Li-ion battery prices to drop 25% in 2010 due to market share grab

Panasonic Corp. and Samsung SDI Co., the world’s two largest makers of rechargeable batteries, may deepen price cuts this year as overproduction worsens a glut in the industry, analysts said.

Lithium-ion battery prices may tumble 19 percent in 2010, the biggest drop in five years, said Hideo Takeshita, an analyst at the Institute of Information Technology Ltd. in Tokyo. Shiro Mikoshiba, an analyst at Nomura Holdings Inc., said the worsening oversupply may push prices down as much as 25 percent.

The price drops highlight how battery makers in Japan and South Korea, accounting for 75 percent of global production, may be sacrificing profit for market share as automobiles with no gas tanks are projected to help triple sales of lithium-ion cells in six years. Cheaper batteries may lead to lower costs at carmakers such as Nissan Motor Co., whose all-electric $32,780 Leaf sedan is scheduled to go on sale in November.

“Battery makers will probably go through a tough time with falling prices,” said Mitsushige Akino at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co., who oversees about $450 million in assets in Tokyo. “The business may become lucrative only for a couple of companies with dominant market share. Others may never be able to make money.”

Winning the Battle

South Korean battery makers including Samsung and LG Chem Ltd. may better cope with lower prices than Japanese rivals because they purchase materials more cheaply from China and have faster production, Takeshita said. The won’s weakness against the yen also makes Korean products more competitive, he said.

“We anticipate the harsh price competition with South Korean makers will continue,” said Akira Kadota, a spokesman at Osaka-based Panasonic. “We are reviewing our production process to strengthen our cost competitiveness so that we can win the battle.”

Panasonic, which vaulted atop the rechargeable-battery industry with its purchase of Sanyo Electric Co., rose 1.6 percent to 1,060 yen as of the 11 a.m. break in Tokyo trading, narrowing its loss this year to 20 percent. Samsung SDI, the battery-making unit of South Korea’s largest industrial group, fell as much as 4.1 percent.

Samsung SDI was downgraded to “reduce” from “hold” at BNP Paribas Securities (Asia). Analyst Peter Yu cited excessive hype about batteries for electric vehicles as part of the reason, according to his report today. The stock has gained 19 percent this year.

$30 Billion Industry

Samsung SDI, based in Yongin, South Korea, will likely overtake Panasonic’s Sanyo as the world’s top producer of lithium-ion batteries this year, according to estimates at the Institute of Information Technology. Samsung SDI spokesman Seo Hae Soo declined to comment on the outlook for prices.

LG Chem, the third-largest maker of rechargeable batteries, expects price drops to persist, spokesman Terry Lee said. Falling prices of the product won’t have a serious impact on the company’s profit because LG Chem is buying lithium at competitive prices, he said.

At stake is leadership in an industry that Panasonic estimates will grow to 2.5 trillion yen ($30 billion) by 2015 from 926 billion yen last year. Shipments of lithium-ion batteries are estimated to rise 31 percent in 2010, after a 2 percent drop last year, according to the Institute of Information Technology.

Electric Vehicles

While lithium-ion cells are mainly used to power laptop computers and mobile phones, electric vehicles may fuel most of the growth. Sales of batteries in electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will increase to 1.7 trillion yen in 2020 from almost zero in 2009, according to March estimates at Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Panasonic, which has pledged to invest 300 billion yen in energy-related products over three years, started production of lithium-ion cells at a factory in Osaka in April, aiming to double its annual production to 600 million units. The company aims to triple sales of lithium-ion cells by March 2016, Naoto Noguchi, president of Panasonic’s battery unit, said in an interview this month.

Sony Corp. is spending 40 billion yen to boost its monthly production capacity this year 80 percent from 2008. The company built a battery plant north of Tokyo in March and is adding facilities in Singapore and China.

Sony anticipates a difficult environment for the battery business because of competition and price declines, said Tomio Takizawa, a spokesman at the Tokyo-based electronics maker.

Samsung Group, whose units include SDI and top television- maker Samsung Electronics Co., said in May it plans to invest 5.4 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in batteries for electric vehicles by 2020.

“It’s a battle between the South Korean and Japanese makers,” Takeshita said. “They’re playing a game of endurance that’s eroding profitability.”


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Nissan starts selling all-electric Leaf today

At long last, Nissan begins taking actual orders today for the first next-generation fully electric car from a major automaker, the Leaf.

More than 18,000 people who plunked down $99 to stay on the reservations list will have first crack at turning their interest into an actual order for the all-electric, five-seat car. Orders will be taken online and Nissan is still taking reservations on Leaf's web site. Even though now you can actually pay for one, deliveries won't start until December.

The car has a range of about 100 miles per charge. Nissan has been having inspectors make home visits and taking other steps to make sure customers will be able to recharge at home and likely be happy with the car.

The base level Leaf, the SV, is priced at $33,720, Nissan says. It comes with a list of standard features, including cruise control and a navigation system. There is only one higher trim level, the SL, at $33,720. The list of extras?:

It includes a spoiler with a solar panel, backup camera, the Homelink garage opener system, automatic on-off headlights, fog lights and a rear cargo cover. There is only one option: a $700 quick-charge port that can recharge the Leaf on the road in as little as a half hour.

Leaf is eligible for federal tax credits that can reduce its cost to as little as $25,280. It is also has lease options as low as $349 a month for 36 months.


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Fully Charged, bizarre BBC bias

This weeks episode of FullyCharged with Robert Llewellyn is a bit of a rant about the BBC story we examined over the weekend.

The bottom line is, the BBC writer Brian Milligan calculated both cars @ 50% depreciation over 3 years.

The 'trick' used by the BBC writer was to calculate depreciation on the MiEV BEFORE deducting the £5k subsidy. If depreciation is calculated AFTER subtracting the subsidy then the MiEV becomes £1,557 or 16% CHEAPER than the Fiat 500.

I'm surprised Robert didn't get Brian Milligan on the phone and give him a bit of a grilling to be honest. Maybe next time.

Americans using less energy, more renewables

Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources.

The United States used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power. There also was a decline in natural gas use and increases in solar, hydro and geothermal power according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

“Energy use tends to follow the level of economic activity, and that level declined last year. At the same time, higher efficiency appliances and vehicles reduced energy use even further,” said A.J. Simon, an LLNL energy systems analyst who develops the energy flow charts using data provided by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. “As a result, people and businesses are using less energy in general.”

The estimated U.S. energy use in 2009 equaled 94.6 quadrillion BTUs (“quads”), down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. (A BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy, and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules). The average American household uses about 95 million BTUs per year.

Energy use in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation arenas all declined by .22, .09, 2.16 and .88 quads, respectively.

Wind power increased dramatically in 2009 to.70 quads of primary energy compared to .51 in 2008. Most of that energy is tied directly to electricity generation and thus helps decrease the use of coal for electricity production.

“The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena,” Simon said. “It’s a result of very good incentives and technological advancements. In 2009, the technology got better and the incentives remained relatively stable. The investments put in place for wind in previous years came online in 2009. Even better, there are more projects in the pipeline for 2010 and beyond.”

The significant decrease in coal used to produce electricity can be attributed to three factors: overall lower electricity demand, a fuel shift to natural gas, and an offset created by more wind power production, according to Simon.

