Published on June 15th, 2009
Editor’s Note: This is a 4-part series covering my trip to Michigan to test-drive the Chevy Volt. See also: 1. LiveBlogging from the opening of GM’s New Battery Lab and 3. Tour of GM’s New Battery Lab. Disclaimer: GM flew me out for this event.
June 8, 2009- It was pouring rain when I arrived at GM’s Testing facility in Warren, Michigan. A crowd had already gathered inside the Alternative Energy Center which, among other things, is home to GM’s first electric car—the original model EV1 (#1).
The ghost of the EV1—a car designed and built 13 years ago—still haunts GM, though it’s both a symbol of lost opportunity and tangible proof that the company could pull off the same kind of engineering feat again. The billion-dollar Volt project is a major component of the company’s reinvention strategy, and it’s clear they aren’t pulling any punches this time.
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Tags:
Cars,
chemistry,
Chevy Volt,
electric cars,
EV War,
GM,
LG Chem,
lithium-ion batteries,
MI,
Michigan,
PHEV,
plug-in hybrids,
Warren
Published on June 15th, 2009
When you think about the fuel-efficient vehicles we’ll need as we descend the other side of Hubberts Peak you think of an electric car, right? You just don’t think of a hybrid diesel electric Semi Truck, do you? 
Well, luckily, somebody is thinking about this fuel-efficient Semi, because we will still need to transport stuff even as the oil age slowly comes to an end.
Kioko Muthui has designed a humungous concept vehicle that would operate as a Series Range extended EV - a bit like the Volt - but instead of gas to run the onboard ICE, using a tiny amount of diesel.
Like the series hybrid Volt, this internal combustion engine is used only to generate electricity to run the truck as an EV, never to power the vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 10th, 2009
Is 120 miles-per-gallon too much to ask from an American car company? Ford doesn’t think so.
With the addition of the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) to its development line, Ford Motor Company is showing that it can dance with the best of them.
The Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid uses high voltage lithium-ion batteries, which can be charged using common household currents (120v). Fully charging the battery takes six to eight hours. For the first 30 miles following a full charge, the Ford Escape PHEV can drive on the batteries alone, before switching to operate as a fuel efficient, standard Ford Escape Hybrid. The transition is automatic and unnoticeable.
It was the Ford Escape PHEV that was delivered to Hydro-Québec, Canada’s largest electricity generator, on June 9th. Ford Motor Company and Hydro-Québec announced that Hydro-Québec has joined a North America-wide demonstration and research program on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
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Tags:
automobiles,
Canada,
Cars,
electric cars,
electricity,
EV,
Ford,
Ford Escape,
lithium-ion,
PHEV,
PHEVs,
plug-in,
plug-in hybrid,
Plug-in hybrid EVs,
plug-in hybrids,
transportation
Published on June 10th, 2009
The first car I fell in love with was a ‘69 Mustang I saw at a car show almost too long ago to remember. It was red, it was clean, and it made the most delicious, delirious, devious sound when the owner cranked the 289 motor over. As much as I wanted to own a Mustang after that, I live in an area that is saturated with the classic pony car, so I went with its more obscure cousin, the Mercury Cougar. But with gas prices on the rise once again, not everybody can afford (or wants) to feed a gas guzzling V8 just to cruise down their local strip and meet up with their buddies. So then, is it heresy to take an American symbol of power and excess, remove the horsepower heart, and replace it with an electric motor? I don’t think so, and neither do the guys and gals at Duke’s Garage, who took a ‘65 droptop ’stang and put not one, but two electric motors in this ultra-classic.
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Published on June 9th, 2009
Pawcatuck, CT - Connecticut based Yardney Technical Products, Inc. - who supplied NASA with batteries for the Mars Exploration Rovers (an all-electric vehicle, operating under the most challenging conditions imaginable) - and California-based Coda Automotive announced on Monday, June 8 that the two companies have entered into a joint venture (Coda Battery Systems LLC). Coda Battery Systems LLC will design, manufacture and sell automotive grade lithium-ion battery power systems in the United States.
