Barcelona City Hall will be testing these vehicles in its municipal car fleet for an initial six-month trial period, during which SEAT will gather information and assess performance prior to mass production of electric cars.

Within the framework of this strategy, over the past few weeks SEAT has loaned one e-Altea XL to Endesa, and another to the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN); a further two TwinDrive – one to each of the two organisations mentioned – will be made available over the forthcoming weeks. The company is immersed in the first stage of the introduction of an electric car and envisages the loan of further vehicles to different governmental departments, institutions, and private companies interested in eco-friendly fleets over the forthcoming months.

e-Altea and Leon TwinDrive, SEAT’s first electric cars
The Altea XL Electric Ecomotive and the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive are two vehicles with different but complementary technologies. The Altea XL Electric Ecomotive can be used in wide variety of different circumstances, and for that reason is SEAT’s first all-electric car. It has a range of 135 kilometers, a power output of 115 hp (85kW), an engine torque of 270 Nm and a top speed of 135 km/h.

Of the several new features found on it, two of the most striking are battery location under the rear seats and the boot – meaning no reduction in passenger compartment space – and the photovoltaic panels on the roof, cutting energy requirements for the vehicle’s air-conditioning.

The Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive couples the advantages of emission-free driving to the range of a conventional petrol-engine car. The TwinDrive allows for all-electric or hybrid driving, meaning no change whatsoever in driving habits or life style for customers. It has a range of 52 kilometers in electric mode, with a top speed of 120 km/h. In mixed mode (electric and combustion) consumption is 1.7 liters, emissions are under 39 g/km, and top speed is 170 km/h.

SEAT’s commitment to sustainable motoring and environmental protection extends to other brand vehicles already on the market. SEAT has a long track record of producing low-emission cars – for the record, 70% of cars marketed in Spain have emissions below 130 g/km of CO2.

Mitsubishi will be aiming for victory in the Electric Class with the i-MiEV Evolution, a specially-prepared competition version based on the ‘i’ electric car.

Mitsubishi will also be bringing production ‘i’ electric car that has been updated with a more aerodynamic front bumper and new safety equipment.

The i-MiEV Evolution has been developed in cooperation with several partner companies including Meidensha Corporation and GS Yuasa Corporation.

Driving the i-MiEV Evolution in the Pikes Peak event and also serving as team manager will be Mr. Hiroshi Masuoka – the first Japanese driver to post consecutive overall victories in the Dakar Rally. The Mitsubishi i will be piloted by Ms. Beccy Gordon, a winner in the Score International Off-Road Racing Series.

i-MiEV Evolution
Developed for the Pikes Peak event, the i-MiEV Evolution basically uses the same motor, drive battery and other major components as the production i-MiEV fitted to a specially-designed racing-specific body which uses a tube-frame chassis and a carbon fibre cowl among other features designed to reduce weight and improve aerodynamic performance.

Comprising a single motor driving the front and two motors driving the rear wheels, the car’s four-wheel-drive system provides superior motive performance and handling.

L x W x H (mm) 4341 x 1900 x 1339
Occupants 1
Drivetrain 4-wheel drive
Motors Number 3 (1 front, 2 rear)
Max. output (kW) 240 (80 kW x 3)
Drive battery Rated capacity (kWh) 35
Chassis Specially-designed tube frame
Cowl Carbon fibre
Tyres 245/40R18

Mitsubishi ‘i‘
For the Pikes Peak event the production Mitsubishi ‘i’ has been modified using a more aerodynamic front bumper and fitted with roll bars and other safety equipment.

L x W x H (mm) 3675 (+280) x 1585 (+110) x 1615 (+5)
Occupants 4
Drivetrain Rear wheel drive
Motors Number 1
Max. output (kW/rpm) 49 (+2) / 3,000 – 6,000
Drive battery Rated capacity (kWh) 16
Tyres F: 145/65/R15
R: 175/60 (+5)/R15

Tang Zhenping has spend around US$1,600 for three months using scrap parts from a motorcycle and electric scooter to create an electric car which can be charged via the large fan at the front of it.

When the electric car reaches 40mph (64km/h), the blades spring into action and begin generating pollution-free power.

The inventor claims the turbine gives his vehicle three times the battery life of other electric cars. The model has a top speed of 70mph (113km/h).

