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Breaking news:

• Tesla Roadster runs 313 miles on a charge in Global Green Challenge Officially Official: Fisker buys GM's Wilmington Delaware plant REPORT: Fisker going to Delaware for Project Nina plant; Quantum readies diesel-hybrid powertrain Tokyo 2009: Nissan Fuga hybrid arrives in Japan fall 2010, to U.S. in 2011 Tokyo 2009: Honda CR-Z coming to America next fall with six-speed manual! Tokyo 2009: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo is bigger, o-kei! Tokyo 2009: Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV shows its more conventional face Congress approves three-wheelers for DOE funds Congress restores hydrogen funding with $187 million in appropriations bill Coskata opens doors to first semi-commercial flex ethanol facility

Nissan ready to make 500,000 batteries a year when demand is there

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Nov 1st, 2009 at 6:26PM

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn with Leaf EV - Click above for high-res image gallery

You certainly can't argue with Carlos Ghosn's commitment to battery-powered vehicles. No one else in the auto industry has placed such a huge bet on plug-in vehicles. Renault has committed to four different battery-powered vehicles in the next few years, and Nissan has committed to three and possibly a fourth. Building so many EVs will require an awful lot of advanced batteries and Ghosn has been lining up the necessary financing to build battery plants in the United States and Europe in addition to Japan.

Speaking in China this week, Ghosn told reporters that his company has lined up the necessary resources to build up to half a million batteries a year if demand warrants it. Regardless of what one thinks of the merits of plug-in vehicles, Ghosn is no fool and won't actually start building the capacity for the batteries until the sales volumes justify it. To make that happen, Ghosn says Renault and Nissan will only sell EVs in regions where there are government incentives, recognizing that large numbers of people will not buy until the cars are cost competitive up front.

Gallery: 2010 Nissan Leaf EV

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[Source: Reuters]

Tesla Taxi would be fun to ride in, but it's just for show

by Xavier Navarro (RSS feed) on Nov 1st, 2009 at 3:07PM

Some people love their profession so much they decorate their cars to show the world how they earn their beans. Such is the case of the owner of a New York taxi company who lives near Monaco and operates mostly hybrid taxis in the Big Apple. Apparently, he has a few beans to show off. The car in question has been painted in the iconic yellow and black taxi cab colors and was exhibited at the French Côte d'Azur where it caused a bit of a sensation. It won't be used to ferry customers around, but that option might still be coming some day to Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

Smith Electric Vehicles to partner with AM General on USPS EV

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Nov 1st, 2009 at 11:56AM

USPS Long Life Vehicle - Wikimedia Commons

In the same Tanfield Group trading statement where the company commented on the termination of its agreement with Ford it revealed a new collaboration with AM General. Smith and AM General are developing a prototype battery-powered version of the Long Life Vehicle used by the US Postal Service. The LLV developed by Grumman in the 1980s is based on chassis components from the first-generation Chevy S10 pickup and is currently powered by a GM 2.2-liter EcoTec four cylinder engine. There are currently 178,000 LLVs in service with the USPS.

AM General is building the chassis for the prototype and Smith is providing the electric powertrain. In the urban and suburban environments where the LLV is typically used a limited range electric vehicle of this type would be eminently suitable and could be plugged in nightly at the postal depots. Chrysler earlier this year also proposed an electric version of the Dodge Caravan for the same purpose but we have not heard anything recently on this program. Hopefully, we'll find out something new on this at Chrysler's business plan meeting this week.

[Source: Tanfield Group]

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Tanfield Group comments on end of Ford Transit Connect BEV deal

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Nov 1st, 2009 at 8:57AM

Ford Transit Connect BEV - click above for high-res image gallery

We learned from Ford on Friday that it and Smith Electric Vehicles had mutually agreed to terminate their partnership to produce the Transit Connect BEV next year and Ford would instead go with Azure Dynamics. The Tanfield Group, parent company of Smith also released a trading statement that commented on the matter.

According to Tanfield, the projected volumes of the TC in the short to medium term did not justify the investment required at this time. There seems to be much stronger demand for the larger Newton delivery van and Tanfield has decided to commit its limited resources to growing and supporting that market segment. Smith recently started production of the Newton at a facility in Kansas City, Missouri and has a 255-unit order backlog. In the compact segment where the Transit Connect would compete, there is expected to be greater competition in the next few years with Nissan recently announcing it would be building an electric version of its new NV200 light commercial vehicle and other automakers expected to join.