Nuclear energy use remained relatively flat in 2009. No new plants were added or taken offline in this interval, and the existing fleet operated slightly less than in 2008.

Of the 94.6 quads consumed, only 39.97 ended up as energy services. Energy services, such as lighting and machinery output, are harder to estimate than fuel consumption, Simon said.

The ratio of energy services to the total amount of energy used is a measure of the country’s energy efficiency.

Carbon emissions data are expected to be released later this year, but Simon suspects they will tell a similar story.

“The reduction in the use of natural gas, coal and petroleum is commensurate with a reduction in carbon emissions,” he said. “Simply said, people are doing less stuff. Therefore, they’re burning less fuel.”


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Proterra First Deployment of All-Electric Buses by Major Transit Agency

Proterra today announced the first major deployment of its EcoRide BE35 zero-emission, fast-charge battery-electric transit buses by Foothill Transit, a premier public transport provider that operates bus services in Southern San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, located in the eastern portion of Los Angeles County.

On Sep. 3, Foothill Transit will launch the Proterra EcoRide BE35 buses and related fast charging stations into its existing bus fleet and transit routes with the goal of establishing a full fleet of clean-fueled vehicles by 2011.

"The first commercial deployment of Proterra's battery-electric buses by a major transit agency like Foothill Transit is a significant milestone for Proterra and a bold step by the nation in our collective effort to decrease dependence on fossil fuel," Proterra President and CEO Jeffery Granato said. "We look forward to additional communities throughout the U.S. and globally benefitting from the highly efficient, cost effective, clean alternative transit solution now available with the introduction of the EcoRide BE35."

The deployment of Proterra's EcoRide BE35 buses, known as the "Ecoliner" by Foothill Transit, greatly advances the electric transit industry, providing a real-world example of the benefits and ease of deployment of Proterra's zero emission buses and charging solutions. It further demonstrates transit agencies' existing appetite for cleaner commuting options.

In addition to its unmatched performance and overall cost savings, Proterra's clean transit solutions offers California transit agencies solutions to address the Zero Emission Bus (Zbus) regulation, which requires large California agencies to purchase 15 percent of their annual bus orders as zero emission buses starting in 2012.

Proterra's EcoRide BE35 buses are unlike any conventional or hybrid-electric passenger bus available on the market today. The bus significantly reduces air and noise pollution for riders and local communities, while dramatically reducing vehicle operation costs for transit agencies. The EcoRide BE35 contains all electric components, including an electric drive motor supplied by UQM that allows greater acceleration than that of a conventional bus, combined with leading technology solutions that allow for a quiet and smooth uninterrupted ride.

With up to three hours of operation and the ability to recharge in less than 10 minutes on route, thanks to AltairNano lithium titanate batteries. Proterra's buses can easily be incorporated into any transit agencies' existing routes without impacting their schedules or routes while delivering a quieter, more comfortable experience to riders. Additionally, without the maintenance or fuel costs associated with conventional buses, the Proterra BE35 achieves a 400 percent improvement in fuel economy, and greater than $300,000 savings in total lifetime operating expenses.

One tonne of Thorium produces as much energy as 3.5M tonnes of coal

If you've read about Thorium or perhaps watched the presentations on Google Tech Talks you will be aware of the amazing potential of this dormant technology from the 50s.

As little as One tonne of Thorium produces as much energy as 3.5 Million tonnes of coal or 200 tonnes of uranium with closer to 100% fuel use compared to 0.7% with uranium. At a cost of only $100k, one tonne of Thorium can provide 1 GW-year of electric energy, enough to power a city of 1 Million for a year.

The UK based Telegraph has published a call to action on Thorium R&D. Norwegian group Aker Solutions is working on the thorium fuel-cycle at its UK operation. Aker are looking for tie-ups with the US, Russia, or China to assist their efforts.

The only other country active in Thorium research is India who have their own projects - none yet built - dating from days when they switched to thorium because their weapons program prompted a uranium ban.

As with all other shifts in the status-quo, it seems the incumbents have the upper hand in closing down any new competition. With nuclear power, governments play an disproportionate large role due to Nuclear Safety Regulations that place a huge licensing and certification burden on any new installation. As a result, despite the usual media driven xenophobia surrounding anything Nuclear, for Thorium to gain traction political will is essential.

With so much new investment in developing renewable energy sources it would seem logical that Thorium should get a second look.

Telegraph.co.uk


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EPA and NHTSA revise fuel economy labels in time for Leaf and Volt sales

Just ahead of US sales commencing for the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle and the Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle the EPA and NHTSA have issued revised Fuel Economy labeling to replace the confusion caused by their previous efforts.

The labels cover Electric vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles and Flexible Fuel Vehicles.

For electric vehicles, the new labels will estimate the expected savings in cost over five years as compared to a regular vehicle. It will also give statistics such as range, estimated charge time, kWh used per 100 miles, and a MPGe estimate on both the highway and the city…as well as expected cost to operate.

For extended range vehicles, it will still give the range on electric power, the MPG equivalent, charge time and cost per year; but as well give your classic MPG in extended range. Then it blends the whole thing into a MPGe equivalent as well.


EPA


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BBC say EVs more expensive to own than petrol powered vehicles

Reporter Brian Milligan who works for the UK government broadcasting corporation, the BBC, has written an article to explain why he thinks EVs cost more to run that petrol vehicles.

Despite the fact that in the UK EV owners receive a £5,000 subsidy, free road tax, free London congestion charge, free parking in many London boroughs and an EV's energy costs 1/10th as much per mile compared to a petrol car, Mr Milligan has managed to manipulate the figures enough to come up with a petrol powered Fiat 500 being cheaper to own over 3 years than a electric Mitsubishi MiEV.

The calculation 'trick' used is vehicle depreciation costs, which sounds very familiar. You may recall UK based Glass's Guide released a statement in June saying all EVs would be effectively worthless within 5 years. Glass's are so well informed they based their expert opinion on an absurd projection that replacement battery costs will rise 33% by 2018.

The BBC are reporting "Mitsubishi already admits that its electric i-miev will depreciate by nearly £15,000 in its first three years." The BBC don't quote a source or attach a name to this other than Jason King, who evaluates second-hand values for the aforementioned Glass's Guide, and we are unable to locate any Mitsubishi press release that makes this statement.

However it should be noted that the Fiat 500 used in the BBC comparison also depreciates 50% over 3 years. Glass's themselves say most ICE powered cars retains only 25% of their value after 5 years!

This is a classic journalist trick of distorting the way information is presented.

We already know the whole premise of the article is anti-EV starting from the title down. For example, the BBC writer quotes the Association of British Insurers (ABI) saying the relative risks for EVs have not been worked out yet, but the writer leads with the assumption that insurance costs could also end up being higher for electric cars than for petrol cars. That is simply based on the negative opinion of the writer, not facts.

What we think Mr Milligan has done is take a Mitsubishi statement saying depreciation of the MiEV is comparable to a regular ICE car at 50% over 3 years. To heavily bias the argument in favor of petrol cars he then picked the cheapest new car on the market for price comparison, the Fiat 500 with a purchase price being 1/3rd that of the MiEV, before calculating 50% depreciation in pounds for each vehicle then adding that figure to total running costs.

The BBC writer further skewed the results by calculating depreciation on the full sales price of the MiEV before subtracting the £5k incentive and not after which is another bit of convenient mathematics.

