Electric Vehicles

• Electric Transportation Solutions - ETS sells most all electric scooters, bikes, golf cars, NEV's and full performance electric vehicles.  Order online or by phone 24-hours/day.  Affiliate set-up available.

• Who Killed the Electric Car - Sony Pictures is presenting a movie this Summer ('06) about the demise of the electric car push of the 90's.  Oil profits alleged the clampdown and shut-out of this successful technology. (PG. See alt res. trailers at Apple.com)

• Why the Electric Vehicle Died, and More Importantly, Can It Be Revived? - Lack of recharge infrastructure and adequate battery technology stymied past proliferation. Marketing to women, due to the limited distance and power of the vehicles, may have backfired as well. (Woman Motorist; July 19?, 2006)

• So, you want to build an electric car - Forum post gives an overview of what is involved, from planning, to sourcing, to optimizing designs. (PeakOil forum; Jan. 9, 2006)

• DIY Electric Car Forums - EV Conversion Community - A new grassroots forum of do-it-yourself electric vehicle conversion enthusiasts.

• Excess Nightime Energy Could Fuel Over 158 Million Plug-in Hybrids - One common critique of an electric car revolution is that the increased energy demand might just lead to the generation of new power plants, negating some of the cars' positive environmental benefits. Not so, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Energy. (TreeHugger; Sept. 4, 2007)

• Run Your House on a Prius - Not only can the plug-in vehicle serve the purpose of using low-demand, often inexpensive night-time grid power, but it can also serve as a back-up generator in the case of grid outages such as are caused by major storms. (Pleiades Enterprises; Sept. 28, 2007)

• Google to Spend $10M to Jump-Start Hybrid Car Development - Google plans to give away money to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-in hybrid automobiles to market faster, including supporting Pacific Gas and Electric's push to unveil a future in which cars and trucks are partially powered by the country's electric grids, and vice versa. (USA Today; June 19) (NY Times) (See Slashdot discussion)

• Consumers want plug-in hybrids--once they know what they are - Number of customers wanting a plug-in went from 24% to 64% once they understood that the vehicles can be recharged overnight by plugging them in, storing enough electricity to power daily commutes. For longer distances, a gasoline engine kicks in, assisting the electric motor and recharging the battery. (MIT Technology Review; May 17, 2007)

• Savings Not There Yet For Plug-In Cars - A study finds that high purchase prices and expensive batteries negate any financial benefits; and in some regions, plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles may simply trade one sort of pollution for another. (CBS News; Sept. 25, 2006)

• Toyota gives in to plug-in hybrid pressure - Having previously held a near hostile stance, Toyota is now the latest (and arguably most important) big car manufacturer to reveal that, yes, it's working on plug-in hybrids behind the scenes. (Clean Break; June 19, 2006)

• Alternative Fuel Cars: Plug-In Hybrids and Electric Cars - Some drivers are modifying their hybrids to enable plug-in charging, even though it voids the warranty.

• Modified Prius gets up to 180 Miles Per Gallon - By modifying a Prius so that it can be plugged in, Ron Gremban of CalCars claims to have gotten anywhere from 65 to over 100 miles per gallon. (Slashdot / NY Times; California; April 2, 2005)

• Plug-In Hybrids Get Up To 250 MPG - While politicians and auto makers say "plug-in" hybrid cars are still years away from being marketable, some engineers have already built models that can get up to 250 mpg. (CBS; Aug. 16, 2005) (See Slashdot discussion)
  [That's not counting plug-in power from grid.]

• Austin Leads Charge for Plug-in Hybrids - Municipal leaders in Texas' capital city, Austin, announced the formation of a new coalition of city governments and electric utilities united to lobby automakers to step up production of a new breed of plug-in hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles. (eMagazine; Feb. 1, 2006)

• 330 MPH Uber Hybrid? - The Aptera prototype by Accelerated Composites, which is halfway to completion, will go for up to 330 miles on a gallon of gas thanks to an aerodynamic design and the lightweight composites that make up the chassis. (PESN; Jan. 21, 2006)

• Tribrid Micro-Car – The Brazilian OBVIO ! Import By ZAP - "Trybrid" designs run on three sources of energy: gasoline, ethanol, and electricity; and the gasoline/alchohol proportions may be varied at the user's convenience. Mileage advertised at 29-city/40-hwy mpg. (TreeHugger; April 17, 2006)

