India Green Car Advisor Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

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

September 23, 2009

Ford Reveals Small Car for India, Says Production of It to Start Early Next Year

Ford Motor Co. President and CEO Alan Mulally today revealed the American automaker's intent to produce a small, fuel-efficient car in India.

Called the Ford Figo, the car was unveiled at a press event in Delhi as a major addition to the Ford India brand portfolio.

Mulally's visit underscored the strategic importance of India in Ford's future plans. He stated the Figo is designed and engineered to compete in the heart of the domestic India car market.

In a statement issued today, Ford said the Figo will be manufactured at Ford's manufacturing facility near Chennai, which is undergoing a $500 million transformation to double to 200,000 the number of small cars that can be made at the plant annually.

"Our exciting new Ford Figo shows how serious we are about India," Mulally said. "It reflects our commitment to compete with great products in all segments of this car market. We are confident the Ford Figo will be a product that Indian consumers really want and value."

Those are bold words, coming as they did only months after Indian automaker Tata began selling the four-seat, $2,000, 47-miles-per-gallon Nano in India.

Ford is hoping the Figo will be competitive in India's small-car segment, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the new vehicle market. The automaker intends to leverage Ford's small-car platform architecture, sharing underlying technology with the Ford Fiesta, which is already familiar to Indian drivers.

If you're wondering about the name, Figo is colloquial Italian for "cool." If you're wondering about Figo's fuel economy, acceleration and other performance characteristics, you'll have to wait. Ford is discussing them now.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 10:23 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, India, Tata
Technorati Tags:: Ford Fiesta

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

September 8, 2009

India's REVA to Unveil 2 EVs, Charging Technology at Frankfurt Motor Show

Indian automaker REVA announced today that it will debut two plug-in electric vehicles next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The REVA NXR is a four-seat, three-door hatchback family car suitable for urban driving that can be ordered at the show, with production scheduled to commence at the beginning of 2010.

The showcar, REVA's model for 2011, is the REVA NXG (pictured); a sporty two-seater with a targa roof that was designed by Dilip Chhabria of the internationally renowned automotive design company DC Design.

Another world-first for REVA will be the launch of REVive. The technology, which REVA claims has no equal, is intended to address the range-anxiety issue that troubles many an EV owner and prospective EV owner. That would be being stranded after your EV runs out of juice.

As REVA put it in a statement, the technology "acts like an invisible reserve fuel tank. The customer just has to telephone or SMS REVA for an instant remote recharge should they run out of charge."

We're not exactly sure what that means, and a REVA representative was not immediately available to explain; we expect answers next week at the very latest. But both the REVA NXR and the REVA NXG will feature "the REVive telematics technology."

The company said that further details and and pricing announcements will be made at the Frankfurt show. It also said its new Website, Revaglobal.com, will go live when the vehicles are unveiled in Frankfurt.

REVA is the brand of the Reva Electric Car Co., a Bangalore-based company formed as a joint venture between Maini Group of India and AEV LLC of California. It is backed by the U.S. investors Global Environment Fund and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

REVA claims its vehicles are being sold or test-marketed in 24 countries worldwide. It says it is building a new ultra-low-carbon-vehicle assembly plant in Bangalore, with a capacity of 30,000 units per year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 2:03 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, India, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Reva
Technorati Tags:: Auto Show

August 18, 2009

U.S. Firm Says It's Found Cheap, Easy Way to Convert Plastic to Oil

Editor's Note: It has come to our attention that the claims expressed by Moinuddin Sarker might not be rooted in good science, but we are not in a position to disprove them.

Plastic and petroleum fuels come from the same place - crude oil. So with more than 15 million tons of plastic entering the nation's waste stream every year, and with the U.S. importing more than 12 million barrels of oil per day, why not turn some plastic into oil?

That's the question a Connecticut-based startup asked itself - and it intends to provide the answer.

