Posts Tagged ‘plug-in electric car’

Consumers Are Coming Around on Electric Vehicles

WebProNews

By

https://www.webpronews.com/consumers-are-coming-around-on-electric-vehicles-2013-11

Consumers Are Coming Around on Electric Vehicles

As prices drop and technologies improve, electric vehicles are now set to become a mainstay on U.S. roads and even in the U.S. military.  Though adoption rates for the technology are clearly on the way up, manufacturers will still have to convince Americans that electric vehicles are cost effective, safe, and reliable.

Market research firm Navigant Research today released a survey report showing that American opinions on alternative-fuel vehicles are steadily improving.  The firm found that around 67% of those surveyed now view hybrid vehicles favorably and that 61% now view plug-in electric vehicles favorably.  Natural gas vehicles were also found to be viewed favorably by around 56% of those surveyed.

The survey also found that consumers looking for alternative-fuel vehicles are most concerned about saving money.  Fuel efficiency was a top concern for potential buyers, followed by other factors such as performance and the size of such vehicles.

Though the industry has obviously hit a tipping point, Navigant also found that manufacturers will have to work hard to build awareness for their brands.  The survey found that less than half (44%) of respondents knew of the Chevrolet Volt.  Awareness for other brands was even lower, with less than 33% having knowledge of the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf, and BMW i3.

“Two-thirds of consumers surveyed stated that they believe EVs have unique features that stand out from their gasoline counterparts, and 6 out of 10 agreed that EVs are much less expensive to own in the long run than gasoline cars,” said Dave Hurst, principal research analyst at Navigant.  “While those are encouraging numbers, it’s clear that automakers still have a long way to go in marketing these vehicles to the wider car-buying public.”

(Image courtesy Tesla Motors)

 

These 5 things need to happen before electric cars really go mainstream

By Lydia DePillis, Published: September 19 at 4:18 pm

The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/19/these-5-things-need-to-happen-before-electric-cars-really-go-mainstream/

In 1997, the world’s first real consumer-oriented electric car — the Prius — debuted in Japan. Sixteen years and many new models later, electric cars have stayed stubbornly at about 2 percent of global sales for light vehicles, which Navigant Research projects will only grow to 3 percent by 2020. Tesla may be doing well, but their $70,000 car won’t reach the masses anytime soon. Chevrolet’s Volt has had a rough ride, sales of Nissan’s Leaf have disappointed, several battery companies have failed, and Israel’s battery-swapping BetterPlace went under. Just this week, a car charging company that had received a $99 million federal grant went bankrupt.

But the sector is far from dead. The past few weeks have seen something of a boom in rollouts of new electric cars: General Motors is developing a $30,000 vehicle that can go 200 miles on a single charge, BMW is plans to launch the i3 this fall, and Volkswagen says it will bring an electric compact to the United States within two years. The all-electric Fiat just went on sale. Cadillac, Audi and Mercedes have prototypes as well.

Is the sudden proliferation a sign that electric cars are actually moving into the fast lane? Maybe. But there are still a bunch of pieces that need to fall into place before we’ll see very widespread adoption. Here’s what has to happen.

1. Batteries need to get cheaper. 

A battery for an electric car still costs as much as most regular cars — about $12,000 – $15,000 each. As Brad wrote back in May, that’s in part because they’re not like computer chips: You can only fit so many ions in the available space, so we’ll need a real chemistry breakthrough to increase their energy density.

It’s possible, though, that this is just a question of scale. McKinsey thinks the cost of batteries could be cut in half by 2020, as more factories come online to produce them, and Deutsche Bank sees car batteries declining in price the same way laptop batteries did. If China gets serious about reducing emissions, the scale problem could be solved — the problem then would be keeping up with demand.

2. Drivers need to believe they won’t be stranded.

Right now, only California has a substantial number of charging stations, which means it’s difficult to take a long-distance drive with your plug-in electric car. The Department of Energy dispensed a few million dollars for charging stations, but they can’t pay for all that are needed — the Center for Automotive Research estimates that charging infrastructure costs $2,160 per hybrid electric vehicle. In California, employers are increasingly offering charging stations to their staff, and NRG is starting to sell stations to anybody else who wants them. But it’s not like a gas station, where you can make a living selling fuel — these will have to be installed as amenities in workplaces and residences, or as part of government-driven efforts to string them along highways.

If electric vehicles really replace millions of gas-powered ones, they’ll also start to suck up more electricity than the grid can handle, which makes distributed generation — wind and solar energy, for example — much more important.

