China, which was strongly criticised at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, has decided to invest in the green economy, according to Greenlaunches: it is developing two charging stations for electric cars in Shenzhen, as well as 134 pole chargers around the town. The charging stations can be used during the day whereas the poles will be used at night.
Also following the Copenhagen Conference was the announcement by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, of a major electric vehicle infrastructure plan. By 2015, the Mayor wants to install more than 25 000 charging points all over the city, particularly in workplaces (currently, only 240 points service the 1,700 zero-emission vehicles being used on the streets of London). Eventually, Boris Johnson would like to see more than 100,000 electric vehicles on the street of London …
We learn from Avem* that London also intends to replace its fleet of famous double-decker buses with hybrid buses in 2011. The city’s public transport operator, Transport for London (TfL), has just selected an official manufacturer, Wrightbus. The hybrid technology will allow a fuel consumption reduction of 40% compared with traditional diesel buses.
And a place of honour for another British initiative this week: according to Caradisiac, the government intends to reduce the speed limit on motorways in order to improve traffic flow throughout the day, reduce rush hour traffic jams, lower polluting emissions and reduce the number of accidents. The debate is currently in full swing in the country and a petition has been launched to protest against the speed limit reduction on the motorways!
Finally, in Japan, the financial newspaper Nikkei reports that the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (a Working Party of the UN Economic Commission for Europe) would like to adopt certain Japanese safety rules for hybrid and electric vehicles as global safety standards. A decision will be taken by the end of 2010, clarifies the Green car Congress website.
* Avem is the Mediterranean Association for the Future of the Electric Vehicle
While the French Post Office has just confirmed an order for 300 electric quads, Belgian postal workers have just started testing a similar vehicle: the Free Duck. This can travel at up to 45 km/h (about 28 mph) and carry up to 200 kg of parcels and post. Built by the Ducati Energia company, it was presented for the first time at the Milan show in late 2008. However, the vehicle does not appear to be gaining unanimous approval among the postal workers who criticise its lack of robustness. Some trade unions are even describing it as a "coffin on wheels"!
We learn from Avem that Seoul municipality, in Korea, has just started testing 10 GPL-Electricité hybrid taxis in partnership with the manufacturers Kia and Hyundai. The environmental performance of these hybrid taxis will be evaluated and compared with that of traditional taxis. The Taiwanese manufacturer Luxgen made the most of the last Dubai show to introduce its EV+, the firstelectric people carrier, which has 7 seats. The fully electric engine block is powered by Lithium-ion batteries. A range of 350 km (almost 220 miles) at an average speed of 40 km/h (almost 25 mph) has been heralded. This people carrier should arrive on the market, in Asia at least, towards the end of 2010. It is not yet known if it will be exported to Europe, or at what price it will be sold, emphasises Cartech.
The website Engadget introduces us to the bike 2.0, a new invention from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), which made its debut during the Copenhagen Conference. The principle is such: a bicycle wheel that collects energy every time the rider uses the brakes, thus offering motorised assistance either when going up hills or at high speed. The wheel is fitted with a series of sensors and a Bluetooth connection that allows it to communicate with an iPhone. The rider can as a consequence obtain information related to the speed of the bike, direction, distance covered and air pollution. It will also let the bike communicate with nearby cyclists!
Gas 2.0 tells us that Siemens Energy is currently developing, with the EDISON consortium, a system capable of recharging a battery in 6 minutes. The idea is to put in place a rapid-charging station that will initially take 20 minutes; then, once this phase proves conclusive, it will take only 6 minutes. The first tests should take place on the Danish island of Bornholm.
As for the Japanese group Panasonic, according to Avem, it has developed new Lithium-ion batteries that are between 20% and 30% more powerful that current batteries. These revolutionary batteries would be as well adapted to laptop computers as to electric cars.
It’s Russia’s turn to join the race for innovation as it prepares to construct its first Lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant, in Novosibirsk, announces Voiture électrique.net. The project, launched by a Russian company, will be run in partnership with a Lithium-ion battery producer based in China. The new plant will manufacture batteries that are compatible with all existing models of electric vehicles (motorbikes, cars, small vans or other vehicles using alternative fuels).
