Tesla Roadster heading for Australia

Australians have already begun placing orders for the first mass-produced electric car due to hit our shores, the Tesla Roadster.

It's due to arrive in August and the American company has revealed a number of locals have already placed orders for the Lotus Elise-based sports car.

Along with unique styling, the Roadster replaces the Lotus petrol engine with an electric motor and battery pack, enough to propel the car to more than 200km/h and travel in excess of 350 kilometres on a single charge.

Tesla has also confirmed it will set up its local base in Sydney later this year. A stand-alone store will be established, in keeping with the company's plans overseas.

Australian Rudi Tuisk will head up the local operation, having worked for the start-up car company in Europe.

"We're taking pre-orders for Australia," Tuisk said. "We're actually selling the vehicle — we're taking orders right now."

Tuisk won't reveal how many orders had been received but has confirmed extra cars will arrive with the first shipment to cater for further demand.

Tesla has confirmed that Australian certification of the Roadster is well advanced and should be signed off well ahead of launch. Right-hand drive versions of the revolutionary electric car are already on sale in Britain.

Tesla hasn't revealed any details on pricing for the Roadster in Australia. In the US, the Roadster sells for about $US100,000 ($120,350), roughly double the cost of a Lotus Elise.

In the US, the company has recently announced plans for a lease arrangement, but there has been no word from Tesla if such a system will be offered locally.

Bugatti has built an 800 bhp battery-powered supercar

The working prototype, believed to be based on the chassis of a Bentley Continental GT, features an advanced lithium-ion battery pack and two enormously powerful electric motors – which deliver an awesome 2,200Nm of torque from 0mph.

The powertrain is composed of two electric motors, each delivering 400 HP (300 Kw) and a whopping 811 ft-lb (1100 Nm) of torque, for a total combined power of 800 HP (600 Kw) and 1620 ft-lb (2200 Nm).

But while the existence of the newcomer has been confirmed to us by a high-level Bugatti source, it’s still not clear whether the car will ever be displayed to the public.

Insiders at the company have suggested that the model is being prepared solely to demonstrate the technology, and allow engineers to explore the ultimate performance available from electric cars.

According to one driver close to the project, the battery-run Bugatti delivers “absolutely unbelievable” acceleration, way ahead of that provided by other roadgoing vehicles. The problem the company faces is managing the huge amounts of energy discharged during acceleration and required to keep the batteries fully topped up. If the car is used to its maximum performance potential, the charge lasts “a matter of minutes”.

It’s not the first model from the firm to run on battery power. Founder Ettore Bugatti built an electric model called the Type 56, which he used to drive around the factory in Molsheim, France.

The Type 56 was never intended for production, but customer demand forced Ettore to reconsider and build it.

Few examples have survived, although Bugatti’s current president, Franz Josef Paefgen, did bring a copy of the car to the Frankfurt Motor Show last autumn. He drove it on to the stage ahead of the ultra-limited-edition Veyron Gran Sport Sang Bleu, to celebrate Bugatti’s involvement in building electric cars – and possibly pave the way for more in the future.

Electric Vehicle Bill Introduced in Congress

This week, four congressmen – both Democrats and Republicans – introduced a new electric vehicle incentive bill. The legislation will provide incentives to consumers to purchase electric vehicles, grants to selected communities to demonstrate widespread deployment of electric vehicles, and other measures to incentivize both deployment and domestic production of the needed vehicle components and charging infrastructure.

The congressmen are: Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) along with Reps. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.).

Highlights of the Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010 include:

• The Secretary of Energy will competitively award $800 million to 5 different deployment communities around the country, with the objective of deploying 700,000 electric vehicles in those communities within six years.
• At least $2,000 in additional consumer incentives for the first 100,000 consumers purchasing electric vehicles in these communities would be provided.
• All Americans would continue to be eligible for the electric vehicle tax credit, which reduces the prices of an electric vehicle by up to $7500, and additionally, tax credits of the costs of purchase and installation of electric vehicle charging equipment for individuals (up to $2000) or businesses (up to $50,000 for multiple equipment purchases) would be extended.
• Additional research, development, deployment and manufacturing incentives are provided for technologies that enable the widespread deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

“From plug-in hybrids to all-electric cars, the auto industry is moving quickly to meet consumer demand for more efficient vehicles that cost less to fuel up,” said Biggert, a senior member of the House Science and Technology Committee. “Thanks to these innovations, America is making great strides toward reducing emissions and cutting our dependence on expensive foreign oil. But our electric and transportation infrastructure must keep pace with technology. The Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Act will accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles and put new energy technologies within reach of more consumers and motorists. It also will help regional communities establish themselves as models for the development and installation of the next generation of transportation infrastructure, including public charging stations.”

Toyota Loses Bid to End Patent Dispute Over Hybrids

Toyota Motor Corp lost its bid to dismiss a Florida company’s patent-infringement claim that may result in a ban on imports of the carmaker’s newest hybrid models including the Prius and Camry.

Theodore Essex, a judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, denied Toyota’s request to end the case brought by Paice LLC. He also said Toyota can’t argue that the Paice patent is invalid because that issue was resolved in court. The judge’s May 21 findings are subject to review by the six-member commission.

The dispute is scheduled for a hearing starting July 19 and the two sides have been wrangling over what issues will be considered. The arguments concern the effect of a trial Bonita Springs, Florida-based Paice won against Toyota in a case over the patent that was upheld on appeal. The case involved earlier versions of the Prius and Highlander gas-electric hybrids.

“We are encouraged by the judge’s rulings and look forward to completing our case at the upcoming trial,” said a Paice lawyer, Ruffin Cordell of Fish & Richardson in Washington.

A federal judge in the earlier case rejected Paice’s request to halt sales of the cars and instead ordered royalty payments on the Prius, as well as the hybrid-engine Highlander and Lexus RX400h sport-utility vehicles. Paice filed a new complaint, at both the court and the ITC, over the Camry hybrid, third-generation Prius, Lexus HS250h sedan and Lexus RX450h SUV.

“Toyota is disappointed, but our overall position in the case remains unchanged,” Celeste Migliore, a spokeswoman for Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker, said in an e-mail.

Torque Patent

In a separate case, the Toyota City, Japan-based company is challenging the royalty rate it was ordered to pay by the federal judge in Texas.

Paice, which is an acronym for Power-Assisted Internal Combustion Engines, said Toyota is infringing a patent for a way to supply torque, or force, to a car’s wheels from both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.

It also has a patent-infringement claim against Ford Motor Co. over Fusion and Escape hybrid vehicles. Ford is challenging the patent.

The ITC case is In the Matter of Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 337-688, U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington). The civil cases are Paice LLC v. Toyota Motor Corp., 04-cv-211; 07cv180 and 08-cv-261, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas (Marshall).

Electric Vehicle Charging May Receive $11 Billion

Congress will be examining two bills today that would see up to $11 billion in new funding put towards the goal of seeing four million electric vehicles on the road by 2017.

This new cash injection would be earmarked for electric vehicle purchase subsidizing as well as investing in electric vehicle recharging stations.

With one of the main stumbling blocks to the whole hearted adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. being range anxiety, increased funding for EV charging stations could go a long way to hitting the 2017 target.

The bills in the House of Representatives and Senate have sponsors on both sides of the partisan fence and have a good shot of passing especially with massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico looming in the minds of voters.

