Honda Loses Top Spot on Annual 'Green' Car List
Civic that runs on compressed natural gas drops to second after 8 years at No. 1.
By Douglas Newcomb Wed 4:24 PM
Exhaust Notes
With a significant drop in U.S. sales, a tepid reception for its new 2012 Civic and a one-two punch from dual natural disasters, Honda probably wants to put 2011 behind it. Now comes news that the automaker's compressed-natural-gas Civic has been bumped from its perennial top ranking on a respected "green"-car guide.
The Washington, D.C.-based environmental lobbying group American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has published its annual Greenest Vehicles list at Greenercars.org for the past 14 years -- and the Honda Civic CNG has occupied the top spot for the past eight. This year, the No. 1 ranking was awarded to the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the first electric car to earn top honors in the past 12 years.
The last all-electric car to hit ACEEE’s top spot was GM’s ill-fated EV-1. Shruti Vaidyanathan, head vehicle analyst for ACEEE, said that an electric car topping the list again after so long shows that "electric cars are becoming more prominent," although she acknowledged that huge hurdles for EVs still exist, such as range and refueling infrastructure.
Honda's being pulled down a notch comes on the heels of the Civic CNG garnering Green Car Journal's coveted Green Car of the Year Award at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, where it beat out the Mitsubishi i for the honor. But it follows a lukewarm press reception and lackluster U.S. sales for the all-new 2012 Civic. The stalwart Japanese automaker took the unprecedented move of announcing a rushed refresh for the popular Civic, reworking the model only few months after it went on sale last April.
The ACEEE’s online guide ranks more than 1,000 vehicles and derives their green score based on a wide range of factors, including fuel efficiency, tailpipe emissions, emissions from the vehicle manufacturing processes and the health impact of those emissions. The Mitsubishi i had a green score of 58, while the Civic CNG and the fellow second-pace finisher the Nissan Leaf scored 55 points each.
Overall, Honda sales were down 7.1 percent in 2011 compared with 2010. Some of this is due to the devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March and floods that struck the company’s factories in Thailand in July. But it’s also due to what some see as stagnant design and innovation at Honda, particularly at a time when domestic rivals have roared back and South Korea’s Kia and Hyundai have increasingly won over U.S. buyers.
The Mitsubishi i was launched in the U.S. last month, and the automaker has sold only a handful of the 4-seat subcompact cars, mostly to fleet buyers. The i followed the Nissan Leaf as the second EV to reach U.S. showrooms, and more all-electric cars competitors -- the Toyota RAV4 and Ford Focus EV, for example -- are scheduled to debut later this year.
The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight occupy the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, on ACEEE’s top 12 list; other conventional hybrids take up half of all the spots, and compact gasoline-powered cars account for three of the top 12 slots. No vehicles from domestic brands made ACEEE's list, although American vehicles such as the Chevrolet Sonic and Ford Escape Hybrid topped their respective classes.
Domestics did dominate ACEEE’s "meanest" list, accounting for nine of the dozen most environmentally unfriendly vehicles of this year, which previously featured several prominent European exotics. For 2012, the Bugatti Veyron took a third in the "meanest" ranking. The top spot was shared by GM’s full-size cargo/passenger vans, the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, with Ford's E-350 wagon "winning" third place.
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Showing posts with label electric cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electric cars. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Ford Says 25% Of It's Cars Will Be Electric 2020
By Joseph Lichterman of AutoWeek
About 25 percent of Ford Motor Co.'s fleet will be electrified by 2020, Chairman Bill Ford wrote in an article for Fortune magazine, published online on Tuesday.
With global oil prices rising and more congestion on the roads, Ford wrote that it is critical for the automakers to build smarter and cleaner-running cars that people will want to drive.
"For the first time in more than a century, some of the most fundamental and enduring elements of the automobile are being radically transformed," Ford wrote.
The company is "hedging its bets" by developing hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, Ford wrote, because he isn't sure which technology ultimately will prevail.
Ford Motor Co. will introduce its fully electric Focus along with two versions — plug-in hybrid and fully electric — of its new C-MaxX small minivan this year. Late last year, General Motors introduced the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan Motor Co. launched the electric Leaf.
Ford wrote that the key to the budding electric car market is the lithium-ion battery. Asia has the lead in developing these batteries, Ford wrote, adding that the U.S. government should aid in building the American battery industry.
"I think it's a matter of national security to have a competitive American battery industry," Ford wrote. "Washington should increase r&d spending here unless they want to cede the development of batteries to other nations."
Congestion is another key issue, Ford wrote: "A green traffic jam is still a traffic jam."
In response, Ford and other automakers are developing vehicle-to-vehicle communications that will alert drivers to traffic and potentially dangerous situations, and help them find parking spots in crowded cities.
Read more (in new window) at: editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1185287&icid=autos_0544>1=22006
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
About 25 percent of Ford Motor Co.'s fleet will be electrified by 2020, Chairman Bill Ford wrote in an article for Fortune magazine, published online on Tuesday.
