electric cars

Cars of the Future

From hybrids to driverless cars, some very creative minds have been re-thinking the humble automobile. So what does the future hold for the horseless carriage? Credit Suisse’s U.S. automotive and transportation analyst Chris Ceraso anticipates that more drivers will opt for hybrid cars than for electric models over the next five years. Despite improving technology, he believes that the range and cost of electric cars will continue to hold back their wider adoption in the marketplace. But other factors will also drive transportation trends in the coming years, including the emergence of technologies associated with driverless cars. Ceraso says regulatory and legal issues could slow the introduction of driverless automobiles, but some of the technology emerging to support the driverless experience, such as navigation systems that can communicate with other cars, will eventually make its way into the safer, smarter and more efficient cars of tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of Max Earey / Shutterstock.com

What’s the Deal with Electric Cars?

Story by Karmen Cheung, contributing author for the PeoplePlanetProfitBlog.com. Electric cars were once seen as the preferred cars of choice on city road. The New York Times even stated in 1911 that the electric cars has long been recognized as “ideal” because it was cleaner, quieter and much more economical than gasoline-powered cars. Of course this was in the early 1900’s before the pre-eminence of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). The lower cost and longer driving range of ICEVs has caused the popularity of electric vehicles to plummet dismally. Despite low demand for electric vehicles, major automakers are making it know that they plan to bring more battery-powered motors to their showrooms.

Chevrolet Volt

General Motors, the biggest American automarket, announced last Tuesday that it would being production of Cadillac ELR, a luxury version of the Chevrolet Volt, the company’s current extended –range plug-in hybrid sedan. Last year, G.M. sold 23,000 Volts in the United States, less than 1 percent of its overall sales and well below their expectations.

Nissan, the Japanese automaker, announced that they plan on offer a new base-model Leaf that is $6,000, or 18 percent, cheaper than the current car. Currently, the Nissan Leaf is the world’s top selling highway-capable electric car, with global sales of 46,000 units by December 2012. Yet last year Nissan only sold 9,800 Leafs in the United States, half of what it had originally projected. Despite the slow sales, Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, is steadfastly sticking to his belief that electric cars can account for 10 percent of all Nissan sales by 2020.

Both Nissan and General Motors hope to lure a wider range of consumers to electric cars through their new vehicles. Though Nissan and General Motors have placed the biggest bests on electric cars, they are not alone. Toyota, Ford Motor Company and BMW are also making small moves towards introducing electric cars into their product line. While the outlook on electric car sales is not optimistic for the next year, maybe this perseverance of major automakers is exactly what we need to get electric cars off the ground. This in combination with Obama’s support of electric car subsidies can increase the attractiveness of electric and plug-in hybrids, especially for more urbanized areas.

In the U.S. 78 percent of commuters travel less than 40 miles round trip, which is well within the range limits of most electric cars. Electric cars, technologically speaking, are more than adequate replacements for gasoline burning vehicles in most circumstances. It is consumer confidence and demand that automakers will need to deal with.

About Karmen Cheung

I’m a New York City native currently attending Yale University focusing on Environmental Studies. I’m a big fan of large cities and good public transportation systems. Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to work with American Wind Association and while I’m not sure where life will take me next, I hope to work on issues of sustainability and corporate social responsibility in the near future. I believe in the power that businesses have and the role they need to play in efforts to create a more sustainable world.

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Better Place is alive, but not well

A Better Place battery switching station

I’m driving a Better Place Renault Fluence all-electric car from Tel Aviv to a kibbutz in the northern Negev, about a 60-mile trip. I can’t decide whether to keep my eyes on the road, on the GPS system to make sure I don’t miss my exit or on the data flowing out of my 22 kWh  battery, telling me how much electricity I’m using at any given moment, how much remains and how much, in theory, I’ll have left when I reach my destination. A wrong turn or two, and I could run out of juice–and without an internal combustion engine in the car, a nearby gas station will be no help at all.

Suddenly, I understand “range anxiety.” Breathe slowly and deeply, I tell myself, trying to recall a meditation DVD I’d listened to a few days before.

Eventually, I relaxed and, by the time I’d made it to the kibbutz and back to Tel Aviv, I’d thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The Renault all-electric car ran smoothly, and silently, and it was fun to drive.. The ingenious, fully-automated battery-switching technology that the company has designed to make long-distance driving easier worked (almost) flawlessly. Better Place’s customer service, which I called upon on couple of times, was first-rate.

Having said that, Better Place appears to be running out of gas, er, electricity, well, actually, money and time. That’s a shame. This is a very cool company that set out to change the world.

