Fully Charged Nemesis electric supercar

Robert goes for a test drive of the Nemesis electric supercar created by Ecotricity's Dale Vince. The car being driven in this video is the same Lotus based EV we have been following over the last year or so.

The car uses Prismatic Lithium ion cells that give a range of 150 miles. Motive power is provided by a pair of BLDC motors, one for each rear wheel, connected to the standard CV drive shafts with a reduction gear arrangement using Gilmer belts (hence the supercharger sound track). The motors are powered by a pair of UQM inverters.

Despite the fact the car uses BLDC motors, similar to those used in the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt, the car doesn't have regenerative braking.

Be warned, the sound track features a very loud whine inside the cabin of the vehicle made by the Gilmer belt transmission in this car.

GE to place Biggest Electric-Vehicle Order in History

General Electric Co. may jump-start the electric-vehicle industry with an order that Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt said will be the largest in history.

GE, whose power-generation equipment provides a third of the world’s electricity, will order “tens of thousands” of the vehicles in about a week, Immelt said yesterday in a speech in London, without giving a total or identifying a manufacturer.

“This is a huge step up,” said Brett Smith, a vehicle technology analyst at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “It’s the biggest order to date I’m aware of, by a lot.”

Expanding the world’s fleet of electric vehicles would bolster GE as it expands so-called clean-energy technology such as car chargers, solar panels and wind turbines. For every dollar of electric-vehicle sales, GE estimates it may get 10 cents in revenue, said Gary Sheffer, a spokesman.

Immelt said half of GE’s sales force of about 45,000 will drive electric vehicles. The Fairfield, Connecticut-based company also has a vehicle-leasing division through its GE Capital finance unit. Financial terms and other details about the order aren’t yet being disclosed, GE said.

GE is investing $10 billion over the next five years in clean energy across its business lines, including power- transmission software and so-called smart-grid technologies. Its products include lithium-ion batteries for cars and trucks via a venture with A123 Systems Inc. and sodium-based batteries for use in large vehicles such as locomotives.

Creating Jobs

That spending creates jobs, Immelt told executives at an event sponsored by the University of Cambridge’s Programme for Sustainability Leadership.

“GE has been one of the biggest players in this game and certainly has a lot to gain from the electric vehicle,” Smith said. “They’ve really truly tried to push this hard to get things going, and it seems to be a core corporate value.”

An order the size of GE’s probably would come from several vehicle makers, Smith said.

Automakers preparing to sell vehicles powered solely by batteries in the next 18 months include Nissan Motor Co., which starts delivering Leaf hatchbacks late this year; Ford Motor Co., readying electric versions of its Transit Connect delivery van and Focus compact car; and Toyota Motor Corp., which will sell a rechargeable RAV4 sport-utility vehicle.

Global Outlook

General Motors Co. begins delivering plug-in Volt hybrids this year, and Honda Motor Co., Chrysler LLC, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and other large brands are preparing battery vehicles due by 2012.

Combined deliveries of hybrids, such as Toyota’s Prius, and battery-powered cars may reach 5.2 million by 2020, according to an Oct. 27 forecast by J.D. Power & Associates. That would be about 7.3 percent of the projected global vehicle market.

Immelt used his remarks in London to renew his call for increased private spending on renewable-energy investments.

“Now is exactly the time, because it’s less popular, where we have to invest more,” Immelt said. “We have to do it more courageously. And we’re going to have to go forward for a while without government at our backs.”

GE Energy Infrastructure is the company’s biggest industrial unit, accounting for $37 billion of the parent company’s $157 billion in revenue last year. GE is also the world’s largest maker of locomotives, jet engines, medical- imaging equipment and related information technology systems.

GE is the largest shareholder for Watertown, Massachusetts- based A123, which has signed agreements with Navistar International Corp. and Fisker Automotive Inc. to supply advanced batteries for their vehicles.

HaloIPT Launches First Wireless Electric Car Charger

The next generation of electric cars could be charged wirelessly and even powered up as they drive over electrified roads, claims a company backed by engineering giant Arup.

The company, HaloIPT, is the first in the world to bring to market IPT (Inductive Power Transfer) technology which allows cars fitted with a receiver pad to charge automatically when parked over transmitter pads buried into the ground.

IPT systems can also be configured to power all road-based vehicles from small city cars to heavy-goods vehicles and buses.

The technology was launched overnight in London. The first car to be powered with HaloIPT technology will be on display in London until the end of November.

Dr Anthony Thomson, CEO of HaloIPT says the wireless charging pads are designed to function beneath asphalt, submerged in water or covered in ice and snow.

In the future, the technology will be able to be embedded in roads so cars can be charged on the move. This will solve the range issues electric vehicles have and reduce battery size requirements, says Dr Thompson.

Their pioneering technology uses magnetic fields to transfer power instead of cables or brushes.

The IPT technology was developed by The University of Auckland's Power Electronics Group. The group is led by electrical engineers Professor John Boys and Associate Professor Grant Covic from the Faculty of Engineering at the University.

Dr Boys says it was an exciting development and pleasing to see research originally developed in the basement of the Engineering Faculty at the University of Auckland more than 20 years ago (1989) now making it on to the international stage.

HaloIPT

Guardian

Nissan Rolls Out New High-End Gas-Electric Hybrid Sedan

Nissan launched its first gasoline-electric car developed in-house, the Fuga hybrid, which gets listed mileage of 19.0 km/litre in Japan, comparable to a compact car.

The vehicle, its top-of-the-line sedan, will start at 5,775,000 yen ($71,470). The Fuga is sold as the Infiniti M in many markets, and the hybrid M is due to be rolled out in the United States and Europe in coming months.

Nissan lags rivals Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co by more than a decade in offering a proprietary hybrid model. Instead, it is aiming to be the leader in the zero-emission arena with top shareholder Renault SA by introducing the first mass-scale electric car this year.

Nissan said its one-motor, two-clutch hybrid system would achieve far better fuel economy, at a much lower technical cost compared with hybrid leader Toyota's complex, two-motor "series parallel" system.

The Fuga hybrid gets the best fuel economy among high-end gasoline-electric sedans, topping the Toyota Crown hybrid's 15.8 km/litre, Nissan said. It aims to sell 200 units a month in Japan.

Nissan's hybrid system has a structure similar to that of Volkswagen AG , mounting an extra clutch that separates the electric motor from the engine to allow for driving using only electric power when the battery is charged.

Unlike Volkswagen, however, Nissan's hybrid system needs no torque converter thanks to advanced electronic controls twinned with a lithium-ion battery, developed by its battery unit Automotive Energy Supply (AESC), held with NEC Corp.

Nissan has been selling a small number of Altima hybrids in the United States using Toyota's hybrid system to clear regulations in California.

Toyota announce hybrid NiMH battery recycling joint venture

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Toyota Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (Toyota Chemical Engineering), Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Metal Mining) and Primearth EV Energy Co., Ltd. (PEVE) announce the launch of the world’s first* business to recycle nickel in used hybrid-vehicle nickel-metal-hydride batteries for use in new nickel-metal-hydride batteries.

Previously, nickel-metal-hydride batteries recovered by car dealers and vehicle dismantling businesses were subjected to reduction treatment, and scrap containing nickel was recycled as a raw material for stainless-steel manufacturing. Now, with the development of high-precision nickel sorting and extraction technology, materials can be introduced directly into the nickel-refining process, thus achieving “battery-to-battery” recycling.

To carry out the business, TMC has established the Toyota HV Call Center to help recover the batteries, constructed advanced recycling facilities designed for mass production in cooperation with Toyota Chemical Engineering, and is receiving support from Sumitomo Metal Mining concerning the refining of nickel for use in batteries. TMC is also receiving support from PEVE concerning quality assurance in the manufacture of hybrid-vehicle nickel-metal-hydride batteries.

In addition, making use of trucks on return trips from parts deliveries is planned to reduce environmental impact, including CO2 emissions during transport.

The establishment of this recycling system in Japan will accelerate the creation of a sustainable, recycling-based society, a priority measure for TMC, and is a showcase for recovery and recycling technologies as effective means of promoting and reinforcing recycling in response to global resource limitations.

TMC is currently investigating introducing this recycling system overseas.

Battery Resource Recycling Flow
A: Recovery and transport
B: Reduction and sorting process (Toyota Chemical Engineering)
C: Nickel refining process (Sumitomo Metal Mining)
D: Battery manufacturing (PEVE)

Audi A2 electric car sets long-distance record of 600km

An electric car drove from Munich in southern Germany to Berlin without recharging its battery on Tuesday, setting what organisers hailed as a new world distance record for an everyday vehicle.

