Tesla Motors shares soar on day 2 of trading

Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. continued soaring on Wednesday, a day after the electric car maker's blowout public offering.

Investors remain bullish on Tesla. Before its shares began trading on Tuesday, the Palo Alto, Calif., company increased the amount of stock it planned to sell and priced the shares at a higher-than-expected $17 each.

The strong demand helped send the stock soaring 40 percent in its first day of trading -- the second-biggest gain for an IPO this year. The gain was all the more impressive for coming on a day when broader indexes closed down about 3 percent and the Dow Jones industrials fell below 10,000.

Shares of Tesla surged $4.60, or 19.3 percent, to $28.49 in midday trading, having earlier reached $30.42.

Rapid growth seen for wireless charging devices

Nearly 235 million electronics devices with wireless charging capability are projected to ship in 2014, a 65-fold increase from the 3.6 million expected to ship this year, according to a forecast by market research firm iSuppli Corp.

ISuppli (El Segundo, Calif.) predicts that a flood of electronic products with wireless charging capability will hit the market in coming years, giving users a break from the myriad of tangled cords used to repower electronic gadgets like mobile phones, notebook PCs, digital cameras and others.

The firm defines product-specific wireless charging systems as those consisting of a charger as well as a so-called "skin" or receiver sold for specific devices. These product-specific devices contrast with aftermarket solutions, which comprise universal chargers and various skins that can be utilized with multiple consumer electronics, according to iSuppli.

"While a number of serious challenges continue to present barriers to immediate wide adoption, wireless chargers will start shipping in meaningful volume this year and then quickly ramp up as the devices achieve greater market acceptance," said Tina Teng, senior analyst for wireless research at iSuppli, in a statement.

Among the challenges that need to be overcome, Teng stressed that manufacturers need to consider how to integrate wireless charging into the design of printed circuit boards. Significant adoption of wireless charging technology will be needed to drive down costs, she said.

Teng predicted that wireless charging devices would over the next five years find their way into an increasing number of applications, particularly in mobile phones.

Of the four current wireless charging technologies in place today, magnetic inductive is the most widely adopted, according to iSuppli. Based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, in which current generated from the induced magnetic field in the receiver coil is used to charge devices, the technology enjoys wide support from semiconductor vendors, device manufacturers, accessories makers as well as retailers, according to the firm.

The most successful proponent of magnetic induction is Powermat Inc., a Michigan-based company founded in 2009 that also owned 62 percent share of the wireless charging market in 2009, according to iSuppli.

ISuppli also predicts growth for aftermarket wireless charging, with revenue rising at a massive five-year compound annual growth rate of 133.4 percent, according to the firm.

Closer look at the Pikes Peak record smashing EV buggy

Courtesy of Autoblog Green we have found a few more Youtube videos featuring the Sanyo / Yokohama sponsored Electric Sports Buggy Concept HER-02 that smashed the electric vehicle record by over 75 seconds, enjoy.

Honda's new hybrid to be cheapest in Japan

Honda's new hybrid car will cost one fifth less than the cheapest hybrid on the Japanese market, according to a newspaper report, a move that may make hybrids low profit margin models for automakers.

The new car will cost around 1.5 million yen ($16,570), making it the cheapest hybrid in Japan when it goes on sale this autumn, the Nikkei business daily said.

It will cost about 400,000 yen less than the Insight, Honda's other hybrid offering, and about 200,000 yen more than Honda's popular gasoline-powered Fit compact car, it said.

"Lower prices are good for consumers but not for shareholders," said Yoshihiko Tabei, an analyst at Kazaka Securities.

He added that the reported price was lower than the market had expected and could lead to a punishing price war with Toyota as well as put both automakers at a disadvantage when compared with rivals who just focus on higher margin gasoline-powered vehicles.

"Toyota has finally begun enjoying profits on the Prius and Honda is barely making profits on the Insight. It will be tough for them to make profits on hybrids."

A Honda spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

The new hybrid will be based on the Fit and share core components with the Insight, reducing Honda's development costs, the Nikkei said, adding that it will be able to travel 30 kilometres on a litre of gasoline, compared with the Fit's 24 kilometres per litre.

Price competition between Honda and Toyota in the growing hybrid car market has heated up since the debut of the Insight hybrid in February 2009, which was quickly followed by the launch of the cheapest-ever Toyota Prius hybrid.

The relatively low prices of the two latest flagship hybrids, as well as tax incentives for green cars, has helped popularise hybrid cars in Japan.

"With prices in the popular range of 1.5 to 1.6 million yen and with the performance of a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle, hybrids will be increasingly popular even without tax incentives," Tabei said.

Tesla raises $226 million in 1st U.S. carmaker IPO in 54 years

Tesla Motors Inc., the electric car company that hasn't posted a profit, raised $226 million selling shares above its forecast price range in the first initial public offering of a U.S. automaker in a half-century.

The maker of the $109,000 electric Roadster bought by Brad Pitt and George Clooney sold 13.3 million shares at $17 each after offering them for $14 to $16, according to Bloomberg data and a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The California green car maker will use the proceeds to pay for factories and possible acquisitions, the SEC filing showed.

The IPO was the first by an American car company since Ford Motor Co. in 1956. CEO Elon Musk, who has staked his personal fortune to Tesla after making almost $300 million selling PayPal Inc. and Zip2 Corp., is using the offering to fund a startup that expects to lose more money in the next two years as it tries to build a battery-powered sedan.

The sale came after at least 35 companies worldwide postponed or withdrew IPOs since the start of May as the European debt crisis sent the Standard & Poor's 500 Index down as much as 14 percent from its 2010 high.

Tesla will start trading Tuesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker TSLA. New York-based Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co., along with Deutsche Bank AG of Frankfurt, led Tesla's offering.

Obama's backing

Electric-car technology has been supported by U.S. policy makers including President Barack Obama as a way to reduce the nation's oil use and dependence on foreign energy sources. Obama set a goal of getting 1 million plug-in hybrids and electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015 and subsidized Tesla with a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy to develop its cars.

Musk, Tesla's biggest shareholder, co-founded PayPal, the online payment company now owned by EBay Inc., and is CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Inc., a California company that builds spacecraft.

He has spent more than $70 million of his own money on Tesla while selling about 1,000 Roadsters to film stars, musicians and battery-car advocates.

While the automaker has burned through $230.5 million in cash and posted losses in every quarter since it was founded in July 2003, Tesla attracted Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest automaker, which planned to buy $50 million of shares alongside the IPO.

Tesla and Toyota said they may cooperate on electric- vehicle development, though they haven't signed agreements to do so, filings show. Google Inc.'s founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the government of Abu Dhabi and Daimler AG are also investors.

Relative value

Tesla's net loss in the first quarter almost doubled to $29.5 million from a year earlier. The deficit is more than half the $55.7 million the carmaker lost in all of 2009.

