In anticipation of the introduction on the market of numerous electric and hybrid models, the sector is working on full-lifecycle battery management. In terms of charging, 9 large groups concerned with the development of electric car charging terminals have joined forces in the EV Plug Alliance consortium, highlights Voiture Electrique. This alliance aims to standardise battery charging and also to make it safe.

Electric vehicle charging is also of interest to the American conglomerate General Electric, to which is preparing to install charging terminals in households. The Greenlauches blog insists on the innovative aspect of these terminals that offer users an electricity consumption management system.

Finally, for the very end of the battery lifecycle, manufacturers are setting up a collection and recycling network. The Avem website reports that French companies figure prominently in this blossoming area, which is one of the main points raised by the Grenelle Environmental round tables, as the Voiture du Futur blog reminds us.

According to Planet Green, the recipe for success for the "Cities for Cycling" initiative will be sharing information. The initiative was launched by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). The idea is to catalogue and analyse best practices in American municipalities that promote bicycle transportation in order to share the most bicycle-friendly towns’ experiences and to inspire engineers and urban planners in towns that are lagging behind. The project will also have a website with discussion forums.

The City of Paris would undoubtedly be interested in "Cities for Cycling" if the project spread to European countries. In fact, Paris is currently bringing two-way bicycle routes into general use in certain areas of the city (except in areas where this would prove dangerous). Paris.fr lists the advantages of this system: firstly, the two-way routes encourage the use of the bicycle in terms of shorter and more direct journeys, often allowing cyclists to avoid main roads. Then, the two-ways are generally in streets that are rarely obstructed, which makes travelling by bicycle easier. Finally, the diversity of use and better distribution of public space will lead to a reduction in car speed.

Finally, InnovCity tells us about a surprising initiative which could help reduce urban congestion: "sleep trucks". In fact, certain industrialists are proposing that trucks that travel at night and respect the principle of silence by dropping from 90 to 60 decibels, or the level of a normal conversation, are brought into general use. Travelling at night would also allow heavier loads to be transported, as more voluminous trucks are allowed on the road.

Beyond new vehicle design, the move towards electric mobility means, according to the website, that professionals in the sector must rise to many practical challenges, such as, for example, ensuring battery reliability or compatibility between charging infrastructures. The editorial team at Clean Tech Republic returns to these important issues, by giving the floor, on video, to experts from EDF, Saft, Aprolis (which hires out forklift trucks) and Avere (an professional association for the development of electric transport and mobility).

And as the EV is still in its early stages, it needs to be tested. For example, the Mini E (‘e’ for electric) is going to be tested in Paris for a year, from autumn, we learn from Développement Durable Le Journal. During each quarter, 30 vehicles will be tried out by individuals and another 20 by businesses, which could test and put into practice certain uses themselves : fleet management, internal car sharing and intermodality.

Car Tech also asks a very practical question: are electric cars water resistant, or more precisely, is there a risk of electrocution if a hybrid or electric car plunges into water? According to the manufacturers, the answer is that there is no risk. In fact, the electric elements will be sufficiently isolated to withstand a quick dip in water. In case of total immersion, the safety system would react as if in a collision and detect high voltage or current leak and cut the electric cable supply. As for the battery, it will be sufficiently protected to be able to withstand water seepage.

Finally, in a more unusual area, Auto Blog Green tells us about a Norwegian couple that has covered nearly 500 kilometres (over 310 miles) onboard unexpected electric vehicles… wheelchairs! According to the site, the journey began when national rail company NSB refused to transport their wheelchairs on board because they were too big. Struck by the event, the Norwegian media closely followed their journey, which has become a symbol of protest against the company. According to Electricaid, the wheelchairs could reach a maximum speed of 9 kp/h (almost 6 mph).

In July 2009, the petrol company ExxonMobil set up a research programme dedicated to next-generation biofuels, obtained from photosynthetic algae. Today, we learn from Caradisiac, a greenhouse site has just opened in California in order to start the first tests. Thanks to this new laboratory, different algae (natural, modified) as well as the various systems allowing their rapid growth, such as open-air pools and   closed photo-bioreactors, will be examined and tested. If all this preliminary research proves conclusive, ExxonMobil intends to invest more than $600m (almost £400m) in the programme over the next 10 years.

Three months after its commercial launch in France, the Romanian all-terrain Dacia Duster has been fitted with a bioethanol engine, that’s to say a source of renewable and diversified energy that can reduce fossil fuel dependency. Although sold at the same price as the petrol version it replaces, the vehicle will not, however, be affected by the green penalty, as its predecessor was, highlights La Tribune Auto. Calculated from "well-to-wheel", the bioethanol Duster’s CO2 emissions barely reach 96 g.