The yellow and purple Audi A2 car took around seven hours to complete the 600-kilometre (372-mile) stretch and arrived in the sumptuous courtyard of the economy ministry in Berlin just before 8:00am local time (0600 GMT).

"If any journalists want to charge up their iPhones, we still have some electricity left," quipped driver Mirko Hannemann, 27, as he stepped out of the four-door car to show off the battery.

Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle welcomed the team on arrival and was even tempted into taking a spin around the courtyard, although not behind the wheel.

"They even had the heating on. It really was a luxury journey," Bruederle told a large crowd of journalists and photographers on a chilly Berlin morning.

At a later press conference, Bruederle said: "Welcome to a world record. Before, electric cars could typically only go 60 or 70 kilometres before recharging. This is a technological leap forward."

Car manufacturers hope that electric cars will grow to dominate the automotive industry but consumers see the short range of the vehicles as a major downside.

Japanese researchers have driven an experimental electric car more than 1,000 kilometres around a track, but the two German firms, lekker Energie and DBM Energy, said their vehicle was the furthest travelled by an everyday car.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government aims to have one million electric cars on the road by 2020, but Germany's car giants have been slow off the starting grid and are now scrambling to catch up with their Asian rivals.

World-leading luxury car maker BMW and Europe's biggest manufacturer Volkswagen have both said they intend to launch their first vehicles in 2013.

In contrast, last week, Japan's Nissan said it had started mass producing its Leaf electric car and is poised to put it on sale both at home and in the United States.

Nevertheless, Berlin has offered sweeteners to jump-start its national champions and hopes that by 2050, gas-guzzlers could be a thing of the past.

SAP and Siemens establish eCar EV partnership

As electric vehicles continue to capture the attention of consumers and governments around the globe, the future adoption of these vehicles is seen by some as a key enabler of lower worldwide carbon emissions. While the global spotlight on sustainability increases, wider collaboration among stakeholders is necessary to bring the prospect of electric vehicles to fruition. SAP AG and Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Inc. finalized a mutual working agreement during GridWeek 2010 in Washington, D.C., that will set the stage for establishing an eCar proof of concept (POC).

The POC is intended to demonstrate the cross-industry collaboration necessary to support widespread viability of electric vehicles through development of new and use of existing enabling technologies such as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which can interconnect meter data across multiple charging stations and support anticipated transaction scenarios across various utilities providers. The collaboration efforts drove the respective parties to form a work group that will assemble a sub-committee to the SAP AMI Lighthouse Council, of which Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Inc is a member. The sub-committee, the Sustainable Utility Committee (SUC), will lead the charge on enabling e-mobility.

Siemens Energy will supply a physical charging station as well as access to an e-mobility network operating center, which will enable communication between the charging station and various back-end systems. In addition to the Siemens hardware, the back-end system will initially include software from SAP and others as required by the use cases for Siemens IT Solutions and Services Inc, to properly integrate and perform end-to-end workflow processes for the utilities. The initial design will leverage the Siemens technology at the device and network level and integrate respectively into SAP® for Utilities solutions.

"Siemens prides itself on delivering the future of energy today. Siemens and SAP have successfully done this work in Europe and now it is time to introduce it to North America," said Holger Kormann, vice president, Energy - North America, Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Inc. "What test-bed environment could be better than that which has set the tone for standards and excellence with the SAP Lighthouse Council. The council has acted as the 'voice of the utilities community,' providing the connection between utilities of all types and industry leaders as they develop their technology and solutions for the future."

The work group is looking toward a sustainable future by working on clearly defined use cases. As part of phase one of the POC, the group intends to demonstrate the end-to-end process integration of measuring energy consumption and generating an invoice of an eCar charging at the "home" utility. It will also cater to the roaming use case where a "guest" utility is involved - for example, how a student living in one state could settle electricity costs incurred during cross-country commutes via their local residential bill. Additional charging and billing scenarios such as measurement and billing process for a "pro-sumer," where the customer is also a producer of electricity, are planned to be developed once the initial POC is complete and select utilities will be targeted for unique use cases.

"In areas such as smart grids, AMI and carbon measurement, SAP is helping companies across multiple industries by delivering business solutions that integrate and enable all areas of a smarter and more sustainable energy ecosystem," said Henry Bailey, vice president, Industry Business Solutions, Service Industries, North America, SAP. "This partnership further underscores the decisive steps we are taking to realize our vision of making the world run better, enabling new business models and economies of scale by helping validate and optimize power generation and distribution for the electric cars of tomorrow."

A demonstration and results of this effort are planned be provided to the utility community early next year and initial participants are expected to be announced over the coming weeks. Technologists and utilities are invited to participate in the Sustainable Utility Committee and assist in making e-mobility a reality.

Daimler Sees ‘Good Progress’ in BYD Electric Car Pact

Daimler AG, the world’s second- largest manufacturer of luxury cars, said its electric vehicle partnership with billionaire Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co. is progressing well.

“The shape and form of the car are soon to be defined and those are the prerequisites for starting development,” Daimler Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said Oct. 23 at a forum in Shanghai. “We know the specific details this car should fulfill,” Zetsche said. “We have made very good progress.”

Automakers are cooperating on the development of fuel- efficient vehicles as the U.S., Japan and Europe push them to cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions tied to global warming. Daimler also agreed a pact earlier this year with Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA to share platforms and engines and possibly cooperate on electric-car parts.

Daimler and BYD, partners since May, will be ready to introduce the electric car as early as 2012, Zetsche said last week in an earlier interview with Bloomberg News.

“The automobile industry has to reinvent itself and global partnerships and cooperation such as those between Daimler and BYD will be crucial in this regard,” Zetsche said. “We have to act in concert to make sure we are up to the huge challenge we are facing.”

Daimler is pushing into electric-vehicle production in China to challenge luxury segment leader Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, while the tie-up gives Shenzhen-based BYD access to Daimler technologies.

‘Complementary’

BYD, which has an advantage in battery technology, is “complementary and a good partner” for Daimler, Zetsche said. The two companies have said they will invest 600 million yuan ($90 million) in the 50-50 partnership.

Zetsche said that he expects 1 percent to 5 percent of all new-vehicle sales in 2020 will be of electric models.

Daimler’s electric-vehicle strategy includes large-scale production of a battery-powered version of its Smart minicar, starting in 2012. The company began assembling about 1,000 electric versions of the urban two-seater in November 2009. Daimler also plans to build more than 500 electric-powered Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars this year.

Nissan and Renault Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn has set the goal of expanding global production of its Leaf model to as many as 500,000 vehicles by the end of 2012. General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and other rivals are preparing their own rechargeable models.

Zetsche said China’s auto sales may reach 20 million to 30 million units by 2020, citing analyst forecasts. That would far outpace other markets, he said.

“The auto market may be a mature industry but also very much a growth industry,” Zetsche said. “The global market is expected to grow by another 50 million in five years. Growth is accelerating.”

Production of the Nissan LEAF begins at Oppama, Japan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has started production at its Oppama facility for the all-new 100% electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF, which is slated to go on sale in December in Japan and the United States, and from early 2011, in select markets in Europe. In November, the company will begin exports to the United States, followed by shipments to Europe in December.

"This is a significant milestone, not only for Nissan and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but also for the entire automotive industry," said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn at the Nissan LEAF offline ceremony. "Consumers are clear. They want sustainable and affordable mobility...and the Alliance is leading the way with cars that deliver exactly that, with the reliability, excitement and performance that consumers demand. The high-quality, innovative Nissan LEAF will radically transform what consumers expect from automobile manufacturers worldwide."

Nissan LEAF will be produced at the Oppama Plant along with popular gasoline models such as Nissan Juke and Nissan Cube. Part of the assembly line has been modified to mount battery modules at the stage of production where fuel tanks are traditionally installed, and motors and inverters are mounted at the point where engines are installed in gasoline-powered vehicles. Production quality and efficiency are assured by applying the Nissan Production Way (NPW) in every step of the assembly process.

Nissan LEAF's lithium-ion battery modules are manufactured at the Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) operation in Zama, Japan, which is a joint-venture of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and NEC Corporation. The battery module, which contains 4 battery cells, are assembled at Zama and then shipped to the Nissan Oppama facility, where 48 of them are assembled into the electric car's battery pack.

Hidetoshi Imazu, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing, said, "Oppama will serve as the 'Mother Plant' for the production of Nissan LEAF. We will use all of the know-how and learnings from Oppama to ensure the highest quality at all sites that manufacture Nissan EVs."

