Batteries Green Car Advisor Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

November 3, 2009

Nissan Reported Ready To Pump $550 Million Into Lithium-Ion Battery Plants

Nissan is ready to pump $220 million into its existing Japanese battery joint venture and an additional $330 million into a new lithium-ion battery factory in France that it would own with partner Renault, the Nikkei news service in Japan is reporting.

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Renault Fluence ZE concept is stylized version of EV the French automaker plans to start selling in Israel in 2011.
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Renault-Nissan Alliance chief Carlos Ghosn said just last month that the two companies were considering France as the location for a new battery plant, so the news from the Nikkei seems reasonable.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell November 3, 2009, 11:41 AM
Categories:: Batteries, France, Japan, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle Batteries

Chinese Oil Company Considering National Battery Swap System for EVs

One of China's major oil companies - already a partner in the joint venture that will supply lithium-ion batteries for California-based Coda Automotive's upcoming electric sedan - is now considering a network of battery swap stations in China, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

China National Offshore Oil envisions a national network of stations where motorists can swap discharged EV batteries for full charged packs. "We can't build" electric cars, "but we can supply the energy," the oil company parent's strategy director told the newspaper.

Such a program, if it were to be launched, its success would be predicated on a number of Chinese automakers building their electric cars with swappable batteries.

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A Renault EV prototype sits on battery exchange platform in Better Place demonstration, while machinery pulls new battery pack from storage.

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The company is thinking along the same lines as California's Better Place, which plans national networks of battery exchange stations in Israel and Denmark for EVs to be built and sold in those countries by the Renault-Nissan Alliance starting in 2011.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 3, 2009, 9:24 AM
Categories:: Batteries, China, Coda, Energy Companies, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery Charging Stations

November 2, 2009

Hyundai Mobis, LG Chem Finalize Lithium-Ion Battery Joint Venture

Batteries, batteries, batteries. That's looking like the name of the game these days.

Automakers have shown they can build decent conventional hybrids, and are about to show how well they can do on all-electric and extended-range, gas-electric hybrids - but the wall they all run into is how far their cars and trucks can go before the electrons run out.

That's in the batteries, and with few exceptions (Nissan and Hyundai come to mind) automakers don't make batteries. They may assemble the individual cells into battery packs designed for their specific vehicles, but it is at the level of the cell - and the chemistry incorporated into that cell - that the ability of a battery to store and release energy is controlled.

So its good to see so much activity in the battery development world.

Latest is in South Korea, where Hyundai Mobis and LG Chem have announced a joint venture agreement to produce lithium-ion batteries for hybrids. The $34-million venture is scheduled to start producing in the second half next year, with a goal of building batteries for as any as 200,000 vehicles a year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 1:41 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Hyundai, Kia, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EVs

Sanyo Signs Deal To Supply Batteries for Peugeot, Citroen Diesel Hybrids

Sanyo Electronics, which wants to be the world's biggest EV and hybrid battery supplier, has put another notch in its belt as it signs France's PSA Peugeot-Citroen as a client for nickel-metal hydride batteries.

The automaker will use Sanyo's NiMH batteries in its upcoming (not for U.S.) diesel-electric hybrids -the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 crossover (right) and the Citroen DS5 Hybrid 4 - which are slated to go into production in 2011.

Sanyo, which also supplies hybrid batteries to Ford and Honda and has a joint venture deal to produce nickel-metal hydride batteries with Volkswagen, has said it wants to capture 40 percent of the global market share for both NiMH and lithium-ion batteries by 2020.

The company has agreed to become subsidiary of electronics giant Panasonic Corp. and even as it boosts it hybrid and EV battery operations reportedly is looking to sell part of its rechargeable battery business to a unit of Fujitsu Corp. to avoid anti-trust problems.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 10:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Citroen, Peugeot
Technorati Tags:: EV Batteries

October 30, 2009

Ford Names Azure Dynamics to Collaborate on Transit Connect Electric Van

Plans Change after Smith Electric Vehicles, Ford Mutually Dissolve Prior Agreement

Ford Motor Co. says it has selected Azure Dynamics to build the upcoming Ford Transit Connect electric delivery van after the automaker and Britain's Smith Electric Vehicles mutually decided to sever their longstanding ties.

Smith, which has been using Ford truck chassis in Europe for its electric trucks, had been named last year as builder of the Transit Connect battery-electric vehicle.

The word we hear is that Smith, which has a North American offshoot, Smith Electric Vehicles U.S., decided the small-EV market is getting too competitive and is going to concentrate its resources on the large-truck segment.

The change won't delay the planned launch of the electric van, though, said Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Moore. "We're still on track for late 2010," she told Green Car Advisor.

Azure, which already works with Ford on the hybrid version of the E450 commercial van due next year, will used its proprietary "ForceDrive" battery-electric powertrain for the Transit Connect EV.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 30, 2009, 12:20 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Ford, Plug-ins and Electric, Smith
Technorati Tags:: EV

October 29, 2009

Sanyo, Panasonic Shedding Some Battery Assets To Facilitate Takeover

Hoping to avoid running into anti-trust problems with their proposed merger, Japanese battery giants Panasonic and Sanyo are busily trying to shed a few resources.

News reports in Japan say that Panasonic is reducing its ownership stake in Panasonic EV Energy, the hybrid-car battery venture it shares with Toyota, while Sanyo Electronics is considering selling a piece of its rechargeable battery operation to a unit of Fujitsu Corp.

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Battery Monster: U.S. and China fear Panasonic takeover of Sanyo would give combined companies a near-monopoly on hybrid batteries.
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Panasonic has proposed a friendly $70 billion take-over of Sanyo and without unloading some of their assets the combined companies would control 80 percent of the world's nickel-metal hydride battery market.

NiMH batteries are used in all hybrids made today, and are likely to continue being the main type of battery used in conventional hybrids even after the industry starts using lighter lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrids.

Both companies also have growing lithium-ion battery operations.

U.S. and Chinese regulators have been withholding their approval of the takeover, citing anti-trust concerns.

Monopolies and near-monopolies are rarely good news for consumers (and in this case the consumers are the automakers as well as the general public), but there's one positive note in all this: You know the future is looking bright for advanced batteries and the cars that will use them when two giants like Panasonic and Sanyo want to combine forces to take advantage of future growth.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 29, 2009, 11:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Japan
Technorati Tags:: EV Batteries

October 28, 2009

Toshiba Announces New Battery Plant to Boost Profits From EV, Hybrid Boom

Anticipating a boom in rechargable electric vehicles, Japanese electronics giant Toshiba Corp. said today that it will build a second lithium-ion battery factory in Japan, with capacity for as manty as 6 million hybrid and EV battery cells a year. A single vehicle can use hundreds of cells.

Toshiba's rapid-charging SCiB batteries use a lithium-titanium oxide chemistry that, the company says, makes them more stable and less prone to overheating than other types of lithium batteries.

The company said it will invest up to 215 billion yen ($274 million) in the new factory, which is scheduled to be built next year with battery manufacturing to begin in the spring of 2011.

When both Toshiba battery plants are in operation, the company said, it expects annual sales of the battery cells to top 200 billion yen ($250 million).

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 28, 2009, 12:20 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Japan
Technorati Tags:: EVs

October 27, 2009

Renault-Nissan Alliance Eyes France for Another Lithium-ion Battery Factory

Nissan and Renault, which plan to be the first major car makers to launch mass-produced electric vehicles for sale globally, also are planning on building their own battery packs using technology developed in Nissan's Japanese R&D center.

The companies so far have formally announced plans to build battery factories in the U.S., Portugal and England to support their EV effort, and now France -home to Renault - has been added to the list, kind of.

Carlos Ghosn, who heads both automakers (each owns a piece of the other and Renault has controlling interest in Nissan) said during a management forum in Tokyo this morning that it would be logical to "suspect that France is also a place where we are going to build some batteries" to support the 2012 launch of the companies' global EVs.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 27, 2009, 9:22 AM
Categories:: Batteries, France, Nissan, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Lithium Ion Batteries

October 22, 2009

Bits 'n Pieces From 'Business of Plugging In' Conference

AutoObserver contributing editor Bill Visnic hung around the first annual Plug-In Vehicles (and batteries) conference in Detroit on Monday and filed this synopsis of the day's goings-on for Green Car Advisor.

DETROIT - As the inaugural "Business of Plugging In" conference proceeded here earlier this week (it ended Wednesday afternoon) participants from the auto, energy and regulatory sectors generated intriguing discussions and exchanges of important information and ideas.

The conference attracted a sellout 600 attendees and offered more than a dozen panels, keynote speeches and sessions.

Some highlights from the first day of the conference:

The situation for the supply of lithium for lithium-ion batteries is a topic of frequent discussion. Experts here say lithium - which is produced mainly in South America and Russia - should remain reasonably priced and in good supply "for many years to come." Lithium is claimed to be the thirty-third most abundant element in the earth's crust.

For those attending college or preparing to attend college: consider an engineering degree in materials science. Executives from several of the key battery-development companies say there is and will continue to be high demand for people with such expertise, which combines knowledge from many of the fields crucial to battery development.

Automakers or suppliers - who's best to make batteries? The consensus seems to be that suppliers eventually should take the wheel on this one, although for many crucial first-generation production vehicles, automakers seem anxious to keep battery development as close to home as possible. As the industry progresses, though, most believe suppliers should handle ongoing battery development and manufacturing to insure that all automakers have access to the most up-to-date innovations and chemistries.

To be effective replacements for conventionally powered vehicles, electrified models are going to have to get a lot lighter. Duh.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 22, 2009, 9:45 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Business of Plugging In Conference

Advanced Battery Cost Info Elusive as Auto and Battery Makers Jockey For Position

Many Cost Reductions Due to Subsidies, Not Manufacturing Efficiencies; Goals Uncertain

By Bill Visnic, Contributor

DETROIT - A shocking fact from the Business of Plugging In conference here: At today' s prices, the raw materials needed to produce the advanced lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrids or extended-range electric vehicles with energy capacity similar to General Motors' Chevrolet Volt will cost at least $8,000 per vehicle.

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GM engineers work on T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack for Chevrolet Volt.
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It gets deeper when the experts here start talking about the manufacturing investment required for all manner of electrified-vehicle components that at this moment don't exist. A plant to manufacture enough batteries for 10,000 large-battery-capacity electric vehicles will cost $60 million to $80 million.

Participants in the conference point to these figures as evidence that the Obama administration's goal of one million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015 probably isn't going to happen - despite word from many with battery interests that costs are dropping.

J.E. Robertson, chief technical officer and executive vice president of new-product creation for Canada's Magna International Inc. (the same Magna that's buying GM's Adam Opel car-making operations in Europe), did say that plants designed to make the batteries in high volume could reduce costs.

But for now, somebody's got to build a plant to address even 10,000 vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 22, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Advanced Batteries

October 21, 2009

Video: Business of Plugging In Panel Tackles Lithium-Ion Batteries - from A to Z

It's 76 minutes long and chock full of up-to-date info on electric and hybrid-electric vehicle battery technology, chemistries and manufactuing.

If you are at all interested in what makes electric vehicles run, and the obstacles still out there to development of the "perfect" battery, it's well worth the time.

The video comes courtesy of GM, whose "battery guru," Denise Gray, moderated the session at the Business of Plugging In conference held this week Detroit and sponsored by the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research.

Panelists on the video are:

Yet Ming Chang, co-founder of battery developer A123 Systems and a professor of ceramics (for electrical use) at MIT;
Dania Ghantous, vice president of technology and battery development for Imara Corp.;
John Patten, director of Western Michigan University's manufacturing research center;
Jeffrey Sakamoto, a lithium-ion batterey specialist and assistant professor of materials engineering at Michigan State University;and
Ann Marie Sastry, CEO of battery development firm Sakti3.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 21, 2009, 4:08 PM
Categories:: Batteries
Technorati Tags:: Business of Plugging In Conference

October 20, 2009

Battery Leasing Catching On? India's Reva Says Would Help Cut EV Purchase Price

Nissan, Renault Also Planning to Lease Batteries for Their EVs in Most Markets

There are all sorts of hopes and plans for lowering the cost of electric cars - most hinging on government subsidies and increased sales volumes that will power component costs - but one that doesn't lean of outside help is the idea of leasing the batteries with the car rather than including them in the sales price.

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Reva NXR is slated for 2010 launch in Europe, Asia.
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We first heard the idea from Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Better Place. He suggests looking at the batteries as the principal part of the fuel system and thinking of leasing in terms of how we pay for fuel in our gasoline cars.

We don't buy a lifetime's supply of gas when we buy a new car now, he says. We pay for it as we need it. Why not the same with batteries and electricity?

Pay a monthly fee for the batteries and the few pennies it costs to recharge them each day and if the lease price is figures properly your "fuel" costs are likely to be the same or less than if you were driving a car with an internal combustion engine.

Among other things leasing means the car makers, not you, are responsible for fixing problems and for providing updated batteries when improvements are introduced.

Now we know the analogy doesn't hold up all that well - the electrons are the fuel and the batteries more like the fuel tank - but the idea still sounds pretty good.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 20, 2009, 3:58 PM
Categories:: Batteries, India, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Reva
Technorati Tags:: Battery Leasing

October 16, 2009

LG Chem to Build $300-Million Advanced EV Battery Plant in Michigan

South Korean battery make LG Chem says it will spend more than $300 million over the next three years to build a manufacturing plant in Michigan for advanced technology batteries.

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Basic design for Chevy Volt battery pack shows it contains more than 200 individual lithium-ion cells.
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The company is one of four battery makers approved for generous state tax incentives this summer as Michigan bids to become the nation's battery-making center.

At least three other battery groups, from Germany, South Korea and the U.S., also have expressed interest n locating plants in Michigan, state officials say.

LG plans to make batteries for a variety of applications and customers, but is linked closely with General Motors because a subsidiary, Compact Power, earlier this year won separate contracts from GM to build the lithium ion battery packs for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid and an as-yet-unnamed 2011 Buick plug-in hybrid.

The LG plant is to be located in Holland, Mich., about 180 miles due west of Detroit.

Compact Power which has a facility in Troy, Mich., near Detroit, apparently will build the completed battery packs using lithium-in cells made by parent LG Chem at its new plant.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 16, 2009, 5:24 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevy Volt Batteries

October 15, 2009

Wheego Names Discover energy as Battery Supplier for Whip Low-Speed EV

Wheego Electric Cars says it has selected traction battery specialist Discover Energy Corp. as supplier of the traction batteries to be used in its low-speed Wheego Whip neighborhood electric vehicle.

