Electric cars are coming

[greencat]

Several manufacturers have big plans for electric cars in the near future.

Ford: Planning to release two electric vehicles in the next two years, including an electric Focus.

GM: Expects to release the Chevy Volt in 2010.

Nissan: Working for an electric car in 2010.

Tesla: Already makes several models of expensive high-performance electric cars.

Toyota: Plans to release an electric car in 2012.

Mitsubishi: Planning to release the i-MiEV this July in Japan.

Chrysler: Plans a two-seat sports car called the Dodge Circuit in 2010.

[greencat]

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and French electricity company EDF announced on Thursday a large-scale test of electric vehicles in the Paris region in 2010.

According to a statement from the two companies, starting from September 2010 for one year, 100 electric cars from the Renault-Nissan Alliance will be tested by individual customers, professionals and employees of local authorities. The cars will be able to recharge at home, workplace, parking lots and on roads.

Renault-Nissan and EDF plan to launch the proposed cars to the market from 2011.

[greencat]

Twelve years ago, Toyota started selling a car that was bought by those considered avant-garde, on the fringe. It was called the Prius. Now Toyota is looking to "turn around its struggling business with a futuristic ecological car," and the company is supposedly working on plans for a solar-powered car. We'll ignore, for a moment, that a company with $18 billion in cash and experiencing its first annual operational loss in 70 years is now called a "struggling business." The noteworthy news is that while other automakers are trying to get their hybrid acts together, Toyota is down the road working on a car powered solely by le soleil.

There is little in the way of hard information at this point. The Japanese newspaper Nikkei disclosed the development, saying that the car would have solar cells, and that it would also be charged by solar cells on homes. Also according to Nikkei, the solar cells on the car will be as powerful as those on the house, capable of generating 2-5 kilowatts.

Toyota has talked publicly about a solar panel option on the next Prius, but that was called "a symbolic gesture" by an insider. Privateers have also done their part contributing to the idea of a Prius augmented by solar power, largely with mixed results. Nevertheless, Toyota has a keen partner in the venture: Panasonic. The giant consumer electronics maker that makes Prius batteries is in the midst of buying Sanyo, the world's 7th-largest solar cell maker. Nevertheless, solar cell technology isn't advanced enough to create a mass-market solar car, which is why reports claim it will be years before such a vehicle is on the market. As one Japanese solar energy expert said, "Even if you laid solar panels out on the entire roof of a house, you only generate enough energy to run two hairdryers."

[greencat]

The Extended-Range Electric Vehicle that is redefining the automotive world is no longer just a rumor. In fact, its propulsion system is so revolutionary, it's unlike any other vehicle or electric car that's ever been introduced.

Chevy Volt is designed to move more than 75 percent of America's daily commuters without a single drop of gas.3 That means for someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.2

Unlike traditional electric cars, Chevy Volt has a revolutionary propulsion system that takes you beyond the power of the battery. It will use a lithium-ion battery with a gasoline-powered, range-extending engine that drives a generator to provide electric power when you drive beyond the 40-mile battery range.

Chevy Volt. Launching 2010.

[greencat]

Nissan plans to launch an electric concept car with solar panels built into its roof.Nissan Nuvu will get its power from a dozen or so leaf-shaped solar panels, before energy is channeled into batteries through a ‘tree trunk’ inside the car. Nissan says Nuvu’s cabin will even be built with natural, organic and recycled materials to appeal to environmentalists.

Of course, solar photovoltaic panels are currently not efficient enough to fully power an electric car. They’ll simply supplement the energy supplied by plugging the batteries into the power grid.

The Nuvu’s external dimensions are similar to those of the Toyota iQ, with a 1980mm wheelbase. But the Nuvu is 200mm taller, measuring 1700mm in height, and is just 1550mm wide next to the iQ’s 1680mm. Unusually, it will feature two permanent seats plus a third that can be folded down for occasional use. Nissan claims an integral luggage area will make the car suitable for shopping trips.
Nissan’s general manager for product strategy and planning division, Francois Bancon, maintains that the Nuvu “is a concept car, for sure, but it is an entirely credible vehicle”.

The Nuvu will debut at the 2009 Paris Auto Show along with two other cars from Nissan - the Pixo, powered by a small 1.0 liter three-cylinder engine, and a revised version of the Note compact car.

[greenbean]

I just hope they make these vehicles economical. I bought my prius at 27,000 with 3,000 back from government.

I heard that the chevy volt is going to msrp at 35,000 or more. Even if the economy turns around a 35,000 price tag is going to be cost prohibitive to the average consumer.

[greencat]

Sonoma County, cities seek charging sites for electric cars

In a move to overcome “range anxiety” among potential buyers of electric cars, Sonoma County and its nine cities are seeking grant funds for a network of up to 200 vehicle recharging stations.

The city-county coalition needs at least $1.5 million to install the stations — essentially specialized power outlets — intended to supply 1,000 electric vehicles to be purchased by the agencies and their employees.

The power hookups, initially located at public buildings and corporation yards, also would be placed at shopping centers, movie theaters and other locations available to the public.