On May 19, Coda Battery Systems LLC submitted a proposal for funding to the Department of Energy under the stimulus grant program. The funding would be used to build a manufacturing facility in Enfield, CT, which expects to employ 600 U.S. workers in manufacturing positions.
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Published on June 9th, 2009
Diepenbeek, Belgium - On June 2, 2009, 365-Energy announced that the Katholieke High School of Limburg (KHLim) will begin deploying ChargePoint(TM) Network charging stations from the infrastructure manufacturer Coulomb Technologies as part of the first European Clean Mobility Center in Belgium.
Coulomb’s international partner 365-Energy will provide the charging stations and manage the ChargePoint Network for subscribers.
KHLim produces its own green energy through wind, heat and solar as part of its CO2 neutral area. The ChargePoint charge stations will be connected to KHLim’s own power grid, which will supply the necessary energy.
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365-Energy,
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charge stations,
charging infrastructure,
charging stations,
CO2,
Coulomb Technologies,
electric vehicles,
EV,
gren energy,
solar,
vehicles,
Wind
Published on June 9th, 2009
The Rampart Casino in Summerlin, Nevada, has taken the first steps toward a more Electric Vehicle (EV) friendly community. With the installation of an EV charging station, the Rampart became the first casino property to accommodate EVs, whose charge station was acquired in a business deal with Coulomb Technolgies.
If you build it, they will come…or not. Since the addition of the EV charge station, the Rampart Casino has seen limited numbers of Electric Vehicles. Very limited.
“We only have one patron with an electric car, that I know of,” said John Shaughnessy, a casino security guard. “Actually, I’ve never seen it.”
David Garth, a valet for the casino since 1999, confirmed Shaughnessy’s statement, saying that he’s never seen an EV pull up. “But,” he said, “we get plenty of hybrids.”
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Tags:
Cars,
casino,
charge stations,
charging stations,
Coulomb Technologies,
electric,
electric vehicle,
EV,
fuel,
Nevada,
plug-in,
sustainability,
sustainable,
transportation
Published on June 8th, 2009
Note: see more updates on the author’s Twitter feed.
Just a few days before GM declared bankruptcy, I was surprised to receive an email from the company asking if I’d be interested in test-driving the Chevy Volt.
The offer to test-drive the product of a $1 billion development program (as well as one of the most anticipated cars of my lifetime) isn’t something that comes along every day, and I’m excited to say that tomorrow I’ll be test-driving the Volt as well as liveblogging from GM’s Tech center in Warren, Michigan. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 5th, 2009
Yes! The Oil Age has officially ended: Autoblog green reports that Mitsubishi has just begun production of the first freeway speed EV from a big auto company.
EV fans have suffered for years through stops and starts in the roll-out of the obvious and necessary vehicle to drive us into our glorious low carbon future: Sure, brave little electric car start-ups like Tesla now deliver gorgeous EV models - to those with unlimited money, and of course there are plenty of 25 mile-an-hour NEVs - for those with unlimited patience.
But most of us have limited time and money: Where is our regular highway speed electric car that can get you all the way to work and back? With more than 3 wheels? Seating more than 2? And with a hood to keep out the rain? So far, it’s been just promises and strange contraptions and showroom vaporware for us.
Our future after the carbon age, was looking grim, indeed… So today, great news…
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Published on June 4th, 2009
When it comes to electric vehicles, critics have referred time and again to the fact that the death and replacement of batteries nullifies any savings made at the pump. With a battery’s limited lifespan, and battery prices still high, drivers may not be saving much. However, recent tests by battery provider Southern California Edison (SCE) show
Over the past two and a half years, SCE has been testing a lithium-ion battery sub-pack. And the results are incredible. The lithium-ion battery has displayed remarkable longevity, surviving 180, 000 miles with no significant deterioration. With the average family vehicle traveling less than 15,000 miles per year, this test holds great significance. This dramatic increase in the life expectancy of an EV battery pulls the cost equation more convincingly on the EV’s side.
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