New Cars Rombengan 2011 - 2020

From the Detroit Free Press: Ford Motor will today announce that it is on course to add 7,000 new jobs through the end of next year, according to a person familiar with the planning.

Of those jobs, 1,800 have already been announced for Ford's Louisville plant, where the Ford Escape SUV is built, and another 2,200 blue-collar jobs and 750 salaried jobs will come by year's end.
Another 2,000 jobs will come next year.

The move comes as Ford puts the finishing touches on its 2006 Way Forward turnaround and begins a period of expansion. Ford is expected to post a profit of $8.2 billion for 2010 and sales are stronger than they have been in years. Sales were up 19.5% last year.

The automaker is also planning to embark on an aggressive strategy to expand its fuel-efficient car models, with a new emphasis on plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars.

"We are going to have, clearly, the most comprehensive electrification strategy available," Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally told the Free Press in a recent interview.

Today at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, Ford is to show off plug-in hybrid and gasoline hybrid versions of its C-Max, a minivan coming to the U.S. from Europe in 2012, as well as a battery-powered Focus Electric compact car.

James Tetreault, Ford's vice president of North American manufacturing, said he expects to add a third shift to Ford's Wayne assembly plant where those models are built by 2012, bringing the workforce to 4,400 from 3,200 today.

Customers, Pick Your Fuel

While Ford might be behind some rivals in offering mainstream electric cars -- a market it will enter later this year with the Focus Electric compact -- the Dearborn automaker has taken a deliberately different tack.

Already the No. 1 domestic seller of hybrids, Ford plans to promote the wide variety of fuel-efficient models across its lineup, stressing the words "choice" and "family of electric vehicles."

Ford is planning to launch five hybrid, plug-in or battery-powered cars in North America by 2012, and it already sells several others.

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From the Autoblog: The Focus Electric is powered by 100-kilowatt electric motor with a 23-kWh battery, capable of producing 123 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque at its peak.

Ford says its EV can reach a top speed of 84 miles per hour, and while the official range hasn't been disclosed just yet, we're told it should be able to travel up to 100 miles on a single charge (just like the Leaf).

Speaking of charging, Ford says the Focus Electric can be fully charged in just three hours from its 240-volt home-installed charging station, though the car will take up to 20 hours to charge via a standard 120-volt outlet.

French carmaker Renault has said that suspected industrial espionage against its business poses a serious threat to its "strategic assets".

The statement comes a day after Renault suspended three senior managers after an investigation into the possible leaking of electric vehicle secrets.

Commenting on the matter, French Industry Minister Eric Besson warned the country was facing "economic war". Mr Besson said the situation at Renault "appears serious".

"The expression 'economic war', while sometimes outrageous, for once is appropriate," he told France's RTL radio station. "It appears to concern the electric car, but I do not want to go further."

Mr Besson said he was calling for French companies which received public funds to improve their security.

Sources said that those suspended had all headed electric vehicles projects and one was a member of the company's management committee, a 30-strong panel of top managers headed by chief executive Carlos Ghosn. The suspension without pay of the staff is a first step towards possible disciplinary action. The three were required to leave their offices on Monday, the sources said.

Renault plans to launch electric versions of its Fluence model priced at about 25,000 euros (34,000 dollars) and its Kangoo Express for about 20,000 euros in mid-2011, and its smaller Twizy and Zoe models in late 2011 and 2012. It forecasts that electric cars will make up 10 percent of the market by 2020. Along with its Japanese partner Nissan, it is investing 200 million euros a year in the programme.

Nissan has already launched an all-electric car for the mass market, the Leaf, in Japan and the United States, where it sold out on pre-orders. The Leaf is set to be launched in select European markets in early 2011.

Other major car makers are in on the act, preparing to launch electric cars. Among Renault's French competitors, Citroen is making the C-Zero and Peugeot the iON. Tata of India is preparing to launch the Vista EV. Mercedes-Benz of Germany has an electric smart car, the Fortwo ED, while in Japan Mitsubishi has the iMiEV and Toyota the Prius Plug-in.

This is in contrast to rivals such as General Motors and Toyota, the world's two largest carmakers, which are instead investing heavily in hybrid vehicles, which use both an electric and a petrol engine.