• A study in Zenn - All-electric vehicle.  Low speed urban car.  Six hours to recharge.  60 km range, 40 kph speed.  Cheaper and more efficient than combustion systems. To market in U.S. Oct. Nov. 2005. (DiscoveryChannel.ca; May 4, 2005)

• ZAP Mud E Dirtbike - An electric dirt bike for ages 8 and up, goes up to 20 mph, with range of 12 miles. (ZAP)

• Venturi Eclectric Autonomous Electric Vehicle in Pre-Production - Presenting the world's first commercial solar-powered vehicle, Venturi is presently making 40 pre-production cars (cost expected to be Euro 24,000, scheduled to drop to Euro 15,000 in 2009, when they increase production). (PESWiki; Jan. 21, 2007)

• Venturi -- The Fetish French Electric Sports Car - 100% EV built from the ground up, for sale.  Stacked with 100 Lithium ion batteries, it puts out 300 HP, weights 1100 kg, goes 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4.5 sec, top speed 170 km/h (106 mph), and has range of 250 - 350 km (150 - 217 miles). Costs 450,000 Euros, hand-made.

• In-Wheel Motor, Plug-in Series Hybrid MINI - PML Flightlink and Synergy Innovations have unveiled the QED, which uses four brushless permanent motors in its wheels, a 21 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack and a 250cc two-cylinder, four-stroke engine as the genset. The QED has an all-electric range of 200-250 miles and a total range of about 932 miles. The car accelerates from 0-62 mph in less than 5 seconds. (Green Car Congress; Aug. 28, 2006)

• Tesla Motors Inc. - Tesla Roadster is 100% electric, not hybrid.  Four wheel drive (in-wheel motors) make it faster than most sports cars; and it has a 250+ mile range. Major VC backed ($40 million) company will be showing off the car July 12 in Santa Monica. (PESWiki; June 12, 2006)

• GM's Plug-In Hybrid Due Out 2007 - Apparently a charge from a conventional outlet will power the car’s lithium-ion batteries which will give the car 20-30 miles of pure electric range. When the batteries are depleted, a gasoline or diesel motor will kick in to charge the battery, negating the need for a transmission and otherwise simplify the drive train. (TreeHugger; Nov. 11, 2006)

• The sun sets (again) on the EV1 - After revoking, then destroying, the EV1, General Motors gave a handful of the cars--pretty much the first consumer electric vehicle--to museums; but now is removing them from the museums -- odd timing in light of the pending movie: "Who Killed The Electric Car?" (TreeHugger; June 19, 2006)

• 2006 Audi R-Zero Concept - Audi electric sport car has four in-wheel motors which produce a total of 1091 HP.  With a top speed of 286 mph, it goes 0-62 in less than 3 seconds. (Serious Wheels)

• Mitsubishi releases diesel hybrid truck in Japan - Mitsubishi Fuso has unveiled the most energy-efficient medium-duty truck in the world, the Canter Eco Hybrid. With its diesel-electric drivetrain, the Canter offers a Li-ion-powered electric motor that kicks into action during stop-and-go driving. (TreeHugger; July 6, 2006)

• Mitsubishi announces in-wheel-stator test vehicle - Each wheel will be a motor, with the stator in the wheel, rotating.  Promises greater power and efficiency.  (WorldofCars; Aug. 24, 2005)
  

• Mitsubishi to start selling electric cars (dead link) - Will run on lithium-ion batteries.  "An attempt to showcase its technological prowess and fix its battered brand image." Coming in 2010. (Canoe.ca; May 11, 2005)

• Zero-emissions, plenty of horsepower (video) - ACPropulsion is in the business over converting and creating electric vehicles.  Their TZero matches NASCAR speeds and performance, minus the sound, which may be a drawback for that industry. (Discovery.ca; 2005)

• Zero-60 in 3.1 Seconds, Batteries Included - The L1X-75 by Hybrid Technologies is a 600-hp, carbon-fiber vehicle powered by nothing more than a 110 outlet.  Race car, not yet made for city driving.  (Popular Mechanics; Apr. 7, 2007) (See Slashdot discussion)

• eBikes Congest Chinese Cities - 28 million eBikes, slated to double in one year, are becoming the status symbol for those wealthy enough to afford something better than walking or biking, but not rich enough to afford a car.  Will the outlets keep up? (321energy; Sept. 4, 2007)

• Electric Race Car that could save the planet—fast - High performance X1 electric race car humiliates Ferrari and Porche both off the line and in a 1/4 mile. All with a 150 mile range, and recharge time of 4.5 hours. (PESWiki; May 6) (See Slashdot discussion)