In fact, if the incentive is subtracted before calculating depreciation Brian Milligan wouldn't have anything to write about because the cost of owning the MiEV over 3 years then becomes £1,557 or 16% CHEAPER than the Fiat 500.

If we eliminate the imaginary £300 service charges (what do you service on an EV, washer fluid?) the savings with an EV start to stack up rapidly. Due to the extremely cheap energy costs of an EV combined with zero maintenance, the savings clock up with every mile driven. The longer an owner keeps an EV the more they save. Perhaps this is the reason why Mr Milligan hasn't picked a 5 year time frame for his futile argument.

The concept that demand for new EVs is and will remain ahead of supply for several years, while the auto industry builds production capacity, never seems to enter the writers mind. The laws of supply and demand (which they are obviously a bit vague on at the public service run BBC) should ensure a positive effect on used EVs values for the foreseeable future.

The fact is that EVs are 90% cheaper per mile to run than any petrol ICE powered car. The only way an ICE car can be cheaper to own than an EV is if it's never actually driven anywhere. Once electric vehicles enter the community and word of mouth spreads, manufactures will be flat out to meet demand.

This will be especially so in the UK where the government continues to raise fuel duty and petrol prices are setting record highs of £1.20 a liter (US$7.00 per US Gallon).

BBC


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WSJ's Dan Neil review of the Nissan Leaf (w/Video)

Dan Neil who you may be familiar with from the LA Times is a fair EV enthusiast and quite a wordsmith.

In this video review of the Leaf, aside from his howling about the headlamps, he's singing praise for the automotive revolution that is the Nissan Leaf.

Neil seems particularly keen on how the Leaf represents the thin end of the wedge in turning off the spigot that is leaking $25 Billion a month out of the US economy to import Oil.

WSJ

Scheme to 'pull electricity from the air' sparks debate

Dr Fernando Galembeck told the American Chemical Society meeting in Boston that the technique exploited a little-known atmospheric effect.

Tests had shown that metals could be used to gather the charges, he said, opening up a potential energy source in humid climates.

However, experts disagree about the mechanism and the scale of the effect.

"The basic idea is that when you have any solid or liquid in a humid environment, you have absorption of water at the surface," Dr Galembeck, from the University of Campinas in Brazil, said.

"The work I'm presenting here shows that metals placed under a wet environment actually become charged."

Dr Galembeck and his colleagues isolated various metals and pairs of metals separated by a non-conducting separator - a capacitor, in effect - and allowed nitrogen gas with varying amounts of water vapour to pass over them.

What the team found was that charge built up on the metals - in varying amounts, and either positive or negative. Such charge could be connected to a circuit periodically to create useful electricity.

The effect is incredibly small - gathering an amount of charge 100 million times smaller over a given area than a solar cell produces - but seems to represent a means of charge accumulation that has been overlooked until now.

Dr Galembeck suggests that with further development, the principle could be extended to become a renewable energy resource in humid parts of the world, such as the tropics.

Charged debate

However, while the prospect of free electricity from the air is tantalising, the prospect of harnessing enough of it to be widely useful is still a matter of some debate.

Hywel Morgan of the University of Southampton says that a similar effect has been known for some time; he points out that tribocharging - the generation of charge by rubbing wool over amber or water droplets over water droplets - is the origin of thunderstorms.

"What we think is happening is he's pumping the water vapour across his capacitor and during the pumping mechanism, tribocharging the water vapour."

That would result in a charge, but would not be the same as simply pulling the charge from still, wet air.

Marin Soljacic, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist behind a wireless power transmission technology, known as Witricity, disagrees.

He calls the paper "very interesting" and "a good area of research".

He concurs, however, that the amount of charge gathered in the initial tests suggests the effect may be difficult to put to good use, saying that "at this point it is far-fetched to see how it could be used for everyday applications".

"It really warrants future research and understanding what all the limitations of this are, how far it can go," he said.

"[Prof Morgan] is right that a similar and closely-related effect is known to exist, but we're very pressed for finding new sources of renewable energy, [so] I think it's a bit early to discard this research."

Dr Galembeck is familiar with the controversy that this kind of work generates, saying that disagreement about the mechanism behind it forms "the motif for bitter discussions among scientists".

"There have been many attempts to harness electricity from the atmosphere and most had bad endings."

New Record Speed of 307.66 MPH stands for Buckeye Bullet 2.5

After setting a new 300+ Mph record on Tuesday the last attempt Wednesday has ended in a mechanical. Everything was looking great, but midway through the first mile, the Buckeye Bullet broke it's clutch. Too much torque from the motor ripped apart the half inch steel teeth that keep the motor connected to the gearbox.

After a late night of trying to disassemble the motor and reinstall another type of clutch, the team decided to call it: the old record of 321.834 mph set by the same team with the original Buckeye Bullet in 2004 will have to stand as 307.66 MPH will stay the best achieved with VBB2.5.

There's no video of VBB2.5 on-line yet so we're included a clip of the same car from last year powered by a hydrogen FC.

Atmospheric Electricity Could Become a New Source of Alternative Energy

(click to enlarge)

Imagine devices that capture electricity from the air ― much like solar cells capture sunlight ― and using them to light a house or recharge an electric car. Imagine using similar panels on the rooftops of buildings to prevent lightning before it forms. Strange as it may sound, scientists already are in the early stages of developing such devices, according to a report presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"Our research could pave the way for turning electricity from the atmosphere into an alternative energy source for the future," said study leader Fernando Galembeck, Ph.D. His research may help explain a 200-year-old scientific riddle about how electricity is produced and discharged in the atmosphere. "Just as solar energy could free some households from paying electric bills, this promising new energy source could have a similar effect," he maintained.

"If we know how electricity builds up and spreads in the atmosphere, we can also prevent death and damage caused by lightning strikes," Galembeck said, noting that lightning causes thousands of deaths and injuries worldwide and millions of dollars in property damage.

The notion of harnessing the power of electricity formed naturally has tantalized scientists for centuries. They noticed that sparks of static electricity formed as steam escaped from boilers. Workers who touched the steam even got painful electrical shocks. Famed inventor Nikola Tesla, for example, was among those who dreamed of capturing and using electricity from the air. It's the electricity formed, for instance, when water vapor collects on microscopic particles of dust and other material in the air. But until now, scientists lacked adequate knowledge about the processes involved in formation and release of electricity from water in the atmosphere, Galembeck said. He is with the University of Campinas in Campinas, SP, Brazil.

Scientists once believed that water droplets in the atmosphere were electrically neutral, and remained so even after coming into contact with the electrical charges on dust particles and droplets of other liquids. But new evidence suggested that water in the atmosphere really does pick up an electrical charge.

Galembeck and colleagues confirmed that idea, using laboratory experiments that simulated water's contact with dust particles in the air. They used tiny particles of silica and aluminum phosphate, both common airborne substances, showing that silica became more negatively charged in the presence of high humidity and aluminum phosphate became more positively charged. High humidity means high levels of water vapor in the air ― the vapor that condenses and becomes visible as "fog" on windows of air-conditioned cars and buildings on steamy summer days.

"This was clear evidence that water in the atmosphere can accumulate electrical charges and transfer them to other materials it comes into contact with," Galembeck explained. "We are calling this 'hygroelectricity,' meaning 'humidity electricity'."

