UK Company To Produce All-Electric Luxury, SUV Conversions
May 30, 2008
Liberty Electric Cars, Ltd in the UK will spend £30 million to re-engineer large sport utility vehicles and luxury cars with the goal of creating emission-free high-performance vehicles. The company will develop an all-electric drive train platform that can be used in a number of vehicles. One of the company’s first targets is an all-electric drive Range Rover. Liberty Electric Cars is predicting that annual conversion volume will be in the tens of thousands of vehicles.
The company promises that its conversions will deliver quiet, emission-free vehicles that have less impact than a small subcompact, while preserving the luxury design of larger vehicles. The conversions will provide better performance and acceleration, offer a longer driving range between charges and a shorter recharge time than most current all-electric vehicles.
Consumers can expect to see an 80% drop in operation costs for the converted SUVs and luxury vehicles, largely due to the high efficiency of the vehicles’ electric motor. The company has not yet determined where its production facility will be, but is considering a number of location options. Locating a site that will help the company limit its environmental impact is important. Once a site is located, the company expects to create about 250 jobs.
European Union Announces Fuel Cell Joint Technology Initiative
May 30, 2008
The European Parliament has approved the creation of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Initiative, European Union’s fifth such joint technology initiative. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate the development and introduction of cost-effective fuel cell and hydrogen technologies for a wide variety of applications, including automotive, stationary and portable power systems.
The FCH joint technology initiative will extend the work of the Hydrogen and and Fuel Cell Technology platform, an industry initiative. That plan calls upon industries to provide commercialization of fuel cell technologies for small applications, like handheld mobile phones and other devices by 2010; larger stationary applications should be ready for market by 2015 and automotive applications should be widely available by 2020.
The venture will have a 10-year budget of €1 billion. The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen initiative will be formally launched in October at a conference in Brussels. This JTI represents the first public-private JTI partnership for the EU. Other JTIs are focused on the development of embedded computing systems, nanotechnologies, aeronautics and air transport, and new medicines.
Photo Credit: Svilen Milev
London Taxi Fleet To Go Hybrid FCV Before 2012 Olympics
May 28, 2008
A joint partnership between Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt will work to convert a fleet of London taxis to combined hybrid-electric and fuel cell vehicles in time for the 2012 Olympics. The program is being funded in part by the British government as part of a larger, low-carbon vehicle research and development program.
The hybrid-electric and fuel-cell taxis can operate for an entire day without refueling and will achieve a top speed of 75 miles per hour. The conversion is expected to improve the vehicles’ acceleration over conventional taxis. The fleet will use a central refueling station.
By using taxis, the group hopes to illustrate the commercial viability of hybrid-electric and fuel-cell technologies and promote the use of the technologies to reduce emissions, encourage other zero-emission applications and increase the number of zero emission taxicabs operating in other cities by 2014. The group has also successfully converted motorcycles, delivery vehicles and aircraft into zero-emission vehicles.
Among the other areas of research, the group hops to develop a durable fuel-cell engine and electrical drive systems for fleet vehicles; test refueling, hot and cold start systems; and provide safety analysis on braking and steering for the vehicles.
Photo Credit: Steve Woods
Toyota To Build Eighteen New Models To Meet European Regulations
May 27, 2008
In the face of European Union regulations that require carbon emissions of no greater than 130 g/km by 2012, Toyota says it will produce 18 new or redesigned models that meet that standard. The company’s present goal is to increase the number of models it sells in Europe that can achieve carbon emissions of 140 g/km or less. If successful, that would lower the fleet average CO2 emissions, which is what the EU regulations require. In 2007, 30 percent of Toyota’s European vehicles emitted more than 140 g/km of CO2.
When the new regulations kick in, the EU will assess a fine of €20 per g/km of CO2 that exceeds the mandate. Fines will escalate to €95 per g/km by 2016. When combined with other vehicle regulations and safety technology requirements for vehicles sold in the EU, models there are likely to become the most expensive in the world. Toyota has not yet indicated how much of the cost increases it will pass along to consumers, but it is widely expected that Toyota’s customer base will end up footing the bill.
GM Reaches Operational Milestone With Volt Prototype
May 19, 2008
According to General Motors, its Volt prototype can travel 40 miles on all-electric power. The vehicle, which entered testing just last month, has reached its target battery-powered driving range. For operational testing, the company is working with modified Chevy Malibus. GM also recently announced that it had finalized the body design of the Volt and expects to put the vehicle into production in 2010. The final design reportedly does not feature the same styling as the concept and looks more like an ordinary sedan.
In an interview with Edumuds, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz indicated that the Volt prototypes were operating on electric power and meeting the company’s range goals despite obvious mismatches in calibration, drive train components and body design.