The farmer says he dreamed of building an electric car for three decades, but was unable to interest government officials or private investors. He now hopes car manufacturers will take an interest in his prototype.

[source: PureGreenCars, Sky News]

BMW will have 240 electric and hybrid cars at the London Olympics this summer as part of the fleet of 4,000 vehicles the German automaker is supplying to the Games.

As Official Automotive Partner to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, BMW is bringing 160 units of the 1 Series ActiveE small family car and 40 of the even smaller Mini E, with another 40 units of the 5 Series Active Hybrid.

When they need to charge up, the electric BMWs will showcase London’s new charging infrastructure – 120 new high speed charge points installed in five key locations such as at ExCeL London.

The rest of the BMW fleet for the Olympics is made up of the 320d EfficientDynamics (1,550 vehicles), 520d Efficient Dynamics (700 vehicles), X3 xDrive 20d (17), X5 xDrive 30d (10) and Mini Countryman Cooper D (200 vehicles), plus another 25 R1200 RT motorcycles and 400 BMW Streetcruiser bicycles.

The fleet will be on call for a wide range of duties during the Games, which open on July 27 and conclude on August 12.

LOCOG’s challenging average fleet emissions target of 120 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer was set far below the UK total new car emissions average of 138 grams CO2 per kilometer / 54.2 mpg.

The BMW and MINI fleet surpasses the target with average CO2 emissions of 116 grams CO2 per kilometer or 64.5 mpg.

The BMW electric vehicles and hybrids will be the first medium-sized cars on UK roads that meet the 2014 EU6 emissions regulations. As of September 2014, EU6 will be the mandatory emission limit for all new cars. EU6 brings down diesel nitrogen oxide emissions to petrol car level.

At the London Games, 80 percent of the BMW fleet will fulfil EU6 emission standards two years before they become mandatory.

As partners in the Battery 500 Project, Asahi Kasei and Central Glass bring decades of materials innovation for the automotive industry to the team. They will expand the project’s scope and, although the scientific and engineering challenges to its practical implementation are extremely high, exploring several chemistries simultaneously increases the chance of success.

· Asahi Kasei, one of Japan’s leading chemical manufactures and a leading global supplier of separator membrane for lithium-ion batteries, will use its experience in innovative membrane technology to create a critical component for lithium-air batteries.
· Central Glass, a leading global electrolyte manufacturer for lithium-ion batteries, will use its chemical expertise in this field to create a new class of electrolytes and high-performance additives specifically designed to improve lithium-air batteries.

“These new partners share our vision of electric cars being critical components of building a cleaner, better world, which is far less dependent on oil,” said Dr. Winfried Wilcke, IBM’s Principle Investigator who initiated the Battery 500 Project. “Their compatible experience, knowledge and commitment to bold innovation in electric car battery technology can help us transfer this research from the lab onto the road.”

IBM started the Battery 500 project in 2009 to develop a new type of lithium-air EV batteries that are capable of traveling 500 miles before needing to recharge. The idea is to make EV adoption more widespread by offering greener cars capable of matching the range of gasoline cars.

Today, most electric cars can drive about 100 miles before needing to recharge their lithium-ion batteries. This is an issue, since gasoline cars are capable of going four to five times that range on a single tank. One option could be a larger battery, but that would weigh down the car considerably.

Instead, IBM has been working on an alternative: lithium-air batteries. Lithium-air batteries have a higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries, mainly because of their primary fuel being oxygen from the atmosphere and the fact that they have lighter cathodes.

Today, IBM researchers have successfully demonstrated the fundamental chemistry of the charge-and-recharge process for lithium-air batteries.

How it works: During discharge (driving), oxygen from the air reacts with lithium ions, forming lithium peroxide on a carbon matrix. Upon recharge, the oxygen is given back to the atmosphere and the lithium goes back onto the anode.

In a series-production Audi, a combustion engine currently supplies the music. The motor in an electric-powered e-tron is not an option, as it is too quiet and its high frequencies are not exactly melodious. Audi’s e-tron models will therefore feature a synthetic sound signature. Rudolf Halbmeir teamed up with his colleagues Axel Brombach and Dr. Lars Hinrichsen to create it.

