by Steve Duda

Electronic vehicle charging stations are soon to be a ubiquitous part of city landscapes. With the current drive to establish a workable infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles, these stations will be found everywhere from parking lots to retail centers to parking structures. Now, a Germany-based group of designers and researchers are rethinking both the look and the composition of these stations.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials, in collaboration with industrial partner Bosecker Verteilerbau Sachsen, are seeking to develop new materials and designs for charging stations based on eco-friendly principles.

Currently, most charging stations sport a rather utilitarian, industrial look that relies on steel cladding to protect cables, power outlets and electronic switchgear. The team’s solution is to replace the steel cladding with honeycomb panels made of a wood-plastic composite (WPC). The most widespread use of WPC is in outdoor deck floors, but it is also used for railings, fences, landscaping timbers, cladding and siding, park benches, molding and trim, window and door frames and indoor furniture. Manufacturers claim that wood-plastic composite is more environmentally friendly and requires less maintenance than the alternatives of solid wood treated with preservatives or solid wood of rot-resistant species.

WPC is a natural fiber composite made up of 70 parts of cellulosic wood fiber derived from sustainable resources to 30 parts of thermoplastic polypropylene. Its advantages, apart from the high proportion of sustainable raw materials, are that it is 100 percent recyclable and contains no tropical timber. The housings are manufactured in the form of modular components that can be clipped together as required to create a wide variety of different designs, thus allowing them to blend in with the surrounding architecture. Their modular structure also enables the composite panels to be removed easily during repairs. The researchers are testing samples of the material in a climate chamber to assess its resistance to extreme temperature conditions and determine which additives or types of coating provide the best weather protection. The team has almost completed its first prototype of the new WPC housing and is about to start outdoor testing.

Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling

At the Intelligent Transportation Systems World Congress (ITS) in Orlando, Florida, in October, Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford proclaimed that it’s time for the auto industry to snatch the phrase “Information Superhighway” away from the IT industry and refer instead to a world where cars “talk” to one another to avoid accidents or run more efficiently and even monitor the health of their drivers.

This connected transportation future leverages digital communication technology to extend far beyond the individual vehicle using a blend of WiFi, GPS and cellular connectivity, on-board technology and cloud-based computing. If auto manufacturers work together to make this vision a reality, Ford says, a connected vehicle revolution could transform personal mobility while making our roads safer, smarter and greener.

Mr. Ford was addressing a gathering of leading transportation policy makers, technology and business professionals. The ITS congress was focused on cost-effective, practical deployment and innovation that provides users with new levels of safety, reliability, convenience, accessibility, and choice.

The path towards the future Mr. Ford described starts with connected vehicles that are each essentially WiFi hotspots able to wirelessly “talk” to other vehicles within a 300-meter range and also share data with the cloud. Ford sees this connected vehicle functionality expanding beyond the current “infotainment” applications that allow us to integrate functionality from our phones, stereos and in-car navigation. Future vehicle connectivity will open up new ways for us to relate to our cars, and for our cars to relate to an overall intelligent transportation network.

For example, cars will be able to not only sense other WiFi enabled cars, but know what they’re up to: If a vehicle two cars ahead of you slams on its brakes, your car can pick up the signal and warn you before you’d be able to see brake lights, allowing you to react that precious fraction of a second faster. Or if cars ahead begin switching on their windshield wipers or slow down quickly because of an accident, they can “pass back” warnings from vehicle to vehicle to the cars behind, alerting each of them to changes in weather or traffic up ahead. The system could work with Google Prediction API (announced in May) to suggest alternate routing that might be more time efficient or use the least amount of fuel based on real-time knowledge of the road ahead.

Also leveraging Google technology, Ford demonstrated its “Green Zone” concept, which allows a hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle to automatically switch into all electric mode when the system senses, via GPS, that the car has entered a pre-defined area, such as a school zone or a National Park, where vehicle noise and emissions should be kept to a minimum. Combining Prediction and Green Zone concepts would enable a hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle to automatically optimize its battery use and performance characteristics for a known route.

