THINK survey shows EV customers willing to trade range for price

Today, electric car maker THINK released results of a customer survey that suggests potential electric vehicle customers would be willing to accept less than 100 miles range—if the price is right.

One hundred miles range has long been considered a customer requirement for full-functioning, highway-capable electric vehicles. In a survey of potential electric vehicle customers, THINK found that 50 percent of the respondents would be willing to accept 70-80 miles range, if it reduced the cost of the vehicle by $5,000. The online survey was conducted by a team of MBA students from University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

The survey also indicated that potential electric vehicle customers would be willing to pay more for extended range. Fifty-five percent of the respondents indicated that they would pay a $5,000 premium for an electric vehicle with 150-160 mile range. Only nine percent of potential customers said they were interested in reducing their range below 50 miles for a greater discount.
“Offering different sizes of batteries for different customers is an intriguing idea,” said Richard Canny. “Customer support for it will likely grow as fast charging technology becomes more widespread.”

The THINK City electric car, being sold in Europe today and coming to the United States later this year, has a range of 100 miles on a single charge. The company announced in January that it was working with AeroVironment, a leading developer and supplier of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, to promote fast changing project using AV’s level III fast-charge system and the THINK City electric vehicle.

A total of 367 consumers completed the survey. Survey invitations were sent to readers of relevant online blogs and forums; THINK’s Twitter followers; visitors to the EV Pavilion at the 2010 New York Auto Show; U-M alumni in select cities; and Ross School of Business MBA candidates. Respondents were filtered through a series of screening criteria to include only those who are likely to consider an electric vehicle within THINK’s segment. Ninety-four respondents met the criteria and were included in the analysis.

FEV LiiON Wankel Rotary Engined Range Extended EV

FEV Motorentechnik GmbH (FEV) announced today that its LiiON Drive with Wankel Range Extender Vehicle Ride & Drive was one of the most popular Ride & Drive events at this year’s Vienna Motor Symposium, one of the world’s most important Powertrain events. The Symposium took place on 29, 30 April, 2010, and was attended by leading Powertrain engineers from around the world.

The FEV vehicle was driven by many of the over one thousand delegates attending the symposium, providing a chance for delegates to test the vehicle under real driving conditions in the Vienna city centre. The two-day driving marathon was easily completed by participants due to the Wankel Ranger Extender, providing up to 190 miles of extended range. According to FEV, drivers commented favourably regarding the excellent NVH characteristics of the Wankel powertrain in particular, as well as the overall concept of the electric vehicle with its 4 seats and full-size trunk. The positive response to the FEV concept, which, was chosen for the first E-Car Tech Award in 2009, provides further validation among the international powertrain community of the vehicle’s potential.

According to FEV, participants were most interested in the vehicle’s range, clearly illustrating the unconscious fear that exists with consumers that the car will abruptly run out of power. Since the Range Extender allows a driving range that is virtually independent of the battery, those fears will be alleviated, leading to wider acceptance of electric mobility by the end customer.

FEV developed the Wankel Range Extender in cooperation with the Wankel engine production supplier AIXRO. The basic powertrain has been comprehensively revised for automotive use. Modern engine management with electronic throttle, inlet pipe injection and three-way catalyst ensure that the exhaust gas emission limits will be met. The heating and temperature preservation strategy of the catalyst has been specifically adapted.

While the vehicle is presented as a concept, the electric vehicle LiiON Drive with Wankel Range Extender is licensed for public road traffic. Urban use of the vehicle results in an almost emission-free operation with a range of 50 miles. Longer daily driving distances and the use of the Wankel Range Extender produce only 80 g/mile of CO2 emissions.

The partially encapsulated Wankel Range Extender was mounted in the position of the fuel tank, which had been reduced to a capacity of 12L. The engine, which is inertia force-free by design, together with careful tuning of the thermodynamics, yields an excellent, previously unparalleled NVH behavior. All test drivers acknowledged this feature specifically.

FEV Motorentechnik GmbH is an independent, globally acting engineering company with more than 1,800 employees and headquarters in Aachen, Germany. The company specialises in strictly confidential high tech developments in all areas of powertrain systems and vehicle technology.

Australia Gov't awards $60M Grant to 40MW solar thermal dish farm

The largest solar energy farm in the southern hemisphere is to be built in the South Australian steel city of Whyalla after a consortium led by the US-based National Power (NP) was awarded a A$60m grant from the Australian government.

The A$230m solar thermal project will feature solar dish technology developed by an Australian National University team led by Dr Keith Lovegrove, with 30 of the 25 metre diameter dishes to have a capacity of 40MW.

