Japanese Professor Shows Rare Earth-Free Electric Car (Video)
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Showing posts with label electric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electric. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Japanese Professor Shows Rare Earth-Free Electric Car (Video)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Comment on Green Overdrive: The Electric Volt Is Here! [video] by Bernard Ferret
The Volt is here and already a big success! 2 weeks ago, a day before the LA auto show opening, GE announced the purchase of 25,000 electric and hybrid/electric vehicles (an almost complete replacement of its fleet of 30,000 cars and trucks), in the next 3 years, including 12,000 Chevy Volts!
And a coupe of day ago, GM announced that it will be hiring 1,000 engineers and researchers in the next 2 years to work on the development of the next-generation electric vehicles and components (batteries and drivetrains).
Comment on Green Overdrive: The Electric Volt Is Here! [video] by Bernard Ferret
Backlink: http://gigaom.com/cleantech/green-overdrive-the-electric-volt-is-here/#comment-535215
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
CODA Delays Rollout of Electric Car: Why We’re Not Surprised
Building any car is tough. Building an electric car is tougher.
Automakers must devote time, skill, technology and financial investment to designing, engineering, and cutting costs for what is still far from a mainstream drivetrain.
Even Nissan, whose Leaf won GreenCarReports’ Best Car To Buy 2011, has pushed back delivery dates for the Leaf.
But a small Californian firm yesterday pushed its own compact all-electric car launch back from next month to sometime in the third quarter of 2011. And we think that puts them in a tough and scary position.
The announcment from Coda Automotive that its 2011 Coda Sedan won't hit the streets until late 2011 comes a week after both the firm's senior vice president of sales & marketing and the CEO resigned.
CODA has said little about the reasons behind this, except that it wishes to make sure the quality of its car is as high as possible.
We can’t say whether that may indicate problems with components, issues with the performance of prototypes, or just the management shuffle. But broken promises are certainly not good for reputation.
What’s the upshot? We won’t be seeing CODA sedans on the road any time soon, at least not in private hands. That’s a shame.
But we have to be honest: Over the past few months, we’ve become increasingly skeptical that CODA could deliver on its promise to bring the 2011 Sedan to market by the start of the holiday season. Why? Let us count the reasons.
(1) Very few anecdotal order stories
The 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt both have stuffed order books. We regularly hear from, and about, buyers on the waiting list for one or other. But we have yet to hear from a single reader, advocate, or potential customer of CODA.
Yes, we know Enterprise Rental have ordered some, as have other fleet managers. But ouside of this, where are the hordes of eager retail buyers waiting for their car?
Anecdotal tales of pre-launch excitement, orders and test drives are often a great way of gauging the success of a car. So we're a little perturbed. Just how many retail orders are there? Why don't we hear anyone who has put up the $499 deposit for a CODA Sedan?
If that's you, let us know. We’d love to set the record straight.
(2) Management turnover
No, it's not uncommon for a company to change executives when switching from development to product launch. But two such senior executives leaving within days of one another surely indicates that something is not well.
What’s more, the resignations came just days before the 2010 Los Angele Auto Show, an important event for any automaker and particularly so for Coda, which is hosting a cocktail party and offering interviews with executives.
(3) Many press releases, no test drives
CODA has put out regular press releases, providing details to the media of when it planned to launch the 2011 CODA Sedan. We even have an impressive list of fleet purchases the company has booked.
But to date, CODA has not offered the media test drives--whereas the 2011 Nissan Leaf has now been widely reviewed and driven by most of the major national and international automotive media.
That’s surprising for any company that's about to launch an automobile, and it led us to suspect a while back that the December launch target would be impossible to meet.
(4) Higher price, but lower support?
Let’s get one thing straight: CODA is not a mainstream automaker. It has no model currently on the market; the 2011 Sedan is its first car.
Unlike Nissan with its Leaf, it has no franchised dealers, no company-run showrooms, and no nationwide support infrastructure for when things go wrong.
At fully $14,000 more than Nissan’s 2011 Leaf, CODA is asking its first customers to take an expensive gamble that a previously unknown automaker can provide the level of service and support that is taken for granted with the purchase of any car.
