2010/01/28
Manufacturers place all their hopes on Lithium-ion
Focus on Lithium-ion, technology of the future
Hit of the week
According to Green Car Congress, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs wishes to increase government support for Li-ion technology. The Ministry estimates that global electric vehicle sales will reach 7.29 million by 2018, of which around 86% will use lithium battery technology, i.e. a market of around 6.26 million units.
Thus the announced objective is to accelerate the development of these batteries to ensure that Taiwan becomes a significant supplier of parts to the electric vehicle market. In order to do so, the Ministry intends to work closely with the industry on development projects: encouraging the insertion of electric vehicles into the domestic fleet and promoting cooperation with China and other international markets.
In Japan, the operation of a new generation of electric plant, from the Okinawa Electric Power Company, will include the SCiB rechargeable batteries, the Toshiba website tells us. The aim of these batteries is to create a buffer for the different heterogeneous energy production systems (thermal, wind, etc) and to inject stable electricity onto the network. The system should be tested on Miyakojima in the Okinawa archipelago, from autumn 2010.
Finally, according to Green Car Congress again, the Lithium-ion battery maker EnerDel has been chosen to provide the batteries of the first Japanese Lithium-ion powered electric buses. Converted by Tokyo R&D, these buses will run on local routes in Toyama, a coastal city located on the Sea of Japan.
The electric vehicle race
Fenêtre sur l’Europe tells us that the President of the Government of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has presented his policies for the next six months as head of the EU to the European Parliament. He asserted wanting to strengthen the fight against climate change by means of initiatives such as the electric vehicle, which will contribute to reducing energy dependence and intensifying innovation.
Californian company Better Place, which installs recharging infrastructure networks for electric vehicles, is reported to have raised $350m, or €247m, in order to help the company « grow on a global scale », we read on Hybrid Cars. With a $125m contribution, or nearly €90m, HSBC is the principal investor in this operation.
The bike: alternative transport
Virgin Vacations, an Australian travel agent, recently drew up a list of the 11 most bicycle-friendly cities. In order to identify the cities on the list, explains Treehugger, the agency relied on the criteria of the League of American Bicyclists.
Thus, quality of infrastructure, encouraging bicycle use, respecting regulations, enforcing guidelines, and evaluating and planning two-wheel activities were all considered. So, where is it good to cycle completely safely? Amsterdam takes first place, in front of Portland (Oregon, United States), Copenhagen and Boulder (Colorado, United States).
What prevents us from using a bike to cover short distances? This is what the Caradisiac website is asking, as it recounts an experiment led by Bike It, a British association campaigning for the use of bikes between home and school.
So thousands of school pupils in North Wales, where the average home/school journey is just over 3 miles, enjoyed over the course of year: practical exercises, repair workshops, shelter building and searching for safe routes.
The investment has borne fruit: at the start of the experiment in 2008, 13% of children were going to school by bike at least once a week. Today, the figure is 39%.
Back to France, in the Vienne area, where the EDF power station in Civaux has unveiled two electric bike-stations each of which can accommodate up to 10 power-assisted bicycles. Designed by Eco & Mobilité, these self-service electric bikes are used at the moment by company employees. According to Avem*, this first experiment will give Eco & Mobilité the chance to de validate the technology used. If the tests are conclusive, the power station intends to increase its fleet up to 80 bikes by the month of April 2010. Watch this space...
* Avem is the Mediterranean Association for the Future of the Electric Vehicle
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