Skip to main content
All Posts By

Ellen Hiep

STELLA vs STELLA vs STELLA

By News No Comments

 

Yesterday a unique race was held at Rio Linda Preparatory Academy in Rio Linda, California. Three Stella generations were put to the test and raced against each other: STELLA (2013), STELLA LUX (2015) and STELLA VIE (2017).

In three Semi Finale heats the best from each generation were advanced to the FINAL. In the final the seven best raced against each other: two Stella’s, three Lux’s and two Vie’s.

Who do you think won the first Mini Stella race in the world featuring all Stella generations?

Check out the video below…

Go Green Stella Team!

By News No Comments

Last week Peter van Deventer visited the Rio Linda Preparatory Acadamy in Rio Linda near Sacramento, California for children 10-13 years old. It was this Middle School where in October 2014 the first Stella Team, led by Lex Hoefsloot (now the CEO of Lightyear!) made a wonderful connection and later on won a Tech Crunch Award with great support from the school.

Ever since 2014, Rio Linda has been involved with the three Stella teams through design competitions, video conferences and pitch presentations at the Consulate General in San Francisco and at the Governor’s Office in Sacramento. Their teacher, Ms. Sharon Glover, has been the driving force and inspiration for these young students to choose technology careers and make positive life choices.

The “STELLA goes USA” initiative in 2014 and “STELLA LUX goes USA” initiative in 2016/2017 was made possible by various members of the Coast to Coast Smart e-Mobility Alliance: NXP, TU/e, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Alliander/Allego and many others like IBM, Ericsson, Gefco and Provincie Noord-Brabant.

 

The Netherlands, Contra Costa and GoMentum partner up

By News No Comments

A partnership to accelerate autonomous vehicle development between the Netherlands and California. With Contra Costa Transport Authority (CCTA) and testing site GoMentum, Dutch-Californian Coast to Coast Smart e-Mobility program signed a Letter of Intent to join forces and move forward Smart e-Mobility innovation and business development. Autonomous car-sharing platform Amber will be the first Dutch business using the GoMentum testing site at the former naval stations in Concord, CA. Parties have agreed to a partnership in which they share information, launch Amber in California and look for opportunities for GoMentum to launch in the Netherlands. The signing ceremony, led by Ms. Djoeke Adimi, deputy Consul General, took place at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco.

Innovation

“Coast-to-Coast e-Mobility is very excited to join forces with CCTA and GoMentum and to see that Amber which was part of the successful mission with Minister Kamp and His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn in January, will launch the innovative smart e-mobility solution in California and the US at large”, says Peter van Deventer, Diplomatic Liaison of the Netherlands. “GoMentum and CCTA are leaders in the world on autonomous transportation testing and are very successful in stimulating Smart e-Mobility innovation. They also strongly focus on research and development. They are a great partner to the transatlantic cooperation between the Netherlands and California and their ambitions to accelerate the introduction of smarter and cleaner transportation.”

“Innovation knows no boundaries,” CCTA Executive Director Randell Iwasaki said. “As the managing entity for GoMentum Station, CCTA is excited to partner with The Netherlands and its Coast-to-Coast e-Mobility Program for research and testing. GoMentum Station is a secure, 5,000-acre test site—a premiere location to try out driverless technology.”

Hans de Penning (Amber): “We see a lot of similarities between the Eindhoven Brainport Region and the Bay Area. Both in the mobility problems we face and the will to innovate. In working together coast to coast we can create safer, greener and more convenient mobility solutions.”

Climate Action

This partnership agreement is just one of several actions taken by California State and Dutch Agencies since 2013, in an effort to advance innovation that will help combat climate change. The Netherlands and California have committed to stringent climate change action programs to meet or exceed.