Moinuddin Sarker says that his company, Natural State Research, has developed a way to turn waste plastic into finished oil products for a final cost of less than $1 a gallon.

The process, Sarker said, is as simple as heating up the plastic until it becomes vapor, and then letting it condense back into liquid - the way water droplets condense on the cover of a pot of boiling water.

It works because both plastic and oil are made up of carbon molecules, only plastics' molecules are long chains called polymers. Breaking the bonds in the chains, Sarker said, results in smaller carbon-based molecules - the basis for fuels.

While at least six other companies in the U.S. and abroad are already converting plastic to fuel, Sarker said that the technology that NSR has developed is simpler and cheaper.

The company uses a natural air mix at normal pressures, whereas most other companies depend on processes that use oxygen-free air and high pressures, said Sarker, vice president of research and development at NSR.

Almost any type of plastic can be used, Sarker said, and various types of finished fuels - like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel - would be the result.

Sarker said the company is still tweaking the process, but its plan is to build a pilot facility in the next six months, and by 2011 or 2012 to start commercially licensing or selling the technology, which is currently pending patent approval.

Because each ton of plastic can yield about 8 barrels of oil, U.S. plastic waste could theoretically generate 120 million barrels of oil per year. With U.S. oil consumption at more than 19 million barrels a day, that would amount to reducing 2 percent of annual oil use by, essentially, recycling some of it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 18, 2009, 11:28 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Diesel, India, Oil
Technorati Tags:: Alt Fuel

May 4, 2009

Indian EV Companies Ask Federal Government For Sales Incentives Program

Last year, sales of electric vehicles (led by battery-powered scooters) were on a roll in India. But sales stalled as the global economy went into recession and lower gasoline prices further dulled the allure of greener machines.

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A Hero Electric scooter on display at a recent show.
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Mint, an Indian newspaper, is now reporting that the country's vehicle manufacturers have asked the government to offer subsidies of up to 25% to consumers who buy EVs.

"This (industry) has to be seeded by the government by incentivizing people to buy our products," Sohinder Gill, chief executive of Hero Electric, the Hero Group arm that sells electric two-wheelers, told the newspaper.

Gill told the newspaper that India should follow the lead of the U.S., which is offering up to $7,500 in rebates for buyers of electric cars. The United Kingdom last month joined Germany and other countries that also have offered incentives to help counter the relative premium consumers must pay for a green vehicle.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson May 4, 2009, 9:52 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Hybrid, India, India, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

October 14, 2008

India's Reva Expands Electric Vehicle Sales Effort Into European Market

Anticipating a big boost in electric vehicle sales in Europe, Indian EV maker Reva has expanded sales and distribution of its low-speed city cars into continental Europe after selling more than 1,000 in London under the "G-Wiz" brand name over the past few years.

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A model standing beside a Reva "G-Wiz" illustrates EV's small size.
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Reva's electric car, originally launched in India, is now on sale in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Norway.

The Bangalore-based EV maker said it is looking for distributors for other European countries as well.

"With certain industry predictions forecasting that electric cars will constitute 20% to 25% of all new car sales by 2020, we hope to build on our early success as a technology innovator and succeed in this exciting new segment," Keith Johnston, president of the company's new European division, said in a statement late last week.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 14, 2008, 3:02 AM
Categories:: Fuels & Technologies, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Reva
Technorati Tags:: City Cars

October 1, 2008

U.S. Will Have Largest Biodiesel Market by 2012, Respected Research Group Says

The United States is positioned to become the single largest biodiesel market with 19 percent of consumption by 2012, according to a report released Tuesday.

Menlo Park, California-based SRI Consulting said the industry grew 50 percent from 2002-2007 -- the highest growth in the chemical industry -- and is poised to grow at 30 percent between 2007 and 2012.

It will be followed by Germany and France. New and large markets for biodiesel are expected to emerge in China and India, since the governments of both countries have announced major biodiesel initiatives.

