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USA: Boulder company hopes electric vans will spark

dblo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:34:10 +0000

DENVER (AP) — As President Barack Obama blitzed recently for clean-technology manufacturing jobs, two men oblivious to the speeches were staking their futures on a Colorado factory that produces battery-powered delivery vans.

Precision Plumbing and Heating president Tom Robichaud is investing $1.4 million to buy 20 of these humming 7,000-pound vans to convert his [...]

Canada: Hydro-Quebec Tests Ten EV Mitsubishi I-Miev In Canada

dblo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:53:46 +0000

To perform the third phase of its testing program, Hydro-Quebec makes electric vehicles available to ten companies in order to test its charging stations network

To perform the third phase of its testing program, which will also be the last, with about ten Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the energy supplier Hydro-Québec has given the keys to [...]

Europe: Volvo Hybrid combines three styles

dblo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:33:45 +0000

VOLVO V60 Plug-in Hybrid is Volvo Car Corporation’s most technically advanced model ever.

The world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid is an electric car, hybrid car and muscle car all rolled into one.

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid offers the driver three on- demand possibilities:

Up to 50 km on pure electricity with zero tailpipe emissions; [...]

Japan: Infiniti EMERG-E Plug-In Performance Concept Teased Ahead of Geneva

dblo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:30:55 +0000

Nissan and its luxury subsidiary, Infiniti, are playing a game with the automotive press called “tease and speculate.” We’ve been hearing about an upcoming luxury electric car from Infiniti since last year, as well as a plug-in performance hybrid. The latest crop of teaser pictures is for the plug-in hybrid, which now has a [...]

Europe: Volkswagen XL1 to be Built as Diesel-Powered Plug-in Hybrid

dblo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:28:51 +0000

Volkswagen first showed off its XL1 Concept at the 2011 Qatar Motor Show, and the futuristic-looking coupe will be making its way to production, albeit in a limited run.

The XL1 will be will be built on Volkswagen’s new modular MQB platform and even though no official photos of what the production model will [...]

Standard Motors And Electric Cars – What’s The Difference?

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:04:52 +0000

Electric cars are a hot topic at the moment. The advances in modern technology make streets filled with battery powered, rechargeable cars less a science fiction image, and more a realistic event that could take place as soon as the next decade. But apart from the obvious, what is the difference between your regular [...]

USA: Polypore offers more details

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:02:36 +0000

Shares of Polypore International (PPO +6.97%) fell 30% on Jan. 31 as panic selling arose from the combination of a short recommendation from Axiom Capital and news that Polypore customer LG Chem would start making its own battery separator membranes — instead of buying them from Polypore, the market assumed.

More than 26 [...]

USA: Tesla Confirms Webcast of Model X Electric SUV Unveiling on February 9

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:22:42 +0000

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed last week the unveiling of the 2014 Model X compact crossover EV will occur on Thursday, February 9.

The Model X will make its worldwide debut at Tesla’s southern California design studio in Los Angeles. Preferred parking will be available for Tesla Roadster owners, with the festivities set to [...]

USA: 2012 Chevy Volt: Deduction Calculator Shows What You’ll Save

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:18:05 +0000

If you’re in the market for a new electric car, the chances are you already know about the $7,500 credit you can claim against your federal taxes — but what about incentives in the state and county you live in?

With every state — and even some cities — having their own electric [...]

Latin America Adding Electric Buses, Taxis

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:06:46 +0000

The environmental group C40 was originally known as the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group. Founded in 2005, C40 is a group of cities working to reduce urban carbon emissions and to address climate change. It believes its mission is crucial, as cities contain around 50 percent of the world’s population, consume 75 percent of [...]

USA: Stanford pioneering a wireless electric highway

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:03:42 +0000

Stanford researchers have created technology that can transmit electricity wirelessly more than 6.5 feet. (Credit: Stanford) Stanford researches may have solved the problem of range anxiety by wireless charging technology that could one day create an electric highway.

Wireless recharging already is used by some electric vehicle charging stations to fill up batteries [...]

USA: OnStar Looking to Make the Smart Grid Smarter

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:07:11 +0000

DETROIT – OnStar is inviting utilities, energy companies and tech firms to develop Smart Grid solutions for the Chevrolet Volt using a set of proprietary OnStar application programming interfaces, or APIs.

“With the power of OnStar behind it, the Chevrolet Volt is Smart Grid-ready today,” said Nick Pudar, OnStar vice president of planning and [...]

Asia: Electric cars boost auto sales market

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:23:01 +0000

SINGAPORE: A new wave of plug-in electric vehicles hitting the market is giving the auto sales industry a boost.

This comes amid US’ auto sales figures, which grew at the fastest pace in January in almost four years — a sign that demand is returning to the sector.

Deliveries of the all-electric Nissan [...]

USA: Require new federal fleet purchases to be half plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles

dblo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:18:40 +0000

“Half of all cars purchased by the federal government will be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012.”

Big gains for alternative-fuel vehicles, but not for electric plug-ins

Updated: Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 | By Louis Jacobson

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised that “half of all cars purchased by the federal [...]

Electric Vehicle Market Forecast – 10 Year Horizon Looks Strong

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:04:21 +0000

“Any Motor manufacturer without a compelling line up of electric vehicles [by 2025] is signing its death warrant.”

This is an unequivocally bold assertion, but not one made by any government, EV manufacturer, media source or advocacy group, but rather, by the independent consulting and research organization IDTechEX, who claim to be the only [...]