NP is teaming up with Adelaide-based Wizard Solar to develop the project, which is expected to be completed in 2012, and already has financing in place, a spokesman said.

The project will be the first large scale solar thermal project in Australia, and was one of two proposals that received funding from the government¹s much delayed Renewable Energy Development Program.

A 23MW solar booster project, using linear Fresnel technology developed by Ausra and now owned by France's Areva also received A$32m in funding and will be
attached to the Kogan Creek coal fired power station in south-west Queensland.

The funding came as the government also announced a shortlist of eight applicants competing for two projects to be funded under round one of the government's A$1.5bn solar flagships program, which aims to showcase large scale solar PV and solar thermal technologies.

The shortlist for solar PV comprises consortia led by Australian energy generator and retailers Tru Energy and AGL Energy, who both propose thin film technologies, along with BP Solar, and a partnership between China's Suntech and Australian wind energy group Infigen Energy.

The solar thermal shortlist includes a consortium led by Wind Prospect CWP, which proposes to use Ausra technology to build a gas-boosted solar thermal plant at Kogan Creek, and Australian group Transfield Infrastructure, which wants to use linear Fresnel technology to transform a coal-fired power station in Townsville into a gas-boosted solar facility.

The other shortlisted candidates are Spain's Acciona and a consortium led by the US-based Parsons Brinckerhoff, who are both proposing technology using parabolic troughs. Promoters of solar power towers, including the US-based BrightSource Energy and Spain's Cobra, did not make the shortlist. The two winners will be announced next year and a second round of applications will follow soon after.

Wizard spokesman Artur Zawadski, says the Whyalla plant will use turbines running at around 560 degrees Celsius, although the dish technology could deliver heat of up to 2,000C, making it useful for a range of thermal chemical process, including coal gasification.

"We consider this a small scale plant," he said. "If you look where you expect plants in future, say around 250MW, you would need up to 2,000 dishes."

He said solar dishes had an advantage over linear Fresnel and trough technologies because both the collection device and the receiver could track the sun on two axes, delivering maximum optical efficiency. "We deliver more energy per square metre and that helps drive the cost down," he said.

One dish has been operating at the Canberra-based ANU, and a small field comprising four dishes is currently under construction at Whyalla as part of a solar energy storage demonstration.

A123 Selected to Power Plug-in Hybrid Electric Trucks for Eaton

A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate™ lithium ion batteries and systems, today announced that it has been selected by Eaton Corporation, a diversified industrial manufacturer, to supply battery systems for production of a hybrid power system to be installed on a Ford F550 based Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). The program is partially funded by a $45 million grant in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is managed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) under the lead of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SC-AQMD) and is aimed to develop a production ready plug-in hybrid power train system suitable for widespread utility use in light/medium duty service vehicles.

These light/medium duty service vehicles, called "trouble trucks," are used by utilities to inspect, repair and maintain their transmission and distribution lines. In addition to being driven thousands of miles per year, these trucks are often left idling in residential neighborhoods to power the truck's equipment, thereby exposing operators to diesel exhaust, wasting fuel and emitting pollution. In contrast, the Eaton-powered PHEV trouble truck is intended to offer zero-emissions operation depending on how far the vehicle travels as well as lower operating costs.

"As fleet managers begin to consider emissions costs in addition to the lifetime costs of trucks, including acquisition costs, fuel and maintenance, the business case has become even more compelling," said Jason Forcier, vice president, Automotive Solutions Group, A123 Systems. "A123 is serving a widening array of transportation applications and we are looking forward to further broadening our fleet portfolio and continuing to work with Eaton, a company committed to producing efficient, reliable and clean hybrid power systems."

A123 Systems has been developing the battery system for much of 2010 with Eaton. The battery pack is expected to give the PHEV trouble truck a 10 mile range in EV mode or five to six hours of engine-off operation at the work-site. Eaton's integrated charging system also charges the battery in less than 6 hours. The vehicle is expected to have a fuel savings of up to 63 percent, depending on drive cycle and the use of its HVAC system.

DIY electric Beetle beats Tesla Roadster in drag race

This is Black Current III, a VW Beetle that's officially the fastest electric dragster in Europe. It recorded an 11.24sec ¼-mile run at Santa Pod recently, beating a Tesla Roadster by more than 1.5secs in the process.

Black Current III is the work of brothers Olly and Sam Young and is a 1960s Beetle powered by two forklift truck motors and 60x 12-volt batteries. This combination is good for 1200lb ft/lb (1626 Nm) of torque, a 0-60 time of around 3.0secs and a terminal velocity at the end of quarter-mile of 114mph.