While Tesla Motors, another non-mainstream electric car manufacturer, has done pretty well with its company-owned showrooms and growing International support, it sells a $109,000 sports car. When you’ve paid six figures for a car, the service comes to you.
(5) Further delays mean a closing market window
In 2007, when the then-Miles XS500 was announced, it had an initial price of $30,000. Then it was meant to be in showrooms by the end of 2008, though the cost had increased to $60,000.
In 2008, we heard that the Hafei Saibao EV (the car we know now as the CODA Sedan), had passed an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) safety test. At that time, the car was still expected by the end of 2008.
Fast forward two years, and we’re waiting expectantly for the car. Yes, delays are normal in the automotive world, but we can’t help but think the delays facing Nissan's rollout of its Leaf are not the same ones facing CODA.
Delaying the launch for another nine months loses Coda its early-mover advantage, since about a dozen electric cars will be on the market by 2012.
And we’re not sure that small or startup auto firms can beat the big guys without some significant advantage in schedule, price, or technology. Can anyone make the case that Coda has even one of those?
This article originally appeared at All Cars Electric and is republished here with permission.
Join the conversation about this story »
See Also:
- Tesla's Big Deal With Toyota Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be
- Nissan Will Charge $40,000 For Its Electric Car In Japan
- Are These The Next Tesla Cars? We Hope Not!
CODA Delays Rollout of Electric Car: Why We’re Not Surprised
Saturday, November 13, 2010
General Electric to Purchase 25K Electric Vehicles, 12K Chevy Volts
by Tate Dwinnell
Yesterday, General Electric (GE) announced the largest single purchase of electric vehicles in history - 25,000 to be exact. The vehicles will be purchased beginning next year with an initial purchase of 12K GM made Chevy Volts to achieve its goal of converting about half of its entire fleet to electric. This is a bold and important move from GE and the kind of action that will continue to help drive down the cost of electric cars to make them more affordable for everyone. EV's from other manufacturers will be added as they come available. No announcement has been officially made as to what those vehicles will be, but certainly the Nissan Leaf and the all electric Toyota Prius (2012) would be possibilities.
"Electric vehicle technology is real and ready for deployment and we are embracing the transformation with partners like GM and our fleet customers," said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. "By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.
This purchase offers more than just good PR and long term fuel savings for GE. As the manufacturer of the electric car charging station, the WattStation, anything the company can do to drive widespread adoption of electric cars increases sales of infrastructure components such as the WattStation.
GE also announced that as part of its ecomagination business strategy, it will open two electric vehicle customer experience centers in Michigan and Minnesota to provide customers and employees the opportunity to learn about the latest in EV development. Additional centers will be announced next year.
Reprinted with permission from Green Stocks Central
Post originale: http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/11/general-electric-purchase-25k-electric.cfm
Friday, November 12, 2010
Honda's 180 on Plug-in Electric Vehicles
In 2007, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced that Honda was not interested in plug-in hybrids because the emissions reductions would not be good enough, and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) cannot deliver the range that consumers want. He reiterated this in 2008 saying that BEV technology was immature and commercialization would be difficult. In May 2010, Honda's President of Research and Development, Tomohiko Kawanabe, told Bloomberg News that "We are definitely conducting research on electric cars, but I can't say I can wholeheartedly recommend them." It sounds like an open and shut case: Honda is not interested.
However, Honda's CEO left and was replaced by Takanobu Ito. The company started showing a small BEV concept car, the EV-N, with no hope for production. In October 2009, Ito said that Honda would consider developing a BEV for the U.S and European markets. While a move in the right direction, it was still a far cry from the ringing endorsement of plug-in vehicles that Chrysler, Ford, GM, Nissan, and Toyota had given at that time.
All of that changed this July when Honda announced they would have a plug-in hybrid and BEV in 2012. Last week, Honda announced that Ito personally would unveil a BEV concept at the Los Angeles auto show (notably the same show where Toyota will unveil the new RAV-4 EV). Ito
is now quoted as saying, "It's starting to look like there will be a market for electric vehicles. We can't keep shooting down their potential, and we can't say there's no business case for it." However, Ito continues to push Honda's view that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the ultimate and better solution.
