Chinese battery giant BYD is to unveil the world’s first production plug-in hybrid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit later today, amid promises that the vehicle will be available in Europe and the US within three years.
Source: Business Green
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They carry a lot more battery power and use the batteries to do much more of the work of moving the car. And instead of constantly needing to be recharged by the engine, they get most of their recharging by being plugged in at night. We saw convincing evidence this weekend that experts and advocates for immediate action to cut greenhouse gases have reached a tipping point on plug-in cars. BYD, a company that first made its reputation as the world’s largest maker of cell phone batteries, has announced it will release the F3DM hybrid sedan on December 15. Plug-in hybrid cars, like the Chevrolet Volt or the upcoming Toyota Prius plug-in, are viewed by many as the way of the future. Offering the possibility of exclusively electric transport to the bulk of drivers, but with the possibility for the extended range afforded by a reserve of combustible fuel, the plug-in hybrid powertrain has many advocates. But skeptics point to the strain such vehicles could place on the power grid. [...] The Problem: US passenger vehicles (cars and trucks) consume about 390 million gallons of gasoline per day and contribute 20% of our global warming pollution. The gasoline for these cars is almost entirely refined from petroleum, nearly 60% of which is imported.1 And with a record year of price volatility ranging from $2/gal to more than $4.50/gal in some parts of the country, fueling these cars has created severe hardship and ongoing anxiety. Japan’s largest automotive and electronics giants are poised to embark on a worldwide scramble for lithium – the material that could be required in bulk if the roads of the future are to be filled with electric cars. Charleston resident, James Poch, collaborated with national gas conservation group, Plug-in Partners, to establish thePlug-in Hybrid Coalition of the Carolinas. October 23 2008, Vancouver BC, Novex Delivery Solutions and local electric vehicle conversion company REV Technologies jointly announced an order for REV’s rapid electric vehicles and a commitment from Novex to a 100% clean fleet by 2012. This announcement takes place at REV’s gala opening of the first electric vehicle showroom in Canada. The partnership between REV and Novex will mark the first time a 100% battery electric vehicle will be used in a fleet courier setting. This initial test program will be conducted with 5 Ford Escape SUV’s, which will be converted by REV into pure battery electric vehicles. These zero emission models are expected to appear in the Novex fleet early in 2009. [...] Xcel eventually plans to add 500 plug-ins to the grid and conduct tests involving smart charging stations around Boulder. A Twin Cities based car-sharing organization announced Wednesday that its two plug-in hybrid vehicles will now be powered by the sun. Austin Energy debuted its prototype smart charging system at the AltCar Expo and Conference. FOX 7′s Mike Warren reports that the new technology will help turn hybrid cars into more fuel efficient vehicles. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) “will lead to lower overall emissions, even if the electricity that powers them comes from coal;” so says a recent article in Technology Review. This result may be true, if your PHEV is a 2049 model year Toyota Tercel. “Every auto company in the world is developing all-electric or plug-in hybrids,” said Zan Dubin Scott, a spokeswoman for Plug In America, a nonprofit advocacy group for electric car owners. “The utilities, municipalities and smart business people are seeing that this is the future.” Automakers such as Ford, GM, Toyota, Tesla Motors, Nissan and now Mitsubishi are hopeful that plug-in hybrid vehicles will revive their industry. Consumers are equally excited about the prospect of reducing their emissions while drastically reducing the cost of driving, and the government’s new $7500 tax credit for their purchase will only add to the hysteria. Utilities are excited about generating additional revenue from existing assets by selling electricity to recharge the vehicles during off-peak hours. [...]
[...] SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Several major automakers are fast-tracking production of plug-in hybrid cars, and in a few years, when the vehicles are plugged in at night en masse, the price of electricity might not even flinch. The larger the battery pack, the bigger the subsidy. The law calls for a base credit of $2,500 for plug-in hybrid purchases, which increases by $417 for each kilowatt-hour of battery capacity over four kilowatt-hours, to a maximum of $7,500. DETROIT, MI – Get ready to see the USA in your plug-in Chevrolet or your Saturn, Ford, Toyota or Mercedes. High gasoline prices have automakers fast-tracking development of fuel sipping vehicles that will allow most motorists to charge up at night from home, then commute to work and run errands without heeding the gas gauge. Even long trips won’t drain wallets, with plug-ins averaging 80 to 100 miles per gallon (mpg), cutting fuel costs about 40%, including the cost of recharging [...] At this morning’s preview to the 2008 Sydney motor show at Darling Harbour, Holden confirmed the Chevrolet Volt electric car will be on sale in Australia in 2012. The funding being announced Tuesday will help the automaker continue to develop its demonstration fleet of 20 plug-in hybrid vehicles. The project costs $20 million, so the government is funding half of the program. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — one of the first civilians to own a Hummer — told car manufacturers in Detroit to “get off your butt” and stop living in the past of huge SUVs and cheap oil prices, at the Common Wealth Club on Friday. He made the remarks in a Q&A session that followed a speech to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the state’s climate change bill, AB 32. [...] “We are advancing in development of plug-in hybrids,” company president Osamu Masuko told a news conference. Also on the four wheel side of the equation is the Toyota 1/X. This vehicle has the same interior space as the Prius, but weighs in two-third lighter, coming in under 1,000 pounds When the automobile was new in 1900, there was no clear consensus which technology would triumph. Would it be gasoline, steam or electricity? The smart money was on electricity, which shows that the smart money can be wrong. [...] A lot has happened since the Redmond, Wash. “Beyond Oil: Transforming Transportation” conference earlier this month on electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which was sponsored by Cascadia Center, Microsoft, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), WSDOT, USDOT and Pemco Insurance. For starters, Time Magazine’s environmental correspondent Bryan Walsh, who attended both days of the event and interviewed key sources there, has published an important article titled, “Is America Ready To Drive Electric?” [...] April 5, 2008. California has told car makers to start producing hybrid vehicles that can be plugged into the electricity mains. [...] Toyota also is researching all-electric cars, and on Tuesday announced it would place four of these vehicles — a version of the RAV4 — in Portland. The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved about $18 billion of renewable-energy tax credits after repeated failed attempts to do so this year. [...]
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