Discover produces a power-dense type of lead-acid battery called a dry cell or absorbent glass mat (AGM) battery in which the electrolyte is absorbed into a mat of fine composite fibers.

An AGM battery has no liquid to spill the event of an accident and because of its design and components handles the higher operating temperatures of an EV system better than other lead-acid batteries and holds its charge longer.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 15, 2009, 6:29 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Discover Energy

October 14, 2009

California Utilities Divided on State Regulation of EV Charging Station Providers

ChargePoint Display.jpg By Danny King and John O'Dell

In California, support for government-mandated regulation of private industries tends to go south with the geography. And when it comes to the idea of regulating electric-car charging systems planned for the state, the public utilities are following suit, leaving the state regulatory commission with little guidance as it begins considering the issue.

With about a third of American car owners interested in buying an electric vehicle, according to a study sponsored by closely held EV charging services provider Better Place earlier this year, the deliberation in California, blogged about in the New York Times earlier this week, foreshadows what's coming for the rest of the country

Bay Area-based Pacific Gas & Electric, in a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission published last week, said that private charging system companies such as Coulomb Technologies and Better Place need to be closely regulated as they build out and operate electric charging station networks.

At issue, the utility said, is the stability of the power grid as more and more EVs and extended-range hybrids become available and need places to recharge their batteries.

Also at issue - but unmentioned - is whether and how much private companies should profit from providing electric car owners with power that the utilities originally provided.

At the far end of the state, San Diego Gas & Electric argued against such regulation, saying that the Public Utilities Commission was formed to regulate public utilities, not private companies.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 14, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery Charging

October 8, 2009

Report: Panasonic to Supply EV Battery Packs for Upcoming Tesla 'S'

Tesla Motors Corp. reportedly has selected Panasonic to supply the batteries for its Model S electric sedan (left), scheduled to go into production in late 2011.

Tesla wouldn't comment on the deal - initially reported by GreenTech Media and based on information from unidentified sources.

It makes sense, though, especially based on today's other Panasonic news - that the electronics giant is developing a way to mass produce low-cost EV batteries using commercial lithium-ion cells made for laptop computers.

The battery pack in the Tesla Roadster EV uses 6,800 laptop cells, individually wired together and protected from runaway heat buildup by an internal liquid cooling system and use of thousands of fuses meant to isolate an overheated cell so it can't spread its thermal overload throughout the pack.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has estimated the present cost of the hand-built pack at $36,000, accounting for a third of the roadster's base price.

Despite the expense, use of the commercial laptop cells is favored by Tesla over purpose-built EV batteries, and the company plans to use the same or a similar system for its Model S battery packs.

If Panasonic can build them on an automated line in its existing battery plants, as it has claimed - the cost savings for Tesla would be significant.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 8, 2009, 9:39 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: EV

Panasonic Developing Low Cost Lithium-Ion EV Battery Using Laptop Cells

In an interesting development on the EV battery front, electronics giant Panasonic Corp says it has developed a technology for linking mass-produced lithium-ion cells (right) into bundles large and stable enough for hybrid and all-electric cars, Reuters news service reports.

The system sounds like an automated, mass-production version of the Tesla Motors method of linking thousands of conventional laptop battery cells into a hand-assembled power pack for its speedy Tesla Roadster EV.

Because the Panasonic system would use existing battery plants and production equipment it could dramatically reduce the cost of EV batteries - presently the most expensive component on an electric car.

The report doesn't mention them, but the Panasonic technology presumably includes a battery management system and a cooling methodology to keep the volatile cells from overheating and to protect the entire pack from damage if a single cell does experiences what the industry likes to call a "thermal event."

Panasonic said it hopes to have a commercial EV battery ready as early as 2013.
In addition to use in autos, an affordable, compact lithium-ion battery pack could be sold as an energy storage device for solar- and wind-generation systems and for fuel cells.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 8, 2009, 8:20 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EV Batteries

October 5, 2009

Daimler's Zetsche Betting on Fuel Cells, With Battery-Electrics, Hybrids For Interim

Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche says he's still is betting on a hydrogen future for the automobile.

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Mercedes B-Class fuel cell cars are being used in long-term road tests in Europe and U.S.

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But in a round-table interview with reporters form a variety of media including (subscription only) Automotive News during the recent Frankfurt Auto Show, Zetsche said that hybrids and battery-electric cars will be long-term interim technologies until hydrogen fuel cell cars and hydrogen fueling technology are ready for market.

Daimler is investing heavily in both electric and fuel cell technologies, he said, and has banded together with other German automakers to boost hydrogen fueling technology.

Asked if Daimler would consider four-cylinder engines for its Mercedes-Benz cars as U.S. fuel economy regulations tighten, Zetsche said that he wouldn't rule out the option .

He also said, according to an interview transcript posted today by Automotive News, that he sees a continued weak U.S. market for luxury cars for several years and that the Chinese market is likely to step in to gill the void.

Fuel efficiency for luxury cars is becoming a necessity rather than an afterthought, Zetsche said, adding that he is convinced that many customers continue to want a comfortable and spacious car but "would not like to be called callous by their neighbor because the fuel consumption is astronomic."

Daimler - indeed, the entire auto industry,- is at the "tipping point now" for electric cars, he said, pointing out that hydrogen fuel cell cars use all-electric drivetrains.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 5, 2009, 2:55 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Daimler, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Daimler

October 1, 2009

Honda Says Nano Tech Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Electronics

Research Could Lead to Better Electrical Storage for Hybrids, EVs, and Much More

Microscopic carbon nanotubes may have the potential to transport electricity faster and over greater distances with minimal loss of energy, according to Honda Research Institute USA. In this image, the 10 tubes grown on red. pink or peach-colored substrata have metallic conductive properties while the one growing on a blue substrate has semiconducting properties and could not be used to replace metallic conductors such as copper. The empty substrata on either side of the center section are particles too small or too large to grow usable nanotubes.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

By themselves, carbon nanotubes don't do much - don't look like much, either (in fact, you need a pretty powerful electron microscope to see 'em).

But shoot a jolt of electricity into them and it's a new ball game.

They conduct electricity faster, over greater distances and with less energy loss than just about anything else, and they are so small that you can pack an enormous number of them - and an enormous amount of high-efficiency conductivity - into a fairly small package.

Huge application possibilities exist, especially in the search for lighter, cooler-running and more powerful electronics and electrical storage devices for hybrid and electric vehicles.

That's why America Honda Motors is so excited about the announcement today from its R&D unit that researchers there have devised a way to grow carbon nanotubes so that 91 percent of the tubes gown have the necessary metallic properties, nearly double the best efforts of of other research efforts, the company says.

Commercial in Five Years?

A Honda spokesman told Green Car Advisor the research could result in commercial applications for carbon nanotubes in five years or less.

The project was led by Honda Research Institute USA, in Columbus, Ohio, in conjunction with researchers at Purdue University, in Indiana, and the University of Louisville, in Kentucky.

The research, to be published in Friday's edition of Science magazine, opens "new possibilities for miniaturization and energy efficiency, including much more powerful and compact computers, electrodes for supercapacitors, electric cables, batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, artificial muscles, composite material for automobiles and plane, energy storage material and electronics for hybrid vehicles," Honda said in its announcement.

Makes you dizzy just thinking about it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 1, 2009, 1:34 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

eTec Signs $99.8 Million DOE Contract, Provides Scope of Work, Launches Website

Arizona-based Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. today signed a $99.8 million contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to join Nissan in the biggest deployment of electric vehicles -- and creation of the largest charging infrastructure -- ever undertaken.

That eTec was earmarked to receive the contract is not news; we reported that in August. But along with news of the signing today, eTec provided further details regarding how it intends to use the money.

In a statement, eTec said the final scope of work will include the deployment of 10,950 Level 2 (220-volt) chargers, 260 Level 3 (440-volt) fast-chargers and 4,700 Nissan LEAF zero-emissions electric vehicles in five states: Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington.

In conjunction with the contract signing, The EV Project (as eTec and Nissan call it) officially commenced today. ETec marked the commencement of the project with creation of the project's official Website.

The Website is designed to provide general information about The EV Project and it provides information about how to purchase a Nissan LEAF and how to apply for a free charger at a home or work.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 1, 2009, 12:37 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Legislation, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chargers

Balqon Introduces Heavy-Duty Electric Delivery Truck; Sales Slated for Fall 2010

Balqon Corp., an emerging developer of heavy-duty electric vehicles, today announced the release of its battery-powered Mule M150, a pure-electric truck designed for use in on-highway short-haul applications.

The Harbor City, California, company expects the plug-in delivery vehicle with a 7-ton capacity to appeal to businesses and agencies seeking a zero-emissions cargo solution for inner-city routes, port facilities and airports.

Powering its fully integrated heavy-duty electric drive system are lithium-ion batteries capable of propelling the truck up to a claimed 150 miles on a single charge without cargo and 90 miles fully loaded at speeds up to 55 miles per hour.

Features include: a 6-speed automatic transmission, a quick-change battery module, a high-efficiency AC-induction motor, liquid-cooled traction controls, and wireless performance monitoring.

Balqon said the Mule M150 will go on sale the third quarter of next year. Visit the company's Website for further details.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 1, 2009, 11:48 AM
Categories:: Balqon, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Balqon Corp.

September 30, 2009

Honda to Debut MPV Hybrid and Near-Production-Ready CR-Z at Tokyo Auto Show

Honda announced today that it will display at the Tokyo Motor Show next month a near-production version of the CR-Z (right), which will likely be the world's first hybrid sports car to employ a six-speed transmission when it goes on sale next year.

Alongside the CR-Z Concept 2009 will be the EV-N (below left), a small, four-seat battery-electric vehicle inspired by the N360, the twin-cylinder, air-cooled 360cc micro car launched with a plastic trunk lid in the 1960s. The revival vehicle has solar panels on the roof that could be used to charge the battery. Honda said the EV-N is "purely a design study and there are no plans for production."

The show will also see the debut of the Skydeck Concept (below right), a six-seat hybrid MPV/minivan, similar to the Ford S-Max. Honda said this design study is a great example of how hybrid technology can be placed in a range of different cars for different needs.

"To give the Skydeck the practicality of a conventional MPV, many of the hybrid system components, including the high-power battery, are housed in the car's center tunnel (rather than behind the rear seats or under the floor, as with previous production hybrids). This allows for greater cabin space, and the room for three rows of two seats. It also gives a lower center of gravity."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 30, 2009, 3:44 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

Top Electric Vehicle Executive at General Motors Leaves to Start EV Consulting Firm

Bob Kruse, who recently led a team that played a key role in the development of the Chevrolet Volt and who crafted the automaker's long-term electric-vehicle strategy, has resigned effective today.

Kruse, executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries since early last year, left to focus on an EV consulting company he founded last month.

He will provide automotive and vehicle electrification expertise for companies looking to seize a piece of more than $1.3 billion in federal grants available to Michigan and Detroit's major automakers.

"My departure from General Motors has nothing to do with my view of the future success for the Volt," Kruse said. "I've left on very good terms. I have a lot of respect for the leadership of General Motors."

GM spokesman Rob Peterson told Green Car Advisor that Kruse's resignation, coming only 13 months before the Volt's scheduled production launch, "won't have any impact" on the gasoline-electric hybrid sedan.

"There's never a good time to lose good people, but there's a deep bench with the Volt and that team was working together before Bob joined and they will continue to march on," he said.

Kruse's resignation comes at a crucial time for GM, which is banking on the Volt extended-range electric vehicle to help it meet stringent new government fuel-economy rules and to change the public's perception of the company as being an electric-car killer and a proponent of gas-guzzlers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 30, 2009, 11:48 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Bob Kruse

September 29, 2009

Zenn Motors Switches Strategies From EV-Making to Electric Drive Marketing

Canadian NEV-maker Zenn Motor Co. says it will stop making and marketing its $16,000 (U.S.) cityZenn low-speed neighborhood electric vehicle (right), drop plans for a highway-legal Zenn car and is switching its business plan to become distributor of an EV drivetrain.

The company said it is partnering with EEStor, a secretive company that claims to have developed an ultracapacitor-based EV battery that can deliver up to 300 miles of highway-speed range on a single 5-minute charge.

Zenn CEO Ian Clifford told the Toronto Star that it no longer makes business sense for the small company "to go into the distribution and sales" of EVs because of "the way things have really changed over the last year."

He was referring both to the growing number of large automakers announcing electric vehicle plans and to tough new safety rules in Zenn's home province of Ontario that would have required a number of expensive changes to Zenn's cars to make them street legal. Zenn also took a financial beating - along with the rest of the auto industry - as the recession slowed sales this year of its low-speed EV.

While Texas-based EEStor has not yet shown a working model of its ultracapacitor-cum-battery, Clifford said Zenn, which owns a 10.5 percent stake in the company, is "working on a daily basis with EEStor on this final milestone" in battery development that "takes us to commercial viability."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 29, 2009, 11:48 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EEStor

September 25, 2009

Volkswagen, Varta Forming JV to Develop Advanced Batteries for Electric Vehicles

VW-E-Up!-in-yellow.jpg-(JPEG-Image,-681x451-pixels).jpg In an obvious move to shore up its access to state-of-the-art advanced batteries for electric vehicles, Volkswagen is setting up a joint venture with Varta Microbattery to develop EV power packs, Europe's biggest carmaker said today.

Volkswagen already collaborates with Japan's Toshiba and Sanyo as well as with China's BYD on battery technology.

The announcement comes less than a month after VW presented a prototype of the e-Up! plug-in electric vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show with the intention of launching the vehicle in Europe in 2013.

Only days later, VW said it was also planning on introducing a slightly larger electric vehicle in the U.S. The company, which was slow to jump on the EV bandwagon, was quickly forming pacts with battery-makers and announcing bold plans for EV production.

In a statement issued today, VW said the project with Varta aims to undertake research and development of highly advanced and yet cost competitive lithium-ion batteries.

The four-year project still requires approval from German authorities.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 25, 2009, 12:56 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, China, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

Korean Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Maker CT&T to Open Plants in Pennsylvania

South Korea's CT&T Co. intends to make neighborhood electric vehicles at two production and distribution facilities in Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell announced today at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

CT&T makes low- and mid-speed, short-distance NEVs that the company claims passes the crash tests required for passenger cars. The vehicles sell for about $12,000 apiece.

Although the media focuses on highway-capable EVs, it's worth noting that most of the EVs in the U.S. and the rest of the world today are NEVs such as the CT&T plug-in and zero-emissions vehicle pictured here.