Sources: BBC and AFP

Related post: Renault's electric vehicle programme target of espionage

From Reuters: French carmaker Renault suspended three executives for suspected industrial espionage after an investigation lasting several months, a source close to the company told Reuters on Wednesday.

A Renault spokeswoman confirmed it suspended three executives on Monday after an "ethical alert" was transmitted to the group's compliance committee in August. But she declined to give further details about the suspensions.

The source close to the company said: "It involves people who were caught red-handed for industrial espionage. It's a matter that has lasted several months already."

The source said the three people involved were senior executives, one of whom was on the company's management committee.

"Renault is a victim in this story. The group is a bit worried about its electric vehicle (EV) programme -- it hopes that its leadership in this technology won't be threatened," the source said.

Renault, with its Japanese alliance partner Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T), is a fierce proponent of EV technology, with the companies jointly investing 4 billion euros ($5.3 billion) in their flagship EV programmes.

A second source close to Renault said an "ethical alert" could mean a fellow employee warning the compliance committee that an individual's behaviour threatened the company.

"It means that at a given moment their personal behaviour, whether in their activity within Renault or in their external dealings, could threaten Renault's internal competencies or indeed its development of projects or products," the source said.

The behaviour in question could involve leaks of information "but not necessarily only that", the source said.

And in French, by France2: Trois hauts cadres du groupe Renault ont été mis à pied en raison de soupçons d'espionnage industriel

Selon des sources proches du dossier, un membre du comité de direction et un cadre travaillant sur le programme des voitures électriques figurent parmi les personnes concernées. Les informations diffusées à l'extérieur concerneraient ce secteur.

Renault a confirmé qu'une alerte éthique avait été transmise fin août au comité de déontologie.


"A la suite de cela, il y a eu une enquête et cette enquête a effectivement conduit à la mise à pied lundi de ces trois cadres", a déclaré une porte-parole de la firme au losange, sans se prononcer sur l'accusation d'espionnage industriel ou sur la présence d'un membre du comité de direction parmi les trois personnes concernées. En droit français, la mise à pied conservatoire, mesure provisoire à durée indéterminée, permet d'écarter le salarié de l'entreprise dans l'attente d'une éventuelle sanction. Le contrat de travail est suspendu et le salarié n'est pas rémunéré.

"C'est une affaire qui dure depuis quelques mois déjà", a commenté une source proche de Renault, sous couvert d'anonymat. "Il s'agit de personnes qui ont été prises la main dans le sac pour espionnage industriel", a-t-elle ajouté.

Une autre source proche du groupe a précisé que l'enquête interne se poursuivait. "Une alerte éthique, cela veut dire qu'à un moment donné, soit dans leur activité interne, soit dans leurs relations avec le monde extérieur à Renault, [les personnes concernées] ont eu un comportement qui peut porter atteinte aux compétences internes du groupe, voire au développement de projets ou de produits", a dit cette source.

Renault va commercialiser en milieu d'année deux modèles en version électrique, la berline familiale Fluence et l'utilitaire Kangoo Express. La gamme électrique du constructeur, partenaire du japonais Nissan, comptera également deux autres modèles: le petit véhicule Twizy et la petite berline Zoe, qui doivent être commercialisés au deuxième semestre de cette année et mi-2012.

"Le groupe s'inquiète un peu pour son programme électrique, il espère que son leadership sur cette technologie ne sera pas menacé", commente une des sources proches du constructeur.

From the The Californian / Associated Press: This was the year General Motors Co. and Nissan made good on their promise to bring mass-produced electric cars to the market. But don't count on seeing one in traffic soon. Sales so far have been microscopic and they're likely to stay that way for some time because of limited supplies.

GM sold between 250 and 350 Chevy Volts this month and Nissan's sales totaled less than 10 Leaf sedans in the past two weeks. Production for both is slowly ramping up.

It will be well into 2012 before both the Volt and Leaf are available nationwide. And if you're interested in buying one, you'll need to get behind the 50,000 people already on waiting lists.

It's still unclear just how large the market for electric cars will be once those early adopters are supplied. The base sticker price is $40,280 for the Volt and $32,780 for the Leaf, much higher than most similar-sized, gas-powered cars. If those prices rise, it could make them even more of a niche product than predicted. Buyers also are worried that advertised lease deals may not last, and a federal tax rebate of $7,500 could disappear if Congress decides battery-powered cars are no longer a priority.