In the future, he added, it may be possible to develop collectors, similar to the solar cells that collect the sunlight to produce electricity, to capture hygroelectricity and route it to homes and businesses. Just as solar cells work best in sunny areas of the world, hygroelectrical panels would work more efficiently in areas with high humidity, such as the northeastern and southeastern United States and the humid tropics.

Galembeck said that a similar approach might help prevent lightning from forming and striking. He envisioned placing hygroelectrical panels on top of buildings in regions that experience frequent thunderstorms. The panels would drain electricity out of the air, and prevent the building of electrical charge that is released in lightning. His research group already is testing metals to identify those with the greatest potential for use in capturing atmospheric electricity and preventing lightning strikes.

"These are fascinating ideas that new studies by ourselves and by other scientific teams suggest are now possible," Galembeck said. "We certainly have a long way to go. But the benefits in the long range of harnessing hygroelectricity could be substantial."

CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) and FAPESP (The State of São Paulo Research Foundation) funded the study.

American Chemical Society

Ford Kicks Off 14-City EV Tour

Ford Motor Company has kicked off a 14-city electric vehicle tour in an effort to prepare the Pacific Northwest for electric vehicles.

According to a company press release, the national “Charging Into the Future Tour” kicked off Monday at Portland State University. The Ford Focus electric plug-in and Ford Fusion Hybrid were on display and were available for test drives.

Ford and Portland General Electric formally announced the two companies are joining forces to share information on charging needs and to educate consumers about electric vehicles.

The two companies will also work with state and local governments to support charging stations permitting and EV incentives, considered two key components to electric vehicle acceptance across the nation. And Ford and PGE will assist universities in studying urban mobility as well. According to Manager of Ford Sustainability Activities Mike Tinskey, the partnership allows the organizations to “work together to remove the barriers for electric vehicles.”

Ford selected Oregon because it leads other states in preparing for plug-in vehicles. 1,000 public charging stations will be available by June 30, 2011 according to PGE.

The Michigan-based automaker will be introducing five new EVs over the next two years. Ford’s commercial van, the Transit Connect Electric, will debut sometime this year and the Ford Focus battery electric passenger car will be available in 2011. Both vehicles use no gas. 2012, the company will introduce two next generation lithium-ion battery powered hybrids and one plug-in hybrid. Approximately 159,000 Ford employees work in 70 plants around the world.

In August, Portland-based PGE unveiled North America’s very first public-use quick-charge station at its World Trade Center Headquarters in downtown Portland. In business since 1889, PGE serves more than 820,000 customers in 52 cities.

Remy and MotoCzysz Partner to Produce Electric Drive System

Remy International, Inc. announces that its subsidiary, Remy Electric Motors, LLC, has entered into an agreement with MotoCzysz LLC to bring a revolutionary, new generation electric drive system to market. The unique drive system leverages Remy's patented High Voltage Hairpin (HVH) electric motor technology and patent-pending cooling and integration technology from MotoCzysz. The resulting breakthrough is a "complete electric drive system" optimized to elicit and manage the full performance benefit of the powerful Remy motor. The new integrated D1g1tal Dr1ve is the first of its kind of a new classification of complete electric drive solutions. Its compact size, originating from motorcycle racing and winning performance, are expected to provide a remarkable efficiency advantage to automobile and other vehicle manufacturers.

MotoCzysz is an internationally recognized design and engineering firm and considered the leading innovator in the American motorcycle industry. Today, the company focuses primarily on electric drive systems and electric vehicles. "I believe electric drives are the purest and best solution to propel the majority of automobiles around the world. The D1g1tal Dr1ve was designed specifically with that vision in mind. Our partnership with Remy Electric Motors will allow us to deliver a modern, simpler, evolved replacement for the 100 year-old gas engine. Remy is a powerhouse in electric motor design and manufacturing and our first choice for a partner in this emerging sector," says Michael Czysz, Founder and CEO of MotoCzysz. Czysz concludes, "Our mutual goal is for the D1g1tal Dr1ve to deliver the highest performance, greatest efficiency and most integrated packaging solution available for companies needing electric drive solutions."

Remy, a leading global manufacturer, remanufacturer and distributor of light duty starters and alternators and Delco Remy brand heavy-duty systems, also manufactures electric motors for hybrid and electric vehicles. With over a billion miles of proven reliability, Remy motors are an industry leader. Remy CEO John Weber says, "MotoCzysz proved their ability to optimize a Remy motor with their astounding test results and win in the TT Zero electric motorcycle race on the Isle of Man this year. Integrating that same groundbreaking engineering with the patented Remy HVH motor is a win for our electric automotive and light duty commercial customers. Remy and MotoCzysz have the experience and technology to make this remarkable propulsion system the new industry standard for electric automobiles."

The new D1g1tal Dr1ve combines high performance and efficiency in the smallest, most integrated solution available. The system was originally designed to fit a motorcycle frame. When applied to automobiles, this weight and size advantage, coupled with disproportionately high performance, will leapfrog other systems and provide OEMs, integrators and converters unheard of efficiencies. In typical electric vehicles, various components from a variety of vendors are assembled and then connected together via wires. The D1g1tal Dr1ve system optimizes and matches all high-voltage components in a single housing. The highly integrated system is packaged as a "super axle" located between the two drive wheels, delivering torque with unprecedented efficiency and compactness. Additionally the D1g1tal Dr1ve's nearly wireless solution provides additional overall safety for the vehicle.

The first D1g1tal Dr1ve utilizing a liquid-cooled Remy internal permanent magnet (IPM) motor will create class-leading torque (250ft/lbs) and 100kW (135hp) of power at 93% efficiency, measured at the rotor. Future models will extend the D1g1tal Dr1ve range to include an even more powerful drive as well as a smaller, more compact option. Remy and MotoCzysz will make the game-changing D1g1tal Dr1ve unit available in the second quarter of 2011.

Student-Built Electric Car passes 300 MPH Aiming for Land Speed Record

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The Venturi sponsored Buckeye Bullet, an all-electric landspeed racer built by students at Ohio State University, set a speed of 307.66 MPH in the mile this afternoon at the Bonneville Salt Flats — and they're going again.

Using a slightly modified version 2 of the streamliner, the VBB 2.5 uses the same powertrain as the previous VBB2 but with the Hydrogen Fuel Cell used to set a world record of 302.877 MPH now replaced with prismatic battery cells supplied by A123 systems.

The team aren't going public about details on the battery pack but it has been reported they are using 1600 cells and that they are prismatic. From the A123 web-site the prismatic cells are 3.3v @ 20Ah. 1600x gives approx 100 kWh.

The steel box tube framed and carbon fiber enclosed car is powered by a custom built 3 phase AC motor with a claimed 700+ horsepower (514 kw), driving the rear wheels via a  slightly modified (longer final drive ratio?) 6 speed transaxle.

The current electric powered Land Speed Record is 321.834 mph set by the same team with the original Buckeye Bullet in 2004, back then using a 400 hp (300 kw) 3 phase AC motor.

Buckeye Bullet


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Meet Obama's point man on electric cars

David Sandalow starts his five-mile commute each day by unplugging an orange extension cord connecting his Toyota Prius hybrid to an outlet in his brick carport.

His Prius, which was converted two years ago to allow him to recharge the battery from an electric outlet, gets more than 80 miles per gallon and lets him drive 30 miles on a single charge. He fills up his car with gasoline about once every month or two, an oddity in a transportation sector long dominated by the internal combustion engine.

