The Electric Car Revolution is on

[VelesHomais]

Ford unveils long awaited 2011 Transit Connect Electric van













http://www.gizmag.com/ford-transit-c...icture/110969/

[VelesHomais]

The SCiB™ – or Super Charge ion Battery – is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that boasts minimal capacity loss even after 6,000 charge-discharge cycles, high levels of safety and rapid charging capability with the ability to charge to 90 percent of capacity in as fast as 5 minutes

Electric vehicles face a road block in the form of battery technology and we can expect to see lots of news in this space in coming years as huge companies throw resources into finding a solution to battery range and recharging times. One of the promising candidates for improving battery performance is Toshiba's SCiB technology. The company has now announced that it's working with Mitsubishi Motors to fast track the development of these batteries for EV applications.

The SCiB™ – or Super Charge ion Battery – is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that boasts minimal capacity loss even after 6,000 charge-discharge cycles, high levels of safety and rapid charging capability with the ability to charge to 90 percent of capacity in as fast as 5 minutes.

For EV applications Toshiba has developed a new anode material and a new electrolyte to improve safety and rapid recharging. According to Toshiba, the long life will promote reduction in the waste that results from battery replacement, reducing the impact on the environment.

The SCiB will also be used for electric bicycles, electric motorcycles and for power storage in a microgrid system.

Toshiba will begin production next year at Kashiwazaki Operations, a new facility in Niigata prefecture.

More info at Toshiba's SCiB website.


http://www.gizmag.com/toshiba-fast-t...icture/117526/

[回回]

Fisker Karma, they are taking orders in the US this November, with deliveries beginning March/April 2011. It has a 80km electric range and costs $90,000.
image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

Convertible version, not available yet.
image hosted on flickr


Aqua, a recently-built residential tower in Chicago that has charging station for electric cars, the first in the Midwestern US.

Originally Posted by 回回

image hosted on flickr
image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

[I-275westcoastfl]

Honestly I'd rather have the US build more cars that run on diesel until battery technology catches up.

[iloveasia]

I think China is the biggest player in this field as they are the ones who are going to manufacture thousands of these and so reducing the cost. Also in China pebble ed nuclear technology is being developed and this is incredibly safe and takes a very long time for a meltdown to occur and is estimated to be commercially viable within 5 years or so.

[VelesHomais]

The new technology is right around the corner.

[AltinD]

... right, just needs more time (i.e. decades) to be tested, perfected and become viable for widespread use.

[Innsertnamehere]

LINCOLN OFFERS 2011 MKZ HYBRID AT SAME PRICE AS GAS MODEL




Hybrids normally carry a price premium over conventional gasoline models in vehicles where both options are offered. The new 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, however, has been priced at $35,180 (including destination), identical to that of the Lincoln MKZ V-6.

Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/6667702/gr...#ixzz0uWP4yiTs

"Lincoln is about delivering luxury standard," said John Felice, general manager of Ford and Lincoln marketing. "Whether it's our new MKX with standard MyLincoln Touch technology or the no-cost choice of a gas or hybrid powertrain with the Lincoln MKZ, we want to give customers premium amenities with unexpected value."

With this announcement, Lincoln has become the first automaker to offer a hybrid powertrain for the same price as its conventional gasoline counterpart. Ford's Fusion is offered with a less expensive I-4 gas engine, but the Fusion Hybrid is priced even higher than the petrol V-6. Additionally, Lincoln undercut the pricing of the Lexus HS 250h, the MKZ Hybrid's closest competition, by $345.

In another blow to its competition, the Lincoln MKZ's 41/36/39 mpg (city/highway/combined) rating outdoes the HS 250h's. It eclipses the HS 250h by 6 city mpg, 2 highway mpg, and 4 mpg combined. The MKZ Hybrid's impressive fuel economy is due to its Atkinson cycle 2.5-liter I-4 coupled to an electric motor and mated to an electronic CVT. Total power output from the system is 191 horsepower.

Look for the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to hit dealerships this fall.

source: motor trend website


thought this was important in the intergration of hybrids........

[seattle92]

Originally Posted by VelesHomais

New York has opened it's first public charging station, 100 more will be set up in the next 12 months. How many, if any, do your cities have? I know Israel wants to be completely covered with them in just 3 years, they expect to abandon gas powered cars by 2020. Hawaii has similar goals.

There are already some charging stations in Lisbon and in July of 2011 Portugal will have stations in all big/medium cities.

It's a big thing here, and Portugal will be the first (or one of the first) to have a complete network all over the country.

There is also a Renault/Nissan battery factory being built at this moment.


There are some objectives in terms of electric car percenteges for 2020, but i don't remember the numbers. The state is going to give the example and buy electric cars instead of the others.

[VelesHomais]

I wonder if there is a list of all charging stations per country. I didn't know that Portugal had such ambitious plans.

[nomarandlee]

I smell fear in this thread

Even though not about electric cars a good milestone on the hybrid car front.

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...-as-gas-model/

Ford will offer hybrid at same price as gas model

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writer

DEARBORN, Mich. – For the first time, an American automaker plans to sell a hybrid car for the same, lower price as its gas-powered counterpart, removing at least one obstacle for drivers who want a greener ride.

At a little more than $35,000, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ sedan won't be cheap, but the decision by Ford to match the prices of the two styles could lead competitors to follow suit with future models.

The hybrid MKZ, debuting this fall and running on both gas and electric power, will be a bargain after factoring in savings at the pump. It gets more than double the mileage of the traditional version in city driving.

