2010/02/05
Electric cars: mentalities are changing
Motorists claim to be increasingly willing to move on to electric cars if their price were reduced.
The electric vehicle success story
The global demand for electric vehicles could soar to 1.5 million vehicles if they were sold at the same price as a small standard engine car, claims a survey conducted by the consultants Bain & company, and reported by Avem.
The study also estimates a French market of 100,000 units if these cars were sold at the same price as a small standard car, i.e. around €10,000.
The study draws a distinction between four types of electric car buyer: "premium 2.0" buyers, with a high disposable income; "budget watchers"; "green innovators", extremely partial to everything e-friendly, and the decidedly more conservative "latecomers".
The United States is also banking on tomorrow's electric car. Greenbang informs us that, since mid 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy has invested around $8Bn in automobile companies looking to develop electric cars, such as Ford and Tesla. Nissan recently benefited from a $1.4Bn loan to re-equip its Tennessee plant. The aim of the United States is to reduce its dependence on foreign fuel supply and to contribute towards reducing pollution.
Kilowatt-hour taxation is also under study, according to Le Figaro Automobile. Tomorrow's electric car will, one day, be capable of identifying itself, of indicating its load weight and of "deciding" on the best time to recharge at "off-peak" rates. And precisely these features, which requires an intelligent distribution network, may lead to a specific tax inspired by the current French TIPP (domestic consumption tax on oil products). To be continued…
Alternative transport means in vogue
Why are alternative means of transport so fashionable? Because of the spatial dispersion between where we live and where we practice our leisure activities, believes the website Dynamique-covoiturage. Since populations live increasingly far from their workplace, the personal car has become the preferred means of transport. However, its massive use has generated problematic congestion within major conurbations, together with increased pollution in urban areas. The site goes on to conclude from a somewhat rarer angle: these alternative means of transport can also satisfy the needs of the elderly, the disabled and the unemployed, who often cannot afford to purchase their own vehicle.
Reducing the number of vehicles in the town centre, lowering pollutant emissions, cutting costs: according to Caradisiac, these are the key advantages of car sharing which is progressing in France. Among ongoing projects, Mopy, a car sharing service involving small electric vehicles and vans which run on natural gas, is due to be launched on the 1st of March 2010 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris.
Innovation in the spotlight
How about initiating kids to sustainable mobility? It's now possible thanks to Tomy's latest remote control car. Caradisiac is currently presenting the Japanese prototype of this car which runs on soft drinks. "This bio-battery system generates e-friendly electricity by breaking sugar molecules thanks to a process similar to that of living organisms," Tomy explains. The higher the sugar level of the soft drinks used, the longer the life of the battery. This "sustainable" toy is currently being tested in Japan and could well, once on the market, offer an excellent "tool" for increasing awareness among children.
Zigonet is also presenting the narrowest electric car on earth, recently exhibited at the Detroit Auto Show. Capable of 8 hours' continuous driving, the car's acceleration is 0 to 60km/h in 4 seconds, with a top speed of 130 km/h. Its key characteristic is nonetheless its size. Just 1 metre in width for a weight of 1,480 kilos, including passenger load. However, such technical prowess has a cost: €77,400.
Concurrently, Voitureelectrique.net is looking into an even more spectacular prototype; the very first model capable of both running and flying! Indeed, Icar 101 reunites electric car and aircraft technologies: this one-seater uses two engines with retractable propellers. The model's propellers and wheels are powered by a gas turbine located in the rear wing. Propeller motivity is mechanical and assisted by two electric engines. Icar 101 relies on a lift force generated by its retractable propellers and referred to as the "Magnus effect", which transforms the vehicle into a land… and aircraft. Could Icar's prototype herald a new generation of cars?
Supplying lithium, a new sustainable mobility challenge
At a time when lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly popular among motor vehicle manufacturers for their hybrid or electric vehicles, supplying lithium is proving to be a new and major challenge for the automotive industry. Caradisiac has unveiled Toyota's strategy aimed at guaranteeing optimum supply: the firm's subsidiary, Toyota Tsusho Corporation has concluded a lithium supply agreement in Argentina. Hence, the firm is contributing towards the development of a lithium mining project in Salar de Olaroz in Argentina, lead by the Australian group Orocobre.
Avem reports that A123 Systems will supply lithium-ion batteries for Fisker Automotive's future rechargeable hybrid vehicle, Karma, due to be launched late 2010. Following the success of its lithium battery packs among a number of vehicle manufacturers, the firm will be increasing production capacity at its Michigan plant in order to produce a further 320,000 1.1kWh packs per year for standard hybrid vehicles and a further 24,000 15kWh packs for rechargeable hybrids.
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