Diesel Hybrid Variants of Jaguar in 2013

Tata Motors may launch diesel hybrid variants of Jaguar XJ and XF models in the Indian market.

The diesel models of both the models are already on the roads and deliver superb performance. Now the diesel hybrid variants are expected to be strapped with lithium ion battery technology for the plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The new electric engine is expected to take efficiency and economy figures to better standards.

The lithium ion battery will be good enough to take the car for a standalone range of about 20 kms (12 miles). This engine will be especially helpful in urban stop and go congested traffic conditions.

Jaguar intends to bring both the models in the Indian market by as early as 2013. Land Rover has already announced that it will bring its hybrid diesel models by 2012.

Source: carTradeIndia, by Payal Pathak, May 24th, 2010

Next Seat Leon will get PHEV & EV versions

The Leon has always been Seat’s most successful model and it seems the same thing may be said with the next generation. According to rumors circulating today, Seat will use the next Leon as the guinea pig to offer its first hybrid and electric cars. Not a surprising statement considering the ties Seat has with Volkswagen and its Golf model.

The Seat Leon was based off the VW Golf and with the Golf entering the world of electric mobility, it would be an easy transition for the Leon to make.

Seat is currently testing the first plug-in hybrid version of the Leon, known as Twin Drive, and a production version will follow in 2012 when this next Leon will be revealed.

The Spanish manufacturer is also preparing an electric version that is rumored to use the same drivetrain as the IBE concept. This concept operates in a lithium-ion battery which works in conjunction with the drive motor and power electronics.

As for the design for the next generation Leon, it will be inspired by the IBE concept’s short, low, and wide shape. It will be offered in three and five-door hatchback variants, with a station wagon version also being a possibility.

Source: Top Speed, by Simona, May 19th, 2010

Ford's 1st European EVs due in 2013

Ford is to build its first hybrid models for Europe at its Spanish factory in Valencia, with investment of up to $36 million, which is partly funded by the Spanish government. The factory will also build the seven-seat C-Max for North America.

The EVs, which are due to be launched in 2013, will be derivatives of the new C-Max MPV and take the form of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).Ford plans to introduce five battery electric vehicle (BEV) and hybrid models in Europe by 2013.

The C-Max derivatives will join the full EV Transit Connect, already announced for 2011, and a battery-electric Focus due in 2012. The fifth vehicle, also a hybrid-electric, will be announced later.

Source: The Galway Independant, May 19th, 2010

Toshiba to develop batteries for automakers

Toshiba announced it would supply batteries for Honda’s electric motorcycles and electric cars to an unspecified automaker.

The demand for electronics companies to supply automakers battery systems for electronic and hybrid cars is increasing rapidly.

It is expected the current output of rechargeable batteries will increase five-fold over the next five years. The news comes on the back of recent announcements by Sanyo and Panasonic, with Suzuki teaming up with Sanyo to work on the new Suzuki Swift Plug-In Hybrid while Panasonic Corp will work on a new joint venture with Toyota.

In response to increasing demand, Toshiba has also announced it will build a new plant in northern Japan, that will be used to produce their new Super Charge ion Battery from 2011.

Toshiba anticipates that with a SCiB production output of one million by 2012, sales for the SCiB will be US$2.2 billion by 2015-2016.

Source: Automotive News, May 19th, 2010

Race is on to build EV charging stations

Electric vehicles are no longer a technology of the future. Californians will be driving the Nissan Leaf and Coda Sedan by the end of the year, and several other automakers have all-electric and plug-in hybrid models in the pipeline.

Now the race is on to build electric vehicle charging stations, where drivers can pull up and plug in their cars.

Several companies, including Coulomb Technologies in Campbell, Better Place in Palo Alto and ClipperCreek in Auburn, see enormous opportunity in the development of electric-vehicle infrastructure.

"Now that the world has decided this is a business, everyone wants in," said Richard Lowenthal, Coulomb's co-founder and CEO, who first drove an electric car when he served as mayor of Cupertino. "We need charging stations. That's our business."