"If you're thirsty, you can get a Diet Coke or orange juice or water. If you're hungry you can get a hamburger or hot dog or a fruit plate. If you want to drive someplace, you only have one choice. You can use gasoline or petroleum-based products," says Sandalow, the Energy Department's assistant secretary for policy and international affairs. "That doesn't seem strange to us ... but it's odd. It's strange that we are utterly dependent on this one fuel source for mobility."

If American consumers begin to shift to electric cars this decade, Sandalow will be one of the government's driving forces behind the change. Crafting policy from the vantage point of an electric car driver himself, the former Brookings Institution scholar has helped shape the Obama administration's ambitious plan to pump billions of dollars into partnerships aimed at developing cars running on electric power, creating an advanced battery industry and helping communities prepare for the transition.

President Barack Obama has pledged to bring 1 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to U.S. highways by 2015, and turned to the nascent battery industry as one of the hallmarks of his economic recovery plan. Electric vehicles built by General Motors and Nissan are arriving in showrooms later this year and every major auto manufacturer is working on an electric strategy, encouraged by federal funding and tax incentives.

Obama pushed a $2.4 billion grant program to develop next-generation batteries, which could lead to 500,000 batteries a year by late 2014. A 2007 energy law, meanwhile, has led to billions in loans for automakers to retool their plants for fuel-efficient vehicles, including electric cars.

Sandalow, 53, served in the State Department and at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. He was tapped for the Energy Department's top policy job after studying oil dependence, electric vehicles and climate change at the Brookings Institute.

Sandalow has helped the administration speed the development of electric cars and offer incentives for consumers and communities to begin taking steps to transition off conventional vehicles.

His plug-in Prius differs from the standard Prius hybrid, which is powered by a gasoline engine and an electric motor and typically offers drivers better mileage in slow-speed and stop-and-go driving. Standard hybrids do not allow motorists to recharge a battery by plugging into a standard electrical outlet.

Sandalow discovered the merits of electric cars while studying oil dependence at Brookings. His 2007 book, "Freedom From Oil," included a series of hypothetical memos from different Cabinet agencies with suggestions on how a future presidential administration could help the U.S. move away from imported petroleum.

He concluded that electric cars and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles represented the quickest way to begin making the shift. With more than 240 million vehicles on the road, it will take years to turn over the fleet, but he noted that drivers with short commutes — like his own daily trip to the Energy Department from his home in Washington — could use electric power, recharging at night when electrical loads are low.

Following his research, Sandalow decided to get his Prius, a gas-electric hybrid, converted into a plug-in hybrid at a Gaithersburg, Md., auto dealership. The $9,000 conversion, which was developed by Massachusetts battery maker A123Systems, included the installation of a large battery inside the spare tire well underneath the trunk and a charging outlet in the bumper.

The conversion allows Sandalow to recharge his battery from a standard 110-volt outlet in about six hours. His family owns another car but Sandalow says his plug-in Prius is used for long-distance travel as well.

Sandalow estimates running the car on electricity costs the equivalent of about 75 cents a gallon of gasoline. "Electric cars are quiet, they're cheap to drive, they've got great pickup and I think they're patriotic, also," Sandalow said. "That combination, I think, means they're the technology of the future."

Administration officials are working with states and cities to help streamline permitting for home charging stations and develop public charging stations for those who want to recharge their cars away from home — all for a new generation of motorists.

"My children are teenagers. They can scarcely imagine growing up in a world without personal computers, cell phones or GPS devices," Sandalow said. "I predict that someday one of my children will have one of their children look at them and say, 'You mean you couldn't plug in cars when you were young? That's so weird.' "

US motorists warm to electric car invasion

Four out of 10 US adults are keen to test-drive an electric vehicle (EV), a new study has found, suggesting manufacturers in the emerging sector could be pushing against an open door.

The online study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) found 40 per cent of American adults were likely to test-drive an electric vehicle, lured by promises of improved environmental quality and potential cost savings.

More than three quarters of those surveyed were impressed by the vehicle's ability to run without petrol, with 67 per cent also attracted by reduced levels of pollution and 60 per cent stating that they were keen to avoid oil changes and major services.

The findings will provide encouragement to the fleet of auto manufacturers, including Nissan, Toyota, GM, Tesla and Fisker Automotive, who are preparing to launch new electric vehicles and plug-in electric hybrids over the next two years.

However, while the findings suggest consumers are increasingly interested in trialling new methods of transport in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint, it also found manufacturers have some way to go to convince people to part with the money required to buy electric cars.

The study found drivers have a number of concerns about using battery-powered vehicles, with half of respondents worried about how far EVs can travel before needing to recharge, and 34 per cent voicing fears about the overall battery life.

The high cost of EVs, reliability and availability of charging stations were also cited as key barriers to adoption.

Chris Ely, CEA's manager of industry analysis, urged EV manufacturers and dealers to emphasise the mileage and battery-related specifications to drivers when trying to make a sale.

"Environmental benefits, coupled with potential cost savings in fuel and tune-ups, will lead to increased interest for electric vehicles and potential floor traffic at dealerships," he said.

The news comes as CEA gears up to host electric vehicles at the high-profile International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the first time.

The consumer technology tradeshow early next year will feature a full range of high and low-speed vehicles, energy storage devices and charging equipment.

Morgan plans Diesel Series Hybrid Sports Car

Morgan will put two new cars into production during the the next three years to complement its new Eva GT and current range.

Charles Morgan, managing director of Morgan Motor Company, said that one will be called the LIFEcar 2, but was more cagey about the second model saying only that it will be a “fun weekend vehicle”.

The LIFEcar 2 is an electric-diesel hybrid sportscar which will have a range of more than 1000 miles according to Morgan. Matt Humphries, chief sesigner at Morgan, said the other new car is “more extreme, with real entertainment value”.

Humphries also spoke about the Eva GT and said the production car will look very similar to the concept unveiled at Pebble Beach last week.

“We’ve got a reputation for translating show cars into road cars almost unchanged,” said Humphries. “That’s our plan for the Eva GT. It needs a high-level brake light at the rear, but that’s about all.”

Morgan said that he is very proud of how the company has progressed in the last two years, but that changes will be needed to meet tighter restrictions on CO2 emissions.

“We may be using more efficient powerplants,” he added, “but I hope our methods of construction will be the same. With any luck, we’ll still be producing the classic Morgan.”

 Morgan

International Research Team Develops Ultrahigh-power Energy Storage Devices

A team of researchers from the U.S. and France report the development of a mirco-supercapacitor with remarkable properties. The paper was published in the premier scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology online on August 15.

These micro-supercapacitors have the potential to power nomad electronics, wireless sensor networks, biomedical implants, active radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags and embedded microsensors, among other devices.

Supercapacitors, also called electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) or ultracapacitors, bridge the gap between batteries, which offer high energy densities but are slow, and “conventional” electrolytic capacitors, which are fast but have low energy densities.

The newly developed devices described in Nature Nanotechnology have powers per volume that are comparable to electrolytic capacitors, capacitances that are four orders of magnitude higher, and energies per volume that are an order of magnitude higher. They were also found to be three orders of magnitude faster than conventional supercapacitors, which are used in backup power supplies, wind power generators and other machinery. These new devices have been dubbed “micro-supercapacitors” because they are only a few micrometers (0.000001 meters) thick.