Indeed, CT&T has a contract to supply 4,000 NEVs to California police organizations for parking enforcement and it sees a strong market for NEVs across the U.S.

The company says cities with large municipal fleets offer a considerable initial market opportunity, with the electric car as a low-cost option for parking authorities, parks and recreation departments, and similar agencies with short-distance, low-speed vehicle needs.

CT&T President Young Gi Lee said in a statement that the company's long-term business plan calls for 40 regional assembly and sales systems in North America. CT&T has been exporting to China, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and America since 2005.

The company is focusing on sites on the Delaware River in Philadelphia for its initial Pennsylvania location. Company executives visited five prospective sites in the Pittsburgh region Thursday, including two within the city.

While in Pittsburgh, CT&T executives also met with experts in battery and fuel technology from Carnegie Mellon University, which is engaged in a range of research initiatives to support the growth and development of electric vehicle technology.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 25, 2009, 11:21 AM
Categories:: Batteries, CT&T, Emissions, Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery

September 24, 2009

General Motors, Reva to Collaborate on Electric Car for India Based on Chevy Spark

General Motors and India's Reva Electric Car announced today that they will jointly produce a battery-powered vehicle for South Asia based on the Detroit carmaker's best-selling mini-car, the Chevrolet Spark (pictured).

Under the alliance, GM will provide the vehicle platform and manufacturing facilities for the zero-emissions car, which will begin production next year, while Reva will supply the technology for the battery, electric drivetrain and power management systems.

They did not provide forecasts for production, but GM has the capacity to produce 225,000 vehicles of all types at its two plants in India and has plans to scale up its factory in Maharashtra state by an additional 160,000 vehicles.

GM, which is also due to launch its plug-in Chevrolet Volt in the U.S. next year, joins a growing list of the world's major carmakers that are due to launch electric cars over the next three years as part of their carbon-cutting strategy.

Some, including Japan's Mitsubishi Motors, have already launched them.

Last week at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault announced that it was launching four electric vehicles in 2011-12. Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz showed planned battery-powered luxury models.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 3:58 PM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, General Motors, India, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Reva
Technorati Tags:: Audi

EV Battery Maker A123 Systems Raises $380 Million from Initial Stock Offering

Lithium-ion car battery maker A123 Systems Inc. increased the number of shares in its initial public offering and priced them for $13.50 apiece, above the estimate range.

The upsized deal helped the Watertown, Massachusetts, company raise $380.4 million, far above what it had expected. On Tuesday, facing strong demand, A123 had raised the price estimate range of the IPO to between $10 and $11.50 apiece, up from the original range of $8 to $9.50.

A123 sold 28.1 million shares, 9.3 percent more than expected.

A123, which was founded by scientists linked to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, develops batteries and battery systems for hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles and works with such carmakers as BMW, Chrysler and General Motors.

"The fact that they have received several hundred million dollars from the government and have strong venture backers and corporate partners like Motorola and Qualcomm clearly reveals the confidence in this intriguing cleantech story," said Scott Sweet, senior managing partner with advisory firm IPO Boutique.

A123 won a $249.1 million grant in August from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a competition for $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for companies that make advanced automotive batteries.

The IPO's underwriters, led by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have the option to buy another 4.2 million shares, which could bring the deal's total proceeds to $437.5 million.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 3:23 PM
Categories:: BMW, Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: A123Systems

Tesla's Model S Electric Sedan Is Designed for Quick Battery Swaps, Executive Says

Tesla Motors' forthcoming all-electric Model S sedan (pictured) has been designed so that its battery pack can be switched with a fresh battery pack in five minutes or less, the company's outgoing director of vehicle engineering and manufacturing said in an interview today.

Speaking with Green Car Advisor shortly after his resignation was announced, Michael Donoughe said the plug-in electric vehicle has been designed in such a way that its lithium-ion battery pack can be removed and replaced with another one in the amount of time it takes to fill the gas tank of a standard automobile.

"When you install the battery pack for vehicle assembly and when you're running at line speed, you have to do it in a fairly quick fashion," Donoughe said. "So you design for manufacturing and assembly, and as long as you're designing for manufacturing and assembly you can also design for manufacturing, assembly and swap. That's basically what we're looking to do."

Telsa, he said, is looking to ramp up quickly once the zero-emissions Model S enters production, which is still on target for late 2011. Six months from assembly of the first Model S, Tesla expects to be producing 400 a week, or roughly 20,000 annually, he said.

Tesla spokeswoman Rachel Konrad said today that the company has already received more than 1,600 reservations for the Model S, including one from Donoughe.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 2:30 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric Vehicle

Tesla's Mike Donoughe Resigns to Join Consortium; Helped Ramp Up Roadster

Mike Donoughe, currently head of vehicle engineering and manufacturing for Tesla Motors, will join the Detroit management consulting firm St. Clair Consortium as senior partner effective Oct. 1. His last day at the automaker will be Friday.

Tesla has not publicly named Donoughe's replacement. Tesla Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson is head of engineering on the all-electric Model S sedan and will retain his responsibilities in that capacity.

Donoughe joined San Carlos, California-based Tesla 15 months ago, shortly after Tesla had begun production of its first product, the all-electric Roadster sports car. Donoughe helped the company achieve fully ramped-up production this summer, when Tesla hit its target of 25 cars built per week.

Tesla, the only automaker producing and selling highway-capable EVs, has delivered more than 700 Roadsters in the United States and Europe so far. Donoughe also focused on enhancing Roadster quality and helped execute a cost-down program that helped Tesla achieve a significant financial milestone and reach profitability in July.

Donoughe is leaving voluntarily and in part for personal reasons. He plans to dedicate more time to the Rochester, Michigan-based Cornerstone Youth Development Fund, which he co-founded with his daughter, Kelly.

Cornerstone is a non-profit organization focused on making facility infrastructure, student tuition and teacher salary investments in Uganda and Detroit to advance the education and development of youth.

Donoughe's planned departure comes at the most logical and least disruptive time for the automaker -- after the successful completion of the Roadster ramp-up but before the start of production of the all-electric Model S sedan.

"Mike joined the company shortly after we had begun manufacturing the Roadster, and his enthusiasm and expertise helped Tesla achieve fully ramped-up production," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "He's leaving the company on very solid footing and at a logical time in Tesla's phenomenal growth curve. We wish him a ll the best."

In a statement, Donoughe described Tesla as "a company populated throughout with excellent and enthusiastic people. It has been a wonderful experience for me to have been a part of this talented team."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 11:25 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Mike Donoughe

Electric Vehicle Makers Try to Temper Expectations Ahead of California Rule

California took the pulse of the zero-emissions vehicle industry this week and found plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers worried about charging infrastructure and public expectations.

The California Air Resources Board is hearing from fuel cell and EV manufacturers in preparation for releasing regulations for its Zero-Emissions Vehicle Program. Targets for 2015 and thereafter are due out by Nov. 10, with final targets due by early next year.

In its fifth major revision of the program since 1990, it voted last year to reduce the 2014 sales target from 25,000 to 7,500 vehicles.

A philosophical difference emerged between conventional car manufacturers and electric-only car companies.

Nissan, which is shooting for a 100-mile range for its Leaf EV, is playing down its perks. When asked to compare gasoline-powered and EV batteries, a company executive said not to expect comparable performance.

"Since the battery's not part of the emissions, it's not required to last 10 years and 150,000 miles," said Brian Verprauskus, senior manager of corporate planning for Nissan North America. "The issue's going to be the degradation. If the customer is OK with reduced range after 10 years, it'll definitely last that long, but after 10 years, we think there'll be more advanced batteries and the customer's going to want to swap it out with a next-generation battery."

Tesla Motors, on the other hand, is emphasizing the ways EVs differ from conventional cars. "We're trying to market cars based on the new attributes of EVs themselves," said J.B. Straubel, Tesla's chief technical officer. "It's an offensive technology shift. We can offer some new competitive advantages to customers."

EV manufacturers said the installation of charging infrastructure remained the biggest bottleneck to widespread implementation. BMW, which ran into charging issues with its MINI E pilot program, said the industry needed to agree on a standard for in-home charging infrastructure.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 10:39 AM
Categories:: BMW, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, MINI, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: BMW

September 23, 2009

British Publication Says Rolls Royce Is Considering a Battery-Powered Phantom

A British publication reported today that luxury-car crafter Rolls Royce is thinking about producing an all-electric Phantom similar in appearance to the gasoline-powered Phantom pictured here.

Auto Express News, citing an unidentified RR spokesman, said that of the brand's entire lineup a battery-powered Phantom made the most sense because, at more than 5,600 pounds with a heavy 6.75-liter V12 under the hood, replacing the engine with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery shouldn't create a major weight issue.

The greatest problem RR engineers anticipate is coming up with an electric Phantom that gives the vehicle a respectable travel range between charges. But then, there'd be nothing preventing the engineers from adding a small range-extending gasoline- and diesel-powered engine to serve as a generator to keep the juice flowing.

With the base price of the 2009 Phantom set at $350,000, an additional EV or plug-in hybrid EV premium wouldn't likely be an issue for prospective customers. And there's something awfully cool about being able to prowl the nights in a silent Phantom.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 2:49 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric, Rolls Royce
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

Volvo Says It Is Focusing on Ways to Make Electric Vehicles Safe for Occupants

Volvo cars and trucks have always been designed to withstand the rigors of Sweden's rough roads and cold temperatures, with particular emphasis on surviving a collision.

This is why Volvo has invented so many safety features since the making its first car in 1927.

Those features include a safety cage for occupants, laminated windshield, three-point safety belts, padded instrument panel, crumple zones, anti-locking brakes, inflatable curtain and lane-departure warning. The full list of Volvo safety innovations is quite long.

Now the Swedish automaker is applying some of those inventions to protecting the batteries that propel electric vehicles.

In a statement released today, Volvo said it conducting "extremely wide-ranging and thorough analysis of a variety of safety scenarios for cars with electric power.

"Through advanced automatic monitoring of battery status and by encapsulating the battery and protecting it effectively in a collision, the result is a comprehensive safety package of the very highest class."

Volvo's safety tests take place in several different stages. First at component level, then for whole systems and finally the complete car is safety-tested -- both virtually in the computer, and physically in Volvo's technically advanced crash-test center.

At present Volvo is conducting tests at component level to see how the electric-vehicle's battery is affected by harsh braking and the subsequent collision.

"We are also carrying out, for the first time, advanced crash tests in full scale to evaluate the technology in electrically powered cars," Volvo Cars' safety expert, Thomas Broberg, said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 12:35 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric, Volvo
Technorati Tags:: EV

Volkswagen Says It Will Likely Sell Larger Version of E-Up! Electric Vehicle in U.S.

One week after Volkswagen made a splash at the Frankfurt Motor Show with the world debut of its E-Up! electric vehicle (pictured), the German automaker has announced that it will likely sell a larger version of the cute compact in the U.S.

"The reason we are working on an electric vehicle is the American market," Ulrich Hackenberg, board member in charge of product development at Volkswagen AG, said today.

Hackenberg said a production version of the plug-in battery-electric zero-emissions E-Up! will go on sale in Europe in 2013. He said U.S. sales would start later.

The E-Up! is based on VW's new modular small-car family, scheduled to debut in 2011. The four-seat E-Up!, which measures 125 inches long (or 19 inches longer than the tiny Smart ForTwo), has a range of up to 80 miles on lithium-ion battery power.

For the United States, Hackenberg said, he envisions a front-drive model about 146 inches long (the 2009 MINI Cooper is 145.6 inches long). Electric versions of the Smart ForTwo and MINI Cooper are planned for the U.S.

VW will launch its first hybrid vehicle next year -- a version of the Touareg SUV. Hackenberg said the Touareg hybrid will debut at the 2010 Detroit auto show in January.

To date, very few details have been released regarding this vehicle.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 9:54 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, MINI, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Detroit Auto Show

September 21, 2009

Silicon Valley VCs Say Detroit 3 Must Scrap Their Business Model to Succeed

Silicon Valley's venture capitalists believe the Detroit 3 automakers cannot become competitive again unless they scrap their traditional business model and embrace new, innovative ways of doing business.

That's the theme of a feature article Reuters distributed today, a copy of which can be read free of charge and registration at the new service's Website.

Speaking of the Detroit 3, Ray Lane, a managing partner at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Buyers, said that "for years they have been led by accountants and lawyers, not engineers and entrepreneurs. That's OK if the industry isn't changing."

So what do Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group need to do to regain marketplace dominance?

"Start over," said Marc van den Berg, managing director of VantagePoint Venture Partners, which backs upstart electric carmaker Tesla Motors and electric-vehicle infrastructure firm Better Place.

The only way the Detroit 3 can succeed is by completely overhauling the business model, moving beyond just designing attractive cars, Silicon Valley venture capitalists say.

"There is room for business model innovation and technology innovation," said Vinod Khosla, managing general partner of Khosla Ventures.

Khosla said U.S. automakers need to embrace innovation at all levels. He pointed to Better Place, which is building charging infrastructure and battery-swapping stations for electric vehicles.

"Better Place is saying,'Don't let the consumer buy the batteries,' " Khosla said. "That's a business model innovation."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 21, 2009, 4:32 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hydrogen, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

Japan's GS Yuasa in Talks With Overseas Automakers Batteries for Their EVs

Japan's GS Yuasa Corp. said it is in talks to supply overseas automakers with lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, and GS Yuasa's venture with Mitsubishi Motors may begin sales next year, Reuters reported today.

In an interview with the news service, GS Yuasa President Makoto Yoda said his company, the world's third-largest car-battery maker, aims to boost annual lithium-ion battery sales more than 30-fold to $1.1 billion by March 2016.

The company is banking on strong growth for gasoline-electric and pure electric vehicles amid concerns about climate change and as government subsidies offer consumers subsidies.

"Demand for electric vehicles is particularly strong in the United States and Europe as they have stringent regulations against carbon-dioxide emissions," Yoda told Reuters in an interview.

He reportedly said the company was in talks with automakers in the United States, Europe and Japan.

The venture, Lithium Energy Japan, is 51 percent owned by GS Yuasa, with trading house Mitsubishi Corp. holding 34 percent and Mitsubishi Motors holding 15 percent. Mitsubishi Motors launched i-MiEV, the world's first mass-produced electric car in July.

GS Yuasa, which also runs a joint venture with Honda Motor Co. to make lithium-ion batteries for gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles starting late next year, said it may begin sales of such batteries to other carmakers beginning April 2012.