USA: Under the hood: GM blueprint for Volt 2.0

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:02:40 +0000

TROY, Michigan (Reuters) – The Chevrolet Volt stands as the most heavily promoted – and harshly scrutinized – vehicle from General Motors Co in decades. And that’s just version 1.0.

Amid the debate, one aspect of the Volt has escaped the notice of fans and critics alike: the roadmap for potential upgrades GM left [...]

USA: Potential boost to electric vehicle market will super recharged batteries

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:00:39 +0000

Lithium Manganese Dioxide (LMD) batteries have 4% lithium, 61% manganese and 35% oxygen by atomic weight. Their high power output, low production cost, enhanced safety and thermal stability in comparison to other lithium ion batteries have made LMD batteries very attractive in the electric vehicle market. LMD batteries are already being used by the [...]

USA: U.S. Veteran’s Affairs Offices Trial Electric Cars

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:58:11 +0000

Propelled by an electric engine, the rubber is hitting the road in Maryland. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including the VA Maryland Health Care System, and 20 other federal agencies nationwide are participating in a General Services Administration (GSA) pilot to test the efficacy of electric cars by incorporating them into the Federal [...]

USA: Car Charging Group Announces Partnership With Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:51:19 +0000

Partnership Expands Car Charging Group’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network and Supports Forest City’s Green Initiatives

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Feb 2, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — Car Charging Group, Inc. /quotes/zigman/4181752 CCGI -1.25% , a nationwide provider of convenient electric vehicle (EV) charging services, has entered into an agreement with Forest City Enterprises, [...]

USA: How the Stimulus Revived the Electric Car

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:48:24 +0000

This story was adapted from Money Well Spent?: The Truth Behind the Trillion-Dollar Stimulus, the Biggest Economic Recovery Plan in History, which will be published by PublicAffairs.

A common criticism of President Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package has been that it failed to produce anything — that while the New Deal built bridges and [...]

Targray Brings Top Quality, Battery Grade Lithium Compounds to North America & Parts of Europe

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:42:22 +0000

Visit http://www.targray.com/li-ion-battery/battery-grade-lithium/ for further information

Targray Technology International announces that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Sichuan Tianqi Lithium Industries, Inc. (Tianqi),for the distribution of its Lithium Compounds (Lithium Carbonate (Li2CO3) and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate (LiOH•H2O))in North America and part of Europe

Submitted on 02/02/12, 06:10 AM

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, February 2, [...]

USA: Support for Electric Vehicle Programs on the Increase in the United States

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:40:31 +0000

Last Friday, the California Air Resources Board voted to support an Advanced Clean Cars regulatory program for vehicles produced from 2018 through to 2025. The program, which was launched three years ago, is designed to help build the future market for lithium battery electric vehicles.

Among the most interesting implications for the lithium industry [...]

USA: Maybe future electric cars will be charged wirelessly while driving

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:39:45 +0000

Stanford University researchers unveiled today theoretical results on a system for wirelessly charging, at up to 97% efficiency, electric cars as they drive down the road.

Researchers at Stanford University today announced promising results of a theoretical study into wirelessly charging electric cars while they’re driving down the road. If the system behaves as [...]

USA: GM blames lackluster Volt sales on media, federal investigation; looks to revamp reputation

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:30:49 +0000

General Motors Co. is blaming “exaggerated” media reports and the federal government’s investigation into Chevrolet Volt batteries catching fire for the vehicle’s lackluster sales in January.

U.S sales of the extended-range vehicle last month were their worst since August 2011, when it remained in short supply due to GM retooling its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly [...]

USA: EOS Energy Storage proposes zinc-air battery tech for greater EV acceptance

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:27:24 +0000

In a TorqueNews exclusive interview, Steve Hellman, president of EOS Energy Storage, a fairly new entity in the grid storage arena with a viable zinc-air battery technology, is also proposing zinc-air as a viable solution to the four limitations that shackle today’s electrification of the automobile. Thus, the company is looking for strategic partners [...]

Latin America Adding Electric Buses, Taxis

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:24:08 +0000

USA: Nissan Leaf rear-ends school bus in Oregon; results in minor injuries but no fire

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:26 +0000

Maybe this will calm some of the “plug-in cars are scary!” fears that are out there. Recently, a Nissan Leaf driver rear-ended a school bus in Oregon, causing minor injuries but no fire, the Yamhill Valley News-Register reported.

The Leaf’s front and side airbags deployed during the accident, which occurred in Gaston, about [...]

USA: Snoqualmie unveils charging stations for electric cars

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:57:32 +0000

The Snoqualmie City Hall will install an electric car charging station, according to a press release from the city.

Besides City Hall, the Snoqualmie Community Center will have a station and the downtown business district will house a third one. ECOtality, a San Francisco-based, green- technology company will install the stations through a public-private [...]

USA: 2011 U.S. Venture Capital Investment in Cleantech Steady at $4.9 Billion Despite Tough Economy

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:47:17 +0000

Industry continues to innovate and mature

BOSTON, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — US venture capital (VC) investment in cleantech companies reached $4.9 billion in 2011, flat in terms of deals and down 4.5% in terms of capital invested compared to 2010, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow [...]

USA: 2012 Mitsubishi i Electric Vehicle

dblo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:41:58 +0000

t’s easy to confuse weird with bad. The Mitsubishi i is weird. It looks like a computer mouse. It has windshield wipers that resemble Ultraman’s arms in attack mode. It is powered by a 66-hp electric motor mounted under the rear seats. It carries onboard the energy equivalent of less than half a gallon [...]