The first electric car sales were marked with fanfare. The envy of green-car geeks across the country, new owners were treated like rock stars at dealerships. They were greeted by high-level GM and Nissan executives, followed by cameramen and interviewed by local reporters. When they got home, they blogged about their experiences, sent links of newspaper stories to their friends, and stopped to talk to anyone who expressed interest in their new wheels.

Jeff Heeren of Nashville, Tenn., became the sixth Nissan Leaf owner on Dec. 22. Nissan's advertising agency, Chiat Day, followed Heeren and his family around as they picked up their silver-colored Leaf, and have posted a video on the Leaf's Facebook page. Not surprisingly, Heeren is a fan. "What's amazed me the most in driving it is that it's just a car, like any other car," he said.

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From John Gartner, on Huffington Post: The first Chevrolet Volts, Nissan Leafs, and Smart EDs were delivered in December, but in the annals of history, 2011 will be remembered as the year that electric vehicles (EVs) arrived. EVs for sale to consumers will dominate the headlines throughout the year as average Americans begin to recognize EVs as they roll down the road.

Because of the stalled start in the 1990s, when consumers were tempted by and then denied access to GM's EV1 and other EVs, every milestone during the year will be magnified in the media. By year's end nearly new 50,000 EVs will be plugging in at garages and lots across America. The arrival of new models from automakers Think, Coda, Mitsubishi, Mini, Toyota, and Chevrolet (a few of which were delayed from 2010) will give consumers more options.

Any missteps -- and there will be some -- will be cause célèbre for the EV doubters who don't believe in or desire a move away fossil fuels. Humans have always been fallible in designing and operating vehicles, and replacing liquid fuel with electrons won't change that. While considerable safeguards have been put in place to prevent accidents when charging a vehicle, somewhere someone will find a creative way for failure, and we can expect considerable fanfare by the naysayers when this inevitably occurs.

One of the important trends of 2011 we've identified at Pike Research will be the slow subsiding of the catch phrase "range anxiety." Range anxiety is the supposed fear that both prevents consumers from wanting to buy an EV with a 80-100 mile driving range or from driving said car very far for fear that the batteries will run out, leaving the driver stranded. Range anxiety has been overblown, underestimating drivers' ability to monitor their battery charge level through the various dashboard displays and auditory prompts.

Like the arrival of EVs, the rollout of charging infrastructure has been slower than expected off the line. However, installations of public charging infrastructure such as the government-subsidized EV Project and Charge Point America will see hundreds of charging stations installed across many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas. The availability of public charging equipment will actually outpace the need for vehicles to plug-in, which will result in many charge spots idled for most of the day, or even days at a time. While this will be the subject of derision as a waste of taxpayer money, if EVs instead outpaced charging infrastructure, it could result in a serious setback as the minority of drivers who plan to regularly charge their vehicles away from home might otherwise wait to make a purchase.

The electric vehicles' second act will be a top media story throughout the year, even at the box office with the mid-year release of Revenge of the Electric Car (watch the trailer). Many consumers will get their first direct exposure to EVs by renting a car from one of the many rental agencies that will make emissions-free driving a premium service. Fleets including delivery vehicles and taxis will be critical for collecting data about EV performance and to build confidence that this time around, EVs are here to stay.

Some interesting numbers in this study: Zpryme predicts the number of EV/PHEVs sold in 2016 will reach 203,200, and that the charging infrastructure and charging services market is will grow from $776.8 million in 2011 to $4.45 billion in 2016 (CAGR of 41.6%).

The projections in the electric vehicle study by Zpryme's EV Insights Practice and sponsored by Airbiquity (download ‘The Electric Vehicle Study’ for free www.zpryme.com) show that the charging service market value is expected to grow at faster rate than the charging station market value, but the charging station market is expected to be almost eight times larger than the service industry by 2016.

With such high anticipation for the growing U.S. EV market, developing and deploying charging stations has quickly become an extremely competitive race. Both large companies and start-ups are vying for market share, including Coulomb Technologies, ClipperCreek, ECOtality, ABB, GE, Siemens, Leviton, AeroVironment and Pep Stations.