Mr. Ford sees these as examples of a vision for a connected vehicle future that would allow the U.S. automotive industry to lead once again. “Thirty years ago,” he said, “the auto industry was content to comply with regulations, rather than provide leadership.“

Today, however, “automobile manufacturers are not content to just comply anymore. In fact we are competing to embrace sustainability. At Ford, we placed a big and audacious bet to be the leader in fuel efficiency, to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020 (Note: this is 3 percent higher than the US Administration’s commitment to the UNFCCC). We kept investing during the ‘dark days’ so that in 2012 we could introduce an EV like the C-Max.” Mr. Ford also emphasized that Ford currently has 12 vehicles with best-in-class fuel economy and four vehicles that achieve over 40 MPG.

But Ford acknowledged we still have a long way to go. “There are challenges ahead that go far beyond the individual vehicle,” he said. “There are currently one billion cars on the road, with four billion expected by mid-century. Used unwisely, this could lead to ‘global gridlock’ – a never-ending traffic jam. We need to rise to the challenge and create an intelligent transportation system.”

by Pete Danko

The California High-Speed Rail Authority did a massive reset this week, announcing a business plan that more than doubles the cost of the planned 220-mph, San Francisco-to-Los Angeles train service – from $43 billion to $98.5 billion – but that lays the groundwork for a “fiscally sound project that will attract and drive private investment, generate strong revenues and operate without any public subsidies,” it said.

The new cost figure was startling, but the agency said that it represented a more realistic assessment, taking into account inflation, the cost of materials and “rigorously tested” ridership projections. “This is a current, realistic and transparent plan and identifies the funds and financing necessary to implement high-speed rail in California,” board member Mike Rossi, a recent appointee of Gov. Jerry Brown, said in a statement.

A key element of the plan is a phased approach to building the system that takes advantage of existing infrastructure, the agency said. As previously announced, construction is set to begin next year on a 130-mile stretch in the Central Valley, from just north of Bakersfield to just south of Merced. As work proceeds on this “Initial Operating Section,” the agency will decide whether to go to work next on the south end of the line – heading toward the Los Angeles Basin – or the north end of the line – heading into San Jose. In those regions, the agency will look to convert existing commuter lines for its own use.

Ultimately, the agency is looking at having San Francisco and Los Angeles connected by high-speed rail by 2033. At that time, “The average ticket fare between San Francisco and Los Angeles will be $81 (83 percent of anticipated airline ticket prices) in 2010 dollars, with up to nine trains per hour during the peak period; express trains will take under three hours between San Francisco and Los Angeles; multistop trains will take longer,” the agency’s report [PDF] says.

One group that might be saying “I told you so” about now is the Reason Foundation. In 2008, as Californians were contemplating a ballot measure to fund high-speed rail, and the Rail Authority was estimating the total cost of the system in the mid-$40 billion range, Reason put out a report that argued “the final price tag for the complete high-speed rail system will actually be $65 to $81 billion.”

Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling

by Christopher DeMorro

Back in September Ford finally ended production of the Crown Victoria, ending the era of large, rear-wheel drive American sedans, probably forever. It has also created a huge gap in taxi fleets and police manucipalities across the country, as the Crown Vic served as the core of their fleet. So can an electric vehicle fill those mighty big wheelwells? Nissan thinks so, and is beginning a pilot program in New York City to study the feasibility of electric taxi cabs.A New Cab King Cometh?

Having already won the bid to build the next generation of New York Cabs with the NV, Nissan is looking towards an electric cab future now with the Leaf EV. The Leaf certainly has its work cut out for it as a New Yorki taxi cab. PBS reports that during the average 12-hour shift, a NYC cab drives around 180 miles. Many cabs are used for double shifts, and it is not unusual for these cabs to wrack up 70,000 miles or more in a single year. One of the main reasons the Crown Vic was so popular was its die-hard reliability. Not many vehicles can handle the rigors of taxi life, but the Crown Vic was King of the Cabs from coast to coast.

With its limited driving range (less than half what a typical shift calls for) and long recharging times, the Leaf isn’t likely to be an effective cab in its current form. But, if Nissan could develop a Leaf with 200 miles of range and a charging time of less than 12 hours, electric vehicles could represent a huge leap in terms of cabbie technology.