Sites for future production of Nissan EVs include Smyrna, Tennessee, in the United States and Sunderland, England, in the UK.

The Oppama plant has an annual production capacity of 50,000 units. Nissan LEAF will start production at Smyrna in late 2012 and at Sunderland in early 2013. At full ramp up, Smyrna will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units, and Sunderland will have a capacity of 50,000 units.

Nissan LEAF is the first 100% electric, zero-emission vehicle to be produced for the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Nissan, together with its Alliance partner, Renault, aims to be a global leader in zero-emission mobility. To date, the Alliance has signed 80 partnerships for zero-emission mobility with governments, municipalities and companies worldwide.

Car makers signal interest in wireless EV charging

Car makers are signaling their interest in wireless charging as another piece of the digital cockpit.

In one sign of the road ahead a General Motors executive is chairing a standards effort that hopes to set interoperability standards for the magnetic induction approach. Toyota and Ford managers said they also are interested in the technology and the standards effort.

"I am motivated by the possibility that wireless charging provides drivers convenience and aesthetics," said John Suh who manages an advanced technology office for GM in Silicon Valley and chairs the standards group launched in May by the Consumer Electronics Association.

The CEA effort aims to set a baseline for interoperability for chargers using magnetic coupling. One spec will target connections of less than one centimeter from coil to coil, another will address a two to six centimeter distance. The group will meet here Friday.

The group will also try to define power efficiency and standard nomenclature for different technical approaches. The committee will "look at all the technologies that could provide wireless charging--optical, RF and conductive as well as inductive approaches--. they all provide some benefit, Suh said.

Wireless charging "is in an advanced engineering stage and out of research" at Ford, said John Schneider, a chief engineer at Ford, speaking on a panel at the annual CEA Industry Forum. "We are watching to see if the standards are successful--that’s key," but the company has yet to choose a technology, said Schneider.

Car makers are still working through the costs and use cases for wireless charging, given users often keep mobile devices in a pocket or scharge gadgets overnight at home.

"Wireless charging has not factored in the top ten [in Toyota's user surveys, raher] it's been one of the bottom features people are willing to pay for," said Jon Bucci, a vice president of advanced technology at Toyota. Nevertheless, "our product planners are looking at [wireless charging] deeply," he said.

"The use cases and value is still to be proven," agreed Schneider of Ford. Almost as important, he asked "will Apple support it because unless Apple supports it" it won't be used on millions of iPhones and iPods, he said.

Despite the doubts, wireless charging could be the next step in smartphone services and apps car makers are racing to link to their vehicles. Last year, Ford released a set of APIs to link to its car controls smartphone services like Pandora.

"There will be a Toyota announcement along these lines at CES," said Bucci of Toyota.
In a CES keynote, Ford is also expected to announce more details about its future infotianment systems.

The Chevy Volt to be released in November lets users unlock, start and turn on air conditioning or heat remotely from a smartphone. "These sorts of features will roll out across our other vehicles," said Suh.

Green Overdrive: Drives the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

This week in Green Overdrive, Katie (I hate eco driving) Fehrenbacher takes the Lincoln version of the Ford Fusion for a spin while getting the full sales pitch from the passenger seat.

The Lincoln MKZ hybrid sells for the same price as the regular ICE version at $35,180. the first Lincoln model with a 4-cylinder engine and delivers an EPA city rating of 41 mpg-US (5.7 L/100 km; 49 mpg-imp) and a highway rating of 36 mpg-US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg-imp), which made it the most fuel efficient luxury sedan in the U.S.

The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid carries over the hybrid powertrain from the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, including the 2.5 L Duratec I4 with electric motor producing a total of 191 hp (142 kW). The MKZ Hybrid offers an improvement of Ford's Smart Gauge with EcoGuide, first introduced in the 2010 Fusion Hybrid.

RaceAbout All Wheel Drive Electric Car - Automotive X PRIZE

This side-by-side seat sports car employed an innovative configuration of four separate wheel motors, custom inverters, and a special supervisory controller all designed and constructed by a team of university students from the Metropolitan University of Helsinki, Finland. Using almost 33 kWh of Altairnano lithium titanate batteries optimized for power rather than energy, this densely packaged car weighed 3770 pounds yet demonstrated impressive efficiency.

The students used Audi R8 supercar aluminum suspension and brakes to match the driving performance of this vehicle. Given the mass, overall size, and battery makeup of this car, its results clearly show that traditional OEMs could build a similar car with existing technology that would achieve a similar attractive blend of energy efficiency and high performance.

Team Name: Raceabout Association
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Car name: Electric Raceabout
Class: Alternative Side by Side
No. of wheels: Four
Passengers: Two
Drive type: Battery electric, all-wheel-drive
Power source: 32 kwh lithium-ion batteries
Charging: Fast-charging is available, that will charge the car to 80 percent capacity in 10 minutes on a 250 kw supply.

Windows Embedded Automotive v7 announced, powers Nissan Leaf Dash

Today at the SAE Convergence 2010 Conference and Exhibition, Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of Windows Embedded Automotive 7 to select car makers and suppliers in the automotive industry. Designed to support the development of new infotainment systems, Windows Embedded Automotive 7 is an industry-leading platform providing integrated services for communication, entertainment, navigation and information for the mass market.

With Windows Embedded Automotive 7, car makers and suppliers have access to Microsoft's latest tools and technology, as well as a worldwide partner ecosystem, which allows them to quickly create in-vehicle experiences that are easier to use and more engaging for drivers and passengers. Key features include speech commands, touch input, hands-free Bluetooth phone communications, advanced dashboard systems for access to music, maps, third-party apps and navigation, and streamlined connectivity with other devices.

"Microsoft deeply understands that technology collaboration is paramount to the evolution of integrated, in-vehicle infotainment systems," said Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Windows Embedded Business Unit at Microsoft. "We are excited to create new opportunities with Windows Embedded Automotive 7 working with our broad ecosystem of partners to bring the best in entertainment and productivity solutions to drivers and passengers around the world."

Additional Windows Embedded Automotive 7 features include the following:

Silverlight for Windows Embedded. Silverlight for Windows Embedded gives car makers the ability to quickly create rich device user experiences with engaging 2-D and 3-D graphics by using a familiar Microsoft technology and taking advantage of a large ecosystem of Microsoft Silverlight designers. Experiences built in Silverlight for Windows Embedded can be refined rapidly on the desktop and deployed unchanged to the target device facilitating flawless delivery from designer to developer.

Microsoft Tellme speech technology. Microsoft Tellme speech technology powers simple and hands-free system commands such as allowing the entire interface to be driven through speech. In addition, new support for SMS reply by voice allows text message replies to be constructed by speech. Windows Embedded Automotive 7 also supports eight languages: U.S. English, U.K. English, German, Mexican Spanish, Continental Spanish, Canadian French, Continental French and Korean.

Next-generation automotive system tools. New tools for developers support the stable integration of advanced, high-performance, third-party systems and include improved test modules with easy-to-use product engineering guidelines to help simplify the development process, increase reliability and speed time to market.

"Consumers are increasingly demanding access to new multimedia content, productivity solutions, and connected services for entertainment and communication from their in-vehicle system, similar to what they expect from their other devices," said Thilo Koslowski, vice president in the Industry Advisory Service Manufacturing group at Gartner Inc. "To build and deploy compelling in-vehicle infotainment system, experienced technology partners, car makers and suppliers must come together. The result of these collaborations turn the automobile into a seamless extension of the digital lifestyle."

Strong Partnerships and Momentum for the Road Ahead

Drivers and passengers today can experience Windows Embedded Automotive in more than 80 vehicle models worldwide through solutions from partners including Ford Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A., Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Paccar Inc., and Alpine Electronics Inc. Highlights include the following:

Ford goes global with SYNC. This month, Ford announced that MyFord Touch, the second generation of Ford SYNC, built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, is launching in Europe and Asia early next year. SYNC has been installed in more than 2.5 million vehicles in North America since its launch in 2007.

Nissan LEAF information hub. Today, Microsoft also announced that the 2011 Nissan LEAF touchscreen information hub is powered by Windows Embedded Automotive technology, providing drivers and passengers with a navigation system and electricity charging station locator. It also shares power consumption monitoring information with drivers, and enables easy in-car climate monitoring.

Fiat. Fiat Group Automobiles is bringing the Fiat 500 to the North American market in 2010. The 500 includes Fiat's Blue&Me technology, powered by Microsoft, a media gateway that integrates mobile phones and digital music players into audio system and controls of the car, allowing voice control of these devices by the driver.