With global oil prices rising and more congestion on the roads, Ford wrote that it is critical for the automakers to build smarter and cleaner-running cars that people will want to drive.
"For the first time in more than a century, some of the most fundamental and enduring elements of the automobile are being radically transformed," Ford wrote.
The company is "hedging its bets" by developing hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, Ford wrote, because he isn't sure which technology ultimately will prevail.
Ford Motor Co. will introduce its fully electric Focus along with two versions — plug-in hybrid and fully electric — of its new C-MaxX small minivan this year. Late last year, General Motors introduced the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan Motor Co. launched the electric Leaf.
Ford wrote that the key to the budding electric car market is the lithium-ion battery. Asia has the lead in developing these batteries, Ford wrote, adding that the U.S. government should aid in building the American battery industry.
"I think it's a matter of national security to have a competitive American battery industry," Ford wrote. "Washington should increase r&d spending here unless they want to cede the development of batteries to other nations."
Congestion is another key issue, Ford wrote: "A green traffic jam is still a traffic jam."
In response, Ford and other automakers are developing vehicle-to-vehicle communications that will alert drivers to traffic and potentially dangerous situations, and help them find parking spots in crowded cities.
Read more (in new window) at: editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1185287&icid=autos_0544>1=22006
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Monday, April 11, 2011
Texas Gov. Perry Boosts Electric Cars
ARLINGTON, Texas – In a state where the oil and gas industry is king, the arrival of electric vehicles and building the charging infrastructure have jolted the public's perception about Texas, Gov. Rick Perry said Friday.
"Here in Texas, we don't just talk about it. We're doing something about it," Perry said in Arlington at an energy company's event, later joking that most people probably would not have associated Texas with emission-free vehicles.
But it's "what they should have been thinking," he said.
Texas already has dozens of charging stations in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and some suburbs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center. Drivers can plug their cars into docking stations at various places — including Houston City Hall, a hotel near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a San Antonio Church and even the Dell Computers headquarters near Austin.
All electric cars can be charged at those slower charging stations that add power in about four to eight hours, depending on the size and life left in the battery, industry officials said. But electric cars are still fairly new, and some attribute slow sales to the vehicles' high costs and use limited to short trips.
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Behind the scenes with Chevy Volt team
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On Friday, NRG Energy said its new station at a drug store in Dallas is the state's first fast-charging station, which can be used by some of the vehicles and has a recharger with a 480-volt direct current that can add 30 miles of range to an electric car in as few as 10 minutes. NRG plans to install 70 of the stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and another 50 in the Houston area by the end of next year, a privately funded project with AeroVironment, which designed and produced the charging stations.
"It's not like you're going to Walgreen's and spend eight hours, but when you leave you're more charged," said Kristen Helsel, a vice president at AeroVironment.
NRG's chief executive David Crane said that while Texas is known as the oil and gas capital, "There's nothing that was announced today that's going to change that ... and that's not all that Texas is. Now it's time for electric vehicles."
The Lone Star State is joining the rest of the nation in promoting the adoption of electric vehicles — especially as the national average for regular unleaded gasoline rose to $3.71 a gallon over the past week, according to AAA.
Also in Houston, the city has its own program through a partnership with Reliant Energy. Ten charging stations have been up and running for about a year, and 25 more are being installed, said Laura Spanjian, the city's sustainability director.
Houston also is buying electric cars for the city's fleet and has received federal stimulus money for another 30 charging stations to serve those municipal vehicles, she said. The first, a Nissan Leaf, is expected to arrive in the next week or two.
"We would have the first electric car of any city fleet in Texas," Spanjian said.
Austin was one of nine cities that benefitted from a federal program that enables the city to get up to 200 charging stations, as long as they install 100 by the end of this summer. The city has already put in about a dozen, said Carlos Cordova, spokesman for Austin Energy, the city-owned electric utility.
He said Austin is predicting there will be about 150 electric vehicles on city roads this year and maybe another 150 next year — but up to 36,000 electric vehicles by 2020.
"It will develop slowly," Cordova said, noting that projections are based on research conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute.
Some cities and states offer rebates to encourage buying electric vehicles Those displayed at the Arlington Convention Center on Friday were the Toyota Prius PHV, Chevrolet Volt, VIA Truck, Tesla Roadster, Smart fortwo EV, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf.
Click here for more news from Fox Car Report
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0 new comment was just posted. Show jrtexas 11 minutes ago
Great idea. I drive NEV here on the old cavalry fort where I live. However, the nearest real town (Walmart) is 35 miles. We travel 40 plus miles to buy groceries or go to the doctor We go 50 plus miles to the dentist. When someone develops an electric car that will get us there and back at a reasonable (not 40 grand) price then we will consider an electric vehicle.
Unless you live in an urban environment these vehicles are simply not practical. Not to mention insane costs.