EV Cabs Have Advantages….And A Range Problem

The inherent advantages of electric vehicles, cheap cost and few moving parts, would represent a major windfall for taxi cab operators. The two biggest costs of business are fuel and repairs, and with gas still over $3.50 a gallon in many areas, taxi services have had to increase their prices just to make ends meet. A reliable, longer-range electric vehicle, even if it cost twice what a normal cab costs, would definitely pay for itself in the long run.

Perhaps Tesla should consider a special utilitarian version of the Model S sedan for fleet services. Even the base model has a 160 mile range, and the mid-range model with 220 miles would be more than enough for most cabbies. Plus it looks a hell of a lot better than either the NV or Leaf cabs. Of course, I imagine the fare wouldn’t be too cheap either. I think it is only a matter of time before electric vehicles start filling in for taxis on New York’s streets. The real question who will be the first company to convince cabbies to go electric? Because whoever can do that can capture a huge slice of the fleet sales pie, which will go a long way towards electric vehicle acceptance en masse.

How long do you think it is before we start seeing electric cabs on the streets of New York City?

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

The cleantech industry as a whole, and the electric vehicle industry in particular, have been in the news nearly every day since Solyndra went bust, and not in a good way. The media and blogosphere are repeatedly asking the question, Which company will be the next recipient of money from the Department of Energy to crash and burn?

While this is a natural follow-up story for journalists (I confess, I was a card-carrying member of the Fourth Estate for nearly two decades) to pursue, the circumstances around the electric vehicle (EV) industry are very different. While some of the companies who have received DOE loans or grants will inevitably falter, it is way too early to cast aspersions on companies like Fisker and Tesla, or on the industry as a whole.

Rightly or wrongly, the Obama industry has made nurturing an industry for manufacturing plug-in vehicles and batteries a top priority of its stimulus program. If you don’t believe that the government should be involved in supporting the R&D efforts of new technologies (especially those that will reduce carbon emissions), than read no further. But if you believe that having an EV industry in the U.S. is worthy of taxpayer investment, you’ll have to be patient to reach a verdict.

Simply put, there would be not be much of an EV or battery industry to speak of in the U.S. without the help of the DOE, and Japan, Korea, and the European Union would be left to run grow the industry. It’s fair to say that that road would be much more challenging without U.S. automakers involved, and thousands of jobs would not have been created.

The focus post-Solyndra has been on Fisker and Tesla, and with both companies more than a year away from shipping their first vehicles targeted at less than the ultra-rich, you’d have to score the impact of those loans as incomplete. For a full picture, we should also be looking at all of the auto manufacturers and battery makers who have received grants and loans since the loan program and bailouts were started by the Bush Administration in 2008. These include:

- Nissan: Received a $1.4 billion loan to retrofit plants for EVs in Tennessee . They are selling the Leaf (made in Japan today) and will shift production in 2012-13.

- Ford: Received a $5.9 billion loan for retrofit factories in several states for more fuel efficient technology. They have announced several new plug-in vehicles (C-Max Energi, Focus Electric) that will be made here. As shown below, Ford is expected to have the largest share of the PEV market beginning in 2013. - General Motors: Earlier this year, the company withdrew a $14.4 billion loan application for retooling because the company had turned around its finances sufficiently using the previously allocated bailout loan of $50 billion. In addition to the Volt, GM recently announced the production of the Chevrolet Spark EV and Cadillac Converj.

- Chrysler: Received $7.6 in bailout loans in 2008-9. The company applied for an AVTM loan, but has been waiting for a decision from the DOE for well more than a year. Chrysler’s commitment to vehicle electrification under the Fiat regime has been underwhelming by comparison, so perhaps the DOE is looking for stronger action before pledging funds.

The 2009 ARRA program awarded grants of $1.5 billion to 19 companies that produce or assemble vehicle batteries or their components. Manufacturing has recently started or will do so shortly at many of those plants, including facilities owned by Johnson Controls, A123 Systems, Compact Power , Dow Kokam and Exide, which has brought jobs to Michigan, Tennessee, Indiana, Oregon, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

Among the battery companies that received grants, EnerDel has had the most troubles. The company’s battery manufacturing was linked to a deal to provide equipment to EV company Think, which has been through several bankruptcies and recently received yet another life-saving loan, this time from Russia.

