Electric Cars Report

GM Increases Chevrolet Volt Production 50 Percent

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:32:21 +0000

General Motors today said that it will increase the production capacity of the Chevrolet Volt in 2012 from 30,000 cars to 45,000.

The announcement came as U.S. President Barack Obama toured the Detroit-Hamtramck facility, where the Chevrolet Volt is being produced now for sale later this year.

The expanded U.S. production capacity is the latest in a series of positive developments for the Chevrolet Volt.

This week, participating Chevrolet dealers in launch markets began taking customer orders for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, following the release of retail and lease pricing.

The brand also recently announced battery and vehicle limited warranties to bring value and peace of mind to Volt customers. And the number of U.S. launch markets for the vehicle recently was raised from three to seven. In the past few weeks, more than 25,000 people have joined the Chevrolet Volt enthusiast list.

The Volt offers a total driving range of about 340 miles and is powered by electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the vehicle drives gas- and tailpipe-emissions-free using electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered, engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank.

The Detroit-Hamtramck plant received $336 million in new investment to prepare for production of the Volt, part of more than $700 million GM has invested in eight Michigan facilities to support Volt production since 2008. This includes a 33,000 square-foot battery systems lab in Warren; a battery assembly facility in Brownstown Township; and supporting engine and stamping operations in Grand Blanc, Bay City, and three plants in Flint.

Nissan Opens LEAF General Public Reservations in Europe

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:34:43 +0000

Nissan Europe is opening open order books today for Nissan LEAF in Portugal and the Republic of Ireland.

Nissan’s additional lead market for electric cars in Europe, the UK, has also confirmed that pre-orders will commence on September 1.

The ordering process is a first step in securing a place on the list to receive the electric Nissan LEAF and means Portuguese, Irish and British customers will be first in line to receive the car in Europe when it launches early next year. Nissan LEAF deliveries begin in Portugal in January, Ireland in February and the UK in March.

Nissan LEAF will be priced at under €30,000 after incentives in most of its European launch markets. This means that the LEAF electric car will be costlier in Europe than in the U.S. even with incentives. Nissan set the LEAF price at $32,780 (€25,800) before a federal tax credit of $7,500 (€5,900).

Since March, nearly 12,000 customers in Europe have signed up for regular updates on Nissan LEAF’s introduction, and in the US and Japan pre-orders have exceeded 23,000 units since online reservations began in April.

Such high demand has meant the Nissan LEAF will launch slightly later than planned in the Netherlands. Sales are now expected to start in June 2011, with pre-orders opening to customers in October this year. All other market launch dates remain unchanged.

To make a reservation, customers will be required to pay a €300 reservation fee, which is fully refundable. These ‘early adopters’ will also be given an opportunity to test-drive Nissan LEAF thoroughly by December, at which point they will need to formally confirm their order.

Panasonic Takes Full Control of Sanyo

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:38:43 +0000

Panasonic, the world’s largest maker of rechargeable batteries, will spend $9.4 billion to buy out minority shareholders in two subsidiaries specializing, solar cells, electric car batteries and other green technology.

Panasonic, which currently owns 50.5% of Sanyo and 51% of Panasonic Electric Works, said the acquisitions are part of its effort toward becoming the “No. 1 green innovation company in the electronics industry.”
Last year, Panasonic spent $4.6 billion to secure a controlling stake in Sanyo Electric which is among the top lithium-ion battery makers in the world. Panasonic Electric Works makes lighting equipment, sensors and other components.

Panasonic has a joint venture with Toyota Motor Corp. to produce batteries for hybrids and electric vehicles.

Sanyo currently supplies nickel-metal hydride batteries to Honda and Ford for vehicles sold in the North American market and reportedly plans to supply Toyota as well.

Sanyo will also provide its nickel-metal hydride cells for Peugeot 3008 crossover and the Citroen DS5 models which the French carmaker plans to launch in 2011.

The company, which has also agreed on joint lithium-ion battery development with German’s Volkswagen AG, is likely to be expanding partnerships with other automakers.