The final design for the Volt will offer a gas-electric, diesel-electric or alternative-fuel configurations, depending upon the market in which it is being sold. The vehicle will run on Li-ion batteries, however, GM has yet to name a supplier. Products from Continental and LG Chem/CPI are being evaluated right now, and Lutz has previously said that he expects to name a battery supplier by July 2008. In an interview with Reuters earlier this month, Continental CEO Manfred Wennemer said that the company would build a US-based production plant if the contract goes to Continental.
Sanyo, VW Team Up To Produce Li-Ion Batteries
May 13, 2008
Sanyo Electric and Volkswagen will jointly develop a lithium-ion battery for use in hybrid and electric cars, with the goal of having a product ready for market by 2012. The joint venture is part of Volkswagen’s plan to regain ground it has lost in the development of lower-emission vehicles. Other automakers have teamed with electronics companies to produce batteries for their cars including Toyota and Matsushita Electric Industrial, and Nissan and NEC.
Sanyo currently supplies nickel-hydrogen batteries to Honda and Ford. Audi will use Sanyo’s nickel-hydrogen battery in its first hybrid model, expected in the showrooms in 2009 or 2010.
Bentley Introduces All-Electric One-Seater
May 9, 2008
Bentley has developed a prototype one-seater, the Greenpower, which was designed, engineered and built by a group of apprentices at the company’s factory. The vehicle prototype, officially known as the Bentley Continental DC Electric Concept Car, offers a top speed of 40 mph and uses two 12-volt batteries to power a 24-volt motor. The vehicle, which weighs just 265 pounds, makes heavy use of carbon-fiber in the suspension and wheels. The vehicle will compete on the Formula 24+ circuit this year. The vehicles in those competitions must use 24 volt electric motors powered by two 12-v batteries.
With regard to its production vehicles, Bentley has committed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 15% by 2012; introduce a new power train that delivers 40% better fuel economy than its existing design; and make its entire vehicle line compatible with biofuels by 2012. The company also promises to maintain its reputation for high-performance luxury in the process.
The company cites the rising price and growing scarcity of oil, and the impact of climate change as the primary drivers for the switch. The company concludes that they can better reach its goal by pursuing alternative drivetrain technologies than by increasing the efficiency of its gasoline engines.
The company has not ruled out offering diesel engines, but cites the low adoption rate of diesels in North America – its primary market – as a reason it is not pursuing diesel drive technology at this time.
Th!nk City Will Debut In US In 2009
May 7, 2008
The Th!nk City will make its debut on the US auto market in 2009. The Th!nk City is being offered by Norwegian automaker Th!nk Global, which is using a design originally developed by the Ford Motor Company.
Ford owned the company from 1999 to 2003 but sold it. The firm declared bankruptcy shortly after the sale, but was resurrected last year by a Norwegian investment group. The drive to hit the North American auto market is being supported by a pair of venture capital firms.
The Th!nk is a two-passenger car that can go 110 miles on a single charge, and also offers a top speed of 65 mph. Th!nk City is currently being sold in Norway and will hit the rest of Scandinavia and Europe later in 2008.
The vehicle uses nickel-chloride batteries, which are owned by the company and leased to the drivers. Pricing for the North American version of the vehicle hasn’t been worked out, but a battery-lease model is being planned for the US.
Lutz Hints That An All-Battery Volt Might Be Possible
May 5, 2008
According to an article that appeared on PetroZero, GM initially considered – and is still considering – the production of an all-battery powered Volt variant in order to meet California’s most stringent emission requirements. Before the Volt concept was released in 2006, GM had conceptualized different power configurations for the Volt, including one that had no engine, and an increased battery pack.
The purpose of the multiple power configurations was to demonstrate the flexibility of the Volt design. The all-battery concept would only be possible if battery technology evolved to the point of being large enough and cost effective enough to make it commercially viable.
The article also indicated that GM is nearly ready to put the first Volt prototype on the road with none other than Bob Lutz behind the wheel. In reality, Lutz will be driving one of the Malibu-based test mules that GM has doctored up to evaluate the contenders for the Volt’s lithium-ion battery packs.
GM had announced that these test vehicles would be hitting the road soon, with the goal of naming a battery supplier by mid-summer 2008. According to GM, actual Volt prototypes won’t be ready for any road trips for several months. The company says it’s still on target for a 2010 launch.
Company president Rick Warran said last week at a gathering in San Francisco that the Volt may still come in at $20,000. This directly contradicts Bob Lutz’ earlier statements that indicated that the Volt would likely be in the $30,000 range, and did not exclude the possibility that it may even creep above the $40K mark.
Source: PetroZero
Photo Credit: General Motors