We are in beginning of a 500-lap race to determine if EVs will be successful in the United States and globally, so it’s extremely premature to judge how successful or not the federal government’s investments will be. Just because a company or two blew a tire in the first lap doesn’t mean the entire race is a failure.

Photo by Simon Yeo/flickr/Creative Commons

John Gartner is a senior analyst at Pike Research and a co-founder of Matter Network.

by Christopher DeMorro

Is it fair to say at this point that Nissan is all-in on electric vehicles? It seems more and more like the Japanese automaker is banking heavily on EV’s, and yesterday Nissan announced that by 2016 it plans to sell 1.5 million zero-emissions hybrids and electric vehicles by 2016 with its French partner, Renault.

Small Slice Of A Big Pie

Nissan Leaf sales worldwide broke 15,000 for the year this month, and Nissan is also working on a dedicated hybrid drivetrain and more electric vehicle projects. By 2016, Nissan estimates that it will have sold 1.5 million zero-emissions vehicles across the globe. Last year Nissan-Renault sold 7.27 million vehicles, accounting for 10.3 percent of global car sales. That would mean that over the next five years, if Nissan continues to sell about 7 million vehicles annually, by 2016 just 4 percent of their sales would have been of the zero-emissions vehicle type.

Not such bold sales forecasts now, is it? In fact, that falls right in line with private industry estimates that say only between 2 percent and 4 percent of consumers are truly serious about buying electric cars right now. So if anything, Nissan’s estimates are on the high side of a very low number. And most of those vehicles will probably be of the electric type, since Nissan’s hybrid offerings don’t really stack up compared to the market leaders.

Betting the Farm And the Auto Factory

None the less, Nissan has sunk billions into electric vehicle development for such a small slice of the sales pie. And if the investment in electric cars does not pay off, they could suddenly find themselves at a severe disadvantage if the market decides that hybrids, diesels, or more-efficient gas engines are the better value. This is the kind of move that could, in the long run, bankrupt a company.

But I am getting way ahead of myself. 2012 and 2013 are going to prove to be watershed years for electric vehicles, as there will be actual choices and national rollouts. Once electric cars are in every showroom of every automaker…how will consumers respond? For Nissan’s sake, let’s hope they respond better than predicted.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

by Susanna Schick

This is one sequel where you don’t have to see the first movie, but it certainly helps. Watching “Who Killed The Electric Car” first will give you an idea of how hopeless the EV industry was only 5 years ago. In the mid-90s, California had mandated that a certain percentage of all vehicles sold in the state be EV’s. The major automakers complied, but only leased the vehicles, meanwhile lobbying their hearts out to get the law rescinded. When they were successful, they collected and destroyed the leased EV’s, while also successfully lobbying to get tax credits in place for their high-profit, low-MPG light trucks.

Now it’s time for Revenge…Revenge of the Electric Car, Now Showing

Fast forward not too far into the future, and you’ll learn why GM developed the Chevy Volt, the Hell Tesla went through to even get any vehicles delivered to customers, and Carlos Ghosn’s exceptionally bold strategy to beat the competition. He certainly succeeded, as I saw more Nissan LEAF’s at the Plug In Day Parade last week than any other brand. At less than $30,000 after tax credits, it’s no wonder they’ve got such a long waiting list. Their Drive Across America Tour continues through January.

The film was exceptionally well done, far more riveting (and of course more uplifting) than “Who Killed.” It followed the rise of four automakers- Tesla, GM, Nissan and Left Coast Electric, as they developed their cars. Then it did an excellent job of conveying the challenges each of them faced during the recession. From GM’s executives flying private jets to Washington to beg for handouts to Reverend Gadget having to start all over after his workshop was decimated by vandals to Elon Musk’s well publicized difficulties getting the Teslas to market.

