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The rush to the White House is on as automakers, battery makers, and other suppliers have flooded Washington in search of funding. Sound familiar, asking Washington for money has become commonplace today, but this is a little different. Washington has agreed to give out money and lots of it to those who fit the description. [...] China is set to become the world’s largest producer of environment-friendly cars within 10 years, largely due to the central government’s backing and the domestic car makers’ ambitions to push electric vehicles, according to business consulting firm Bain & Company. Although many share the vision of ubiquitous infrastructure to support future fleets of electric vehicles, the concept of battery swapping, frequently championed by Better Place, doesn’t seem to have the same appeal as the fast-charge station. In fact, in the past week, battery swapping has come under a bit of fire from different quarters. On one side of the globe, we have Mercedes’ director of group research and car development, Thomas Weber, telling The Marker that not only is the swapping plan dangerous and could result in electrocution or fire, but that, “The industry has not even resolved matters as basic as the optimum location for an electric car’s battery or the battery type.” Ouch. [...] At this weeks EVS24 conference in Norway, Elektromotive has announced what it calls the world’s first billable three phase fast charge station. The ElektroBay can supply up to 32 amps at 240 V to allow for faster charging than what is possible with other charge points. There are already 160 existing ElektroBay stations in the UK that will be updated with the new communications capability. The ElektroBay is equipped with 2-way GSM mobile communications and users will get a key fob to identify themselves. The system will be able to handle multiple billing systems including cell phone-style pay-as-you-go and direct billing to the home utility bill. [...] AT EVS-24, STAVANGER, NORWAY, May 13, 2009 — AeroVironment, Inc. (AV), (NASDAQ: AVAV), joint-developer of the GM Impact, the world’s first modern all-electric car, and the record-setting solar-powered GM Sunraycer, today unveiled its portfolio of EV Solutions for electric vehicles that offers a total infrastructure approach to enable the practical use of on-road electric vehicles. [...] DETROIT – General Motors Corp. has pulled together many of the pieces needed to complete government-ordered restructuring, but its board still is likely to decide Saturday to head into bankruptcy protection because there’s too much left to do. [...] Number of Automobiles Produced [...] resident Obama Announces $2.4 Billion in Funding to Support Next Generation Electric Vehicles [...] GO trains could go from diesel-powered to electric. [...] This reinforces the strategy described by Kleiner’s Ray Lane at last year’s Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, where Lane, RockPort Capital’s Wilber James and Think Global CEO Jan-Olaf Willums announced plans to bring Think’s electric City car to the U.S. at prices lower than the Toyota Prius through Think North America, a joint venture. At the time, Lane said, “Most electric vehicles being developed today are coming off the design board or getting manufactured, or starting to get test vehicles on the road. This is ready for mass production.” [...] * Ten years into the Alliance, Renault and Nissan are taking cooperation to a higher level. [...] Area legislators learned more about the Consumers Energy plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius and even one got to take it for a spin. [...] MACKINAC ISLAND — Detroit Edison Co. is working with Ford Motor Co. on “real-world” testing of a Ford Escape plug-in hybrid to move development of the vehicles forward. [...] Dealerships could form part of a network of nationwide [...] No state has more at stake in the race than Michigan, ravaged by the decline of the U.S. auto industry. To rebound, Michigan has mounted an aggressive effort to develop an advanced battery industry, including $544 million in tax incentives for four companies. The money will provide the matching funds necessary to support their bids for up to $200 million each from the U.S. Department of Energy. [...] When it comes to potential battery partners for plug-in vehicles, Volkswagen is now a triple-timer: The German automaker has a year-old partnership with Sanyo Electric to develop batteries for plug-in vehicles, and a three-month-old arrangement with Toshiba for an upcoming electric concept — and as of this week, it’s flirting with BYD Auto for a third battery deal. What did VW see in BYD that helped the China-based, Warren Buffett-backed company snag a tentative deal to supply lithium-ion battery technology for upcoming VW cars (the two companies have committed only to exploring options for collaboration)? [...] Coulomb has also been working with governments, utilities and corporations to bring its charging infrastructure to the world. Coulomb has been especially busy in California with charging stations at gas stations and within the cities of San Jose, San Francisco, and at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California. The city of Chicago in Illinois has Coulomb’s charging stations and the city of Amsterdam in Belgium is Coulomb’s first European venture with more expected. [...] “First and foremost, it’s a real car,” Mr. Dominique says. It’s his job – and that of Nissan marketers – to help people understand what the new generation of electric vehicles will and won’t be. [...] 