SRI projects a slower pace of growth for the global biodiesel industry due to market uncertainties such as the ongoing fuels-versus-food debate, rising raw material costs, changing regulatory environment, a slowing global economy and the current financial crisis.

"An important development over the last several years has been the shift in global biodiesel patterns. Only five years ago Europe was a dominant player, with 83 percent of capacity. By 2007 the European share had declined to about 46 percent as North America and Asia grew to 23 percent and 19 percent respectively," SRI said.

SRI is a business research service for the global chemical industry.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 1, 2008, 7:57 AM
Categories:: Biofuels, China, Diesel, Energy Companies, India

August 29, 2008

The New Competitors: India's Three-Pronged Approach To The Electric Car Market

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

Unwilling to leave the potentially lucrative electric vehicle market to Japanese, European and - maybe - AmericanÂ carmakers, Indian auto companies are rushing to develop EVs of their own.

The impetus is twofold: To combat gridlock and air pollution at home, and to cash in on global demand for cleaner, eco-friendly vehicles.

The Indian firms will be joining a rapidly growing field of manufacturers looking to market environmentally-focused vehicles.

Industry heavy-weights like General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Renault-Nissan and Daimler all have promised to bring plug-in hybrids or battery-electric vehicles to market within the next three-to-five years.

Some of their upstart Indian competitors, however, say they will hit the market with their electric vehicles as early as the end of this year.

To find out what's on tap, Green Car Advisor took a look at three of the main players in the burgeoning Indian electric vehicle market.

Reva

Reva Electric Car Co. is the minnow of the bunch. And no, we're not referring to the 102 inch length of the company's cartoonish-looking two-door hatchback (right) -- four inches shorter than a Smart Fortwo.

Based in Bangalore, Reva is a small family-owned company that happens to be one of the most established electric car manufacturers in the world, with a vehicle that initially went on sale seven years ago.

A Reva offers room for two adults plus two children in the rear, and a top speed of 50 miles per hour.

Since retail sales began in July 2001, some 2,600 Revas have found homes. Chetan Maini, Reva's deputy chairman and chief technical officer, says the majority have been sold in Bangalore and London, where it's called the "G-Wiz."

Maini explains that Reva's intention was to begin with "one Indian city and one European city," and build the business from there.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell August 29, 2008, 2:45 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Fuels & Technologies, India, Mahindra, Plug-ins and Electric, Reva, Tata
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

August 26, 2008

Mahindra Elects to Put Diesel Pickup Through More Testing Before Sending to U.S.

Right, Mahindra's Appalachian pickup.

Apparently addressing concerns many Americans might have about spending $20,000 on an Indian-made pickup truck, Mahindra & Mahindra has decided to put 25 of its clean-diesel pickups on U.S. roads to collectively rack up more than 3 million miles in what amounts to additional testing to ensure the model meets U.S. expectations when it goes on sale here in the fall of 2009.

The additional testing will delay the model's U.S. arrival by three months. Mahindra, which sells about 10,000 farm tractors a year in the United States of America, still hopes to be the first Indian company to sell trucks here.

Assuming crude prices remain high, the timing will be good for Mahindra. Although the light-truck market is down, Mahindra's Appalachian pickup -- fitted with a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder engine and a 7.5-foot cargo box -- is expected to get about 30 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. That's considerably better that what its likely competitors -- the gasoline-powered Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma -- get, and the diesel pickup would likely deliver much better towing power.

While it's true that diesel fuel now sells for about 14 percent more than regular gasoline, diesels typically get fuel economy that is 20 percent to 30 percent higher than gasoline-powered engines. And, the Appalachian is expected to meet the emission requirements of all 50 U.S. states, putting it squarely in the so-called "clean diesel" corner.

The Appalachian will be available in two- and four-door versions when it reaches approximately 300 dealers nationwide during the fourth quarter of next year. The same vehicle with a hybrid drivetrain is expected to enter the U.S. market the following year for about $5,000 more before any available tax credits are applied.