“We want them to be where people go,” said Cordel Stillman, Sonoma County Water Agency capital projects manager. “We are paving the way for the electric car.”

Last month the coalition failed to get a portion of a $100 million nationwide federal grant, but a $5 million Bay Area funding program is looming, and Stillman said the coalition will keep trying to find money.

Four automakers — Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi — are planning to roll out electric cars in the next two years, and the charging stations would form the backbone of a new system for delivering juice to batteries that currently are good for only 40 to 100 miles per charge.

“We can't have the electric vehicle chickens waiting for the infrastructure egg,” Nissan spokesman Fred Standish said.

Nissan, which unveiled its electric car named Leaf in early August and plans to begin selling it late next year, is collaborating with the local county-city coalition and five others around the United States aimed at establishing battery recharge stations.

“If there's no way to charge it, it won't do you a whole lot of good,” Standish said. Electric car makers and advocates are well aware of the range limits and the anxiety they may generate in consumers' minds, he said.

The Leaf and an electric Ford Focus, due out in 2011, can go 100 miles on a charge. Mitsubishi's i-MiEV, set for American sales in 2011-12, goes 80 miles. Chevrolet's Volt, coming out next year, goes 40 miles on batteries before a gasoline-powered generator kicks on.

“A lot of people aren't going to buy a car if they can just toodle around Santa Rosa,” said Amy Bolten of the Water Agency.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District coordinated an application for a $13.9 million federal grant — involving 33 public agencies including Sonoma County — to buy nearly 800 alternative-fuel vehicles and install 1,181 recharging stations around the Bay Area.

But the Bay Area project was not included in the U.S. Department of Energy's award of $99.8 million last month to install 2,500 charging stations in five other areas, including San Diego and Seattle.

The Water Agency operates two Zap electric trucks and nine Toyota Priuses converted to plug-in hybrids, charging them from the rooftop solar power system at its headquarters in Windsor.

The city of Santa Rosa, which has gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas and hybrid power in its 1,050-vehicle fleet, has also leased a few electric Ford Rangers and Toyota RAV4s and wants to get more, fleet superintendent Jon Merian said.

Improved battery technology and longer range makes electric vehicles “more practical and more attractive to us,” he said.

The city has charging stations at its corporation yard.

Sonoma County, which operates a fleet of 1,400 vehicles, is considering buying as many as 50 electric cars. There's also plenty of interest among water agency employees in buying electric cars, Bolten said.

Nissan intends to pitch the county and city agencies on buying its electric car, but Stillman said all government purchases must involve competitive bidding.

He personally had a 1958 Volkswagen converted to electric power, but its 15-mile range makes it strictly an “around town” car.

The coalition is lobbying major employers, like Agilent and Medtronic, to install charging stations so their employees can go electric, Stillman said.

Businesses like Starbucks might benefit from installing chargers, as well, Nissan's Standish said. A 440-volt charger could replenish the Leaf's batteries in less than half an hour, while the driver takes a coffee break, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.



Sonoma County, cities seek charging sites for electric cars | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat | Santa Rosa, CA

[greencat]

Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. signed an agreement to develop electric cars to be sold in Europe by the end of 2010.

Peugeot Chief Executive Officer Philippe Varin and Osamu Masuko, his counterpart at Mitsubishi, agreed in Paris today to develop a vehicle based on Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric car, according to a joint statement. Tokyo-based Mitsubishi introduced the i-MiEV in June.

The fully electric car will be sold under the Peugeot and Citroen brands. Production is slated to begin in October 2010 with sales by the end of that year. The Paris-based automaker had said in March that Mitsubishi would supply it with electric cars based on the i-MiEV.

Mitsubishi and Peugeot are competing with Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. to take the lead in electric vehicles. Automakers are under pressure from governments throughout the world to trim carbon-dioxide emissions and develop more efficient cars.

Peugeot rose as much as 1.48 euros, or 7.9 percent, to 20.13 euros in Paris trading, and was up 6.6 percent to 19.88 euros as of 12:48 p.m., after La Tribune reported that Peugeot was seeking an alliance with Mitsubishi.

‘Boost’ From Alliance

“An alliance with another car manufacturer could give PSA shares a boost,” Marc-Rene Tonn, a senior analyst at M.M. Warburg, said in a note to investors. As a relatively small carmaker, Peugeot “needs a partner to strengthen profitability. Any move into that direction should be welcome.”

Tonn maintained his “hold” recommendation and his price target of 23 euros.

Laurent Cicolella, a Peugeot spokesman, declined to comment directly on the La Tribune report.

“We’re sticking to the strategy Varin outlined in his July 29 speech, when he said we won’t rule out opportunities for external growth to help us reach our goal of becoming a global player,” Cicolella said by phone.

Peugeot and Mitsubishi already share platforms for sport- utility vehicles and they’re building an assembly plant together in Russia, he said.

Mitsubishi will begin global sales of the i-MiEV with right-hand drive this year and plans to build a left-hand-drive version next year, according to the companies.

Peugeot and Citroen expect to sell 25,000 of the new electric cars each year, Cicolella said
Peugeot, Mitsubishi Chiefs Sign Electric-Car Accord (Update1) - Bloomberg.com