At the original midpoint price of $15, Tesla was valued at 5.5 times its net tangible assets, a measure of shareholder equity that excludes assets that can't be sold in liquidation. That's triple the median 1.82 times for automotive companies globally, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Tesla will use the IPO and the federal loan to develop its lithium-ion battery-powered Model S, a $57,400 electric sedan intended to travel 160 miles (257 kilometers) per charge, by 2012. The company plans to produce at least 20,000 units of the Model S each year.

Federal loan, divorce

Under terms of the federal loan, Musk and certain affiliates must retain 65 percent of their stock in Tesla for a year after completing the Model S project. Meanwhile, Musk is in the midst of a highly publicized and litigious divorce proceeding. Those proceedings won't result in the combined stake falling below 65 percent or have a material impact on his ability to serve as CEO, according to filings.

As Tesla focuses on creating a niche for premium-priced electric vehicles, Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are developing battery-powered vehicles to appeal to mainstream buyers.

Nissan's electric Leaf hatchback, which has a range of 100 miles, goes on sale in the U.S. later this year with a base price of $32,780, or a third that of Tesla's Roadster.

GM plans to introduce the Chevrolet Volt electric car in November. The automaker is preparing for an IPO that may sell 20 percent of the Treasury's stake in the company and reduce the U.S. to a minority owner, two people familiar with the plan said last week.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said the automaker has received more than 20,000 orders for the Leaf globally, and is prepared to build as many as 500,000 electric cars annually by 2012. Japan's third-largest automaker reported revenue of $81.1 billion in its fiscal year ended March 31.

Tesla had revenue of $112 million last year.

Toyota starts UK production of hybrid car

Toyota, the world's largest automaker, launched production of Europe's first full hybrid vehicle on Monday at its car factory in Burnaston, in a boost to Britain's battered auto industry.

The first European-made hybrid version of Toyota's Auris hatchback rolled off the production line under the watchful eye of the government's business minister Vince Cable.

"Toyota's decision to make Burnaston the only plant in the world to build the Hybrid Auris is a strong endorsement of the UK as a manufacturing base for the next generation of cars," said Cable, after touring the Burnaston plant.

"It is sending a signal to manufacturers that if you're not in the UK, then you're missing out on all the strengths and skills that the UK has to offer."

The new Auris Hybrid Synergy Drive car, which uses both a traditional petrol engine and an electric motor, will arrive at British car showrooms on July 1.

The model will be assembled at Burnaston, in Derbyshire, while the engines will be produced in Deeside, northern Wales. They are the first hybrid engines to be made outside of Japan.

Production of the Auris car will help safeguard around 400 jobs at the two factories.
"The UK has proved to be a valuable business partner," said Toyota's Motor Europe president Didier Leroy on Monday.

"Building on almost 20 years of manufacturing experience, Toyota's team members continue to deliver the quality, efficiency and flexibility needed to meet the exacting standards of our customers in Europe.
]
"A new chapter is opening today as Britain, a traditional origin of industrial innovation, becomes home to the manufacture of the first full hybrid vehicle for Europe," Leroy added.

Katsunori Kojima, managing director of Toyota Manufacturing UK, said the group was "proud" to begin British production.

"It is a proud day for Toyota Manufacturing UK as we celebrate the official start of production of the Auris Hybrid Synergy Drive, yet another premium quality model to be built in Britain," Kojima added.

"To manufacture a world-class vehicle you need a world-class team and the commitment and dedication of our members has been crucial."

Pikes Peak EV record smashed by 75 seconds

Japanese driver Ikuo Hanawa at the wheel of a Yokohama sponsored Electric Sports Buggy Concept HER-02 smashed the electric vehicle record by over 75 seconds, climbing silently (save computer-generated warning beeps) to the top of the mountain in 13:17.575 a full one and a half minute improvement on the time set last year of 14:50.754.

Using Sanyo lithium-ion batteries providing power to the 200 kw AC Propulsion powertrain, Hanawa piloted to the end of the 12.4-mile, 156-turn course and the top of the 14,110-foot peak. The Electric Vehicle record stood at 14:33.12, set in 2003 by Jeri Unser in an AC Propulsion powered car sponsored by Compact Power, a subsidiary of LG, the same company contracted to supply batteries to General Motors for the Chevy Volt.

The EV record was originally set by Honda in 1999 at 15:19.91 using a full bodied 1997 Honda EV PLUS Type R. The outright record at Pikes Peak is 10:01.41 set by Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima' in the Unlimited Class.

Riversimple looking for Australian partners

Three founders behind the British Riversimple ‘open-source’ hydrogen fuel-cell electric city car are touring Australia to sound out interest among automotive suppliers and government agencies.

In Melbourne last week as part of their mission to spread the Riversimple message was Riversimple founder and team leader Hugo Spowers, a former motor racing engineer.

Mr Spowers said: “We are seeking international partners to enter joint ventures and pursue the Riversimple model in regions across the world, tailoring the vehicle and the service to local needs and conditions.”

The Riversimple demonstration car is an interesting experimental vehicle said to have been developed for 'just' $A815,000, but the Riversimple business model is pretty ridiculous really.

Drivers are asked to lease the car for a monthly fee of around ₤200 ($A350) and a mileage charge of 15p (A$0.26c), which is around 13x the cost of running a plug-in battery EV from grid power. All fuel costs are included in the fees, with refueling provided by stations set up by Riversimple, of which there are currently none.

When a lease deal expires, the car will be refurbished at the factory and then leased again. Mr Spowers said the leasing idea would be extended to suppliers as well. Thus, Riversimple would lease an electric motor from the supplier, install it in a car and then lease the car.

Aside from the inherent disadvantages of using hydrogen as a fuel, Riversimple want to make buying the car and/or the fuel it runs on from any source other than them simply impossible. Not exactly 'open' source then is it? Sounds more like the Apple Computer closed shop business model.

Read more GoAuto

Closer look at the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-CELL

As in the Audi E-Tron, power in the SLS AMG E-CELL is routed through four electric motors, one at each wheel. With 526 hp and 649 lb-ft of torque—the latter available from 0 rpm—the SLS E-CELL is in league with some venerable supercars, even though it tips the scales at a considerable 4400 pounds.

Before you mat the throttle, consider the appropriate driving program. In the Comfort setting, the SLS shows its soft side, utilizing just 40 percent of the motors' capability and exhibiting cautious responses to inputs. Switch to Sport, and throttle response gets a bit sharper and 60 percent of the power and torque become available. In Sport Plus, you get a super-aggressive throttle and the entire 526 hp. In Comfort and Sport, applying full throttle still gets you full power in an instant. An additional mode, Manual, acts like Sport Plus but switches off regenerative braking entirely.