Mahindra says the truck will be available in two- and four-wheel drive, come standard with a paddle-shift six-speed automatic transmission, and have a payload capacity of about 2,600 pounds. Final assembly of the Appalachian will be conducted in Ohio to avoid a 25-percent federal import tariff.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett August 26, 2008, 8:42 AM
Categories:: Diesel, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, India, Mahindra, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Appalachian Pickup

June 11, 2008

Ford Exec Says U.S. Gov't Must Invest in Plug-in Hybrids

An Escape plug-in ethanol-electric hybrid that Ford is currently road testing.

Ford Motor Co.'s top executive for North America said today that the federal government must make plug-in hybrid vehicles "a national priority" and substantially invest in them, or risk swapping one foreign energy dependency for another.

"For those looking to plug-ins to answer our energy security concerns, we must ensure a domestic battery supply," Mark Fields told a conference on plug-in hybrids in Washington. "Moving from imported oil to imported batteries clearly would not address this growing concern."

Fields said that based on the necessary research and development costs, manufacturing and production investments, the lack of a national refueling infrastructure, and the lack of domestic battery manufacturing, "it seems clear that a business case will not evolve, in the near term, without support from Washington."

Detroit automakers have long complained that foreign nations spend far more on research into advanced batteries for hybrids...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 11, 2008, 6:55 PM
Categories:: Batteries, China, Ethanol, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, India, Plug-ins and Electric

June 2, 2008

Tata-Chrysler Deal Could Bring Nano Minicar EV to U.S., Tata Also Confirms Low-speed Electric Truck Plans

Ace mini-truck may hit U.S. as low-speed electric vehicle in Tata-Chrysler deal.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

In a move that could have strong implications for the arrival of the ultra-low-cost Tata Nano mini-car in the U.S. market, Tata Motors has announced that it’s teaming with Chrysler LLC to build mini-trucks in America, at least one model a low-speed electric vehicle.

Speaking with reporters in Mumbai last week, P.M. Telang, executive director at Tata Motors, confirmed a January report that the two manufacturers will develop battery-electric versions of the trucks. Tata Motors and Chrysler have given no specifics about the trucks themselves, and no production date or manufacturing site has been confirmed.

However, a glance at Tata’s current Indian market offerings shows that the most probable candidate is the company’s Ace mini-truck.

With prices starting at only $5,000, the Ace is a cut-price utility vehicle that can be had as either a small pickup or passenger van.

Rugged and cheap, the Ace could be a handy delivery vehicle for the American market – especially in crowded city centers. But its feeble17-horsepower two-cylinder diesel engine would have to go as it’s too under-powered for American roads.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 2, 2008, 3:01 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tata

May 30, 2008

GM Reps Green Up Launch Party for Eco TV Network

Celebrity poses with man in tree costume at launch party for green TV network.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The launch party for Planet Green, a 24-hour eco-lifestyle cable TV network that will displace the Home channel starting June 4, was anything but green.

The celebrities who attended Wednesday night 's event at L.A.'s Greek Theater mostly arrived in stretch limousines and gas-snorting SUVs. At least two – MÃ¶tley CrÃ¼e drummer Tommy Lee and rapper Ludacris – arrived in personal buses.

The tabloid darlings strolled a green plastic carpet to a man in a tree costume to pose for paparazzi, oblivious to the live majestic oaks mere steps away.

Minutes later the celebrities were treated to cocktails "made from organic vodka" served in plastic cups and hors d'oeuvres made from macaroni and cheese served on plastic plates.

Oddly, the greenest VIPs at the event that we're aware of seemed to be the two men from General Motors Corp., who brought with them a fuel-cell vehicle and some positive automotive news.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 30, 2008, 11:17 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, China, Diesel, Dodge, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota

May 20, 2008

Fuel Economy Forcing Pickup Market Shakeup

Rising gas costs are moving market from pickups like this Ford F-150...