GS Yuasa is reportedly planning to build a lithium-ion battery plant in Kyoto Prefecture of Japan for Mitsubishi's i-MiEV car, which is expected to produce batteries for 15,000 vehicles a year from the second half of 2010.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 21, 2009, 1:19 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Batteries

Underwriters Laboratories Working on Standards for Electric-Car Batteries

The American safety testing and certification company Underwriters Laboratories announced today that it intends to release a new set of requirements for large batteries in electric vehicles, UL Subject 2580.

UL said in a statement that with interest in electric vehicles on the rise, the "new requirements will help mitigate the potential risk of fire and electrical hazards and enhance the overall safety of batteries for electric vehicles."

In other words, the company is hoping that once it creates a set of requirements for EV batteries, the government will require battery-makers to obtain UL certifications for them. UL has conveniently come up with a name for the certificate: Subject 2580.

"Before becoming a standard, these requirements will undergo a comprehensive review process by a global Standard Technical Panel (STP). An STP is a consensus body of individuals representing consumers, government agencies, regulatory authorities, manufacturers and other knowledgeable interested parties that develop and maintain effective product safety standards," UL said.

According to the international consulting firm Oliver Wyman, the estimated number of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) that will be on the road globally over the next decade range from 1 million to 5 million new vehicles per year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 21, 2009, 12:37 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric Vehicle

September 18, 2009

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Herpa Debuts Trabant nT Concept Electric Compact Car

German model-car maker Herpa Miniaturmodelle, which announced last month that it would debut an all-electric version of the Trabant compact car at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show, kept its word and unveiled a baby-blue electric vehicle concept it calls the Trabant nT (right).

Company officials said a single 64-horsepower motor turns the front wheels and a lithium-ion battery pack supplies the juice. The plug-in EV can go approximately 155 miles between charges and has a top speed of 80 miles an hour, the officials said.

The company is hoping to bring the vehicle to market in 2012. No further details were available.

The old Trabant was a smog-spewing, two-stroke icon of communist East Germany. Exactly 3,096,099 of them were built between 1957 and 1991.

The photo at left shows the very last of the original Trabants being assembled. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, thousands of the smoky, boxy four-seaters streamed into West Germany.

Despite its mediocre performance and dreadful emissions, the car is regarded in Germany today with derisive affection as a symbol of the failed former East Germany.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 18, 2009, 3:27 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Auto Show

Nissan, Other Automakers Working On Sounds to Make Silent Electric Cars Safe

Toshiyuki Tabata spent 30 years as a Nissan Motor Co. engineer trying to make gasoline-powered cars quieter. Now he's consulting music composers to make electric cars noisier -- and safer.

An article published by Bloomberg news service today addresses the efforts Tabata in particular and automakers in general are making to make electric and hybrid cars, with little or no engine noise, safer for pedestrians.

Some of the automakers are simply seeking sounds that resemble conventional engine noises. But as we learn from Tabata, Nissan is doing something completely different.

The company consulted Japanese composers of film scores. What Tabata and his six-member team came up with is a high- pitched sound reminiscent of the flying cars in "Blade Runner" (pictured), the 1982 film directed by Ridley Scott portraying his dystopian vision of 2019.

"We wanted something a bit different, something closer to the world of art," Tabata said.

The article is well worth the time it takes to read it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 18, 2009, 12:23 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: General Motors

Ford Focus EV, Drew Barrymore Rev for Jay Leno's Green-Car Smackdown Tonight

In Los Angeles County, where police struggle with illegal street racing, "The Jay Leno Show" tonight will air the first in a season-long series of races featuring an electrified Ford Focus and a string of celebrities who hope to finish year one of the show with the fastest time.

In a statement issued by NBC, the network emphasized that the vehicle used in the "Green Car Challenge" and pictured here is a battery-electric Ford Focus, suggesting that, perhaps, the energy needed to fuel the product- and celebrity-promoting joy ride did not in any way contribute to global warming.

But, hey, this is late-night television and the first celebrity is actress Drew Barrymore (below left), who famously exposed her breasts to David Letterman during a videotaped segment of his show and who immediately won the hearts of various male talk-show hosts -- not, say, Paul Hawken, the well-read environmentalist who has devoted much of his life to speaking out against wasting energy.

At the risk of raising reasonable doubt against what's supposed to be a light-hearted (and albeit light-brained) scheme to promote electric cars, we are reminded to inform that Leno's new show airs Monday through Friday from 10 till 11 p.m. Eastern.

The car pictured here is the very same one Ms. Barrymore will be driving. NBC would like us to emphasize that it is a one-of-a-kind Focus EV "tuned to perform on a racetrack that was specifically designed for 'The Jay Leno Show,' " so don't you be trying this at home.

Lest you not focus on whether Ms. Barrymore will flash Leno, we remind you that "Celebrities who accept the challenge will be at the wheel, driving quickly to establish a fast lap time that future guests will try to beat." And, "the 'Green Car Challenge' will be a regular segment on 'The Jay Leno Show.' "

Although the car is one-of-a-kind, NBC and Ford would appreciate it if we mention that the Focus appearing in the smackdown is based on the European five-door production Focus ST and modified into a battery electric vehicle, or BEV, as part of Ford's BEV test fleet.

That said, "The Focus BEV foreshadows many of the same systems that Ford will begin selling to consumers in an all-new electric Ford Focus, scheduled to go on sale in North America in 2011. The new Focus BEV is one of four electrified vehicles Ford is introducing now through 2012."

We commend Ford for the EV development. And our thoughts, prayers and dreams are with Ms. Barrymore.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 18, 2009, 12:20 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Ford, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: David Letterman

September 17, 2009

Volvo Shows Off Plug-In Battery EV, Names EnerDel as Battery Supplier

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

GOTHENBURG, Sweden - Volvo Cars unveiled its new C30-based prototype electric car today and said that Indianapolis-based battery maker EnerDel is supplying the lithium-ion battery pack for the vehicles, which will be used in a series of on-road test programs in Europe over the next year.

The deal is EnerDel's second with Volvo, following this summer's announcement that the subsidiary of New York-based Ener1 Corp. was teaming with the Swedish automaker to supply batteries for a pair of plug-in diesel-electric hybrids.

The C30 BEV, or battery-electric vehicle, uses a 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack with 22 kilowatt-hours of usable energy and a predicted range of 75 to 93 miles depending on driving conditions.

Test Track Trial

Green Car Advisor got a chance to take one of the two existing C30 BEVs on a short spin around Volvo's demonstration track outside Gothenburg in southwest Sweden earlier today and found the four-seater - based on Volvo's smallest car - to be a sprightly, well-mannered package.

The nearly 700-pound (estimated) battery pack, made of hundreds of flat lithium-ion cells for easier cooling, is tucked beneath the C30's sporty body, fitted between the frame stiffeners to give the small car a low center of gravity and to protect the battery from damage in an accident.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 17, 2009, 4:16 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric, Volvo
Technorati Tags:: Electric Cars

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Volkswagen Rolls Out E-Up!, Says EV's a Go for 2013

Volkswagen AG this week rolled an electric car it calls the E-Up! onto the world stage, and told onlookers that the never-before-seen plug-in EV will likely enter production in 2013.

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Above and below: Volkswagen's E-Up! battery-electric vehicle debuts in Frankfurt.
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Furthermore, the German carmaker said it expects the zero-emissions compact car to approach production level on par with it other compact cars by 2020.

The company said the front-wheel-drive vehicle's lithium-ion battery will have 18 kilowatt hours of energy capacity enabling a driving distance of around 130 kilometers, or about 80 miles, depending on driving style.

"One of the basic milestones on this timeline is the mass-produced electric car," Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said in a statement.

He said only in high volumes and on all continents could one truly speak of the beginning of the electric age in automobiles and a perceptible reduction of their environmental impact.

"The concept car now being presented in Frankfurt very realistically shows how we envision such a Volkswagen with pure electric drive --- technically, visually and with regard to a practical size," Winterkorn said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 3:48 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

House Passes $2.90 Billion Bill for Advanced Technology Vehicle Research

Targeting more federal money to support the auto industry, the House on Wednesday approved an expansion of government-led research into making cars and trucks more fuel-efficient.

The House plan would allow the Energy Department to spend up to $200 million more each year on research and development for advanced-technology vehicles and auto parts.

Lawmakers' aides said the additional $200 million would boost government-supported research in this area to around $550 million if Congress, as expected, funds the request later this year.

The measure passed on a 312-114 vote, attracting dozens of Republican votes, even though some GOP lawmakers questioned its cost.

Wednesday's House action represented the latest move by Congress and the Obama administration to aid the auto industry. The White House stepped in with billions of dollars to rescue General Motors and Chrysler and led the companies through bankruptcy, and Congress approved $25 billion last year to help the industry retool assembly plants to meet tougher fuel economy standards.

Congress also created a $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program of incentives that successfully spurred new car sales over the summer.

Fuel-efficient technology is in great demand because of higher gasoline prices and the expectation of tightening auto regulations. Administration officials on Tuesday released plans to raise the gas mileage standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and link greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel-economy requirements.

Democratic Representative Gary Peters of Michigan, who sponsored the green vehicle technology bill, said "there is no doubt that in the years ahead more Americans will be driving hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and cars and trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells."

"The only question is whether these new technologies will be researched, developed and manufactured here in the United States, creating American jobs, or whether this technology will be built overseas," Peters said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 1:37 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing

'The Electric-Fuel-Trade Acid Test': Not Simply Another Plug for EVs

An article in the current issue of The Economist asks: "After many false starts, battery-powered cars seem here to stay. Are they just an interesting niche product, or will they turn motoring upside down?"

As the smart British weekly is wont to do, it hints at an answer. For that, you will need to read the article -- or at least the last two paragraphs of it. In fairness to the publication, we won't provide them. But the article is just a click away.

That said, here's a brilliantly crafted teaser -- the first four graphs of the article -- which provides a feast for thought:

In 1995 Joseph Bower and Clayton Christensen, two researchers at the Harvard Business School, invented a new term: "disruptive technology." This is an innovation that fulfills the requirements of some, but not most, consumers better than the incumbent does. That gives it a toehold, which allows room for improvement and, eventually, dominance. The risk for incumbent firms is that of the proverbial boiling frog. They may not know when to switch from old to new until it is too late.

The example Dr. Bower and Dr. Christensen used was a nerdy one: computer hard-drives. But unbeknown to them a more familiar one was in the making. The first digital cameras were coming on sale. These were more expensive than film cameras and had lower resolution. But they brought two advantages. A user could look at a picture immediately after he had taken it. And he could download it onto his computer and send it to his friends.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 2:11 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Energy Companies, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Lithium-Ion Battery

September 16, 2009

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: REVA EV Maker Unwraps NXG, Announces NXR Pricing

REVA Electric Car Co. presented the NXG to the world today, and announced the pricing for the 2011 NRX, at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

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Pictured, the REVA NXG electric car.
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Styled by Dilip Chhabria, the REVA NXG is a two-door, two-seater car with a targa top with a top speed of 80 miles an hour and a range of 125 miles per charge, and it can be fully charged in as little as 90 minutes using an optional fast charger.

The Indian automaker says that the plug-in electric NXG has "an effective range" of 250 miles per day due to the relatively short period of time required to fully fuel the vehicle using one of its fast chargers. The NXG was billed as REVA's 2011 model.

REVA executives took the opportunity to announce that today marked the official launch of the NXR, an electric car that is scheduled to enter production early next year. It will be available with either a lithium-ion battery or a lead-acid battery.

The NXR is a three-door, four-seater hatchback family car. The version with a lithium-ion battery is called the NXR Intercity and it has a top speed of 65 miles per hour and a range of 100 miles per charge. Using the 90-minute fast charge -- normal charging is eight hours -- the NXR Intercity offers an effective range of 192 miles a day.

Prices of the NXR Intercity will vary across Europe depending on taxes and subsidies, and there is the option of purchasing the car and batteries separately, or at an all-inclusive price.

That said, REVA announced the average price for the NXR Intercity in Europe will be around 14,995 euros (or $21,000), plus a monthly mobility fee for the batteries and other services.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 16, 2009, 5:57 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Reva
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Peugeot Introduces Motorcycle-Inspired Electric Car

French automaker Peugeot today introduced the BB1 Concept, telling a crowd at the Frankfurt Motor Show that the compact zero-emissions electric car was inspired by motorcycle technology.

Peugeot CEO Jean-Marc-Gales said that the BB1 Concept exists "between the two- and four-wheel worlds," adding that its frame is based on a tubular chassis designed by Peugeot Motorcycles.

But instead of one electric motor, the BB1 Concept is equipped with four -- two inside each of the car's rear wheels. These would be Active Wheels supplied by French tire-making giant Michelin.

The electric motors get their power from two lithium-ion battery packs, which are placed under the rear seats.

Gales said Peugeot will decide within the next six months whether or not it makes commercial sense for the company to bring the BB1 to market, adding that he hopes it does.

The car weighs 1,320 pounds, has a range of 72 miles between charges and a top speed of 54 miles an hour.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 16, 2009, 3:58 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Ford Focus BEV Prototype Makes an Appearance

Ford of Europe has chosen the Frankfurt Motor Show as the venue to introduce the first in a fleet of battery-electric-vehicle prototypes based on the European Ford Focus and specially developed to participate in a study of super-clean cars sponsored by the British government.

Ford of Europe says the study will help the automaker decide whether to use the technology in their European passenger-car lineup.

A consortium of Ford, utility and university employees will use the fleet of 15 prototype zero-emissions Focus BEVs and a charging infrastructure in and around the London borough of Hillingdon starting early next year.

The prototype features a new all-electric powertrain provided the Canadian parts supplier Magna International. Ford says the technology is based on technology being developed for Ford's new-generation C-sized global vehicle architecture and which will be launched in North America in 2011.

Under the skin of the prototype is a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery pack with the capacity of 23 kilowatt hours, and a 100-kilowatt (134-horsepower) permanent-magnet electric traction motor.

Ford officials say the BEVs will have a range of up to 75 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. Charging the batteries will take between 6-8 hours using 230-volt outlets.

The prototype incorporates key components from Ford's proven North American hybrid technology, including the electric climate control system. The high-voltage air-conditioning compressor is a key feature of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, recently introduced in the North American market.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 16, 2009, 3:43 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric Vehicle

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Opel to Offer Ampera Despite Sale to Magna, Sberbank

Opel debuted the Ampera at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, but one question lingered when the crowd shuffled off to another unveiling: Would the gasoline-electric hybrid -- the Chevy Volt's European twin -- actually launch?