If you have so far associated electric cars with ridiculous, humming boxes on wheels, hang on. This car catapults you into another dimension. In the SLS E-CELL, getting from rest to 62 mph takes a four seconds flat; 130 mph, less than twelve. At 50 or 60, triple-digit speeds are mere seconds away, and the charge forward happens in utter silence. "Surreal" is a proper description for the acoustic character of this silent predator.

Autobahn credentials are standard, with a top speed governed at 155 mph. Ungoverned, 165 would be possible. That's shy of the 197 mph reached by the regular SLS, but enough to get you a room in a U.S. county jail. We were impressed by the absence of rattles, noises, and whines up to velocities well over 100 mph. At these speeds, a Tesla Roadster feels like a prototype, but this actual prototype seems ready for customer delivery. Incidentally, Mercedes insists that Tesla—in which it now has a stake of ownership—was in no way involved in the development of the E-CELL.

The SLS E-CELL offers four modes of regenerative braking, in addition to being completely off in the Manual powertrain setting, which leaves you "sailing" with minimal drivetrain drag. Paddles on the steering column allow you to gradually increase the resistance; steps one and two feel like a regular car coasting; step three is a bit more aggressive, and step four decelerates the SLS so strongly that AMG considered switching on the brake lights as soon as you take your foot of the accelerator. Unlike Tesla, AMG decided not to. This mode is perfect for extreme driving, when you are standing on one of the two pedals at all times anyway.



AMG has developed an entirely new front axle—a pushrod-actuated setup—which replaces the regular SLS's unequal-length control-arm design, and the steering is now electro-hydraulic. Like many similar systems, the steering could offer more feel and feedback. While we enjoy the silent, artificial character of the electric motors, we wouldn’t mind a bit more feedback from the chassis. Granted, this is a prototype, and as development progresses, it will benefit from torque vectoring, achieved by running the electric motors at different speeds.

This prototype carries a 48-kWh lithium-ion battery, but AMG hopes to fit the car with a 60-plus kWh battery pack when it becomes available to customers. The current range is about 90 miles, which is likely to grow to over 130 miles. The current claims are perhaps even conservative: After a sharply driven 60 miles, battery capacity was still around 30 percent. With a fast-charging station, it took just an hour to recharge the batteries to almost 100 percent. Extended trips still require planning, but the progress in battery technology is tangible.

If all goes according to plan, you will be able to buy the SLS E-CELL by late 2012 or early 2013—a half year or so after Audi launches the E-Tron. There is no word yet on pricing, but figure on a premium of $50K to $100K over the regular SLS. Just having the money won’t be enough to get you an E-CELL, though, as customers will be hand-picked.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-and-rear-motor, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $250,000
MOTOR TYPE: 4 AC synchronous electric motors; combined power rating, 526 hp, 649 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed direct drive
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.5 in Length: 182.6 in
Width: 76.3 in Height: 49.3 in
Curb weight: 4400 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 62 mph: 4.0 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph

Test Ride of the Brammo Electric Motorcycle (w/video)

The girls over at Earth2Tech.com have started a weekly TV series having a close up look at Green vehicles.

This week Katie Fehrenbacher gets the full run down and goes for a spin on the Brammo’s Enertia electric motorcycle.

Not too sure about the thumbs up at the end but she says it "super fun to ride".

Europe must lead in EV technology, GM's Reilly says

Europe must gain the technological lead in electric mobility or Asian rivals will "take the market," General Motors Europe President Nick Reilly said.

The speed in which Asia is moving up on battery and other technology is "amazing," Reilly, a former head of General Motors Co.'s international operations in Shanghai, said.

"We must not miss that boat and allow Asian manufacturers to enjoy our market opportunities," said Reilly, who is also CEO of Opel/Vauxhall.

He said most international studies project the eventual disappearance of combustion engines and their replacement by electric motors. Some forecasts expect the electric car to be a mass product within 10 years.

"During my years spent in Korea and China, I've come to admire the intellectual curiosity, the studiousness and the dedication of Asians," Reilly said. "China invests billions in the development of electric cars, battery technology and other alternative energy, leading to significant technology advancements and a rapid decrease in unit costs."

Reilly said European legislators could help the region's automakers by harmonizing green taxation and incentives and ending multiple technical specifications and requirements in the 27 EU member states.

"Europe will also need unprecedented technological breakthroughs and major investments. It will be even more important to balance out environmental, social and competitiveness objectives," he said.

"There is a massive shift of economic power to the East, and Europe must not be complacent. This means that we need to accept that more flexibility and hard work is required and that we need to be on the forefront of relevant education and r&d innovation," he said.

Shortage of engineers

Reilly said Opel is recruiting 250 new engineers for its technical development center in Ruesselsheim, Germany, but it was not that easy to find enough qualified engineers. "This shortage is a concern for many companies. We need to encourage the young to pursue their education in the fields of engineering and the sciences. For that they need viable and interesting job prospects," he said.

Opel plans to pump 1 billion euros from its five-year 11-billion euro investment plan into innovative and fuel-efficient powertrain technology.

"The introduction of a range of what you could call 'green' products is an integral part of our turnaround strategy," Reilly said.

Opel's “e-mobility-unlimited” strategy encompasses small battery electric cars for people who drive short distances in cities, extended-range electric vehicles for people who need a car to cover both long and short distances and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

"By 2012, 80 percent of our carlines will be three years old or less. In 2010 alone, this includes seven major launches and in 2011 we plan another five launches, most notably the extended-range electric vehicle Ampera, an industry-first in Europe," Reilly said.

Porsche Panamera has brake energy recuperation system

The eight-cylinder Panamera models are entering the next model year as of August 2010 with an even higher standard of all-round efficiency and new options. Particularly the new brake energy recuperation system featured as standard, together with optional 19-inch all-season tyres offering reduced roll resistance, give the Panamera Turbo a further improvement of fuel consumption by 0.9 litres/100 km.

As a result, the 500-horsepower top model now consumes just 11.3 litres instead of formerly 12.2 litres/100 km in the New European Driving Cycle, equal to 25.0 mpg imp (formerly 23.2 mpg imp) and a reduction of CO2 emissions by 21 grams per kilometre. The Panamera S and Panamera 4S now making do with just 10.3 ltr/100 km and, respectively, 10.6 ltr/100 km (equal to 27.4 and, respectively, 26.7 mpg imp in the NEDC), are likewise up to half a litre more efficient per 100 kilometres (equal to minus 11 grams CO2/km).

This increase in efficiency results primarily from brake energy recuperation, with the battery being charged primarily during application of the brakes and, respectively, in overrun. When accelerating, on the other hand, the field current in the alternator is reduced, minimising the load acting on the combustion engine since it is now required to deliver even less energy for charging the battery, instead making this energy available for even faster acceleration.

