Volkswagen Plant In TN May Build Hybrid, Diesel Engines
July 21, 2008
Automotive News has reported that VW will build a range of new power trains and engines at its just-announced assembly plant in Chattanooga, TN. The company has not publicly identified the vehicle programs and components that will be assembled there, except to say that the company will produce a mid-sized sedan specifically for the North American market by 2011.
Speculation focuses on hybrid and diesel technologies that would help the company meet increasingly strict fleet-average vehicle emissions standards scheduled to take effect in 2012. Last month, VW introduced its zero-emission Tiguan to the North American market.
The site reports that VW will assemble diesel engines in the new plant to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate. VW is also considering the construction of a new transmission plant in Mexico, as part of its previously announced $3B investment in its Mexican production operations. Overall, the company’s goal is to sell 800,000 units in the North American market by 2018.
Source: Automotive News via Motor Authority
Photo: Volkswagen
Nissan To Have All Electric Vehicle On The Market By 2010, ZEVs By 2012
July 14, 2008
Nissan confirmed its plans to build an all-electric vehicle for sale in US dealerships by 2010. The company also pledged to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2012. The company and its partner, Renault SA, have also made plans to market electric vehicles in Denmark and Israel.
The vehicle, based on Nissan’s Cube (sold in Japan) will not be a long-range electric vehicle. The Nissan vehicle destined for the US is thought to use lithium-ion batteries. To support its all-electric venture, the company is in talks with railway stations and parking lot owners to install recharging stations near commuter stations. In Japan, most commutes are short-range – about 12 miles per day.
Subaru and Mitsubishi are planning all-electric vehicles with a range of 80-100 miles between recharges, and Mitsubishi plans to test its electric vehicle in the US in 2009. GM plans to bring its mass-production Volt to market in 2010, and Honda will lease a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in California.
Source: Detroit News
Photo: Nissan
Public Welcome to PHEV Exhibition In San Jose
July 9, 2008
The public is invited to the Plug-In 2008 Exposition and Conference, July 22, 2008 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Tickets are $10 each and will permit entry into the exhibit hall to see plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and PHEV technologies. Also on the agenda are speakers who will discuss PHEVs, PHEV technologies and the public’s role in bringing them to the market. The exhibition is part of a three-day larger conference event, scheduled July 22-24, 2008.
The three-day event will feature automotive manufacturers and their technology suppliers, state and Federal officials, members of the business community and representatives from the electric utilities discussing PHEVs, their current and potential impact on the automotive industry, and their potential to help consumers worldwide.
Exhibits will include state-of-the-art PHEVs, PHEV batteries, powertrains and other technologies that enhance or support the PHEV ownership experience. Exhibits will also showcase vehicle-to-home technologies and potential vehicle-to-grid applications. The event is the only portion of the conference that is open to the public. Regular conference attendees are comprised of professionals in industry organizations, governmental and non-profit groups and students. Registration for the three-day event is $675, with discounts for non-profit, government, university and student attendees.
More information about the event can be found at http://plugin2008.com
Automaker Alliance Asks Feds To Lighten Up On Proposed NHTSA Regulations
July 3, 2008
Automakers from the US, Japan and Europe are encouraging the Federal government to reduce its mandate to increase fuel economy standards by 4.5% each year through 2015. The current proposal offered by NHTSA would require automakers to adhere to fleetwide averages of nearly 36 mpg for passenger cars and nearly 29 mpg for light trucks starting in 2011.
In a 77-page response crafted by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, automakers called the regulations excessive and said that they go beyond what is technologically and economically practical. The group, which consists of GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Daimler AG, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen, says that implementing the proposal would result in the loss of about 82,000 jobs and would reduce vehicle sales by nearly one million units through 2015. The response also indicated that it would cost the alliance about $29 billion to implement by 2015 and would increase the consumer cost of a light truck by $4,000.