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Pictured, Ampera meets the press in Frankfurt.
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Or would it be shelved as a result of a controlling share of Opel being sold to Canadian autoparts supplier Magna International and the Russian financial institution Sberbank?

The answer, we learned today, is that the Ampera program is very much a go.

In an email exchange with Dan Pund, who writes for Edmunds.com's Inside Line, Dave Darovitz said the Ampera is still slated to launch in Europe. As communications manager for the Volt and Chevy fuel-cell Equinox, Darovitz would know.

General Motors last week agreed to sell 55 percent of Opel to Magna and Sberbank in a 50-50 split. GM will keep 35 percent, the biggest single stake in Opel, and Opel workers will hold 10 percent.

The deal still hinges on conditions that could take weeks or months to work out, such as final agreement for government financing and union support for what could be painful cuts.

Additionally, Belgium has asked the European Union to investigate the deal to make sure Germany was not violating antitrust rules.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 16, 2009, 12:39 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Ampera

September 15, 2009

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Audi Presents All-Electric, 4-Motor e-Tron Sports Car

Audi, the German automaker that has repeatedly voiced concerns about battery-electric power while simultaneously touting the benefits of diesel, delighted a crowd at the Frankfurt Motor Show today with the dramatic world debut of its plug-in e-Tron electric-car concept.

The apparent design offspring of an R8 and TT, the e-Tron sports four electric motors, one at each wheel. Combined, they generate 230 kilowatts (or 313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (or 3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque -- enough to shoot the lipstick-red two-seater from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds.

The zero-emissions vehicle's lithium-ion battery provides enough juice, Audi claims, for the electric ladybug to cover 149 miles between charges. All in 4-wheel drive, of course.

While Audi made it clear that the e-Tron is a concept car, the automaker also said some prototypes will likely be on the road next year and "a small build" of series production models could be jazzing up blacktop in 2012.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 15, 2009, 7:23 PM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Audi e-Tron

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Porsche Says It's Developing an Electric Sports Car

The same day Tesla Motors delivered its 700th all-electric Roadster -- to a German law student on the opening day of the Frankfurt Motor Show, no less -- Porsche's new president and CEO Michael Macht (right) announced that his company was working hard on an electric-powered sports car.

Sadly, he had no automobile to display.

Standing in front of reporters Tuesday, Macht said "that one day Porsche will have an electric sports car in its line-up."

Why didn't it?

Available battery technology is not "sufficient to meet Porsche's strict requirements," he said.

Tell that to the German law student.

Macht pointed out that Porsche has a long legacy with hybrid technology as it was exactly 109 years ago that Professor Ferdinand Porsche built the first fully functioning car with hybrid technology.

It was a nice little speech. One that would have gone well with an all-electric 911, and even better with a gasoline-electric hybrid 911. Only Porsche hasn't invented either.

The battery technology, you know.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 15, 2009, 5:45 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

Frankfurt Auto Show: Renault Unveils 4 EVs, Commits to Deploying 100,000 by 2016

Renault Fluence ZE unveiled.jpg Renault SA today introduced a lineup of electric cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show and committed to making at least 100,000 of them by 2016.

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Right, the Fluence Z.E. Concept.
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Declaring a break with the long dominance of the gasoline engine, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn presented four electric cars that he said would go on sale in 2011 or 2012.

They "will bring environmental soundness at a price everyone can afford," he told an audience at the auto show.

The move is a gamble by Ghosn to carve out a big future market for the two companies he leads, Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Co., which own large parts of each other and share technology. Most other automakers are proceeding more cautiously with electric vehicles.

Underlining Ghosn's remarks were the world debut of four electric vehicles at the Renault display area: the Fluence Z.E. Concept, the Kangoo Z.E. Concept, the Zoe Z.E. Concept and the Twizy Z.E. Concept.

Renault spokesmen said the four electric concept cars provide a preview of Renault's range of vehicles due to be released from 2011. To underscore that statement, they announced that the French automaker and EV-charging-solutions proponent Better Place signed an agreement today whereby Better Place will start importing and distributing Renault's first passenger electric vehicle -- the Fluence ZE, a five-seat sedan -- in the first half of 2011 in Israel and will offer recharging services to customers buying this car from the Renault network in Denmark.

Both companies committed to a volume of at least 100,000 vehicles for both countries by 2016.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 15, 2009, 12:14 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Better Place

Better Place Set To Debut EV Charger Info, Management Software at Frankfurt

EV Services Company Working With Intel, Microsoft for On-Board System

switch station location.jpg

Sample screen shows how Better Place AutOS software would locate and display battery exchange station.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Turns out Better Place is not just about EV charging stations and battery swapping.

The nascent electric-vehicle charging services provider has been working with Microsoft and Intel since its inception in 2007 to develop software that would link charging and battery swap stations and individual vehicles.

The system, which Better Place engineers call an "information train," is to be introduced today at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, just a few hours after sometimes partner Renault unveils the electric car - with swappable battery pack - that will be sold in Israel and Denmark in 2011 as part of the two companies' previously announced EV-and-battery package program.

Better Place, the California-based brainchild of high-tech entrepreneur Shai Agassi, has shown prototypes of its battery charger for fixed-battery plug-in hybrids and electric cars, and a battery exchange station for EVs, such as the upcoming Renault, that have replaceable battery packs.

The new software package, called the Better Place AutOS, is the third leg of the pyramid.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 15, 2009, 12:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

September 14, 2009

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: VW's L1 Diesel Hybrid Concept Gets a Claimed 170 MPG

With the premature appearance of some photos of the current L1 Concept in the German media over the weekend, Volkswagen today distributed information and multiple images of the ultra-high-mileage carbon-fiber two-seat diesel runabout ahead of its scheduled debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

The German automaker announced that the L1 Concept is powered by a new two-cylinder 0.8-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine -- the smallest diesel engine intended for production applications ever built by Volkswagen.

That engine is mated to a 10-kilowatt/14 horsepower electric motor and a 7-speed direct-shift gearbox (or DSG, an electronically controlled multiple-shaft dual-clutch manual gearbox without a conventional clutch pedal) -- all situated at the back of the car. Together, the three components create the "most fuel-efficient road-legal car hybrid drive in the world," according to Volkswagen.

The L1 -- which takes its name from 1 liter of diesel will provide 100 kilometers of driving, although in reality 1.38 liters are required to go that distance -- is operated in two different modes depending on the load conditions.

In the standard "ECO mode," the TDI engine develops a power of 20 kilowatts/27 horsepower at 4,000 revolutions per minute. In sport mode, the car's power rises to 29 kilowatts/39 hp at 4,000 rpm. The TDI's maximum torque is 73.7 pound-feet at 1,900 rpm. A stop-start system automatically shuts down the engine when vehicle has stopped and restarts when the accelerator or "E-pedal" is pressed.

A Little History

This isn't the first L1 VW has come up with. Seven years ago, Dr. Ferdinand Piech, at that time chairman of the board of management at VW Group, drove a prototype L1 from Wolfsburg to Hamburg "that was unlike any other car before it: the Volkswagen 1-Litre car -- the world's first car with fuel consumption of one litre fuel per 100 kilometers," as VW tells it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 14, 2009, 3:37 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Diesel-Electric Hybrid

Source: Initial 1,400 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric Vehicles Have Been Spoken For

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has received pre-orders for all of the 1,400 electric i-MiEV plug-in electric vehicles scheduled to be made this model year, according to someone close to the matter.

The urban electric, zero-emissions i-MiEV launched in Japan in July of this year with the delivery of about 50 i-MiEV four-seaters, running on newly developed lithium-ion batteries, to government, utility offices and companies around Tokyo.

They represent the first of 1,400 of the eye-catching EVs that Mitsubishi expects the sell through the end of this year, when it will ramp up for sales to the general public, first in Japan and then globally. Mitsubishi has said it expects to sell 5,000 i-MiEVs in Japan and export 1,000 in 2010.

Mitsubishi began taking pre-orders for the i-MiEV through its dealer network on July 31 and within one month had received 900 pre-orders, the source said.

The company has said it wants to start selling the i-MiEV in the U.S. sometime in 2011. The automaker sees an opportunity to gain major traction in the zero-emissions-vehicle, or ZEV, arena at a time when many other car companies are focusing on hybrids or fuel-cell vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 14, 2009, 1:09 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Mitsubishi, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery

Toyota Reportedly Sticking With Nickel Battery After Testing Lithium-Ion in Priuses

Toyota Motor Corp. is sticking with nickel as the preferred battery material for most of its hybrid vehicles after three years of secretly testing Prius hatchbacks with lithium-ion packs, Bloomberg reported today.

Toyota last month ended road tests of 126 Priuses in the U.S., Japan and Europe that began in 2006, Jana Hartline, a company spokeswoman said in an interview with the news service. Details of the program, in which the cars' nickel metal hydride batteries were replaced with more expensive lithium models, weren't released.

Automakers are introducing models all or partly powered by lithium-ion batteries holding twice the energy of nickel packs. While Toyota's lithium version performed well and gave "small" fuel-economy gains because of lighter weight, nickel is favored for conventional, mass-market hybrids for its cost, said Kazuo Tojima, the carmaker's senior staff engineer for batteries.

Lithium's "durability, stability and safety are assured," the company's tests showed, Tojima told Bloomberg.

The tests appear to be among the most thorough done by companies planning to introduce the batteries, said Menahem Anderman, president of consulting firm Advanced Automotive Batteries in Oregon House, California.

"We now know that a lithium-ion battery can work; that's not really the question," he said. "Cost is critical, and we still don't know enough about long-term durability."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 14, 2009, 12:31 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

September 11, 2009

Renault Posts Teaser Drawings of 4 EV Concepts in Advance of Debut at Frankfurt

Renault today distributed this teaser drawings and an accompanying press release to whet our appetites in anticipation of the Renault Zero Emission line-up of four electric vehicle concepts the French automaker has announced it will unveil during the Frankfurt Motor Show next week.

Judging from the images, it would appear that Renault will debut the following, from left to right:

A one-seat hyper-urban runabout, a three-door vehicle with capacity for four normally sized people, and then either another three-door car or two four-doors. Renault went to a good bit of trouble to cloak the occupant compartments of the last two vehicles.

In any event, here's the short statement the automaker put out today, which will have to do for a few more days:

RENAULT - THE SPARK OF IMAGINATION AT FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW 2009

* Renault set to shock in Frankfurt with four electric vehicle concepts previewing new Renault Zero Emission product range.

* Renault Press conference 11:45-12:00 (CET) on Tuesday 15th September, Hall 3.1.

Following a raft of unveilings at European motor shows in recent years, Renault's range expansion shows no signs of abating with news today that it will preview the launch of the new Renault Zero Emission product range by taking the covers off of four electric concepts at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Renault Press conference, hosted by CEO, Carlos Ghosn, will be aired live on its global media site, www.media.renault.com at 10:45 (GMT), with edited video highlights available to view later the same day. Full information on each of the new concepts will be available on www.press.renault.co.uk immediately after the Press conference. Unregistered users for both sites are invited to sign-up now in advance.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 11, 2009, 1:55 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

Tesla CEO Elon Musk 'As Close to An Industrialist as Web Has Ever Spawned'

When Jon Favreau, director of the Marvel superhero film Iron Man, needed a corporate executive for actor Robert Downey Jr. to use as a role model for the flick's hero Tony Stark, he sought out Elon Musk.

Like the fictional Stark, an engineering genius who runs a weaponry company and designs many of its armaments, the 38-year-old Musk is the CEO and top technologist for electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors and rocketmaker SpaceX.

The two tech execs even tool around in flashy cars: Stark in a superpowered Audi, Musk in a $109,000 zero-emissions battery-electric sports car that was the first vehicle off the assembly line at Tesla Motors, one of his two companies.

Musk appropriately got a smallish role as a scientist in Iron Man. In fact, throw in Musk's one-third interest in SolarCity, a company started by two cousins that has become a leader in solar panels for homes and business, and you have a guy who is probably as close to an industrialist as the Internet has ever spawned.

The son of an electrical engineer, the South African-born Musk holds both economics and physics degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. By the time he was 31, Musk had started and sold off two tech companies -- the second being PayPal, which was snapped up by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.

That made Musk worth about $350 million, but over lunch recently he was very cagey about what he's worth now. "I have a very thin net worth outside my companies, maybe 5 percent of that."

That's because Musk has decided to plow much of his fortune into the areas he figures will most transform mankind over the next few years -- and perhaps not so incidentally make him another fortune. The areas are the Internet, space travel, and improving the environment, he says, "and I've already done the Internet."

If you find any of this interesting, go to Business Week. It's where all the above and much more can be found about the always compelling and often controversial Elon Musk.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 11, 2009, 9:33 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric

September 10, 2009

Alcoa in Talks With Automakers to Supply Metal for Fuel-Efficient Cars in China

If it already seems to you that China is positioning itself to exercise substantial control over the green-car market through its natural resources -- and you don't like it -- you're not likely going to like this story one bit.

That's because Bloomberg news service is reporting, and we are relaying, that Alcoa Inc., the largest U.S. producer of aluminum, is speaking with unidentified automakers to develop and supply metal for lightweight, energy-efficient vehicles in China as passenger-car sales in that country surge.

"The automobile sector is a strong consumer of aluminum and I believe it will become more so if you combine lightweight and energy efficiency" needs in the future, Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld said today. "There are some companies we're talking to, and that's an area we're seeking to build activities," he said, without giving details.

Passenger-car sales in China soared a record 90 percent last month as tax cuts and subsidies spurred demand, bringing the nation closer to overtaking the U.S. as the world's largest automobile market. Rising vehicle sales in China, as well as building demand, will drive aluminum consumption, Kleinfeld said.

"China is ahead of the curve, and I'm positive of things that are going on," Kleinfeld said while attending the World Economic Forum in Dalian, China.

The Asian nation consumes about seven kilograms of aluminum per capita, compared with 35 kilograms in the U.S., he said, according to Bloomberg. Kleinfeld on Sept. 3 raised Alcoa's forecast for global aluminum consumption because of demand from China.

China's demand will rise 4 percent this year, compared with a previous prediction of no growth, Kleinfeld had said. That changes the company's outlook for global demand to a decline of 5.5 percent from a previous forecast of minus 7 percent.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 10, 2009, 3:21 PM
Categories:: BMW, Batteries, China, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: BMW

South Korean Battery Venture Spending Now for Global Prominence by 2015

SB LiMotive, the EV battery venture of South Korea's Samsung SDI and Germany's Robert Bosch, says it will invest 500 billion won ($408 million) in its new South Korean lithium-ion battery plant.

