Entries Tagged 'electric vehicle' ↓

Nissan announced that buyers of its upcoming all-electric cars might have the opportunity to lease the high-voltage lithium-ion batteries separate from the cost of the car. This is a step intended to mitigate both their high price and widespread consumer concerns about the lifespan of hybrid and electric-car batteries. Carlos Tavares, Nissan Motor Co.’s executive vice president for product planning and design, discussed the cost issue yesterday at a Green Car conference organized by Automotive News, an industry trade publication. Echoing a sentiment expressed throughout the daylong conference, Tavares said an electric car is theoretically cheaper to manufacture than a gas model — until you add the battery cost.

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Britain’s fledging auto industry received a boost when the government announced £100 million to help it develop electric and other ultra-low emission cars in which the government will fund up to 100 electric vehicles to test how they operate in real-life driving conditions.

Gordon Brown has come down heavily on OPEC for cutting oil production when the world is going through an economic crisis.
He has also championed electric cars as a means of cutting dependence on oil and thereby reducing the UK’s carbon emission level by 80 per cent of which road transport accounts for 20 per cent.

Transport secretary Geoff Hoon outlined the scheme to fund the development of electric cars and said that the government had shortlisted 10 companies that would compete to supply low-carbon vans to local councils and government bodies so that the electric vehicles could be tested in real-life driving conditions.

He said that the scheme had the potential to create up to 10,000 jobs in the automotive sector.

Such vehicles are emissions free, and those available on the market usually cost between £9,000 and £12,000. Once fully charged they can travel up to 40 miles.

The government will also give £20 million for research and development in technology to make electric and other green cars more affordable since at present the price of electric cars is very high, the function of their batteries and the problem of recharging since Britain does not have a network of charging centres.

The government also revealed new research, suggesting that if cars are charged at non-peak times, the “widespread” use of electric cars could be supported without the need for large numbers of new power stations.

Ford Motor, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen and Land Rover are among the companies that will compete for the government’s £20 million trial of “green” vans to be tested by public sector organisations including a number of councils such as the Royal Mail, and Coventry, with Liverpool, Newcastle, Gateshead, Glasgow and Leeds, will be among the first councils to test green vans.
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Mini just revealed the Mini E on Friday, scheduled to be revealed at the 2008 LA Auto Show. The E stands for electric, as the major difference between this and the standard Mini is the all-electric drivetrain. The Mini E will be produced in a limited quantity of 500-1000 units and leased to customers in a few major cities.

After the Mini E’s debut at the upcoming Los Angeles auto show, 500 Mini Es will be distributed to customers in California, New York, and New Jersey early next year as part of a pilot project to road-test the car. Select private and corporate customers will lease the cars for one year with the possibility of an extension, during which the Mini Es will be inspected every 3000 miles or six months. BMW will also stay in regular communication with the drivers to keep track of vehicle performance. All repairs will be covered by the lease and performed by special technicians at bases set up in the states where the cars will be leased. If necessary, the technicians will travel to other Mini dealerships if a car can’t make it back to a base.

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Tesla Motors said today that it plans to close a research and development center in Rochester Hills. The center was hailed as an important economic development win for Michigan less than two years ago.

Tesla Chairman Elon Musk posted a statement on the company’s Web site today saying that Tesla is not immune from the nation’s economic woes and is taking action so it can become cash-flow positive within six to nine months.

“We have decided that the wise course of action is to focus on our two revenue-producing business lines: the Roadster and powertrain sales to other car companies,” Musk said in his statement. “There will also be some headcount reduction due to consolidation of operations. In anticipation of moving vehicle engineering to our new HQ in San Jose, we are ramping down and will close our Rochester Hills office near Detroit.”

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General Motors Corp.’s new electric car is two years away, but already two Ohio companies are working to make the Chevrolet Volt better.

GM has said when the Volt arrives in late 2010, a lithium ion battery will power it up to 40 miles per charge. In Cedarville, Applied Sciences Inc. and co-owned Pyrograf Products Inc. want to see if that range can be doubled.

Applied Sciences spokesman John Mackay tells the Dayton Daily News the company seeks to replace some of the three pounds of carbon in the battery with tiny carbon fibers. He says a lighter battery would perform better.

Mackay says Pyrograf is the world’s No. 3 carbon nanofiber supplier and in a strong position to supply them for the Volt.

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Renault and French electric utility EDF today signed a memorandum of understanding to create, starting with France, a large scale zero-emissions individual transport and travel system. The objective is to establish electric cars as a viable and attractive transport solution for consumers. The partnership was officially launched today by Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Renault and Nissan, and Pierre Gadonneix, Chairman and CEO of EDF.

The Renault Nissan Alliance aims to become the world’s leading manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. France will be one of the first global markets to receive these all-electric models, along with Israel, Denmark, Portugal, the state of Tennessee (USA), and Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan), all of which have announced similar partnerships with the Renault Nissan Alliance.

EDF, owner of the world’s biggest fleet of electric vehicles, has considerable experience and expertise in electric power storage technologies and recharging infrastructures, and in operating fleets of rechargeable vehicles. EDF is committed to expanding the availability of clean mobility solutions.

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The Chinese were largely noticeable by their absence at the Paris Show this year but there may well have been a Chinese vehicle of significance—it’s a very cute electric city car named the “Chika”.

Chika is the work of well known Chinese car stylist Li Shi Guang Ming, who is working on a range of original designs for China Automobile. The designer believes the Chika represents the first steps toward an original Chinese automotive design language—and this could help China Automobile quickly shake off the “bootleg” image.

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Nissan’s vision for the future of urban transportation is encapsulated in Nuvu, literally a ‘new view’ of the type of car we will be driving in the middle of the next decade. Compact - it’s just 3 meters long - Nuvu is a concept vehicle with unique 2+1 seating. It is aimed at urban dwellers who don’t want to compromise on their personal freedom or their comfort, yet who appreciate that there is a need for a dramatic change in the way we move around our cities.

Nuvu is an electric vehicle, is agile, easy to drive and even easier to park. Nissan has already announced plans to introduce an all-electric car in Japan and the US in 2010 and to mass-market it globally in 2012. Nuvu is not that car, though it does share some of the technology that will feature in the planned production vehicle.

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A $136 million tax abatement to help persuade General Motors Corp. to build the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car at the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant won approval today from the Detroit City Council.

The abatement, which lasts 25 years, clears a hurdle toward GM’s proposed $336 million investment in the plant, which employs 1,944 people.

The council approved the measure on a 7-1 vote. Only Councilwoman JoAnn Watson voted no.

Even with the tax break, the company would still generate an additional $4.6 million a year in tax revenue for the city and Detroit Public Schools, said Irvin Corley Jr., the council’s fiscal analyst.

“As many jobs as we can get in the City of Detroit, I’m happy to keep,” Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins said. “These are terrible times.”

Watson said she voted no because the Detroit Three automakers are on the verge of receiving $25 billion in federal loans to aid them, and giving GM a tax break now doesn’t sit well with her.
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General Motors Corp. today announced it will invest $370 million in the United States to build a new manufacturing plant in Flint for its global 4-cylinder engines.

GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said the plant will begin production in 2010 and will be the exclusive manufacturing facility in North America to produce the Chevrolet Volt’s onboard generator.

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