Gallery: 2010 Ford Transit Connect

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[Source: Tanfield Group]

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Coming Soon to an Automobile Near You: Plastic engines?

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Oct 31st, 2009 at 6:10PM

Automakers and consumers alike all want lighter cars. "Adding lightness" has a lot of desirable effects, most notably in overall fuel efficiency and performance. While numerous efforts have been made to reduce the weight of automobiles – including downsizing, subtracting unnecessary components and using lightweight alloys and carbon fiber for structural bits – one item that's awfully hard to lighten without dire consequences is the engine.

Well, perhaps that's not entirely true after all. Apparently, Matti Holtzberg, an engineer and president of Polimotor Research, successfully designed and built a working engine made almost entirely from plastic. Holtzberg created a motor based on the 88-horsepower powerplant from a Ford Pinto that reduced weight from 415 pounds to just 152 while putting out an impressive 300 horsepower.

Polimotor has reportedly partnered up with the Huntsman Corporation of Houston in an effort to get plastic engine components such as the block, cylinder heads, pistons and rods into mass production. While electric motors and high-tech batteries seem ready to take over in the coming decades as the power sources of choice, plastic engines could potentially still be used as lightweight range-extending powerplants. Intriguing, no?

[Source: New York Times via The Kneeslider]

Opel introduces updated Corsa ecoFLEX, now at 98 g/km CO₂

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Oct 31st, 2009 at 3:26PM

2010 Opel Corsa ecoFlex - click above for high-res image gallery

Opel has just introduced an updated version of its high-mileage, low-CO₂ sub-compact Corsa. The refreshed Corsa ecoFLEX now gets 20 hp more from its 1.3-liter CDTi diesel engine than before, bringing its total to 95 hp along with 140 pound-feet of torque. Despite that boosted output, CO₂ emissions drop by 10 percent making the Corsa GM's first sub-100 g/km car at just 98 g/km. The Corsa is rated at 63.6 mpg (U.S.) on the EU combined driving cycle. The ecoFLEX diesels all come equipped with particulate filters to eliminate the smoke.

The performance improvements come through the use of a new variable geometry turbocharger that allows for quicker low speed response and higher flow at maximum speed. The enhanced torque facilitated the use of longer gearing in the transaxle and lower engine speeds. The body has also been lowered by 20 mm, reducing the frontal area and drag. The new Corsa ecoFLEX goes on sale in January 2010.

Gallery: 2010 Opel Corsa ecoFlex

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[Source: General Motors]

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REPORT: Suzuki to put hydrogen two-wheelers into production

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Oct 31st, 2009 at 11:29AM

Suzuki fuel cell concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show - Click above for high-res image gallery

Suzuki and Intelligent Energy have been working on hydrogen fuel cell-powered two-wheelers for the last few years, with the Crosscage, their first public concept, debuting back in 2007 at the Tokyo Motor Show. Then, earlier this year, we heard rumblings that Suzuki hoped to have its first production hydrogen cycle ready within the next 12 months.

Falling right in line with those expectations, Suzuki unveiled a new concept just last week at the most recent show in Tokyo, and instead of using a pie-in-the-sky motorcycle chassis with single-sided suspension bits that have little chance of actual production, the Japanese company placed its proprietary fuel cell and storage system in a regular old Burgman scooter.

Now, Wired reports that we can expect these hydrogen two-wheelers in production in very short order. Says Dr. Henri Winand, CEO of Intelligent Energy, "These clean fuel cell engine-powered motorcycles are not simply for motor shows, and can be widely available to everyone in the near future."

If that does indeed take place, as cool as the Crosscage may be, we'd expect the initial offering to take a form similar to the conceptual Burgman scooter. We'll know for sure soon enough.

Gallery: Tokyo 2009: Suzuki Fuel Cell Concepts

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[Source: Wired]

REPORT: Bolivia will make its own lithium-ion batteries by 2018

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Oct 31st, 2009 at 8:40AM

Asia and Michigan, watch out. It's a long-term goal, but Bolivia is looking to capitalize on its large in-ground lithium supply by producing li-ion batteries by 2018. While lithium might not ever be in short supply, Bolivia certainly has the advantage of not needing to import the valuable material. The country's deputy minister of Science and Technology, Roger Carvajal, said this week that the basic outline of the government strategy to commercialize the lithium deposits (estimated to be about half of the world's supply) have been decided on. They include making lithium carbonate on a commercial scale in 2013 and possibly an electric car factory after that.

[Source: Latin American Herald Tribune]