Green Cars, Hybrid Cars, Electric Cars and Clean Diesel News

Quebec, Vermont Announce Electric Car Charging Corridor

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:52:00 -0500

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin unveiled the first sites of the Vermont-Québec Electric Car Charging Corridor.

The Electric Car Charging Corridor is the result of an agreement between Drive Electric Vermont and the Québec-based Electric Circuit.

The corridor will initially link Burlington and Montréal and – thanks to the more than 20 charging stations installed along the route – will give electric vehicle drivers assurance that they can charge when needed along the route between Vermont and Québec.

The number of charging stations is expected to increase with the signing of new partnership agreements. Construction of the stations is progressing smoothly, and the 138 mile corridor which includes I-89 and Highway A-10, Rte 104 and Rte 133, is expected to open this fall.

In addition to announcing the initial corridor, the agreement also envisions continued cooperation towards installing similar corridors on other cross-border routes, including Magog-Sherbrooke-St. Johnsbury.

The initiative is the result of discussions that began at the most recent Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG-ECP) and provides a powerful example of what cross-border cooperation can produce. The State of Vermont, Québec, and a group including Hydro-Québec, Green Mountain Power Corporation, the Burlington Electric Department, and Drive Electric Vermont, are currently looking into other ways to bolster public infrastructure for electric cars.

The official opening of the corridor will take place this fall.

Volvo to Launch Electric Buses in Gothenburg in 2015

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:15:00 -0500

Electric buses that glide noiselessly without emissions, that pick up passengers indoors and which are powered entirely by electricity from renewable sources will become a part of Gothenburg’s public-transport system in 2015.

Like something out of a vision of the future, but which is already a reality here and now, buses powered entirely by electricity from renewable sources will become a part of the Gothenburg’s public-transport system. The electric buses will be extremely fuel-efficient, silent and completely emissions-free. Passengers onboard will have access to new technologies and at least one of the bus stops will be located indoors.

Behind the initiative is the Volvo Group in cooperation with the Swedish Energy Agency, the City of Gothenburg, Västtrafik, Lindholmen Science Park and Johanneberg Science Park.

Sustainable social development is closely linked to the development of new transportation systems. The use of electric power not only places Gothenburg on the map in terms of sustainable and innovative solutions for public transport; the new bus service will also open up new possibilities in city and urban planning.

Commencing in 2015, the electric buses are to run between Johanneberg Science Park adjacent to Chalmers and Lindholmen Science Park in Hisingen.

In addition to the electric buses, the cooperation also includes the creation and trial runs of new bus-stop solutions, traffic-routing systems, safety concepts, energy supply and business models.

The hope is that the project, known as ElectriCity, will attract more commuters to use public transport. This is also expected to clear the way for more, attractive public-transport solutions in the Västra Götaland region.

“This represents an entirely new mode of travel and will allow for the public-transport system to contribute to a more pleasant urban environment. A silent and emissions-free public-transport system will enable the inclusion of locations in the city that are currently off limits. It is immensely satisfying to be able to launch this in our hometown, in cooperation with Region Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg,” commented Olof Persson, President and CEO of Volvo.

“The electric bus service entails a new mode of public-transport system usage, which is highly positive for Gothenburg. It will highlight Gothenburg as a progressive city in terms of city planning. This is also in line with our prioritized objective of having Gothenburg reduce its climate impact to become a climate-neutral city, and of increasing sustainable travel,” explains Anneli Hulthén (Social Democrat), Chairman of the Municipal Board.

BYD e6 Electric Vehicles Arrive in the UK

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:31:00 -0500

More than 50 of BYD e6 electric vehicles have arrived in the UK and will be going on trial with a number of fleet operators in the coming months.

The right-hand drive BYD e6 electric vehicles were offloaded at Southampton docks and are in the process of being registered.

BYD is the fastest-growing Chinese vehicle manufacturer and its e6 electric vehicle has the longest range of any new electric vehicle in the UK at 186 miles (300km).

In the UK, they will be going into service with a number of fleets, including private hire operations that will allow passengers to experience them. The vehicles have been fully homologated for use on European roads.

In related news, Aruba's government has partnered with BYD in on a zero-vehiclebon footprint and energy independence initiative based entirely on green power sources.

The partnership covers four areas: electrifying all public transportation with zero-emission vehicles, increasing solar and wind energy generation, making green energy “dispatchable on demand” and a nationwide plan for public re-education and sustainability programs in the island’s schools.