While automakers won't reveal what they spend to install a hybrid system in a car, the final product usually costs several thousand dollars more than a gas-powered version of the same car.

The Lexus HS 250h, the MKZ's closest competitor, costs about $2,500 more than the Lexus IS, a similar, small, gas-powered sedan. Ford charges $8,840 more for the hybrid version of its Ford Escape SUV.

The MKZ can still make money even if Lincoln doesn't charge more for the hybrid, said Erich Merkle, president of the consulting company Autoconomy.com. Luxury cars are sold at a significant premium, he said, ensuring a profit for Ford.

Lincoln can also borrow the hybrid system from the Ford Fusion, its corporate twin, and save on development costs.

"Conventional wisdom is that the hybrid should be priced higher, but there's not really anything to say that a hybrid has to command a higher price," Merkle said.

Besides, Ford had to keep the price down, said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst for Edmunds.com. If it had sold for more than $40,000, it would have faced tougher competition from luxury cars like the Mercedes E-Class or the Audi A6, she said.

"It's going to take moves like this one to break into the luxury market," she said................

[Mr.Kittehs]

imma be imma be immaimma imma be imma be drivin and electruc car someday.

[Innsertnamehere]

i just posted that, but ya, it is a pretty big milestone in integrating hybrids.....

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

i just posted that, but ya, it is a pretty big milestone in integrating hybrids.....

Good info. I have an appointment with the eye doctor this weekend.

[VelesHomais]

That Lincoln looks like a pretty good deal.

[2co2co]

This EV takes only 1 minute to "re-charge"
http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/04/...swap-in-japan/
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/05/better-place/

The major advantage of this system is that when there is a technological progress in secondary battery, you immediately get the benefit. Another possibility is that extremely energy-dense (i.e. Al-air battery) one-off primary battery becomes an additional option.

This article is saying that inductive wireless charging is a threat to Better Place's battery swap, but I don't see why they are mutually exclusive
http://green.venturebeat.com/2009/11...e-in-the-dust/

But the current issue is that auto makers are very reluctant on limiting their designs to make fit for this. I want to go to Roppongi to actually see this, but can't be asked to pay for Shinkansen/bus ticket just for this.

[mopc]

Originally Posted by AltinD

Yes sure, couse countries can increase their energy production just like that. Most of the countries are struggling to meet the current energyu demand, and you think they can absorb the demand for cars in just a few years.

This doesn't make sense; the amount of energy spent to extract and process oil and far greater than that of producing electricity, you just have to diverge the energy used in oil wells and refineries to producing electricity and there will be energy to spare.

[mopc]

Originally Posted by I-275westcoastfl

Honestly I'd rather have the US build more cars that run on diesel until battery technology catches up.

Investing in fossil fuels is now is insane no matter how you look at it. Battery technology has already caught up, in fact it did so 10, 15 years ago, it's just a matter of scale economy for them to be cheap, since production is limited. Adopting battery cars right now is the only way to do this.

[VelesHomais]

Some people are intimidated by the future





Commercially available solar panels now reach 19% efficiency. In the laboratories efficiency is already at 40% but producing such panels isn't financially viable yet. In the more distant future we may actually have cars working on direct sun energy conversion, at least partially. But before that happens we'll have every charging station supplemented by solar energy panels (also in the future, but not as distant).

Solar Powered charging station in Singapore





Singapore’s green industry has been given another boost.

The first electric vehicle (EV) charging station that harnesses energy solely from the sun was launched yesterday.

It traps sunlight using four roof-mounted panels to generate an average of 3.15kwh a day – enough to charge four electric scooters a day.

Located at the Singapore Polytechnic, the $30,000 standalone station is an expansion of Greenlots, a network of charging spots for EVs being built here by Singapore-based green energy company Zeco Systems.

There are currently four Greenlots: at Ikea’s outlets in Tampines and Alexandra Road, at the Insead campus and at the Swiss Club. But these tap into Singapore’s main power grid.

While Singapore is keen to embark on viable green technology, the enthusiasm for EVs seems to be taking a long time to transform into reality.

Only three electric scooters, each costing about $8,000, have been sold since they were launched here in January.

“Consumers are not buying EVs because of the lack of places to charge them,” said Mr Jan Croeni, managing director of Zeco Systems.

“Infrastructure is also not being set up because of the low demand for EVs,” he added, calling it a “chicken-and-egg issue”.

Agreeing, chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) Edwin Khew cited the example of cars using compressed natural gas (CNG).

“CNG is cheaper but the problem was a lack of infrastructure. There were only two filling stations until the new one opened at Old Toh Tuck Road near Jurong East recently. Before it did, the lines of cars waiting to fill up were long,” he said.

There are currently about 4,200 CNG vehicles here.

Mr Croeni said his company hoped to launch more Greenlots as part of Singapore’s Green Plan 2012.

Source : By Judith Tan (The Straits Times, Tuesday, August 18, 2009)

Image : iCars Singapore

http://www.maple3.com/2009/08/22/sin...rging-station/

[I-275westcoastfl]

Originally Posted by mopc

Investing in fossil fuels is now is insane no matter how you look at it. Battery technology has already caught up, in fact it did so 10, 15 years ago, it's just a matter of scale economy for them to be cheap, since production is limited. Adopting battery cars right now is the only way to do this.

Not exactly.. we will be quite dependent on fossil fuels for at least another 20 years minimum a massive switch like this will not happen overnight. Until then we should focus on the best alternatives we can like hybrids and diesel.