Tesla to pay $42 million for Nummi plant

Missing from last week's stunning announcement that Tesla Motors would buy Fremont's shuttered Nummi auto plant was a key detail: the sale price.

It turns out to be $42 million.

Tesla, which makes luxury electric cars, reported the price Thursday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing updated Tesla's application for a $100 million initial public stock offering, giving potential investors information on the purchase as well as the partnership Tesla formed last week with Toyota Motor Corp.

The price may seem surprisingly low for what was, until its closure last month, the West Coast's last big car plant. In comparison, the first phase of construction at Solyndra's new solar panel factory, less than a mile away, is expected to cost $733 million.

But the filing offers an explanation.

Tesla, based in Palo Alto, is buying the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant, but not its equipment. The joint venture between Toyota and General Motors that ran the factory for 25 years plans to auction off the manufacturing equipment in the next several months, according to the filing.

Tesla may bid on some of it, but hasn't decided which pieces will be needed to build the company's Model S sedan, which is expected to begin production in mid-2012.

In addition, Tesla and Toyota are working together to develop future generations of electric cars. That could have contributed to the low price, said Mark Ritchie, president of the Ritchie Commercial real estate firm in San Jose.

"It isn't about the money," he said. "They're partners now."

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to loan Tesla up to $465 million to open a plant for the Model S as well as develop the company's powertrain manufacturing facility in Palo Alto.

Nissan: electric cars could shed government aid in 4 years

Nissan Motor Co and alliance partner Renault could market electric vehicles without government incentives within four years as global sales reach 500,000 to 1 million vehicles per year, executives said on Wednesday.

Nissan, which is introducing a mass-market Leaf electric car later this year, needs government incentives to spark initial demand but understands those incentives will not be permanent, Nissan-Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said.

"You need to jump start electric cars at a certain level so that we can get scale and the scale will allow us to reduce costs," Ghosn told reporters after a groundbreaking at a plant in Tennessee that will produce the Leaf and its battery.

"We think that scale for us is between 500,000 and 1 million cars a year," he said. "When you get between 500,000 and 1 million cars per year, we don't need government support."

Nissan-Renault could have as many as eight electric vehicles between them within a few years, allowing the companies to reach the scale that would make the government incentives unnecessary, executives said.

"We believe we will need two to four years of incentives and supports to reach the level of volume that will free up the cost reductions that we need to implement," said Carlos Tavares, Nissan's chief of the Americas.

Tavares expects the cost of batteries used in the Leaf and other electric vehicles to come down sharply within four years for Nissan and Renault.

Nissan broke ground on a $1.7 billion a project to expand its assembly plant in Smyrna and build an adjacent lithium-ion battery plant that will be one of the biggest in North America. The facilities are expected to create 1,300 jobs.

Tavares said Nissan has an edge in battery development by being first in the industry to introduce a mass-market electric vehicle in late 2010 in Japan, the United States and Europe.

The first Leaf vehicles and their lithium-ion batteries are being built in Japan.

When it is fully functioning, the Smyrna plant will be able to produce 150,000 Leaf electric cars per year. The new battery plant will have the capacity to produce 200,000 battery packs.

Nissan has not said yet whether the additional battery capacity would be used for a different electric vehicle within the Nissan or Renault family. Nissan has said it would be open to selling the batteries to other automakers.

The Nissan plant investment was supported with $1.4 billion of U.S. Energy Department loans.

Nissan started taking orders for the Leaf in April. It had about 13,000 fully refundable orders in the United States as of Tuesday and 6,000 in Japan.

"We have enough capacity to start the mass marketing of electric cars, but if we see when December comes that the hand-raising and pre-orderings transform fully to sales, we are going to have to make a decision about adding additional capacity," Ghosn said.

Gen II Chevy Volt Could Use Rotary Engine

Chevrolet's 2011 Volt hasn't even made it to the dealer showroom yet and GM's engineering team is already working on cost-cutting solutions for the second-generation Chevy Volt.

"Right now, the propulsion system is too expensive, even with using an existing engine," GM's new vice president of global vehicle engineering, Karl Stracke, told Inside Line today. But Stracke confirmed that future Volt powertrains are already being tested, including several different range-extending engines, possibly even a rotary.

"We have a strategy to go rotary engines or a two-cylinder [gas] engine making 15-18 kW. I have driven the car already. Rotary has a higher fuel consumption but here's the advantage [holds up his hands to form round, frisbee-sized shape] — packaging."

"One rotor could be enough," Stracke continued. "Of course with the higher rpm of a rotary, you need to have an NVH solution."

Stracke says GM is also looking at the possibility of a diesel engine. "The cost of the engine would be higher for the manufacturer," said Stracke, "but the fuel costs would be cheaper for customers."

If GM hopes to reach the same level of mainstream success with the Volt as Toyota has accomplished with its Prius hybrid, it's extremely important to cut costs in future generations. Stracke says the cost of the 2011 Volt's battery pack is "roughly $10,000" and that GM is "working aggressively to get that cost down 50 percent" for the next Volt.

"The future of the automobile has never been as interesting as it is right now," said Stracke. "Big question is, what new propulsion system will come next?"

TTXGP U.S. Infineon Entire Race on Video

Zero Motorcycles have put together a video to publicize their win at the TTXGP race recently held at Infineon Raceway.

The 46-minute video (above) covers the entire June 16 race along with race winner Shawn Higbee’s post-race burnout and the obligatory trophy presentation on the podium.

The dogfight at the head of the field is AC versus DC. The Zero Motorcycles bike is actually the Isle of Man TTXGP race winner with a paint job. It runs 2x Agni brushed DC motors that put out a total of approx 80 hp. The Yellow Lightning Motorcycles bike blowing it off down the straights runs a AC motor out of EV1 which is good for 137 bhp (102 kW) powered by a souped up industrial inverter where the fuel tank would normally be.

The Zero motorcycle outperforms the lightning bike in the turns throughout the race but it's not clear how much difference the skill levels of the riders contributes to the difference in performance. I find it hard to believe a bike with 70% more power from the EV1 motor and that much straight line performance and could possibly handle that bad in the corners.

Nissan Builds Battery Plant for Electric-Car Boom

Nissan Motor Co. began building a battery factory next to its main North American auto-assembly plant to support Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn’s expectation of surging U.S. demand for electric vehicles.

When it opens in 2012, the plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, will be able to supply lithium-ion battery packs for 200,000 electric cars a year, topping Nissan’s plan to build as many as 150,000 rechargeable Leaf hatchbacks there annually. Japan’s third- largest carmaker said today its $1.7 billion investment in Leaf and battery capacity in Smyrna, funded mainly by a $1.4 billion U.S. government loan, may add as many as 1,300 Tennessee jobs.

“What we’re doing here will radically transform the automotive experience for consumers,” Ghosn said. “Production of Nissan Leaf and lithium-ion batteries in Smyrna brings the United States closer to its goal of energy independence, creates green jobs and helps sustain American manufacturing.”

Ghosn, 56, has set a goal for Nissan and partner Renault SA, which he also runs, to lead an emerging market for electric autos as the U.S., Japan and Europe push automakers to cut oil consumption and carbon emissions tied to global warming. While General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and other rivals are readying their own rechargeable models, none has a goal of matching Ghosn’s sales target of as many as 500,000 electric cars a year by 2012.

Nissan will gain economies of scale to reduce costs when it reaches that level, Ghosn told reporters today.