On the electrification front, the plan is to place into service four BYD electric buses, and one e6 electric taxi as part of a government fleet.

Aruba also plans to double its wind farms, according to the government using BYD’s “iron-phosphate grid-scale storage technologies.” BYD will also be outfitting the island with solar generation projects and convert much of the island’s public lighting to LED.

ChargePoint Announces the Successful Completion ChargePoint America Program

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:00:00 -0500

ChargePoint has successfully completed its ChargePoint America Program with more than 4600 shipments and installations of its home, public and commercial charging ports for electric vehicles.

In May 2010, ChargePoint was awarded a $15 million dollar matching grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. Additionally, the California Energy Commission allocated $3.4 million in funding for the installation of residential and public electric vehicle charging infrastructure within California.

In all, 4,600 charging ports were installed in single-family homes, multi-family housing, commercial and public locations to support more than 2,000 program vehicles. Ten regions in the United States received EV charging stations: Austin/San Antonio, Texas; Boston; Los Angeles; New York; Orlando/Tampa; Sacramento, Calif.; San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area; Redmond/Bellevue, Wash.; Washington DC/Baltimore; and Southern Michigan (including Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit).

The ChargePoint program provides data to the Department of Energy, through Idaho National Laboratory. The data, in turn, are publicly reported to help researchers, municipal planners, and other stakeholders learn more about where electric vehicles are charged, when and how much energy is used. The data will continue to be sent to the DOE through December 2013. Data collection from the ChargePoint America stations is accomplished via a wireless network connection to the ChargePoint network.

Nationwide, ChargePoint America can point to several successes including:

- Leveraging private and state investment in installation resulted in a cost to the Department of Energy of only $3,300 per installed charging station. Typical costs for installed Level 2 EV charging stations in the private sector are more than $5,800.

- All EV charging station installations were performed under the rules of the Davis-Bacon Act, which ensures prevailing wages were paid to the electrical contractors and technicians involved.

- More than 120 EV charging ports in 47 multifamily housing locations were installed.

Ford Starts Focus Electric Production in Germany

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:48:00 -0500

Ford has began production of the all-new Focus Electric in Saarlouis, Germany, making it the first all-electric vehicle Ford has put into mass production in Europe.

The zero-emission Focus Electric is spearheading Ford’s line-up of electrified vehicles, and will be joined in Europe by the C MAX Energi plug-in hybrid next year, followed by the all-new Mondeo Hybrid soon after.

Developed as a “One Ford” global vehicle, the Focus Electric features an advanced electric motor and lithium-ion battery powertrain that produces 143 PS and achieves a top speed of 136 km/h. Focus Electric has been manufactured in North America since December 2011 and the Saarlouis-built Focus Electric will reach European customers from August this year.

Ford has invested €16 million to integrate Focus Electric production directly into the established Focus production line at Saarlouis, delivering the flexibility to react to market demand with increased production volumes.

The all-new Focus Electric is the first full-electric vehicle to be manufactured in Germany directly from a volume production line. Each Focus Electric is equipped with a 6.6 kW fully integrated onboard charger that can deliver around 100 km driving range with 2-3 hours charging, and around 150 km driving range with 3-4 hours charging from a 32 A power supply.

Ford Focus Electric features a new user interface called SmartGauge which calculates and displays range based on remaining energy; the driver’s unique vehicle use, across braking and acceleration inputs; and the use of accessories such as climate control and audio systems.

The Focus Electric’s powertrain uses regenerative braking to capture up to 95 percent of kinetic energy normally lost during the braking process, while the innovative Brake Coach feature encourages gradual braking to help return more energy to the battery.

GM, BMW Complete Testing on DC Fast Charge Station Usage

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:05:00 -0500

Following several days of joint testing, General Motors and BMW AG engineers are confident that DC “Combo” Fast Charge stations from several suppliers will consistently allow an electric vehicle to take on an 80 percent charge in about 20 minutes.

The first electric vehicles expected to benefit from the Society of Automotive Engineers new industry standard for DC fast charging are the Chevrolet Spark EV and the BMW i3.

This industry-coordinated early confirmation of DC Fast Charge hardware and software will accelerate efforts to roll out SAE Combo DC Fast Charge infrastructure in the coming months. Among the suppliers participating in the testing were ABB, Aker Wade, Eaton and IES.