What makes this possible? “Supercapacitors store energy in layers of ions at high surface area electrodes,” said Dr. Yury Gogotsi, Trustee Chair Professor of materials science and engineering at Drexel University, and a co-author of the paper. “The higher the surface area per volume of the electrode material, the better the performance of the supercapacitor.”

Vadym Mochalin, research assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Drexel and co-author, said, “We use electrodes made of onion-like carbon, a material in which each individual particle is made up of concentric spheres of carbon atoms, similar to the layers of an onion. Each particle is 6-7 nanometers in diameter.”

This is the first time a material with very small spherical particles has been studied for this purpose. Previously investigated materials include activated carbon, nanotubes, and carbide-derived carbon (CDC).

“The surface of the onion-like carbons is fully accessible to ions, whereas with some other materials, the size or shape of the pores or of the particles themselves would slow down the charging or discharging process,” Mochalin said. “Furthermore, we used a process to assemble the devices that did not require a polymer binder material to hold the electrodes together, which further improved the electrode conductivity and the charge/discharge rate. Therefore, our supercapacitors can deliver power in milliseconds, much faster than any battery or supercapacitor used today.”

Nature

2011 Fisker Karma Commercial

The first commercial ever produced by Fisker for it's first product the Fisker Karma. The vehicle is a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) with an extended range of up to 300 miles.

Running 2 x 200 hp (150 kw) EV motors that deliver a combined total of 403 hp (300kw) and a mind blowing 959 ft/lb (1300 Nm) at the differential input shaft, the Karma has more torque than the 612 hp (450 Kw) 6.0 liter V12 twin turbo normally found in the $492,000 Mercedes SL 65 AMG.

Boeing's electric battery gas turbine hybrid propulsion system

If Boeing's latest vision gets off the ground, a hybrid propulsion concept similar to the engine-battery pairings increasingly seen in passenger cars could be aviation's answer to the fuel burn and emissions dilemma.

The research and technology people at Boeing reckon their concept for a 737-sized aircraft could be reality by 2035 if sufficient advances in battery technology can be achieved - but they admit that the battery question is a big if.

The conceptual aircraft, known as Sugar (Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research) Volt, was one of five designs submitted by Boeing following an 18-month research challenge set by NASA. The goal was to design a 2030-era aircraft that burns 70% less fuel and emits 75% less nitrogen oxide than today's airliners.

Sugar Volt is a twin-engined aircraft fuelled by a combination of jet fuel and battery power. "We've added an electric motor to the shaft that drives the fan so that during take-off you run the gas turbine as usual, but you can also use the battery to get more power," says Marty Bradley, who heads Boeing's subsonic research team. He adds that the extra thrust provided by the battery could shorten take-off time.

When the aircraft reaches cruising altitude it can switch from burning jet fuel to using the battery-powered electric motor. Sugar Volt is designed to carry 154 passengers. It has a maximum range of 3,500nm (6,480km) and a 61m (200ft) wing span, although the wings are designed to fold so the aircraft can fit into the same airport gates served by today's narrowbodies.

Boeing says the aircraft would emit 65% less carbon dioxide than today's single-aisle aircraft, but an 80% reduction could be achieved if biofuels were used instead of kerosene. This reduction includes the US power grid emissions used to charge the batteries before flight. The hybrid electric propulsion system could also reduce NOx emissions by as much as 85%.

Bradley is keen to stress, however, that at present there is no battery powerful enough to make this vision a reality. Sugar Volt would require a battery that offers 750 watt hours/kg, but the best batteries in existence today only achieve 170-180 watt hours/kg.

"That's the bar we set for the battery technology folks. If they can reach that then we have an approach where we can compete with conventional aircraft. It's a stretch for them, but the technology is out there - we will just have to see if it evolves," says Bradley. An improved version of the most advanced lithium ion battery is one possibility, while lithium air battery technology improvements could also form the basis of what is required.

"If you take today's most advanced battery and improve it by 7-8% a year, by 2035 it might be ready," says Bradley, adding that Boeing is "calling for dialogue with the battery technology people".

Mitsubishi drops i-MiEV price to £23,990 in UK

Mitsubishi has reduced the UK launch pricing of the i-MiEV electric car to £28,990 - or £23,990 after the UK government’s £5k consumer incentive is taken into account.

Mitsubishi originally priced the the first ever mass-produced electric vehicle at £38,699 before the £5k incentive.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is an all-electric version of the i four-seater, with the combustion engine and fuel tank replaced by a 63bhp electric motor and a large battery pack.

Mitsubishi is keen to highlight the low running costs of the car to potential buyers. The iMiEV has a range of 90 miles and costs 96 pence per charge; Mitsubishi claims it will cost £144 for 12,000 miles of driving.

The i-MiEV is exempt from road tax and the London congestion charge, and attracts no benefit-in-kind company car tax. Mitsubishi claims it also has low servicing costs; it says the car's powertrain has only four moving parts compared with over 300 in a typical internal combustion engine.

Over 2300 i-MiEVs have been operating on Japanese roads since full production started in July 2009.

UK models have been involved in end-user trials with UK customers in the Coventry and Birmingham area since mid-December 2009.

i-MiEVs will be offered with a range of personalisation options, including roof and wing mirror graphics, enhanced stereo/MP3 systems, leather interiors and environmentally friendly accessories such as floor mats made from biodegradable bamboo fibre. Deliveries will start in January 2011.

Ocean waves can power Australia's future, scientists say

Waves crashing on to Australia's southern shores each year contain enough energy to power the country three times over, scientists said on Tuesday in a study that underscores the scale of Australia's green energy.

The research, in the latest issue of the journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, comes as the nation is struggling to wean itself of years of using cheap, polluting coal to power the economy and to put a price on carbon emissions.

Oceanographers Mark Hemer and David Griffin from the state-funded research body the CSIRO looked at how wave energy propagates across the continental shelf and how much is lost. The aim was to build a picture of the amount of energy on an annual basis and how reliable that source is.

Australia has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent of year 2000 levels by 2050. Although an economic analysis of wave generation in Australian waters has yet to be carried out, Hemer says that wave energy offers a "massive resource" to contribute to the Australian Government's aim of producing 45,000 gigawatt-hours/year of additional renewable energy before 2020. "Convert 10 percent of available wave energy from a 1000-km stretch in this area to electricity, " Hemer says, and "the quota could be achieved by wave energy alone."

Currently, Australia consumes about 130,000GWh of electricity each year. The World Energy Council has identifying its southern margin as one of the world’s most promising sites for wave-energy generation.

"Averaged over the whole year, Australia's southern coastline has a sustained wave energy resource of 146 gigawatts (1,329 terawatt-hours/year)," the researchers say in their study, or three times Australia's total installed generation capacity.

The government, facing an election on Saturday, is under pressure to put a price on planet-warming carbon emissions and further boost investment in cleaner energy.

The country is one of the developed world's top carbon emitters and relies on coal to generate about 80 percent of its electricity.

Hemer and Griffin's work has created a series of maps of the coastline that helps wave power investors find the right sites and design projects that can cope with calm and stormy conditions and how frequent these might be.

The researchers don't advocate any particular wave power technology.

But there are three firms in Australia developing technologies, including Fremantle-based Carnegie Wave Energy, which has a system based on large buoys suspended just below the surface near the shore.

