Flywheel Energy Storage goes on line.

Base load power plants often generate more electricity than consumers demand, and that electricity often goes unused. Now Beacon Power’s energy-storage plant can apply that excess to power motors that spin carbon-fiber flywheels.

When customers need extra power, the motors stop driving the flywheels and, as the wheels decelerate, convert their motion into electricity. A flywheel is actually a kinetic, or mechanical battery, spinning at very high speeds to store energy that is instantly available when needed. Flywheels have traditionally been able to release only a small amount of energy in a relatively small burst of power. These release a large amount of energy in a large burst of power.

The company's flywheel-based approach could become even more significant in the near future, given the increasing amount of energy being added to the grid from non-linear sources such as wind. As the amount of wind generation and other intermittent renewables increase in the next ten years, the need for high-speed regulation services will clearly increase.

Today, coal or natural gas power plants are currently used for grid frequency regulation. Flywheels could allow reassignment of these plants to power generation, or disintermediate them altogether.

The company recently added 10 flywheels to its two-megawatt facility in Massachusetts, making it the first flywheel system that can feed the grid at any time.

Beacon Power's flywheels each weigh 1 ton and levitate in a sealed chamber while spinning up to 16,000 times per minute. The Department of Energy has granted Beacon a $43 million conditional loan guarantee to construct a 20-megawatt flywheel plant in upstate New York.

BMW Mini E heading for the UK

BMW's electric MINI is about to hit Britain’s streets.

And with forty volunteers currently being selected to trial the battery-powered motor – including 20 lucky members of the public chosen from 515 applications - the German marque is busy making last minute preparations for the MINI E’s arrival.

If you didn’t make the shortlist, don’t hold your breath for a stint behind the wheel of this super thrifty round-around. The firm’s confirmed it won’t ever make it into production.

Instead, the car is being used to trail technology being developed under the BMW group’s alternative fuel Project i, which is expected to result in a four seat electric family car by 2015.

In the meantime, retailer Marks and Spencer has agreed to install charging points at more than one dozen stores across the southeast, where the MINI E test cars will be based.

The new owners will also have boxes installed in their homes to boost their electricity charge from 13 to 32 amps – enough to give drivers a full tank in just four and a half hours. MINI says that will give them a range up to 120 miles.

The trial, which will run from Oxford, down to London’s West End and west to Andover, will begin before Christmas, according to the firm, and last six months.

Wind Power using a Kite

The Italian firm KiteGen Research is developing a generator that harnesses the wind through kites. The company developed a prototype that flies 200-square-foot kites to altitudes of 2,600 feet, where wind streams are four times as strong as they are near ground-based wind turbines.

As the kite’s tether unspools it pulls the cables that, through a pulley system, activate the alternators on ground, that produce electricity. When cables are entirely unwound, the kite is guided to a position where it looses its wind resistance and the cables are wound in. Energy consumption of the winding phase is a minor fraction of the energy generated during the unwinding phase.

At the very core of the project is the software that autonomously pilots the power kites, so that the flight patterns can be controlled and normally directed to maximise the production of energy.

In 2006 Kite Gen Research has built a first prototype, codename KSU1, tested at an altitude of 800m. This spring, KiteGen started building a machine to fly a 1,500-square-foot kite, which it plans to finish by 2011, that could generate up to three megawatts—enough to power 9,000 homes.

Kitegen Video

Skoda looking to launch Electric Car

Skoda could add an electric car to its range on the back of Volkswagen’s E-Up concept car.

A zero–emissions vehicle in the next few years has not been ruled out, although the Czech manufacturer would have to rely on the technology currently being developed by parent company, VW.

The E-Up concept previewed at Frankfurt and is scheduled for launch at the end of next year. The model has 18kW batteries that can be charged in five hours, giving a range of 80 miles.

Because of an agreement with the VW group regarding the sharing of technology, if the E-Up goes ahead then Skoda would likely have to wait two years before it could roll out its own version, but it is something the company would seriously consider.

“If VW or Audi develop this technology then it is a great opportunity for Skoda to develop a car like this,” a company source told Autocar, “but they must do it first.”