Just as most major automakers adopted the SAE’s 120V/240V AC connector standard to assure plug-in vehicles could access all charging infrastructure, eight automakers – GM, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche – have committed to adopting the SAE combo fast charge connector, assuring standardization of the DC Fast Charge connectors.

This new combined AC and DC charging, or combo, connector provides added ease of use for DC Fast Charging, including a single charge port on the vehicle, and allows electricity to flow at a faster rate, making EVs more convenient and reliable to use for consumers who may not have access to overnight charging at home. DC Fast Charging allows EV owners to recharge their batteries up to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes.

The first vehicles to offer the new SAE Combo DC Fast Charge connector will be the BMW i3 and the Chevrolet Spark EV.

“Our goal with this cooperation was to ensure that DC fast charging stations be available to provide BMW i customers the premium fast charging experience in time for the arrival of the BMW i3s,” commented Cliff Fietzek Manager connected e-Mobility at BMW of North America, LLC. “We are pleased that we will meet our goal.”

“This unprecedented cooperation among OEMs and equipment suppliers demonstrates the maturity of this important technology that will help speed the adoption of electric vehicles around the world,” said Britta Gross, Director, Advanced Vehicle Commercialization Policy at General Motors.

“This successful testing is an important milestone that underscores our commitment to enable the next generation of electric vehicles," noted Cal Lankton, Director of ABB's EV Charging Infrastructure for North America. "By offering a broad charging portfolio, we can fully support the needs of all EV drivers and infrastructure providers”.

Mia-Electric Cars Coming to UK

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:46:00 -0500

French EV manufacturer Mia-Electric is bringing its range of electric cars to the UK fleet market from this summer.

Venture Automotive Holdings, the official British Mia-Electric importers, will target business drivers and fleet operators initially, based on the car’s obvious economic and environmental advantages, in urban and return-to-base, delivery use.

Mia-Electric is a specialist, dedicated electric car manufacturer, producing both car and CV bodystyles, offered on a common chassis and drivetrain and designed specifically for urban environments. Mia-Electric cars are produced in France, at the former Heuliez factory in Cerizay, and are already on sale across Europe.

Mia-Electric cars are designed for the city and offering a central driving position, sliding doors, a cut-out floor and roof and ABS body panels.

Each is driven by two Lithium Ion Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, generating 12 kW, a stable chemistry giving a range of up to 74 miles and recharging fully in 5 hours. Batteries can be charged at any time, with a 10-minute charge providing a 5-mile range.

Mia-Electric’s launch to the UK fleet market will coincide with revisions to the London Congestion Charge in July, which will see only cars emitting 75 g/km CO2 exempt from the charge – something only attainable currently by plug-in hybrid and fully electric cars.

Mia-Electric cars will be offered with a ‘Peace of Mind’ program, comprising a five year/ 70,000-mile warranty for car, battery, electric drivetrain and anti-corrosion and roadside assistance.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive Sets Nurburgring EV Lap Record

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:23:00 -0500

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive has set a new Nurburgring electric lap record time of 7:56.234 minutes, beating the time that the Audi R8 e-tron set last year.

Therefore, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive is at the same time the first electrically-powered series production vehicle, which masters the legendary race track in under eight minutes.

The Audi R8 e-tron’s record, set last July, was 8m 9.099sec.

The record time of the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive was notarially certified. Two weeks after the first overall win for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the 24 Hours Nurburgring, a further member of the SLS AMG family impressively demonstrates its potential on the most difficult race track worldwide.

The SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, with which Mercedes-AMG set up the record on the 20.832 kilometers long traditional race track in the Eifel, corresponds to the series version, which celebrates its launch in June 2013.

The currently strongest AMG high-performance car has four electrical motors with a total output of 552 kW (751 hp) and maximum torque of 1000 Nm. The gullwing car is therefore advancing to become the strongest and fastest electrically-powered series production vehicle in the world. The SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (0- 62mph) in a mere 3.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) (electronically limited).

An overview of the most important data:

	SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive
Max. output	552 kW (751 hp)
Torque	1000 Nm
0-100 km/h	3.9 s
Top speed	250 km/h (Electronically limited)
Range	250 km (according to NEDC)
Battery energy content	60 kWh
Battery voltage	400 volts
CO2 emissions	0 g/km

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive celebrates its sales launch in June 2013. The purchase price for Germany (incl. 19% VAT): SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive: 416,500 euros.