Like Flag
nativeson1 19 minutes ago
Let me see here .more electric cars .they get charge by and with with electricity ...Electricity need nuclear,coal or hydro to make more electricity..I get make more electric cars so we need more electric power to waste more electricity and burn just a little less fossil fuel
Like 1 person liked this. Flag
nomorecommies 26 minutes ago
Funny thing. In 1900, there were more electric cars in NYC than cars with internal combustion engines. Why do we have such trouble making a decent affordable reliable electric car now???? LAZY OVERPAID ZERO WORK ZERO QUALITY UNION THUGS!!!!!!!!!
Like 1 person liked this. Flag
j3bhu 23 minutes ago in reply to nomorecommies
What a stupid thing to say. Like the unions are in charge of R and D at all the major car companies in the world.
Grow up and stop throwing out hatred just to make your political point. It makes you look foolish.
Like Flag
j3bhu 30 minutes ago
If they are so great how come the governor and all of his staff and all other politicians aren't driving them and using the m for government vehicles?
It is always the little guys who need to change our ways and tighten our belts while the governors and senators and celebrities continue to live like kings, mostly on our money.
As soon as all government officials are issued electric cars they can start telling me what to drive.
Like Flag
166mhz 52 minutes ago
I can hardly wait until someone thinks of a way to get something else out of these charging stations .. it's not me - it's just the way the system is setup .. first there was a garage to fix the car then it sold frito chips and sodas turning it into a quick mart -- then a service station - then a truck stop - then a major truck stop city .. and on and on and on ... you get the idea...
Like Flag
chaplaincog 1 hour ago
This government should be doing everything possible to push the electric car and get off the Middle East oil. thefatherslovebook.com
Like Flag
Roy H. Taylor, Sr 2 hours ago
If anyone is clearly concerned about an electric car then why not bring back GMs EV-1. Who Killed the Electric Car? A very good film about the disappearance of an electric car from the roads in California that apparently was working just fine. What about a fuel efficient diesel car? There are plenty in foreign countries that are superior to our models. Some of the VW diesels are reaching 70 mpg figures, why can't we have one of these? By the way these diesels are also environmental friendly when compared to gas or hybrid versions. Read auto magazines that reach a world reading population or look up on the internet, these diesels exist now!
Like 1 person liked this. Flag
synical5 5 hours ago
Last I read, the electric cars are mostly kaput after going up a steep hill with a full load of people.
I doubt too many people will take to these "puddle jumpers". Why not a set up like diesel Locomotives?
A constant speed gasoline engine attached electronically to a set of drive motors on the axels,
Actuated by a low battery indication.
Of course you could put a Pick up bed on it and take it to the Golf Course!
Look out Augusta, here I come!
Like 3 people liked this. Flag
ancienttexan 5 hours ago
Living in WesTexas and 60 miles from the next town in any direction, I can't think of any thing more worthless than an expensive electric car. Get real! Gov. Perry knows better than this.
Like 5 people liked this. Flag
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"Here in Texas, we don't just talk about it. We're doing something about it," Perry said in Arlington at an energy company's event, later joking that most people probably would not have associated Texas with emission-free vehicles.
But it's "what they should have been thinking," he said.
Texas already has dozens of charging stations in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and some suburbs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center. Drivers can plug their cars into docking stations at various places — including Houston City Hall, a hotel near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a San Antonio Church and even the Dell Computers headquarters near Austin.
All electric cars can be charged at those slower charging stations that add power in about four to eight hours, depending on the size and life left in the battery, industry officials said. But electric cars are still fairly new, and some attribute slow sales to the vehicles' high costs and use limited to short trips.
Related Video
Building The Chevy Volt
Behind the scenes with Chevy Volt team
Related Video
Family Car of the Future?
Review: 2011 Nissan Leaf
On Friday, NRG Energy said its new station at a drug store in Dallas is the state's first fast-charging station, which can be used by some of the vehicles and has a recharger with a 480-volt direct current that can add 30 miles of range to an electric car in as few as 10 minutes. NRG plans to install 70 of the stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and another 50 in the Houston area by the end of next year, a privately funded project with AeroVironment, which designed and produced the charging stations.
"It's not like you're going to Walgreen's and spend eight hours, but when you leave you're more charged," said Kristen Helsel, a vice president at AeroVironment.
NRG's chief executive David Crane said that while Texas is known as the oil and gas capital, "There's nothing that was announced today that's going to change that ... and that's not all that Texas is. Now it's time for electric vehicles."
The Lone Star State is joining the rest of the nation in promoting the adoption of electric vehicles — especially as the national average for regular unleaded gasoline rose to $3.71 a gallon over the past week, according to AAA.
Also in Houston, the city has its own program through a partnership with Reliant Energy. Ten charging stations have been up and running for about a year, and 25 more are being installed, said Laura Spanjian, the city's sustainability director.
Houston also is buying electric cars for the city's fleet and has received federal stimulus money for another 30 charging stations to serve those municipal vehicles, she said. The first, a Nissan Leaf, is expected to arrive in the next week or two.
"We would have the first electric car of any city fleet in Texas," Spanjian said.