NHTSA released the proposed standards in April and acknowledged that the implementation costs would be high, but estimated that the move would create 8,000 jobs. The report was also based on the assumption that gas prices would remain constant at about $2.50 per gallon. By adjusting the report to use higher fuel cost estimates, NHTSA would need to make its proposal even tougher.
To meet the existing CAFE regulations, automakers are introducing hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles to their fleet, at a significant premium over non-hybrid models. While some consumer segments are not cost-sensitive, less than half of all auto buyers would be willing to pay $5,000 more for a hybrid vehicle, according to a recent JD Power and Associates study. Automakers are concerned they will need to increase the number of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, which would increase the overall average cost for their fleet and reduce buyer interest across the board. The increased cost of a new vehicle may also spur consumers to keep older, less efficient vehicles that produce greater carbon emissions on the road longer and would serve to delay, rather than accelerate, the development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Source: Detroit News
Ford Won’t Jump Into PHEV Production
June 30, 2008
A senior manager at the Ford Motor Company confirmed that the company is not currently planning to develop a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for the consumer market. Although the company is testing PHEVs in a joint project with Southern California Edison, Ford will wait to see if there is a real demand for PHEVs before committing its production facilities to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
The strategy will provide more research and development dollars to put toward conventional hybrid designs. Currently, Ford offers just three hybrid models: the Escape, the Mercury Mariner and the Mazda Tribute. It also plans to bring the Fusion Hybrid and the Mercury Milan hybrid to market in 2009. GM and Toyota are actively developing plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Earlier this month, Mark Fields, Ford’s President of the Americas, called for government subsidies that would fund the development costs of PHEVs, and at the same time suggested that the US automakers would not compete effectively in the EV and PHEV markets without a domestic supplier for battery packs.
Most automakers have admitted that hydrogen propulsion is the long-term goal for their products, but hydrogen-powered vehicles won’t be cost-effective for the ordinary consumer without major changes in the world’s fueling infrastructure. Currently, hydrogen is expensive to produce and cannot be reliably and indefinitely stored in fuel tanks for more than a few days at a time.
Subaru Introduces New Plug-in Electric Concept At Hokkaido G8
June 27, 2008
Subaru introduced a new electric concept vehicle at the G8 Summit in Hokkaido. The vehicle is being called the Plug-In Stella Concept and is based on the R1e that the company has been testing for nearly a year. The four-seat Plug-In Stella offers a top speed of 80 km/h and a range of 80 km on a single charge, and is powered by a 40 kW electric motor.
The Plug-in Stella features the quick-charge Li-ion batteries that were developed for the R1e, and enables the batteries to be charged to 80% capacity in about 15 minutes. The batteries do not develop a memory and will not be damaged by receiving a less-than-full charge. Drivers can plug the vehicle in for about eight hours to receive a full charge, and the car’s charging system ties into regular household current.
Last Fall, Subaru introduced a zero-emission electric concept at the Tokyo Motor Show that featured a 65mW electric motor and a range of about 200 km. That concept, the G4e, also featured the quick-charge Li-ion batteries borrowed from Subaru’s R1e development platform. The G4e, which seats 5, eliminated side-view mirrors in favor of rear-view cameras to reduce drag on the vehicle and increase the vehicle’s range.
Source: Motor Authority
Photo: Subaru
US Driver Interest In Hybrid Drops When Technology Premium Is Factored In
June 26, 2008
US drivers are looking for ways to increase fuel efficiency, but a recent survey conducted by JD Power and Associates shows that while nearly three-fourths of potential new car buyers were interested in purchasing a hybrid vehicle, one third of respondents said they were no longer interested in hybrid vehicles when the cost difference between a conventional model and a hybrid exceeded $5,000. While the overall cost of operating a hybrid vehicle drops as the price of gasoline rises, consumers are still sensitive to the impact of a vehicle’s cost on their bottom line.
In the same survey, consumers also noted that they were interested in in-vehicle entertainment systems and advanced safety technologies. JD Power and Associates noted that there was a sharp increase in interest for in-vehicle electronics among respondents under 30 years of age. Blind-spot detection, backup assist and navigation were indicated as the features respondents were most interested in.