Then there was the redemption/salvation as the economy started to pick up, things turned around for each of the star players, and if last weekend’s parades throughout the nation are any indication, the industry is definitely hitting its stride. The movie was very engaging, uplifting and beautifully shot. At the Q&A afterward, Director Chris Paine explained that Elon Musk and Bob Lutz had both refused to be interviewed together. So the director engineered a chance meeting at the Detroit Auto Show, where the two automakers happened to pass by the Nissan LEAF. You’ll have to see the film to find out what ensues…

The Airstream Lounge and EV Charging Lot

After the screening, we adjourned to a parking lot around the corner to see Reverend Gadget’s converted Porsche, Chris Paine’s Tesla, and other EV’s present. I especially love the creative license plates I see on some of them around LA: CHAARGE, LOL GAS, and more. Brandon pulled up on his Zero S electric motorcycle and immediately drew a crowd. It was great to see so many people who might never dare to ride show an interest in a motorcycle. As much as I’d love to see all commuter cars converted to electric, I’d rather see more Angelenos on two wheels. It’s more fun and if more of us rode, there’d be less traffic.

I also asked Reverend Gadget to tell me more about his plans for Left Coast Electric, as they’re quite interesting…

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

by Christopher DeMorro

For all their similarities to regular automobiles, electric vehicles have plenty of their own quirks that require creative solutions. For example, you can’t just buy a can of electroncs to refill your EV if you run out of energy. But a Swiss firm has developed a portable fast charging station that could save stranded EV drivers. Or not.

The 20 kilowatt EVTEC Moble Fast Charger unit, which costs about $20,000, can be plugged into any 400 watt electrical source, turning into something of a movable feast for EV’s. No, it’s not a self-contained charger with one-board battery pack. But, if there is a high-voltage outlet nearby, the EVTEC can be plugged in, becomming an easy to set-up (and move) rapid charging station. Easier than say, installing an immobile charging station like so many cities are setting up.

Ideally, I could see one of these hooked up to a large battery truck, driving around to save EV drivers who drove outside of their range and wound up stranded on the side of the road. As a replacement for more permanent EV fixtures? Probably not. But a neat idea to be sure.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

by Jo Borras

What you see here is the 1986 VW “Scooter” concept car, first seen at that year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. This little car – I think you’ll agree – is something really special, and (unless you share an apartment with David Hasselhoff or drive a gold Porsche 924) it is surely the most awesomely 80?s German thing you’ve seen all week!

Powered by VW’s then-new 1.4L engine, the small 2-seater offered brisk performance and acceleration, courtesy of its low weight and the engine’s solid low-end torque. The little engine could pull the Scooter to a top speed of more than 130 mph (about the same as an ’86 Mustang or Camaro), all while delivering fuel economy well in excess of 40 mpg … and this compact commuter was built twenty-five (25) years ago!

This little VW, then, is the great grand-daddy of cars like VW’s ultra-efficient, 260 mpg XL1 trike and the minimalist electric Nils (which is being marketed as more “motorcycle” than “car”), and deserves some appropriate, green-pioneer reverie, don’t you think?

VW agrees, and the car currently resides at the VW Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany, where it was recently restored to the excellent running condition you see here – which is excellent enough, apparently, to merit a photo shoot with HP Baxxter, of the German techno group Scooter (really).

Try to enjoy that, I guess?

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

Panasonic Corp will supply the lithium-ion battery cells for the first sedan made by Tesla Motors, the companies said on Tuesday.

Panasonic is to supply enough cells for 80,000 Tesla Model S vehicles over the next four years, including meeting Tesla's need for 6,000 preorders in 2012, the companies said.

"This supply agreement helps ensure Tesla will meet its costs and margin targets for Model S," said a statement from Panasonic and Tesla.

Panasonic has supplied Tesla with battery cells since 2009, when Tesla produced only the Roadster, which has a price tag ranging from $109,000 to more than $140,000. The Model S sedan base model will be priced at $57,400, before a $7,500 federal tax credit and other incentives.

About two weeks ago, Tesla showed off a production prototype of the Model S to customers who reserved the vehicle in advance.

In 2010, Panasonic invested $30 million in Tesla to "deepen the partnership and foster the growth of the electric vehicle industry," the joint statement said. Also in 2010, Toyota said it would take a $50 million stake in Tesla.

Tesla co-founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk said Panasonic's participation was an "endorsement of our technology."

Tesla supplies powertrains and batteries to Toyota Motor Corp and to Daimler AG.

Photo by dennis crowley/flickr/Creative Commons

Reprinted with permission from Reuters