ABB Unveils Flash Charging System for Electric Buses

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 02:05:00 -0500

Swiss technology giant ABB has developed a new technology that will help power the world’s first high-capacity flash charging electric bus system.

The new boost charging technology will be deployed for the first time on a large capacity electric bus, carrying as many as 135 passengers.

The bus will be charged directly at selected stops with a 15-second energy boost while the passengers enter and leave the bus, based on a new type of automatic flash-charging mechanism. The pilot project runs between Geneva airport and the city’s international exhibition center, Palexpo.

The flash-charging technology and the onboard traction equipment used in this project were developed by ABB and optimized for high-frequency bus routes in key urban areas, carrying large numbers of passengers at peak times.

ABB said the flash charging system takes only 15 seconds to charge a bus carrying 135 people with enough power to reach the next stop and fully charges the battery in just 3-4 minutes at the end of the line.

Thanks to an innovative electrical drive system, energy from the roof-mounted charging equipment can be stored in compact batteries, along with the vehicle’s braking energy, powering both the bus and its auxiliary services, such as interior lighting.

ABB announced at the 60th congress of the International Association of Public Transport (UTIP) in Geneva that it is working together with the city’s public transport company (TGP), the Office for the Promotion of Industries and Technologies (OPI) and the Geneva power utility SIG on the TOSA electric bus system pilot project.

TOSA (Trolleybus Optimisation Système Alimentation) is a zero-carbon-emission solution as the electricity used comes entirely from clean hydro power. The charging time is so quick that it does not interfere with the bus schedule and improves the urban environment and landscape as it does not need overhead lines while providing greater route flexibility. The system uses a laser-controlled moving arm, which connects to an overhead receptacle for charging at bus shelters, instead of the usual trolley poles to overhead lines.

“Through flash charging, we are able to pilot a new generation of electric buses for urban mass transport that no longer relies on overhead lines,” said Claes Rytoft, ABB’s acting Chief Technology Officer. “This project will pave the way for switching to more flexible, cost-effective, public transport infrastructure while reducing pollution and noise.”

Tesla to Dramatically Expand Supercharger Network

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:33:00 -0500

Tesla Motors said today it will immediately and dramatically increase its Supercharger network of stations.

The number of stations will triple by the end of June, and by the end of 2013, Tesla owners will be able to drive from Los Angeles to New York using the stations.

Supercharging enables Tesla Model S drivers to travel long distances, for free, indefinitely.

The expansion of the network builds upon the success of the Tesla Supercharger network that covers California and Nevada on the west coast and the Washington, DC to Boston region on the east coast.

The Tesla Supercharger network has enabled an estimated 1 million miles of driving since going live in October 2012. Superchargers are designed for city to city travel, enabling Model S electric vehicle drivers to travel for about three hours, take a 20 to 30 minute break to grab lunch or a soda or coffee, and get back on the road charged up. For free.

With the accelerated rollout of the Tesla Supercharger network, Model S drivers can expect:

- Triple the number of Tesla Supercharger stations by the end of next month, including additional stations in California, coverage of the northwest region from Vancouver to Seattle to Portland, Austin to Dallas in Texas, Illinois and Colorado. There will also be four additional eastern seaboard stations, expanding the density of the network to provide for more convenient stopping points.

- Within six months the Tesla Supercharger network will connect most of the major metro areas in the US and Canada, including expansion into Arizona, additional stations in Texas, Florida, and the Midwest, stations connecting Ottawa to Montreal, and across North and South Carolina into Georgia. It will also be possible to travel diagonally across the country from Los Angeles to New York using only the Tesla Supercharger network.

- A year from now, the Tesla Supercharger network will stretch across the continent, covering almost the entire population of the US and Canada. The expansion of the network will mean that Model S drivers can take the ultimate road trip -- whether that’s LA to New York, Vancouver to San Diego, or Montreal to Miami – without spending a cent on fuel.

In addition to the expansion of the Tesla Supercharger network itself, Tesla is improving the technology behind the Tesla Supercharger to dramatically decrease the amount of time it takes to charge Model S, cutting charging time in half relative to early trials of the system. The new technology, which is in beta test mode now and will be fully rolled out to customers this summer, will allow Model S to be charged at 120 kW, replenishing three hours of driving in just over 20 minutes.