The project started six years ago when the brothers got hold of an abandoned milk float and mated its motor to an engine-less Beetle.

The next step in the project is to get hold of some hi-tech lithium ion batteries. Considering how the Black Current boys and their forklift-powered car wiped the floor with the cutting-edge Tesla - we'd love to see what they can do with Black Current IV...

Th!nk pulls in additional $40m investment

Norway-based electric car firm Think is poised to move its expansion plans up a gear after announcing earlier today that it has raised $40m (£27m) in a new equity round.

The company, which recently launched its electric City car in a number of European markets, said that the oversubscribed equity round would allow it to accelerate product development and support its planned expansion into North America.

A spokesman for the company revealed the cash injection would also help the company move forward with plans to produce right-hand drive versions of its City model for a full launch in the UK and Japan by the beginning of next year. " We'll probably announce some form of partnership agreement in the UK before the end of 2010 and then launch right-hand drive models early next year," he added.

The latest equity round was backed by all the company's existing shareholders and co-led by RockPort Capital Partners and Ener1 Inc, the parent company of battery manufacturer EnerDel.

It takes the total sum of equity financing raised by Think to $87m since last August and significantly strengthens the company's position as it moves forward with plans for a new North American manufacturing plant that is expected to be backed by a low-cost loan from the US Department of Energy. The spokesman for the company said the loan application was "going well" and the company was hoping to start production at its planned Elkhart, Indiana plant from the first quarter of next year.

"This last round of equity marks a powerful vote of confidence by Think’s investors at a time when world capital markets are under great stress," said Think chief executive Richard Canny. "Completing our funding requirements will allow us to maintain momentum, accelerate key new initiatives and ensure that we capitalise on our first-to-market advantage."

He added that in addition to ramping up production of its own models, the company would also use the additional funding to pursue further electric vehicle drivetrain supply deals similar to those recently signed with a Japanese consortium including Mazda, Japan Post and Itochu Corporation.

The equity round completes a remarkable recovery for Think, which teetered on the brink of bankruptcy last year and had to seek Norwegian court protection. The company only left court protection last August after securing $47m in fresh funding and inking a deal with Finnish car manufacturing firm Valmet Automotive that saw production of the Think City switch to Valmet's plant in Finland.

The company subsequently embarked on a rapid expansion drive, launching the Think City car last year after becoming the first electric car to secure pan-European regulatory safety approval and CE certification and signing up customers across Europe.

Samsung to invest $20.6 billion in Cleantech

Samsung said Tuesday it plans to invest 23.3 trillion won ($20.6 billion) over the next decade in technologies including solar cells, electric cars and medical devices, aiming to boost sales and increase its work force by tens of thousands.

The plan was agreed at a meeting Monday of top executives of electronics and medical companies in the Samsung Group, according to a release. Lee Kun-hee, chairman of group flagship Samsung Electronics Co., was among the participants.

Lee, who was convicted of tax evasion and later pardoned by South Korea's president, returned to lead Samsung Electronics in March this year after resigning in April 2008 following his indictment. He is widely considered the driving force behind the rise of Samsung Electronics to the top tier of global technology companies.

Samsung, which consists of dozens of companies in areas spanning electronics to shipbuilding to fashion, said the money would be spent in five areas: solar cells, rechargeable cells for hybrid electric vehicles, LED technologies, biopharmaceuticals and medical devices.

The expansion is expected to create about 45,000 jobs and result in an additional 50 trillion won in annual revenue for affiliate companies by 2020, the year through which the investments are slated, Samsung said.

"When other global companies hesitate, we must move ahead decisively to take this opportunity, and this will also benefit the country's economy," Lee told Monday's meeting, according to the statement. "Striving to resolve unemployment, we should hire young and highly skilled employees also."

South Korea's jobless rate, which surged to a nine-year high of 5 percent in January, has since eased and stood at 4.1 percent in March. The Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry said in a report earlier this year that Samsung Electronics created the most new jobs in South Korea of any company over the five years through 2008.

The entire Samsung Group conglomerate employs 276,000 people worldwide, with 173,000 of them in South Korea, according to Hwang Eun-ju, a spokeswoman at Samsung Electronics.

The largest individual investment planned is 8.6 trillion won in LED, or light emitting diode, technology applications such as backlit displays, lighting and car electronics, the release said.

Samsung also said it plans to invest 6 trillion won in solar cells, 5.4 trillion won in rechargeable cells for hybrid vehicles, 2.1 trillion won in biopharmaceuticals and 1.2 trillion won in electronic healthcare equipment such as blood testing devices.