Ford To Make 2012 ‘The Year of the Electrified Vehicle’
Ford Motor Co. will be introducing five new electrified vehicles into the North American marketplace within the next 12 months. Leading the way will be the mid-size Ford Fusion hybrid. Along with the exciting line up cars Ford will be offering the new EVs will create 12,000 American jobs.
On Monday, Ford unveiled its new 2013 Fusion along with a brand-new hybrid version - vehicles which will be competing against the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry for pre-eminence in the highly-competitive mid-size sedan sector.
"It will be the most eco-friendly vehicle lineup in our history,'' said Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO, at the North American International Auto Show on Monday.
It's anticipated that the hybrid will offer 47 mpg and the electric-hybrid will offer drivers a 100 mpg equivalent with a full range of 500 miles.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice-president of global product development, said the new Fusion designs will offer a combination of "fuel-efficiency and comfort with great styling.''
Congratulations to Ford for their innovation and offerings to the EV/Hybrid market. With the 'big automakers' making such a clear statement on the importance of the Eco-friendly auto industry it will only bring good things to the charging infrastructure and the prices of the batteries.
Blue Chip Companies Form Coalition to Advance Electric Vehicles
A group of Blue Chip organizations have joined together to form the Electrification Leadership Council. The purpose of this group is to design a large-scale electric vehicle (EV) demonstration project that will help create a comprehensive national model for EV deployment.
Among its members are FedEx Express, Hertz, Navistar, Azure Dynamics, A123 Systems, CODA Automotive, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, ECOtality, Automatiks, and GE Capital.
The Electrification Leadership Council (ELC) is a coalition of members who represent stakeholders throughout the Electric Vehicle supply chain. Together these members possess the expertise and resources required to engage federal, state, regional and local agencies and coalitions, utility companies, vehicle manufacturers and financial institutions to help overcome the barriers to broad scale EV deployment.
For the demonstration project, the coalition is planning a large-scale deployment of EVs within specific densely populated markets where all the components of an EV Ecosystem can be brought together: EV deployment, charging stations, the electrical grid, energy storage devices and battery second-life applications, communication systems and support networks.
"This is about developing a more efficient, effective and environmentally friendly EV Ecosystem," says Dennis Beal , vice president of Global Vehicles for FedEx Express. "We work with many companies across the EV Ecosystem, have learned a lot and are hungry to share our learning, expand collaboration and further the future of transportation electrification with this large-scale, cross-industry project. It is the responsible thing to do across the board - environmentally, economically and for our national security as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and move towards environmentally friendly technologies."
The ELC will engage with communities that have already developed collaborative efforts to foster EV readiness related to:
- Infrastructure Planning
- Regulatory Alignment
- Public Awareness
The ELC will help these communities close their EV readiness gaps at the grassroots level by addressing barriers to EV deployment that typically include:
- Charging Infrastructure
- Government and Regulatory Policy
- Vehicle Availability and Demand
- Cost of Ownership and Vehicle Support
- Public Awareness and Acceptance
The ELC is evaluating a number of local markets for the demonstration projects and will announce sites once plans are in place.
Learn more:
Website: www.elcouncil.com
What should EVs sound like?
HARMAN, the global leading supplier of premium audio and infotainment systems, announced today the results of a survey it commissioned to help identify the types of sounds consumers want future electric cars to make.
The majority of respondents want electric cars to sound like their current cars, consumers in the survey said they expect that car manufacturers will have a distinctive sound for each auto brand, suggesting opportunities for signature sounds and differentiation that isn’t available today. This study will be used to help car makers define the type and level of sound for electric vehicles, supporting an increased focus on sensory cues as a way to subconsciously communicate their brands while still improving safety.
Although a majority of respondents want the sound of a conventional car, family car drivers suggest that quieter, smoother, humming sounds are appropriate for electric vehicles. Female respondents and families are significantly more likely to want quieter / less powerful sounds compared to males. And while electric cars don’t typically use conventional gearboxes that need shifting, consumers want the sound linked to acceleration. Audible gear shift points in these vehicles will become a particularly desirable feature for sports car owners keen to hear a more ‘authentic’ sound.