Austin was one of nine cities that benefitted from a federal program that enables the city to get up to 200 charging stations, as long as they install 100 by the end of this summer. The city has already put in about a dozen, said Carlos Cordova, spokesman for Austin Energy, the city-owned electric utility.
He said Austin is predicting there will be about 150 electric vehicles on city roads this year and maybe another 150 next year — but up to 36,000 electric vehicles by 2020.
"It will develop slowly," Cordova said, noting that projections are based on research conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute.
Some cities and states offer rebates to encourage buying electric vehicles Those displayed at the Arlington Convention Center on Friday were the Toyota Prius PHV, Chevrolet Volt, VIA Truck, Tesla Roadster, Smart fortwo EV, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf.
Click here for more news from Fox Car Report
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0 new comment was just posted. Show jrtexas 11 minutes ago
Great idea. I drive NEV here on the old cavalry fort where I live. However, the nearest real town (Walmart) is 35 miles. We travel 40 plus miles to buy groceries or go to the doctor We go 50 plus miles to the dentist. When someone develops an electric car that will get us there and back at a reasonable (not 40 grand) price then we will consider an electric vehicle.
Unless you live in an urban environment these vehicles are simply not practical. Not to mention insane costs.
Like Flag
nativeson1 19 minutes ago
Let me see here .more electric cars .they get charge by and with with electricity ...Electricity need nuclear,coal or hydro to make more electricity..I get make more electric cars so we need more electric power to waste more electricity and burn just a little less fossil fuel
Like 1 person liked this. Flag
nomorecommies 26 minutes ago
Funny thing. In 1900, there were more electric cars in NYC than cars with internal combustion engines. Why do we have such trouble making a decent affordable reliable electric car now???? LAZY OVERPAID ZERO WORK ZERO QUALITY UNION THUGS!!!!!!!!!
Like 1 person liked this. Flag
j3bhu 23 minutes ago in reply to nomorecommies
What a stupid thing to say. Like the unions are in charge of R and D at all the major car companies in the world.
Grow up and stop throwing out hatred just to make your political point. It makes you look foolish.
Like Flag
j3bhu 30 minutes ago
If they are so great how come the governor and all of his staff and all other politicians aren't driving them and using the m for government vehicles?
It is always the little guys who need to change our ways and tighten our belts while the governors and senators and celebrities continue to live like kings, mostly on our money.
As soon as all government officials are issued electric cars they can start telling me what to drive.
Like Flag
166mhz 52 minutes ago
I can hardly wait until someone thinks of a way to get something else out of these charging stations .. it's not me - it's just the way the system is setup .. first there was a garage to fix the car then it sold frito chips and sodas turning it into a quick mart -- then a service station - then a truck stop - then a major truck stop city .. and on and on and on ... you get the idea...
Like Flag
chaplaincog 1 hour ago
This government should be doing everything possible to push the electric car and get off the Middle East oil. thefatherslovebook.com
Like Flag
Roy H. Taylor, Sr 2 hours ago
If anyone is clearly concerned about an electric car then why not bring back GMs EV-1. Who Killed the Electric Car? A very good film about the disappearance of an electric car from the roads in California that apparently was working just fine. What about a fuel efficient diesel car? There are plenty in foreign countries that are superior to our models. Some of the VW diesels are reaching 70 mpg figures, why can't we have one of these? By the way these diesels are also environmental friendly when compared to gas or hybrid versions. Read auto magazines that reach a world reading population or look up on the internet, these diesels exist now!
Like 1 person liked this. Flag
synical5 5 hours ago
Last I read, the electric cars are mostly kaput after going up a steep hill with a full load of people.
I doubt too many people will take to these "puddle jumpers". Why not a set up like diesel Locomotives?
A constant speed gasoline engine attached electronically to a set of drive motors on the axels,
Actuated by a low battery indication.
Of course you could put a Pick up bed on it and take it to the Golf Course!
Look out Augusta, here I come!
Like 3 people liked this. Flag
ancienttexan 5 hours ago
Living in WesTexas and 60 miles from the next town in any direction, I can't think of any thing more worthless than an expensive electric car. Get real! Gov. Perry knows better than this.
Like 5 people liked this. Flag
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Read more (in new window) at: foxnews.com/leisure/2011/04/11/texas-gov-pushing-electric-cars/
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Friday, February 4, 2011
Study Sees Obstacles to Reach 1 Million Electric Cars
04 Feb 2011 HEADLINE
SYNOPSIS: Besides assumed lack of consumer demand, carmakers simply don't have capacity to reach goal, Indiana University study finds.
Source: CNN Money
Class: SYNDICATED NEWS Study Sees Obstacles to Reaching 1 Million Electric Car Goal in USA
President Barack Obama's goal of putting 1 million electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015 could run into a huge roadblock -- the American consumer.
According to a report released Wednesday by researchers at Indiana University, automakers are unlikely to manufacture enough cars to reach the president's goal because of a potential lack of buyer demand.