“I don’t see this as a risk. I see this as a huge opportunity,” Ghosn said at an event at the factory. “When we get to 500,000, 1 million units, we don’t need government support.”

‘Wildly Optimistic’

GM aims to build 45,000 of its Volt plug-in cars, which also use gasoline, annually by 2012. Toyota hasn’t set volume targets for either its plug-in Prius hybrid or “urban commuter” minicar that arrive in the U.S. in 2012.

“Sales of 500,000 vehicles by 2012 is just wildly optimistic,” said KG Duleep, a Washington-based analyst for ICF International who helps the National Academy of Science and U.S. agencies with advanced automotive technology. President Barack Obama has set a goal of getting 1 million plug-in and battery vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015.

Ford Motor Co. on May 24 said it’s investing $135 million and adding 220 jobs at three Michigan facilities to help it introduce five models powered wholly or in part by electricity by 2012.

Global Capacity

With Nissan’s new factory and others announced by U.S. auto and battery makers, by 2012 the country will have about 20 percent of forecasted global capacity to produce advanced batteries, Daniel Poneman, U.S. deputy secretary of energy, said today at the Smyrna site.

“By 2012, factories like this one will be shipping tens of thousands of electric vehicles to showrooms around the world,” Poneman said. The Obama administration so far has committed $12 billion to advanced vehicle technologies, he said.

The first shipments of Yokohama-based Nissan’s Leaf, capable of traveling as far as 100 miles solely on battery power, will arrive late this year in the U.S. and Japan. Nissan has said it expects U.S. tax credits and rising fuel prices to spur demand for the $32,780 car, which will cost $25,280 after U.S. subsidies.

Nissan last year was awarded an Energy Department loan of as much as $1.6 billion for “advanced technology” vehicle production in the U.S. The company has since modified its loan application, eliminating an initial plan to make electrodes for the batteries and leaving the production to Japan’s NEC Corp., Mark Swenson, Nissan’s vice president of North American manufacturing, said in an interview today.

“We still hope to do that eventually, but for now the electrodes will be supplied by NEC in Japan,” he said.

Nissan’s North American unit is based in Franklin, Tennessee.

GM May Scrap India Electric-Car Tie-up as Mahindra Buys Partner

General Motors Co. may scrap a venture to develop an electric compact car in India after partner Reva Electric Car Co. was taken over by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Mahindra, India’s largest sport-utility vehicle maker, yesterday said it had agreed to acquire a 55 percent stake in closely held Reva as growing environmental concerns spur demand for alternative-energy vehicles. GM tied up with Bangalore-based Reva last year to develop a battery-powered small car.

“It is not at all crucial for GM to have an electric car in India,” said Deepesh Rathore, India managing director of IHS Global Insight Inc. “We are a power-deficient country and don’t have power to light up our homes, so why use electric cars?”
By contrast, buying Reva may help Mahindra expand overseas, he said. Mahindra also bought out partner Renault SA in a carmaking venture last month in a bid to revive slumping sales.

‘Other Options’

Mahindra will buy stock in Reva from the carmaker’s founders and spend about $10 million on new shares, it said in a Bombay Stock Exchange statement. It didn’t give an overall value for the transaction.

Reva’s “endeavor is to maintain all relationships,” Chetan Maini, its chief of technology and strategy, told reporters yesterday in Bangalore at an event to mark the takeover signing. GM had informed the company that it was “looking for other options,” he said.

Mahindra gained 0.3 percent to 517.35 rupees in Mumbai yesterday. The stock has fallen 4.3 percent this year. The carmaker’s Xylo and Scorpio models compete with GM’s Tavera utility vehicle and Captiva SUVs in India.

Reva is offering autos in 24 countries and has sold more than 3,500 vehicles worldwide, according to the statement. The company is building a plant in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to make as many as 30,000 vehicles a year.

The company intends to begin selling the lithium-ion- powered Reva NXR as early as October, Maini said in January. The car will cost about 14,995 euros ($18,500) in Europe, the automaker said last year. The three-door, four-seat hatchback has a top speed of 104 kilometers (65 miles) per hour and a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles) per charge.

Automakers are set to introduce 42 electric models worldwide by 2012, according to an October study by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Nissan Motor Co. plans to sell 500,000 electric cars a year by 2012.

Reva was established in 1994 as a venture between the Maini Group and California-based AEV LLC. The company showed its first electric car in May 2001.

Nissan Leaf Sold Out - 19,000 Orders Received

Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, said Tuesday that the company had already received 19,000 orders in just 35 days from the United States and Japan for the electric car that it would start selling at year-end.

More than six months before the car, the Nissan Leaf, arrives at dealerships, the preorders mean that the car is sold out for this year and that the company might stop taking reservations, Mr. Ghosn said during a visit to the Detroit Economic Club.

“The preorders are such that we are very comfortable with what we have undertaken,” Mr. Ghosn said after the speech. “The more we advance into it, the more comfortable we are with it.”

Nissan plans to break ground Wednesday in Smyrna, Tenn., for a plant to build batteries for the Leaf and eventually other models, part of its goal to sell at least 500,000 electric cars worldwide starting in 2013. The first Leafs will be made in Japan, with assembly in Tennessee planned to start in 2012.

Calif. Gets First Public Electric Car Rapid Charger in U.S.

a small town halfway between the Bay Area and Sacramento, has a little known distinction: It has more electric car charging stations per capita than any other city in the country.

That's why the city has earned the nickname of "Voltageville." As of a few weeks ago, Vacaville now boasts a 50-kilowatt EV quick charging station, which is about the size of a conventional gas pump. The new station packs a powerful punch of electricity. It's capable of juicing up the 16 kilowatt-hour battery pack of the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV-which has a driving range of about 75 miles- to about 80 percent capability in 30 minutes, or half-way in about 10 minutes.

"This is the first publicly accessible DC fast charger in the country. It was installed by Pacific Gas & Electric as part of a California Air Resources Board (CARB) grant to do research on fast charging, including user acceptance, grid impact and power quality," said Efrain Ornelas, environmental technical supervisor with Pacific Gas and Electric's Clean Air Transportation Department. "We have to gain knowledge for what's going to happen when a bunch of these go in. What better way to do it than putting one of these in, and testing it ourselves?" The rapid charger was installed in conjunction with Mitsubishi, because PG&E has an i-MiEV in its fleet. The i-MiEV is expected to go on sale to consumers in the US in 2011.

The display on the rapid charger shows that the i-MiEV's batteries were charged to 8.8 kilowatt-hours in just six minutes and 26 seconds.

If you're keeping score, that makes the 45th charging stations for a city with a population just under 100,000. The proliferation of EV chargers in Vacaville can be credited to Ed Huestis, the former transportation systems manager for the city. Under his direction, Vacaville became the first city to use federal dollars to install electric car charging-and offer consumer incentives-more than 10 years ago.

Solar Energy in a Flash

The DC quick charger can be found at the city's solar-powered EV location-a shaded parking lot where electric car drivers can charge up under the shade of a 45-kilowatt photovoltaic overhang. The solar panels produce more power than the quick charger and the location's existing six charging stations commonly use. "This is a great spot for the quick charger because we're not going to have a bill," Huestis said. "It's also a great location because we're equidistant from the Bay Area and Sacramento."