Ford Hybrid sales up 73% bucking industry trend

Ford Motor Company’s hybrid vehicle sales have risen 73 percent this year in sharp contrast to a 14-percent decline in hybrid sales across the industry.

The fuel economy and durability of hybrid versions of Ford Fusion and Escape, Mercury Milan and Mariner also are winning over large numbers of conquest customers, many of whom are previous import owners. Through September, Ford has sold 26,016 hybrid vehicles, up 73 percent versus the same period in 2008, according to figures from Autodata Inc.

* Ford Motor Company’s year-to-date hybrid sales are 73 percent higher than the same period in 2008, fueled by the introduction of hybrid versions of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan
* More than 60 percent of the sales of Fusion Hybrid are by non-Ford owners – with more than 52 percent of those customers coming from import brands

* Numbers of Ford Escape Hybrid taxis growing on streets of San Francisco and New York where vehicles in service have exceeded 300,000 miles since their introduction
* Ford hybrids help “green” federal government fleets


“Hybrid customers increasingly are considering Ford,” said David Finnegan, Ford hybrid marketing manager. “More than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been from non-Ford owners, and more than half of those are customers coming from import brands, mostly from Toyota and Honda.”

Ford’s strong 2009 hybrid sales have been fueled by the introduction of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, the most fuel-efficient midsize sedans on the road. Both vehicles deliver a certified 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.

Durable and fuel efficient
While the introduction of the Fusion Hybrid has spurred sales from non-Ford owners, Ford’s longest-running hybrid nameplate, the Escape Hybrid, has proven particularly popular with Ford customers operating taxi, lifeguard and government fleets due to the combination of fuel efficiency and durability. The front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid delivers 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway, making it the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market.

In 2005, San Francisco became one of the first cities to adopt hybrids into taxi service, with hybrids accounting for 14 percent of its current fleet. Each of the original fleet of 15 Escape Hybrids exceeded 300,000 miles per vehicle before being retired and replaced with more Escape Hybrids. There are almost 200 Escape Hybrid taxis on San Francisco’s streets today.

New York has more hybrid taxis in service than any other city in North America with 13,237, of which more than 2,000 are Escape Hybrids. The Big Apple recently has begun retiring its original fleet of Escape Hybrids put into service in the 2005 model year after accumulating 300,000 to 350,000 miles per vehicle.

“We’re extremely pleased with the performance of the Escape Hybrid in taxi service,” said Gerry Koss, Ford’s fleet marketing manager. “Not only have they proven very reliable, they’ve also saved taxi drivers money on gas and contributed to lower tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions in the cities that use them in taxi fleets.”

“Greening” the federal government fleet
Government fleets also are seeking cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrids are filling that need. In 2009, federal agencies have purchased more than 3,000 hybrids from Ford, more than any other automotive brand. Included in the sales were 1,900 vehicles acquired through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the purpose of improving the fuel economy of the federal fleet. The U.S. Army was the single largest purchaser among the government fleets, acquiring 400 Fusion hybrids.

Saving lives and conserving fuel
In 2008, Ford began delivery of a fleet of 45 Escape Hybrids to the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, for use on rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern California coastline. After the first 11 months of service, lifeguards reported that Escape Hybrids had played a crucial part in thousands of rescues and more than a million rescue preventions at L.A. County beaches.

The Escape Hybrid fleet enabled L.A. lifeguards to reduce their entire fleet’s fuel usage by 25 percent – more than 5,000 gallons of gas – during the first six months of service. That fuel cost savings has helped L.A. County to maintain its critical front line staffing despite the economic downturn.

Solar car 'uses less power than toaster'

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) solar racing team, Sunswift, has unveiled an all-new solar car to contest this year’s Global Green Challenge race from Darwin to Adelaide.

Sunswift IV, affectionately known to the team as IVy, is a three-wheeled, hand-built, carbon-fibre machine which can reach a top speed of 115 km/h using just 1300 W, the same amount of power it takes to toast two slices of bread.

About the same footprint as a small sedan, but half the height and one-tenth the weight, the single-seater car produces no carbon emissions and can cruise at 85 km/h.