In conjunction with further improvements, this battery charging strategy on the Panamera Turbo saves no less than 0.7 litres on 100 kilometres, while newly developed, optional all-season tyres measuring 19 inches in diameter likewise serve to reduce fuel consumption by another 0.2 ltr/100 km on each model in the Panamera range. Together with the enhanced tread of the tyres, a special rubber compound serves to reduce roll resistance while at the same time increasing the mileage covered by the tyres. The Auto Start Stop function has also been optimised, now allowing the driver to set off again even faster and more comfortably after coming to a halt.

Fully Charged Episode 1 - Honda FCX Clarity (w/Video)

If you haven't subscribed to Robert Llewellyn's Fullycharged You tube channel then you may not be aware the first of his weekly episodes has now been uploaded. He's managed to get a drive in a Hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity.

The good news is Llewellyn, unlike the kretins at Top Gear, has the common sense to realize that a $2 Million proto-type is not exactly ready for prime time, and to be honest may never be. He also points out that charging his MiEV costs 1/10th the price of filling with Hydrogen.

The only point I'd make about Llewellyn's comments is those concerning the efficiency of Fuel Cells (FC) versus Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). Where an ICE fueled by petrol is approx 30% energy efficient and running on diesel is approx 40%, an FC isn't much better.

The Honda Vertical Flow hydrogen fuel cell stack runs an Aromatic electrolytic membrane but tellingly Honda do not publicly quote an energy efficiency figure for the device. The efficiency of a fuel cell is dependent on the amount of power drawn from it but they range in efficiency from 20-50% depending on the type of Electrolyte used, which is approx the same energy efficiency range as an ICE.

So aside from the fact that hydrogen is an energy carrier and there is a total lack of hydrogen infrastructure, compared to the electrical grid which reaches every building on the planet, a Fuel Cell car is simply an extended range EV that because it carries such a small battery pack that can't be plugged in, is over-all less energy efficient than an ICE based extended range EV such as the GM Volt.

Toshiba to build electric vehicle motors

Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday that it will begin building motors for electric and hybrid vehicles at its plants in Texas.

The Japanese conglomerate made the announcement after Ford Motor Co. awarded it a contract to make drive motors for Ford hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Toshiba plans to expand its Houston plant in January 2011 to handle the new manufacturing, with the first production of motors expected in 2012. It will be the company's first overseas manufacturing base for automotive propulsion motors.

The company said it hopes to capitalize on what it believes will be a major expansion in the global market for electric vehicles over the next decade.

EU sees solar power imported from Sahara in 5 yrs

Europe will import its first solar-generated electricity from North Africa within the next five years, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said in an interview on Sunday.

The European Union is backing projects to turn the plentiful sunlight in the Sahara desert into electricity for power-hungry Europe, a scheme it hopes will help meet its target of deriving 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 2020.

"I think some models starting in the next 5 years will bring some hundreds of megawatts to the European market," Oettinger told Reuters after a meeting with energy ministers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

He said those initial volumes would come from small pilot projects, but the amount of electricity would go up into the thousands of megawatts as projects including the 400 billion euro Desertec solar scheme come on stream.

"Desertec as a whole is a vision for the next 20 to 40 years with investment of hundreds of billions of euros," said Oettinger. "To integrate a bigger percentage of renewables, solar and wind, needs time."

The EU is backing the construction of new electricity cables, known as inter-connectors, under the Mediterranean Sea to carry this renewable energy from North Africa to Europe.

Some environmental groups have warned these cables could be used instead to import non-renewable electricity from coal- and gas-fired power stations in north Africa.

"This is a good question but not a question to destroy our project," Oettinger said. "This question must be answered by a good answer and so we need ways to ensure that our import of electricity is from renewables."

He said he believed it was technologically possible to monitor electricity imports to the EU and establish if they come from renewable sources or fossil fuels. "This question must be solved in the next years," he said.

SOLAR SUBSIDIES

The Desertec consortium includes major firms such as Siemens, RWE and Deutsche Bank. They are expected to seek public money for the project.

Oettinger said the EU's assistance was likely to include help coordinating stakeholders, updating regulations to allow the imported electricity to move across European borders, and financing feasibility studies.

On the prospect of EU subsidies, or the European Commission permitting state aid to firms involved in the project, he said that would become clear once the consortium has presented a detailed business plan.

Oettinger said all three energy ministers at the meeting in the Algerian capital sent a signal they were willing to build the infrastructure and common market rules needed to allow a trade in renewable electricity with Europe.

He countered concerns expressed in the past by some officials in Algeria that the project could involve Europeans exploiting north Africa's natural resources.

"Renewables are a two-way partnership because electricity produced here is for the home market of north African countries," he said.

"Maybe a bigger percentage of the electricity will be exported to Europe but at the same time we have to export the technology, tools, machines, experts, and so it's a real partnership, not only a partnership by selling and by buying."

Reuters

Cosworth preparing for KERS return

Cosworth is pushing ahead with revisions to ensure its engines are KERS-ready for 2011 as it ramps up efforts following its return to Formula 1 this year.

The Northampton-based company is supplying the three new teams plus Williams this season, and has exceeded all the performance targets - including power figures and fuel consumption - that it promised to make prior to its comeback.

With Cosworth keen to ensure a long-term future in F1, the company has been doing all it can to continue making improvements to its engine – and that now includes getting KERS-ready for next season.

"Our plans for 2011 are flat out," Cosworth's head of F1 operations Mark Gallagher said. "We want to make sure that we are well prepared for the return of KERS.

"Getting that done is a great deal more complicated than just letting the teams simply attach the systems. We need to reconfigure the engine, plus change the ancillaries – but that is what we are ready to do to ensure our teams can run KERS if they wish."

Williams has already confirmed that it will be running KERS next season, while Virgin Racing, HRT and Lotus Racing are all undecided yet – although costs will be the determining factor.

Although there has been speculation in recent weeks that Williams has been considering a switch to Renault, Gallagher said his company was expecting to remain with the Grove-based outfit.

"We have a three-year agreement, and there has been no evidence that that is going to change," said Gallagher.

It is understood that Cosworth has been in talks with a number of potential new teams about increasing its supply for 2011 – with the company having no problems with its capacity after originally also agreeing a deal with US F1 for this season before the team folded.

Close up look at the Capstone CMT-380 microturbine car (w/Video)

We've found a web video that has a close up look at the Capstone CMT-380 microturbine car. Sporting an AC Propulsion power train and a Capstone C30 micro gas turbine that feeds a 25 kWh Li-ion battery back, it's certainly unique amongst even EV supercars. Check out this week’s episode of Green Overdrive from Earth2Tech

EADS unveils four-engine electric aerobatic plane

EADS Innovation Works is casting its net wide in the search for solutions to aviation's environmental challenges. At the Green Aviation Show under way (June 18-22) in Le Bourget, Paris, EADS's research arm is presenting the first four-engined, all-electric aerobatic aircraft, based on the tiny Cri-Cri homebuilt.