So, why the about face to include BEVs and plug-in hybrids in their product plans? One reason is likely because Honda needs to hang on to the credibility as an environmental automaker. It's no secret that the Honda Insight has struggled to compete with what has become the gold standard for hybrids, the Prius. Now Ford's Fusion Hybrid and soon Hyundai's Sonata Hybrid top the Accord in mileage. Honda had been the most fuel efficient automaker in the U.S. for several decades, until Hyundai took the title in 2009.
Additionally, Honda is forced to purchase
zero emissions vehicle credits to continue selling in California. Honda may have finally decided that they have to play a part in the BEV and plug-in hybrid market to remain competitive in the U.S. Perhaps this is also Honda's acknowledgment that fuel cell vehicles remain too far off to sit on the sidelines and wait for their commercial viability.
Image credit: Honda
As an analyst for Pike Research, Dave Hurst studies emerging markets in electric transportation.
Post originale: http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/11/hondas-180-plug-electric-vehicles.cfm
Friday, October 22, 2010
Has General Electric Solved the CFL Bulb Problem?
by Nino Marchetti
GE is definitely a big player when it comes to wanting to design more eco-friendly lightbulbs. Its latest case in point is an announcement today that in 2011 it will unveil "a unique, new incandescent-shaped light bulb that combines the instant brightness of halogen technology with the energy efficiency and longer rated life of compact fluorescent (CFL) technology."
This mystery bulb, which will bring U.S. and Canadian consumers GE Reveal and GE Energy Smart Soft White varieties, will initially come in 15-watt and 20-watt configurations that are considered viable replacements for 60-watt and 75-watt incandescent bulbs, respectively. It is said they will offer "significantly greater instant brightness than current covered CFLs, while preserving the energy efficiency and long life attributes that have elevated CFLs as a lighting staple in many households."
The halogen capsule inside the new bulbs, said GE, comes on instantly, allowing the bulb to operate noticeably brighter in less than a half a second. The capsule shuts off once the CFL comes to full brightness. They will operate with just 1 mg of mercury, compared to the current range of 1.5 mg to 3.5 mg. These bulbs will also be RoHS compliant and offer eight times the life of incandescent bulbs (8,000 hours vs. 1,000 hours).
Pricing and specific availability will be announced later.
Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling
Post originale: http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/10/has-general-electric-solved-cfl.cfm
Brammo Doubles Mileage Of Electric Motorcycle
by Christopher DeMorro
I much prefer driving on four wheels than two. Personal preference is all, though I've got plenty of friends who get their kicks on motorcycles. Most of them like to ride crotch rockets, those Japanese bikes that are little more than an engine and two wheels. Besides going fast as all hell, these bikes are great for wheelies, endos, and all manner of righteous tricks, these bikes are also surprisingly cheap and fuel frugal. Convincing these guys to ditch the crotch rocket for an electric motorcycle might not be easy.
It is, however, getting easier to argue for electric motorcycles. Brammo, maker of electric motorcycles, has just announced that they have managed to double the range their Enertia electric motorcycle from 40 miles to 80.
The upgraded motorcycle, called the Enertis+, costs $1,000 more than the original Enertia. For that extra cheese, you get a 6.0 kWh lithium ion battery pack that 80 miles of driving on a single charge. That is more than enough to cover most commutes, especially for you city folk. With an MSRP of just $8,995, the Enertia+ price comes down when you factor in a 10 percent federal tax credit and different state tax credits. Depending on where you live, you could pay just $5,000 or less for the Enertia+, especially if you already own a Brammo bike (which gets you a $2,500 rebate from Brammo itself).
The 80 mile range of the Enertia+ makes the argument for electric motorcycles so much easier. The only downside is that charging takes a bit longer, a full 8 hours if the battery is depleted. A small price to pay though for a motorcycle that has a sporty side and practical commuter applications. Now they just have to improve the top speed, which sits at a tepid 60 mph, and maybe some of my daredevil friends will consider making the switch.
Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0
Post originale: http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/10/brammo-doubles-mileage-electric-motorcycle.cfm
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
China's BYD Aims to Build Not Just an Electric Car, but an Ecosystem
by Brad Berman
The Chinese company known as BYD-that's Build Your Dreams-has an audacious plan to solve China's energy and environment problems. Readers of this site might know BYD as the carmaker backed by famed investor Warren Buffet-and as the top contender to bring Chinese-made electric cars and plug-in hybrids to the United States.
