Category Archives: Hybrid Automobiles

LA Auto Show Speeds Into The Electric Car Era

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The sales of electric cars may not be doing as well as first hoped, but the displays at this years Los Angeles Auto Show hopes to change that. GM’s Chevrolet Volt, the 2011 Green Car of the Year, is one of several displays that hope to spark interest in the sales of green cars. The Volts rival, the Nissan leaf, along with Tesla’s Toyota RAV4 EV, the Fisker Karma, the Mitsubishi I-MiEV, and every other car maker’s electric or hybrid car will be there vying for the green consumers interest.

This year’s show will feature a record of debuts with fifty new vehicles unveiled on press day. This year’s show features more elaborate and interactive exhibits and more manufacturers, making it one of the most dynamic LA Auto Shows in years. The annual event, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be open to the public November 19-28.

Are Electric Cars Being Forced On Consumers?

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With over twenty electric car models arriving at dealerships over the next three years, auto manufacturers feel that the battery powered cars will be the next big seller. The Obama administration is giving more than five billion in tax credits to buyers, and subsidized loans and grants to automakers in an effort to meet the goal of one million hybrids or electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015. But skeptics feel that hybrid and electric vehicles don’t make sense for most drivers, even with tax credits. Electric cars are too expensive, take too long to recharge and don’t provide enough driving range to be practical for most Americans. They feel that only 3% of drivers will actually buy the vehicles, because in order for electric cars to be cost effective for buyers, gas prices will have to rise to almost nine dollars a gallon.

Nonetheless, some of the biggest manufacturers in the auto industry are rushing to produce EVs. Honda recently pledged to put out an EV in 2012. Toyota is creating an electric version of its RAV4 sport-utility vehicle with Tesla Motors and a subcompact electric car based on its tiny IQ. Ford plans an electric version of its Focus compact and an electric van. BMW is building the MegaCity electric vehicle, which will feature carbon-fiber body panels to reduce weight and boost driving range.

Much of this is spearheaded by California’s laws that are requiring that the top six auto makers in California offer a zero-emission model by 2012 or face potentially huge fines. The only other alternative is to build electric models under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s clean-air and fuel-economy standards, which are set to get tighter in 2012, and receive government credits.

Here Come The Electric Vehicles

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As states across the country brace for the wave of electric plug in vehicles to hit the streets, utility companies warn that there could be glitches. A smarter electrical grid has been developed to accommodate the surge in power usage, and utility companies have been working with the automakers to ensure a smooth transition, but too many drivers trying to charge their vehicles at the same time, could lead to low voltage situations.

Executive vice president and chief operating officer of Novi-based ITC Holdings Corp., said that as plug-in use grows and more public charging stations are installed, substations or lines may need to be upgraded. Experts, however, don’t believe electric vehicles will be widespread until 2020, giving utilities at least a decade to figure out ways to handle new loads and educate consumers about scaling electricity during peak times.

For now, utilities are installing smart meters in homes and businesses to help consumers better manage electricity use. The meters allow utilities to charge rates based on peak and off-peak use and track that data. This will encourage drivers to charge in off peak hours as well as give information on where upgrades need to be made. As technology advances, cars plugged in for recharges could actually help the grid, said Scott Miller, director of Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint America. “These can act as remote storage units, transferring some of the energy from the cars back to the electrical grid in times of need.”

Toyota Expanding Their Hybrid Empire

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Toyota has set itself up as one of the top hybrid makers in the world with the development of one of the first hybrid vehicles, the Prius. They share their technology with companies like Nissan, Mazda and Ford, which allows them to produce hybrids in larger numbers while keeping the cost down. Recently, Toyota has partnered with Tesla Motors to develop and electric version of Toyota’s RAV4 crossover. The RAV4 EV will be making its debut at this years LA Auto show, and will begin selling the model to the public in 2012.

Japanese media reported this Friday that Toyota may be expanding it’s hybrid empire. Dailmler is working on its own hybrid technology and has approached Toyota about sharing its gas electric hybrid technology with them. The two companies have been in negotiations for over a year now, so an official announcement is expected soon. If the deal should go through we could see Toyota technology showing up in Mercedes-Benz vehicles as early as 2012.

