2010/01/25
The electric vehicle revolution
2010 is a great year for the electric vehicle
The electric vehicle boom
The advent of the electric car does not only mean « the appearance of a new vehicle, it also heralds the coming of an era of societal innovations», maintains the blog Energie de l’Expansion. With the set up of networks and new operators that will run the vehicle fleets and battery stations, it’s a whole new «car ecosystem» that it’s appropriate to think about in the form of open questions and challenges, which the blog does.
Avem tells us that the Norwegian manufacturer Think has just officially announced that next year it will start production of electric vehicles in the United States. The factory will be built in the state of Indiana and the provisional investment is $43.5m (€30.1m). «The factory will be able to assemble over 20,000 electric cars a year.» pointed out Mr Richard Canny, Chief Executive Officer of the Think group.
The « largest ever Canadian project, aiming to integrate, test and evaluate all-electric vehicles on urban roads in real world conditions» is, according to Auto Blog Green, about to be launched. Mitsubishi is the company, which, in partnership with Hydro-Québec, is supposed to be supplying Boucherville, a suburb of Montreal, with electric cars. The manufacturer adds that tests will be conducted for urban driving in the winter period.
* Avem is the Mediterranean Association for the Future of the Electric Vehicle
The race for rapid recharging: 15 minutes in 2010?
At the Detroit Show, the company PEP Stations presented a new recharging terminal for electric vehicles, designed for public roads, and resembling a traditional petrol pump. Delivering 220V, it works thanks to an access card or even just a bank card. Avem gives us the basics of the terminal, which aims to be as simple as possible for general public usage: once the vehicle is connected, the station starts working and an LCD screen invites the driver to accept the recharging hourly rate. The user chooses the recharging time and then finally confirms the transaction.
Auto Blog Green rejoices at the news that, on 23rd January 2010, Hawaii is to open its first public charging station for electric vehicles. Until the end of March, users will be able to plug in for free. The service will then be paid for. To help become « electric vehicle paradise », Hawaii is also negotiating with Better Place in order to finalise a partnership. Watch this space…
More news from Gas 2.0. : Coulomb Technologies and Aker Wade are going to deploy fast charging stations that are capable of charging a car in 15 minutes thanks to a special 480-volt outlet. According to Coulomb Technologies, this rapid charging system could increase electric car use by 50%.
Biofuels of the future
SunOpta Inc BioProcess (SBI) and its partners have received $5.5m to help them design, construct and operate a cellulosic ethanol* and xylitol demo* factory which will be situated in the Greater Toronto area. According to Green Car Congress, using wood chips decreases water consumption by up to 75%, when compared to producing corn ethanol, while retaining all the lifecycle carbon benefits inherent to cellulosic ethanol.
* cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel made from agricultural waste, used in transport
* xylitol demo is a healthy sugar substitute)
Policies adapted to new uses
The website Actu Environnement reports on the symposium on mobility that was organised by GART* on the 12th January 2010. During this symposium, panellists agreed on the importance of creating the conditions necessary for modern towns to combine practicality, fluidity and ease of access, which means the development of public transport and of alternative modes of mobility (car pooling, on-demand transport).
Gas2.0. wonders if the scrapping incentive in the United States (where it was known as ‘Cash for Clunkers’) was a success or a failure. To answer the question, it compares two views: that of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who was very happy with the selling of 800,000 cars in less than 30 days, and that of the website
Edmunds.com, which has calculated that, without the scrapping incentive, 565.000 cars would have been sold anyway.
Tree Hugger asks if electric bikes will get people out of their cars? Quoting an article from the New York Times, it emphasises: «what has changed is the attitude. Whereas we used to consider electric bikes as a sign of laziness, we now see them as an alternative to the car… »
* GART is a French association of transport authorities
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