Alpine. Alpine Electronics of America Inc. delivered advanced in-vehicle navigation systems, powered by Windows Embedded Automotive, to car manufacturers, including satellite-guided, turn-by-turn directions and useful features, such as voice-guided controls, and information on more than 7 million points of interest.

Smaller And More Efficient Nuclear Battery Created

Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.

“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density,” said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. “The radioisotope battery can provide power density that is six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries.”

Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, currently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (M/NEMS). Although nuclear batteries can pose concerns, Kwon said they are safe.

“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said. “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.”

His innovation is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor. Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor.

“The critical part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said. “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.”

Kwon has been collaborating with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, and is working to build and test the battery at the facility. In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that the battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair. They’ve also applied for a provisional patent.

Next member of Prius family to be revealed at 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Toyota Motor Corp will show off a coming variant of its Prius hybrid in January as it seeks to distance itself from a costly safety crisis that has weakened sales and damaged its once-sterling reputation.

Don Esmond, Toyota Motor Sales USA senior vice president for automotive operations, would not say how the upcoming model will differ from the automaker's current market-leading Prius.

The Prius dominates the market for hybrids, accounting for 70 percent of global sales, and Toyota seeks to expand the Prius into a "family" of models.

"We will introduce the next member of the Prius family at the 2011 auto show here in Detroit in January," said Esmond, speaking to the Automotive Press Association at the Detroit Athletic Club.

"It's an all-new model with more comfort, styling, versatility, and while still retaining the heritage of the original Prius," said Esmond.

Esmond said the Toyota brand will introduce seven new or updated products in 2011.

Tesla Motors this week said it has reached a $60 million deal with Toyota to develop the powertrain for an electric version of the Rav4 sport utility vehicle.

Working with Tesla on electric vehicles is "a step in the right direction" for Toyota, Esmond said, but the company will remain focused on hybrids when it comes to alternatives to conventional gasoline vehicles.

The worst safety crisis in company history included a suspension of some of Toyota's best-selling models early this year, cut sales in the United States -- its top market, and pushed Toyota to uncharacteristically increase incentives to entice buyers.

"We've gone back to the basics of more carefully listening to our customers, and have made some significant changes to become more responsive, safety-focused organization," Esmond said.

He said Toyota is recovering steadily from the safety crisis.

"We've tarnished the brand but we did not rust it all the way through," said Esmond.

Esmond said that Toyota's North American auto plants are now operating at 90 percent of capacity, and will reach full capacity next year.

In 2011, Corolla sedans will roll off a new assembly plant in Mississippi, the 10th Toyota plant in North America, Esmond said.

A Japanese newspaper reported that Toyota is considering halting exports from Japan of the Corolla. The sedan is now made in 15 countries and the automaker has been considering halting exports from Japan in part on a weak yen.

U.S. auto sales are on pace for October to be the best month of 2010, a sign that the U.S. economy is slowly recovering, Esmond said.

If sales through the recent weekend continue through the month, October's sales rate on an annualized basis will be 12 million to 12.3 million vehicles, he said.

That would eclipse the highest monthly sales so far this year. In March, 11.8 million units sold, on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate.

For 2011, Toyota has said it expects U.S. light vehicle sales to be around 12.3 million vehicles.


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Batteries Smaller Than a Grain of Salt

Lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous in today's consumer electronics -- powering our laptops, phones, and iPods. Research funded by DARPA is pushing the limits of this technology and trying to create some of the tiniest batteries on Earth, the largest of which would be no bigger than a grain of salt.

These tiny energy storage devices could one day be used to power the electronics and mechanical components of tiny micro- to nano-scale devices.

Jane Chang, an engineer at the University of California, Los Angeles, is designing one component of these batteries: the electrolyte that allows charge to flow between electrodes. She presents her results today at the AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition, which takes place this week at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico.

"We're trying to achieve the same power densities, the same energy densities as traditional lithium ion batteries, but we need to make the footprint much smaller," says Chang.

To reach this goal, Chang is thinking in three dimensions in collaboration with Bruce Dunn and other researchers at UCLA. She's coating well-ordered micro-pillars or nano-wires -- fabricated to maximize the surface-to-volume ratio, and thus the potential energy density -- with electrolyte, the conductive material that allows current to flow in a battery.

Using atomic layer deposition -- a slow but precise process that allows layers of material only an atom thick to be sprayed on a surface -- she has successfully applied the solid electrolyte lithium aluminosilicate to these nanomaterials.

The research is still in its early stages: other components of these 3D microbatteries, such as the electrodes, have also been developed, but they have yet to be assembled and integrated to make a functioning battery.

Global temperatures continue to rise

The National Climate Data Center reported Monday that the January-September period is tied with 1998 for the warmest first nine months on record.

The agency said the average temperature for the period was 1.17 degrees above normal for records going back 131 years. For a full year the warmest on record was 2005.

The agency added that it has been the warmest January-September on record in the Northern Hemisphere and the second warmest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Steadily rising temperatures in recent decades have raised concerns among environmentalists and atmospheric scientists concerned that human-generated pollutants are contributing the a dangerous global warming.

AP

National Climate Data Center

Powercast Transmitter Sends Power / Data via RF Wireless Power Link

Powercast Corporation today announced its TX91501 Powercaster(TM) Wireless Power Transmitter which uses the 915-MHz ISM band to transmit common radio waves for power and data in commercial, industrial and defense applications.

As the power source for Powercast's RF energy-harvesting wireless power solution, the TX91501 broadcasts power and data over 40 feet to its companion Powerharvester(R) receivers. Embedded into micro-power devices such as wireless sensors, instrumentation and controls, the Powerharvester receivers convert the received RF energy into DC power for battery-free operation or to wirelessly trickle charge batteries. The receivers also output the data broadcast from the TX91501 as well as the received signal strength indication (RSSI).

Initial versions of the TX91501 transmitter will broadcast a unique ID for device authentication or location-tracking applications, while future versions will also transmit data such as timestamps for end-device synchronization and control.

Powercast's TX91501 transmitter is approved by the FCC (Part 15) and Industry Canada. It can be used to broadcast RF energy for both power and data in numerous energy-harvesting applications such as environmental monitoring, building automation, energy management and industrial monitoring.

The RF signal uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modulation for power and Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation for data. The TX91501 is available in versions with an output of 1 watt or 3 watts Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP).

The 6.75" H x 6.25" W x 1.63" D transmitter includes an integrated 8dBi directional antenna with a 60-degree beam pattern, and the unit mounts easily on either vertical or horizontal surfaces using one of two DC power jacks (bottom or back) and multiple mounting holes. The TX91501 operates immediately when powered on and requires no user configuration or programming. An internal shut-off mechanism automatically stops transmission when objects come close to the device, and an LED indicates transmission status.

Broadcasted RF energy creates a perpetual power source, unlike potentially unreliable solar, heat or vibration energy sources, to provide power-over-distance, one-to-many charging, and controllable wireless power (continuous, scheduled or on-demand). A wire- and battery-free power source enables zero-maintenance devices which deploy to inaccessible locations, and embeds within sealed devices for use in wet or harsh environments.

While a 3 watts wireless power system isn't suitable for an application like EV battery charging, it is interesting to consider the increasing potential of this technology as it scales up in power capacity.

The 1-watt ($235) and 3-watt ($300) versions of the TX91501 Powercaster transmitter are available through Powercast's authorized distributors.

Some OPEC Members Push for $100 a Barrel Oil

Some OPEC members want oil prices to rise to $100 a barrel to offset the decline in the dollar.

The value of the dollar, which has slipped 13% since June against major world currencies, means that the "real price" of oil is about $20 less than current levels, Venezuela's Energy and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said after Thursday's OPEC meeting in Vienna

OPEC, which accounts for 40% of global crude output, left targets unchanged and called for stronger adherence to production quotas, Bloomberg News said.

"They're concerned about the dollar because as the dollar weakens, prices go up," Nordine Ait-Laoussine, former oil minister for Algeria, told Bloomberg News.

OPEC countries are exceeding their quotas as prices creep above the $70-$80 a barrel band that Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi called "ideal."

"We would love to see $100 a barrel," Shokri Ghanem, chairman of Libya's National Oil Corp. said. "We're losing real income. Libya in particular would like to see a higher oil price."

Other countries are less certain: Kuwait's oil minister said he'd prefer a price no greater than $85 a barrel; while the Algerian minister said a price between $90 and $100 a barrel was "reasonable."