Some key market value projections (2011 - 2016):


Electric vehicle sales:

Annual EV/PHEV unit sales are projected grow by 36.2% annually from 2011 to 2016, from 43,400 to 203,200.

The total EV/PHEV stock are projected to grow from 104,200 in 2011 to 730,700 in 2016.

Charging Stations:

Home (level II) charging station unit sales are projected to grow by 37.7% annually from 2011 to 2016, from 25,400 to 125,900.

Home (level II) charging station sales will grow from $239.6 million to $1.07 billion during this time period. Home charging stations are projected to account for 32.1% of the market value in 2011 and 27.0% in 2016.

Public (level II) charging station unit sales are projected to grow by 43.1% annually from 2011 to 2016, from 13,600 to 81,300.

Public (level II) charging station sales will grow from $282.0 million to $1.60 billion during this time period. Level II charging stations are projected to account for 37.8% of the market value in 2011 and 40.7% in 2016.

Fast (level III) charging station sales will grow from $193.4 million to $1.15 billion during this time period. Level III charging stations are projected to account for 25.9% of the market in 2011 and 29.1% 2016. (see table 1 above)

Fast (level III) charging station unit sales are projected to grow by 44.2% annually from 2011 to 2016, from 2,200 to 13,500.

EV Charging Service Users:

Annual new charging service users are projected to grow by 40.4% annually from 2011 to 2016, from 27,600 to 150,400.

The cumulative total number of charging service users is projected to grow from 39,800 in 2011 to 574,900 million in 2016.

From Green Car Reports: BMW is pressing forward with its plans to build a production version of the striking plug-in hybrid concept car it called Vision Efficient Dynamics, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009.

According to reports filtering out of Germany, the model that goes on sale in October 2013 may be called the i8 and cost roughly $200,000.

BMW's "i" sub-brand, for which a logo was leaked a couple of weeks ago, stems from its uber-green "Project i" research program. The "i" name will also be applied to the radical "MegaCity" carbon-fiber all-electric car that's scheduled to launch in 2013. You could consider the "i" label the green counterpart to its "M" series of performance editions.

The company hasn't announced which "i" number the MegaCity Vehicle will carry, though betting is on either zero or one. But if the i8 label is confirmed for the Vision Efficient Dynamics, it would clearly position the production plug-in hybrid as a counterpart to BMW's 8-Series sports coupe.

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The Green Car Journal has nominated five electric vehicles for the 2011 Green Car Vision Award: the Ford Focus BEV, the Honda Fit EV, the future Mitsubishi i model for the American market, the Toyota RAV4 EV (currently under development with Tesla) and the Volvo C30 DRIVe. The winner will be announced on January 27 at the 2011 Washington Auto Show, in the American capital. Here's what the jury has to say about the finalists:

Ford's Focus BEV, which is based on the automaker's all-new 2012 Focus model, will be introduced in the U.S. sometime in 2011. The automaker is leveraging global platforms like the Focus and collaborating with key powertrain suppliers like Magna International as part of its global electrification strategy.

The Honda Fit EV concept shares the direction and styling of the upcoming production Fit EV that will be coming to U.S. shores in 2012. The five-passenger electric will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and feature Econ, Normal, and Sport modes to maximize efficiency or improve acceleration.

Mitsubishi will produce the newly-named Mitsubishi i electric vehicle, a battery powered iteration of the automaker's popular 'i' minicar sold in Japan. Retooled and larger for U.S. tastes, this lithium-ion powered car will be sold in four Western states starting in November 2011 with a national roll-out to follow.

Toyota's second generation RAV4 EV will begin a demonstration program in 2011 with plans for market arrival of a fully-engineered vehicle in 2012. The automaker has partnered with Tesla to fast-track development, with Tesla providing the lithium metal oxide battery and related components and Toyota handling the rest.

The Volvo C30 DRIVe is an electric variant of this automaker's small sport hatchback that's powered by lithium-ion batteries from Indiana-based ENER1. A small test fleet is currently operating in Sweden with a larger demonstration of DRIVe electrics planned for Europe, China, and the U.S. in 2011.

PluginCars.com's John Gartner is not alone when he says that 2011 will be the year of the revenge of the electric car, but he reveals some interesting key trends identified by Pike Research in this white paper. Some can be summarized in these 5 electric vehicle predictions for 2011. Having worked in the media industry, I cannot help myself but laugh at #5. So true.