5/29/2009 8:14:04 AM(RTTNews) Advanced-battery maker Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. (ALTI) said it won a $3.8 million contract from the Office of Naval Research, to continue its research on its advanced battery storage systems for possible use as an uninterruptible power supply or UPS on Navy ships. The contract is significant to the company, which reported revenues of $0.9 million for the most recently ended first quarter. [...] The company already invests in Irvine-based Fisker, which like San Carlos-based Tesla, aims for the luxury market. But Vassallo said at a conference in San Francisco that the new investment is on the other end of the spectrum — “focused on driving volume to make a difference.” COCKEYSVILLE, Maryland, May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – [...] Electric car maker Tesla Motors said today it is recalling all 345 of its Roadster sports cars produced before April 22 so they can be inspected for a possible suspension problem. [...] NEW YORK, NY–(MARKET WIRE)–May 28, 2009 — ISE Corporation (ISE) announced today that the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) unveiled the first of three hybrid electric refuse trucks powered by ISE’s industry-leading series hybrid electric propulsion system. ISE has partnered with Crane Carrier Company (CCC) to provide the modular hybrid drive system and integration support for the three vehicles for pilot evaluation and testing in the city of New York. DSNY will be operating, testing, and evaluating the vehicles. Tests with the first vehicle are expected to commence later in June of this year. [...] ArcAngel will begin selling and supporting Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint networked charging stations immediately. “Battery electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles are just around the corner,” stated Mike Sheriff, CEO of ArcAngel Technologies. Established companies such as GM, Chrysler, Nissan and new companies, Tesla, Zenn, and others will begin shipping electric vehicles late this year and early 2010. “It’s intriguing with all the push for electric vehicles that the charging infrastructure has not received more attention,” continued Sheriff. “Eliminating ‘charging anxiety’ for users is very important, and important to the success of our Business Plan.” [...] Austin-based battery manufacturer Valence Technology Inc. said Wednesday that it has applied for $225 million in federal stimulus money to help pay for an advanced battery plant that would be built in Leander. [...] David Sokol, the chairman of an Iowa-based utility holding company called MidAmerican Energy Holdings, which is 80 percent owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, has for the most part been quieter. But Sokol and MidAmerican Energy have been positioning their business for a low-carbon future. MidAmerican’s investments in wind power mean that it generates more power from renewable source than any other regulated utility, as best as I can tell. It was Sokol, at Buffett’s request, who engineered MidAmerican’s investment in BYD, the Chinese battery-maker and auto company that is building low-cost electric cars. (See Warren Buffett Takes Charge, my story about BYD that ran last month in FORTUNE.) And now there’s more news from MidAmerican, and you heard it here first: The company will soon begin testing batteries from BYD that, if all goes well, could store electricity on a large scale at a reasonable cost. [...] Motor vehicles produce many different pollutants. The principle pollutants of concern — those that have been demonstrated to have significant effects on human, animal, plant, and environmental health and welfare — include: [...] Most of the excitement related to BYD (BYDDY.PK) has centered on the remarkable advances the company has made in applying its proprietary battery technology to electric vehicles such as the e6 model which I wrote about earlier this month. BYD’s innovations in battery technology have made widespread adoption of electric vehicles likely for the first time. [...] 27/05/2009, AutomotiveWorld.com [...] |
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