Volkswagen to make electric cars in China with FAW

Top European automaker Volkswagen said on Wednesday that it plans to build electric cars in China with FAW Group under new brand Kaili, becoming the first foreign automaker to announce concrete plans to make electric cars in the country.

The electric vehicle would be built by FAW Volkswagen, and China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had certified the vehicle on May 3, Volkswagen said in an email to Reuters.

"The Chinese government has been encouraging joint ventures of foreign car manufactures to develop indigenous brands," Andreas Hoffbauer said in the email. "With the certification of FAW-Volkswagen's Kaili electric vehicle, Volkswagen Group makes serious commitments to striving for indigenous innovation with its joint ventures."

Volkswagen would provide attractive and affordable electric vehicles for Chinese consumers, he added.

Solar Field to Power Chevrolet Volt Assembly Plant

The largest photovoltaic solar array in Southeast Michigan will be built at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, turning sunlight into electricity to help power the home of the Chevrolet Volt electric car.

The 516-kilowatt project, announced Wednesday by GM and DTE Energy, will generate electricity capable of charging 150 of the electric cars with extended-range capability every day for a year – a total of 54,750 Volts.

The 264,000-square-foot project is expected to be completed at the end of the summer and will save the facility approximately $15,000 per year over the 20-year easement agreement. The Detroit-Hamtramck facility was chosen because it has available space for the array and because it is home to the Volt.

"This array will significantly decrease energy consumption by combining solar power with ongoing efficiency tactics such as lighting and equipment upgrades and automating equipment shut-down," said Bob Ferguson, vice president of GM Public Policy. "Making sustainable choices is good for both the environment and our bottom line. Obviously cost savings is critical for GM, and the ability to save $15,000 per year while being environmental serves us well."

The Detroit-Hamtramck installation is part of DTE Energy's SolarCurrents pilot that calls for enough photovoltaic systems to be installed on customer property or rooftops during the next five years to generate 15 megawatts of electricity throughout Southeast Michigan. DTE is investing $3 million in the array at Detroit-Hamtramck.

"Our partnership with GM is another example of how our companies work to build a more energy-efficient and sustainable future," said Trevor Lauer, Detroit Edison vice president, Marketing & Renewables. "Our SolarCurrents program was designed to increase the demand for renewable technologies in Michigan, and it is our hope that installations like this one do exactly that."

DTE Energy and GM will build the array on a six-acre tract of land located on the south side of the plant. This placement allows it to face true South to maximize solar output.

The array will complement other green activities at the plant, which was recently named a Michigan Clean Corporate Citizen for its commitment to the environment. Environmentalism is evident by a 16.5 acre certified wildlife habitat on the site and the voluntary installation of an oxidizer that greatly reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide released into the atmosphere. In addition, efficient lighting upgrades and other energy efficiency projects will save the plant nearly $3 million per year in energy costs.

GM is one of the leading users of renewable energy in the manufacturing sector, deriving energy for manufacturing operations from solar, hydro, and landfill gas resources. In the United States alone, 1.4 percent of GM energy consumption comes from renewable resources.

"We strive to reduce the impact our facilities have on the environment, and Detroit-Hamtramck continues to make progress in sustainability," said Ferguson.

Test Drive of the Electric Ford Transit Van [video]

Ken Gibson from the Sun test drives the Ford Transit Connect EV van.

The Connect costs £40,000 compared with £11,000 to £16,000 for the diesel version. Ford say costs can be recouped within three years.

Owners will get an instant return by replacing a fuel bill of £80 per tank at the pumps with just £1.50 - the price of a bacon sandwich - to fully re-charge the Connect.

Order Books Open for Nissan Leaf in Spain

Order books for the 100% electric Nissan LEAF opened in Spain today, putting Spanish customers next in line in Europe to receive the award-winning car.

At €29,950, after government incentives, the Nissan LEAF will cost about the same as a comparably-equipped diesel or hybrid vehicle. The price includes the battery which benefits from a five-year/100,000 km warranty.

In order to make electric motoring even more accessible to individual customers in Spain, the compact family hatchback will also be available through a private finance scheme. For example, with a deposit of €4,500, the Nissan LEAF will be available for less than 500€ per month for three years. After that period, the customer has the option of keeping the car by making a final payment of approximately €12,600, trading it in for a new one or handing it back to Nissan.

"The 100% electric Nissan LEAF is the world's first mass produced electric vehicle by a major manufacturer and is the first electric C-segment car to be made available in Spain. The Nissan LEAF opens up a new era in mobility in our country and demonstrates Nissan's commitment to the environment and new technologies," said Manuel de la Guardia, Managing Director of Nissan Iberia, speaking at a news conference on the first press day of the Barcelona International Motor Show.

To make a reservation for the Nissan LEAF, Spanish customers simply need to go to the Nissan customer website - http://www.nissan.es/ - configure their vehicle and place an order. The quick and easy process requires a fully-refundable deposit of €300. Customers making reservations through the website will have priority on deliveries due to start this September.