[source: Panasonic via Pure Green Cars]

Porsche Approves 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid for Production

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:02:35 +0000

Porsche’s supervisory board approved production of the Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid supercar.

The announcement came just two days after German carmaker confirmed it’s working on a pure-electric version of the Boxster sports car.

By late April, Porsche has reportedly recorded nearly 900 potential buyers at least 2,000 non-binding submissions of interest for its 918 Spyder hybrid concept.

Porsche, which unveiled the 918 Spyder hybrid at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, said it will move forward with a production 918 Spyder if that number crosses the 1,000 threshold. It now looks like the 1,000-mark has been cleared.

Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG: “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base.”

The 918 Spyder concept combines high-performance mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid combines high-tech breakthroughs in engine technology and electro-mobility with a truly fascinating range of further qualities. Emissions otherwise to be found only on a super-mini of just 70 g/km CO2 with three liters fuel consumption for 100 kilometers in the NEDC (equal to 94.1 UK mpg or 73.5 mpg U.S.), are combined with the performance of a super sportscar developing well over 600 horsepower.

The 918 Spyder supercar will be developed Weissach and built in Zuffenhausen in Germany. Further product details of the 918 Spyder will be disclosed in the months to come.

Seoul Starts Installation of Electric Car Chargers

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:45:50 +0000

South Korean capital Seoul plans to install more than 100 electric car charging points until the end of this year in an effort to promote use of zero-emission vehicles.

The city, which is also trialing hybrid taxis, launched a partnership with three large Seoul-based retailers to roll out the chargers in supermarkets as well as city government district offices.

Under the agreement, visitors of the Lotte Mart, E-Mart, Home Plus and Bokwang Family Mart stores will be able to recharge their electric cars for free until the end of this year. Both the city government and the businesses, however, agreed to join efforts to extend free EV recharging service in the future and further prioritize electric car drivers.

The city government is working to secure enough parking spaces to accommodate minimum two electric vehicles and at least one charging station at each of Seoul 25 district offices.

Lotte Mart, E-Mart, Home Plus and Bokwang Family Mart stores will all install EV charging points for their customers, while the city’s 25 district offices will install chargers capable of recharging two vehicles at a time.

In order to make electric vehicle charging service available for wider audience, the city government also signed an agreement with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority last year, to manufacture five highway speed electric vehicles.

The electric vehicles can run 180km (111 miles) per charging and its top speed marks at 150km/h (95mph). Once certified by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the electric vehicles will be used to monitor and control air pollution in town.

UK Government Confirms Electric Car Grant

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:11:11 +0000

Motorists in the UK who buy a plug-in electric car from January next year will get a grant worth up to £5,000, the new government confirmed today.

Transport secretary, Philip Hammond, confirmed that from next year, motorists will be entitled to a ‘Plug-In Car Grant’ of up to £5,000 when buying a plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel-cell or electric car.

The move ends speculation that the grant, proposed by the last government, would be cut as part of the new government’s austerity cutbacks.

Carmakers had been putting pressure on the new government to announce the electric car subsidy and had warned the UK would not be attractive for new technology auto investment without it.

The government has earmarked £43 million for the scheme, which means anyone who buys an electric plug-in car from next January will get a 25% discount up to a maximum of £5,000.

Enterprise to Rent-Out Nissan LEAFs

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:11:18 +0000

Enterprise Holdings Inc., operator of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo and National car rental lots, is buying 500 Nissan LEAF electric cars for use in the rental-car company’s U.S. operations.

Delivery of 500 Nissan LEAFs will begin in January 2011 and will continue throughout the year.

In addition to the LEAFs, the company will offer customers electric cars from other manufacturers as they become available.

The sale of LEAF electric cars to Enterprise is the second such arrangement for Nissan, which said in February it would supply LEAFs to Hertz Global Holdings for use in rental fleets in the U.S. and Europe.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car initially will offer electric cars to customers across eight different markets where the infrastructure exists to support the vehicles, including Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn.; San Diego; Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. Beginning November 2010, charging stations will be installed at select locations, including several of the Enterprise “hybrid branches” – nearly 100 designated locations which offer hybrids and other environmentally-friendly rental options in 30 different markets. Enterprise is rolling the vehicles out to a limited number of branches to ensure that it can properly train its employees to show customers how to use and charge the EVs.