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Renault Plans to Sell Zoe Electric Cars for Less Than $19,500

Renault SA plans to sell its Zoe electric car starting mid-2012 for less than 15,000 euros ($19,500) , Le Figaro reported, citing an unidentified company official.

Renault group refused to give comment on the report but confirmed that electric vehicles Zoe's price will be close to similar models running on the road.

The price includes a 5,000-euro credit from the government and buyers will have to pay 100 euros a month to rent the battery for the car, the newspaper said.

About 150,000 models will be produced annually at the company’s plant in Flins, France, Figaro said.


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Chevy Volt returns 127 MPG in extended real-world test

Earlier this week we were a bit disappointed to learn that the Volt really isn't a pure series hybrid electric-drive vehicle. But now that real-world independent test numbers are starting to come in, we're beginning to learn just how much of a leap forward the Volt might actually turn out to be.

Motor Trend has revealed that in 299 miles of normal driving over two weeks, their test Volt actually managed to get 126.7 MPG. That's incredibly impressive, even if it's only about half the figure GM announced with a lot of fanfare last year.

At one point in Motor Trend's test, they hammered the car over a 122-mile loop that took them out into the California desert, and the car still managed to achieve 74.6 mpg. That's way better than a Prius can get on a good day. Still, with so much of the Volt's power coming from your wall socket, making direct comparisons is a fuzzy science at best. Apparently, the EPA still hasn't decided quite how they will rate the Volt's fuel economy.

The upshot is that deciding whether the Volt makes sense for you is going to depend a lot on your driving habits. More than with just about any vehicle, people with an agenda can twist the various running-cost scenarios to come up with figures that fit their own prejudices. I expect that in the end, only the market will tell us whether the Volt was actually worth the four year wait.

Motor Trend

Mitsubishi Motors to Test Electric Delivery Vehicles

Mitsubishi Motors Corp and Yamato Transport Co Ltd will start a field test of an electric pickup and delivery vehicle prototyped by Mitsubishi Motors.

The prototyped vehicle will be deployed in Yamato Transport's delivery center in Tokyo Oct 15, 2010. And the two companies will evaluate its practicality by collecting data from the vehicle in operation and analyzing it.

The electric vehicle (EV) to be tested is based on Mitsubishi Motors' "Minicab Van" gasoline-driven commercial light van. The company used the motor and the lithium-ion rechargeable battery of its "i-MiEV" EV for the prototyped EV.

Yamato Transport, which is now making efforts to reduce environmental load in its package delivery business, has already introduced 10 units of the i-MiEV. Based on the results of the field test, it will consider employing a commercial electric light van. The company owns about 45,000 vehicles including 4,659 hybrid electric vehicles as of March 2010.

Mitsubishi Motors plans to obtain feedback from the field test and aims at an early commercialization of the commercial electric light van. Though the company did not disclose the specifications of the prototyped EV, it is planning to commercialize a rear-wheel-drive vehicle made by equipping the Minicab Van with the i-MiEV's motor and drive trains.

If a battery with the same capacity as that of the i-MiEV's battery is used, it will increase the cost of the commercial electric light van. Therefore, Mitsubishi Motors plans to change the capacity of the battery depending on the distance that the vehicle is expected to travel.


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Vauxhall/Opel CEO 'Ignore EVs at your peril'

Europe’s car makers are in danger of abandoning the Continent’s prominent position at the cutting edge of automotive technology by ignoring electric vehicle developments.

That was the warning from Britain’s most senior car industry executive, Vauxhall/Opel boss Nick Reilly.

“I think Europe will lose its competitive edge unless we move fast to catch up on electric vehicle and battery technology,” said Reilly in an interview at the Paris motor show.

Reilly reckons that car makers and governments need to work more closely together to develop production-ready battery technology, before Asia and the US corners the market.

“GM, for example, has its own battery design and manufacture for the Volt, but we’re in partnership with a Korean technology company for the batteries,” said Reilly.

His counterpart in China, Kevin Wale, issued a similarly stark warning in an industry speech in the UK this summer.

Wale warned that the Chinese government and car firms were working in tandem to develop EVs, partly for environmental reasons, but also because electric technology offers the easiest route to catch up with western car makers.


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Continental Supply PSA with Maxwell Ultracapacitor for Start-Stop System

Continental AG is supplying Maxwell Technologies ultracapacitor-based booster systems to PSA Peugeot Citroën for its second-generation e-HDi Start-Stop Systems. PSA plans to sell around one million vehicles equipped with the new E-Booster micro-hybrid technology e-HDi over the next three years.

The system takes advantage of even the slightest opportunity to turn off the engine, thus noticeably reducing fuel consumption. A vehicle equipped with standard transmission will even shut off its engine when rolling at speeds below 20 km/h (12 mph). Under normal driving conditions, such a system can increase mileage by about 5%. That figure jumps to 15% if a lot of city driving is involved, with CO2 emissions also dropping by 15%.

The micro-hybrid e-HDi technology uses a new 2.2 kW starter-generator, a 70% increase over first-generation systems.

A powerful booster module was required to deliver the power surge needed to assure easy diesel engine starts even at below-freezing temperatures. The module needed to get the engine to idling speed quickly so as to make vibrations and engine noises practically unnoticeable in 400 milliseconds—twice as fast as a normal starter motor.

Based on a concept by PSA Peugeot Citroën, Continental designed and built a booster module to meet those requirements, plus guarantee that restarting the engine wouldn’t drain power away from other devices such as the radio, headlights, or windshield wipers. The power electronics in the E-booster control recharging the ultracapacitors during the recuperative phase.

Maxwell Technologies says it has begun production-level deliveries of the BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors to Continental AG. PSA Peugeot Citroën plans to equip about 30% of its diesel automobiles with the new start-stop system by 2012.


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Tesla officially signs $60M Toyota Deal

Tesla first announced plans in July for an agreement with Toyota to develop an electric version of the RAV4 featuring a Tesla powertrain. Now it's in writing. Tesla filed a form with the Unites States Securities and Exchange commission on Wednesday disclosing its $60 million agreement with Toyota.

Tesla has long discussed plans to build up a powertrain supply business as an additional revenue stream to selling cars. One of the conditions for Tesla to draw some of the DOE loan funds is signing up commercial customers for powertrain components.

Toyota will pay for the work in installments over the course of the agreement, and the schedule and amount of these installments will be finalized within the next two months.

Earth2tech

Fast Company


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Peugeot Ion to be available on four-year/40,000 lease

Peugeot’s new Ion electric car, based on the Mitsubishi i-Miev, will be available on a four-year 40,000 mile lease contract when it goes on sale in the UK towards the end of this year.

Peugeot will charge a monthly payment of £415+VAT, which includes lease of the vehicle and battery pack, full warranty cover for the period of the lease, servicing and full maintenance for four years and 40,000 miles.

Private buyers are a low priority. The Ion is targeted mainly at the public sector plus transport and energy sector organisations, leasing companies and large corporate fleets.

At the end of the lease, Peugeot will take the cars back to re-lease to a second user on another four-year contract at a reduced cost.

Peugeot believes running the Ion would bring a potential £5,150 annual saving over a conventional internal combustion powered car.

Peugeot believes the success of the European electric vehicle market will be very dependent on tax incentives at the time of purchase or during ownership, the introduction of infrastructures, possible ecological constraints in terms of urban traffic and the fluctuating price of fossil fuels.

The electric vehicle segment is expected to grow gradually, representing 4% to 5% of the total European market by the year 2020.

Ion production will build gradually, rising to a projected total of 50,000 by the year 2015.


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Siemens Launch 100 car EV Fleet for Staff

Siemens are building a fleet of 100 electric vehicles for use and testing by employees. Called 4-S (4-Sustainelectromobility), the pilot project is focusing on the interplay between the electric cars and their infrastructure. Besides testing of the components, the project’s objective is to research and develop new business models.

Siemens expects there will be more than one million electric cars on the road worldwide in the foreseeable future, when they will form part of a smart grid.

The pilot project is divided into three stages and will initially be limited to the company locations in Munich and Erlangen. During the first stage, which will kick off in November, 20 vehicles will be given for testing to employees in southern Erlangen and in Munich’s Neuperlach district. The focus will initially be on testing the infrastructure.

During the second stage, which is scheduled to commence in spring 2011, 15 electric vehicles will be equipped with a drive system developed by the Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) group and subsequently tested by employees. At the same time, Siemens will set up an in-house electric car-sharing system in Berlin. In the final stage, which is to start in fall 2011, the vehicles will be fitted with drive systems from the Industry Sector.