1 - The majority of people who drive a plug-in vehicle won't own it. Thanks to car rental fleets, taxis, and car share programs, getting people into plug-in vehicles will be more influential in the long run than getting them to sign on the dotted line.


2 - Automakers will get push back from EV owners about how long it takes vehicles to fully charge. Most vehicle charging will be done overnight, enabling owners to wake up to a fully charged battery without concern for the rate at which it was charged. But because automakers decided to take the cautious (and less expensive) approach of installing onboard charging equipment that provides a maximum of 3.3 kW to the batteries, a full charge will take longer than necessary leaving some consumers feeling like they overpaid for charging equipment.


3 - The most popular selling EVs won't have four wheels. Electric two-wheeled vehicles, including bicycles, scooters and motorcycles are a huge global market that will continue to overshadow electric passenger vehicles for the foreseeable future. China is by far the largest market, with more than 48 million sales projected. In North America, the sale of two-wheeled EVs will outnumber passenger PEVs by approximately 8:1 in 2011, but the gap will be narrowed to close to 2 to 1 by 2015 as passenger vehicles sales will grow much more quickly.


4 - Many EV charging stations will spend the majority of their time idle. The strategy of installing a network of charging equipment may be good psychologically for EV owners and the automakers, but the business benefit for the owners of charging equipment will be lacking during the early days of EV sales. During 2011 and 2012 there will not be sufficient penetration of EVs for charging spots to see many visits–if any—per day.


5 - Somebody somewhere will have a bad EV experience and the media will overreact. The first time a driver is left "stranded" by running out of charge will be cause célèbre for the doubters to highlight the superiority of gas cars. The potential also exists for EV owner frustration if the promised all-electric driving range advertised is not realized. Heavy-footed drivers and trips taken in extreme weather will substantially cut into driving efficiency, but that should not be a surprise or especially noteworthy.

Read more of it and get the white paper at PluginCars.com

From the Japan Times/Kyodo News: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. is considering suspending production of its only electric vehicle, sources said Monday (so said Bloomberg, Fuji Heavy denied the report later that day).

Details including the timing of the suspension have not been decided, but the maker of Subaru brand cars could suspend production of the EV when the automaker stops manufacturing the Stella minivehicle, the EV's base car, the sources said.

Fuji Heavy plans to withdraw completely from minivehicle production sometime around 2012.

Fuji Heavy began selling the plug-in Stella electric vehicle to corporate customers and local governments in July 2009 with a sales target of 400 units by the end of March 2011.

The Stella EV, manufactured at a plant in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, is priced at ¥4.73 million.

Fuji Heavy is seeking to launch a plug-in gasoline electric hybrid vehicle, which can be recharged using a household electrical outlet, in the mid-2010s.

The automaker is seeking support from its top shareholder, Toyota Motor Corp., an industry leader in the development and marketing of gas-electric hybrids.

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From Bloomberg: Tesla Motors Inc., the unprofitable electric-car maker, fell the most in more than five months after insiders were allowed to sell shares in the company.

Tesla shares fell $4.82, or 16 percent, to $25.27 at 12:12 p.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market trading after earlier falling to $25.06 for the steepest intraday drop since July 6. Capstone Investments Inc. initiated coverage Dec. 23 with a “sell” rating on the expectation that plug-ins and other hybrids will continue to outsell pure electric cars such as Tesla’s.

The end of the lock-up period on Dec. 25 allows Tesla’s early investors to sell for the first time since the company’s June 28 initial public offering. Other holders may have sold off in anticipation of insiders’ sales, said Carter Driscoll, senior analyst for clean technologies with Miami Beach, Florida-based Capstone. His long-term price estimate is $22 a share.

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Fuji Heavy Industries, the manufacturers of Subaru, has announced it hasn't halted sales or development of electric vehicles, spokesman Fusao Watanabe said by phone from Tokyo today, quoted by Bloomberg.

Earlier on, Japan's Yomiuri newspaper, also quoted by Bloomberg, reported that the automaker will suspend sales of plug-in electric vehicles for as long as five years because of a scarcity of charging facilities and the price of lithium-ion batteries, citing the company.

