2009 October | 4EVRiders.org - Charging Locators and News for EV and Plug-In Drivers

Carbonfibre deal for BMW

BMW has joined forces with carbonfibre specialist SGL Group to produce lightweight parts for its new MegaCity electric vehicle.
MegaCity will take on Daimler’s struggling Smart division with a range of affordable urban vehicles, in both two- and four-wheeled forms.
Source: autocar.co.uk Read More...

USA: Obama Says Aptera’s 3-Wheeler Is a Car

The teardrop-shaped Aptera 2e electric three-wheeler has been officially deemed a car in the eyes of the Department of Energy.
President Obama has signed legislation making high-efficiency two- and three-wheeled vehicles eligible for the same loans the department has granted to Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive and others to spur the development of high-efficiency automobiles. There is no guarantee Aptera will get any money, as the law only allows the company to apply for loans it previously was barred from receiving.
Source: wired.com Read More...

Ford and Azure Dynamics team up to deliver battery electric commercial van in 2010

DEARBORN, MI, Oct. 30 /CNW/ – Ford Motor Company announced today that Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD – News) has joined in a collaborative effort to deliver a pure battery electric Ford Transit Connect van for the United States and Canadian markets in 2010. Azure will integrate its Force Drive(TM) battery electric drive train in the Transit Connect van for commercial fleet and retail use. Read More...

Toyota muscles into EV charging business with solar stations

Toyota, used to being top dog in the advanced transportation business with its hybrid Prius, has pushed into a whole new area of the electric vehicle business: charging stations. Watch out, Better Place! Move over, Coulomb Technologies! Getting a major automotive name in the charging business will change the game — or will it? Read More...

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn: ‘Now Is the Time for the Electric Car’

The electric car is real. It’s here. And before long — when curbside charging stations become as ubiquitous as parking meters — it won’t seem all that complicated, either.
So says a man who has thrown his corporate reputation into the post-gasoline car: Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan. In a wide-ranging Wharton Leadership Lecture that touched on everything from managing a multicultural conglomerate to pushing for targeted government regulation, Ghosn was at his most optimistic when discussing a future where zero-emissions vehicles are embraced — not out of altruism towards Mother Earth or hostility towards the oil-rich Middle East, but because they are good business.
Source: knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu Read More...

Nissan Aims to Cut Electric-Car Cost

BEIJING—Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said the Japanese auto maker intends to overcome the high cost of making advanced batteries and make its all-electric cars price-competitive even without government subsidies. Read More...

Netherlands: Car battery-pack project gets $20M in tax credits

HOLLAND — The U.S.-French partnership to build lithium-ion batteries for future Ford Motor Co. plug-in hybrid vehicles in Holland got a boost from the state Tuesday.
The Michigan Economic Growth Authority board approved $20 million over three years in tax credits for Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc. and Paris-based Saft Advanced Power Solutions, a division of Saft SA, to manufacture plug-in and all-electric traction battery packs. Read More...

Nissan CEO targets 500,000 electric batteries a year

BEIJING (Reuters) – Nissan (7201.T) Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Thursday that his Franco-Japanese alliance is ready to produce a half million electric car batteries annually, but market conditions would determine when. Read More...

Mexico: Introduction Of The Nissan LEAF in Mexico City In 2011

The Renault–Nissan Alliance and the Mexico City Government today announced a partnership that paves the way for the introduction of the Nissan LEAF in Mexico’s capital city in 2011.
Mexico City will become the first city in Latin America to receive the Nissan LEAF and is part of the Mexico City government Green Plan (Plan Verde) committed to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles by promoting battery-electric vehicles. Read More...

USA: Nissan races to install electric-car chargers

With Nissan planning to roll out its first electric vehicles in five states next year and nationwide in 2012, the Japanese automaker is racing to set up a recharging network quickly enough to be ready for them. Read More...

USA: Smart grid gets multibillion-dollar injection

The U.S. electricity grid will get a 21st century upgrade, including installation of millions of smart meters, through a government-led program.
The Obama administration is scheduled to announce Tuesday where it is spending $3.4 billion of stimulus money on 100 smart-grid projects in 49 states. As part of the funding, utilities are contributing $4.7 billion to the projects, pushing the total spending to $8.1 billion. Read More...

USA: 3 Electric Car Makers Courting Upstate

GREENVILLE, S.C. — An Upstate Congressman announced on Tuesday that three electric car companies are looking at moving into the area.
Rep. Bob Inglis, a Republican from Greenville, made the announcement on his Twitter page.
“Proterra is one of 3 electric vehicle companies looking at the Upstate,” Inglis’ Twitter page said. “I’m excited about the hundreds of jobs any one of them could bring.”
Inglis said that the existing automotive industry in the Upstate is what makes the area so appealing to the companies.
Source: foxcarolina.com Read More...

USA: Ford’s Electric Car for 2011: One for the Masses?

My test drive of the new Ford (F) electric car for 2011 demonstrated that Ford is building an electric car that millions will want. The Ford Focus EV prototype provided a quiet and smooth drive for a prototype. One Ford engineer indicated that he was going beyond a 60-mile daily range in Michigan without nearing battery depletion. Read More...

NETHERLANDS: Mitsubishi to support EV promotion programme

Netherlands prime minister Balkenende and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) president Osamu Masuko have agreed on MMC support of the country’s electric vehicle (EV) promotion programme.
The government last June launched a subsidy programme to provide incentives for EV evaluation trials and demonstration projects and is working on making EVs popular as one method of sustainable transportation. The government intends to put in place a taskforce called the E-Team composed of both members of the government and the private sector to explore the issue, and requested MMC’s support.
Source: just-auto.com Read More...

USA: Electric-Car Companies Grab U.S. Cash to Blunt Risks (Update2)

Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) — Electric-car makers ranging from Ford Motor Co. to California startups are using $11 billion in taxpayer funds to supply a market that doesn’t yet exist.
Fisker Automotive Inc., backed by a $528.7 million U.S. loan, said today it will join the rush to the assembly line by buying a closed Delaware plant from the former General Motors Corp. for $18 million. It will spend $175 million to refurbish and retool the factory to build plug-in hybrid cars. Read More...

MEGA approves $20 million in tax credits for car battery pack project

Canada: Company to build electric car batteries near Montreal

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — French billionaire Vincent Bollore is joining the global rush to build electric batteries for the vehicles of tomorrow.
And he’s setting up shop near Montreal.
Bollore announced Tuesday his company, Bollore Group, will invest $120 million in a battery-producing factory east of Montreal.
The batteries will be built using lithium-metal-polymer technology, which give his cars a range of 250 kilometres and a top speed of 130 km/hr.
Source: ctv.ca Read More...

USA: Toyota to Participate in SmartGridCity Project

Toyota announced that it will put 10 Prius plug-ins into use in Boulder, Colorado. The vehicles will be part of a research project and will utilize Xcel’s SmartGridCity technology. The research will be coordinated by the University of Colorado at Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute which itself is a joint venture between the University of Colorado and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The SmartGridCity project is the first of its kind worldwide.
Source: allcarselectric.com Read More...

USA: Bright Automotive scores military contract

Anderson, Ind.-based Bright Automotive said today the U.S. Army’s department of Tactical Communications (TACOM) plans to test the startup’s plug-in hybrid vehicles in non-combat situations. Read More...

India: Reva to rope in franchises for production abroad

Electric car manufacturer Reva is planning manufacturing facilities abroad under a franchise model to penetrate those markets. These units will be built under licensing agreements with local partners, wherein the brand name and technology will be owned by Reva. Read More...

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