Electric cars currently can travel only a limited number of miles before the batteries need to be recharged, leading to what is known in the industry as "range anxiety." And while most owners are expected to charge their vehicles overnight at home, some apartment dwellers and others may not have that convenience. "People are scared to death of getting stranded on the highway and not knowing what to do. You can't call a friend and say, 'Can you bring me a gallon of gas?' " said Jason Rissanen, a partner in Deloitte's cleantech practice who focuses on electric cars. "This is an emerging market, and people naturally want a buffer range."

There are two solutions to range anxiety: better batteries and charging stations.

Coulomb is creating charging stations that are far more than parking poles with electricity. The company's ChargePoint Network includes features like trip planning and an iPhone application that gives directions to available charging stations. The idea is that drivers will sign up for a monthly ChargePoint Network pass and can swipe a card to pay for charging sessions. Coulomb currently has 136 ChargePoint stations installed in the United States. In the Bay Area, they can be found in several locations, including San Jose City Hall and San Francisco City Hall. Martinez recently installed three ChargePoint stations downtown and at the city's Amtrak station. The charging stations are essentially an extension of the so-called "smart" electric grid, and are able to communicate with one another and with the utilities through sophisticated software. Daniel Ahn, a partner at Voyager Capital and an investor who sits on Coulomb's board, said many venture capitalists in Silicon Valley have poured money into companies like Tesla Motors, which makes electric cars, without thinking of the infrastructure needed to support them.

"If you look at the EV space, you've got the cars themselves, and the batteries," Ahn said. "Coulomb has a broad vision around networked energy, and the 'Aha!' moment for me was thinking about the network effect." The company, which was founded in 2007, raised $14 million in second-round venture funding earlier this year and has 60 employees.

Better Place, which has received a lot of publicity around its concept of battery-switching stations, is also working on a network of charge spots for workplaces and public parking lots. "Most of these cars are getting in the 100-mile range, and if you have a ubiquity of charge spot coverage, most people will be able to 'top off,' or recharge enough to get to their destination," said Better Place representative Julie Mullins. "Battery switching is really for the longer drive."

Better Place already has 1,000 charge spots in Israel, its key market so far.

This summer, the nascent U.S. electric-vehicle infrastructure will expand. Arizona, California, Tennessee, Oregon and Washington are all part of the Department of Energy-funded EV Project, which hopes to glean how electric vehicles perform in different climates. The $100 million federal stimulus grant will allow more than 11,000 charging stations, including more than 6,000 public charging stations, to be installed in test cities. San Diego is the only California city currently part of the EV Project, but that may change.

More than 7,000 people have paid $99 to reserve an all-electric Nissan Leaf, and customers should be driving them by the end of the year. Nissan thinks most Leaf customers will buy and install a home charging station or dock, but the automaker is eager to see public stations as well."Rome was not built in a day, and the integration of EVs and charging stations will not happen overnight, either," said Nissan representative Tim Gallagher. "But in our judgment, between home and public stations most customers will have the peace of mind they need." Some current electric-vehicle drivers think the focus on charging stations is overblown.

"We drive unconsciously today because there are gas stations on every corner," said Zan Dubin Scott of the advocacy group Plug In America. "The fact is that if you are in an electric car, there will be a range limit. I've driven an electric car for eight years with very limited infrastructure, and it hasn't been a big problem. I charge at home, and I live in Santa Monica, where there is free charging at my local shopping center. The solution is planning."

Source: Mercury News, by Dana Hull, May 1st, 2010

Dodge presents UQM developed PHEV

FEV, Inc., a leading developer of advanced powertrain and vehicle technologies, announced today that it showed its Dodge Caliber-based Range-extended Electric Vehicle (ReEV) with plug-in capability at the April 30, 2010 grand opening of the new UQM Technologies, Inc. production facility in Longmont, Co.