Nissan LEAF, which recently went on sale in Japan, the US and Europe, is the world's first affordable 100% electric family vehicle and the first EV to win the coveted European Car of the Year award, as well as the World Car of the Year. It has a range between charges of up to 175 km, as tested over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

Deliveries of the car have begun to the UK, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Portugal. Order books have also opened in Switzerland and France with customers in those markets expected to start receiving their cars shortly.

The five-seater car is powered by an in-house developed compact electric motor and inverter in the front of the car which drives the front wheels. The AC motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque, enough for a maximum speed of 145 km/h.

The zero-emission vehicle comes fully equipped with features such as air conditioning, satellite navigation, a parking camera, a quick charge socket and CARWINGS, an advanced on-board IT telematics system. Innovative connectivity will allow an owner to set charging functions to monitor the car's current state of charge and the remaining battery capacity, as well as to heat or cool the interior of the car remotely via smart phone or computer.

Nissan LEAF offers particularly low running costs: about €1.9 per 100 km in Spain compared with about €7 for a similarly-equipped diesel family car.

The car will be on display at Nissan's stand at the Barcelona International Motor Show alongside the Nissan ESFLOW, a 100% electric sports concept car. Visitors interested in experiencing the Nissan LEAF can sign up for a short test-drive of the car around the Fira Montjuic exhibition area where the show will take place.

The Barcelona International Motor show is open to the public from May 14-22.

Clarkson and Co filming the Nissan Leaf and Peugeot Ion part 2 [video]

"When Jeremy Clarkson and James May ran out of electricity for their cars, they made a stop at the University of Lincoln to steal some power and recharge their vehicles - with hilarious results"

Top Gear up to their usual Electric Car comedy routine [video]

Clarkson and co have gone viral on the internet courtesy of filming an episode featuring the electric Nissan Leaf and Peugeot Ion in front of 100s of students with mobile phones at the University of Lincoln.

Predictably the Top Gear crew have to go to the ridiculous to make what-ever point they're trying to make. We'll have to wait until June to watch the latest edition of automotive Jack Ass to see if they have managed to put any positive spin on these EVs.

How It's Made: Audi R8 e-tron AWD Electric Super Car [video]

The first all-electric Audi will be built at the Neckarsulm site, with a small production run of the R8 e-tron sports car to hit the roads in late 2012. quattro GmbH is currently building the first technology platform for the electric model at the Neckarsulm plant's satellite site in Heilbronn-Biberach. Specially qualified employees are borrowing from the series production of the successful Audi R8 mid-engine sports car as they assemble the R8 e-tron at the development workshop.

"With the R8 e-tron, we are showing how inspiring electric mobility can be. Every system in this car has been tuned for maximum performance and range," says Franciscus van Meel, Head of Electric Mobility Strategy at AUDI AG. "The R8 e-tron is a very important project for Audi because the competence and experience we glean from it will later flow into the large volume production of electric automobiles." The expectation is that e-tron will become a synonym for advanced electric mobility, just as the term "quattro" today stands for pioneering all-wheel drive. "We want to be the leading premium manufacturer of electric vehicles by 2020," says van Meel.

Systematic lightweight construction is one of the key preconditions for efficiency and range in electric vehicles. The Audi development engineers are therefore drawing on one of the company's core competences for the R8 e-tron: The body is aluminum; thanks to Audi Space Frame technology (ASF), it weighs barely more than 200 kg (441 lb). The lightweight body is an important reason why the R8 e-tron weighs in at just 1,600 kg (3,527 lb).

Employees at the Pre-Production Center in Neckarsulm and quattro GmbH are currently building the first technology platforms for the electric car. "The successful production of our Audi R8 high-performance sports car has given the employees of quattro GmbH a high level of competence in the area of small production runs and sports car manufacture," explains Managing Director Werner Frowein.

The aluminum body of the technology platform is being built in conditions very close to those for volume production in the body shop for the R8 mid-engine sports car. Specific assemblies for the electric model, such as the center tunnel, are being produced by the Pre-Production Center in Neckarsulm. The R8 e-tron also goes through the coating process with the volume model. The technology platform is then sent to the satellite site in Heilbronn-Biberach for final assembly. "The production process is designed so that we can exploit synergy effects from R8 volume production," explains Frowein.

For example, the sophisticated logistics concept that supplies the R8 factory with parts is also used for the body of the technology platform. Pre-picked components are delivered to the employees in "shopping baskets." The parts are installed in the vehicles in a defined sequence in four cycles. "Small-series production places great demands on our employees," says Frowein. This is why the development workshop is staffed with experienced employees who worked in R8 series production, where they gleaned key competence in small-series production.

"The development workshop staff are specially qualified for high-voltage vehicles," explains Andreas Heine, quattro GmbH project manager for the body of the R8 e-tron. They are trained in three stages - depending on their function and technical training - to work with the high-voltage technology. The basic level is sensitization for driving and working on high-voltage vehicles. The training then builds on this to qualify the workers as electronics experts for defined activities. Finally, the extended training as Certified Electronics Specialists for Automotive Technology provides the employees with the expertise required to perform the complete range of activities associated with high-voltage models.

AUDI AG is investing more than €5 billion in the two German sites at Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm between 2011 and 2015. A majority of this investment will flow into the development of new products and into future technologies such as electric and hybrid drive systems.