Sunswift IV will be the only solar car entry from NSW, and the only student-run team from Australia, to contest the Global Green Challenge, a 3000 km race for solar and eco-friendly vehicles which draws competitors from around the world, including big-budget solar racing teams from the United States and the Netherlands.

The race starts in Darwin on 24 October, with Sunswift expected to reach Adelaide within five days.

Team Leader Clara Mazzone, who is studying Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW, said the Sunswift team had put in an extraordinary effort to prepare the new car and raise the $280,000 needed to fund the project and race campaign.

“The 60 students in the team have given up their spare time over the past 18 months to design, build and fund this vehicle,” she said.

“Although IVy is a race vehicle, it has a new design, including a steering wheel and upright seating position, which brings it closer to something we might see on the road in the future.”

IVy is expected to run on 1.3 kilowatts of power from its solar array when travelling at a speed of 90km/h - compared with 1.8 kW needed to run a four-slice toaster, Mr Pye said.

It also has a 5 kWh Li-po battery that will run the car for five hours without sunlight.

"Everything is thought (of) to make it as efficient as possible, because the race that it's built for is an endurance race more than anything," Mr Pye said.

The students will take IVy from Sydney to Adelaide before the race and test-run her from Adelaide to Darwin.

They plan to stop at schools on the way to Adelaide from Sydney to showcase their project.

"We're hoping just to get (children) excited about renewable energy, really, and the technologies we're developing, to kind of inspire them to keep it going and show them what's possible," Mr Pye said.

"I think the most amazing thing about it is that a bunch of students have built a car that runs off the sun and can race from Darwin to Adelaide in four or five days," he said.

"And it shows you, if we can do that, imagine what companies and governments can do if they really put their mind to it."

Sunswift IV specifications:
Dimensions - (L) 4.6 m (W) 1.8 m (H) 1.8 m
Weight - less than 150 kg
Body and chassis - (Frame) monocoque (Body Material) carbon fibre
Suspension - (Front) double wishbone (Rear) trailing arm
Steering - rack and pinion
Wheels & Tyres - (Number) 3 (Wheels) carbon fibre (Tyres) Dunlop Solarma
Brakes - (Front) hydraulic dual redundancy (Rear) handbrake (Regen) CSIRO wheel motor
Energy Storage - (Chemistry) lithium polymer (Weight) 24.75 kg
Motor - (Type) brushless CSIRO 3-phase DC (Power) 1800 W (Efficiency) 98%
Controller - (Type) tritium wave sculptor (Power) 20 KW (Efficiency) 97%
Performance - (Solar Only@ 5.998 m2) 1300 W (Max Speed) 115 km/hr (est avg) 85 km/hr
Project Cost - (Cost) $280,000 (Project Time) 18 months

The contrast in the above picture (click to download larger image) between Solar Car meets fuel haulage Road Train is a graphic illustration. Because the ICE powered cars being supplied by this truck are all only 15% energy efficient at the wheels, the fuel in three of the four trailers being hauled by this Road Train will in fact only be converted into waste heat by those Internal Combustion Engines.

Better Place sees price advantage for EVs

Better Place, which is building a global network of charging stations for the electric car industry, expects its EV to be significantly cheaper than gasoline-powered counterparts, its CEO was quoted as saying.

"(Our partner) Renault has not set prices yet. But the e-car will be 3,000 to 5,000 euros ($4,400 to $7,350) cheaper than the model with a gasoline engine," Shai Agassi told German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

"Governments give incentives for electric vehicles, that's how we can sell the car at cheaper prices," he added.

The Renault Fluence is also set to be significantly cheaper than the e-cars of other automakers because Better Place, not customers, will buy the battery, which many experts estimate will cost around 10,000 euros.

Customers pay only for their usage. Better Place will charge about 250 euros per month if customers drive up to 30,000 km annually -- the same amount they would pay if buying petrol for the equivalent car, Agassi said.

"If a customer has a flat rate to drive as much as he wants, he will pay 340 to 350 euros -- try to get such a deal with Shell," he added.

Agassi expects to profit from selling mileage to drivers, which will generate revenues that exceed the company's costs for the large lithium-ion batteries and power.

He expects the company to break even by late 2012.