The entire project is being managed by CT. The experience and insights gained by Siemens during this pilot project will be directly incorporated into the development of new components. The project’s aim is to find out how electric cars and the charging infrastructure can be best coordinated with one another. Siemens is also involved in a number of other pilot projects such as Harz.EE-mobility and Drive eCharged.

The latter project is taking place in the Munich model region and is run in cooperation with BMW and the Munich municipal utility company SWM. A total of 40 electric MINI E cars have so far been issued to test drivers, who will use the vehicles in the Munich area for ten months. Siemens is providing the infrastructure for the private and public charging stations, and SWM is supplying the green electricity.

Another focus of the project is to investigate the possibilities of fast charging with direct current, which would allow electric vehicles to be used for long distances of several hundred kilometers.


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Toyota confirms Plug-in Prius for Australia

In 2012 Toyota may offer the most economical fossil-fuelled car in Australia when its 2.6L/100km Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) goes on sale.

However, its other distinguishing feature – the ability to travel 20km in pure electric mode – is “probably not the best range for Australia”, Toyota Australia’s senior executive director of sales and marketing, David Buttner, conceded this week.

Toyota have received federal regulatory approval to begin field testing of its plug-in Prius hybrid, the company this week announced that the vehicle will be loaned to the Victorian government and four corporate fleets yet to be named.

All will be involved in evaluating whether the experimental plug-in hybrid works satisfactorily in a local setting prior to its commercialization in 2012.

The Prius PHV is based on the existing third-generation Prius, which was released here in July 2009, but has been modified to accept an electric charge from an external power source.

It also uses a 5.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack in place of the existing nickel-metal hydride battery pack (as also used in the local Camry Hybrid built at Altona), which boosts its voltage rating from 201.6 to 345.6 and extends its range in pure electric mode from 2km to 20km.

The plug-in Prius employs the same 73kW/142Nm 1.8-litre petrol engine and 60kW/207Nm electric motor as the standard Prius hybrid.

Mr Buttner this week conceded the 20km range was perhaps not enough for Australia but was dictated by studies of typical driving distances in Europe, which revealed 80 per cent of car journeys were of less than 25km.

However, he said that ‘range anxiety’ (where consumers are concerned that battery range is insufficient to complete a journey) is obviated by the Prius PHV’s on-board petrol engine.

“If you forget to plug it in, you will still be able to drive to work, and you will be able to continue to drive beyond the range of the battery pack,” said Mr Buttner.

“Unlike electric cars, you will not have to drive with one eye on the road and one eye on the electric power gauge. After using its electric-only range, the PHV reverts to normal petrol-electric hybrid operation, such as that of Prius or Hybrid Camry.”

The PHV can be charged using a 15-amp electric outlet (although Toyota says a conventional 10-amp domestic lead will be developed for production), with a recharging time of about 100 minutes on 220V. The lead plugs into a charge point concealed behind a flap on the front left guard.

It is 135kg heavier than a conventional Prius and loses 54 litres of cargo capacity to permit storage of the larger battery pack.

Maximum speed in pure electric mode is about 100km/h (compared with 70km/h for the regular Prius in electric mode), and if this is exceeded the petrol engine cuts in, as it does under hard acceleration or when the battery pack runs out of charge.

Real-world fuel consumption and emissions obviously depend on how much time is spent in electric mode, but the official average figures are 2.6L/100km and 59g/km.

This compares favourably with the regular Prius, which emits the lowest amount of CO2 of all new vehicles currently sold in Australia (89g/km) and returns 3.9L/100km – slightly more than the Ford Fiesta Econetic, which is the current Australian fuel economy leader with 3.7L/100km.

The Prius PHV global trial consists of 600 cars that are being evaluated in countries including Japan, USA, UK, France, Canada and New Zealand.

The Victorian trial includes charging infrastructure supplied by Better Place, which will also supply software to allow the trial to be adequately monitored, providing real-time information on odometer readings, vehicle locations and battery charge levels.

Earlier this month, Toyota Motor Corporation announced that it had sold its two-millionth Prius since the hybrid was first launched in Japan in 1997.

It took more than 10 years for Toyota to reach one million Prius sales, but the second million was racked up in less than two-and-a-half years, reflecting the technology improvements across three generations and broader global acceptance and demand of the green vehicle.

According to Toyota, the total includes almost 940,000 deliveries in North America, more than 825,000 in Japan, 206,000 in Europe and 40,000 in the rest of the world, including more than 16,000 in Australia since the Prius was launched here in October 2001.

The Prius is currently sold in more than 70 countries and last year Toyota achieved a record 400,000 sales. That total has already been eclipsed this year, largely due to strong sales in Japan.

Toyota’s overall sales of hybrid vehicles – thanks largely to the Camry Hybrid – now exceeds 2.8 million.


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Electric car trial sparks hopes of mass take-up

Electric vehicles are more than meeting drivers' daily range requirements and are cheaper to charge than previously thought, suggest results from an ongoing trial in the English West Midlands.

Initial indicators from the year-long, 110-car trial, part of the Technology Strategy Board’s £25m Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator programme, suggested that the electric cars were used similarly to their petrol-run cousins and that 'range anxiety' – concern about battery life when undertaking long journeys – had been overblown.

These results, published this week and six months into the year-long Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators (CABLED) trial, echo those findings.

Drivers are taking longer journeys, but typically use less than 30 per cent of their total charge daily, treating the cars much like mobile phones or laptops by habitually charging the vehicles overnight whether the battery is half full or nearly empty.

An average charge time of just under two hours costs between 40p and £1, depending on the tariff, and provides enough power for 20-40 miles of travel, far exceeding the average car journey of seven miles.

According to Charles Bradshaw-Smith, head of e-mobility R&D at E.ON, one of 13 trial backers, the usage data will influence the next generation of battery technology, as well as the development of energy infrastructure and smart grid technology.

"The most popular time to charge vehicles is overnight, but since most journeys are relatively short, five average-length journeys can be completed on one charge. This is evidence to support the need for intelligent charging technology that will allow EVs to interact with the distribution grid," he said.

"The goal is to allow drivers to take advantage of low-cost energy, whilst enabling EVs to both draw and feed into the grid in order to smooth demand peaks and troughs."

Project leader Neil Butcher from Arup said the results were encouraging for the mass take up of electric cars.

"The phenomenon known as ‘range anxiety’ is falling as drivers become more familiar with their vehicles. The low costs of ‘refuelling’ in relatively short periods of time reinforce this," he said. "While there are technical challenges ahead – extending vehicle range and preparing for increased demands on the national grid – our results show that even current vehicles are more than capable of meeting users’ day-to-day needs."


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Chevrolet Volt Electric Drive: Engineered for Efficiency

As GM has started the media launch program for the Chevrolet Volt, some confusion has emerged about details of the Volt’s drive technology.

The engineering of the Voltec electric drive unit is very sophisticated. As part of the media launch, we're diving deeper into how the system works than we have in the past. We did not share all the details until now because the information was competitive and we awaited patent approvals. Following a small number of inaccurate media reports, we want to clarify a few points.

The Volt has an innovative electric drive system that can deliver power in both pure electric and extended range driving. The Voltec electric drive cannot operate without power from the electric motors. If the traction motor is disabled, the range-extending internal combustion engine cannot drive the vehicle by itself.

There is no direct mechanical connection (fixed gear ratio) between the Volt’s extended-range 1.4L engine and the drive wheels. In extended-range driving, the engine generates power that is fed through the drive unit and is balanced by the generator and traction motor. The resulting power flow provides a 10 to 15 percent improvement in highway fuel economy.

Our overriding objective in developing the Voltec electric drive was to deliver the most efficient, yet fun-to-drive experience in both pure electric and extended-range driving. We think our unique technology lives up to its most important promise: delivering our customers with the only EV that can be their primary vehicle, with EV operation for normal daily driving, and extended range driving for weekends, holidays, and longer trips – all with no range anxiety.

GM


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GM defends Volt while critics say it's not a real electric car

General Motors Co. is disputing accusations that its low-emission Chevrolet Volt is a hybrid and not a true electric vehicle a month before the car goes on sale.

Auto critics Edmunds.com, Motor Trend and Popular Mechanics have said that during heavy acceleration the Volt uses its gasoline engine to power an electric generator which helps turn the wheels, similar to how hybrids run.

GM said on its website that the car is an extended-range electric vehicle, not a hybrid like Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius.