Partnered by Aero Composites Saintonge and the Greencri-cri Association, EADS Innovation Works has presented Cri-Cri, the first-ever four-engined all-electric aerobatic plane, at the Green Aviation Show in Le Bourget from 18 to 22 June.

This aerobatic plane incorporates numerous innovative technologies such as lightweight composite structures that reduce the weight of the airframe and compensate for the additional weight of the batteries, four brushless electric motors with counter-rotating propellers which deliver propulsion without CO2 emissions and significantly lower noise compared to thermal propulsion, and high energy-density Lithium batteries.

The combined utilisation of these environment-friendly technical innovations enables the Cri-Cri to deliver novel performance values: 30 minutes of autonomous cruise flight at 110 km/h, 15 minutes of autonomous aerobatics at speeds reaching up to 250 km/h, and a climb rate of approximately 5.3 m/sec.

Set to undergo its first flight tests in the next few days, this four-engine electric plane paves the way for a new generation of environment-friendly high-performance aircraft.

Leaked: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell (w/Video)

Images of Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell have been leaked ahead of its official unveiling. The photos show the car wearing ‘AMG lumilectric magno’ paint work giving it a distinct look, quite apart from the colours that the rest of the SLS AMG was originally shown in. Mercedes have promised that this will be the worlds first all-electric supercar when it goes on sale in 2013.

The SLS AMG E-Cell will be powered by four electric motors situated at each wheel. Power will be equivalent to 519 instantaneous horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque allowing the E-Cell to glide effortlessly to 62mph (100kph) in just under 4 seconds. The lithium polymer batteries will be located behind the cockpit and down the center tunnel.

Other modifications to design include a new rear diffuser to produce more downforce, a multi-link front suspension with push-rod dampers is also now necessary at the front due to the extra space taken up by the front electric motors.
Enjoy the pictures and the videos, we’ll let you know when something official is released!

Capstone Launch CARB-Certified Microturbine for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Capstone Turbine Corporation today announced that it released configurations of the C30 liquid fuel microturbine that meet extremely low global emission standards including California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements for New On-Road Heavy-Duty Engines for Urban Bus - Hybrid service.

Test emissions from the C30 Liquid Fuel microturbine measured dramatically less than the emissions levels set forth by the CARB standard including NOX at 80% and CO at 99% less than the required levels.

The Capstone C30 Liquid Fuel microturbine is the only engine certified to the CARB emissions levels that went into effect for Model Year 2010 On-Road Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines to operate on diesel fuel with no exhaust after treatment, including urea injection or exhaust catalyst. Emissions were achieved using the next generation of Capstone's lean premix combustion technology. The result of no after treatment equipment allows Capstone to achieve these emission levels without impact to product efficiency, additional cost or increased vehicle weight.

"I am pleased that our engineering staff continues to identify unique solutions to technically challenging problems that address the needs of the future," said Mark Gilbreth, Capstone's Executive Vice President Operations and Chief Technology Officer. "We will continue to focus on developing cutting edge technology to reduce harmful emissions, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce product cost."

The Capstone C30 Liquid Fuel microturbine is the only diesel fueled range extender that has been certified to the CARB Urban Bus and Urban Bus Hybrid standard for operation on diesel fuel. Capstone recently completed third party testing and validation of its compressed natural gas (CNG) product and anticipates filing for CARB certification in the coming weeks.

"Having the only 2010 CARB certified range extender for heavy duty transit that does not require exhaust after treatment allows DesignLine to offer a product that meets market requirements and assists transit properties in lowering fleet emissions without incurring the additional cost of changing their existing fueling infrastructure or maintaining costly exhaust after treatment systems," said Brad Glosson, President and Chief Executive Officer of DesignLine Corporation. "This new certification will open sales in California and will help us win orders in all U.S. markets looking for world class emissions, improved fuel economy and lower maintenance costs."

"Hybrid Electric Vehicles present a unique market opportunity for Capstone's microturbine products," said Jim Crouse, Capstone's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We have a product that we believe is well positioned to meet continuing emission standard reductions and for the growing electric vehicle market looking for range extending solutions."

"Hybrid Electric Vehicle applications are a growing part of Capstone's business as countries continue to implement stringent emissions standards," said Darren Jamison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Turbine Corporation. "The ability to provide clean burning power generation helps meet California requirements today and sets the standard for other nations as they establish emissions requirements," added Jamison.

Work continues on Wheel Motor EV project

Work continues on the Evans Electric Wheel Motor EV project. Featuring all wheel drive, the four Axial Flux, 3 phase, AC Induction wheel motors are nearing completion and have been trial fitted to the vehicle.

The Wheel Motors are based on Linear Induction Motor (LIM) principles, each having an 8 pole, double sided stator with a 415 mm diameter ladder bar disc rotor producing up to 70 kw (95 hp) Peak.

The car has no conventional friction brakes as the AC Wheel Motors in regeneration will brake with as much torque as they accelerate right down to a stop. Because the Wheel Motors are inside all four 19" wheels, brake regeneration can be maximised as 70% of braking effort normally occurs on the front axle.

The battery pack, which weighs only 40 kg, is completed and has been fitted to the chassis via the standard fuel tank mounts. Using this location keeps the center of gravity as low as possible and provides weight distribution similar to that of a mid-engined sports car.

A123 lithium ion Nanophosphate batteries were chosen for their high 50C discharge rate which allows maximum power from the smallest possible battery pack. This keeps gross vehicle mass to a minimum, essential when demonstrating the blistering acceleration capabilities of these wheel motors. The high charge rate of these A123 cells will allow the recovery of as much regenerated brake energy as possible and 5 minute recharge times.

Stay tuned (subscribe to email or RSS) for more news as it breaks.

Source: Evans Electric

Northrop Grumman wins contract to build US Army's long-endurance hybrid airship

A new hybrid airship weapons system, just larger than the length of a football field, will take to the skies in just 18 months to provide an unblinking, persistent eye for more than three weeks at a time to aid U.S. Army troops in Afghanistan, according to Northrop Grumman Corporation.

The company today announced it has been awarded a $517 million agreement to develop up to three Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) systems for the U.S. Army. Northrop Grumman has designed a system with plug-and-play capability to readily integrate into the Army's existing common ground station command centers and ground troops in forward operating bases--the main objective to provide U.S. warfighters with persistent ISR capability to increase awareness of the ever changing battlefield.

"This opportunity leverages our longstanding leadership positions in developing innovative unmanned air vehicles, C4ISR weapon systems, and leading edge systems integration, and moves Northrop Grumman into this rapidly emerging market space of airships for the military and homeland defense arenas," said Gary Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector.