"Something like this is more of a range extension where you're going to Sacramento," Ornelas said. "You plug in for 10 minutes, and you get 30 - 35 miles of range and continue on your way." Ninety-percent or more of electric car charging will take place at home or work using 110- or 220-volt charging over the course of hours.

Huestis uses one of the existing charging stations to fuel up his Toyota Rav4 EV. His other car runs on compressed natural gas. " I haven't driven a conventional gas-powered car for years. It's doable." The solar charging station has two stations for the Tesla Roadster, three for vehicles such as the Toyota Rav4 EV (or EV1) and one for the rare electric Ford Ranger truck.

In the Not-Too-Distant Future

The new DC fast charger was installed by Eaton, which licensed the design and technology from the Tokyo Electric Power Co. Hundreds of these charging stations are in operation in Japan, where they supply power to small electric cars from Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru. Each station costs approximately $50,000 plus installation to get going.TEPCO DC Quick Charger Connector

Big black trigger on the bottom secures the connection once in the vehicle's inlet-or the charger holster.

The rapid-charging technology is so new to the United States that standards have not been established. Fortunately, carmakers and utilities have agreed on the kind of connector to be used for daily charging of the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and other pure electric cars coming to market starting later this year. Until the U.S.-based Society of Automotive Engineers agrees on standards for rapid charging, the Japanese-style connectors will be used for the first demonstration projects, like the one in Vacaville.

Nissan is expected to offer the quick charge inlet as an option on the Nissan Leaf. Until then, the Mitsubishi -MiEVs in demo fleets are the only vehicles that can utilize Vacaville's quick charger.

Tom Dowling drove in his Rav4 EV about 50 miles from his home in Folsom to check out the DC quick charger. He has been an electric car driver and advocate for more than a decade-and maintains the largest online database of EV charging stations at evchargernews.com. "This charger is an important milestone," Dowling said. "This is what you could have on your travel corridors. It's quite possible in California that we'll see two or three dozen of these. It could be the wave of the future."

Mahindra Buys controlling stake in Reva Electric Car Co

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India’s biggest sport-utility vehicle maker, agreed to buy a controlling stake in Reva Electric Car Co. on rising demand for alternative- energy vehicles.

Mahindra will acquire a 55 percent stake comprising stock bought from closely held Reva’s founders and about $10 million of new shares, it said in a Bombay Stock Exchange statement today. It didn’t give an overall value for the transaction.
The deal will give Mahindra access to technology that has enticed General Motors Co. to work with Bangalore-based Reva on developing an electric hatchback. Reva is offering autos in 24 countries and has sold more than 3,500 vehicles worldwide, according to the statement.

Mahindra gained as much as 4.4 percent in Mumbai and was at 527.5 rupees at 12:05 p.m. The stock has fallen 2.4 percent so far this year.

Magna Plans Electric-Car Battery Plants in US, EU

Magna International Inc., Canada’s biggest auto-parts maker, plans to invest as much as $600 million on new plants for making lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

“We currently are scouting out locations for the plants, one of which will be in the U.S. and one in Europe,” Co-Chief Executive Officer Siegfried Wolf told journalists in Vienna today, adding that Magna would spend about $200 million to $300 million per plant. The decision on the location in the European Union will be made by the end of the year, Wolf said.

Lithium-ion batteries are lighter and more powerful than the nickel-hydride batteries now in use. Automakers are trying to lower the costs of the batteries to pave the way for mass producing electric vehicles.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG has teamed with German auto- parts supplier Robert Bosch GmbH and Korean battery maker Samsung SDI Co. on lithium-ion power packs. Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks, plans to produce lithium-ion batteries at a new factory in eastern Germany as part of a joint venture with Evonik Industries AG.

The battery factories would mark Magna’s first lithium-ion production facilities, spokeswoman Edda Graf said by e-mail.

Magna, which assembles vehicles such as the Mini Countryman for automakers at its Austrian unit, last year fell short of acquiring its own car brand after General Motors Co. backed off a decision to sell a majority stake in its Opel unit to a group led by the partsmaker. Under the deal, Magna had planned to assemble Opel vehicles in Russia at facilities owned by Oleg Deripaska’s OAO GAZ, the Russian van and truck manufacturer.

‘Smaller Acquisitions’

After the failure of the Opel bid, Magna is interested in “smaller acquisitions” of as much as $200 million, Wolf said. He ruled out a bid for GKN Plc, saying the company is “absolutely not” interested.

Magna was linked to a bid for GKN, the U.K. maker of aircraft components, in a March report from the London-based Times newspaper.

Wolf, who was named GAZ’s chairman in January, said GAZ will make “a very good profit” this year. Earnings won’t be “as good as before the crisis as volume is still playing catch- up.”

Ford to add 170 jobs for hybrid and electric cars

Two Ford Motor Co. factories near Detroit will see 170 additional blue-collar jobs in the next two years as the automaker brings battery pack and gas-electric hybrid transmission assembly to the United States.

Ford said Monday it will invest $135 million by 2012 at factories in Ypsilanti Township and Sterling Heights, Mich., to design, engineer and produce components for its next generation of hybrids and fully electric vehicles. About half the investment comes from a federal grant.

The Ypsilanti factory, which now makes auto parts, will get $10 million of investment to build battery packs, creating about 40 new jobs. The packs are now assembled by Delphi Corp. in Mexico. Ford will get its advanced lithium-ion battery cells from a parts supplier that it would not identify.

The Sterling Heights transmission factory will get a $125 million investment and 130 new jobs to build the continuously variable hybrid transmissions now built in Japan.
Currently a supplier makes complex hybrid transmissions for Ford in Japan, the company said.

Ford also said that future development of electric and hybrid vehicles will be centered in the Detroit area, and it also will add 50 engineers to help do the work.
Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said further job growth and investment depends on acceptance of electric vehicles in the marketplace. Ford plans to sell five electric or hybrid vehicles in the U.S. by 2012 and Europe by 2013. It currently offers four hybrid models, including the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize cars and the Ford Edge and Mercury Mariner midsize sport utility vehicles.

"The good news is we're making the investment now, it's going to result in obviously driving innovation, driving job growth. We'll see where we go from there," Fields said.

Ford received a $62.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for hybrid and electric vehicles. The money is part of the federal economic stimulus package, Ford officials said Monday at a news conference at the Ypsilanti Township factory. The company also received tax breaks and from state and local governments.

Fields said Ford was able to bring the jobs to the U.S. because of cooperation with the United Auto Workers on wages and productivity. The company and the union, he said, agreed on how to do the work so the business case made sense.

UAW Vice President Bob King, who has been nominated to become the union's president, said the cooperation was essential to bringing jobs that Ford, which is based in Dearborn, Mich., could have kept in other countries. The company's decision also creates the potential for more work, he said.

"This is an area that will expand and grow, especially the batteries," he said.
Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo said the battery pack assembly offers hope of future jobs in the township, which has been hit hard by auto job losses. General Motors recently closed a transmission plant in the township that once employed thousands of workers.

The township approved about a $500,000 tax break for six years on a $9 million investment, Ford said. The state of Michigan also approved $188 million in tax credits for Ford, which includes building an electric car at a factory in Wayne, Michigan. Ford is seeking a $2 million tax abatement from the city of Sterling Heights.

Under the terms of its UAW contract, it's highly likely that Ford will pay the new workers around $14 per hour, about half the hourly wage it pays existing workers, Fields said. Before hiring new staff, though, the automaker will have to recall about 450 laid-off workers nationwide, but it expects to do that well before the Ypsilanti and Sterling Heights jobs are filled.