Read more (in new window at: http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=25137
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
SYNOPSIS: Besides assumed lack of consumer demand, carmakers simply don't have capacity to reach goal, Indiana University study finds.
Source: CNN Money
Class: SYNDICATED NEWS Study Sees Obstacles to Reaching 1 Million Electric Car Goal in USA
President Barack Obama's goal of putting 1 million electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015 could run into a huge roadblock -- the American consumer.
According to a report released Wednesday by researchers at Indiana University, automakers are unlikely to manufacture enough cars to reach the president's goal because of a potential lack of buyer demand.
Read more (in new window at: http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=25137
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ford Focus Electric Car At CES 2011
Ford Unvails The Focus Electric Car
Has Shorter Battery Charge Time Than Other Electric Cars
Approx 3 to 4 hours From Full Discharge To Full Charge - WOW!
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Has Shorter Battery Charge Time Than Other Electric Cars
Approx 3 to 4 hours From Full Discharge To Full Charge - WOW!
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Ford Focus At Consumer Electronic Show CES 2011
2013 Ford Focus Electric Debuts at CES
Just days before the Detroit Auto Show opens, Ford unveils its Leaf fighter, the EV Focus, at the CES show.
Electric vehicles are the hottest and smallest niche market at the moment, and the 2013 Ford Focus Electric intends to join the fray. Its features begin with an electric motor and extend all the way to your smartphone.
Electrification is part of a larger strategy for Ford, where engines are downsized with their turbocharged Ecoboost engines, mechanical systems are replaced with efficient electric ones, and vehicles are fitted with stop/start, hybrid, plug-in and battery electric systems. Ford is realistic with their goals for electrified vehicles, seeing the full array making up at most 25 percent of their entire volume by 2020. But every vision has to start somewhere.
With the Focus Electric, Ford is aiming at a global market for its first in-house–engineered EV, so it makes sense to base it on the Ford Focus C chassis. Motivation begins with a permanent-magnet electric traction motor delivering 123 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque and a single-speed transmission. The motor draws electricity from two liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery packs mounted under and behind the rear seats with a total of 24 kilowatt-hours of power. The combination tops out just above freeway speeds at 84 mph and should be peppy off the line owing to the torquey nature of electric motors.
It will have to overcome some significant weight gains though; due to those big batteries, the curb weight is up to a hefty 3691 pounds, around 760 pounds more than the standard five-door. Accordingly, spring and shock rates have been changed as well. Other changes to the Focus Electric aim at improving overall efficiency, including a new front end to improve aerodynamics, low-rolling resistance tires, LED tail lamps and lightweight wheels.
The official range has yet to be announced, but preliminary figures indicate frugal drivers should see around 100 miles before the car has to hit the charger. Speaking of charging, that's where things start to get interesting with the Focus Electric. Ford has partnered with Best Buy, whose Geek Squad will provide in-home installation of an optional Leviton-sourced 240-volt–outlet charger, which will be able to charge the batteries in just 3 hours, currently best in a rather nebulous and small class. Without that high-voltage charger, it's a painful 16 to 20 hours for a full charge. This makes the charge-station finder delivered to the navigation system through MapQuest a very important feature.
Ford has spent a lot of time developing and refining the charging process and vehicle management to make the Focus Electric experience not just convenient, but cost effective. As with other plug-ins and EVs, the basic functionality of the charging system aims to optimize charge times to take advantage of low utility rates during off-peak hours. Ford's system is integrated into the MyFord Touch center stack and can be accessed remotely from the Web or via a free iPhone and Android app called MyFord Mobile. The apps allow the driver to tell the car when it will be needed for the next trip and how far the next destination is, and remotely control startup features such as heating the cabin on plug-in power. These details are combined by the software and result in smartly managed charging to save the most money with minimal inconvenience to the driver.
The Focus Electric also works to address one of the biggest problems with EVs: range anxiety, the concern that the car won't be able to make it to a destination. Each key stores the driver's unique style of driving—what Ford terms as Zippy to Zen. The zippier the driver, the lower the total range will be. The car takes this into account when predicting how far it will go with its current state of charge. If you're on the edge of reaching a destination or charge station, the SmartGauge LCD screens flanking the speedometer will encourage smoother driving, maximized regenerative braking and lower speeds. Amusingly, the green leaves from the Fusion Hybrid's SmartGauge have been replaced with blue butterflies—an homage to the butterfly effect the driver might cause by piloting an electric vehicle.
The Focus Electric is still pretty far from production, with an intended sale date sometime in 2012, but it will be the flagship in Ford's push for vehicle electrification. What we see in this effort is a holistic approach to an electric car that will pay dividends as the number of charging stations increases and battery technology improves. For now, the electric car is still limited to a position as secondary, around-town city car, but as charging times continue to diminish, that problem will begin to disappear.