Through its regional subsidiaries, Enterprise Holdings already operates the world’s largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles, including nearly 7,000 gas/electric hybrid cars.

Nissan Leaf Offers Same Battery Warranty as Chevy Volt

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:44:11 +0000

Nissan announced that the Nissan LEAF battery pack will carry the same warranty as GM recently said for the Chevrolet Volt: of 8 years or 100,000 miles.

Nissan came out with the announcement at the same GM was unveiling the pricing for its Volt saying that the car will be available for the same lease price as the LEAF.

The LEAF has a $32,780 base price while the Volt starts at $41,000. Both cars also are eligible for a federal tax credit that will cut their prices by $7,500. The Volt’s price would fall to $33,500 while the LEAF’s would drop to $25,280. Some states, such as California, Georgia and Oregon, offer additional tax breaks that lower the price further.

There are also leasing options available on a 36-month term which will set you back $349/month with an initial payment of $1,999, which is about equal to the Volts’s.

Leasing levels the playing field. If Nissan offers a lease at around $349 a month, that might just about match Chevrolet’s expected $350 a month lease with $2500 down on the Volt.
Nissan puts the LEAF on sale in December and intends to sell 20,000 of the five-door hatchbacks in the U.S. in the first year and then vault up to 150,000 in sales in 2013.

At first, the Nissan LEAF will be available in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee, states representing about 55% of 17,000 reserved vehicles.

Nissan said customers can make firm orders in August. In January, the car will hit markets in Texas and Hawaii. In April, the Leaf will be available in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama.

2011 Chevrolet Volt to Start at $41000

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:40:25 +0000

It’s official: starting this November, GM dealerships in select U.S markets will start selling the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the first mass produced extended-range electric vehicle, at a starting price of $41,000 (including a $720 destination charge).

The effective purchase price with a federal tax credit worth up to $7,500 for the Chevrolet Volt, the price drops to $33,500. Car buyers will have to finance the $41,000 and get the credit back on their next tax return.

GM will also offer leasing option for the Chevrolet Volt available on a 36-month term which will set you back $350/month with an initial payment of $2,500, which is about equal to the Leaf’s.

The carmaker announced the Chevrolet Volt pricing at noon today at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, Calif.

GM is making the pitch that the Volt’s longer driving range on a single charge and tank of gasoline will make it a better buy for most drivers than Nissan’s Leaf.

The Chevy Volt price tag is considerably larger than the electric Nissan Leaf, which is expected to sell for $32,780. Both cars, however, will qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit and there are several states offering additional tax credits that could lower the cost of owning a Volt even more.

The Chevrolet Volt can travel 340 miles on a tank of fuel, with the first 40 in electric drive before a gasoline engine starts to recharge the battery. The Leaf is pure electric and can travel about 100 miles on a charge.

PGE First to Receive Raser E-REV Trucks by End of 2010

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:15:49 +0000

PG&E will be the first company in the U.S. to take delivery of Raser’s new extended range electric (E-REV) fleet trucks, designed to achieve an average of 100 miles per gallon in typical daily driving when recharged at night from a typical household outlet.

The extended range electric pick-up truck can drive the first 40 miles on powerful lithium-ion batteries. It can continue driving over 300 miles by generating its own electricity from a small onboard gasoline-powered generator or “range extender.”

PG&E expects to take delivery of the first two E-REV fleet trucks modified with Raser’s E-REV powertrain for initial testing and demonstration before the end of 2010.

Raser says it plans to offer its E-REV powertrain in both GM and Ford models to accommodate the growing demand for clean vehicles that can capture available federal and state incentives designed to offset the additional cost of electrification.

With a backlog of over 10,000 soft orders for plug-in fleet vehicles already, Raser plans to begin limited delivery to other fleets for field testing as early as 2011. Raser also plans to offer its E-REV powertrain in popular SUV models in the near future.