Shai Agassi

You remember Better Place, don’t you? The company was one of the really big clean tech ideas back in 2008, when oil prices were high, as were hopes for US climate regulation after the election of Barack Obama. Shai Agassi, the Silicon Valley startup’s charismatic founder, was a regular on the green conference circuit, telling people that electric cars had such compelling long-term cost advantages over gas-powered vehicles that he’d eventually be able to practically give them away and charge people for the miles they travel, just as mobile phone companies subsidize phones and make their money by selling minutes. Shai was nothing if not a bold thinker–he was not only going to change the way millions of cars around the world were powered, he was inventing a whole new business model to change the way they were sold. He won over Carlos Ghosn, the Renault-Nissan CEO who agreed to supply Better Place with cars, and Shimon Peres, the Israeli prime minister who decided that Israeli, a small country with no appetite for Arab oil, would be the ideal place to test out the Better Place model.

Shai is gone now, ousted last year as Better Place’s CEO, after raising and spending a big chunk of change — the company has raised an astonishing $850 million — but finding customers harder to come by. His successor as CEO, Evan Thornley, resigned last week after a wave of layoffs. Today, Better Place has about 500 customers in Israel and another 250 in Denmark–not nearly as many as forecast a few years ago. The company recently held a customer meeting near Tel Aviv; the good news is that customers love the company, the bad news is that 25% of them fit into one room. Insiders tell me that Better Place may have to return to the market to raise money this year, and you can be sure that won’t be easy.

Still,  I wanted to experience Better Place for myself on my trip this month to Israel. The company kindly loaned me a car and, for the most part, I came away impressed by what Shai and his associates have built. I also came away with a better sense of why the uptake of electric cars has been so slow, not just in Israel but in the US where in all of 2012, General Motors sold about 23,000 plug-in hybrid Volts and Nissan sold fewer than 10,000 all-electric Leafs.

There are two big problems with electric cars, given today’s battery technology. The first  is their limited range. The second is their capital cost; a battery adds as much as $10,000 to the price of the car.

Essentially, there are three ways to deal with the range problem. One is to build a gasoline engine into the car along with the electric power train, adding expense and weight; this is the  approach that GM has taken witht the Volt. A second is to deploy a network of so-called quick charging stations that aren’t really that quick–perhaps 20 minutes for a charge.  No one wants to interrupt long-distance trip for a 20 minute charge. The third is Better Place’s battery-switching solution, where the company takes out your nearly-spent battery and replaces it with a full-charged one. The company owns and charges the batteries, and will upgrade them if and when better technology becomes available.

So why even bother with electric cars? One reason is that electric motors are dramatically more efficient than internal combustion engines, with fewer moving parts, and that fuel costs are much lower, depending on the price of gasoline and electricity. In Israel and Denmark, where Better Place is also rolling out its infrastructure, the per-mile operating cost is as much as 80% less than the per-mile cost of an equivalent internal-combustion car. Electric cars also have lower emissions than gasoline-powered cars, and the emissions are much lower if some or all of the electricity comes from low-carbon nuclear,  wind or solar power.

The paradox is that electric cars are perfectly suited for short trips–charge your car at home overnight or at the office during the day and you’ll drive worry free. But the economics make sense only if the car is driven a lot.

The Better Place infrastructure–the company has built 35 battery-switching stations and 1,400 charging states across Israel–is designed to solve that problem by giving customers the freedom to go wherever they want. The economics look favorable, too. A Better Place Renault Fluence, with a four-year contract including unlimited miles per year, sells for about the same price as a Toyota Prius, before fuel costs, the company said. But Israelis have resisted the pitch, perhaps because it’s complicated and untested. No one wants to be the a frier, the Yiddish word for chump known to every Israel.

My own test drive revealed the pleasures and pitfalls of the Better Place model. The Renault Fluence delivered a smooth and quiet ride with lots of pickup. I loved the GPS, entertainment and battery information system, called Oscar. And the battery switch worked beautifully–you drive into the station just as you would drive into an automated car wash and, in a little more than five minutes, robots remove your old battery from underneath the car and replace it with a new. I reached one of the switching stations at about 9 p.m. when it was in “pause” mode, and a quick call to customer service had me on my way. It’s better than a gas station because you never have to leave your car.

Oscar, with navigation and battery info

The trouble is, I had to switch batteries twice during my 120-mile round trip, and each of the switches took me slightly out of the way. Better Place has built a network of 35 switching stations, enough to cover most of Israel, but there’s not nearly the equivalent of one in every town. Another 1400 charging stations are available. The Denmark network is also fully-deployed. Both are managed from a sophisticated operations center near Tel Aviv.