UQM was a grant recipient under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and Vice President Joe Biden attended the grand opening. The Caliber-based demonstrator incorporates a UQM® traction motor, as well as a UQM® generator, and is one of a number of products being utilized in FEV customer projects.
The Caliber is an internal development project designed to show FEV's full spectrum of capabilities in hybrid engineering. The vehicle was first shown at the 2009 SAE World Congress. Dr. Joachim Wolschendorf, CTO and vice president of the Vehicle and Drivetrain Engineering Division of FEV, Inc. announced FEV's participation in the event. He attended the grand opening at the invitation of UQM.

UQM Technologies, Inc. develops and manufactures high power density and highly efficient electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the automotive, aerospace, military and industrial markets.

"FEV is honored to be invited to participate in this event," said Wolschendorf. "While FEV works with numerous partners in the field of power generation, we are pleased that UQM has achieved a level of success that garners recognition from the highest levels of our government."
"We are also excited to be able to demonstrate the application of power generation technology in a functioning ReEV before this distinguished audience," said Wolschendorf. "While the Caliber was developed as an internal R&D project to show our capabilities, it also allows us to evaluate different options for the engine/generator unit and the associated calibration strategies. One such project that we recently announced was the development of a 40kW Auxiliary Power Unit coupled with a 3-cylinder gasoline engine to extend EV range."

The Caliber ReEV concept is one of several new hybrid vehicle technologies that are being developed in FEV's Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Development Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The ReEV propulsion system was developed entirely by FEV, including:

• Performance modeling and simulations
• Component selection and procurement
• Design, analysis and packaging
• High Voltage system architecture, development and integration
• Hybrid controls and powertrain development and testing
• Complete vehicle integration
• Vehicle exhaust and evaporative emission calibration
• Overall vehicle calibration, testing and validation

NVH optimization The ReEV propulsion system employs a 1.0L, 3-cylinder, 4 valve engine that is mated to a UQM® PowerPhase® 75 generator that provides 41kW of continuous power in extended-range mode, with a peak power of 75kW. The energy storage system consists of a 20 kW-h liquid-cooled Lithium Ion battery pack that operates at 346V, with a Delphi DC/DC converter. A UQM® PowerPhase® 125EX traction motor powers the wheels.
Performance statistics for the demonstrator vehicle include:

• All-Electric Range - 40 miles (65 km)
• 0 - 60 mph (95 km/h) time - 8.3 seconds
• Top Speed - 84 mph (135 km/h)

Source: PR-USA.net, May 3rd, 2010

DoE funds Planar Energy Battery technology

Planar Energy, the developer of large-format, solid-state, ceramic-like batteries at half the cost and triple the performance of lithium-ion batteries, today received a $4,025,373 award from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of its Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) initiative to accelerate transformational energy research projects.

The award to Planar Energy, announced in Washington, D.C., today by Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu at a Recovery Act Cabinet meeting, will support the company’s development of solid-state, high capacity secondary lithium batteries targeted at transportation scale electrical power-storage applications.

“With our breakthrough technology, which couples a fundamental electrolyte materials innovation with our proprietary low-cost, chemical deposition platform and manufacturing process, Planar Energy is creating scalable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology that will enable the U.S. transportation industry to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reestablish U.S. leadership in energy storage,” said President and CEO Scott Faris.

He added that the DOE award will enable Planar Energy to accelerate the development and commercialization of all solid-state lithium batteries, which will encourage the adoption of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

Earlier this month, Planar Energy was one of four companies selected to collaborate in a DOE research-and-development initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to address energy-storage challenges presented by lithium-based batteries.

Source: Earth Time, April 30th, 2010

Chevy Volt to reach dealers in October

The three-year drumbeat of anticipation for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car has just gotten slightly louder. General Motors CEO Ed Whitacre announced yesterday that the car will arrive at selected Chevy dealers in October, a month earlier than expected.

The first pre-production Volt was built on March 31. He gave the new date during a press conference in which he also announced that GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant, where the 2011 Volt will be built, will be retooled to produce the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. That is the next generation of Chevy's high-volume midsize sedan.

