The trial, the first of its kind in the world, will follow Hertz, and leaders from five other industry segments, as they trial Plugless Power systems on their own electric vehicles.

Plugless Power, supplied by Evatran based in Virginia, utilizes inductive power transfer, which has been used in electrical transformers for more than 100 years.

Plugless Power streamlines the charging of EVs by eliminating the cord and the plug. In addition to aftermarket distribution, Evatran is currently working with automotive manufacturers to integrate the Plugless Power technology into mass-market EVs as a factory or dealership option.

Plugless Power is a Level 2 (240V at 30A, 3.3 kW rated power output) inductive charging system, with a transfer efficiency of 90%.

Large lithium-ion battery production facilities came online in a number of countries around the world to support the anticipated demand fueled in many countries by generous subsidies and tax benefits.

According to a new report from ABI Research, the battery module market is expected to grow from about $5 billion in 2010 to $47 billion in 2020, representing a healthy CAGR of 25% over 10 years.

“As well as the production vehicles that went on sale in 2011, announcements from all the major manufacturers make it clear that this segment will have much more competition in the next couple of years,” says principal analyst David Alexander. “Also, some existing hybrid vehicles will be fitted with larger batteries to improve their electric-only range.”

Continued demand for cleaner, more efficient vehicles, led by governments dealing with goals to cut emissions, means that financial incentives will be around for a long time. The recharging infrastructure is also developing rapidly in urban areas, which are being targeted as prime regions for electric vehicle adoption.

Alternative technologies such as hydraulic hybrid drive, ultracapacitors, and flywheel energy storage continue development and testing in niche applications, but it seems that the battery-electric solution will be the recipient of the majority of the production investment during the forecast period.

For the second straight year, the Alliance is offering test drives for World Economic Forum (WEF) delegates in a fleet of electric vehicles, including the new Renault Fluence Z.E. and Nissan LEAF.

Davos will be one of the first opportunities for delegates to experience Renault’s electric Fluence Z.E. saloon, powered by a 70kW electric engine.

They can also drive the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable, mass-produced electric car and winner of the 2011 World Car of the Year. More than 22,000 LEAF owners on three continents have driven a collective 35 million miles, saving the equivalent of 7,300 tons of C02 emissions.

Test drives begin at the Renault-Nissan Alliance Pavilion, a convenient downtown hub for WEF delegates and the public. GE will provide charging stations for the cars, which will be powered by renewable energy from local hydropower stations from Davos-based EWD.

Davos visitors can also experience one of the newest innovations in sustainable mobility: Nissan’s unique LEAF-to-Home (L2H) technology reverses the Nissan LEAF’s usual energy flow, enabling the car’s 24kWh Lithium-ion battery to charge household appliances for up to two days. At Davos, the system will power mobile phones and laptops in the Alliance pavilion – and even a hot chocolate machine outside! The Alliance will also donate USD $1 to the Brazil forestry program Mata no Peito for every compostable hot chocolate cup used. Visitors can get free cocoa and learn more about the L2H system.

Policymakers, academics and CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies will meet Jan. 25-28 to brainstorm the planet’s most pressing concerns – particularly those related to resource scarcity and energy security – at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Electric vehicles offer an immediate solution to reducing CO2 emissions – whether in an urban environment or in Davos, one of the highest-altitude towns in Europe.

Little known fact: EVs do not require oxygen and therefore perform consistently at any altitude.

By the end of March 2012, the approved dealerships will have two fully trained EV sales personnel as well as aftersales technicians.

In addition, the company has indicated it will introduce its first plug-in hybrid vehicle to the UK within 18 months.

All Mitsubishi EV Centers will have i-MiEV demonstrator vehicles for customers to try out over “a prolonged period” so they can experience driving and owning an electric for themselves.

The Japanese manufacturer launched the all-electric i-MiEV worldwide last year, while also debuting the MINICAB-MiEV, a light commercial electric van, on the Japanese market in November.

Two automakers, Chevrolet and Nissan, ended 2010 with the launch of their first highway-capable plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) for the mass market.

Many other auto manufacturers are working to electrify their lineups with new models. For example, Toyota plans to launch the PEV Prius in January 2012 and other manufacturers have plans to launch plug-in electric models in the near future.