Hemer and Griffin's estimates are based on the amount of energy along the coast at 20 meters deep, since many emerging wave power systems are likely to be at that depth or less.

Ideal sites included Portland in Victoria and Albany in southern Western Australia because of easy grid connections.

Reuters

Fullycharged Episode 6

This weeks episode of Fullycharged is a round up of some interesting electric vehicles Robert Llewellyn has had a look at over the last few months. Robert gives us a quick look at the new Toyota Auris Hybrid that started production in the UK in June then gives us a quick glimpse of the Electric Radical SRZero Sports car powered by the Evo Electric Motors we discussed recently.

There's also a brief look at the all wheel drive electric Range Rover we reported on back in July and a mini-bus / van EV conversion

Students build World Record 300 MPG Electric Car out of Indy Car

A group of high school students from the DeLaSalle School in Kansas City, Mo., and their mentors, including engineers from Bridgestone Americas' Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, have just concluded tests on a student-built electric car at Bridgestone's Texas Proving Grounds – and may have set a world record for efficiency.

The all-electric vehicle was built as a class project under the direction of instructor Steve Rees. With the help of automotive mentors, the students have created a plug-in electric car based on the chassis of a 2000 Lola Indy Car.

The students have developed a driveline, electric propulsion system and full, ultra light-weight aerodynamic body. The car, which is mounted on Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 tires, showed remarkable results in testing— test runs reported efficiency levels that would be the equivalent of more than 300 miles per gallon.

Steve Rees is currently petitioning Guinness World Records to consider the students' accomplishments as a new world record.

Bridgestone

Wrightspeed hints at 1000 hp All Wheel Drive Hybrid Supercar / Truck

In an extended interview with Katie Fehrenbacher over at Earth2Tech Ian Wright, posing as yet another founder of Tesla Motors, has publicly laid out his plans for a 1000 hp AWD series hybrid - extended range EV supercar that 'might' be ready in 12 - 18 months, or was it going to be a light truck?

Coming from Wrightspeed, a five year old start up car company that has built only a single EV conversion out of an Ariel Atom chassis powered by an AC-150 powertrain sourced from AC Propulsion, those sound like bold claims.

In part two of the interview it gets even more interesting when Wright starts talking about reducing the weight of a 250 hp electric motor from 110 lb down to only 40 lb. Something smelt like BS so I decided to look into it in a bit more depth.

What we're confident Ian Wright is referring to are motors, in fact the entire powertrain, from a UK company called Evo Electric. Their series hybrid system was featured in the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept car which was said to be powered by only a 35 kW, 1.2 litre, three cylinder as a plug-in series hybrid but with 300 kw worth of electric motors driving the rear wheels.

Most recently an Electric Radical SRZero Sports car, currently being driving by students from Imperial college London (Evo Electric is a company spun off from Imperial) up the Pan-American Highway from Argentina to Alaska, features two of the same Axial Flux electric motors and just yesterday Reynard published a photo of their new sports car with a single Evo Electric motor almost driving the rear wheels.

While Evo Electric has recently sent out a press release claiming they are 'pushing the boundaries of electric motor technology' we think they should perhaps rephrase that. They're certainly pushing the boundaries of something but perhaps that's credibility. The motors in question are Axial Flux BLDC permanent magnet synchronous motors. One of the advantages of axial flux, which use a disc rotor, over radial flux, which use a barrel shaped rotor, is that motor torque in a AF motor is proportional to the motor radius cubed. In a more common radial flux motor torque is proportional to the motor radius squared. Quite a difference.

The AF-140 used in all these vehicles, With a Diameter of 380 mm and only 115 mm thick, mounts in-board on the chassis with one directly driving each rear wheel. The company head-lines peak power figures of 167.5 kw (227.8 hp) and 600 Nm of torque for each motor. It seems to be EV industry standard now to quote only peak outputs, after-all, the Tesla motor is actually rated at 50 Kw continuous yet they publicize only the 185 kw peak power figure. We think Evo might be pushing it a bit too far in their case.

Industrial electric motors are routinely quoted for peak and continuous power output. Continuous being self explanatory and peak being how much power output can be obtained before the temperature rise de-rates the motor, usually over approx 10 - 20 minutes. The company literature for the AFM-140 is quoting peak torque outputs in the microburst range of 18 - 60 seconds. We can only presume they're doing the same with peak power output.

Ian Wright was close when quoting the power to weight ratio for these motors, but they weigh 40 kg each, not 40 lb. The method used to calculate power density, we think, is pushing the boundaries of credibility too. A 17' diameter wheel turns something in the region of 1500 rpm at 100 mph. The Evo Axial Flux motors are in-board wheel motors, that in direct drive configuration, will therefore only ever see a maximum around 1500 rpm yet the base speed where they achieve maximum power is 5000 rpm. Torque x rpm / 5252 = hp so they're a fair way short of maximum claimed power at any usable road speed which is more likely less than 25% of base speed.

Maximum Rpm isn't necessary to get max torque from electric motors, as we all know. Electric motors have 100% torque from zero rpm, the main reason why they are so blisteringly fast off the line. With two Evo motors in the back of a sports car, such as the Radical SRZero, you'll have 600 Nm from each (for 18 seconds at least) giving the car a peak of 1200 Nm at the rear wheels. That does sound impressive but it's less than half that of a Tesla.

The 3 phase AC induction motor in the Tesla Roadster Sport puts out 400 Nm at the motor shaft. Multiply that by the 8.25:1 reduction gear ratio and we get 3300 Nm at the rear wheels. It's equivalent to the torque multiple most cars get in first gear, but in the Tesla it's available at any speed up to 125 mph. Sure, there are power losses through the gear box, but nothing like enough to knock it down by more than half.

So while Wrightspeed's 1000 hp Hybrid monster sounds good in a pit lane chat, even with four motors and All Wheel Drive, it will still have less torque off the line than a Tesla Roadster and will need to reach over 300 mph to make full power.

This, of course, is exactly why Mercedes and Audi have added reduction gearboxes to the in-board wheel motors in their AWD EV Sports cars. It also has alot to do with why Audi thought they could get away with a bit of BS of there own when they inflated a total of 682 Nm (501.5 ft/lb) across all four motor shafts into 4500 Nm (3319 ft/lb) at the press release. Audi ignored accepted auto industry standards and quoted torque for the e-tron at the wheels, which is after the torque multiplication of the reduction gearboxes.

If Wrightspeed add reduction gears then all the above numbers get thrown out the window, but the trade off is 20 - 30% power loss through the mechanical transmissions, in both acceleration and more importantly in regeneration, resulting in a reduction of the vehicles potential range by 20 - 30%. A gearbox also adds approx 20 kg to each motor which in this case means a 50% increase in weight and resultant reduction in power density.

There are direct drive in-wheel motor designs being developed at the moment that are specifically designed to work to a maximum of 1500 rpm. These fall within the US Department of Energy’s realistic targets for 2015 and 2020 (1.3 and 1.6 kW/kg, respectively), and not hyperbole figures like 5 kW/kg peak power density as quoted by Evo.

Capstone to supply microturbine series hybrid system to TATSA for Bus Application

Capstone Turbine Corporation announced today it has initiated a demonstration project with TATSA, an Argentine bus manufacturer that will use a Capstone hybrid electric drive system -- which features a C65 microturbine -- as a clean, efficient range extender for a transit bus.