Ford's plans include a fully electric small commercial van this year, the Transit Connect; an electric Focus compact in 2011; new midsize and compact hybrids in 2012; and a new compact plug-in rechargeable hybrid, also in 2012.

The Fusion hybrid, Ford's top-selling gas-electric vehicle, outsold Toyota's Camry midsize hybrid through the first four months of the year. Ford sold 5,512 Fusion hybrids, compared with Toyota's 5,082 Camry hybrid sales. But Toyota's Prius still leads in hybrid sales at 40,793.

Ford's news follows Friday's announcement that Chrysler Group LLC will add nearly 1,100 new jobs at a Detroit plant that makes the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Both announcements give hope to Michigan, which has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 14 percent.

More Than 4.7 Million Electric Vehicle Charge Points to Be Installed by 2015

The automotive industry will reach a turning point during 2010, as it begins the gradual transition away from the internal combustion engine and towards electrification. According to a new report from Pike Research, this evolution will require the ongoing buildout of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, ranging from residential equipment to public, private and workplace charging stations. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that a total of 4.7 million such charge points will be installed worldwide during the period from 2010 to 2015.

“The success of hybrid vehicles in the 2000s gave drivers a taste for propulsion by electric power,” says senior analyst John Gartner, “and governments around the world are now highly focused on creating the charging infrastructure to support the arrival of EVs in significant numbers.” Gartner expects that by 2015, more than 3.1 million EVs, including plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles, will be sold worldwide.

Pike Research’s analysis indicates that the market for EV charging equipment is likely to become increasingly crowded by the end of 2011. While the initial wave of vendors was led by niche vendors such as AeroVironment, Better Place, Coulomb Technologies, and ECOtality, heavyweight technology players such as GE, Panasonic, Samsung, and Siemens are now making bold moves into the space.

Since initiating its coverage of the EV charging equipment sector in 2009, Pike Research has downgraded its forecast slightly to the current level of 4.7 million charge points installed between 2010 and 2015, from its original estimate of 5 million charging stations during that period. Gartner comments that this is due to a somewhat slower projected rate of sales for EVs, in addition to the continued lack of a clear business model for public charging stations. “The economics of selling a few kilowatt hours per charge are very challenging, and as such we anticipate that public charging station deployments will be driven mainly by government initiatives over the next several years.”

Pike Research’s study, “Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment”, analyzes technology and business issues related to the buildout of EV charging infrastructure in global markets. It examines the market for residential, public, private, and workplace charging stations as well as reviewing the key operational and technological impacts of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles on the grid. Analysis includes an in-depth assessment of market drivers and barriers, along with profiles of charging infrastructure vendors and utilities. Detailed forecasts for EV charging equipment are included through 2015. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Pike Research

SAE Develops New Standard for Communication Between Plug-In Electric Vehicle and Utility Grid

As plug-in electric vehicles become more common in garages and carports around the nation, the result will be an increased demand on local utility grids that supply the power to charge them.

Recognizing the need for a standard set of requirements addressing this issue, SAE International created the new standard, J2836/1(TM) - Use Cases for Communication between Plug-In Vehicles and the Utility Grid.

The standard establishes use cases for two-way communication between plug-in electric vehicles and the electric power grid, for energy transfer and other applications. Also, it provides a set of communication requirements for use with various load management and rate programs that will be established by utility companies related to the charging of plug-in electric vehicles. The various utility programs will enable consumers to charge their vehicles at the lowest cost during off-peak hours, and helps the utilities reduce grid impacts by minimizing electric vehicle charging during peak periods.

Rich Scholer, HEV E/E Systems Engineer, Ford Motor Company, is chair of SAE International's Hybrid Task Force and sponsor of the new standard. "The biggest challenge for utilities is managing the grid during peak times, a time when energy is the most expensive and demand is greatest. As we add more plug-in electric vehicles to the grid, we're increasing our need for on-peak power and infrastructure. This standard will help enable consumers to charge their vehicles at off-peak hours and help utilities better manage the grids during peak hours, thus minimizing cost and grid impacts."

Porsche 918 Spyder: Racing at Nurburgring 24 hour in 2011

Porsche’s stunning 918 Spyder hybrid sportscar will compete at the 2011 Nurburgring 24 Hours race, according to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

At this year’s recent endurance race, Porsche entered a hybrid which showed great pace and speed. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid even led the race for 8 hours, until a mechanical failure made it retire.

For 2011, Porsche has greater plans, this time with another hybrid racecar. Reports from Germany suggest that the Stuttgart-based company plans to enter the 918 Spyder hybrid at the Nordschleife race next year.

Premiered at the 2010 Geneva motor show, the 918 Spyder is a gasoline-electric hybrid which uses both a 500 horsepower 3.4-liter V8 engine from the LMP2 Porsche RS Spider and two electric motors placed on the front and rear axle totalling 218 horsepower. The V8 and the rear electric system are mated to a Porsche PDK double clutch gearbox that delivers the power to the rear wheels, while the front-wheel electric drive is connected to the wheels via a invariable transmission ratio.

According to official figures, the 918 Spyder goes from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 198 mph (320 km/h) while returning a fuel economy figure of 78 mpg (3 liters/100 km) and emitting 70 grams of CO2/km. 718 horsepower for a 1,490 kg (3,285 lb) hybrid is enough to make the 918 Spyder go faster than the Carrera GT supercar round the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Porsche claims its simulations have shown this car is able to lap the “Green Hell” in under 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

It remains to be seen if the car can get near that sort of time and that kind of fuel economy in the real world and, most of all, in endurance racing. If it can, the next year’s Nurburgring race winner seems like a safe bet for us.

Prius Minivan To Debut in March 2011, Named "Prius Alpha"

Toyota is charging ahead with its plans to expand the Prius range, with a compact people-mover as one of its top priorities. Now in its final stages of development, the Prius mini-minivan, dubbed Alpha, will be the first vehicle in the Prius line to use lithium-ion batteries when it debuts in March 2011. Just one-third the weight of the nickel-metal hydride battery pack used in the current production Prius sedan, the new lithium-ion batteries generate greater power and are already in use in the prototype Prius plug-in hybrid.

The Toyota Prius Alpha sits on the current Prius sedan platform but gets an extra row of seats in the back, turning it into a mini people-mover. Toyota settled on the Alpha name because the new addition simply adds 'alpha' to the Prius equation. The new Alpha's overall length will be stretched by about 300 mm (one foot) in contrast to the Prius, while its wheelbase will be extended 20 mm (just under an inch).

A five-seater version is also planned, but this variant will incorporate nickel-hydride batteries to save cost, according to one insider. That same source also tells us that Toyota are bullish about pricing and will offer the Alpha seven-seater from 2.5 million yen, undercutting many of the current seven-seater minivans on the market now.

Inheriting the Prius' 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine and THSII hybrid system, the new model's gasoline engine will generate 98 horsepower while the electric motor is expected to produce 81 horses. The maximum combined power output will be 135 horsepower. Fuel economy will likely be slightly less than the current Prius sedan's 50 mpg combined, due to the Alpha's extra size and weight.

Audi Electric Only A2 to compete against BMW’s Megacity

The Audi A2 will be an electric-only car when it is launched in 2012, according to Autocar sources.