Toyota Rav4 EV Debuts At The LA Auto Show

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It is no secret that Toyota and Tesla have joined forces to develop an all electric Rav4 that they hope will shake up the electric vehicle market. Tesla has already delivered a working RAV4 EV to Toyota earlier this summer and will debut it to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The vehicle is likely to be one of the stars of the Auto Show, which traditionally hosts “green” vehicle debuts. GM’s Chevy Volt and Nissans Leaf will also be there, but Toyota’s Rav4 hopes to attract the consumer who wants an electric vehicle, but wants something bigger than a compact car.

GM Confident In Volts Battery

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According to GM executive director of global electrical systems, “The Chevrolet Volt’s batteries have exceeded performance targets and are ready to hit the road.” To prove it, Chevrolet is offering one of the automotive industry’s longest, most comprehensive battery warranties for an electric vehicle. The standard 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty will also be transferable at no extra cost to other vehicle owners.

The Volt’s comprehensive battery warranty covers all 161 battery components as well as the thermal management system, charging system and electric drive components, which allows the Volt to operate under a full range of climates and driving conditions without concern about being stranded by a dead battery. It has a range of about 340 miles and is powered with electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the Volt is powered solely by electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery, using no fuel and producing no emissions. When the Volt’s lithium-ion battery runs low, an engine/generator operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank of fuel.

According to Nancy Laubenthal, plant manager of the Brownstown Battery Plant, “We’re moving fast to deliver for the customer and ensure the Volt launch stays on track.” “Last August we announced the investment in the Brownstown facility and in January built our first completed battery pack. Now we are finishing pre-production batteries and soon we will begin building production batteries for Chevrolet Volts that will be delivered to dealers before the end of the year.”

Hydrogen Cars – Still An Option?

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It seems that lately there has been much talk about the electric car. The automobile companies have been investing large amounts of money into electric cars with the hopes of becoming the leaders in the industry. The installation of more charging stations has not only made it more convenient to charge an electric car, but the installation of solar charging stations has made the drain on the power infrastructure less of a problem.

Still, the hydrogen car lurks in the background. Tucked away on the Torrance campus behind a security guard and a locked gate, a system designed to power Honda’s limited-production FCX Clarity sedan and other hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles uses solar panels to power a machine the size of a mini-refrigerator. This system converts water into hydrogen and oxygen gases and then pumpes the hydrogen directly into the car. No fossil fuels, no pollution, no additional strain on the power grid — and all done at home. It’s called a residential hydrogen refueler, and only one currently exists. According to statements from automakers like Honda, General Motors, Toyota, and Mercedes they hope to begin selling hydrogen-powered production cars to consumers as early as 2015.

Other hydrogen fuel-cell cars, only available by lease, exist. Made by GM, Toyota and Mercedes, most of the lessees are in “station clusters,” specific geographic areas that have hydrogen fueling stations. It’s the scarcity of these hydrogen stations that’s seen as one of the biggest barriers to mass adoption of fuel-cell cars.

The installation of these residential hydrogen refulers would solve this problem, but at what cost? Honda won’t say, but it’s a promising technology that advances the trend toward consumers detaching from a fossil-fuel economy and becoming more self-sufficient. It’s a future in which American homes are less reliant on a large-scale infrastructure — power grids, and water districts — and provide at least some of the solutions themselves via solar panels, gray-water systems, rainwater harvesting and home-based car-refueling technology.

Networked Charging Stations For California

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Coulomb Technologies, a leader in electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, has announced that they will be spending $37 million installing networked charging stations throughout the United States. The program will provide almost 5000 charging stations in Austin, Texas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Fla., Sacramento, Calif., the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond, Wash., and Washington DC.

A wide network of charging stations is expected to help quell fears that future electric car owners won’t be able to drive far beyond their home charging base. In support of the ChargePoint America program, three automakers have committed to deliver electric vehicles in designated US regions. The Chevrolet Volt, the Ford Transit Connect Electric and Ford Focus Electric through the “Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program”, and the smart for two electric drive will be introduced along with this program.

ChargePoint America will offer both home and public charging stations to individuals and businesses. Charging stations owners can set their own prices for charging through the Flex Billing™ system. The Flex Billing system enables station owners to set pricing as a function of time of day, calendar date, and driver – much like a parking meter. Those same stations can also be configured to provide “free” access to EV drivers.

Coulomb’s ChargePoint® Network, is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass™ smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit mychargepoint.net and click “Find Stations”.