Schermafbeelding 2017-07-13 om 21.44.26

IMG_2132

 

Contra Costa Transportation Authority announces international partnership to test autonomous vehicles

By News No Comments

Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Executive Director Randell Iwasaki announced today CCTA’s intent to partner with The Netherlands to use the GoMentum Station proving grounds to move the smart e-mobility market forward. Representatives from CCTA and The Netherlands met on July 6, 2017, to sign a letter of intent to test its autonomous vehicles at GoMentum Station, located at the former naval weapons station in Concord.

“Innovation knows no boundaries,” CCTA Executive Director Randell Iwasaki said. “As the managing entity for GoMentum Station, CCTA is excited to partner with The Netherlands and its Coast-to-Coast e-Mobility Program for research and testing. GoMentum Station is a secure, 5,000-acre test site—a premiere location to try out driverless technology.”

“Coast-to-Coast e-Mobility is very excited to join forces with CCTA and GoMentum and to see that Amber Mobility which was part of the successful mission with Minister Kamp and High Royal Highness Prince Constantijn in January, will launch the innovative smart e-mobility solution in California and the US at large,” says Peter van Deventer, Diplomatic Liaison, “GoMentum and CCTA are leaders on the world of autonomous transportation testing and are very successful in stimulating Smart e-Mobility innovation. They also strongly focus on research and development. They are a great partner to the transatlantic cooperation between The Netherlands and California and their ambitions to accelerate the introduction of smarter and cleaner transportation.”

This partnership agreement is just one of several actions taken by California State and Dutch Agencies since 2013, in an effort to advance innovation that will help combat climate change. The Netherlands and California have committed to stringent climate change action programs to meet or exceed 2050 goals in terms of greenhouse gas reductions, sustainable energy generation and transport safety.

Schermafbeelding 2017-07-11 om 20.18.21  Schermafbeelding 2017-07-11 om 20.17.27

About GoMentum Station:

GoMentum Station in Concord, California is where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority leads and facilitates a collaborative partnership among multiple automobile manufacturers; original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers; communications suppliers; technology companies; researchers and academia; public agencies and other partners. At GoMentum Station, technology, innovation and commercialization will converge to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure. More information about GoMentum Station is available at gomentumstation.net.

About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority:

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.

Apply now and join the STORM World Tour with your business!

By News No Comments

 

breaking-news (7)

Apply now and join the STORM World Tour with your business!

STORM will depart on August 14, 2016 and start with the STORM World Tour. A team of 23 technical student, a filmcrew to make a documentary and the STORM e-motorcycle itself will cross the world. You can join the team to do business!

A journey to focus on Dutch and American innovation of electric mobility and to spread the word of electric mobility around the world. Within 80 days, a journey of 26.000 km should be completed. While the battery pack is charging, STORM will attend business to business events, schools, universities and governments to discuss e-mobility and to do business.

A beautiful opportunity to travel along with the STORM World Tour in specific area’s of interest for your business. Coast2Coast eMobility and Brainport Eindhoven organize this trade and innovation mission to the West and East coast of the USA.

STORM at the West-coast from October 2-10 , 2016 (Seattle, Portland, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz)

  • Matchmaking with companies of the West-coast
  • Smart eMobility Conference
  • Top Summit with policymakers in Sacramento
  • Visit UC Davis
  • Field visits Silicon Valley

STORM at the East-coast van 20 – 26 October (Ohio, Pittsburgh, Washington)

  • Matchmaking with companies of the East-coast
  • Smart e Mobility Conference
  • Top Summit with policymakers and politicians
  • Field visits

Interested? Check out the website www.stormhandelsmissies.com or send an e-mail to info@hiepractief.nl

 

Internship at UC Davis, and Efficient Drivetrains Inc. California. By (Aakash) Vishnu Harran Amul

