Green Car Advisor
Renault
July 22, 2008
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
It just had to happen.
After all, Nissan is there, in a master-planned business park next door to Nashville; Nissan wants to promote electric vehicles; and the Tennessee Valley Authority, which oversees a vast hydroelectric empire, has juice to spare.
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Nissan's Mixim EV Concept, right
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So Nissan and the state of Tennessee announced today that they are forming a partnership (actually, Tennessee and the Renault-Nissan Alliance) to promote zero emission vehicles - a category that right now includes only electric vehicles.
Nissan, which has said it will begin marketing electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2010, apparently will provide the ZEVs, while the state, working with the TVA and other corporate and non-profit participants, will work on ways to keep those electric cars running. That would include installation of publicly available recharging stations.
Efforts initially will be focused on the mid-Tennessee region along the Interstate 24 and Interstate 65 corridors.
The Tennessee Valley Authority - the nation's largest public power supplier - "is looking forward to being part of this project to explore the potential of electric vehicles," said TVA Chairman William B. Sansom.
"Electric vehicles could put electricity to work overnight, or off-peak, when other power needs are lower," he added, "and that has the potential to be an economic and environmental plus for all of us."
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- John O'Dell July 22, 2008, 1:43 PM
- Categories:
- Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
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- Electric Vehicles
, Nissan, Renault, Tennessee
Soy foam in the seats the Ford F-150 pickups and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Locally farmed hemp, "ethically produced" woolen fabric and floor mats made of sisal in the Lotus Eco Elise.
Some automakers are increasingly going to great lengths to make the interiors of some of their models if not environmentally friendly, at least a bit wholesome.
But others, well...
Early today the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted its second-annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children's car seats at www.HealthyCar.org.
More than two hundred 2008- and 2009-model-year vehicles and more than 60 children's car seats were tested for unhealthy chemicals that seep in gaseous form from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats and carpet.
The "new-car smell," as the gases are commonly called, mingle with the air occupants breathe and have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
The Ecology Center reported that Mazda, General Motors and Nissan improved since last year's findings, with GM showing the greatest gains of the domestic automakers, with an average vehicle ranking improvement of 27 percent.
The list of the 10 best and 10 worst vehicles as picked by the Center appears in the chart above.
Average child-car-seat scores improved 28 percent overall. The list of 10 best and worst car seats for 2008 as picked by the Center appears at left. Click on the chart for a better look.
For more information, go to www.HealthyCar.org.
Below are the three worst 2008-model-year vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno and Volkswagen New Beetle.
Below are are the three best vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Acura RXD, Chevrolet Cobalt and Smart Passion Cabriolet.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:21 AM
- Categories:
- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Think, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 17, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
That's our sensational headline for 2008, but there's more than a smidgen of truth in it.
Last year Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Ecology Center released the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats -- and what they reported was sickening.
The odor you inhale when you slide into a new car? It might very well be bromine, chlorine, lead, other harmful chemicals or a witches' brew of them. They've been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and, no doubt, cancer.
If you think the government protects you against such things, think again. Some of the vehicles on the road today are veritable toxic dumps on wheels. And many drivers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust every day.
In case you missed last year's report, Ecology Center found the most toxic vehicles were the Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB 5dr and the Kia Rio. The least toxic vehicles were the Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Odyssey and the Volvo V50.
Next Tuesday -- July 22 -- Ecology Center will release its second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats, and if you're thinking of buying a new car anytime soon, you'll want to check it out. The guide will be posted at www.healthycar.org a little after midnight on the 22nd.
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- Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 1:39 PM
- Categories:
- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Legislation, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 10, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Assuming the major impediment to creating electric vehicles for the masses can be overcome -- that being development of batteries that are lightweight, powerful, reliable, long-lived, cheap, non-toxic, fast-charging, and easy to recycle and eventually dispose of -- all that stands in the way of a world where the EV is king is the installation of millions of recharging stations.
As frequent visitors to this blog know, there are armies of brainiacs working on the battery problem, and a far fewer number of people working on the recharging-stations problem. Skeptics say EVs will stay niche until motorists feel confident there are enough recharging stations around to rejuvenate their batteries when they need rejuvenating. Gas-powered cars, they say, would have been doomed had it not been for gas stations. Right? Right.
But if recent events portend things to come, the Renault Nissan Alliance is taking serious steps to overcome the recharging-stations hurdle. Its solution: a mix of public-private and private-private pacts.
Its most recent success story unfolded Wedesday, when alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to lay the groundwork for use of electric vehicles in Portugal.