Tweet this post From the Record: The great economic quake of ’08 rattled Detroit mightily, wreaking severe damage to the foundation of the U.S. auto industry. Bankruptcies at Chrysler and General Motors, resulting in drastic cuts at the automakers and their suppliers, dominated the headlines day after day.

Behind the front-page news were the more personal stories of job losses — hundreds of thousands across the industry, according to the U.S. Labor Department — that were part of the aftershocks. Even so, some who found themselves on the outside discovered that their talents were in demand elsewhere.

Instead of playing musical chairs with competitors or starting down entirely new career paths where their knowledge and experience might not be so highly valued, many of these Detroit graduates have found greener pastures at electric car startups and suppliers.

Technological advances in batteries, motors and electronic controls have created new possibilities for electric-car ventures. After plodding along for two decades, the carmaking operations are accelerating with the help of a new business model: small, agile organizations aided by a network of outside suppliers, developers and consultants.

That’s good news for the engineers and executives with the expertise needed to move this emerging technology out of the lab, down an assembly line and into customers’ hands.

Credit the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for greasing the skids at the manufacturer level. Nearly $3 billion US in loans and grants helped firms developing electric, hybrid-electric and alternative-fuel vehicles gain momentum. The companies, in turn, often hired former Detroit Three employees who had the required skills.

The downturn made available proven leaders such as Jim Taylor, who, after a 30-year career on small and large engineering teams, was ready for a change. One of the first dozen employees of GM’s Saturn division, then later the head of Cadillac and Hummer, Taylor had enjoyed more highs than lows. After GM, he joined Amp Electric Vehicles, an Ohio startup whose ranks include members of the team that developed GM’s EV1 electric car in the 1990s, as vice chair and chief executive.

“The opportunities here range from the conversion of existing cars to electric drive to establishing new relationships with major manufacturers to helping develop electric-propulsion components,” Taylor said. “All the experience I gained at GM prepared me well for this environment, where there are far more questions than answers.”

He’ll have plenty to do. A utility in Iceland recently hired Amp to provide 1,000 electric SUVs, and Michigan-based DTE Energy wants Amp to electrify part of its fleet.

Tom Reichenbach, chief engineer at Aptera, an electric carmaker, is another Detroit graduate thriving in this emerging field. Though he lacked electric-car experience, Reichenbach spent the last half of his 26-year stint at Ford working on racing and high-performance projects. As engineering manager for the special vehicles team, he helped to develop the Ford GT and the Mustang Shelby GT500. And until he left two years ago, he was assistant chief engineer for the EcoBoost V-6 engine.

“I was lucky to enjoy a string of fascinating projects,” Reichenbach said. “But when the downturn hit and Ford was into a fourth round of layoffs, I updated my resumé. When my boss mentioned that, at 56, I was eligible for retirement, I knew I was in trouble.”

He added: “Everyone in Detroit experienced a scare when gas prices spiked and buying habits changed overnight. But I lost faith in Ford’s future when the company’s entire electric vehicle team was part of the first round of engineering layoffs.”

Looking for a challenge less dependent on petroleum supplies, Reichenbach interviewed at two electric-car startups, Aptera and Fisker. Tesla Motors, also on his list, was not hiring when he went prospecting for a new job.

Aptera’s outlook convinced Reichenbach it was a company where he could thrive. “Their business plan was modest, and their growth prospects were geared to cash flow,” he recalled. “Aptera’s desire to build a light and aerodynamically efficient — albeit unusual looking — car made sense.”

He said his new job “is way more fun and rewarding than working at Ford,” adding, “The four-year incubation times there were torture.”

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Tweet this post UPDATE: FUJI HEAVY HAS DENIED YOMIURI'S REPORT: From Bloomberg: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (manufacturers of Subaru) will suspend sales of plug-in electric vehicles for as long as five years because of a scarcity of charging facilities and the price of lithium-ion batteries, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing the company.

Its plug-in Stella cars have been offered to corporations and local governments. The automaker plans to re-enter the market around 2016, the report said.

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Tweet this post  From the Detroit News: BYD Co. Ltd., one of the most widely-watched of China's emerging automakers, plans to unveil two advanced technology vehicles at the Detroit auto show next month: an all-electric 2012 e6 crossover, and a S6DM hybrid.

BYD, a battery-maker that branched out into the auto business, said today that it also will display solar panels, home energy storage units and other environmentally friendly products and technologies in an exhibit titled "Green City Solutions."