...to compacts such as this Mahindra diesel from India, coming in 2009.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

What a difference a few bucks make. The full-size pickup truck, once the cash cow of the domestic auto industry, seems to be on the way, well, not out, but certainly down.

They've become victim of soaring gas prices – although perhaps it would be more accurate to say they've been penalized by their own, inherent, fuel inefficiency.

To help cope, Ford Motor Co., whose F-Series has been the best-selling line of full-size trucks for years, is considering a downsized version of its F-150, according to reports in the Detroit News and the industry journal Automotive News.

And General Motors Corp. is reconsidering the future of the big pickup n a market study aimed at forecasting demand for full-size pickups and SUVs four years from now.

The study will help GM's product planners decide whether to continue pursuing the present shift toward fuel-efficient smaller vehicles and away from big trucks.

Falling Fast

Sales of full-size pickups in the U.S. are down almost 40 percent since 2005.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); John O'Dell May 20, 2008, 1:07 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, India, Mahindra

February 20, 2008

Indian Truck Maker Eyeing Ohio for Assembly Plant

Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra is talking to officials in Ohio about the possibility of building a light truck plant there.

The company has said it wants to start selling a small, fuel-efficient diesel-hybrid pickup truck in the U.S. and the Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported today that Ohio state development department officials have confirmed that they've been talking to Mahindra.

The state officials would not confirm that the discussions involved construction of a truck factory.

But Global Vehicles USA, an Alpharetta, Georgia, company that has a U.S. distribution deal with Mahindra, told the newspaper that the company does want to assemble trucks in Ohio from component kits shipped from India.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell February 20, 2008, 11:45 AM
Categories:: India, Mahindra

February 11, 2008

Tata's $2,500 Car Slated for Europe in 2012

India's Tata Motors wants to bring the next generation of its super-affordable Nano car to the European market by 2012, the company's compact car projects director said in an interview with the German magazine Focus .

"We will develop a successor model in four years time, which will meet the Euro 5 emission regulations and the crash standards in Europe," Girish Wagh was quoted as saying in an advance abstract of the article published Sunday and reported by Reuters news service.

Tata unveiled the $2,500 Nano, the world's cheapest car, at the New Delhi auto show in January and said production of the four-seater would begin lateer this year fat the Tata factory in West Bengal.

Tata has said it will initially produce about 250,000 Nanos and expects eventual annual demand of 1 million units...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell February 11, 2008, 12:00 PM
Categories:: India, Tata

January 23, 2008

Chrysler Reported in U.S. Electric Truck Deal With Tata

Tata Ace could be heading for U.S. as a low-speed electric truck.

Chrysler Corp. and India's Tata Motors reportedly have signed a development deal for Chrysler's neighborhood electric car unit to import and market a new vehicle based on the Tata Ace mini-truck.

While the 1-ton truck uses a 17 horsepower diesel motor in India, the U.S. version would use a battery-electric drivetrain from Chrysler's Global Electric Motors, according to a report this week in India's Business Line magazine.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 23, 2008, 2:30 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tata

January 16, 2008

And Now, For Something Completely Different ...

Our correspondent tries hydrogen rickshaw on for size.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

NEW DELHI -- Squeezing into the non-existent passenger space of a vehicle built for one turned out to be the easy part.

The driver, seated in the center, and directly behind what looked to be a set of motorcycle handlebars, attempted to fire up the hydrogen-burning engine, again and again.

A sputter, a grumble from the exhaust, one or two feet of forward motion, and then … nothing. The bright blue three-wheeler’s one-cylinder two-stroke motor died, and the trike came to an abrupt stop.

India’s hydrogen-powered future faces similar false starts and the occasional stumble.

But the fact that the world’s 3rd largest economy (in purchasing power) has a roadmap for hydrogen in the first place – not to mention a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy – might come as something of a surprise to those who expect the country’s emissions regulations to be woefully outdated.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 16, 2008, 11:45 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Hydrogen, India, Mahindra