The trouble ahead is that Better Place has to grow to succeed. Only scale will bring down the costs of the cars and batteries. And right now, there’s just one car available — the Fluence five-seater — and no other choices on the horizon. The Israeli press is reporting that Idan Ofer, Better Place’s chairman, its biggest investor and one of the richest men in Israel, is now in charge of the company, and that he wants to focus on the core markets of Israel and Denmark. That’s understandable if the company is running out of cash, but it won’t bring the scale that’s needed. As one analyst told The Jerusalem Post: “The investment in Better Place is beginning to look more like an investment in a roller coaster than an investment in an infrastructure for electric cars.” Ouch.

Better Place’s vision still makes sense, until and unless fast-charging times get really fast. But the company is probably ahead of its time. Without lower battery costs or higher gasoline prices or, probably, both, the economics of electric cars are challenging for owners. They will, one day, make sense for the masses, but that day could be 5 or 10 years away, or more. It’s unlikely that Better Place will be hang on until then but you never know.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, Israeli president Shimon Peres and Shai Agassi, in happier days

The Most Eco-Friendly Car Developments in 2012

Green Car Trends for 2012

Car manufacturers and car buyers are on the top of their game in many ways this year. 2012 sees many innovations in vehicles that send the message we’re concerned about the environment as well as the economy. Often an auto loan is more available and the rates are better when the auto loan is for a any vehicle meets certain standards.
By definition, a car that is considered “eco-friendly” is one that meets a criteria that is beneficial rather than harmful to the environment. In order to meet these standards the vehicle should be manufactured and then be operated within the limits of these requirements. This applies not only to our cars, but to every aspect of our lives. Here are a few of these developments that apply specifically to our vehicles.

• Fuel Economy
• Electrical Components
• Low Carbon Emissions
• Drivetrain Technology
• Eco-friendly Materials
• Modular Transverse Toolkit
• Local Suppliers

Fuel economy has been a big concern to car manufacturers and also to the customer for many years. Everyone wants to save money. But now, more than ever before fuel economy has more to do with the environment that even with saving money itself. Cars are being made smaller and more efficient; often sacrificing room, comfort and power to save fuel.

Another important innovation in reducing the amount of fuel or energy required to operate the vehicle is in the fairly modern development of more electrical components in the car itself. The very popular hybrid cars today are working with the standard fuel injection and other types of engine with the electrical engine. The car senses the appropriate times to use one type of engine or the other depending upon the circumstance.

A big concern with cars today is the amount of carbon that is emitted when the vehicles are driven. It is assumed that carbon emissions are harmful to the atmosphere. The lower the amount of carbon that is given off into the atmosphere, the longer the earth will be here to enhance our lives.

One of the ways the fuel economy is increased and the carbon emissions is decreased is with the new technology that is being use in constructing the drive train in newer vehicles. The drive train really is the guts of the car. As new and innovative methods are used in the construction and configuration of the drive train, more efficiency is automatically built into the car.

The materials that are used in the actual making of the car also play an important part in keeping the vehicles eco-friendly and more environmentally functional. More and more manufactures are using the raw materials that are being obtained in the safest and most efficient methods. The manufacturing and servicing plants themselves are following similar guidelines used for the cars themselves.

The Modular Transverse Toolkit or MQB is a strategy that is used to ensure that the set-up of the vehicle itself is conducive to various arrangements of the engine components within that particular model and also within other similar models. This is a great benefit that saves time and money.

One more eco-friendly step is using local suppliers and local finance companies in manufacturing and selling vehicles. Local suppliers are handy and more likely to conform to what the manufacture needs. Local finance companies are more apt to offer the auto loan that offers special considerations for the eco-friendly car.

About the Author:
Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at http://www.autoloan.org/.

The Most Eco-Friendly Car Developments in 2012

Car manufacturers and car buyers are on the top of their game in many ways this year. 2012 sees many innovations in vehicles that send the message we’re concerned about the environment as well as the economy. Often an auto loan is more available and the rates are better when the auto loan is for a any vehicle meets certain standards.

By definition, a car that is considered “eco-friendly” is one that meets a criteria that is beneficial rather than harmful to the environment. In order to meet these standards the vehicle should be manufactured and then be operated within the limits of these requirements. This applies not only to our cars, but to every aspect of our lives. Here are a few of these developments that apply specifically to our vehicles.

• Fuel Economy
• Electrical Components
• Low Carbon Emissions
• Drivetrain Technology
• Eco-friendly Materials
• Modular Transverse Toolkit
• Local Suppliers

Fuel economy has been a big concern to car manufacturers and also to the customer for many years. Everyone wants to save money. But now, more than ever before fuel economy has more to do with the environment that even with saving money itself. Cars are being made smaller and more efficient; often sacrificing room, comfort and power to save fuel.

Another important innovation in reducing the amount of fuel or energy required to operate the vehicle is in the fairly modern development of more electrical components in the car itself. The very popular hybrid cars today are working with the standard fuel injection and other types of engine with the electrical engine. The car senses the appropriate times to use one type of engine or the other depending upon the circumstance.