Under the agreement, awarded by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, Northrop Grumman will design, develop and test a long-duration hybrid airship system within an 18-month time period, and then transport the asset to the Middle East for military assessment.

"It is critical that our warfighters are equipped with more enabling integrated ISR capability to tackle today's and tomorrow's conflicts," said Alan Metzger, Northrop Grumman LEMV program manager. "Our offering supports the Army's Joint Military Utility Assessment that this disruptive innovation must meet the Army's objective of a persistent unblinking stare while providing increased operational utility to battlefield commanders. Part of our innovative offering includes open architecture design in the payload bay to allow sensor changes by service personnel in the field."

LEMV will sustain altitudes of 20,000 feet for a three-week period, and it will operate within national and international airspace. It will be forward-located to support extended geostationary operations from austere operating locations using beyond-line-of-sight command and control.

Northrop Grumman has teamed with Hybrid Air Vehicles, Ltd. of the United Kingdom using its HAV304 platform, Warwick Mills, ILC Dover, AAI Corporation, SAIC, and a team of technology leaders from 18 U.S. states to build LEMV. Northrop Grumman will provide system integration expertise and flight and ground control operations to safely take off and land the unmanned vehicle for worldwide operations.

Lithium Batteries Using Carbon Nanotubes Improve Capacity 10x

Batteries might gain a boost in power capacity as a result of a new finding from researchers at MIT. They found that using carbon nanotubes for one of the battery's electrodes produced a significant increase -- up to tenfold -- in the amount of power it could deliver from a given weight of material, compared to a conventional lithium-ion battery. Such electrodes might find applications in small portable devices, and with further research might also lead to improved batteries for larger, more power-hungry applications.

To produce the powerful new electrode material, the team used a layer-by-layer fabrication method, in which a base material is alternately dipped in solutions containing carbon nanotubes that have been treated with simple organic compounds that give them either a positive or negative net charge. When these layers are alternated on a surface, they bond tightly together because of the complementary charges, making a stable and durable film.

The findings, by a team led by Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Yang Shao-Horn, in collaboration with Bayer Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering Paula Hammond, are reported in a paper published June 20 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The lead authors are chemical engineering student Seung Woo Lee PhD '10 and postdoctoral researcher Naoaki Yabuuchi.

Batteries, such as the lithium-ion batteries widely used in portable electronics, are made up of three basic components: two electrodes (called the anode, or negative electrode, and the cathode, or positive electrode) separated by an electrolyte, an electrically conductive material through which charged particles, or ions, can move easily. When these batteries are in use, positively charged lithium ions travel across the electrolyte to the cathode, producing an electric current; when they are recharged, an external current causes these ions to move the opposite way, so they become embedded in the spaces in the porous material of the anode.

In the new battery electrode, carbon nanotubes -- a form of pure carbon in which sheets of carbon atoms are rolled up into tiny tubes -- "self-assemble" into a tightly bound structure that is porous at the nanometer scale (billionths of a meter). In addition, the carbon nanotubes have many oxygen groups on their surfaces, which can store a large number of lithium ions; this enables carbon nanotubes for the first time to serve as the positive electrode in lithium batteries, instead of just the negative electrode.

This "electrostatic self-assembly" process is important, Hammond explains, because ordinarily carbon nanotubes on a surface tend to clump together in bundles, leaving fewer exposed surfaces to undergo reactions. By incorporating organic molecules on the nanotubes, they assemble in a way that "has a high degree of porosity while having a great number of nanotubes present," she says.

Lithium batteries with the new material demonstrate some of the advantages of both capacitors, which can produce very high power outputs in short bursts, and lithium batteries, which can provide lower power steadily for long periods, Lee says. The energy output for a given weight of this new electrode material was shown to be five times greater than for conventional capacitors, and the total power delivery rate was 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries, the team says. This performance can be attributed to good conduction of ions and electrons in the electrode, and efficient lithium storage on the surface of the nanotubes.

In addition to their high power output, the carbon nanotube electrodes showed very good stability over time. After 1,000 cycles of charging and discharging a test battery, there was no detectable change in the material's performance.
The electrodes the team produced had thicknesses up to a few microns, and the improvements in energy delivery only were seen at high-power output levels. In future work, the team aims to produce thicker electrodes and extend the improved performance to low-power outputs as well, they say. In its present form, the material might have applications for small, portable electronic devices, says Shao-Horn, but if the reported high power capability were demonstrated in a much thicker form -- with thicknesses of hundreds of microns rather than just a few -- it might eventually be suitable for other applications such as hybrid cars.

While the electrode material was produced by alternately dipping a substrate into two different solutions -- a relatively time-consuming process -- Hammond suggests that the process could be modified by instead spraying the alternate layers onto a moving ribbon of material, a technique now being developed in her lab. This could eventually open the possibility of a continuous manufacturing process that could be scaled up to high volumes for commercial production, and could also be used to produce thicker electrodes with a greater power capacity. "There isn't a real limit" on the potential thickness, Hammond says. "The only limit is the time it takes to make the layers," and the spraying technique can be up to 100 times faster than dipping, she says.

Lee says that while carbon nanotubes have been produced in limited quantities so far, a number of companies are currently gearing up for mass production of the material, which could help to make it a viable material for large-scale battery manufacturing.

EVs 'worthless within 5 years' ?

The self appointed car valuation experts at UK based Glass’s Guide are publicly admitting they have lost the plot when it comes to EVs. They have warned that, unless manufacturers take action soon, electric cars will suffer horrendous depreciation on the used market.

“IF cars and batteries are sold rather than leased, and IF no special warranty cover is in place, the typical EV will retain only 10 per cent of its value after five years,” warns the managing director of Glass’s, Andy Carroll, who seems to be attempting to sink his own ship.

This, says Carroll, is a function of the recognition that a typical EV battery will have a useful life of eight years with their ENTIRE argument resting on their efforts to PREDICT the replacement costs of batteries in 8 years time at around £8000 (USD$12,000).

By Glass’s reckoning, Nissan’s Leaf — available next year at around £23,350 — will be worth less than £3000 (USD$4,500) at five years old. That would make its purchase hard to justify next to a conventional car, which would be worth at least 25 per cent of its value at the same age.

As well as a purchase option, Nissan will offer a lease option to UK buyers which could avoid the depreciation issue, but it has yet to announce details. Glass's have been running a campaign to push the idea of battery leasing and suggest a £100 (USD$150)-per-month battery lease scheme is a better option.

I have to question their math when Glass's favor a lease scheme that would cost £9600 (USD$14,200) over 8 years while a replacement battery, even at their most pessimistic prediction, costs only £8000 (USD$12,000). Added to that, it has already been fairly well established that the Leaf's 24 kWh battery pack costs just £6000 (USD$9,000) to produce so, unless Glass's are predicting prices will increase by 33% over the next decade, their base price PREDICTION is too high to start with.