The investment, to be made over the course of the next five years, is aimed at fostering the company's effort to become one of the planet's largest manufacturers of batteries for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.

The new plant, announced last month, is scheduled to begin production in 2011.

SB LiMotive has said it wants to hold a 30 percent share of the market for lithium-ion batteries by 2015.

The company recently announced that it would supply batteries for a commuter EV being developed by BMW.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 10, 2009, 1:14 PM
Categories:: Batteries
Technorati Tags:: EV Batteries

Spain Mulls Converting Telephone Booths in Madrid Into EV Charging Stations

We love the idea of using existing infrastructure to serve as a basis for electric-vehicle charging stations.

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Right, a phone booth n Madrid.
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You may recall that Coulomb Technologies last year began experimenting with using existing light poles in San Jose, California, as power sources and props for some of its charging stations.

Now we're delighted to report that Spain is looking at dozens of telephone booths in Madrid, long left dormant by the rise of cell phones, as possibly having a second life as recharging stations for electric vehicles.

That proposal can be found in the Spanish government's plan to establish 546 charging points in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville to serve some 2,000 EVs Spanish officials hope to see cruising the cities' streets within two years.

The telephone booths are often located close to curbs and already have their own electricity supply, making them relatively easy to adapt. According to Madrid's city council, some 30 phone booths could be converted to chargers with little difficulty.

The government has committed $2.2 million to subsidize electric-car charging points over the next two years. Barcelona plans to install 191 points, many of which will be attached to "intelligent lampposts" in the street following the lead of Coulomb Technologies.

Coulomb Technologies, which is headquartered in Campbell, California, near the throbbing heart of Silicon Valley, just this week installed its first ChargePoint networked charging station for plug-in EVs in Germany.

In Madrid, electric-car owners will not only be able to charge for free (at least initially), but they will be able to park for free and have their auto taxes cut by 75 percent. Those would be carrots. The mayor of Madrid recently said thought has been given to limiting access to city centers, including Madrid's, to EVs. That would be a stick if you drive an ICE vehicle.

Ya gotta like carrots and sticks such as these.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 10, 2009, 12:57 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Barcelona

September 9, 2009

Mercedes-Benz to Unveil Vision S 500 Plug-in Hybrid Concept Next Week

Mercedes-Benz is expected to debut a Vision S 500 plug-in hybrid concept at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, looking much like the one pictured here.

Although company spokesmen won't discuss it publicly yet, we've been told the concept will feature a V6 gasoline engine connected to a lithium-ion battery that has a storage capacity of more than 10 kilowatt hours.

That's enough to enable the car to go about 19 miles on electricity only before an onboard gas-powered engine-generator kicks in to feed juice to the lithium battery.

Acceleration is said to be 5 and half seconds from a standstill to 60 miles an hour. Mileage is said to be 73.5 mph, but it wasn't at all clear how that number was reached.

We expect to learn a lot more about this concept next week.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 9, 2009, 5:15 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Daimler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

Wall Street Journal Reports Shock May Await Lithium-Ion Battery Investors

Lithium-ion cells provide the same power at half the weight of the current standard, nickel-metal hydride, so it's no surprise that automakers, battery manufacturers and automobile parts suppliers the world over are racing to develop Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

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The first production-intent Chevrolet Volt is fitted with a lithium-ion battery pack.
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But as The Wall Street Journal reports today (subscription required), with automakers already sensitive about costs, adoption of the advanced batteries might not be so quick.

Lithium-ion batteries cost three to four times as much as the existing nickel-metal-hydride variety. Moreover, the price of the older technology is dropping fast. In Honda's latest Insight model, for example, the nickel-metal-hydride battery is 40 percent cheaper than the one in the previous model, the Journal noted.

Increased supply should resolve that issue, but it brings a longer-term risk: That the rush to production will overwhelm demand -- driving prices so low that the batteries aren't a money-maker after all.

Unlike flat panels and semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries aren't standardized, which means they won't be commoditized right away. This'll break down soon enough, as the needs of one particularly large buyer, like Toyota Motor, eventually set a standard.

Stock traders aren't thinking that far ahead, the Journal reported. Japan's GS Yuasa, which has joint ventures to supply both Honda and Mitsubishi Motors, has seen its shares rise 62% so far this year. The stock trades at 87 times expected earnings.

Even shares of large companies, like South Korea's SK Energy and Samsung SDI, have surged recently amid hopes for their budding lithium-ion operations. Samsung SDI -- a flat panel maker at heart -- now trades at more than double its historic valuation.

There's no doubt that lithium-ion is a promising advance in battery technology. But at these prices, the Journal reports, investors are surely setting themselves up for a jolt.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 9, 2009, 1:32 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Lithium Batteries

Ford to Plug Focus BEV on 'The Jay Leno Show'; Real Deal Is 2 Years Away

Ford Motor Co. will plug a specially made battery-electric vehicle as part of a running gag on comedian and car aficionado Jay Leno's new television program, the automaker announced Wednesday.

The plug-in Ford Focus will be driven by celebrity guests competing in a green-car challenge on NBC's new "The Jay Leno Show," which is set to debut on Monday. A different version of the Focus goes on sale to the public in 2011.

In a statement issued today, Ford said the battery electric vehicle foreshadows elements of the electric Focus that Ford will begin selling in North America in two years.

Basically, it's a high-profile PR move -- and a very smart one. As Lisa Drake, chief engineer of Ford's Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicle Programs, put it:

"Having our Focus battery electric vehicle on the show is a great way to demonstrate how fun to drive these cars really can be. Beyond the immediate excitement of driving, it demonstrates that Ford is investing in this technology and that we're committed to electric vehicles."

Ford plans to put at least four electrified vehicles on the road in North America by 2012 -- including the Focus BEV in 2011 -- as well as new hybrids and a plug-in hybrid.

Ford's hybrid and BEV program team worked together with Ford Racing to develop the special Focus for Leno's show. It took three weeks to build the car and another couple of weeks to properly tune the suspension so it could be driven fast on a racetrack.

Developed at Ford's Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan, the Focus BEV built for the show has a split battery pack, with one battery in the cargo area and one underneath the car in the space normally occupied by a fuel tank. Because the car was built to race, it is equipped with a roll bar and five-point harness for the driver.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 9, 2009, 12:36 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Ford, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric

September 8, 2009

Survey Finds 48% of Americans Would Be Interested in PHEV With 40-Mile Range

Pike Research.jpg Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are one of the most highly anticipated new product categories of recent years, a research firm reported today, with 48 percent of the American consumers surveyed stating that they would be "extremely" or "very" interested in purchasing a PHEV with a 40-mile range on a single charge.

"Plug-in hybrids match the driving requirements of most consumers we surveyed," said Clint Wheelock, managing director of Pike Research, which conducted the Web-based survey of 1,041 U.S. consumers. "82 percent of respondents drive 40 miles or less per day, with an average daily driving distance of 27 miles."

The upcoming Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle and other EREVs under development promise the ability to travel 40 miles on electricity only. Thereafter, a small onboard internal combustion engine-generator, likely fueled by gasoline, would come on and supply electricity to the vehicle's battery, electric motor or both.

Other findings of the survey:

85 percent of consumers stated that improved fuel efficiency would be an important factor when choosing their next vehicle.
65 percent of survey respondents interested in PHEVs expressed a willingness to pay a premium price, over and above the price of a standard gasoline vehicle, with an average premium of 12 percent.
Consumers indicated that the availability of workplace, private, and public vehicle charging stations in their local area would be very important.
79 percent of consumers would be interested in investing in a fast-charging outlet for their home; however, willingness to pay is out of line with industry expectations.

More information about the survey can be found at Pike Research's Website.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 4:45 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

Coulomb Announces First German Installation of Networked EV Charging Stations

Coulomb Technologies today announced the first German installation of one of the company's ChargePoint networked charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles.

The public utility in Bochum has activated five charging stations installed by distribution partner 365 Energy Group. The ChargePoint charging stations are intended to ensure that in the future battery-reliant EVs can easily be charged in the Ruhr area metropolis.

Germany is not the first European country to install Coulomb Technology charging stations. The Netherlands has that distinction, as we reported in May.

Coulomb, which is headquartered in Campbell, California, said in a statement that Bochum selected Coulomb's ChargePoint charging stations for their advanced networking technology after testing the stations of three other suppliers.

One charging station was installed in the customer parking lot at the headquarters of the public utility. Another charging station was located at the housing association VBW in the Matthias-Claudius-Strabe. The locations of the other three ChargePoint stations have not been determined.

Coulomb Technologies' charging stations are used in homes, municipalities, office buildings and parking garages to allow consumers to charge their EVs wherever they live, work and shop.

Consumers subscribe to the ChargePoint Network and receive a ChargePoint Smart Card that allows them to charge their car at any charging station worldwide. More information can be obtained at the Coulomb Technology's Website.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 4:22 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Charging Station

Lotus to Unveil Range-Extending Engine-Generator for Hybrids at Frankfurt Show

Lotus Engineering announced today that it will unveil a range-extending engine-generator for series hybrid vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show, held later this month.

Attached to the hybrid's electric motor via the crankshaft, the Lotus Range Extender sustains vehicle operation beyond the range provided by the vehicle's batteries.

Lotus said in a statement that the 1.2-liter, three-cylinder engine-generator can use gasoline or alcohol-based fuels, was designed for maximum fuel efficiency and can recharge the batteries of a series hybrid as well as provide direct power to the electric motor that propels the vehicle.

The Range Extender features an innovative architecture comprising aluminium monoblock construction, integrating the cylinder block, cylinder head and exhaust manifold in one casting. Lotus said this results in reduced engine mass, assembly costs, package size and improved emissions and engine durability.

The engine-generator is optimized between two power generation points, giving 15 kilowatts of electrical power at 1,500 revolutions per minute and 35 kilowatts at 3,500 rpm via the integrated electrical generator.

Lotus said the Range Extender's low weight (123 pounds) makes it ideal for the series hybrid drivetrain configurations for which it is designed. The engine uses an optimized two-valve port-fuel injection combustion system to reduce cost and mass.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 12:25 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Ethanol, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lotus
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric

USPS Finds Electrification of Its Delivery Fleet Operationally Feasible

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Much fuss has been made this year about General Motors' claim that the Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle due out next year will be able to travel 40 miles on electricity only, and the fact (often heralded by GM) that most American motorists drive fewer than 40 miles a day.

The General hopes you'll connect the dots, but he's been saying it loud and clear for more than a year anyway: Unless you drive more than 40 miles between charges, you probably won't need to put any gasoline in the plug-in automobile.

But if you should happen to go as far as the Volt can take you on a single charge, the General says, don't fret. As an extended-range EV, the Volt is packing a small gasoline-powered engine-generator that can keep juice flowing to the electric motor that propels the vehicle.

Now imagine this: You open a report from the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service on the feasibility of electric vehicles in the USPS and you read that (1) only about 3 percent of the service's 146,000 delivery vehicles travel more than 40 miles a day, and (2) those vehicles average a lousy 10 miles per gallon.

No doubt your heart would race if you read those factoids, just as ours did when we read the 23-page report, released last week with little fanfare.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 12:37 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Energy Companies, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

September 4, 2009

Hyundai to Debut ix-Metro Hybrid CUV Concept and i10 EV at Frankfurt Motor Show

With the recent launches of the Tucson ix compact SUV and the Elanta LPI hybrid-electric vehicle, this period was already rather verdant on the green front for Hyundai.

Now comes word from the South Korean automaker that it will be debuting two advanced fuel-efficient vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show - the ix Metro gasoline-electric concept CUV (right) and the i10 Electric (below).

The ix Metro smallish hybrid crossover is designed for the European sub-B segment and, according to Hyundai, achieves carbon-dioxide emissions of only 80 grams per kilometer.

The vehicle is powered by an inline three-cylinder, 1.0-liter gasoline engine cranking out an impressive 125 horsepower. It's mated to some kind of hybrid drive system Hyundai is unwilling to discuss publicly now.

The other Hyundai vehicle to make its world debut at Frankfurt is the i10 Electric, a plug-in all-electric urban commuter that, the automaker says, will see limited series production beginning in 2010 with the South Korean market.

The i10 Electric is powered by a 49 kilowatt motor and a 16 kilowatt per hour battery. Hyundai says the vehicle achieves a top speed of 81 miles an hour and a driving range of 99 miles.

The i10 Electric will be sold to government ministries, state corporations and utilities in the first stage. The retail sales date is not decided

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 4, 2009, 11:46 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hyundai, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

September 3, 2009

Tokyo Denies Chrysler Claim, Says Toyota Received No Aid in Development of Prius

Back in March, Jim Press, vice chairman and president of Chrysler, was quoted in a Business Week report as saying, "The Japanese government paid for 100 percent of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius."

Toyota quickly denied the allegation, stating that it got no such help in developing the gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle.

Well, it took the Japanese government more than five months to respond, but today it announced that Press (pictured) was wrong.

Sosuke Tanaka, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said today that Toyota had not received financial aid from the government in developing the Prius, according to ministry records.

"Toyota developed its own technology," Tanaka said in an interview with The New York Times. "So please talk to Toyota about research and development."

Chrysler defended Press, who worked at Toyota for 37 years before joining Chrysler in September 2007.

On its media blog, Chrysler said Press "was not speaking negatively of Toyota" but "referenced the close cooperation between the Japanese government and Japanese industry."

Chrysler said Press would like to see similar cooperation between government and industry in the U.S.

Didn't the U.S. government just save Chrysler's trunk, so to speak? For a second time? Jim Press, this would be a good time to reflect on the proverb, Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:03 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

China Denies Hoarding Metals, Says It Just Wants to Create Jobs in Inner Mongolia

China's moves to tighten control on the mining and export of a class of metal ores called rare earth are aimed at attracting high-tech manufacturing to Inner Mongolia, and not at dominating the market, The Wall Street Journal reported today, citing a senior Chinese official.

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The rare-earth element lanthanum, right, is used in the manufacture of hybrid-car batteries.
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As we reported earlier this week, a number of those rare metals are used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion. Others are major ingredients for batteries used in hybrid cars.

Wednesday's comments by Zhao Shuanglin, vice chairman of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, appear aimed at quelling concerns that China is trying to dominate the global market for rare-earth resources.

China produces more than 90 percent of the world's output of the metals. Recent steps by Beijing toward tightening export restrictions have sparked concern in other countries.