A big concern with cars today is the amount of carbon that is emitted when the vehicles are driven. It is assumed that carbon emissions are harmful to the atmosphere. The lower the amount of carbon that is given off into the atmosphere, the longer the earth will be here to enhance our lives.

One of the ways the fuel economy is increased and the carbon emissions is decreased is with the new technology that is being use in constructing the drive train in newer vehicles. The drive train really is the guts of the car. As new and innovative methods are used in the construction and configuration of the drive train, more efficiency is automatically built into the car.

The materials that are used in the actual making of the car also play an important part in keeping the vehicles eco-friendly and more environmentally functional. More and more manufactures are using the raw materials that are being obtained in the safest and most efficient methods. The manufacturing and servicing plants themselves are following similar guidelines used for the cars themselves.

The Modular Transverse Toolkit or MQB is a strategy that is used to ensure that the set-up of the vehicle itself is conducive to various arrangements of the engine components within that particular model and also within other similar models. This is a great benefit that saves time and money.

One more eco-friendly step is using local suppliers and local finance companies in manufacturing and selling vehicles. Local suppliers are handy and more likely to conform to what the manufacture needs. Local finance companies are more apt to offer the auto loan that offers special considerations for the eco-friendly car.

About the Author:
Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at http://www.autoloan.org/.

Investigation Prompted After Reports of Chevy Volt Car Batteries Catching on Fire

Crash Test last May Reveals Volt Batteries May Not Be Safe-

With all the positive buzz surrounding the Chevy Volt these days, it was surprising to hear about the latest scandal linked to the new hybrid vehicle. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested three Volt batteries and one of them actually caught fire, with the other two reportedly overheating. The investigation was prompted to due the crash safety test performed last May, in which the Volt battery had allegedly caught on fire during routine inspections. NHTSA’s analysis aimed to mirror the circumstances surrounding the May battery incident. The NHTSA released a statement, in which they reported, “This past May, NHTSA crashed a Chevy Volt in an NCAP test designed to measure the vehicle’s ability to protect occupants from injury in a side collision. During that test, the vehicle’s battery was damaged and the coolant line was ruptured. When a fire involving the test vehicle occurred more than three weeks after it was crashed, the agency concluded that the damage to the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery during the crash test led to the fire.” The regulatory agency said its unknown at this time whether there will be a recall of any parts or the vehicle in its entirety. GM will be giving out free vehicles on loan to Volt owners who are apprehensive about driving the car until the situation has been resolved. It might be beneficial to note that other electric-powered vehicles on the market today, such as the Nissan LEAF or the Mitsubishi MiEV, have not reported any problems with battery packs.

Jay Leno Hits 11,000 Miles in Chevy Volt without Ever Filling Up Gas Tank

Comedian Raves About Chevy Volt to NY Times, Slams Nissan LEAF-

As most know, Jay Leno has always been a car aficionado – with roughly 190 cars and motorcycles in his possession. He’s never owned an alternative powered vehicle — until now, that is, as he recently made the leap and purchased a Chevy Volt. The comedian drives to and from work every day, around 35 miles each way. Because of the (roughly) 40 mile range on the Volt, Leno is able to charge up while at work and then once again when he gets home. Since his purchase in December 2010, he’s reported using around 11,000 miles and claims he’s never once had to fill up the gas tank. Leno boasted about the efficiency of the car to the NY Times, noting it’s superiority in performance over the Nissan LEAF. While it is impressive, his situation is not typical as recent polls have determined that daily commutes are longer and more tedious since the almost five year long U.S. recession, and that’s especially true in cities with larger populations. It would be much more difficult for the average American consumer to work the extremely short range into their commute and expect to use zero gas.

Parking Facilities Set to Become Prime Location for EV Chargers

The Electrical Vehicle (EV) market is set to take off and those fast enough to capitalize on the trend are positioned to make significant profits. An estimated 3 million EVs are expected on the world’s road by 2015 – 1 million alone in the US. To power these cars an estimated 5 million chargers will be needed, including some 1.5 million in the US. But get this – currently there are only 1,500 public charging stations nationwide, providing enormous potential for growth.

As the New York Times has noted, “the route to a fully charged electric vehicle runs through the parking lot.” (26/08/2010) Parking facilities in such as the workplace, hotels, shopping malls, industrial and commercial parks, airports, universities, hospitals, gas stations, and residential/office buildings will all be installing chargers in the near future.

Shawn Conrad, Executive Director of the International Parking Institute (IPI), the largest trade association in the parking industry, says that it is set to become a major player in the electric vehicle charging field. “Readily available charging locations will be critical, especially in the early years as consumers begin to drive electric vehicles. The parking industry is ready to step up and take on a major facilitating role in electric vehicle rollout.”