The Volt debate illustrates the marketing challenge for automakers selling new technology in cars that don't fit standard classifications and whose performance is difficult to measure.

GM and Nissan Motor Co. have both made claims about their new models' fuel economy and driving range that not all consumers may attain because electric performance varies greatly by driving habits.

"You have a PR problem with any one of these vehicles," said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., an auto consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan. "GM had this sort of schizophrenic thing about doing its best to manage perception and at the same time going off into traditional old-style GM hype."

GM has promoted the $41,000 Volt as an electric vehicle to give it an image boost over hybrid-electric cars such as the Prius.

The Detroit automaker has said for three years that the Volt would always run on electric power and more recently said it would average 230 miles per gallon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hasn't rated that number, and GM said many consumers may get lower fuel economy.

‘GM Lied'

GM said today that the engine does assist in driving the car through an electric generator.

Critics at Popular Mechanics and Edmunds both wrote they consider the Volt a plug-in hybrid and not the electric vehicle that GM has touted for years. The Edmunds review of the car had the headline: “GM Lied: Chevy Volt is not a true EV.”

Nick Richards, a GM spokesman, said the Volt always runs on electricity and has no mechanical link from the gasoline engine to the wheels.

The car's four-cylinder gasoline engine powers a secondary electric motor, which turns the wheels, Tony Posawatz, the Volt's vehicle line director, said in an interview. The car's gas engine doesn't directly power the wheels, he said. GM never disclosed that fact because the engineers saw it as a benefit that boosted the car's fuel economy, he said.

‘Very different'

“I keep telling people that this is a smart solution,” Posawatz said. “It drives very different from a hybrid.”

Hall, of 2953 Analytics, said there are some similarities between the Volt and the Prius.

“In a Prius, there is no mechanical linkage between the engine and the wheels -- it goes through a motor,” he said. “They use the engine to drive a direct-drive generator to drive the motor. The Volt does the same thing, it's just that the Volt can run with electric power without an engine longer than pretty much any hybrid right now can.”

GM said previously that the Volt would go 40 miles on a fully charged battery before the gasoline engine starts to recharge the battery, giving the vehicle a total range of 340 miles.

The company said today it will go 25 to 50 miles in electric drive and 310 miles on one charge and a tank of fuel.

Nissan and GM both will have marketing challenges when consumers get lower range or fuel economy, Hall said. With hybrids and electric cars, they can drive farther in stop-and-go city driving than on the highway because braking recharges the battery.

Company claims

That means many Volt owners won't get 230 miles per gallon in the Volt and Leaf drivers won't get the 100 miles on a single charge that the companies have claimed, Hall said.

Consumers probably won't care whether the Volt is a hybrid or electric car, said Eric Noble, president of The CarLab, an auto consulting firm in Orange, Calif. Potential buyers will be more concerned with the car's price, the fuel savings and how far they can drive before needing to plug in or refuel.

“Consumers don't care what we call it,” Noble said. “In our research, most of the questions from consumers are about battery life and recharging.”

The Volt's emissions are more important than what people call it, said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign, an environmental lobbying group in Washington.

“I don't think purity is the issue,” Becker said. “What comes out of the tailpipe is the issue. If it's a little, it's green. If it's a lot, it's not.”


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The Chevrolet Volt is not a true Series Hybrid

While studying some of the cut away technical renderings (click on the picture above to enlarge) released by General Motors as they announced the official launch of the Chevrolet Volt yesterday we couldn't quite understand the use of a planetary gear cluster inside the electric motors rotor.

General Motors have launched the Volt calling it an electric vehicle with extended range as opposed to just another hybrid. They have emphasized during the marketing campaign over the past 3 years that the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) in the Volt never directly drives the wheels.

Well, it turns out that's not strictly true. The planetary gear cluster inside the electric motors rotor is directly connected to the electrical generator and the ICEs flywheel. When above 70 mph or in battery depleted mode the ICE and the generator can 'assist' the electric motor in driving the wheels. The percentage of 'assistance' is unknown.

General Motors claim they haven't released details about the transmission until now because the patent was still pending up until September 21.

Some reports are saying that the ICE assistance is required due to limitations of the electric motor spinning "too fast to be efficient" above 70 Mph. If that were the case then GM have gone to a lot of effort to work around an inefficient electric motor design. By comparison, the AC Induction motor in the Tesla Roadster is "efficient" at up to 14,000 rpm. The GM Volt BLDC electric motor is said to become inefficient at around 6,500 rpm.

Electric Motors are approx 90% energy efficient while an ICE is around 25%. It's hard to imagine any situation where the electric motors efficiency drops to a point where it becomes more 'energy efficient' to assist it with the ICE.

A more likely explanation for GM choosing to use ICE assistance above 70 mph is that aero load increases at the square of speed. When the road speed of a vehicle doubles the aerodynamic drag increases four times. Rolling resistance and aero drag are the two biggest energy consumers of any vehicle but particularly electric vehicles.

On an electrically driven vehicle such as the Volt with a usable battery capacity of only 8 kWh, GM engineers/management look to have decided that extended high speed highway driving in EV only mode would deplete the battery too quickly to be acceptably to American consumers.

There is also the issue of extended highway running in battery depletion mode. While driving in an urban area, brake regeneration will recharges the battery and make up some of the short-fall between the 63 kw 1.4 lt ICE and the 111 Kw EV traction motor.

However during extended highway driving where opportunities for regeneration are rare, the power deficiency between the two power units may become more of a problem. It will be interesting to test drive a Volt to see how GM engineers have handled these many and varied driving scenarios.

Quite a few on-line news sources have gone over the top saying GM lied while others are lampooning GMs claims of 230 MPG seemingly without any understanding of how or why that MPG number was calculated.

More than likely this negative press can be credited as a hang-over from the documovie "Who Killed the Electric Car" in which GM were painted as the villain. While it is disappointing that the production version of the Volt is closer to being a Plug-In series-parallel hybrid, much like the Toyota Prius, than it is to being a true series hybrid, I'm sure that once the car makes it's way into the hands of consumers the Volt's press will turn around.

After all, The Chevy Volt is still a plug-in hybrid that can drive for up to 50 miles on nothing but electricity.


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General Motors Officially Launch the 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet today introduced the all-new, 2011 Volt electric vehicle with extended range, establishing an entirely new segment in the global automotive market. The five-door, four-passenger Volt is designed to provide the benefits of an electric vehicle without the range limitations associated with other electric vehicles in the market.

“The Chevrolet Volt can be the only car you own,” said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. “The Volt delivers it all: a revolutionary propulsion system, progressive styling, industry-leading safety, premium amenities and user-friendly technologies, and spirited driving dynamics.”

Designed, engineered, built and delivered to customers in 29 months, the Volt will go on sale at Chevrolet dealers before the end of 2010. It is offered in one very well-equipped standard trim level, along with two option packages: a Premium Trim Package and a Rear Camera and Park Assist Package.

The Volt is in a class by itself

The Chevrolet Volt is not a hybrid. It is a one-of-a-kind, all-electrically driven vehicle designed and engineered to operate in all climates. Powered by GM’s revolutionary Voltec propulsion system, it consists of a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and electric drive unit that provide pure electric range between 25 and 50 miles, depending on terrain, driving techniques and temperature. A 1.4L gasoline-powered engine extends the range up to an additional 310 miles on a full tank of fuel by operating the vehicle’s electric drive system until the car can be plugged in and recharged or refueled. This distinguishes the Volt from electric-only vehicles, which cannot be operated when recharging is not immediately available – such as during a power interruption or on a long-distance trip.

“The Chevrolet Volt makes the electric driving experience as productive, efficient, intuitive, safe and fun as any premium vehicle its size in the market today,” said Doug Parks, Volt global vehicle line executive.

Every major element of the Volt was designed and analyzed for efficiency, including its highly aerodynamic exterior, lightweight wheels, specially designed tires, energy-saving premium stereo system, and more. This attention to detail makes the Volt one of the most aerodynamic and energy-efficient vehicles in the market.

The Volt redefines electric drive

The heart of the Chevrolet Volt is its Voltec propulsion system, which combines pure electric drive and an efficient, range-extending engine, giving to the Volt up to 350 total miles of range.

The Volt’s long-life battery consists of a 5.5-foot, 435-pound (198.1 kg) T-shaped, 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack manufactured in Brownstown Township, Mich. It supplies energy to an advanced, 111-kW (149-hp) electric drive unit to propel the vehicle. Using only the energy stored in the battery, the Volt delivers between 25 and 50 miles of fuel- and tailpipe emissions-free electric driving, depending on terrain, driving techniques and temperature.

