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
Chrysler Announces Pricing For Full-Size Hybrid SUV, Truck
June 17, 2008
Chrysler, LLC announced yesterday that it would be pricing its full-size hybrid SUVs and trucks to move.
The vehicles are rated to achieve a best-in-class 20 mpg, a 40-percent improvement in fuel economy when city driving, and an overall fuel economy improvement of 25 percent. The full-size Durango and Aspen have towing capacities of 6,000 pounds and feature dual mode hybrid operation, allowing the vehicle to optimize fuel economy based on the type of driving. Each vehicle is equipped with a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with a total power output of 385-hp.
The company has priced the base model 2009 Dodge Durango Hemi Hybrid at $45,340 and the 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hemi Hybrid at $45, 570. Customers who purchase either vehicle will also be eligible for a tax credit estimated at about $1,800. The 2009 Dodge Durango is in dealer showrooms now. The Aspen will debut later this summer.
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.
Chrysler To Introduce Hybrid Durango, Aspen
June 9, 2008
Chrysler will join the stream of automakers planning to introduce hybrid vehicles to their lineups. First out of the gate for Chrysler will be a hybrid version of the Dodge Durango SUV and the Chrysler Aspen. Both vehicles will feature a Hemi hybrid engine and power train. The hybrid 5.7L two-mode Hemi engine used in the Durango gets about 25% better gas mileage than its conventional cousin and is expected to hit dealer showrooms in the 2009 model year.
The company is also examining the possibility of designing a series of hybrid vehicles for the Dodge brand, including the Dodge Journey SUV, the Dodge Ram and Dodge Avenger programs. The company has not made any firm commitment to the Dodge hybrid series beyond the Durango.
Toyota, Honda, Ford and GM offer regular production hybrid models, and plan to increase the number of hybrids in the vehicle lineup. Kia, Nissan, Subaru and luxury maker BMW have already made plans to add hybrid vehicles to their lines in the next one to two model years. Toyota’s Lexus line will also add hybrids. The vehicle makers are turning to hybrid designs largely to comply with new CAFE regulations and to appeal to buyers who are being hit hard by rising fuel costs.
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.