The move would pitch the car against the BMW Megacity, which is due to go on sale in 2013.

The second-generation model will drop the pricey spaceframe construction of the original A2 for a conventional steel monocoque borrowed from the A1.

The new A2’s styling remains under wraps, but Audi has hinted that it will follow the template of its predecessor, with a tall one-box design and relatively narrow tracks.

Audi chairman Rupert Stadler has said electric drive is a priority

Electric car runs over 1,000 km without recharge

The Japan Electric Vehicle Club has succeeded in getting an electric car to run 1,003.184 kilometers without a recharge, far surpassing the world record they achieved last year.

The group said it will ask Guinness World Records to officially recognize the journey, completed at an auto racing driving course in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, as the world’s longest.

It said the vehicle, which was equipped with Sanyo Electric Co’s lithium-ion battery system, ran for about 27 and a half hours until around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, at a speed of about 40 km per hour. A total of 17 people took turns at the wheel.

Driving the same brushless DC powered Daihatsu Mira Van as used to set the World Record at 555.6 km (345 miles) in November 2009, the team were able to reduce energy consumption to as little as 60.5 Wh/km.

The car carried the same 74 kWh battery pack as used for the previous record with most of the improvement credited to the use of an oval track instead of public roads, weight reduction (including an ultra light weight carbon fiber Recaro seat) and reduced rolling resistance tires provided by Toyo.


MIRA-EV 1000 km

100% Battery Electric Chevy Volt in the Works

When the Chevrolet Volt finally hits the market this November, it will mark the end of a long and highly publicized journey for the Volt team. Or will it? According to several reports, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz has said that the company is already developing a spin-off of the Volt, this one without the car’s 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine/generator. Yep, that would make it a pure EV, or “BEV” (for battery electric vehicle).

GM spokesman Shad Balch says that GM expects some of the Volt’s more fanatical customers to simply yank out the Volt’s gas engine and its supporting components, including the fuel tank and exhaust systems, while reprogramming the car’s computers so as to access most or all of the Volt’s 16 kWh of battery power. (The Volt currently allows the lithium-ion battery pack to operate only in its “sweet spot,” between a 30 and 80 percent state of charge, in order to prolong its life.)

Even with the considerably lighter weight that would come with the engine-ectomy, the Volt’s 400-plus-mile range would be seriously curtailed. But there are people willing to live with such limitations, Balch says, and GM would like to have something to offer them. It would also give GM a credible (and far more attractive) BEV to go up against Nissan’s new Leaf. A GM-built version would add battery capacity in place of the engine in order to increase the range beyond the current car’s 40-mile electric-only barrier.

Furthermore, a Volt BEV would pave the way for other GM BEVs. Just as the Volt’s E-REV technology could be fitted to the Cruze, with which it shares a platform, the BEV technology could be adapted to other small GM products like, say, the upcoming Aveo replacement, or the all-new Spark minicar (another car aptly named for electric propulsion).

Having an all-electric variant could also make it easier for Chevy to cast the standard Volt as an electric car with a range-extending engine versus a plug-in hybrid. No word, however, on how much a Volt BEV might cost relative to the E-REV version, nor how long we’ll have to wait before we might see it.

Nissan Introduces Quick EV Charger

Nissan Motor Co. announced today that it is commencing sales of Nissan-developed quick chargers through its regional parts sales affiliates in preparation for the December release of its Nissan LEAF, the all new zero emission car.

Nissan developed the quick charger in-house, applying its R&D expertise accumulated in development of EVs and related plant equipment which already installed its EV production plants. This gives the quick charger a competitive pricing advantage at the manufacturer's preferred price of 1.47 million yen.

Nissan plans to install 200-volt standard chargers at 2,200 Nissan dealers nationwide before December, 2010. In addition to that these quick chargers will be available at 200 selected dealers as well. For the convenience of Nissan LEAF drivers, at least one quick-charge unit will be available within a 40-kilometer radius throughout the country.

Nissan-made Quick Charger
Four main features
1. Safety
For safety, the charger maintains close communication with the vehicle, including various safety equipment like an anti-short-circuit monitor. Also it can be used under every climate.

2. Broad compatibility
The product follows the CHAdeMO protocol (*1) so it works not only with Nissan EVs but with those of other auto makers' EVs as well.

3. Temperature durability
In addition to the standard model, Nissan offers variants for hot and cold climates.

4. Competitively priced
The equipment and high technology of Nissan plants eliminate waste in the production process and make the charger elegantly simple, allowing a very competitive price.

Nissan Level III Fast Charger
	Standard	Hot-climate	Cold-climate
Model No.	NSQC-44-A-1	NSQC-44-B-1	NSQC-44-C-1
Rated input	49kW three-phase 200VAC
Output voltage	to 500VDC
Output current	to 125A
Power supply connector	Compatible with JEVS G 105-1993
Optimal operating temp. range	-10~40 °C	-10~50 °C	-20~40 °C
Special features		Cooling system	Heater and cold-safe cable

Maryland Signs Two Bills to Quicken Acceptance of Electric Vehicles

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D) today signed two bills into law that will support advanced vehicle propulsion technology and help spur early consumer acceptance of electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt.

The Maryland legislation includes two important consumer incentives:

1) Access for plug-in electric vehicles to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of the number of passengers. This legislation will take effect October 1, 2010 and last for three years.

2) A $2,000 excise motor vehicle tax credit for the purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle. Consumer’s will be able to take advantage of this incentive at the point of sale and can combine the $2,000 with an existing $7,500 federal tax credit. The tax credit applies to vehicles titled in Maryland between October 1, 2010 through July 1, 2013.

“This important tax credit not only helps promote the use of cleaner, more energy efficient vehicles throughout our State to help our environment, but it’s an important economic development tool as well,” said Governor O’Malley. “We’ve set a bold goal of creating 100,000 new green jobs over the next several years, and investments like this new electric vehicle tax credit helps us build towards that green infrastructure that GM and others are leading the way on in Maryland.”

“Consumer incentives such as access to HOV lanes and tax credits make a real difference in the market place and can drive consumers to adopt new technologies,” said Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman, GM Global Product Operations. “GM commends Governor O’Malley and the state of Maryland for recognizing the important role these new vehicle technologies and the Chevrolet Volt will play in addressing the energy and climate priorities of the state and our country.”

The Washington D.C. metro market is one of three key markets – along with California and Michigan – where Chevrolet will begin selling the Volt. Each market has progressive local and state government leaders and utility partners. Volt production begins later this year.

Aquamarine Power officially releases Oyster 2 design

Scottish wave energy developer Aquamarine Power has formally unveiled the design of its Oyster 2 device. The 800 kilowatt wave energy converter (WEC) will be built at an as-yet-undisclosed Scottish fabrication yard.

It will deliver 250 percent more power than its forerunner, the Oyster 1, which was successfully connected to the UK national grid at the European Marine Energy Centre (Emec) in Orkney last year.

As well as being more powerful, the Oyster 2 has been redesigned to streamline installation and make maintenance and repair easier. Three of the machines will be deployed at Emec next summer via a single link to an onshore 2.4 megawatt (MW) hydroelectric turbine. “This is a significant step forward for Aquamarine Power,” says chief executive Martin McAdam.

“Our engineering and research team have taken all of the lessons learned through the design, manufacture, installation and operation of Oyster 1 and incorporated these into Oyster 2.”

