Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it will display the Toyota FT-EV concept on opening Media Day at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), confirming its plan to launch an urban commuter battery-electric vehicle (BEV) by 2012. This announcement, coupled with its compressed natural gas powered Camry Hybrid concept display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, signal Toyota’s intention to broaden the scope of its advanced alternative-fuel vehicle development.

“Now, more than ever, while we are so focused on the pressing issues of the moment, we cannot lose sight of our future,” said Irv Miller, TMS Group Vice President, Environmental and Public Affairs. “Nowhere is this more important than with our industry’s duty and commitment to provide true sustainable mobility with vehicles that significantly reduce fuel consumption, our carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gases.” The FT-EV concept shares its platform with the revolutionary-new iQ urban commuter vehicle. Already a huge hit in Japan, the iQ is lightweight and seats four passengers in comfort and security, while delivering exceptional mileage, sporty performance, unique refinements and a fun, youthful image.

Toyota’s FT-EV concept imagines an urban dweller, driving up to 50 miles between home, work and other forms of public transportation, such as high-speed rail. Although, for now, the FT-EV remains a pure concept, it represents a natural pairing of product strategies. Continue reading →

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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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.

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.

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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Chrysler LLC is unveiling three electric vehicles today, one of which will be ready for sale by the end of 2010, a top company executive said, in what he expects will be “shocks to the industry.”

The Auburn Hills automaker is working on range-extended electric-drive versions of its Chrysler Town & Country minivan and four-door Jeep Wrangler SUV as well as an all-electric Dodge sports car, Tom LaSorda, a Chrysler president and vice chairman, told the Free Press.

Today’s announcement will immediately propel Chrysler into competition with General Motors Corp.’s highly publicized Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle that’s slated to hit the market in late 2010, if GM and its partners can develop needed battery technology.

Chrysler’s announcement is also sure to electrify the automaker itself, which in the past year has undergone dramatic changes as the company not only dealt with going private but also with the transforming U.S. auto industry.

Chrysler’s image as a seller of pickups and SUVs has not meshed well with a buying public that wants more fuel-efficient cars. The automaker’s sales are down more than 20% so far this year — about twice the decline of the industry as a whole.

While Chrysler hinted at future electric cars during the Detroit auto show last January, many analysts had believed the automaker’s immediate-future prospects looked bleak.

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Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), in cooperation with its New Zealand subsidiary Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ), will show the zero-emissions i MiEV*1 electric vehicle in New Zealand as a preparatory step toward a possible future introduction to the local market and to create greater public awareness of electric vehicles.

The move will be carried out in cooperation with state-owned electric power company Meridian Energy, New Zealand’s largest energy provider, which generates 100% of its electric power through renewable resources such as hydroelectric and wind generation.

Mitsubishi Motors and Meridian will launch a promotional tour of the country sometime after February 2009. Representatives from national and local government will be given the chance to drive the car, in order to spur discussions about possible subsidies as well as developments in infrastructure and marketing considerations.

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