I'm not sure if i like the idea of the sounds being 'branded'. I think if the purpose of the noise is to increase safety then the number criteria for the noise should be that it is easy to hear and locate the direction that it is coming from. If we allow the noises to be specific to the brand of vehicle we have already missed the point.
FedEx Goes Electric
FedEx Express is trying out a new electric delivery vehicle using technology from the world’s first mass-market all-electric car, the Nissan LEAF.
A two-month trial is underway in London that aims to assess how the electric vehicle, an all-electric version of the Nissan NV200, copes with the demands of daily deliveries in the UK capital. The prototype NV200 EV uses the same drive technology and battery as the Nissan LEAF, a family car that rolled out to the mass market for the first time at the start of the year, since when 20,000 have been sold. The LEAF has a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge, according to the manufacturer.
FedEx said the trial was part of its efforts to reduce dependence on petroleum, cut carbon emissions and eliminate tailpipe pollution.
FedEx Express already operates 43 all-electric vehicles it is trying out in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis.
The company said the NV200 would be particularly well-suited to uses in congested city streets where air quality is poor, since it has zero tailpipe emissions. The vehicle can be charged overnight conventionally, or by using a quick charger the battery can be taken up to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes.
I assumed that FedEx vans typically traveled significantly more than 100 miles in one day but i guess if the van is located in a congested area of the city they may not travel very many miles at all. Well done to FedEx for making the first steps towards a switch. Good luck.
International Motorcycle Show – Long Beach 2011
On Friday 9th December the International Motorcycle Show rolls into Long Beach, California for what promises to be an amazing weekend.
Brammo will be there in full force come and see the Enertia, Empulse, Engage and Encite up close.
The 2011TTXGP Championship winning race bike the Brammo Empulse RR will be there, as will Steve Atlas our Championship winning rider- and the Brammo umbrella girls!
Brammo
Stand 251, Hall C
International Motorcycle Show
Long Beach Convention Center
300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Show Hours:
Friday, December 9 4:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday, December 10 9:30am-8:00pm
Sunday, December 11 9:30am-5:00pm
Attendee Parking:
Autos: $10
Motorcycles: Free
Hope to see you there!
I-GO Car Sharing Leads the Way
I-GO Car Sharing is a nonprofit organization in the Chicago area. This week they announced plans to build 11 solar powered charging stations around the city. The company is currently midway through a $2.5 million electric vehicle project that will add 36 all-electric vehicles to its fleet and 11 publicly-available solar charging stations to power its cars. Once completed, I-GO will have the largest electric vehicle fleet in the Midwest, and it will use more solar power to charge electric vehicles than anywhere else in the country.
Grants from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will be used to fund the project and will be completed in early 2012. Each solar charging station will form a canopy that covers four parking spaces, and will be able to power two electric vehicles. Two spaces will be reserved for I-GO at each location, and the others will be available to the public. Each canopy will be topped with 44 solar panels. In aggregate, the canopies will produce about 200,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which will power as much as 600,000 miles driven per year.
The company responsible for building the charging stations is 350Green LLC, a San Diego-based company. Thanks to a package of $2 million in federal and state grants 350Green LLC was able to cut costs in half in order to do that project.
I read so many similar stories to this one, it is only a matter of time before seeing charging stations all over cities will be a common occurrence. Cant wait.
GM Offers Free Loaner Cars
In response to a series of fires that occurred in crash-testing of the Chevy Volt and its batteries GM have offered to provide free loaner cars to anyone who is concerned about this issue. In true holiday spirit Mark Reuss, president of GM North America said, "Our customers' peace of mind is the most important thing. This technology should inspire confidence and pride and not fear and doubt" .
Federal officials on Friday launched a formal safety-defect investigation into GM's plug-in hybrid vehicle after crash tests on several Volts and their batteries resulted in fires. In one case, a fire that started in one of the test vehicles consumed three others parked nearby. The problem occurs when electricity is left stored in the batteries for some time following a crash, said Mary Barra, GM's senior vice president of global product development.