All over the world governments are requiring the installation of EV chargers in public and semi-public parking facilities. In the US, a bill introduced by US Senator Greenstein would require new shopping centers to allocate no less than 5% of their parking space to EV charging stations. In China, the country’s Electric Vehicle Development Plan for 2011-20 calls for its “EV pilot cities” to include charging facilities in no less than 20% of new public and community parking spaces. In France, the government has declared that by 2012 all new apartment building parking lots must have chargers and by 2015 all new office building parking lots must have them. Meanwhile London’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy Plan includes a condition that between 10-20% of parking spaces in new developments be provided with charge point infrastructure. No wonder then that a recent IPI survey of parking professionals ranked accommodating electric vehicles as among the top emerging parking trends for 2011.

As the only company that originated in the parking services and real estate fields, Success Charging (SC), a market leader, is well positioned to capitalize on the new trend. SC owner and CEO Tsahi Merkur, who is considered the “king” of the Israeli parking lot market, has many years of experience in these fields and understands both the pitfalls and the opportunities of the domain. “Parking areas which install charging units will gain a host of benefits,” says Merkur. “They will attract more customers, giving them a competitive edge, upgrade their property values and improve their image by associating themselves with the environmental movement. Chargers also present a possible revenue source depending on the business model.”

The company is offering free charging units and installation as well as free maintenance, promotion, management and back office support such as billing and reports. Considering an average level 2 charging unit with installation can cost several thousand dollars, this is no small feat. The combined package offers property owners the perfect entry into this lucrative market.

Tesla Motors Boss Named Top Innovator

WSJ. Magazine, a glossy supplement to the Wall Street Journal, recently held its inaugural Innovator of the Year Awards, designed to honor “the most creative, disruptive, and influential individuals in the world today.” The winner in the technology division? None other than Elon Musk, CEO and co-founder of Tesla Motors.

Tesla, of course, is Musk’s most visible venture. The ground breaking, high-end electric car manufacturer seems poised at the bleeding edge of what could be the coming electric car tidal wave. Tesla’s first model, the Roadster, raised eyebrows as much for its price (around a cool $100,000) as it did for its stylishly, muscular good looks and its no-hold-barred on-road performance (the sports car can hit 125 MPH, goes from zero to 60 MPH in an eye-watering 3.7 seconds and can run almost 250 miles on a charge.)

Tesla’s second model, the Model S, is a more sedate luxury sedan. The Model S begins at around $50,000 (after a federal tax rebate) and features touches like an innovative panoramic roof, touchscreen controls, wi-fi and mobile connectivity, Bluetooth and four (yes four!) USB ports.

image via Tesla Motors

Of course Musk, the 40-year-old, native South African, is known for a few other ventures besides his innovative electric car company. Ever hear of PayPal? Musk was cofounder. Zip2? Also Musk. In December of 2010, his company, SpaceX, built and launched the Dragon, which successfully orbited Earth. Musk now has more than 30 contracts for space launches, including agreements worth around $1.6 billion from NASA.

And then there’s SolarCity, where he serves as chairman. SolarCity provides solar energy system design, installs large-scale solar systems, builds charging stations for electric vehicles and leases solar systems to homeowners.  Oh, and in his spare time (Musk is reported to work 100 hours per week) he sits on the board of directors of Halcyon Molecular, whose mission is to cure diseases, extend lifespan and enhance the quality of life.

In a profile, Musk told WSJ, “Tesla and SolarCity are about trying to solve the world’s most important terrestrial problems which is sustainable energy, and SpaceX is solving the problem of the millennium, which is making life multiplanetary.”

Tesla Motors Challenged By Aussie Super EV

Australian company Arcspeed has just released a amazingly fast all-electric, convertible sports car that can go from 0 –62 mph in just 3.8 seconds.  The stylish, low-slung Arcspeed Sports looks like a race car, and can be driven either on the road or (for fun) on a racetrack.

The Arcspeed Sports “[shows] the world that electric cars don’t have to be ugly shopping carts,” the company says, noting that the body, chassis, and all critical components (drive train, battery management and Vehicle Control Systems)  were all designed and built in Australia.

image via Arcspeed

On the critical issue of range, the company offers two options: the high-capacity lithium phosphate batteries are located in a secure, temperature-controlled compartment under the cockpit, but other compartments in the car can house more batteries to extend the range from the standard 93 miles (150 km) to 186 miles (300 km). The extra range comes at the cost of additional batteries and slightly degraded performance due to the extra weight.

Batteries are charged in about 4 hours via 10-amp 240-volt outlets (the kind of electric outlet used in homes for large electrical appliances such as air conditioners and clothes dryers).

The company is about to go into production of the Arcspeed Sports and will be building a limited number of both right-and left-hand drive cars. The price?  “Less than half the price of other currently available electric sports cars,” the company says.