The new sound – which will be fitted to all Audi e-tron EVs – isn’t a single monotone but created on the fly, depending on the speed of the motors, the overall vehicle speed, the current load and more.

The e-sound itself will be played via a loudspeaker attached the vehicle’s undercarriage.

“We designed it to handle as much as 40 watts, but during normal operation it ranges between five and eight watts. That’s loud enough for nearby pedestrians and cyclists to hear the e-tron.”

Audi says while the e-sound for future Audi e-tron electric vehicles will sound similar, each will have a signature note. The sound of the high-performance R8 e-tron, for instance, goes from a purr to a growl when the throttle is tapped.

The E-RA actually managed a top speed of 260 km/h (161.59mph), but for the record attempt, the time and speed for the one-kilometer distance was measured in both directions. That resulted in the 252.09 km/h (156.64mph) average.

The 380hp Electric RaceAbout is powered by 33 kilowatt/hour lithium-titanate battery pack and an electric motor for each wheel. It was built from scratch by Finnish students at Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

The car has a carbon fiber body and a range of 200km (124 miles). It can get to 100km/h (62mph) in just six seconds.

The relentless grip and stable handling necessary at extreme speeds were ensured by regular production Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 studded tyres (225/40R18).

The record race was carried out at the frozen top at Lake Ukonjarvi in the north of Finland.

The E-RA crew has already proven the worth of their car’s hardware at events like Progressive’s Automotive X-Prize and trackdays at Germany’s famous Nurburgring.

The charging station hubs introduced today will provide electric car owners access to a network of electric “refueling” stations along a major transportation artery in southern Oregon.

The West Coast Electric Highway will eventually allow EV drivers to travel from San Diego to Vancouver, B.C. without relying on carbon-based fuel. “Fast” charging stations, included at each of the newly operational locations, can provide a full charge for an electric car in less than 30 minutes; soon, these stations will dot interchanges up and down I-5.

Spaced at roughly 25-mile intervals along the southern Oregon I-5, the AeroVironment charging stations are available at convenient locations in Cottage Grove, Rice Hill, Roseburg, Canyonville, Wolf Creek, Grants Pass, Central Point, and Ashland. Each location has two charging stations including one DC “fast” charger. Plans call for more than 40 additional charging stations from AeroVironment to be operational in Oregon and Washington by the end of the year.

By the end of this year, DC fast-chargers will be installed along the I-5 from Canada to the California border, a distance of about 550 miles. Another 22 are being installed in locations as far away as 120 miles from Portland, Oregon’s largest city.

The eight new charging stations each have a level 3 charger, and a level 2 charger for backup. Drivers equipped with an electronic key fob can drive up and plug in around the clock. They get the fob when they sign up for the charging program.

ODOE awarded ODOT $915,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funding through ODOE’s State Energy Program to install the network of EV charging stations.

The Renault ZOE electric hatchback will go on sale in Europe this autumn, but cars can already be reserved at www.renault-ze.com.

In France, tax-paid prices for Renault ZOE will start from €15,700  for the entry level version, ZOE Life, which will come with the integrated Renault R-Link multimedia tablet, Chameleon battery charger and automatic climate control as standard equipment. Tax-paid prices for the two high-end versions – ZOE Zen and ZOE Intens – will start from €17,500.

Tax-paid battery lease prices will start from €79/month (for a contract covering 12,500km/year over a period of 36 months).

Renault ZOE packs six world premieres, 60 patented innovations and Renault’s excellence in the field of electric powertrains, including the most advanced electric car technology:

- Renault ZOE is the first mass-market electric car with pre-tax prices in France starting from €15,700, the cheapest EV on the market.

- Renault ZOE is the first mass-market electric car with a range of 210km (130 miles) in NEDC cycle.

- Renault ZOE is the first vehicle to be equipped with Range OptimiZEr, a system designed to optimize real-world range whatever the conditions thanks to three innovations: new-generation braking energy recovery, a heat pump and energy efficient Michelin Energy E-V tyres. For example, on a journey near and around a built-up area, drivers stand to benefit from a real-world range of 100km (60 miles) in cold conditions and 150km (93 miles) in mild weather.

- Renault ZOE is the first electric car capable of being charged at any power level up to 43kW – in between 30 minutes and nine hours – thanks to its integrated Chameleon charger. ZOE’s battery can be charged in approximately one hour at 22kW fast-charge stations which are technicaly simpler and more economical than current fast-charge stations. This intermediate power level ensures longer battery life and has less impact on the grid than a 43kW charging station.