But it may come as a surprise that BYD views the U.S. market as somewhat irrelevant, and doesn't see high-volume sales of its all-electric e6 or the BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid as that high of a priority.
That's because BYD's Chairman, Chuanfu Wang, has a much bigger vision. "The goal is to create a zero emissions ecosystem," said Michael Austin, a Chicago-based BYD vice president with marketing and public relations duties. "And you don't create the zero carbon zero emissions ecosystem by just producing a whole bunch of electric vehicles." BYD's electric and plug-in hybrid cars, now available in China, will go on sale to U.S. private consumers as early as 2012.
Vertical Integration
I recently spoke with Austin, a former Motorola executive who began working with BYD about a decade ago, when he was looking for an affordable source of commodity batteries for Motorola cell phones. Of the three-dozen or so Chinese companies making cell phone batteries at the time, BYD was the only one with durable and safe battery chemistry-backed by its own intellectual property regarding battery technology. Moreover, the company's philosophy of vertical manufacturing integration allowed the company to reach an enormous scale.
"They own the chemicals. They own the mines. They refine the chemicals. They make their own cans for the cells. They did their own windings," Austin said. "They did every component of the build, and that total vertical solution got them in a place where they had the lowest cost, so they could control the market."
And what they did for batteries, they also did for cell phones. Currently, 30 to 40 percent of the world's cell phones, regardless of the brand, can be traced back to BYD. Now they are applying the same scale to solar panels and to automobiles. They have 100 million square feet of factory space. They make every component of the vehicle, except the tires and the safety glass. And for the past two years, the company's F3 sedan has been China's number one seller.
Coal-Powered Nightmare, Avoided
BYD needs its massive scale of manufacturing to match the size of the Chinese auto market. Last year, China bypassed the United States to become the largest automobile market in the world, and it continues to grow at an impressive rate. "If BYD were to sell tens of thousands of electric vehicle in Tianjin and in Beijing, it would create a worse environmental condition than China has today. All they have are coal-burning plants," Austin said.
Instead, BYD wants to couple solar energy generation with massive amounts of stationary energy storage using its batteries. Then, add efficient lighting at home-BYD also makes LED lighting-and electric cars for the road. "If you discharge to those energy storage plants to electric vehicles, then you have zero emissions." Voila! The ecosystem is complete.
Back in the U.S.A.
Given the size of the Chinese auto market, and the Chinese government's goal of making electric cars represent 10 to 20 percent of total cars sales, the U.S. auto market is nearly an afterthought.
Nonetheless, with that kind of scale driving production and reduced cost in China, it's possible to bring the same total energy solution to the United States. Austin: "We don't want to just sell electric vehicles in our U.S. dealerships. That's not selling the zero emission story. We want to sell solar panels. We want to sell solar-shaded parking. We want to sell LED lighting. We want to sell energy storage for your home, and charging stations coupled to energy storage, so we can do DC-to-DC quick charging. Oh, and you can use solar panels to charge your energy storage, that's now powering your vehicle."
BYD wants to work down the price of its electric car-without any subsidy-to $20,000 or less. Austin says that the price of BYD's EV batteries is currently at $350 per kilowatt hour. "That's lower than everybody else. Nobody else is even close to that," Austin said. "And that's where we are at today.
It all comes full circle, when you consider the effects of the Chinese economy on the price of gasoline. "BYD is completely convinced that the emerging markets are going to eat up all the gasoline. When China and India emerge, the price is going to skyrocket," Austin said.
The price in the U.S. and the developed world, that is. The Chinese government will continue to subsidize its gas to around $1.50 a gallon, according to Austin. "They don't curb their consumption. So, we'll get screwed with high prices, and they'll continue to consume at incredible rates," he said. Consider that less than six percent of Chinese currently own cars, but that around 30 percent now have the financial means to buy a vehicle. "There are 330 million cars yet to be sold," Austin said.
Reprinted with permission from PluginCars
Post originale: http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/10/chinas-byd-aims-build-just.cfm
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