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Tesla Motors Takes Model S On A Road Show

Tesla is taking it on the road. The Palo Alto-based high end electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer recently announced plans to take their new Model S beta prototype on a North American tour. The company said the Beta prototypes on display are 90 percent “production intent” in fit finish and performance, and should provide customers the opportunity to experience how the new Telsa model will look and feel.

Tesla says that deliveries of the Model S will begin in mid-2012. The company reports that more than 6,500 reservations have already been made for the company’s new model.

image via Tesla

The Model S is a a bit of a departure from Tesla’s flagship EV, $100,000 Roadster two-seat sports car. The Model S sedan will retail at a starting price of $57,400 (before a federal tax rebate) and seats up to five adults and two children. Those kids will be entertained by a 17″ touchscreen with wireless connectivity for streaming radio, web browsing and navigation.

There is still a bit of sporting performance in the Model S, which can go from zero to 60 in under six seconds and features an impressive top speed of 130 MPH. The EV comes with three battery pack options offering up 160, 230 or 300 mile range choices (price also goes up as range does). It can be recharged using any conventional outlet and is capable of a fast charge of 45 minutes.

Tesla is posting the event dates for the Model S tour on their website for the curious.

Become a Green Earthling Deal email subscriber by Friday, November 4 and you could win a $100 Amazon gift card courtesy of EarthTechling!

Nissan Partners in Off-Grid Solar EV Charging Project

Solar Charging Project Brings Renewable Energy Future to Jordan-

AllCell Technologies, a leading manufacturer of lithium-ion battery packs, has teamed up with multiple cleantech companies to create a completely off-grid solar EV charging station. Located in Amman, Jordan, the station can charge both a Nissan LEAF and multiple light electric vehicles simultaneously, is off-grid and includes a lithium-ion energy storage system that is protected from the scorching heat of the desert sun using AllCell’s thermal management system. The country, despite its ideal location for energy derived from oil, is apparently lacking in fossil fuel resources and imports over 90 percent of its energy. What the country lacks, however, it makes up for with a solar radiation zone perfect for generating clean, renewable energy which has been largely untapped as of yet.

The charging station consists of a 3 kilowatt solar canopy developed by Sun Phocus, AllCell’s 25 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion energy storage system, and DBT’s Level II charging station. For the project, Nissan provided its all electric Nissan LEAF vehicle, Matra contributed two electric scooters and a pair of electric GEM cars – with each GEM car incorporating a solar roof. AllCell CEO Said Al-Hallaj, who has been overseeing the project since the fall of 2010, is very excited at what the future will hold for energy impoverished nations like Jordan. “The combination of solar energy, electric vehicles, and energy storage holds enormous promise as a solution to multiple problems inherent in today’s energy systems. The benefits include reduced oil consumption and carbon emissions, increased peak electricity generation, and grid-friendly load shifting. As the prices of solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles continue to fall, such a system will be economically feasible in the near future.” The charging station will serve as a model for a large-scale infrastructure project to eventually help the government meet its goal of using at least 10 percent renewable energy by 2020.

Navy’s Alternative Energy Plans March Forward

When it comes to using electric and alternative fuel vehicles in their fleets, the U.S. military keeps marching right along.

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) operates out of the Washington Naval Yard, the nation’s oldest U.S. Navy shore facility. Founded in 1799 on land set aside by George Washington, the Navy Yard first operated as a shipbuilding facility and currently serves as a ceremonial and administrative center for the Navy, home to the chief of naval operations, and is headquarters for the Naval Sea Systems Command, the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Naval Reactors, Marine Corps Institute, the United States Navy Band and other more-classified facilities. It’s also home to a huge fleet of cars operated by the Washington Base Support Vehicles and Equipment (BSVE). The Navy announced recently that the BSVE office took delivery of its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, a Chevrolet Volt, at the Washington Navy Yard in October.

image via U.S. Navy

The Volt is the first of four to be leased to NAVFAC Washington BSVE as part of a General Services Administration pilot program. The remaining three will arrive in early 2012. In total, the GSA will deliver 11 electric vehicles to the U.S. Navy, nine Chevy Volts and two Nissan Leafs. NAVFAC Southwest is scheduled to receive five Volts and two Leafs in early 2012. NAVFAC Washington and Commander, Navy Installation Command have coordinated to install 220-volt charging stations at the Washington Navy Yard and Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Md. These stations will provide the Volt a full charge in four hours.

NAVFAC Washington BSVE has a fleet of 2,143 vehicles. These drove for 635,350 miles (enough to drive from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles and back 119 times) during fiscal year 2010. The opportunities for energy conservation are not lost on Erin Bartley, product line coordinator at NAVFAC Washington BSVE. “The addition of the Chevy Volt demonstrates our commitment to energy reduction goals set by the Secretary of the Navy,” she said in a statement. “This vehicle, along with the three to come later, will help us reduce our gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.”