BYD, which counts U.S. billionaire Warren Buffet among its investors, is one of China's most closely observed automakers because of its battery expertise. The company plans to export vehicles to the United States in the near future.

The BYD e6Premier, equipped with an iron-phosphate "FE" battery, has a 186-mile range on city roads and a top speed of 87 miles per hour. It takes 40 minutes to fully charge the e6 using a 100-kilowatt fast-charger and six hours on a standard outlet.

BYD's S6DM SUV can travel 38 miles on electric power alone and more than 310 miles when engaging a 2-litre gas engine. A 10-kilowatt electric motor is paired with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission propelling the front wheels, while a powerful 75-kilowatt electric motor powers the rear wheels.

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Tweet this post From the Washington Post / St. Paul Pioneer Press: It's the lightest of all metals, skitters wildly on water and can unexpectedly explode. To mine it commercially requires an elaborate process involving drilling, evaporation tanks and chemical processing.

But if President Barack Obama is to fulfill his goal of putting 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015, a once-obscure metal crucial for the batteries in those cars, lithium, will probably be mined by the tens of thousands of tons here in the high Andes. Its boosters say lithium will one day rival petroleum in value, and that has prompted a race to secure mining rights across this craggy, bone-dry mountain range where vast salt flats contain some of the world's largest deposits.

"These are the most notable reserves at the moment," said Horacio Dias, a geologist who manages operations here for Exar, an Argentine affiliate of Canada's Lithium Americas Corp. "We think there is enough here to last many years." Mining executives are banking that lithium-ion batteries, which carry a longer-lasting charge than the lead acid variety long used in vehicles, will become cheap enough to help spur a mass market for electric cars or gas-electric vehicles. The Obama administration, trying to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil, has provided $2.4 billion in grants to car companies, battery makers and suppliers.

Whether the salt beds here in the heart of South America become a lithium mecca, as mining companies predict, depends as much as anything on American scientists as far away as Watertown, Mass.
There, A123 Systems, a battery technology company with roots at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology, is working to create lithium-ion batteries that would give electric cars a greater range — say, 200 to 300 miles — between recharging. A typical battery uses only a few pounds of lithium, but other components make such batteries expensive — by some estimates, well over $10,000 each — and bulky.

Failure could mean that cars such as General Motors' new Volt, a gas-electric hybrid that costs $41,000 before a $7,500 federal tax rebate to buyers, will remain too pricey for all but a small number of American car buyers. The Volt can go about 40 miles on an electric charge before the driver must switch to the car's internal-combustion engine. Fully electric cars can go 100 or more miles between recharges.

"We need to demonstrate that we can reduce the cost of this over the next four or five years to make the sale of these things take off without government stimulus," said David Vieau, chief executive of A123, which received a $249 million federal grant to build factories in Michigan. "It is a critical component for getting the volume up and helping drive the cost out while we make these batteries more efficient." Some of the projections on the future of electric cars — and lithium use in cars — are promising.

Nissan has said that by 2020, one in 10 cars worldwide may use lithium batteries. And Pike Research, a consulting firm in Boulder, Colo., said the market for lithium-ion batteries could expand to $8 billion in five years, from less than $900 million this year.

"Virtually every major car company around the globe has some sort of a hybrid electric vehicle program going," Vieau said.

Electric cars and their gas-electric cousins are not new. Ferdinand Porsche's hybrid was presented at a Paris exhibition in 1900. In the United States, there were 50,000 electric cars plying the roads in 1918. But big oil discoveries and Henry Ford's introduction of the Model T quickly established the dominance of the internal-combustion engine.

It is only now, with the United States consuming more than twice as much oil as it produces, that policymakers are considering a shift that would place less emphasis on gasoline-powered vehicles.

If that happens, the role of lithium will expand dramatically, with mining companies scrambling to secure the metal, said Ann Marie Sastry, chief executive of Sakti3, an Ann Arbor, Mich., company that is working to develop batteries with more juice. Lithium is now used in ceramics, to power cell phones and laptops, and even as a component in drugs to treat manic depression.

Much of the world has had its eyes on Bolivia, which President Evo Morales claims has infinitely more of the metal than all other lithium-producing countries combined. His socialist government is trying to lure mining companies, but Bolivia's terms call for those investors to also fund a Bolivian-based lithium-ion battery industry.