At the same time, buyers in this age range were most concerned about the price of vehicles, leading to speculation that the most popular vehicles for this segment would be those that offered the most number of built-in electronics at the lowest price.
Source: JD Power and Associates
McCain Proposes EV Battery, ZEV Competition
June 23, 2008
Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain is calling for a $300 million prize for the development of an innovative battery that will help the US decrease its reliance on foreign oil. The senator is expected to describe his proposal while campaigning on the campus of Fresno State University. The winning battery should have “the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.” The winning device should also deliver at 30% of the current cost of HEV and EV batteries
In addition, McCain is calling for a Clean Car Challenge, hoping to spur US automakers into developing zero-emission vehicles. That plan includes offering a $5,000 tax credit to ZEV buyers.
McCain’s rival, Senator Barack Obama pledged to close a loophole in trading regulations that exempts most over-the-counter energy trades from oversight and is believed to be fueling increased prices for the per-barrel cost of oil. Closing the loophole would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission full oversight of the oil futures market. The Obama campaign estimated on Sunday that speculation could be adding between $20 and $50 per barrel to the cost of oil. Oil closed on Friday at $135 per barrel.
Photo Credit: Craig Jewell
Hot Wheels: Prius PHEV Goes Up In Flames
June 19, 2008
The Cooperative Research Network is reporting that a Toyota Prius that was retrofitted with a plug-in hybrid vehicle kit made by Hybrids-Plus exploded earlier this month. The vehicle was part of a test fleet being evaluated by the Central Electric Power Cooperative. The vehicle had been in service since 2007, as part of UC Davis’ Institute of Transportation Studies’ Plug-In Hybrid Center program, which put 100 retrofitted Priuses on the road in northern California.
Researchers had reported charger-related malfunctions on the vehicle but continued to operate it as part of the test vehicle fleet. The vehicle caught on fire while it was being driven. The driver pulled to the side of the road, exited the vehicle and shortly thereafter, the car exploded.
CRN reports that the A123 Li-ion battery pack, which was all but ruled out as the source of the fire, performed well during the event and showed little damage. The researchers may have difficulty determining the exact failure mode, since the vehicle had no data logger at the time of the accident.
Source: Daily Tech
Photo Credit: Ossian Engmark
Ford Exec Promotes Government R&D Help, Tax Breaks For PHEVs
June 13, 2008
Mark Fields, President of the Americas at the Ford Motor Company, suggested that Washington, DC should subsidize the accelerated development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Fields also expressed the need for a domestic battery supply for electric vehicles and PHEVs manufactured in the US.
Fields suggested that the government should provide tax breaks and other incentives for consumers who wish to purchase these vehicles, to help offset their higher sticker price. He also indicated that the infrastructure to support electric vehicles would need to be modified to support widespread use. In a speech delivered at a PHEV conference sponsored by the Brookings Institute and Google, Fields said that PHEVs can only succeed in the open market through a “shared commitment to innovation and collaboration” among automakers, electric utilities and legislators.
Ford is currently developing a PHEV and is testing the vehicle in a cooperative partnership with Southern California Edison. Ford has not indicated when it plans to bring the PHEV into production, but will introduce two additional hybrid models - the Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid, bringing Ford’s hybrid line to five. Additionally, Ford will offer EcoBoost, a turbo-charged, direct-injection engine that promises to deliver a fuel economy increase of up to 20% and a 15% reduction in carbon emissions.
Earlier this year, Chrysler President and Vice Chairman Jim Press touched off a firestorm of controversy by suggesting that the Japanese government had subsidized the development cost of Toyota’s Prius hybrid model. Press, who worked in Toyota’s upper echelon for thirty years, later issued a clarification of his statement, indicating that the Japanese automaker “worked closely” with the Japanese government, and that the US auto industry would benefit from such cooperation.