The Volt battery is designed to deliver value, safety, quality, performance, durability and reliability. It is covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty. Since 2007, GM engineers have completed more than one million miles and four million hours of validation testing of Volt battery packs, as well as each pack’s nine modules and 288 prismatic cells. The development, validation and test teams have met thousands of specifications and validated each of the Volt battery’s 161 components, 95 percent of which GM designed and engineered.

“Our customers are making a commitment to technology that will help reduce our dependence on petroleum,” said Micky Bly, GM executive director, global electrical systems. “In turn, we commit to deliver the highest standards for value, safety, quality, performance and reliability to our customers.”

When the battery energy is depleted, the Volt seamlessly transitions to extended-range mode. Power is inverted from a technically advanced, 1.4L 63-kW (84-hp) gasoline-powered onboard engine to the electric drive unit to provide up to 310 additional miles of range.

The Volt proves electric driving can be spirited. Not only does the Volt reach a top speed of 100 mph, the electric drive unit’s excellent low speed torque of 273 lb.-ft. (368 Nm) takes it from 0 to 60 mph in less than 9.0 seconds and the quarter mile in less than 17.0 seconds.

Charging the Volt’s battery is simple and intuitive, and can be done through 120V conventional household electrical outlets, or through a dedicated 240V charging station. The vehicle is completely rechargeable in about four hours using a 240V outlet and 10 to 12 hours in a 120V outlet. Once the vehicle is plugged in, owners can schedule either immediate or delayed charges, even coordinating charging according to departure time or when electricity rates are lower. Owners also can manage and monitor the Volt remotely via computer on MyVolt.com; or an exclusive smart phone application, Chevrolet Mobile App powered by OnStar MyLink.

The Volt is designed and refined to impress

The Chevrolet Volt’s bold, sleek, performance-oriented stance conveys its electrically driven capabilities, and looks like an upscale, midsize sport sedan. This is made possible by its wide front and rear tracks (61.2 / 62.1 inches [1556 / 1578 mm]), 105.7-inch (2685 mm) wheelbase, wheels-out stance, sculpted belt line and premium execution.

“The Volt is a revolutionary car, and we wanted the design to make as sleek and dynamic a statement as possible,” said Bob Boniface, director of design. “When you look at this car, it’s very technical and refined in its execution, with lots of interrelating surfaces that bring clean, crisp edges and creases.”

Working closely with aerodynamicists in GM’s own wind tunnel to shape the Volt, design and engineering teams developed the most aerodynamic vehicle in Chevrolet’s history. By reducing the energy needed to overcome air resistance, Volt aerodynamicists contributed an estimated eight miles of electric range, and 50 miles of extended range.

The Volt’s rounded and flush front fascia, tapered corners and grille enable air to move easily around the car to reduce drag. In the rear, sharp edges and a carefully designed spoiler control air flow. An aggressive rake on the windshield and back glass also helps reduce turbulence and drag.

Inside and out, element-to-element gap and flush relationships are as good or better than any in the segment. Even the underhood compartment is not overlooked: All components are held to a high standard of appearance that harmonizes with the rest of the car, using similarly grained surfaces and colors.

The distinctive, gloss black rear liftgate appliqué carries the Chevrolet bowtie and one of two Volt insignias; the other is found on the forward quarter panel. Six exterior colors are offered on the Volt, including Viridian Joule Tricoat, the winning name chosen in a national contest held last year. The others are Silver Ice Metallic, Black and Cyber Gray Metallic, Crystal Red Metallic Tintcoat and White Diamond Tricoat.

Inside, the Volt offers the space, comfort, convenience and safety features that customers expect in a premium five-door sedan – including storage compartments and 40/40 rear-folding seats. It also delivers them in a variety of interior color, lighting and trim options unlike any offered before on a Chevrolet sedan, but with Chevrolet’s signature dual cockpit design.

Two, seven-inch, high-resolution full-color screens are featured: One is a reconfigurable graphic cluster display and the other, in the center stack, features a touch screen display, touch-control switches and integrated shifter.

The graphics in the instrument panel and door inserts are repeated in the premium cloth or available leather-appointed seats. Bright silver appointments appear around the door switches, center cup holders, door pulls, centerstack switches and climate control outlets. Standard infotainment features include:

* Navigation radio with 60-GB (30 GB for music storage) hard disc drive, AM/FM/DVD-Rom/MP3 playback capability, voice recognition, Radio Data System, Bluetooth and pause-and-play radio functions
* XM Satellite Radio with XM NavTraffic/Weather, one of the industry’s most advanced, real-time information systems
* Premium, energy-saving Bose audio system with six speakers and subwoofer
* Five years of OnStar Directions and Connections service.

In addition to enhancing safety and solidity, the Volt’s stiff structure accommodates features that help to isolate engine and wind noise for a whisper-quiet cabin.

The Volt features excellent driving dynamics

Great driving dynamics begin with a solid body-frame-integral structure that enables optimal tuning and provides drivers with an enhanced sense of stability, solidity and confident road manners.

The Volt’s MacPherson strut-type suspension, sophisticated compound crank rear axle and quick-reacting, rack-mounted electric power steering system with ZF steering gear – a feature commonly found on premium sport sedans – have been tuned to deliver a smooth, refined ride with responsive handling and solid, on-center feel. A low center of gravity combines with the wider track and long wheelbase for balanced performance, and front and rear hydraulic ride bushings, another premium addition, help eliminate road harshness.

The electro-hydraulic regenerative brake system captures energy up to 0.2g for transfer back to the battery. The friction braking system features large rotors with a special finishing process that protects against corrosion and promotes longer life.

The Volt rides on lightweight aluminum wheels that weigh only 17.8 pounds (8.1 kg) each, compared to 24.2 pounds (11 kg) for typical 17-inch wheels. They’re wrapped in Goodyear Fuel Max all-season, low-rolling resistance tires optimized for electric vehicle range, noise, feel and performance.

The Volt features Chevrolet’s continuous safety
Like all Chevrolet vehicles, the Volt helps protect occupants before, during and – thanks to OnStar – after a crash. Crash-avoidance features include standard anti-lock brakes with traction control, StabiliTrak electronic stability control and advanced, LED daytime running lamps that make the Volt more visible to other motorists and pedestrians.
Occupant protection continues with a strong structure, and the Chevrolet Volt’s body-frame-integral structure strategically blends advanced steels to help ensure crashworthiness and stiffness. Nearly 80 percent of the Volt’s overall structure consists either of high-strength, advanced high-strength or ultra high-strength steel. Active occupant protection features include eight standard air bags and safety belts with dual pretensioners to help reduce the risk of injury.
After a crash, the Chevrolet Volt offers the security of OnStar, which uses built-in vehicle sensors to automatically alert an OnStar advisor in certain types of collisions. The advisor is immediately connected to the vehicle and can request that emergency help be sent to its location.
Because the Volt operates so quietly in all-electric mode, a driver-activated feature sounds a noise to alert pedestrians, particularly those with visual impairments, in an intersection. The alert was developed in conjunction with the American Federation of the Blind.
The Volt connects with owners 24/7
There is much more technology inside the Volt than its electric propulsion system. Intuitive features such as high-resolution displays, connectivity and the ability to monitor and control vehicle functions remotely redefine how owners interface with their vehicles.
Key technologies include:

• Touch-control switch system on the center console
• High-resolution, seven-inch, full-color LCD reconfigurable Driver Information Center display. The display shows electric-only range, fuel economy, , extended-range, trip information, tire pressure information and other key vehicle messages.
• High-resolution, seven-inch, full-color, center stack-mounted touch screen display that serves as the interface for infotainment and cabin climate controls. An Efficiency (Leaf) switch accesses energy usage, power flow and charging screens – all easy to use and understand.
• Charge modes are customizable according to need and electricity rates for efficient programming and lower costs.
• A key fob that allows drivers to remotely start the vehicle and precondition the cabin based on outside temperatures
• An exclusive mobile app, powered by OnStar MyLink, that enables owners to engage with the Volt functions using a smart phone.

Volt warranties bring value and peace of mind
Volt owners receive outstanding battery and vehicle limited warranty coverage. In addition to the eight-year/100,000-mile limited warranty on the Volt’s 16-kWh lithium-ion battery, Chevrolet will provide:

• Three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage
• Five-year/100,000-mile roadside assistance and courtesy transportation
• Five-year/100,000-mile limited gas engine coverage
• Six-year/100,000-mile corrosion protection coverage.