Nissan have already announced they are developing battery's for the Leaf with double the energy density at the same price which effectively halves the cost of replacement batteries by 2015.

Depreciation Transformed

We here at EVN think the durability of EV power trains will totally transform car depreciation compared to today's conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.

It is the enormous heat stress generated by an ICE that effectively reduces the working life of the average automobile to a ridiculously short 10 years. This is one of the major reason why, even according to Glass themselves, an ICE powered car is only worth 25 per cent of its original value after just 5 years.

By comparison electric motors and electronic drive components suffer far less heat stress, due to their much higher energy efficiency, and are rated by their manufacturers in the range of 20,000 hours for electric motors and 100,000 hours operational life for the electronic components.

For an average private vehicle travels approx 15,000 km a year, at an average speed of 60 kph, an EV powertrain can cover between 1.2 to 6 Million kilometers or 80 + years of reliable motoring before any power train component needs servicing. If the only part that wears out in an EV is the battery, the economics of simply replacing a battery pack every 10 years are substantially cheaper than having to replace the entire vehicle every decade.

As EV battery technology evolves with production volume and competition continuously increasing, we can expect to see spectacular improvements in performance, range and price points. Add to that a growth market for used EV packs that can be recycled for renewable and grid storage duties (an EV pack is considered 'used' when depth of charge reaches 80%). This will effectively give EV battery packs a 'trade-in' price that reduces the up front cost of buying a replacement.

The combination of these market forces make it conceivable that EV owners will keep the same car for decades (the car could outlive the owner and may be passed down through the family). They may even choose to replace the battery pack more frequently than every decade to upgrade their car with extended range and/or increased performance as it becomes available, but perhaps not at quite the same replacement rate as mobile phones.

Smart EV Trial Shows That Electric Vehicles Outperform Public Expectations

Cenex has announced the results of a six month trial of electric passenger cars, run in the North East of England. One of the trial's key findings was that 72% of the 264 participants stated after the trial that they would be happy to use an electric vehicle as their regular car. This is one of the most comprehensive trials yet undertaken in the UK on driver attitudes to electric vehicles.

The trial's main objective was to study the integration of electric vehicles into fleets, with an emphasis on the efficiency and performance of the vehicles. Ten organisations took part, integrating one to four electric two-seater passenger cars into their fleets and allowing qualitative and quantitative data to be collected.

Key findings from the trial include:

72% of drivers stated they would use an electric vehicle as their regular car compared to 47% before the trial
88% of fleet managers felt more positive about incorporating electric vehicles into fleets, despite a lack of public charging infrastructure
58% of fleet users felt generally more positive about electric vehicles after the trial
'Range anxiety' meant that 93% of journeys started with over 50% battery charge and that maximum journey length was only 25% of the typical vehicle range capability
Test drivers and fleet users in the 20-30 age group experienced the highest opinion shift in favour of electric vehicle ownership

The trial has shown that strong potential exists for fleet operators to be early adopters of electric vehicles, having gained confidence that EVs can realistically form part of their transport fleet. Due to the return-to‐base operation of fleets, the lack of a public recharging infrastructure is not seen as a barrier to the integration of EVs. But, organisations with dedicated recharging infrastructure rated the charging experience even higher than those without.

Fleet managers highlighted the main barriers to EV integration as purchase price and limited range, although the quantitative data from the vehicle telemetry showed that users were over-cautious when planning journeys.

"The fact that the EVs outperformed expectations on all criteria shows that public awareness of the advances in electric vehicle technology in recent years is low," said Chris Walsh, Head of Consultancy and Technical Support at Cenex. "Even so, drivers tended to be over-cautious when planning journeys and seemed unwilling to push the vehicles to anything approaching their limits. This highlights the need for more public education about the capabilities of modern EVs and more sophisticated range prediction aids onboard to increase driver confidence."

The average range achievable from the 2 seater electric vehicles was 72.4 km emitting the equivalent of 81.4 g CO2/km when recharged with UK average grid mix electricity. If charged with lower carbon sources of electricity, the vehicles achieve average equivalent emissions of 45.0 g CO2/km from Combined Heat and Power generation, and 0g CO2/km from renewable electricity generation.

"We predict that Government incentives to decarbonise the electricity network will coincide with the mass market introduction of electric vehicles, which offers an inherently low carbon future for EVs," added Walsh.

Cenex intends to undertake additional EV trials throughout 2010 and beyond, thereby increasing the quantity and diversity of vehicle technology and types assessed. These trials will build on the Smart Move Trial work and further assist organisations to decarbonise fleets while making informed choices about the most operationally suitable vehicles available.

Robert Llewellyn's new weekly Electric Car show 'Fullycharged'

We've caught up with Robert Llewellyn (of cult BBC sitcom Red Dwarf fame) previously with his Carpool series in which he interviewed notable business people, celebrities and other interesting characters. Bob was an obvious EV enthusiast from day one as most Carpool interviews were held in his Toyota Prius.

Around 6 months ago Llewellyn launched a new channel on Youtube more dedicated to the subject of EVs called Gearless where he posted 9 interesting episodes. This channel hasn't been updated since April presumably because they've been busy with preparations for the effort to become Fully Charged where Llewellyn now gets into full EVangelists mode.

All we can say is, there should be more of it!

Hitachi creates roller-skating robot with Adaptive suspension

Japan electronics giant Hitachi unveiled a pint sized battery powered roller-skating robot yesterday that can negotiate uneven surfaces, respond to voice commands and could work as a tour guide or security guard.

Dubbed the EMIEW2, the humanoid has complex spring-loaded shock absorbers in its legs that allow it to move across minor bumps and wires on the floor without tripping, a world-first for a robot of its kind, the company said.

“It can control its posture the way humans do when we stabilize ourselves after jumping on inline skates,” Yuji Hosoda, chief researcher at Hitachi's transportation systems department, said at the robot's Tokyo launch.

The machine, 80 centimeters (32 inches) tall and weighing 14 kilograms (almost 31 pounds), has 14 microphones fitted into its helmet that can pick out human voices from background noise such as music or the clatter of footsteps.

Fitted with wheels on its two legs, it moves at a maximum six kilometers (3.7 miles) an hour, a fast walking speed for a human adult.

The red-and-white robot could be used as a receptionist and visitors' guide in office buildings, Hosoda said.

“It could also be used for security, such as patrolling and surveillance as it could find a suspicious person hiding in blind spots out of range of fixed security cameras,” he said.

“This adorable EMIEW could lead to a new form of surveillance.”

The company has not yet announced plans to commercialize the robot.