There also appear to be concerns about China's investment in rare-earth producers in other countries.

In Australia, the government has delayed yet again consideration of a $210 million investment by China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Co. in Lynas Corp., an investment that would give the Chinese company a majority stake in the biggest new rare-earth mine currently under development.

Lynas, which unveiled the planned investment in early May, said Wednesday a 30-day review period by the Australian government's foreign investment review board had again been reset so that the board has until early October to consider the deal.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, China, Ford, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Battery Manufacturing

August 31, 2009

As Hybrid Cars and Electric Vehicles Gobble Rare Metals, Global Shortage Looms

The Toyota Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods.

..........
Neodymium: A key component of EV motors.
..........

That makes Toyota's market-leading gasoline-electric hybrid car and other similar vehicles vulnerable to a supply crunch predicted by experts as China, the world's dominant rare earths producer, limits exports while global demand swells, Reuters news agency reported today.

Worldwide demand for rare earths, covering 15 entries on the periodic table of elements, is expected to exceed supply by some 40,000 tons annually in several years unless major new production sources are developed. One promising U.S. source is a rare earths mine slated to reopen in California by 2012.

Among the rare metals that would be most affected in a shortage is neodymium, the key component of an alloy used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion ~~Focus~~, as well as in generators for wind turbines.

Close cousins terbium and dysprosium are added in smaller amounts to the alloy to preserve neodymium's magnetic properties at high temperatures, Reuters reported. Yet another rare earth metal, lanthanum, is a major ingredient for hybrid car batteries.

Toyota has 70 percent of the U.S. market for vehicles powered by a combination of an internal-combustion engine and electric motor. The Prius is its No. 1 hybrid seller.

Reuters reported that Jack Lifton, an independent commodities consultant and strategic metals expert, calls the Prius "the biggest user of rare earths of any object in the world."

Each electric Prius motor requires 2.2 pounds of neodymium, and each battery uses 22 to 33 pounds of lanthanum. That number will nearly double under Toyota's plans to boost the car's fuel economy, he said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett August 31, 2009, 3:40 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: China

Tesla Decision on Model S Factory Site Close; EV Maker Names 3 More Executives

The factory where Tesla Motors will make its all-electric, zero-emissions Model S sedan will be located in the Southern California cities of Long Beach or Downey, with a decision possibll as early as next week.

The plant, which is expected to bring 1,000 to 1,200 engineering and assembly jobs to the recession-plagued state, is scheduled to open in 2011. California has a 12.1 percent unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In an interview with the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said both cities were finalists for the plant. Musk said the possible locations were Long Beach's former Boeing 717 aircraft plant, which ceased production in 2006, or a former NASA production site next to Downey Studios.

Possibly complicating the Long Beach deal is an alternative city plan to convert the Boeing plant into a movie studio. Musk did not comment on which city had the inside edge. A Tesla source told Green Car Advisor today not to expect "any news on Model S facility this week, but we are close."

The Tesla source said the company is very serious about hitting the publicized $57,400 base price for the Model S and would reconsider an otherwise suitable site for the EV's production if the cost of leasing the site would jeopardize the base price.

Funding for the plant for the Model S, which is expected to have a 300-mile range between charges, will likely come from a recent $465 million low-interest loan Tesla received from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Community leaders in the Northern California city of Fremont, home to the soon-to-be-shuttered NUMMI joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, also have appealed to Tesla.

But the company said NUMMI's 5 million square feet is far too large for Tesla's needs. Both Southern California sites are about 1 million square feet.

3 Executives Named

Tesla, which currently has about 150 job openings, named three executives today.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 31, 2009, 3:05 PM
Categories:: Audi, BMW, Batteries, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Downey

Calif. Gives eTec $8 Million for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for San Diego

Arizona-based Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. today announced receipt of $8 million from the government of California to aid in development of an electric-vehicle charging infrastructure for San Diego.

The same company earlier this month landed a $99.8 million grant from the Obama administration to join Nissan in the biggest deployment of EVs - and creation of the largest charging infrastructure - ever undertaken.

The $8 million from the California Energy Commission is among the roughly $15 million in funds the agency is in the process of awarding to EV projects that received federal funds from the U.S. Department of Energy on Aug. 5.

With the two grants and others it expects to get from regional project participants, eTec has pledged to install about 2,550 charging stations in each of five selected markets: the states of Tennessee and Oregon, the cities of San Diego and Seattle, and the Phoenix/Tucson region.

Those approximately 12,750 charging stations will be used to recharge up to 1,000 LEAF EVs that Nissan will provide for each of the five markets, for a total contribution of up to 5,000 EVs.

Whether the zero-emissions vehicles will be donated, leased or sold by the automaker has not been determined, according to a Nissan source familiar with the collaboration.

In a statement released today, eTec said its project will collect and analyze data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns in diverse topographies and climate conditions; evaluate the effectiveness of charge infrastructure; and conduct trials of various revenue systems for public charge infrastructure.

By testing and analyzing electric vehicle usage and charging patterns in a simulated mature charging environment, eTec hopes the project will foster the expansion of the EV infrastructure and widespread EV use throughout the country.

ETec is a subsidiary of ECOtality, a Scottsdale, Arizona, company that has been involved in every major electric vehicle initiative in North America since the 1990's. ETec is known for its Minit-Charger line of battery fast-charge systems for on-road EVs.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 31, 2009, 10:05 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Emissions, Legislation, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: California Energy Commission

August 28, 2009

South Korea Becoming Hotbed of Lithium Battery Production for Hybrids, EVs

South Korea is rapidly becoming lithium-ion central.

In support of the national government's encouragement of alternative green-vehicle production there, South Korean component giant Hyundai Mobis and battery maker LG Chem are discussing a joint venture to build batteries for hybrids and electric vehicles and, according to a report in AsiaPulse, could announce a deal early next month.

Additionally, Samsung SDI and German parts and components giant Robert Bosch have inked an agreement to build a joint-venture lithium-ion battery plant in Ulsan, South Korea's industrial center.

The country's Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the joint venture, called SB LiMotive, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ulsan city government earlier this week and that construction of the battery plant should begin in September with the plant slated to begin operation in 2011.

The race among South Korea, China, Japan and late-starting U.S.A. to become leading suppliers of advanced batteries should help lower battery costs as volume increases.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 28, 2009, 8:49 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

August 26, 2009

Air Line Pilots Association Seeks Ban on Lithium-ion Battery Shipments on Jetliners

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

An airline pilots union is calling for a government ban on shipments of lithium batteries aboard passenger and all-cargo planes after a series of fires in recent years involving aircraft.

This development might have an adverse affect on electric vehicles and most hybrid vehicles because lithium batteries are widely regarded as the best type to propel the vehicles.

At the very least, reports of a link between lithium batteries and fires aboard aircraft won't help public perception that such batteries are safe.

In statement released Tuesday, the Air Line Pilots Association said that federal regulators have been slow to act on the issue and that "the evidence of a clear and present danger is mounting."

The ban would not apply to devices containing batteries brought aboard by passengers, but as you can read in the adjacent boxed text, there has been at least one instance of a passenger reporting that his laptop computer was emitting smoke.

Since March of last year, six fires have been reported on board passenger and cargo jets linked to lithium-based batteries, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. None of the incidents resulted in deaths or serious injuries.

In a recent letter sent to Cynthia Douglass, acting deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Captain John Prater, head of the pilots' union, pointed to three recent incidents as proof positive of the urgent need to prohibit lithium-battery shipments.

During just the past two months, fire, smoke, or evidence of fire associated with battery shipments has occurred aboard three separate U.S. airliners, he wrote in the letter.

The incidents, which took place in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Honolulu, Hawaii, were similar to a 2006 battery fire aboard a DC-8 in Philadelphia, he wrote.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 11:53 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Air Line Pilots Association

China to Begin Hoarding Precious Metals Used in Hybrids and All-Electric Vehicles

Beijing is drawing up plans to prohibit or restrict exports of rare earth metals that are produced only in China and play a vital role in cutting edge technology, from hybrid cars and catalytic converters, to superconductors, and precision-guided weapons, according to a reputable British newspaper.

A draft report by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has called for a total ban on foreign shipments of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium. Other metals such as neodymium, europium, cerium and lanthanum will be restricted to a combined export quota of 35,000 tons a year, far below global needs, The Telegraph reported.

China mines over 95 percent of the world's rare earth minerals, mostly in Inner Mongolia. The move to hoard reserves is the clearest sign to date that the global struggle for diminishing resources is shifting into a new phase. Countries may find it hard to obtain key materials at any price.

Alistair Stephens, from Australia's rare metals group Arafura, told The Telegraph his contacts in China had been shown a copy of the draft -- "Rare Earths Industry Devlopment Plan 2009-2015." Any decision will be made by China's State Council.

"This isn't about the China holding the world to ransom. They are saying we need these resources to develop our own economy and achieve energy efficiency, so go find your own supplies," he said.

Stephens said China had put global competitors out of business in the early 1990s by flooding the market, leading to the closure of the biggest U.S. rare earth mine at Mountain Pass in California -- now being revived by Molycorp Minerals.

New technologies have since increased the value and strategic importance of these metals, but it will take years for fresh supply to come on stream from deposits in Australia, North America, and South Africa. The rare earth family are hard to find, and harder to extract.

Stephens told The Telegraph that Arafura's project in Western Australia produces terbium, which sells for $800,000 a ton. It is a key ingredient in low-energy lightbulbs. China needs all the terbium it produces as the country switches wholesale from tungsten bulbs to the latest low-wattage bulbs that cut power costs by 40 percent.

No replacement has been found for neodymium that enhances the power of magnets at high heat and is crucial for hard-disk drives, wind turbines, and the electric motors of hybrid cars. Each Toyota Prius uses 25 pounds of rare earth elements. Cerium and lanthanum are used in catalytic converters for diesel engines. Europium is used in lasers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 10:09 AM
Categories:: Batteries, China, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Arafura

Better Place to Run Test Project in Tokyo for Electric Taxis With Switchable Batteries

Better Place, the American-based electric-vehicle services provider, today announced that it has received an award from the Japanese government to conduct a pilot project in Tokyo for the world's first plug-in electric taxis with switchable batteries.

Better Place will partner with Tokyo's largest taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu. The project, which comes on the heels of the company's successful battery switch demonstration earlier this year in Yokohama, is slated to begin in January 2010.

Japanese taxis represent a mere 2 percent of all passenger vehicles on the road in Japan, yet they emit about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide from vehicles due to their average distance traveled in a given day.

In Tokyo alone, there are approximately 60,000 taxis, a far greater number than in New York, Paris and Hong Kong. Clearly, the outcome of the Tokyo pilot program for electric taxis could point to opportunities in other urban centers.

Additionally, success within the heavy-use taxi industry likely would help to ensure technology transfer to the mass market, where daily mileage is far less on average.

The electric-taxi pilot will showcase the everyday use applications of the Better Place model - switchable-battery stations, as opposed to battery-refueling stations - and will involve the construction of a Better Place battery switch site in central Tokyo.

Up to four newly modified and fully operational zero-emissions electric taxis will be operated from an existing taxi lane for environmentally-friendly vehicles near the switch site.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 9:28 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Japan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Better Place

August 24, 2009

China's BYD Plans to Sell Plug-in Electric Car in U.S. Market Next Year, WSJ Reports

BYD-Auto-e6-&-model.jpg China's BYD Auto is finalizing plans for all-electric plug-in vehicle - the e6, pictured - that would be sold in the U.S. next year, roughly a full year ahead of schedule, The Wall Street Journal reported today (subscription required), citing an interview with BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu.

In an interview at a BYD factory in Xian, China, Wang said the company aims to use money from a planned new-share sale in China to help pay for the U.S. push, as well as for a second production line for automotive lithium-ion batteries near BYD's Shenzhen headquarters.

The Journal described the e6 as a five-seat passenger car that can be fully charged in seven to nine hours when plugged into a standard (presumably 110-volt) home outlet.

According to BYD's Website, the e6: can receive a quick charge (presumably from a 220/240-volt outlet) to 50 percent capacity in just 10 minutes; is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour in 8 seconds; has a top speed of 100 mph; and can travel 249 miles on a single charge.

The Website also says that four power offerings are planned for the e6: 75 kilowatts (101 horsepower), 75+40 kilowatts (101+54 horsepower), 160 kilowatts (215 horsepower) and 160+40 kilowatts (215+54 horsepower). The "+" signs indicate the presence of two electric motors.

Wang said BYD wants to build up its brand name in the U.S. by offering one of its most advanced cars, the five-seat e6 pictured here, before eventually expanding its offerings.

He said the company plans to pick a specific region within the U.S. and initially market "a few hundred" e6s, priced at slightly more than $40,000, through a small number of dealers.

"In the beginning, our target customers are going to be government agencies, utilities and maybe some celebrities," Wang said, according to the Journal. He added that BYD hopes to enter Europe with a similar strategy in 2011 or later.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 24, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: BYD, Batteries, China, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: BYD

August 20, 2009

Report: Toyota Breakthrough May Improve Li-ion Battery Storage Capacity Tenfold

Toyota Motor Corp. has developed a new technology that may dramatically boost the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries and thus open the door to more practical electric vehicles, according to a Japanese press report.

The advance - the fabrication of single crystals of lithium cobalt oxide - grew out of joint research with Japan's Tohoku University, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said.

The new technology is a step toward creating a more powerful battery, but Nolasco declined to estimate the potential increase in a battery's storage capacity or an electric vehicle's range.

Japan's Nikkei business newspaper said the technique eventually would allow lithium-ion batteries to store 10 times the energy of current ones. The development would roughly translate into a tenfold increase in driving range, the newspaper said.

The greater storage capacity could also enable Toyota to reduce the size, weight and possibly the cost of the battery pack.

Lithium-ion batteries are seen as key to the mass marketing of electric vehicles because they are lighter and more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride batteries now used in hybrid cars.

Yet Toyota has largely steered clear of electric vehicles, arguing that the current generation of lithium-ion batteries is still too weak to provide a sufficient range for all-electric drivetrains.

The cathodes of Toyota's current lithium-ion batteries are typically made from a polycrystalline form of lithium cobalt oxide that connected with grains of graphite, the Nikkei said.

By using a single crystal form, however, Toyota can use less graphite and create more room for the storage of the lithium ions that create the electrical charge.