By News No Comments

           akhash

Internship at UC Davis, and Efficient Drivetrains Inc. California

Coast2Coast EV Program under the Consulate General of the Netherlands at San Francisco USA, Connects the Dutch Universities and the Companies with the and western regions of the US. The organisation mainly focuses in the field of E-Mobility, agriculture and Finance. It provides opportunities to exchange information, ideas , innovation and business between Netherlands and the western regions of the USA mainly in California. As a second year student Master’s Student of Eindhoven University of Technology or TU/Eindhoven. I was very much interested to explore the wide opportunities in California relating to E-Mobility. I am doing my research in the field of E Mobility specialising in Hybrid Power trains for PHEVS, EVs to optimise performance and cost. The Eindhoven University of Technology also called as TU Eindhoven is a part of the Coast 2 Coast EV program. TU/Eindhoven is a top research institute in Netherlands as well as Europe. UC Davis in California USA is in also a part of the program. I was able to explore different atmospheres of E mobility research both in USA and Europe through this program.

What do I research here?!

I got this valuable connection of Prof Dr Andrew A Frank (Andy) through Dr Peter Van Deventer and Mr John van den Heuvel. Prof Andy is a very popular figure in the field of Plug in Hybrid Vehicles. He was a professor at UC Davis California but now he is the CTO of Efficient Drive Trains Inc (EDI). He owns a large number of patents and research in the field of E-mobility. EDI is one of the Silicon valley start- ups making PHEV kits, CVT Powertrains and Drive Train Solutions for leading Companies like PG&E, Toyota, Ford Etc. As an intern my ambition to explore the E- Mobility World was very Exciting. Out of interest I planned to do research on the PHEV charging safety mechanism and a policy study for India.

  • PHEV/EV charging safety system

We use electricity and it is a basic need for everyone around the world. We only see the sockets and switch board. What is behind the wall is a mystery. When we connect a high power battery pack in an EV or a PHEV or even a Power wall System it is going to act like a load drawing more current to charge the batteries. The building’s wirings have many problems like Loose connections and using lower quality wires that are not suitable for thes loads. If this is not monitored it is going to burn down the building as well as the connected battery source.

So I decided to make a safety system that is simple and cost effective. The system will detect the problems like loose connections and faulty wirings. This will be useful not only now but also for the future when the grid is loaded with EVs and more appliances.

  • Step by Step implementation of PHEVs and PHEVLERS in India Using Existing Infrastructure and Renewable Energy ( A Policy Suggestion)

My internship Experience:

It was an unforgettable experience: a six-month internship at UC Davis and Efficient Drivetrains Inc. I did my internship under Professor Andrew Frank, who is also known as the father of plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Of all the university’s campuses, the University of California at Davis, known as UC Davis, is the biggest. This is a university town and the campus is a dominant presence. When I first arrived, I was amazed to see various departments and different streams like Engineering, Law, Medical and Management all in one place. Part of UC Davis is also located in Sacramento, which is the capital of California.

California! Just hearing the name, makes you smile and feel warm! What’s it known for? It is among the top states in the US for entertainment. It is also known for Silicon Valley; lots of IT companies are established in the Northern California region.

California also is the birthplace of TESLA, a leading electric vehicle manufacturer. As I am from the Automotive group, I found my visit to the TESLA Factory very exciting. I also got a chance to visit the Formula E-Prix in Long Beach, Los Angeles County. It was really cool to see electric cars gearing so fast.

California is a place where you can enjoy a range of climates, from hot sun and dry desert to cold winds, rain, and snow. What’s more, it’s a party place! I had lots of fun there in the US. San Francisco is the best place to go on the weekend. Los Angeles is another beautiful city; it’s located in Southern California. In California you can find a variety of populations including lots of Mexicans, Chinese, Indians and other Asians.

If you are Asian, you will not feel lonely because California is full of Asians. So it is easy to get Asian food. If you don’t feel like cooking, there are lots of restaurant chains around.

I would say that like the rest of Europe, the Netherlands has the best public transportation system, do not expect this in the US. It is convenient to have a vehicle of your own.

The United States is a very big country with lots of opportunities as well as a great deal of fun to offer.

By: (Aakash) Vishnu Harran Amul | MSc Automotive Technology