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Tweet this post O primeiro-ministro português José Sócrates confirmou quarta-feira, 22, durante a cerimónia de entrega dos dez primeiros Nissan Leaf na Europa, em Lisboa, que o projecto da fábrica de baterias eléctricas em Cacia, Aveiro, não foi abandonado. A instalação da unidade que em conjunto com uma fábrica em Inglaterra fornecerá a Nissan na Europa vai decorrer durante o ano de 2011.

Entretanto, e segundo o Jornal de Notícias, o município de Monção anunciou que está na corrida para o acolhimento daquela que é apontada como a futura maior fábrica de baterias da Europa. A unidade da Mitsubishi necessita de uma área superior a 20 campos de futebol. Salvaterra-As Naves, na vizinha Galiza, também concorre ao mega investimento da marca nipónica, integrado na aposta nos carros eléctricos. Após notícias de deficiências na proposta galega, Monção fez saber através da AICEP que está disponível para acolher a Mitsubishi

O autarca de Monção José Emílio Moreira afirma no entanto que não está preocupado com a competição do município galego, já que as duas localidades estão separadas apenas pelo Rio Minho. "Se a fábrica (da Mitsubishi) vier a ser instalada do outro lado da fronteira, para nós continuará a ser uma localização muito boa", disse ao JN.

Tweet this post From the International Business Times: General Motors China introduced an electric concept vehicle Sail at the 2010 Guangzhou Auto Show on Tuesday. Under the theme of "Drive to Green and Leading Innovation," it is showcasing 23 production and concept vehicles. Among the products on display are the Sail electric concept vehicle, which is making its global debut, and the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, the car maker said.

The Sail electric concept vehicle is powered by a lithium-ion battery with maximum output of 65 kW and maximum torque of 220 Nm. It has a maximum speed of 130 km/h and can go up to 150 kilometers on a single electric charge. It uses regenerative braking to produce additional energy.

"GM is committed to delivering a range of advanced propulsion technologies and offering a portfolio of solutions that will allow our customers to choose the vehicle that best meets their needs," said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group. GM's expertise in batteries, electric motors and power controls will enable us to provide the best possible choices when it comes to vehicle electrification technologies, he said.

The Sail electric concept vehicle was developed by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai, the carmaker said.

Earlier last month, China had said annual production of electric vehicles will hit one million units by 2020 and become world's largest auto market for new energy vehicles, which will hold the key for development of the country's auto industry.
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Tweet this post From the New Scientist: Gentlemen - and women - plug in your engines. This will be the year of the electric car. No, seriously. After seemingly endless testing, technical hiccups and plain reluctance on the part of manufacturers to move electric vehicles from the concept phase to the showroom, it's finally happening. A fleet of new cars powered by the plug instead of the pump will take to the road in 2011.

Leading the charge is the Chevy Volt. With a 16-kilowatt-hour battery and a 110-kilowatt (149-horsepower) electric motor, it can go 60 kilometres on a single charge, plenty for commuting and weekend grocery runs. Critics point out that a 1.4-litre gasoline engine kicks in when the battery runs down, making the Volt a mere hybrid rather than a fully fledged electric car. And with demand for the Volt forecast to far outstrip supply, some dealers in the US are reportedly slapping steep premiums on top of the already hefty $40,280 price tag.

Even if the Volt fizzles, the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric and Renault Fluence will all be widely available in the next 12 months. Then there's Mitsubishi's diminutive i-MiEV, powered by a 47-kilowatt electric motor and boasting a range of 160 kilometres. It has been on the road in Japan since 2009 and is expected to go on sale in both the UK and the US in the new year.

Two factors have combined to bring electric cars to the mass market at last: the arrival of high-capacity batteries and the near-collapse of the American auto industry, which forced US car makers into building small, efficient vehicles that can compete with foreign offerings.

The biggest remaining obstacle is cost. Electric vehicles offer the amenities of a compact car at the price of a luxury sedan. Tax breaks in some countries should help. But if the quiet whoosh of the electric motor is to replace the growl of the internal combustion engine, prices will have to plummet. Competition and yet more innovation in battery and drivetrain technology could allow that to happen.