3. Policy supports need to expand, and not disappear unpredictably.

Over the years, America’s federal and state governments have enacted quite a few supportive policies for alternative energy — tax incentives, direct subsidies, fuel economy and renewable portfolio standards, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, etc. Particularly important, right now, is a California rule that actually requires large auto manufacturers to either produce zero emissions vehicles or buy credits from those who do. While it would help to see those kinds of programs be implemented on a federal level or even by more states, the fact that they exist in one of the United States’s biggest markets will kick-start production.

People in the alternative fuel industry know that incentives, which currently make electric cars much cheaper than they’d otherwise be, won’t stick around forever. Unpredictable disappearances, though, can be devastating. That’s what happened repeatedly to the wind industry, as tax credits expired again and again during partisan energy policy fights in Washington:

Screen Shot 2013-09-19 at 2.52.39 PM“Policy certainty is necessary for a length of time,” says Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Clean Energy Program at the Pew Charitable Trusts, which put out a report after hearing from the industry. “They said, ‘We only want it until we become cost competitive. And then, let us go.'”

4. Gas prices need to get high and stay high.

Auto manufacturers convince customers that the higher sticker price of an electric vehicle pays for itself over time through savings on gasoline, and that calculus looks better the more expensive gas gets. Unfortunately for the near term future of electric cars, gas is projected to stay steady for a while, which means batteries need to get cheap as quickly as possible.

chart

5. More people need to try electric cars.

People who’ve driven electric cars tend to understand they’re a lot like regular ones. Car sharing programs like Zipcar, which have introduced some electric vehicles as part of their fleets, are a good way to make the introduction.

“It’s one of the things that we see when we ask people about these technologies. If people have seen and experienced technologies, they are much more likely to consider them,” says Pew’s Cuttino. “If you are out west and you see a million wind turbines, you’re going to understand wind energy.”

Electric Race Car Victorious In Student Motorsport Event

By

July 13, 2013

Green Car Reports
AMZ Racing Team's Formula Student electric racing car (Image: AMZ Racing Team)
AMZ Racing Team’s Formula Student electric racing car (Image: AMZ Racing Team)

Want to know where the next generation of race car engineers are going to come from?

Chances are they’ll have taken part in one of the many Formula Student at some point, open to student engineers all over the world with the aim of building and racing a single-seater racing car.

This year–for the first time ever–an electric vehicle has won the UK competition, reports Earth Techling.

In fact, electric cars came first and second, suggesting something of a paradigm shift in the competition–usually dominated by gasoline-powered racers, is this year simply a one-off or the start of electric car dominance?

First place was taken by the AMZ Racing Team from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, followed by German team UAS Zwickau. Cars are judged over a series of different events, including a figure of eight, autocross, acceleration tests, and a 13-mile endurance event.

Additionally, teams are judged on the cars themselves, industry specialists analyzing the engineering and design, a cost and sustainability analysis, a business presentation and a technical and safety inspection.

1,000 points are up for grabs across the car and performance disciplines, the Swiss team taking an impressive 921.3 points overall. UAS Zwickau followed with 851.5 points.

All the more impressive is the fact that just five years ago, teams fielding electric vehicles weren’t even able to complete the endurance section of the event. Ironically, it was hot conditions–not usually favored by electric vehicles–that took out some of this year’s gasoline favorites.

The results certainly bode well for future Formula Student events, but the organizers aren’t ready to let electric vehicles walk away with things.

“We are delighted by this progress but we will have to see what needs to be done in the future to ensure petrol cars remain competitive,” said Formula Student Chairman, Jon Hilton.

We’re sure many major automakers are thinking along similar lines…

Tesla wins in North Carolina, Paves the Way for Direct-to-Consumer Sales

By: posted Jun 27th, 2013

 

Tesla Motors continues to buck the odds, celebrating a major victory in the North Carolina Senate this week. The North Carolina Automobile Dealers — concerned about competition — set its sights on the green car company last month when it endorsed a bill that would’ve significantly curtailed Tesla’s ability to sell vehicles in the state. The legislation, supported by the Senate’s Commerce Committee, targeted direct-to-consumer sales which eliminate the need for dealerships. But Elon Musk and friends proved that it wouldn’t be quite so easy to squeeze them out of NCAD’s territory — Tesla took both North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and House Speaker Thom Tillis on test drives to show off the car’s capabilities. Musk’s strategy seems to have paid off, as the North Carolina House of Representatives struck down the bill on Tuesday. With another victory under its belt, Tesla’s upward momentum shows few signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Via: Autoblog Green

Source: News & Observer

Six New Plug-In Electric Cars Coming For 2014

By Green Car Report

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083492_six-new-plug-in-electric-cars-coming-for-2014

This is an exciting time for electric car enthusiasts. From just a handful of choices only a few years ago, buyers in some states now have access to as many as a dozen different plug-in vehicles.

It’s set to get even better–over the course of the next few years, another six electric vehicles are on the way. Here’s our full run-down of the most important plug-in vehicles debuting over the next year.