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- Scott Doggett July 10, 2008, 6:14 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Nissan, Opinion, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
June 25, 2008
Renault today unveiled additional details and a schematic of the Scenic ZEV H2, the fuel cell-electric prototype we blogged about last month that loads Nissan's fuel cell technology and lithium-ion batteries onto Renault's five-seat Grand Scenic minivan.
The French carmaker says the Scenic ZEV H2 (for zero emissions vehicle, hydrogen) project is part of wider, continuing efforts with its Japanese alliance partner to develop and bring to market a range of zero-emission vehicles.
Renault engineers redesigned the Scenic's floor and raised its ground clearance by 2.3 inches to accommodate Nissan's fuel-cell stack, a high-pressure hydrogen storage tank, and lithium-ion batteries.
Instrumentation has been adapted to the new powertrain...
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- Scott Doggett June 25, 2008, 9:30 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hydrogen, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
May 29, 2008
Nissan X Fuel Cell Vehicle will begin making rounds in Europe next month.
Nissan and Renault haven't started making and marketing their much-anticipated battery-electric cars yet, but already are moving beyond batteries to hydrogen fuel cells.
The first, previously announced, steps in the Renault-Nissan Alliance's "zero-emission motoring future," as the companies call it, is to begin selling battery EVs in the U.S. and Japan by the end of 2010 and to mass-market them in Israel and Denmark beginning in 2011 as part of an energy independence program developed by California entrepreneur Shai Agassi and his Project Better Place foundation.
Step Two, the companies said Thursday, is to continue development of fuel-cell electric vehicles.
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- John O'Dell May 29, 2008, 1:43 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Fuel Cell, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
May 2, 2008
French automotive executive Carlos Ghosn told reporters attending a product review in Portugal today that automakers Renault and Nissan are talking with a Gulf region country abut participating in a bold electric car project that already has been adopted by Israel.
"We are negotiating to launch an electric car with a Gulf state," Ghosn told a news conference in the coastal resort of Cascais, near Lisbon.
Renault and Nissan, which have operated as an alliance since the French company took control of the Japanese automaker in 1999, plan to put an electric-powered car on the road by 2010.
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- John O'Dell May 2, 2008, 4:15 PM
- Categories:
- Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Transportation Alternatives
March 5, 2008
Nissan Motor Co., which has come late to the hybrid game, doesn't want to be caught unplugged when electric cars start hitting the market, says company boss Carlos Ghosn.
An electric Nissan will be introduced in the U.S. in 2010, he told reporters Wednesday during an impromptu discussion at the Geneva Motor Show, with a global launch of the vehicle to follow in 2012.
Ghosn, who chairs both Nissan and its French partner, Renault, said the electric car would be sold worldwide by both brands. He did not elaborate on brand distinctions, model variances or particulars of the electric drive system being prepared, but did say the cars would not be identical.
Renault would target the European market, Ghosn said, while Nissan would target Asia and the U.S.
Ghosn said that California's 2004 law aimed at reducing automotive carbon-dioxide emissions has spurred Nissan and Renault engineers' joint research into alternative energy sources such as electric drive.
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- John O'Dell March 5, 2008, 3:45 PM
- Categories:
- Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Transportation Alternatives
January 22, 2008
French automaker Renault and Japan's Nissan have confirmed that they are teaming with California-based Project Better Place and the state of Israel to develop a new electric car and a related battery recharging infrastructure.
The cars and battery stations will be launched in Israel in 2011, the companies said, and ultimately will be made available globally.
Green Car Advisor reported Friday on the then-pending deal, and Edmunds AutoObserver provides some fresh details today, so jump on over and take a look.
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- John O'Dell January 22, 2008, 12:00 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
January 18, 2008
An electric car and battery exchange program that's been in the works for months appears to be ready to launch.
Renault and Nissan Motor Co. are expected to announce Monday a joint venture to build and test electric cars, using Israel as the first test site and a California entrepreneur's vision for a battery exchange network as the catalyst to make it all work.
The automakers, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, are teaming with California entrepreneur Shai Agassi (right), who last year began a venture aimed at establishing a global network of battery charging and replacement centers to facilitate electric car use.
Edmunds.com first reported on Agassi's talks with Israel almost two months ago.
In a recent interview with Green Car Advisor, Agassi said his "Project Better Place" would solve the nagging problem of how to keep electric vehicles running after the initial battery charge is depleted – how to make them cars that can be used every day by all kinds of drivers, for long trips as well as short commutes.
The system envisioned by Agassi – former product division president at business software giant SAP -- works much like a conventional fueling system in which people buy cars from automakers and get their gasoline or diesel fuel as they need it from filling stations affiliated with various energy companies.
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- John O'Dell January 18, 2008, 4:15 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Emissions, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Transportation Alternatives