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EV Servicing Raises Safety Concerns

There’s a big gap between what service technicians assert they need in terms of safety in servicing electric and hybrid vehicles (EVs) and what original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are doing to meet these needs, according to a recent survey from IDC Manufacturing Insights.

The study, which surveyed more than 2,000 automotive professionals worldwide was conducted in collaboration with the Society of Automotive Engineers and found that while service technicians are concerned about the potential impact electric and hybrid electric vehicles might have on their safety, OEMs do not have as high concerns as technicians. The service technicians surveyed cited concerns over the lack of training, safety instructions and service manuals available for EVs.

image via Toyota

While some OEMs are undertaking efforts to confront these problems, the survey found others who, shockingly, are not. The report claims that the industry as a whole needs to focus activities to provide technicians with better information and tools to improve service performance and safety while there are still relatively small number of HEVs and EVs on the road. But as EV technology proliferates and complexity advances, the report states, “the importance of accurate and up-to-date service information and continual safety of service technicians will increase.” In fact, according to the new report, compared to those at dealerships, technicians at independent repair facilities are appreciably less prepared to handle the safety challenges stemming from new vehicle technologies.

“Electric and hybrid vehicles employ high voltage drivetrain batteries and the required charging systems will potentially have a profound impact on the safety of service technicians in the field,” Sheila Brennan, program manager, aftermarket anddervice strategies at IDC Manufacturing Insights, said in a statement. “Our study found that the service information provided by OEMs does not optimally meet the needs of service technicians. And while many OEMs are working to improve service and safety information, some of these initiatives may be misaligned with how the technicians themselves perceive their needs.”

Become a Green Earthling Deal email subscriber by Friday, Nov. 4, and you could win a $100 Amazon gift card courtesy of EarthTechling!

Revenge Of The Electric Car A Big Deal

By Gina Coplon-Newfield, Sierra Club

If you’re lucky enough to live near one of the 30+ cities where the film Revenge of the Electric Car will be showing now and in the coming weeks, don’t miss the chance. And if you’re even luckier to live near San Francisco, Cambridge, Portland (OR), or Chicago, you are cordially invited to walk the green carpet to a special viewing of the film. Tickets are going fast, so I recommend you order them online where available.

Not only is Revenge a really fun and fast-paced documentary (yes, even a documentary can be fun), but it’s an important look into an industry that is both a big part of the climate change problem and can be a big part of the innovative solutions we need.  A switch to electric vehicles (EVs) offers us one essential way to reduce emissions and our dependence on oil –- even on today’s electricity sources.

image via WestMidWest Productions

On Friday, November 4, the film will premiere in Cambridge, MA (“my fair city” as the Car Talk guys and I would both say) at the Kendall Theatre. After the 6:45pm screening, we’ll have a post-film panel discussion and audience Q-and-A with automotive journalist Jim Motavalli, MIT expert Jarrod Goentzel, and me. We’ve also invited a representative from the Boston Mayor’s office and Congressman Mike Capuano (who has a small cameo in the film from a Capitol Hill hearing with automaker executives when he shows  off both his passion for improved fuel economy as well as his strong Boston accent: “Give us the cahhhs that we want!”).

In Portland, OR on November 4, filmmaker Chris Paine will be doing a Q-and-A with the audience after the 7pm Revenge screening at the Hollywood Theatre. The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association and other allied groups will be leading an electric vehicle plug-in caravan to the event and free EV charging at the theatre.

In San Francisco at the Embarcadero Theatre on Sunday, November 6, Sierra Club past president and current board member Larry Fahn (5:10pm screening) and Sierra Club Director of Clean Tech Outreach Jodie Van Horn (7:30pm screening) will join filmmaker Chris Paine for post-film Q-and-A’s.

The Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club has organized a terrific event in conjunction with the Chicago film premiere on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6pm at the Gene Siskel Film Center. A post-film panel discussion will feature the film’s Executive Producer Stefano Durdic, a University of Chicago Professor, a National Public Radio Chicago affiliate reporter, and IL Sierra Club Chapter Director Jack Darin.

On October 21, I had the pleasure of attending the Los Angeles film premiere where a lot of us in the EV industry and advocacy circles joined filmmaker Chris Paine and celebrities, including Jay Leno, Allison Janey, and  Ed Begley, Jr. (no I did not have the courage to tell Allison Janey what a HUGE fan I was of her role in The West Wing). The next night, Chris Paine and I did a post-film Q-and-A with the L.A. audience at the NuArt Threatre, and by a show of hands, there were certainly a lot of Sierra Club members in the audience. After the Q-and-A, we headed down the street to a demonstration of several plug-in vehicles, and on hand to answer questions about EVs were Plug In America co-founder Paul Scott, Air Force veteran Tim Goodrich, and others.

