

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another prestige podcast in the making, I suspect. Six months after DeLorean Motors Reimagined, the startup seeking to produce a new incarnation of the 1980s sports car, said it would put is headquarters in Texas, a lawsuit filed against the … Continue reading →

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DeLorean reboot company hit with intellectual property lawsuit

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Mere months after the city and county coughed up nearly $1.1 million in incentives to attract the revamped DeLorean Motor Co., the venture has been hit with a lawsuit alleging its founders … Continue reading →

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Our electric car charging stations future

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more are coming. Texas is planning to add enough electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state to support 1 million electric vehicles with dozens of new stations to allow for easier long-distance travel. In a draft plan released this … Continue reading →

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“You put an electric engine…in a DeLorean??”

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Everything old is new again. Hold onto your flux capacitors: The DeLorean Motor Company is back and making San Antonio its home. Economic development officials announced Monday that the once-defunct 1980s-era car manufacturer, whose gull-wing car was best known as … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and the power grid

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could help rebuild Texas highways and ports and push broadband into rural parts of the state, where up to 31 percent of residents do not have access to high-speed internet. It … Continue reading →

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Here comes the Kroger driverless grocery delivery car

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants to order some groceries, in certain selected ZIP codes? Kroger, the nation’s largest grocer, has launched a self-driving grocery delivery service in Houston, the latest salvo in a hyper-competitive grocery market that has supermarket chains investing heavily in … Continue reading →

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Driverless grocery deliveries

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to Houston. Some local shoppers soon could see their produce pull up in a Prius in one of the first forays into autonomous vehicles in the Houston area, a move observers said is sure to spur more robot … Continue reading →

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Distributing the VW settlement money

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good for some, less good for others. Texas cities will soon get millions of dollars to help clean up air quality, but Houston officials say the plan for distributing all that money isn’t fair. The money is coming from a … Continue reading →

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Dan Wallach: 2016 Electric Power Usage Update

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Note: From time to time, I solicit guest posts from various individuals on different topics. While I like to think I know a little something about a lot of things, I’m fortunate to be acquainted with a number of people … Continue reading →

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Dan Wallach: 2015 Electric Power Usage Update

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Note: From time to time, I solicit guest posts from various individuals on different topics. While I like to think I know a little something about a lot of things, I’m fortunate to be acquainted with a number of people … Continue reading →

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Mayors against climate change

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Think Globally, Act Locally department. Mayor Annise Parker briefly took center stage Monday in the campaign against climate change by pledging to make America’s energy capital a laboratory for experimentation and action. Frustrated with the congressional response to … Continue reading →

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Dan Wallach: Home power analysis, 2014 edition

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Note: From time to time, I solicit guest posts from various individuals on different topics. While I like to think I know a little something about a lot of things, I’m fortunate to be acquainted with a number of people … Continue reading →

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Tesla will be back

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This story was from earlier in June. Texas’ state legislature failed to vote on a bill backed by Musk’s Tesla Motors (TSLA) that would have loosened the state’s restriction on dealerships owned by automakers. The legislature concluded its most recent … Continue reading →

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Dan Wallach: Energy Pricing 2013

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post by my friend Dan Wallach For the past two years, I’ve written a guest blog post here about electrical rates. Let’s do it again, shall we? Last year, I switched from a variable … Continue reading →

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NEVs

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

NEVs are Neighborhood Electronic Vehicles, and they are now street legal in San Antonio. The City Council voted Thursday to approve the use of supercompact neighborhood electronic vehicles, or NEVs, on city streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph … Continue reading →

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Auto dealers versus Tesla

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pretty sure the dealers will win this round, but I doubt they can win in the long run. Texas auto dealers and their lobbyists in Austin are targeting legislation that would allow Tesla Motor Inc. to sell its all-electric … Continue reading →

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Legislative quick hits

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is the time of the session where there’s lots happening, and there isn’t always the time or space to stay on top of it all. So here are a few quick updates on things that are happening in an … Continue reading →

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What does Tesla Motors have in common with microbreweries?

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Both are forbidden by archaic laws from selling their wares direct to the public. Electric car maker Elon Musk wants to bet big on Texas – but he’s having trouble getting his chips on the table. Musk, a South African-born … Continue reading →

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EDF report on school buses

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Environmental Defense Fund: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) [Monday] released a report titled “Review of Texas’ Clean School Bus Programs: How Far Have We Come and What Is Still Left to Do?” This report evaluates each of the clean … Continue reading →

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Electric cars and the power grid

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. It doesn’t take too long for visitors of Mueller, a 700-acre master-planned community in Austin, to realize that the neighborhood is peculiar. The planned community, built on the site of the former Mueller airport, boasts almost too-perfect rows of homes with cheery … Continue reading →

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Laura Spanjian – From Industrial to Green Revolution: The New Houston

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Bike Share kiosks in downtown. Electric vehicle charging stations at the grocery store. Over 15 miles of new rail lines being … Continue reading →

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Going green to save some green

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston has made significant investments in energy savings. The U.S. Conference of Mayors named Mayor Annise Parker the winner of Mayors’ Climate Protection Award last year for green building initiatives that incentivize conservation and energy-efficient design features. … Continue reading →

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Electric car update

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas Green Report. NRG Energy has committed $10 million to launch America’s first privately-financed electric vehicle charging network and plans to fully wire Houston to support electric cars without straining the grid in the next couple of years.  … Continue reading →

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Electric school buses

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot to like about this. Bus maker Trans Tech Bus this year said it would start making an electric school bus in a partnership with Smith Electric Vehicles. The eTrans bus is one of a new generation of … Continue reading →

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On paying for insurance at the pump

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Transportation blog comes out in favor of an old favorite. Our newspaper ran an editorial today about fighting the problem of uninsured motorists, those miserable characters who have complicated many of our lives. The news peg was a … Continue reading →

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Car charging stations coming this week

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Houston became the first major U.S. city to announce an electric vehicle charging network in November with the launch of NRG Energy subsidiary eVgo. Now it’s finally getting the chargers to match the announcement. A number of electric car owners signed … Continue reading →

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More on Houston’s sustainability efforts

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story about Houston Sustainability Director Laura Spanjian and her efforts to make our fair city a greener place, which also appeared in the Sunday New York Times, can be considered a companion piece to the earlier CultureMap story … Continue reading →

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