- Renault ZOE is the first electric car to permit the widespread deployment of fast-charging stations that are easier to use and up to four times cheaper.

- Renault ZOE is the first Renault vehicle to feature Renault R-Link, an integrated, connected multimedia system.

ZOE LIFE
The ‘Life’ version of Renault ZOE boasts all the necessary technology to ensure simple use, long range and connectivity.  Equipment includes:
•    The Range OptimiZEr system.
•    The Chameleon battery charger.
•    Renault R-Link. This seven-inch touchscreen display with speech recognition enables the car’s functions to be controlled without drivers having to take their eyes off the road. Functions covered include Carminat TomTom® Live navigation, electric car driving guidance, the audio system, R-Link Store applications and much, much more.
•    The My Z.E. Connect Pack for remote access to range-related data using a smartphone or computer.
•    “Z.E. Voice”, an exterior sound which warns pedestrians of the vehicle’s approach. One of three sounds can be selected: Pure, Glam and Sport.
•    The Eco-mode which optimises range by adjusting the performance of the climate control system and the power provided by the motor. This reassuring function is activated by a switch on the centre console.
•    Plus a range of other comfort-enhancing equipment, including automatic climate control and pre-conditioning of the cabin.

ZOE ZEN
In addition to its brightly lit cabin, ZOE Zen benefits from the ‘Take Care by Renault’ signature which is dedicated to looking after the wellbeing and comfort of all occupants. The system compris
•    A relaxing or stimulating active scent diffuser. The effectiveness of the scents has been proven by a study conducted by the German institute Psyrecon.
•    A purifying and relaxing air ioniser. The purifying function eliminates the bacteria found in cabin air. The relaxing function generates negative ions to produce a balance with the positive ions, which are present in high concentrations in confined spaces.
•    A toxicity sensor which detects excessive pollution levels and automatically switches on the air recycling mode in the cabin.
•    Teflon® upholstery protection for easier cleaning. This invisible, odourless treatment is both waterproof and stain-proof.

ZOE INTENS
Standard equipment for ZOE INTENS includes a rear parking sensor and reversing camera.

Both the ZEN and INTENS versions are equipped with:
•    ‘3D Sound by Arkamys’ auditorium quality audio which occupants will particularly enjoy thanks to ZOE’s silent ride.
•    A hands-free card.
•    16-inch Aérotronic aluminium alloy wheels, the aerodynamic design of which resembles a ship’s propeller.
•    The My Z.E. Inter@ctive Pack to programme, start or terminate battery charging remotely or pre-condition the cabin using a smartphone or computer.
•    A Digital Pack to access R-Link Store applications.

When commercialized, this 400 Wh/kg battery is expected to slash the price of a 300 mile range electric car by cutting the cost of the battery pack by more than 50 percent.

Envia said its batteries were tested at 400 watt-hours per kilogram at a projected cost of $125 per kilowatt-hour, which is more energy dense than most batteries and less than half of what automakers are paying today, according to the company.

The testing of Envia’s next-generation lithium-ion battery was performed by the Electrochemical Power Systems Department at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Crane, Ind., under the sponsorship of ARPA-E.

Tests at various cycling rates at NSWC confirmed that Envia’s automotive battery cell demonstrated energy density between 378-418 Wh/kg for rates between C/3 to C/10 for a 45 Amp-hour (C/3) cell. Similar cells have been cycling in Envia’s test labs for over 300 cycles.

Envia is at a prototype phase and foresees it taking at least three years before commercial production.

Envia Systems is a Silicon Valley startup founded in 2007, headquartered in Newark CA, and with a prototyping and manufacturing plant in Jiaxing China.

The company received a $4 million ARPA-E award in the High Energy Density Lithium Batteries program.

General Motors is one of Envia’s high profile investors, and invested $7 million into Envia about a year ago. GM has said that Envia will provide battery technology for future generations of GM’s Volt plug-in hybrid. Other investors in Envia include Japanese giant Asahi Kasei, Pangaea Ventures, and Redpoint Ventures.

The company received a $4 million ARPA-E award in the High Energy Density Lithium Batteries program.