Though the WEC concept is “exactly the same” according to McAdam, Aquamarine Power has honed “every element of that design, from the size and shape of the Oyster flap, to the hydraulic power take-off and pipeline system," he says. Like the original device, the Oyster 2 has few moving parts. Its hydraulic elements are modular, so they can be “swapped in and out as maintenance is required”, says the company.

The Oyster 2 is a near-shore WEC that operates as a hinged flap. Installed on the seabed, the top half flexes back and forth as waves move over it. This motion drives a pair of hydraulic pistons that pump high pressure water to shore where it turns a conventional hydroelectric power plant to generate electricity. A wave-farm made up of 20 Oyster 2 devices would provide enough energy for more than 12,000 homes, according to Aquamarine Power’s calculations.

Lance Armstrong to Become First Nissan Leaf Owner

Nissan has partnered with cycling legend Lance Armstrong to help promote the LEAF electric car.

Nissan is positioning the vehicle as being aligned with a healthy living lifestyle. They will be providing a fleet of 40 LEAFs to accompany cyclists in the Amgen Tour of California. This is a part of Nissan’s larger Master the Shift campaign which will also be an element of the NYC Marathon in the fall.

Not only will Armstrong promote the LEAF in the media, but apparently will become its first owner.

According to Nissan Director of Marketing and Media Erich Marx, Armstrong, who lives in Austin Texas, will take delivery of his LEAF on September 1st.

The cars will roll out to the greater public in December.

Armstrong supports electric cars because of his experience as a cycling athlete who has been subjected to tailpipe exhaust from cars he shares the roads with. He considers the pollution not only unhealthy but a performance reducer. The LEAF, he says is “the next level.”

Tesla and Toyota to Work Jointly on EV Development

Well we finally know who Tesla's manufacturing engineering partner will be for the Model S plant and they couldn't have picked a better company.

Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) today announced that they intend to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support.

The two companies intend to form a team of specialists to further those efforts. TMC has agreed to purchase $50 million of Tesla’s common stock issued in a private placement to close immediately subsequent to the closing of Tesla’s currently planned initial public offering.

The cars will be made at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., known as Nummi, an auto plant that was a joint venture between General Motors Co. and Toyota in Fremont. Nummi had closed earlier this year.

NUMMI was until last year a joint venture launched in 1983 between Toyota and General Motors. At its peak the factory employed 5,700 people. The last car — a red Toyota Corolla — rolled off the line in April, bringing to nearly 8 million the number of vehicles built there.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company was interested in NUMMI because it already has extensive tooling — which will buy the company some time as it rushes to produce the Model S. Musk said negotiations concluded Monday and Tesla “will be occupying a little corner” of the factory, which sits on 380 acres and cranked out 400,000 cars in 2006. He said Tesla will employ 1,000 people at the factory.

“I sensed the great potential of Tesla’s technology and was impressed by its dedication to monozukuri (Toyota’s approach to manufacturing),” said TMC President Akio Toyoda. “Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future.”

“Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla,” said Tesla CEO and cofounder Elon Musk. “We look forward to learning and benefiting from Toyota’s legendary engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise.”

TMC has, since its foundation in 1937, operated under the philosophy of “contributing to the society through the manufacture of automobiles,” and made cars that satisfy its many customers around the world. TMC introduced the first-generation Prius hybrid vehicle in 1997, and produced approximately 2.5 million hybrids in the twelve years since. Late last year, TMC started lease of Prius Plug-in Hybrids, which can be charged using an external power source such as a household electric outlet.

This deal will also include the joint development of a brand new, $30,000 electric car, that will contain Tesla’s powertrain design, with everything else built by Toyota. This will effectively replace the Lotus chassis of the Roadster with a Toyota chassis. A steel bodied, standardized platform, vehicle could prove a much faster route to market for Tesla compared to gearing up to manufacture the relatively low volume Model S which is proposed to use an Aluminium Monocoque chassis, an option few auto makes choose due to higher cost and the requirement of non-standard production methods.

Less than one month ago Tesla announced a battery supply deal with Panasonic, which itself is also already in joint battery venture with Toyota, and in February Tesla hired a former Toyota production engineering general manager Gilbert Passin to lead Tesla's vehicle manufacturing operations. It's not hard to imagine that Musk has been networking his way towards this deal for quite some time and full marks for pulling it off. One of the worlds smallest auto makers teaming up with one of the biggest, not bad for a company that owns virtually no IP.



Toyota

Nissan Leaf Reservations Reach 17,000 in US and Japan

Nissan announced they had reached 12,000 reservation for the US late Tuesday night, saying “Thanks to all of you who have made a reservation for a Nissan Leaf, we surpassed 12k today!”

While the number had reached 9,500 as of the last update late last week, orders had slowed somewhat because the reservation system had only been open to those who had expressed an earlier interest in purchasing or learning about Nissan’s electric car.

That changed this past Saturday as anyone in the US now has the opportunity to put their refundable $99 deposit down; and it showed in the bookings with the number jumping by 2,500 units in the past 72 hours.

Nissan aim to have 25,000 reservations in the US by the end of 2010 and have fill 48% of those slots within the first month alone.

A rundown on Toyota Prius' Intelligent Park Assist (w/Video)

PriusChat member Radarguy has put together a great video on all of the different ways you can use the Prius' Intelligent Park Assist function.

Intelligent Park Assist is a feature found in the 2010 Prius V Advanced Technology Package.

This video should probably be mandatory viewing for Prius buyers, you can learn more about the system by watching a 6 minute video than you can by reading the manual.

BMW On Verge Of Vehicle Production Revolution

BMW boss Norbert Reithofer says the firm is “on the verge of revolutionising vehicle production” with its forthcoming Megacity electric car project.

Speaking at the firm’s annual accounts meeting, Reithofer confirmed that the Megacity will be launched in 2013 as a BMW sub-brand. He also stated that it will be built in Leipzig in Germany, although Wackersdorf and Landshut will also be involved.

“We keep investing in Germany as a production location - particularly in the field of future-orientated hi-tech,” said Reithofer. “That is BMW.”

BMW has recently agreed to invest £68m in a joint venture with SGL Carbon to build a carbonfibre manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, Washington, in the United States. The site is believed to have been particularly attractive to BMW because of the ready availability of hydro-electric power in the region.

“The assignment we have given ourselves from the very beginning is to develop a Megacity vehicle that will be a zero-emission vehicle,” said Reithofer. “And it will be sustainable throughout its entire lifecycle. Simply put, we are on the verge of revolutionising vehicle production.

“We will apply carbon and carbon-reinforced materials at a scope unprecedented in series vehicle production,” he added.

“Just name one competitor who tackles the topics of future mobility and sustainability so comprehensively.”

The Megacity will be a five-seat Golf-size family car - but the brand is likely to grow and include a range of models, including sports cars.

BYD E6 Electric taxis hit roads in south China city

Forty all-electric taxis, believed to be the first to go into service in China, were officially launched Monday in southern Guangdong Province's Shenzhen City.

Shenzhen was the first city to have officially put electric taxis in operation in China, said Hu Jianping, president of Shenzhen Bus Group (SBG) at the launch ceremony.

"The E6 cars' ET (environment technology) batteries give off zero emissions and cause no harm to the environment," said Wang Chuanfu, chief executive of BYD, manufacturer of the electric taxis.