Read more (in new window) at Popular Mechanics website: www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/electric/2013-ford-focus-electric-debuts-at-ces
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Friday, December 24, 2010
Plug-In Car Advocates Buy Chevy Volt
Report: Plug-In Car Advocates Buy Chevy Volt
Wednesday, long-time advocates of PHEVs (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles) took ownership of a pair of Chevy Volts - world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid. The celebration marked the climax of a long and successful campaign for Felix Kramer, CalCars.org founder and the world's first consumer owner of a PHEV, along with Ron Gremban, the other full-time CalCars.org worker.
In the below photo, the Volt is eerily silent while backing up inside the Novato California Chevrolet dealership. This small town dealer was allocated twelve cars and all were pre-sold. General Motors (GM) is only building ten thousand Chevy Volt units this year and they are all sold.
The new Chevy Volt PHEV (GM calls it an extended range electric vehicle or EREV) has been winning awards everywhere. It's the first consumer vehicle whose local miles can be electric, chargeable at 120 Volts, while it can drive across the country anytime. Every aspect of the Volt is computer controlled with the latest in driver comforts and information delivery systems.
General Electric (GE) will buy 25,000 electric vehicles for its fleet through 2015 in the largest-ever purchase of electric cars. They will start with the purchase of 12,000 Chevy Volts in 2011. The conglomerate said it will "add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle profiles."
GE's purchase is a far cry from when Kramer and Gremban modified a first generation Toyota Prius to become a PHEV. Then, everybody who was an expert on cars had a lot of reasons about why PHEVs would not sell to the public.
Felix Kramer's history with PHEVs is worth retelling to put into perspective the event we attended. In 2001, Kramer sold his small Internet company and was looking for something to do.
He said, "I was blown away by the Rocky Mountain Institute's vision of 99 MPG vehicles. I went to Aspen and began discussions about new ways to advance that project."
In 2002, Kramer met many of the Silicon Valley "entrepreneurs, environmentalists, engineers, and EV (electric Vehicle) advocates who've helped us immeasurably ever since."
They formed what is now known as CalCars.org.
Next, Kramer saw his first PHEV at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and realized today's technology could get things started. Then, Professor Andy Frank, the Father of the modern PHEVs, came into the picture. Frank has always been easily approachable and generous with his time and knowledge.
Professor Frank and his students at University of California, Davis had been rebuilding vehicles into PHEVs for nearly thirty years. The problem always was cost. Over $100,000 to rebuild a standard automobile into a one-off electric powered street drivable PHEV test vehicle.
Continued on the next page >>>
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Read more (in new window) at: www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2010/12/24/plug-in-car-advocates-buy-chevy-volt.aspx
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Sunday, December 5, 2010
Chevrolet Volt Production Begins, First Volt Going To Charity
Bid on the first Chevy Volt
In order to increase their exposure (and good Karma) automakers often donate special cars to charity. Sometimes they are special editions, other times it is the first-ever of its kind, as is the case with the Chevy Volt.
Production of the Chevy Volt began today, and GM just launched a website, BidontheVolt.com, to sell the second production car. Why the second car? Well GM has this little collection of cars called the GM Heritage Collection, and basically they kept the first of every car there. So in actuality you would be bidding on the second-ever production Volt, the first one for sale to the public.
The current bid is up to a whooping $180,000, and there are still almost two weeks left in the bidding. So what charity will get the money? Well GM will put the money right back into its hometown of Detroit, donating the proceeds of the sale to the Detroit Public School Foundation. The money will specifically be used to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education initiatives in the Detroit school system.
I guess GM is feeling pretty charitable these days, and with good reason. Say what you will about the auto bailouts, but at least GM is giving back. I haven’t seen too much generosity on the part of the banks, unless you happen to be a favored executive.
Source: GM
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
Read more at:
http://gas2.org/2010/11/30/chevrolet-volt-production-begins-today-first-volt-going-to-charity/
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Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Chevy Volt Coming To Your Town
Chevy Volt Coming To Your Town
The fashionable electric car is here. Charging stations are located all across the United States of America.
Now if they could get the price down to what the average household is willing to spend. It will be a big sucess. If not, it will be another Edsal.
Link to Chevy Volt:
http://www.chevrolet.com/volt/
Link to Wikipeadia Chevy Volt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Volt
Link to GM-Volt:
http://gm-volt.com/
Link to Chey Product Report:
http://www.chevyproductreport.com/chevrolet/chevy-volt-owners-get-interactive-website/
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
The fashionable electric car is here. Charging stations are located all across the United States of America.
Now if they could get the price down to what the average household is willing to spend. It will be a big sucess. If not, it will be another Edsal.
Link to Chevy Volt:
http://www.chevrolet.com/volt/
Link to Wikipeadia Chevy Volt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Volt
Link to GM-Volt:
http://gm-volt.com/
Link to Chey Product Report:
http://www.chevyproductreport.com/chevrolet/chevy-volt-owners-get-interactive-website/
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Obama to visit groundbreaking of Michigan battery plant
Obama to visit groundbreaking of Michigan battery plant
Groundbreaking is Thursday for factory to supply electric cars
David Shepardson / The Detroit News
Washington -- President Barack Obama will make his fourth visit to Michigan since taking office, to take part Thursday in the groundbreaking of a $303 million battery plant.
