2010/01/14
The 2010 Detroit Show’s Electric Avenue
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The electric car on display at the 2010 Detroit Show.
Hit of the week
Last year, in order to deal with the number of exhibitors withdrawing, the organisers of the Detroit Show set up a last-minute exhibition on the theme of the electric car. According to le blog Auto, this year, the electric car is an integral part of the Show with the «Electric Avenue».
This area dedicated to the electric vehicle is exhibiting around twenty models, detailed by the blog Green Car Advisor in its article entitled We're Gonna Rock Down to Electric Avenue.
The exhibition is coupled with the installation of a test track (mini-circuit) which allows people to test drive some of these vehicles.
Focus on small electric vehicles
Responding to the British Department for Transport, which has this week launched a consultation with regard to changing the law on the use of small electric personal vehicles on public roads, Green Univers offers a panorama of small green and light vehicles, be they electric or hybrid, that are evolving along a path halfway between motorbikes and cars.
In France, what is happening in this field? At the end of 2009, Mov’éo, a business and research cluster, launched an invitation to submit projects for the design of a clean urban vehicle, with a €3m subsidy at stake. The company Synergethic is in the process of perfecting the Tilter, which demonstrates a range of 120 km (75 miles) and can go up to 110 km/h (about 70 mph). The first model is planned for 2011. Lumeneo has designed the Smera, an electric two-seater fitted with a Lithium-Ion battery, with a maximum speed of 130 km/h (80 mph) and range of 150 km (over 90 miles). It should be commercialised early this year).
«All you hear is the sound of the tyres on the pavement », according to a satisfied rider, testing the Zero-S electric motorbike, interviewed by a Cleantechies blogger. Already on the market in the United States, this electric motorbike, made by the manufacturer Zero Motorcycles, is particularly adapted to short journeys. It is a plug-in motorbike, which charges via a 110-volt outlet. Full recharge takes around 4 hours.
Caradisiac tells us that production of the electric pick-up SimplyCity from Eco&Mobilité has been started by the French company Heuliez. The first of these non-polluting vehicles was given to Ségolène Royal, President of the Poitou-Charentes region. 2,000 SimplyCity models should be manufactured by the end of 2010.
Batteries: what price in 2020?
Le Blog énergie analyses the study published by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on the pricing structure of batteries for electric vehicles in 2009 and forecasts for 2020. This study shows that two-thirds of the cost of a battery comes from the costs of individual Li-Ion storage battery elements and that the remaining third comes from module and battery assembly costs.
Avem* tells us that General Motors has just opened its Lithium-ion battery assembly plant in Brownstown, in the United States. This plant is to provide the batteries for the Chevrolet Volt and also for other rechargeable hybrid vehicles that are still to appear in the GM range. The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle fitted with a range extender. Designed to cover up to 60 km (37 miles) without emissions, the Chevrolet Volt only uses its thermic motor-generator when the batteries are empty. It should be on the American market by the end of 2010.
* Avem is the Mediterranean Association for the Future of the Electric Vehicle
Scrapping incentive and multi-modal transports
Germany has done it. America and France have also done it. Now Israel, according to Autoblog Green, is on the verge of launching its own scrapping incentive programme. The government is prepared to pay out 3,000 shekels ($807, or €550) for vehicles that are at least 20 years old, with a valid registration licence. The country hopes that this will allow a large quantity of dangerous and polluting vehicles to be taken off the roads.
The blog Cleantechnica reflects on the role that the United States is going to play in terms of supporting clean transport over the 2010-2016 period. It tells us that the current 6-year transportation funding bill proposal will have to be for $500bn (compared with $286bn over the previous 6 years) and highlights that this project should encourage multi-modal transports. Finally, it quotes a recent study that shows that a $250bn investment in the transportation system could create over 2.8 million direct or indirect jobs.
Promoting fuel-efficient driving
A GPS that measures fuel-efficient driving? That’s the latest innovation from the GPS device manufacturer Garmin. Christened the ecoRoute HD, this device allows one to determine, when the driver is at the wheel, to what extent his/her driving is «green» - or not! -, by analysing the intensity of his/her right foot’s movements on the accelerator pedal, no matter what he/she is driving. Is this a new «Big Brother» gadget, wonders the blog Gas 2.0.?
As for CleanTech Republic, it tells us about the new car sharing system Mopy, which was launched this week in France. This service, particularly aimed at professionals, will also be available to private drivers. Access is possible via various subscription options: sharing within a company, sharing with other professionals and hourly hire from a terminal.