When GM learns of a crash involving a Volt from the vehicle's onboard communications system, the automaker sends technicians to hook up equipment to drain the electricity from the battery.
This is an amazing example of the commitment that GM have towards the EV industry. They understand that those people who took the leap of faith in purchasing the first generation of EVs from General Motors deserve peace of mind and security when considering their vehicles safety features.
Volkswagen to be Producing EVs in China from 2013
In order to meet demand for Electric Vehicles, Volkswagen AG has declared that by 2013 they plan to be producing the environmentally friendly vehicles in China.
Volkswagen is counting on China to help it surpass General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. VW will spend 14 billion euros ($19 billion) from 2012 through 2016 to expand in the nation it first entered three decades ago, as part of a push to increase sales in emerging markets.
Karl-Thomas Neumann, chief executive officer and president of the Wolfsburg, Germany- based automaker’s China unit said, "Governments in China and Europe are getting more realistic that electric cars could quickly replace internal- combustion engines." Neumann reiterated VW’s plans to double production capacity by 2015 and said it will exceed 2 million deliveries in China this year. The maker of the Jetta sedan and Tiguan SUV sold 1.89 million vehicles in the first 10 months, an increase of 15 percent from a year earlier, it said on Nov. 11.
VW produces cars and sport-utility vehicles in China through ventures with SAIC Motor Corp. and China FAW Group Corp. The two ventures have each created a prototype EV and will introduce test fleets next year, said Neumann.
Renault Opens EV Test Center
Earlier this year Renault, a French car manufacturer, released the Kangoo Z.E, the companies first all electric vehicle. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQFq7QkKAvE)
The testing for this vehicle was conducted in a new EUR28m electric vehicle test facility in Lardy, France, which houses most of the test facilities for electric motors and batteries. Over time the facility has expanded to cover 3,300 sq m and some 100-test benches.
Renault said that the test center is capable to run 15 different tests on the lithium-ion traction batteries, simulating the most extreme conditions ('abuse' tests).
The automaker's engineering staff at Lardy have benefited from building new skills as part of a staff re-training and mobility programme, they have also developed new testing expertise in electric motor technology.
Renault SVP of powertrain engineering, Jacques Prost, said the Lardy test centre is supporting the company's move into the electric vehicle market - now a concrete reality after the launch of our first electric vehicle, Kangoo Z.E.
"Our goal was to sell vehicles that are reliable, powerful and 100 percent safe. Lardy has helped us to achieve that goal thanks to 170,000 hours of testing in 2011," Prost said.
"Investing in this centre will enable us to pursue and support new developments in electric powerplant technology and make Renault the leading manufacturer of electric vehicles in Europe."
EV Strategic Council is Launched in Bay Area
In the Bay Area, an EV Strategic Council was launched today that aims to ensure that the Bay Area becomes the "EV Capital of the U.S." Led by the region's big city Mayors, regional officials and clean tech industry executives, the Bay Area EV Strategic Council aims to develop the infrastructure needed for an influx of new electric vehicles (EVs) now available and soon to arrive from GM, Nissan, Tesla, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, BMW and others.
In announcing the awards, Steve Kinsey, Marin County Supervisor and Co-Chair of the EV Strategic Council, said: "One of the smartest things we can do as a community is to 'Go EV.' By reaching our target of 100,000 EVs in the Bay Area by 2015, drivers will save over $200 million a year that can be re-invested in local jobs, and vehicle emissions will be reduced by nearly 80% compared to conventional cars. Moreover, as we invest in more renewable energy, EVs will get even cleaner and our energy independence will be strengthened. EVs are a triple win -- for the economy, the environment, and our national security."
Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino, another founding member of the EV Strategic Council, said: "Who would have thought even five years ago that the Bay Area would emerge as a center for electric vehicle manufacturing? Yet here we are with Tesla and Toyota in a joint venture, two new EV factories coming on line (Tesla in Fremont and Coda in Benicia), and GM, BMW and Daimler all working on EVs and other R&D projects here in Silicon Valley.
This is what the declaration of intent from the green friendly Bay Area. I, for one, am excited to watch the progress.