The five-passenger E6, with a maximum speed of 140 km/h, consumed 21.5 KWH of power per 100 km and could run about 300 km on one charge, a record for a vehicle of its kind, Wang said.

The electric taxis are being operated by Pengcheng Electric Taxi Co., Ltd, a joint venture of BYD and SBG.

They were priced a little over 40,000 U.S. dollars each, Wang said.

BYD plans to have 100 E6 taxis on Shenzhen's roads by the end of June. The company expects to start selling E6 cars to the United States through its headquarters in Los Angeles later this year, he said.

Wang said BYD would try to roll out E6 in the European market in February 2011, but gave no details.

The electric taxis were an important measure to build a low-carbon urban transport system and Shenzhen planned to have more such taxis on its roads, said Vice Mayor Zhang Siping.

If all-electric taxis could be promoted across China, it would greatly improve the air quality in cities, said Huang Yonghe, an expert at the China Automobile Technology and Research Center.

Delos Aerospace Developing Wheel Motor Landing Gear System for Aircraft

Delos Aerospace has announced technology to reduce aircraft fuel burn reducing greenhouse gas production and increase airport and aircraft capacity utilization.

Delos holds two patents for technology that provides for the optimal efficiency in aircraft ground maneuvering by incorporating the use of in-wheel electric motor/generators that are capable of producing sufficient power density to effectively maneuver aircraft of any weight on the ground, and provide for safer and more effective braking of the landing gear wheels.

This revolutionary technology is a total systems integration of a fully electric landing gear and maneuvering system wherein axial flux disk motor/generators replace the old friction disk technology providing increased braking and maneuvering capability to the aircraft wherein there are many engineering benefits to eliminating the heat generated within friction based braking systems.

This fully integrated electric braking and maneuvering system and method allows for higher levels of effective braking and maneuvering capability to be applied to aircraft without the use of jet engines which is a safer and more effective braking and maneuvering system (forward, reverse and steering) than current systems used at a reduced overall weight that can also assist in takeoff thus allowing for reduced thrust levels required by the jet engines wherein these applications reduces the required fuel weight by 1200 lbs for average airline flight times of 60-90 minutes and over 4,000 lbs for larger airliners that might fly out of LaGuardia Airport for example thus directly impacting payload and range capacity.

Currently jet and turbofan aircraft require tow motors or tugs to push the aircraft backward into the designated taxiway. This is an added operational cost in ground support material and personnel for the airline or cargo operator. By eliminating the need to wait for, attach, and detach tow motors or tugs aircraft can enter and exit gates faster thus reducing between-flight turnaround times which directly impacts Airport capacity utilization and airline operators' revenue. This means that on many routes, total trip times can be reduced, enabling an aircraft to make more flights per day thus increasing an airline's capital-asset utilization rate.

Delos technology can provide for increases in airline operators' revenue by eliminating fuel burn during ground maneuvers, reduce fuel burn at takeoff, reduce gate charges, reduce turnaround cost, and provide for reductions in MRO costs due to brake system overhauls and reduced maintenance frequency of the jet engines thus ensuring that airplanes spend more time serving passengers.

There is the added benefit of reduced air and noise pollution in and around airports thus significantly impacting the environment that is of a growing concern among many.

Overall operating cost savings from incorporating Delos technology are expected to total 2.6 to 2.8 million USD a year per commercial airliner aircraft.

Principal benefits of Delos technology include:

. Fuel savings. With Delos technology the primary engines need be turned on only at the end of the runway, immediately before takeoff, and can be turned off immediately after landing. Delos technology will brake the aircraft upon landing by converting the kinetic energy of the aircraft into electrical power and store that electrical power onboard the aircraft using lightweight nano enhanced ultra-capacitors. The stored energy is later used to motor the aircraft wheels in the taxiways and runways. For many short-haul routes (60-90 minutes), taxiing and takeoff-waiting times can be a large fraction of total trip time 20-33%, and the fuel savings on these routes can be substantial for large commercial airline operators.

. Faster flight turnarounds. By eliminating the need to wait for, attach, and detach tow motors or tugs, aircraft can enter and exit gates faster, reducing between-flight turnaround times. This means that on many routes, total trip times can be reduced, enabling an aircraft to make more flights per day and increasing an airline's capital-asset utilization rate.

. Decreased operational cost due to the fact that there are no friction disk to be replaced due to wear as magnetic torque is used to brake the aircraft wherein there are no friction disk wear items thus no need to overhaul the braking system and thus no need to remove the aircraft from service.

. Reduced engine wear. By reducing the throttle setting on the jet engine during assisted take-off and reducing the time the engines are running, wear-and-tear are reduced on the aircraft engines thus reducing the frequency of mandatory engine maintenance.

. Reduced airport charges for towing and gate usage.

. Reduced air and noise pollution in and around airports. The environmental benefits of Delos technology for airport neighborhoods will be substantial.

. Elimination of tug stress damage to aircraft. Aircraft are occasionally damaged when a tug stops but the aircraft it is towing (with much larger mass) does not thus applying stress damage the aircraft; Delos technology eliminates this risk and cost.

Any airplane can be equipped with Delos technology including civilian craft such as Boeing and Airbus jetliners, regional and business jets, as well as military aircraft ranging from transports and refueling craft, bombers, fighters and unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs.

Delos technology when implemented into aircraft represents a radical advance in landing gear technology and design implementation, eliminating the same materials and components that have existed for decades. Delos major advance is in implementing a fully integrate electrical motor/generator system within the landing gear wheels for use in a fully electrical aircraft landing gear system that has a feedback capability that is 1000 times faster than hydraulically actuated systems and is 100 times faster than the latest electrically actuated systems thus the effectiveness of the ABS and automatic braking are much higher adding to the safety level of the aircraft.

Conventional friction based brakes actually prevent effective levels of braking from occurring at very high power levels due to the fact that friction based systems are much slower in feedback capability than that of a fully electrical system and the braking capacity diminishes as the friction based brakes heat up and is known as brake fade. As a result, Delos technology provides for a higher level of effective braking and is more capable to meet the challenge of braking a large commercial aircraft, whether it is a 737, 787 or even an A380. Friction-based brakes can also affect the aircraft turn around time as they require time to cool down before they can be used again (30 minutes or more).

The heat generated by the friction disk within the wheel hub migrates to the tires and causes the tire to balloon or stretch and requires additional material to prevent the tire from exploding thus adding weight to the tire structure. Thus redesign could allow for further weight reductions in tire and wheel structures further improving fuel burn.

There is the added benefit of adding gyroscopic stabilization to the aircraft by spinning up the landing gear tires prior to touchdown minimizing wake vortex wind influence caused by preceding large aircraft thus increasing the level of safety for smaller aircraft which could allow for shorter separation distances for aircraft thus further increasing airport capacity.

Also by matching the tires rotational velocity with the relative ground speed the impulse of the landing event which normally causes the tires to spin up from zero rpm to over 1000 rpm in one half a second is eliminated thus reducing the impulse stress on the aircraft landing gear and airframe which also increases the passenger comfort by reducing the physical jolt experienced during a landing event with the added benefit of starting out in a rolling friction state as opposed to a sliding friction state as with current friction disk braking systems. Effective braking only occurs in the rolling friction state thus effective braking can be implemented immediately at touchdown not a few moments later when the tires are up to speed as is the case when landing on a contaminated landing surface such as that due to ice and/or snow.