• Hybrid Electric Catamaran - A Dutch company has developed a hybrid version of its 43-foot catamaran, using Valence lithium-ion batteries that recharge from the motor/generator while sailing.  Dual wind generators and solar panels provide additional charging capacity. (Green Car Congress; 4 May 2006)

• It's All in the Delivery - With more than two tons of carrying capacity, Mexico's Modec has a 100-mile range, and a top speed of 50 mph. The 70kW Zytec electric motor is powered by twin 288-volt sodium-nickel-chloride batteries, which are partially replenished by the van’s regenerative breaking system. (TreeHugger; Apr. 28, 2006)

• 75 miles for a 5 minute rechargeable car - Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru brand vehicles, announced that it will release the R1e electric mini car by 2010, and that the vehicle will begin road tests in Japan this year. The R1e uses a lithium-ion battery can be recharged to 90% of capacity in five minutes. (WorldChanging; Aug. 21, 2005)

• Test-driving the Eliica - Japan's electric lithium ion battery car, fitted with 320 batteries can jump from 0 to 100 km/h in just four seconds. Hoping to manufacture 200 in 2007.  (DiscoveryChannel.ca; March 22, 2005)

• Electric Racer - Raser is "showing that ac-induction motors (500 HP) can take on pricier permanent magnet motors in transportation applications that need to pack lots of torque in a small space without turning up the heat". (Design News; June 6, 2005)

• Green snowmobile - Check out the competition at the Clean Snowmobile Challenge, hosted recently at the Michigan Technological University. See why these snowmobiles are sweeping the industry with a storm. (Discovery.ca; March 29)

• Zac -- electric scooter from Portugal - If you weigh less than 176 lb, then this little 19kg scooter will pull you up a 10% incline if you weight less than 176 lbs; and can reach a max speed of 25 kph (15 mph) and give an hours worth of travel (at 15 kph). (TreeHugger; Mar. 29)

• New Induction Motor for Hybrid Vehicles - Raser Technologies, Inc. announces a new 100-kilowatt AC induction based electric motor design called the Symetron™ P-100.  The electric motors used in today's mild hybrid vehicles typically deliver 15-20 kilowatts of power utilizing permanent-magnet synchronous motors that require expensive rare-earth magnets to operate. (The Energy Blog; Oct. 20, 2006)

• Hybrid cars race ahead in 2005 - Helped by sky-high fuel prices and celebrity endorsement, US sales of hybrid cars more than doubled in 2005, but Japanese rather than home-grown auto makers are cashing in on the boom. (PhysOrg; Dec. 27, 2005)

• EV > Honda Civic Hybrid Honda improves efficiency - 2006 Civic boasts 20% more power while being 5% lighter, with 5% better fuel economy. (TreeHugger; July 12, 2005)

• Jay Leno takes delivery of special edition Lithium R-Car - Hybrid Technologies, Inc.'s car touted as the best hybrid available, with no emissions.  Sports car capable of 100 mph. (BusinessWire; May 2, 2005)

• EV > 'TryBrid'car runs on gas, electric or alcohol - Tritec 1.6 litre four cylinder motor enabled to run on gasoline and alcohol or any combination plus an additional electric drive - effectively making it the world’s first “trybrid” automobile that can switch between three energy sources. (Gizmag; Dec. 7, 2005)

• 1914 saw 60-MPG Galt Gas-Electric hybrid car - Engineering masterpiece had a twin-cylinder, 10-hp, two-stroke engine that ran on gasoline and kerosene at a constant 800 rpm. The electricity generated was stored in four batteries located in running-board boxes. Could go up to 50 km/h with a range of 30 km on battery power alone. (Globe and Mail; Mar. 29, 2007)

• Tilley Foundation Updates - Company converts a GMC Sonoma truck to all-electric "self-charger" system. Claims that U.S. government tested and confirmed their self-charging home power generator in July 2005. (PESWiki; March 21, 2006)

• Tilley Claims Endlessly-Charged All-Electric Vehicle to be Ready for Sale in 2005 - Carl Tilley announces a concept car with all the bells and whistles of speed and luxury, combined with ultra efficiency. Or is this yet another stage of an ongoing fraud stemming back decades? (PESN; Sept. 14, 2005)

• Clean, Quirky Cars to Dominate Tokyo Motor Show - Motorists are seeing more hybrids and even some zero-emission fuel-cell vehicles on the road, making it tougher for auto makers to put the "wow" in their green products. (Reuters; Oct. 15, 2005) (show site)

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