The newspaper said it will take another decade to develop a cathode that contains no graphite and that version should be able to store 10 times today's electrical charge.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 20, 2009, 2:36 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Japan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

Smart ForTwo ED to Enter Production This Fall Using 2nd-Generation Electric Drive

Second-generation all-electric Smart ForTwo ED minicars will start rolling off a production line this November at the factory in Hambach, France, parent company Daimler AG announced today.

Daimler says that unlike its predecessor, the second-edition zero-emissions Smart ForTwo ED (pictured) is fitted with an innovative and highly efficient lithium-ion battery housed in a space-saving position between the axles. That "means that space is not compromised in any way in the intelligent two-seater vehicle," the company said.

That's a big deal, Daimler and Smart salespeople are fond of saying, because one of the major selling points of the vehicle is its size. At only 98.4 inches long, the vehicle is shorter than the width of most curbside parking spaces, allowing two or three ForTwos to park in a space intended for a single car.

What they usually don't mention is that this type of parking has been banned in Munich, amongst other European cities, and such parking in parallel-designated spaces is illegal in most American jurisdictions. But the vehicle's size often permits the car to be parked in legal parking spaces in which few other models could fit.

A 30-kilowatt (40-horsepower) electric motor is housed at the rear of the new ForTwo ED and provides "for good acceleration and high agility" with 88.5 pound-feet of torque that's immediately available.

By good acceleration the company means 0-60 kilometers per hour in 6.5 seconds, which equates to a respectable 0-36 miles per hour in the same amount of time. A 0-60 mph time was not available.

Daimler says the ForTwo ED can be charged at "any normal household socket" and says that in Germany, a full battery charge costs approximately $3 and is sufficient for a range of about 69 miles from the Tesla Motors-sourced 14-kilowatt lithium-ion battery.

It was unclear, and no Daimler was immediately available to confirm, if by "normal household socket" the automaker meant 110-volt outlet (standard in the U.S.) or 220-volt outlet (standard in Europe).

The availability of the new ForTwo ED will initially be limited to leased customers in Berlin and other cities in Europe as well as some American cities for real-world testing in tough everyday conditions. Daimler says that from 2012, the ForTwo ED "will be available to anyone interested."

In related news, the American-spec 2009 Smart ForTwo today achieved the "strongest roof" rating among competing minicars in tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 20, 2009, 1:03 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Daimler, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Daimler

August 19, 2009

Germany, Echoing Obama-Espoused Goal, Seeks to Deploy 1 Million EVs by 2020

German leaders, echoing a goal espoused by Barack Obama during and since his presidential election bid, have agreed on a plan to get 1 million electric cars on the nation's roads by 2020, Reuters news agency reported today.

The plan of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet includes $705.1 million of funding for the construction of electric charging stations and programs to boost battery technology in Europe's biggest auto market.

"Our goal is to make Germany the leading market for electro-mobility," Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told reporters at a news conference in Berlin.

BMW welcomed the plan, as did the VDA, the German carmakers' association, whose president Matthias Wissmann called the program's success of "great importance" for Germany.

An industry expert and another automaker were more skeptical, pointing out that demand for electric cars is weak and that mass-produced models are still years away.

"It is indeed helpful, but don't expect to see a sales rush like with the cash-for-clunkers program," said Willi Diez, head of the Automobile Industry Institute in the southern city of Nuertingen.

The government supported its car-scrapping subsidy with $7.35 billion - roughly 10 times more than the money now being allotted to develop the electric-auto sector.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler lowered expectations in a newspaper interview.

"In 20 years there will be mass-produced electric cars, but they should only make up around five to 10 percent of all overall automobiles," he told the Austrian Wiener Zeitung.

There are 250 million vehicles on U.S. roads, according to Edmunds.com. Steps promoting development of EVs in America include Department of Energy grants and stricter fuel-economy standards.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 19, 2009, 4:15 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

Toyota Reportedly to Buy Lithium-Ion Batteries for Hybrid Vehicles From Sanyo

Toyota Motor Corp. will buy hybrid-car batteries from Sanyo Electric Co. as the automaker struggles to meet growing demand for the fuel-sipping vehicles due to a shortage of battery supply, Reuters news service reported today, citing an unidentified source familiar with the matter.

Toyota now procures its batteries from Panasonic EV Energy Co, a joint venture with Panasonic Corp. Panasonic plans to take control of Sanyo and is awaiting regulatory approval.

Demand for gasoline-electric vehicles has surged in Japan, helped by tax breaks and subsidies under a government initiative to promote fuel-efficient automobiles, but Toyota has said production of its hybrids is being held back by a supply bottleneck for batteries.

Its Prius hybrid was Japan's best-selling car in July for a second straight month, but customers placing orders have to wait about eight months before delivery.

Toyota also said this week that it had received about 10,000 orders for the Lexus HS250h sedan, the premium brand's first dedicated hybrid car, in its first month of sale in Japan. It aims to sell an average 500 units a month.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, will first use Sanyo's lithium-ion batteries from around 2011, said the source, who confirmed a report in the Nikkei business daily and spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is not yet public.

Toyota will first procure about 10,000 battery units per year from Sanyo, the world's biggest rechargeable battery maker, the source said. Toyota aims to sell at least 1 million hybrid vehicles a year in the early 2010s.

A Toyota spokeswoman said nothing had been decided about procuring lithium-ion batteries from Sanyo. A Sanyo spokesman declined comment, citing company policy on deals with potential and existing customers.

Toyota Improves Batteries

In a related development, Toyota announced that has developed a new technology that may dramatically boost the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries and thus open the door to more practical electric vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 19, 2009, 11:10 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lexus, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Batteries

Renault, Better Place Plan Mass Electric Vehicle Rollout Beginning in 2011

American electric-vehicle services provider Better Place and French automaker Renault plan to produce tens of thousands of EVs a year beginning in 2011, with initial sales to occur in Denmark and Israel, the companies reported this week.

The carmaker is developing three wholly electric models: a sedan, a compact car and a panel van. In Denmark, the cars will cost up to $38,000, and drivers will also need to sign up for a monthly subscription with Better Place for its battery service.

The cost of the zero-emissions vehicles in Israel was not disclosed.

"We expect the production of electric vehicles to be in the tens of thousands per year for the Danish market from 2011," said Jens Moberg, chief executive of Better Place Denmark, the Danish subsidiary of the transport company developing the lithium batteries fitted in the
vehicles.

Electric-car drivers will need to sign up for a monthly subscription with Better Place to get access to the batteries. "It will be like signing up for a mobile phone contract," said Moberg.

He declined to say how much a subscription would cost, but he said the battery would cost $11,760 to manufacture in 2011-12. By comparison, the battery in the Tesla Roadster costs about $30,000, and Moberg said he expects the cost of the Renault battery to fall as production expands.

Drivers can recharge the batteries at home, which would take several hours, or switch batteries at a "swap station", taking three to five minutes - less time than it takes to fill a petrol tank.

In Denmark, close to 100 battery swap stations will be available around the country, with plans to expand further. Drivers will also be able to top off their batteries at charge spots installed at car parks and on the streets.

Copenhagen is working to install up to 60 by the time of the U.N. climate change summit in December, when world leaders will attempt to broker a worldwide deal to reduce carbon emissions.

Better Place is in discussion with a number of European countries, as well as Australia, Japan and the U.S., about expanding the plan further from Israel and Denmark.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 19, 2009, 10:23 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Better Place

August 18, 2009

Tesla Motors to Move HQ and Powertrain Plant to Palo Alto, Passes on NUMMI

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Tesla Motors announced today that Tesla Motors will develop and manufacture electric vehicle components in a renovated building (pictured) in the Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto, California.Tesla, the only automaker that is producing and selling highway-capable electric vehicles in North America, will lease an 350,000-square-foot building on a 23-acre parcel less than 3 miles from Stanford University.
The automaker said the new facility will supply all-electric powertrains to Tesla and to other automakers, greatly accelerating the availability of mass-market EVs.

Tesla will also move its corporate headquarters from nearby San Carlos to the site later this year. Roughly 350 employees will work in Palo Alto initially, with space for up to 650 people at the facility.

JB-Straubel-@-Tesla-Motors.jpg In an interview with Green Car Advisor, Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel (left) said selection of the site was based on various factors, among the most important being convenience for existing employees and access to future ones.

He said the location "will give us great access to top engineering and technical talent, and it's also a very central location for all of our existing employees so that we don't have to risk losing some employees just because of moving our headquarters and our operations."

He said the new site will be where Tesla performs powertrain research and development, not automobile assembly. He clarified some reports that suggested Tesla's next model - the Model S sedan - would be built there, stating "We're not going to built the sedan vehicle here. That'll be a separate facility."

"This is more focused on electrical engineering and mechanical engineering rather than something you would traditionally think of as industrial processes," said Straubel, who earned a bachelor's degree in energy systems engineering and a master's in energy engineering from Stanford.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 18, 2009, 5:08 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Daimler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Electric Cars

Bill Ford Criticizes Volt, Leaf MPG Figures, and Says Automaker to Buy EV Batteries

Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford (pictured), in an interview with Edmunds.com reporter Bill Visnic earlier today, suggested the EPA's methodology for electric-vehicle fuel economy figures was meaningless.

"This question devolves into madness," he said in response to a question regarding General Motors' and Nissan's recent claims that their Chevrolet Volt and Leaf plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will have government fuel economy ratings of 230 and 360 miles per gallon, respectively.

"The government will have to come up with a meaningful number for customers - a user-friendly label. And I think they will. I can't dispute that number, but I'm not sure it's relevant to the customer either," he said.

GM announced last week that it is investing $43 million in a Detroit-area factory that will make lithium-ion battery packs for the Volt. Asked if Ford intends to make batteries for its EVs, the grandson of the company's founder said, "Initially, we should just buy batteries. We don't have any particular expertise in batteries. We'll probably stick to the vehicle-integration part of the puzzle."

On GM and Nissan huge claims for mpg for Volt and Leaf: "This question devolves into madness. The government will have to come up with a meaningful number for customers - a user-friendly label. And I think they will. I can't dispute that number but I'm not sure it's relevant to the customer either."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett August 18, 2009, 3:34 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Bill Ford

August 15, 2009

Fisker Karma Plug-In Hybrid Makes Public Driving Debut at Laguna Seca Raceway

Only 19 months after being unveiled as a concept car, a prototype of the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid electric vehicle made its public driving debut today (pictured above and below), silently rolling out of a staging tent and onto the track at the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California.

Under partly cloudy skies, the swoopy luxury-sports sedan accelerated quickly up hill and into Laguna Seca's famous Corkscrew - a plunging left-right corner - en route to making one lap on the 11-turn course before a large crowd that had gathered primarily to watch the annual Historic Automobile Races, held this weekend.

Like the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, the Karma will be able to travel up to 50 emission-free miles on electricity from a single battery charge (or 10 miles more than the Volt) and extend its overall range to more than 300 miles with aid from an on-board gasoline-powered internal combustion engine-generator (same as the Volt).

Two 201.5-horsepower electric motors send enough traction through a single-speed differential to reach 60 miles per hour in about six seconds and a top speed of 125 mph. Together, these components make up a powertrain exclusive to both Fisker automobiles (the other being the Karma Sunset hardtop convertible).

In press releases, Fisker Automotive has said the powertrain can deliver fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon. Company founder Henrik Fisker told journalists covering today's event that he believed the powertrain would be capable of achieving 140 mpg.

EPA fuel-economy figures for the Karma are likely to be weeks if not months away.

Henrik Fisker said the Karma is still on track for a May 2010 showroom launch. Initial production is anticipated to be 15,000 vehicles annually, with pricing to start at $87,900.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 15, 2009, 12:45 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fisker, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

August 14, 2009

Electric Version of Trabant Reportedly to Debut at Frankfurt Auto Show Next Month

The Trabant - a smog-spewing icon of communist eastern Germany - will make a comeback as an electric car concept at the Frankfurt auto show in September.

German manufacturer Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH plans to show a "New Trabi" prototype in Frankfurt in the hope of attracting investors willing to help relaunch a modern, environmentally friendly version of the classic city car in 2012.

Herpa's updated Trabi has the square, boxy look of the original car, of which about 3 million were built between 1957 and 1991, but company spokesman Daniel Stiegler said it will not be a retro car.

"The New Trabi will be a stylish car with a history," he told Automotive News Europe (subscription required). "It will be electrically powered because that is the trend."

Herpa has released few technical details on the new Trabant. The company said it will have a rooftop solar panel for recharging its battery, a range of about 156 miles and weigh less than 2,200 pounds.

Stiegler said IAV Automotive Engineering, based in Berlin, is its partner for an electric powertrain.

Herpa is located in in Zwickau, the same German county where the original Trabant factory was. The company, which makes model cars and airplanes, bought the Trabant copyright in 2007.

Herpa also is working with IndiKar for the Trabant project. IndiKar is a maker of specialty vehicles, vehicle components and prototypes, also based in Zwickau.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 14, 2009, 11:12 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

August 13, 2009

Nashville Is Latest in Series of Cities to Install Coulomb Charging Stations for EVs

ChargePoint Display.jpg Coulomb Technologies announced today that Nashville has become the latest in a string of cities to install the company's ChargePoint networked charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles.

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Right, a ChargePoint charging station on display this week at Plug-In 2009.
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The charging stations, located in a new parking garage in downtown Nashville, are available for city employee and fleet use, Coulomb CEO Richard Lowenthal said in a statement.

Judging from the company's ChargePoint Subscriber Portal, which shows the locations of ChargePoint charging stations, it appears that Nashville is the 19th or 20th American city to deploy at least one of the stations.

While that hardly counts as infrastructure, in our opinion it is a fairly big deal. That's because it means that cities are investing in the charging stations ahead of widespread deployment of electric vehicles.

Indeed, at the just-concluded Plug-In 2009 conference in Long Beach, California, Lowenthal told us that only 4 percent of the charging stations are being purchased by people or entities that own EVs.

That means that a whopping 96 percent of the chargers are being purchased by people or entities buying infrastructure in anticipation of electric cars. Now that's saying something.

Lowethal described his business as being "completely on fire." By that he meant that Coulomb Technologies has sold more than $3 million in charging stations in the past month, "and we get new prospects every week."

Just how serious is this? Well, it's enough that the company has hired someone to create an application for cellphones that will enable iPhone users to see the locations of the closest ChargePoint charging station to them, much like iPhone users can see the location of the nearest Starbucks.

We'll be elated when the locations of charging stations matches the locations of Starbucks in number, but we're already impressed that the two-year-old Coulomb is on its way.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 13, 2009, 3:51 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: ChargePoint