This will be one of the first applications of Capstone's new Drive Solution in a transit bus. In addition to a natural gas 65-kilowatt microturbine, Capstone will provide the series hybrid drive solution, including drive motor, inverter system, and vehicle power interface module. The Capstone Drive Solution offers significant advantages over more traditional prime movers because it achieves high efficiency with alternative fuels while maintaining ultra-low emissions.

"We are pursuing eco-friendly drive train solutions for our range of buses and recognize the benefits the Capstone microturbine system offers our customers," said TATSA CEO Vicente San Salvador. "The demonstration project is for a transit bus operating on natural gas. We have a unique opportunity to manufacture a high efficiency, low emissions bus and then have our parent company, Grupo Plaza, validate the performance and financial benefits in actual transit operation."

The Capstone Drive Solution is suitable for a range of electric vehicle applications, from passenger cars to Class 8 trucks, delivery vehicles, busses, as well as construction equipment and marine applications. The Capstone Drive Solution makes it easy for vehicle, equipment manufacturers and boat builders to integrate Capstone C30 and C65 microturbines into a series hybrid electric vehicle or vessel.

The inverters and traction motors are mobile-hardened and engineered for these demanding applications.

"We are working with vehicle OEMs and boat builders that want to improve efficiency and reduce emissions of their products," said Jim Crouse, Capstone's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "This project with TATSA demonstrates that transit companies are seeking new technologies to meet increasingly stringent emissions requirements and to reduce the carbon footprint of their fleets."

GM working on a Corvette Hybrid?

(click to enlarge)

Last week, the rumour-mill was grinding away with speculation that the next generation Chevrolet Corvette would receive a mid-engined layout. This week, GM has officially denied it would happen, with its vice president of global vehicle engineering, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, stating specifically, “there is no mid-engine in the plans.”

Speaking with industry publication, Autoweek, Stracke said “The rumors and speculation about the Corvette are just that.”

He also quashed rumours of a possible V6 version, saying that GM is not testing anything of the sort. Hybrid power is a very different story, though. When questioned as to whether a hybrid would form part of the next Corvette’s plans, Stracke stated, “that is an interesting idea.”

Mentioning the fact that Porsche has investigated hybrids for its entire line-up, it’s clear that GM is also thinking along similar lines.

“You could keep a normal powertain configuration for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts,” Stracke said. “And turn 80 to 90 percent of your sports-car portfolio to hybridization.”

Reynard Inverter sports car EV version in development

(click to enlarge)

THE Reynard Inverter sports car, so-called because it produces enough downforce at 160km/h to theoretically drive upside-down on the ceiling of a tunnel, has passed the British Individual Vehicle Assessment (IVA) to make it road-legal.

A brainchild of race car constructor Dr Adrian Reynard and race engineer Andre Brown, the 445kg Inverter is claimed to be capable of producing 1180kg of downforce and sustaining more than 3g in corners on road tyres.

In the UK, a track-ready Inverter powered by a 132kW 1000cc Honda Fireblade engine and with a top speed of 217km/h can be had for £35,000 ($61,000). A 147kW, 1340cc Suzuki Hayabusa engine is also available, with further versions powered by car engines and even an EV under development.

A franchise system is being considered to enable third parties to manufacture the cars internationally. One of the aims of the Inverter project is to become a “virtual car company” with manufacture and assembly of the vehicles outsourced so that the company can focus on design and development.


Significantly, on page 13 of the company’s brochure, they include the description of a 145kW Inverter EV with a 240km road range, dropping to under 50km under race conditions. 

The specs given are a 60 kWh Kokam battery powering a Evo Electric Axial Flux PM DC motor via a Zilla Z1k controller. Seeing as the Evo motor is 3 phase BLDC and the Zilla only works on brushed DC motors we'd say the Reynard EV version was in the VERY early stages of development. They are however open to partners willing to assist. Such a technical gaffe is ironic given the cars name.

Dr Adrian Reynard built his first racing car in 1973 as a student. In 1979, he drove cars of his own design to win the European and British Formula Ford 2000 championships. The race car designer and builder went on to become a founder of the BAR Formula 1 team. To this day, he continues to provide consultancy and test facilities to motorsport.

Andre Brown, who met Mr Reynard through the Motorsport Industry Association, has an Engineering degree from Bath University and founded his own company, Hartham, for the purpose of race car design and development.

Mr Reynard’s interest in low-cost manufacturing and a desire to produce a road car led him to team up with Brown to design a road-legal sports car capable of competing in the 750MC Bikesports championship that would be easy to construct using automated, computerised and robotic techniques.

85% Cheaper Battery for Electric Vehicles

A new startup company will attempt to solve the biggest roadblock facing electric vehicles today--the cost of their batteries.

The new company, called 24M, has been spun out of the advanced battery company A123 Systems. It will develop a novel type of battery based on research conducted by Yet-Ming Chiang, a professor of materials science at MIT and founder of A123 Systems. He says the battery design has the potential to cut those costs by 85 percent.

The new company has raised $10 million in venture-capital funding, and about $6 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which will fund collaboration between the company and MIT and Rutgers University. A123 Systems will work closely with the new company, and owns stock in it. The name stands for "24 molar," referring to material concentration levels that Chiang cryptically calls "technically significant" to the company.

Chiang isn't saying much about the details of the new battery--such as exactly what materials it's made of. But he does say that it uses a "semisolid" energy storage material (rather than the solid electrode material used in most batteries today), and that it combines the best attributes of conventional batteries, fuel cells, and something called flow batteries, while avoiding some of the disadvantages of these technologies.

One advantage of lithium-ion batteries--the kind used in laptops, and which will be used in a new wave of electric vehicles coming out starting at the end of the year--is that the electrode materials can store large amounts of energy. But the packaging required to handle that energy takes up a lot of space and adds cost and weight. "In a typical rechargeable battery, only half of it is actual energy-storing materials. The rest is supporting materials," Chiang says. "That's a problem I've been thinking about for years--how do you improve the efficiency of the design?"

Reducing the amount of materials isn't easy. To extract useful amounts of electric current from electrode materials, these materials have to be spread in very thin layers over sheets of foil, which take up a lot of volume inside the cell. 

Fuel cells and flow batteries don't have this problem. The energy-storing material--a fuel such as hydrogen or a liquid electrolyte, respectively--can be flowed past a membrane, which makes it easier to get the energy out.

The problem with a fuel cell is that it can't be recharged by applying electrical current--you need to refill the fuel tank. That's fine if the fuel is widely available, but right now hydrogen can be hard to come by. Flow batteries require vast amounts of electrolyte because their energy density is low. "It's like managing a swimming pool full of corrosive liquid," Chiang says. As a result, flow batteries are not practical for cars.

As with fuel cells, the new battery can store large amounts of energy without also needing large amounts of supporting materials to extract it, Chiang says. Yet it retains the rechargeability and energy density of lithium battery electrode materials. The result is that the battery can store a relatively large amount of energy at low cost. But he's purposefully vague about the mechanisms involved, saying only, "The final version of the device will look very different from both a conventional battery and a flow battery."

Chiang says the new design could work with a range of battery chemistries. So far, he's developed a proof-of-concept device--which was needed to get the Arpa-e grant. But, he says, "there's a lot of work to do." He's setting a goal of five years to get the first systems out in the field.