However, as public awareness of electric vehicles continues to build with the increase in model launch activity, a new survey from Pike Research finds that consumer interest in purchasing PEVs has gradually declined over the past two years. In late 2011, the cleantech market intelligence firm conducted the third annual edition of its Electric Vehicle Consumer Survey using a nationally representative and demographically balanced sample of 1,051 adults in the United States.

In the first edition, conducted in 2009, 48% of respondents stated that they would be “extremely” or “very” interested in purchasing a PEV. In 2010 that number declined moderately to 44% and in 2011 it fell further to 40%.

Other key findings of the survey were as follows:

Survey respondents stated that they would be most likely to choose Toyota (51%) and Ford (46%) when considering a PEV purchase, even though these two automakers did not have PEVs on the market at the time of the survey. Honda ranked third with 44%, followed by Chevrolet with 42% and Nissan with 35%.

Consumers are willing to pay a premium for PEVs, just not as much of a premium as automakers must charge during the next few years due to the cost of batteries. Pike Research’s price sensitivity analysis indicates that for a traditional gasoline vehicle that would ordinarily cost $20,000, the optimal price point of a comparable PEV would be $23,750 — a premium of 18.75%. Interest in residential fast-charging equipment is high, with 80% of consumers interested in a PEV stating that they would also be interested in such a unit in their home.

However, pricing is once again an issue — while Pike Research’s analysis suggests that the first generation of residential fast-charging equipment will cost between $500 and $800, only 28% of survey respondents stated that they would be willing to pay $500 or more. Survey respondents expressed strong interest in smartphone applications that would provide useful information on the status of their PEV. The most popular feature was identifying the location of the nearest charging station (84%), followed by battery state of charge information (82%), electricity pricing data (76%), and the ability to schedule stop/start times for PEV charging (68%).

“VIA Motors has developed the first extended range electric powertrain capable of replacing the V8 engine. It was my great privilege to introduce the Chevy Volt, and it will be a great honor to introduce the world’s first line of eREV Trucks, Vans and SUVs by VIA Motors.”

Bob Lutz, who joined Via Motors board of directors in September, is turning his attention to mass production of more electric vehicles — first for fleets, then consumers.

VIA Motors fits its proprietary eREV extended-range electric propulsion system, dubbed VIA V-Drive, to existing General Motors vehicles in the hunt for greater efficiency. This plug-in powertrain setup is said to provide 30-40 miles per charge courtesy of a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery.

When the battery is run down to its minimum state of charge, a 4.3-liter V-6 turns a 201-horsepower generator that helps move the truck, SUV, and van another 400 miles averaging up to 100 mpg. The tractive electric motor is rated for 402 horsepower and the vehicles can be configured for rear- or all-wheel drive.

VIA Motors, which grew out of Raser Technologies, has begun taking orders for 2012 for its extended range electric pickup truck from many of America’s largest fleets.

Production of VIA’s eREV pickup is scheduled to begin in 2012, with plans to ramp up production to 20,000 units per year over the next few years including the eREV SUV, Van and other large eREV vehicles.

Giving the driver the ability to check on the battery and the rate of charge, telematics serve as a lifeline of sorts to help alleviate concerns over the limited range of electric vehicles (range anxiety).

In addition, many manufacturers are developing applications that can provide details on where the closest charging stations are within range of the current battery level of charge.

Nearly nine out of ten plug-in electric vehicles sold this year will include at least a basic telematics package, and that percentage will likely grow to 94% by 2017, according to a new report from cleantech market intelligence firm Pike Research.

Annual revenue from worldwide sales of electric vehicle telematics will total $1.4 billion by 2017, forecasts Pike Research.

A key group of players in the electric vehicle telematics supply chain will be wireless equipment manufacturers coming from outside the automotive industry, who are accustomed to more compressed product development timeframes than the carmakers use.

“The hardware manufacturers are experiencing a bit of a culture shock,” says senior research analyst Dave Hurst, “as automotive development generally targets an 8 to 10-year lifespan, compared to a 2 to 3-year lifespan for other wireless devices. For this reason, despite the fact that much of the data being transferred in plug-in electric vehicle telematics can be done easily with a slow GSM connection, most hardware manufacturers are targeting 3G services with their modems to ensure compatibility with the wireless network long term.”