The New York Times chose Revenge as a recent “critics’ pick,” and the reviewer from TheMovieBanter.com said: “One of the most interesting and entertaining documentaries I have ever seen, Revenge of the Electric Car lets you into the amazing lives of four different people and their perspective on the electric car….We don’t rate our movies with thumbs on this site, but both my thumbs here are way way up.”

Recently, Revenge received the 2011 Environmental Media Award for best documentary.

To read more about what the film is about, see my blog post after its Tribeca Film Festival Earth Day premiere. Enjoy the show, and enjoy the ride!

Editor’s Note: This column comes to us as a cross post courtesy of the Sierra Club. Author credit for this column goes to Gina Coplon-Newfield.

Nissan Leaf Electric Taxis Take On NYC In Pilot Plug-In Plan

By John Voelcker, Green Car Reports

With good reason, it’s often said that the toughest auto endurance testing in the world is in taxi duty on the streets of New York City (and Jakarta, and Beijing, and Rio).

While the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission has pushed aggressively for high-mileage hybrids–mostly Ford Escape crossovers–to replace the low-mileage Ford Crown Victoria full-size sedans, there have been no plug-in taxis in the city.

image via Green Car Reports

That’s about to change.

The city is joining with Nissan to test six 2012 Nissan Leaf hatchbacks in taxi service, starting next spring, and recently issued the official notice of its Electric Taxi Pilot Program to anyone who’s interested in taking part.

The partners are seeking owner-drivers and fleet operators who want to participate in the pilot program. Each one will get a leased Leaf, at no cost, for up to a year.

The six Nissan Leaf compact five-door electric cars will go into normal service on the streets, using an existing medallion (to soothe taxi owners worried about additional competition, no doubt).

No word yet on whether the Leafs will have any restrictions on distance or duty, as Tokyo electric taxis sometimes do, or whether they’ll operate on just a single shift a day or propose to use DC quick-charging to recharge their lithium-ion battery packs to 80 percent in an hour or less.

The TLC and Nissan will hold information sessions for interested medallion owners on November 9. Applications to be put into the “giant spinning basket” will be due November 30. More information is available on the TLC’s website, as is the application

Next time, however, we suggest the TLC not describe the Leafs as provided “free of charge.” That gives the wrong impression.

Editor’s Note: This news comes to us as a cross post courtesy of Green Car Reports. Author credit for the story goes to John Voelcker.

EV Master’s Certificate Coming To Colorado

Students at the University of Colorado will soon be able to earn a master’s certificate in electric car drivetrain technology. The university’s Boulder and Colorado Springs faculty have announced the collaboration, with the help of a five-year, $954,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The program will not only train new engineers for careers in developing electrical vehicle (EV) technologies, but is also expected to help retrain thousands of engineers who lost jobs as the U.S. auto industry contracted. The courses will be available online and in traditional classroom settings.

image via GM

“There are thousands of engineers who have either been displaced as the U.S. auto industry shifted or who have an interest in learning about creating vehicles of the future,” said Greg Plett, a professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at Colorado Springs. “This program offers them the opportunity to retrain without relocating.”

The courses will cover a wide range of electrical vehicle technologies such as: battery dynamics, battery controls, power electronics and detailed courses in adjustable alternating current drives. The university also plans to create options for students in master’s of science in electrical engineering programs to pursue specialization in fields such as battery controls and vehicle power electronics. Students are expected to be able to start registering for the courses by fall 2012.

Program head Plett has worked with a number of Colorado-based companies who manufacture batteries or their controls. Plett is working with engineers from General Motors on new methods for battery controls in future extended-range electric vehicles, beyond the Chevy Volt.

EV-Friendly Northeast States Link Up

Transportation, energy and environmental officials from 10 Northeast states and the District of Columbia are joining forces in the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network, a bid to bolster economic growth and support the region’s leadership in the clean energy economy while reducing its dependence on oil and emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

The network has goals to promote all clean vehicles and fuels and facilitate planning for and the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and related infrastructure throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The group will also work together to attract additional public and private investment in infrastructure for clean vehicles.

image via Toyota

The network, which emerged out of the region’s ongoing Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), includes Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The TCI will help coordinate the efforts of the new network.

The network recently scored a $1 million Electric Vehicle Readiness Grant grant awarded to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority on behalf of TCI.  This grant, announced in September by the U.S. Department of Energy, will fund the development of guidelines for the siting, permitting and installation of EV charging stations, a critical next step in the development of the network. In the future, the network hopes to collaborate with the private sector, utilities and local governments on a blueprint for EV deployment as well as agree upon a set of consistent infrastructure standards.

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