The White House said Obama will attend the event for an LG Chem factory in Holland.
Obama has backed battery and electric vehicle production and has called for 1 million plug-in vehicles on the roads by 2015.
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Work on the site began early last month on the 650,000-square-foot plant, said Hank Riberas of Roncelli Co., the construction firm overseeing the project.
In March, the South Korean company and its Troy-based unit, Compact Power Inc., confirmed they would build the factory to make battery cells for electric vehicles, including General Motors Co.'s extended-range Chevrolet Volt.
The plant will be able to produce enough cells for up to 200,000 electric vehicle batteries and will create an estimated 300 jobs by 2013 -- in addition to hundreds of construction jobs to build the plant.
Half of the funding came from a $151.4 million federal grant from a $2.4 billion program announced in August to boost battery and electric vehicle research and production. Those funds do not have to be paid back.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who has been promoting the state as a center for battery, electric vehicle and other green manufacturing jobs, will attend, as will many other of the state's elected leaders and auto executives.
Last month, Granholm announced state approval of a 15-year-old refundable tax credit for the project.
"Michigan is becoming a world capital for advanced batteries," Granholm said.
While in Nevada on Friday, Obama said his administration is committed to spending money for green jobs.
"We're going to go from 2 percent of advanced battery market share to 40 percent just in the next five years," he said. "That will create thousands of jobs across the country."
The state designation of the 120-acre site as a Renaissance Zone allows a company in the zone to operate free of virtually all state and local taxes.
The first generation of the Volt will go on sale in November using battery cells imported from South Korea.
dshepardson@detnews.com
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100710/AUTO01/7100331/1148/Obama-to-visit-groundbreaking-of-Michigan-battery-plant#ixzz0tJ2L1dN1
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Groundbreaking is Thursday for factory to supply electric cars
David Shepardson / The Detroit News
Washington -- President Barack Obama will make his fourth visit to Michigan since taking office, to take part Thursday in the groundbreaking of a $303 million battery plant.
The White House said Obama will attend the event for an LG Chem factory in Holland.
Obama has backed battery and electric vehicle production and has called for 1 million plug-in vehicles on the roads by 2015.
Advertisement
Work on the site began early last month on the 650,000-square-foot plant, said Hank Riberas of Roncelli Co., the construction firm overseeing the project.
In March, the South Korean company and its Troy-based unit, Compact Power Inc., confirmed they would build the factory to make battery cells for electric vehicles, including General Motors Co.'s extended-range Chevrolet Volt.
The plant will be able to produce enough cells for up to 200,000 electric vehicle batteries and will create an estimated 300 jobs by 2013 -- in addition to hundreds of construction jobs to build the plant.
Half of the funding came from a $151.4 million federal grant from a $2.4 billion program announced in August to boost battery and electric vehicle research and production. Those funds do not have to be paid back.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who has been promoting the state as a center for battery, electric vehicle and other green manufacturing jobs, will attend, as will many other of the state's elected leaders and auto executives.
Last month, Granholm announced state approval of a 15-year-old refundable tax credit for the project.
"Michigan is becoming a world capital for advanced batteries," Granholm said.
While in Nevada on Friday, Obama said his administration is committed to spending money for green jobs.
"We're going to go from 2 percent of advanced battery market share to 40 percent just in the next five years," he said. "That will create thousands of jobs across the country."
The state designation of the 120-acre site as a Renaissance Zone allows a company in the zone to operate free of virtually all state and local taxes.
The first generation of the Volt will go on sale in November using battery cells imported from South Korea.
dshepardson@detnews.com
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100710/AUTO01/7100331/1148/Obama-to-visit-groundbreaking-of-Michigan-battery-plant#ixzz0tJ2L1dN1
To top of blog usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Germany Wants Million Electric Cars by 2020
Germany wants a million electric cars by 2020
Officials are using incentives to promote battery and recharging station research, in hopes of competing with Asian firms.
By Agence France-Presse
Tue, Aug 18 2009 at 8:00 PM EST
Read more: ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION, CARS, FOSSIL FUELS
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED: German giant BMW has joined a collaborative effort to supply lithium batteries for futute electric cars. (Photo: ZUMA Press)
The German government unveiled plans Wednesday to get one million electric cars zipping around the country by 2020, offering sweeteners to jump-start national giants like BMW and Volkswagen into action.
It is the federal government's aim that by 2020, there will be a million electric cars on Germany's streets," said Berlin's "national electro-mobility plan" which was approved by the cabinet.
"In 2030, this could be over five million. By 2050, traffic in towns and cities could be predominantly without fossil fuels," the proposals added.
Berlin plans to spark development in electric cars by offering incentives for research in area such as batteries and recharging systems, as it battles to catch up with Asian firms which have zoomed ahead of their German rivals.
"We are very confident that we in Germany can provide enough of an impulse to compete with the United States and Asia," Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee told reporters.