The 2014 BMW i3 electric car isn’t just important, it’s exciting too–and it’s nice to be able to say that about a new electric car.

BMW has explored electric vehicles before with thorough testing programs–significantly, the MINI E and BMW ActiveE electric vehicles–and that knowledge is helping develop the i3, a compact car based on a dedicated platform. A range-extended model will also be available, to quell those with range anxiety.

It’s high-tech too, with a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) unibody, and the i3’s minimalist innards are trimmed in sustainable materials. It’s all very futuristic, yet as tasteful and considered as any internally-combusting BMW.

And if the i3 isn’t exciting enough, the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car will arrive shortly after…

2014 Cadillac ELR
2014 Cadillac ELR

Back when Chevy launched the Volt range-extended electric car, it promised the Voltec powertrain would appear in other vehicles.

Well, this is the first “other vehicle” it’s appearing in–the 2014 Cadillac ELR. Behind the sharp-suited Cadillac styling is a thoroughly modern drivetrain, utilizing the same 1.4-liter gasoline engine as the Volt, and a similar electric drivetrain.

We say “similar” because to suit the Caddy’s upmarket status, ELR drivers do get a little more power and torque than their Volt counterparts. They also get two fewer doors, turning the ELR into a sleek and distinctive coupe. Electric range stays the same though, at around 35 miles. Deliveries should begin early 2014.

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV
2014 Chevrolet Spark EV

Initially, we suspected the Chevy Spark EV to be one of the small but growing range of “compliance cars”–electric vehicles designed and built solely to meet California’s requirements for electric vehicle sales.

Thankfully, that isn’t the case–Chevrolet is actually rather serious about the Spark EV, and as well as making it available beyond just west coast markets, they’ve thoroughly re-engineered the gasoline Spark for its new electric powertrain.

The styling differences are subtle–some blue paint here, a Volt-style grille there–but under the skin it’s a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. A 110 kW (130 horsepower) electric motor gives it far more shove than the gasoline model, and its 400 pounds-feet torque output matches that of a Ferrari 458 Italia supercar.

The Spark EV will go on sale in several U.S. markets, as well as Canada, South Korea and Europe. U.S. pricing starts at under $32,500, pre-incentives.

2013 Fiat 500e live photos, 2012 L.A. Auto Show
2013 Fiat 500e live photos, 2012 L.A. Auto Show

At 108 MPGe highway, Fiat’s 2013 500e electric car is the most efficient highway vehicle on sale in the U.S. It also manages an official 87 miles of range, greater than that of other similarly-sized electric cars and more even than some larger models.

While the 500’s retro looks will always be an acquired taste, it’s one of the more visually interesting electric cars on sale too. Not just thanks to its eye-searing orange paintwork, but also for the aerodynamic wheels, large white front grille and other white detailing.

Inside there’s plenty of white and orange trim too, while the usual 500 dual-layer instrument dials are replaced by a TFT screen showing car data. A four-button console occupies the space you’d usually find a gear shifter. Like the BMW i3, customers will also get the use of a free loaner vehicle for longer journeys.

It’s just a pity then that, despite all the effort Fiat and Chrysler have put into the 500e, that this one will remain a compliance car–so good luck getting your hands on one outside of California.

Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid, 2012 Paris Motor Show
Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid, 2012 Paris Motor Show

Mitsubishi is in the doldrums in the U.S. market, with low sales and a range of vehicles that do little to capture the imagination.

Perhaps the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid will change that, with more modern looks and a significantly greener powertrain than previous Outlanders. Under the hood there’s a 2.0-liter gasoline engine, but twin 60-kilowatt electric motors–one for each axle–provide a healthy 245 pounds-feet of torque in electric-only mode.

Electric range in EPA testing is unconfirmed, but based on the Japanese 35-mile estimate, we’re expecting a more realistic 20-25 mile range. Once that’s depleted, you still have the engine providing backup power–though the Outlander can operate in series or parallel hybrid modes too.

2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive

Soonest to appear of all the electric vehicles above is the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive.

It may look like any other Fortwo, but this is now the third generation of the company’s diminutive electric car and happily, it’s also the best. It’s a large step up from previous models with far better performance, a smoother drive and greater potential range.

It’s also the cheapest electric car on sale in the U.S, starting at $25,750 before incentives. For those able to claim the full $7,500 Federal tax credit and California’s $2,500 purchase rebate, you’re looking at a brand-new, $15,750 electric car.

Top speed is 78 mph and it’ll do 60 mph in under 12 seconds, so drivers won’t feel too out of depth on the highway. The Electric Drive’s biggest success though is how much better (and quicker) it is than the jerky gasoline version–proof that some vehicles are just meant to be electric.