In addition, while basic telematics packages that offer simple data connections for emergency services, breakdown calls, charging station locations, and diagnostics/vehicle monitoring will be standard features on most plug-in electric vehicles by 2017, many consumers will want more elaborate, connected vehicle telematics, which can provide live traffic, weather, streaming content, and cloud computing-based applications.

Pike Research’s analysis indicates that, by the end of the forecast period, 80% of plug-in electric vehicles will come with connected vehicle systems installed. Those costlier packages will push average revenue per user (ARPU) for electric vehicle telematics to $13.27 by 2017, up from $10.65 today.

The Nissan NV200 EV prototype uses the same EV powertrain and battery originally developed for the Nissan LEAF.

With zero emissions, no tailpipe, and energy-recycling regenerative braking, the Nissan NV200 EV prototype is particularly well-suited for congested city streets where poor air quality is causing increased concern and the start and stop of city traffic reduces the wasteful loss of energy and thus increases the efficiency of the vehicle’s driveline. Battery charging options include a complete recharge overnight or up to 80 per cent capacity in just 30 minutes using a Quick Charger.

Additional trials are anticipated for 2012 mirroring similar trials held in 2011, where the NV200 EV prototype was used by the Japan Post Service on delivery and collection duties in Japan.

FedEx Express currently operates 43 all-electric vehicles in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis- all of which are ideal dense urban centres.

Of those, California says there will be 500,000 fuel-cell or pure electric vehicles on the roads.

The Advanced Clean Car package of regulations put forward by the state’s Air Resources Board (ARP) should result in a 75 per cent reduction in smog-forming emissions by 2025 and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 52 million tonnes, the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the streets.

In addition to curbing climate warming gases, the program will also save drivers $22 billion in fuel costs, the state’s Air Resources Board said.

Greenhouse gas emissions from cars will be cut 34 percent from 2016 levels. Many of the technologies that reduce climate change emissions also significantly reduce the operating costs of passenger vehicles on a month-to-month basis for consumers.

ARB notes the new technologies used to achieve smog and greenhouse gas standards could add about $1900 to the cost of vehicle, but that would be more than offset by $6000 in cost savings over the life of a car. This will reduce the monthly cost of a new car by $12, even when considering the higher cost of the loan or lease.

ARB economic analysis indicates that the overall savings generated by the proposed rules will result in an additional 21,000 jobs in California in 2025, rising to 37,000 in 2030.

The proposed Advanced Clean Cars package of regulations is designed to deliver:
•    A savings of $5 Billion in operating costs in 2025 for California drivers. This will rise to $10 Billion in 2030 when more advanced cars are on the road;
•    A 75 percent reduction in smog-forming emissions by 2025;
•    Zero-emission or plug-in hybrid vehicles accounting for one in seven new cars sold in California in 2025 (15.4 percent);
•    A total of 1.4 million zero-emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road in California by 2025;
•    A reduction of 52 million tons of greenhouse gases by 2025, the equivalent of taking ten  million cars off the road;
•    A cumulative reduction of more than 870 million metric tons of greenhouse gases through 2050.

For further information:
www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/clean_cars/acc%20summary-final.pdf

Thanks to higher penetration rates in the United States, HEVs and PEVs will account for 5.1% of total U.S. vehicle sales in 2017, according to a new study by Pike Research, a market research firm for the clean technology industry.

Overall, the Asia Pacific region is expected to experience the most rapid growth in the number of plug-in electric models, followed by Europe and North America. There will be 26 models of PEVs available in Asia Pacific by the end of 2011, compared to 23 models in Europe and ten in North America.

However, strong demand for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in North America will lead to the availability of 40 models by the end of 2012, versus 14 HEV models in Asia Pacific.

Within the United States, the PEV market is currently led by two key models, the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. However, Pike Research anticipates that Ford’s model diversification and recharging equipment strategy will shake up the market. Ford will likely take the market lead by 2017 with 23.6% PEV market share.

Toyota (with a plug-in version of its popular Prius) and General Motors will likely find themselves fighting for second with 21.1% and 20.7% market share, respectively. Interestingly, startup Tesla’s dealer strategy and high price point are expected to limit its market access. Still, Pike Research expects market share for the startup to grow to 4.6% by 2017 from 2.2% in 2011.