"The Japanese are strong in hybrid technology but ... the big markets in Europe, the United States and Asia are still open," he added.
He said the goal of the plan was to "bring electro-mobility as quickly as possible into everyday life."
The plan added that Berlin is "examining an incentive programme for the purchase of 100,000 electric cars," but it nevertheless drew fire from green groups.
Environmentalists had called for a subsidy of around 5,000 euros (7,050 dollars) for consumers to buy electric cars along the lines of Berlin's five-billion-euro "cash-for-clunkers" scheme to support the traditional auto industry rolled out in January.
"The government has introduced a subsidy to sell an old technology but has not put in place incentives to buy the new electric vehicles," Renate Kuenast, parliamentary group leader of the Green Party, told the Weser-Kurier regional daily.
The motorists club of Germany (VCD) was also sharply critical of the proposals. "Electric cars are not going to save the climate in the foreseeable future," the group said in a statement.
"The government says there could be a million electric cars on the road by 2020, but this is in comparison to 50 million petrol and diesel vehicles," said Werner Korn from the VCD.
However, the German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM), welcomed the plans, describing them as a "milestone towards improving the sustainability of road traffic."
German luxury car maker BMW has already teamed up with auto parts maker Bosch and its Korean partner Samsung to supply lithium-ion batteries for a future electric city car.
Volkswagen hopes to turn out its first all-electric car in 2013, VW head Martin Winterkorn said in July.
Meanwhile, Daimler launched its first hybrid model earlier in June, almost 10 years after the market leader, Japan's Toyota.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
Officials are using incentives to promote battery and recharging station research, in hopes of competing with Asian firms.
By Agence France-Presse
Tue, Aug 18 2009 at 8:00 PM EST
Read more: ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION, CARS, FOSSIL FUELS
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED: German giant BMW has joined a collaborative effort to supply lithium batteries for futute electric cars. (Photo: ZUMA Press)
The German government unveiled plans Wednesday to get one million electric cars zipping around the country by 2020, offering sweeteners to jump-start national giants like BMW and Volkswagen into action.
It is the federal government's aim that by 2020, there will be a million electric cars on Germany's streets," said Berlin's "national electro-mobility plan" which was approved by the cabinet.
"In 2030, this could be over five million. By 2050, traffic in towns and cities could be predominantly without fossil fuels," the proposals added.
Berlin plans to spark development in electric cars by offering incentives for research in area such as batteries and recharging systems, as it battles to catch up with Asian firms which have zoomed ahead of their German rivals.
"We are very confident that we in Germany can provide enough of an impulse to compete with the United States and Asia," Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee told reporters.
"The Japanese are strong in hybrid technology but ... the big markets in Europe, the United States and Asia are still open," he added.
He said the goal of the plan was to "bring electro-mobility as quickly as possible into everyday life."
The plan added that Berlin is "examining an incentive programme for the purchase of 100,000 electric cars," but it nevertheless drew fire from green groups.
Environmentalists had called for a subsidy of around 5,000 euros (7,050 dollars) for consumers to buy electric cars along the lines of Berlin's five-billion-euro "cash-for-clunkers" scheme to support the traditional auto industry rolled out in January.
"The government has introduced a subsidy to sell an old technology but has not put in place incentives to buy the new electric vehicles," Renate Kuenast, parliamentary group leader of the Green Party, told the Weser-Kurier regional daily.
The motorists club of Germany (VCD) was also sharply critical of the proposals. "Electric cars are not going to save the climate in the foreseeable future," the group said in a statement.
"The government says there could be a million electric cars on the road by 2020, but this is in comparison to 50 million petrol and diesel vehicles," said Werner Korn from the VCD.
However, the German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM), welcomed the plans, describing them as a "milestone towards improving the sustainability of road traffic."
German luxury car maker BMW has already teamed up with auto parts maker Bosch and its Korean partner Samsung to supply lithium-ion batteries for a future electric city car.
Volkswagen hopes to turn out its first all-electric car in 2013, VW head Martin Winterkorn said in July.
Meanwhile, Daimler launched its first hybrid model earlier in June, almost 10 years after the market leader, Japan's Toyota.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Volt electric car price out of reach for many
Who will be the Henry Ford of Electric cars?
Who will produce an electric car that we all can afford?
We are all waiting.
Links to more volt electric car articles ....
http://www.lockportjournal.com/local/local_story_224005013.html
Link to: http://www.usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com/
Who will produce an electric car that we all can afford?
We are all waiting.
Links to more volt electric car articles ....
http://www.lockportjournal.com/local/local_story_224005013.html
Link to: http://www.usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com/
VOLT CAR GETS 230 MPG
The news keeps getting better...
Link to articles on volt car ....
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2009/08/11/Volt-electric-car-may-earn-230-mpg-rating/UPI-80451250012782/
Link to: http://www.usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com/
Link to articles on volt car ....
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2009/08/11/Volt-electric-car-may-earn-230-mpg-rating/UPI-80451250012782/
Link to: http://www.usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com/
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