Whitacre also announced that GM would pay back the last of its government loans ahead of schedule. While the new Volt date wasn't contained in the company's press release, it was reported by several media outlets. The 2011 Volt will be rolled out regionally over more than a year, with the first cars appearing in certain California, Detroit, and Northeastern markets.

GM will build approximately 8,000 Volts in the first year of production, and up to 60,000 in the car's second year. It is GM's first electric car since the late lamented EV1. The 2011 Volt will provide up to 40 miles (65 km) of all-electric range from a 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, plus an additional 300 miles (480 km) by switching on its 1.4-liter gasoline engine. That "range extender" turns a generator to provide electric power to the drive wheels; it does not drive the wheels mechanically, unlike hybrid cars with added plug-in capability, like the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid.

Source: AllCarsElectric, by John Voelcker, April 22nd, 2010

Automakers Push for More Aid for EVs

Despite $25 billion to help automakers retool plants, a $7,500 tax credit and billions in stimulus funding for charging stations and related infrastructure, automakers continue to lobby the federal government for more aid to spur sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

If President Barack Obama’s goal of putting a million EVs on the road by 2015 is to be reached, industry lobbyists say more aid is needed for utilities, car companies and tax breaks for consumers. Without that help, they say sales could stall due to the technology’s high cost and a lack of places to charge the vehicles.

Of course, lobbyists and industries asking for money are like dogs begging for table scraps: There's no situation where they won’t. However, the ideas they propose are largely sound: Tax credits so homeowners can install outlets for EVs, money for public charging stations and additional tax incentives for battery-makers and consumers all make the list. The request was sent by letter to the White House.

Programs like these cost billions of dollars, which makes their passage through Congress difficult. Even less politically palatable than giving away free money is encouraging EV sales by raising the gas tax. One of the key factors in EV adoption, as we’ve said many times, is the price of gas. In the past, the Obama administration has ruled out raising the federal gas tax, but it's being debated in Congress along with other climate and energy legislation. Higher gas prices will always make the premium for an EV that much easier to stomach.

Source: The Miami Herald, by Stephen Markley, 19th April, 2010

Plugging in the car of the future

For those concerned about the environment, or about the price of gas, plug-in cars—which recharge by plugging into the wall—have long been the dream. Now, we might actually start to see some of them on the road: Toyota’s trying out its new plug-in Prius in several Canadian cities, and Chrysler’s working on a plug-in hybrid version of the Dodge Ram pickup truck, with the help of a Mississauga, Ont.-based company, Electrovaya Inc.

Despite Toyota’s recent woes, the Prius remains a bright spot (March sales of the hybrid were up 130%) with room for improvement. Plug-ins would be able to travel further than current generation hybrids on just electric power, says Peter Frise, scientific director and CEO of Canadian automotive research network AUTO21. “If you lived eight or nine kilometres from work, and were driving just on city streets, you could theoretically drive the car all week” just on battery power, he notes, recharging by “plugging into the wall at night.”

So why the holdup? The challenge in designing electric vehicles “has historically been the battery,” says Gitanjali DasGupta, manager of electric vehicles for Electrovaya, which will supply Chrysler with batteries for the Ram. Cars need space for “luggage, kids and groceries, but the larger the battery, the further you go electrically.”

Advances in lithium batteries—which helped make cellphones and computers smaller and sleeker—are making plug-in vehicles possible, DasGupta says. Toyota’s tests may go a long way in convincing skeptics that pricey plug-in hybrids can work. It’s lending five plug-in Priuses for testing to 13 partners across Canada, including the cities of Vancouver and Toronto, the University of Manitoba, Hydro-Québec and AUTO21. Each will be fitted with a device to capture data on how the vehicle performs. If all goes to plan, the plug-in Prius might be commercially available as soon as 2012.

Source: MacLeans.ca, by Kate Lunau, April 15th, 2010