Mitsubishi Motors Announces Shipment of i-MiEV Electric Vehicle to Australia

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announced today the shipment of its i-MiEV new-generation electric vehicle (EV) to Australia starting from July.

MMC, along with its Australian distributor Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited, has been conducting EV promotional activities aimed at electric power companies and other entities since February of this year with 2 i-MiEVs.

Forty i-MiEVs will be shipped starting from July. With high environmental awareness and the i-MiEV garnering praise in Australia, plans are to sell the i-MiEVs via lease to customers from July.

The i-MiEV was first sold in Japan in July of 2009 mainly to corporations and municipalities, and in April of this year sales to individuals was commenced. In addition to high environmental performance and handling inherent to a car with a compact body, the i-MiEV has been lauded for its motive power, stability, quietness and its comfortable ride.

The sale of the i-MiEV in Australia marks the 2nd market outside of Japan that the i-MiEV will be sold, after Hong Kong, which began sales in May of this year.

Toshiba Proposes Battery Storage Enhanced Grid Charging Systems for EVs

Toshiba Corporation is proposing the development of an electric vehicle charging system—the “Charge Grid”—that features the deployment of its Li-ion battery storage systems (specifically, its SCiB batteries) in various areas.

The announcement was made at Smart Grid Exhibition 2010, which runs from June 16 to 18, 2010, in Tokyo. With the Charge Grid system, surplus electricity generated by photovoltaic (PV) cells is stored in rechargeable batteries and used, for example, for EV rapid chargers. The batteries are placed in various areas to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaic power generation.

The Charge Grid system consists of bidirectional inverters, lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries and rapid chargers. The electricity grid and the Li-ion batteries are connected via the bidirectional inverters. And the rapid chargers are connected to the lines that connect the batteries and the inverters.

Toshiba suggested that among its benefits, the Charge Grid system would eliminate the need to construct high-voltage substation equipment, thereby reducing the cost for rapid charging.

Toshiba said it plans to commercialize the Charge Grid system in a few years. It will sell the system and provide services using the system.

Report: Environment worries to lift electric car sales

Global sales of electric vehicles are set to rise this year due to worries about security of oil supply, the environment and fuel costs, UK consultancy J.D. Power said on Friday.

Global sales of electric cars are expected to reach 940,000 units this year compared with 732,000 units last year, with the number jumping to 3 million in 2015, J.D. Power analysts said in a report.

The uptake of battery powered cars is seen as key to fighting climate change by cutting carbon emissions, as well as a way to wean economies off imported or difficult to reach oil, as highlighted by BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

More than 98 percent of sales are expected to be of hybrid electric cars, which are part petrol, part battery, rather than plug-in cars, which are wholly battery powered and need to be charged from a power point.

J.D. Power also said it expected the U.S. to account for 55 percent of the hybrid market by 2015, followed by Asia with most of the sales in Japan.

"We think Asia as a whole will account for about 30 percent of global hybrid sales in 2015, with Japan's volume at nearly 750,000 units, or about 25 percent of the global hybrid market," it said.

In the smaller plug-in market, sales were forecast to be 23,000 this year, rising to only 500,000 by 2015. J.D. Power seem to short sightedly only consider range as hampering growth of EV sales, totally neglecting the significantly reduced running costs of plug-ins when compared with hybrids.

"The (plug-in) Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Roadster have a driving range of 100 miles to 250 miles, depending on the size of the battery, whereas a (hybrid) Toyota Prius can go 600 miles," it said, despite providing no qualification of any actual 'need' for a vehicle with 600 miles worth of daily range.

Hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles sales were predicted to be flat.

"We think sales of cars powered by fuel cells will remain below 20,000 units per year for the next 10 years: The technology is currently too expensive, and this isn't likely to change soon," the report said.

Yet another analyst opinion piece presented as a factual report from yet another consultancy.

Tesla Explain How They Will Build The Model S

The Model S will be produced at the new Tesla Factory in Fremont, California, The former New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant. Everything from body panel stamping to final quality testing will take place at the Tesla Factory.

The Model S will begin as sheets of aluminum. The sheets will be placed in a hydraulic press machine and stamped into 3-dimensional fenders, hood panels, doors, and roofs. Stamped aluminum saves about half the weight of steel and the decrease in weight enables them to increase overall vehicle efficiency.

Even before they finalized the factory location, Tesla secured machinery and items needed to quickly bring the facility online. The hydraulic press line is of the finest quality and they expect to use it for decades. The press line will produce body panels you can see and structural features you can’t. The remaining body stampings, castings, and extrusions will be produced at outside facilities and shipped to the factory for assembly.



Sub-Assembly

The workers in the Body Sub-Assembly Shop will be responsible for joining the stamped pieces together at stations. It is far more efficient to compile groups of components into assemblies instead of building a car piece by piece on a single production line. The outer panels will be welded to the inner structures.

Framing

Next, the prepared sub-assemblies are moved to the Body Framing Shop. Robotic arms pick up sub-assemblies from nearby racks while other arms move in with glue, weld, and rivet guns to seal and join the parts. The doors, hood, and trunk lid are hung on the main frame. The roof frame that will hold the panoramic glass panels is then attached.

At this stage, precision is paramount. Once framed, the welds, holes, and gaps are checked for imperfections. The structure that leaves the Body Framing Shop is referred to as a “body-in-white.” The body-in-white represents the primary structure of the car and is critical to driving dynamics and occupant safety. Telsa hope to achieve a 5-Star Safety Rating from government crash tests.

Final Assembly

Once the final coat of paint is polished, the car moves to the final assembly area. Here, it transforms from a shell of sculpted, painted aluminum to a sedan. The movable pieces of the car (the doors and trunk lid) are removed and delivered to separate assembly stations for further work. At a door assembly station, for example, wiring is fed between the outer panel and the inner frame, the handles are attached, and the leather pieces are fastened. Other assembly stations work on the dashboard, trunk lining, and other pieces. The parts deepest within the main frame of the car are attached.

Next, the interior sub-assemblies are installed: carpet, headliner, console, dashboard, seats, and the steering wheel. Airbags are installed. The doors, once appointed, are reattached and adjusted for fit.

But, what would the Model S be without the state-of-the-art powertrain and battery systems? With far fewer moving parts than an internal combustion engine, the motor, transaxle, inverter, and rear suspension system will be contained within one sub-assembly that can be bolted into the Model S in one step. The liquid-cooled battery pack, with quick release fluid connections will be installed in a matter of seconds. The battery pack provides the final structural element to the body. With this engineering feat, you’ll be able to quickly swap an empty battery for a full one, should the need arise on long road trips.

Quality Testing

Before delivery, the car must go through quality testing. Typical quality tests consist of a ‘rolling road’, a water test to check for leaks, and an inspection station that ensures all components are installed to standard.