 

Why Plug-in Hybrids Will Pave the Way for 100% Electric Cars

Posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2013 at 2:30 pm by Solar Energy USA
Written by Perry Bell, President and CEO of Solar Energy USA

What are the real issues of electric cars today? The answer is nothing different from any new technology. If you look at any everyday technological advancement like computers, cell phones, etc., what was once large in size and cost is now smaller and more affordable. The same is true with cars, but one difference to other technologies is that a car’s fuel source has been owned by large industries that help support and run our country. This fuel source ownership heavily influences our government to meet their interest – a big hurdle but one that isn’t insurmountable. The unique aspect of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles that threaten the residual fuel economy is the need for electricity instead.

Electric vehicle battery technology is constantly improving and will eventually meet and exceed 100% of any driving desire or need. Plug-in hybrid cars are a great multi-year segue into accommodating infrastructure to support electric cars. The mentality that there is no better way than what we are doing now will not survive ingenuity, and will progress into eventually leaving those who don’t grow behind. With a plug-in hybrid, you can recharge (refuel) at home or only when you want and not have limitations because the car is a hybrid with great fuel efficiency when not using an electric charge. You could drive within the electric range and seldom ever use petroleum fuel. No matter what you do, this will dramatically reduce the current demand for petroleum. And while this is happening, the same battery that only went 40 miles last year will now go 60 miles just one year later. That cycle will eventually be a number that doesn’t limit someone’s journey, just like anyone who needs a gas station today.

People are creatures of habit. If you look at where you drive on a daily and weekly basis, with few exceptions, there is a great deal of consistency. There is a point and range that will make sense for you if that point is not already currently available. I write this message from experience of driving a plug-in hybrid for the last year and a half. Also, I travel with a non-plug-in hybrid and I race petroleum fueled cars. My goal isn’t environmental, though that is a great byproduct. My decision revolves around independence and financial logic.

I’m writing this article as a republican embarrassed that the left wing is leading the charge in progress, which is the backbone of this country, without financial guidance. The only brainwashed response I hear from my voting group is that it is not viable and we should explore something else. I do not want to put the oil workers out of work, but the current situation is no different than the blacksmith or farrier who put horseshoes on horses when the car came along – that occupation evolved into being a mechanic. I also don’t want to send friends and family members to the Middle East just so I can fill up my car. If Americans reduce our need for petroleum enough, we can service our own demand with our current supply.

The political decisions based around petroleum and our country’s need for fuel is unhealthy. As an individual, I can create my own fuel for my plug-in hybrid through solar technology at my house, which I do, and I can also use solar energy to offset my electricity usage from the power company. Comparing the cost of petroleum against the cost of my solar system (without any incentives) gives me a 2.5 year payback. At that point, my plug-in hybrid’s fuel source is free. As you can see, solar power has the potential to be a disruptive technology, and this can be a problem for our country’s residual revenue with respect to political special interests. However, it may not be as bad as it seems once things evolve.

Like many others in America you may wait for the answers, but I already have mine. I know that renewable energy and electric cars can help create a better America for ourselves and for future generations.

Perry Bell is President and CEO of Solar Energy USA, a national solar integrator specializing in Affordable Solar Solutions.

Tesla Model X Electric Crossover Revealed

By Brad Berman · February 10, 2012

Tesla Model XThe Tesla Model X is scheduled for production in late 2013.

The much-hyped Tesla Model X was revealed last night at Tesla’s Los Angeles design center. The all-electric crossover utility vehicle will be built on the same platform as the automaker’s Model S sedan. Few new details emerged from the unveiling, but now EV fans have a glimpse of the Model X design.

 

Tesla Model X

The Model X reportedly zips from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately 4.4 seconds—and is projected to carry a price tag roughly in the same neighborhood as the automaker’s Model S sedan. That means the base-level price is somewhere in the range of $55,000 to $75,000. According to Elon Musk, Tesla chief executive officer, the Tesla Model X will top out at a price that’s close to $100,000, and will be offered in an all-wheel-drive version.

 

The unique features of the Model X include its falcon doors, and its ability to transport seven individuals in relative comfort. The Model X offers two trunks, with one underneath the bonnet and the other located under the vehicle’s rear hatch.

 

Tesla Model XThe “falcon” doors allows the Model X to park in the tightest of spaces.

Like the Model S, Tesla’s electric crossover will be fitted with a selection of battery packs, either with 60 kWh or 85 kWh of energy storage. Range is expected at between 210 to 270 miles, depending on battery size—lower than the Tesla Model S due to the crossover’s additional weight.

 

Tesla Model XThe interior of the Model X will closely resemble the Model S.

The Model X will enter the production cycle in late 2013 with full production set for 2014. Tesla starts taking online reservations for Model X today.

 

Tesla Model X