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Green Car Congress
Green Car Congress (www.greencarcongress.com) has great Plug-in hybrid news, photos, videos and more
Saturday, Oct 31
Ford and Smith Terminate Partnership on Electric Transit Connect Project for US; Ford Now Partnering with Azure Dynamics to Deliver the Vehicle in 2010; Smith Partnering with AM General on Electric Vans for USPS
Azure Dynamics has selected Johnson Controls-Saft as the supplier for lithium-ion battery cells and battery packs for the Transit Connect BEV. Azure Dynamics and Ford both currently utilize Johnson Controls-Saft battery technology for other products. The Transit Connect BEV will us...
Wednesday, Oct 28
European Electricity Companies Call for Standardization of Plug-in Vehicle Charging Infrastructure; Pledge to Apply Pre-Standards
The electricity CEOs specifically pledged to undertake and promote investment in infrastructure necessary to foster the development of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Meanwhile, a EURELECTRIC Task Force on Electric Vehicles is working to identify the market hurdles slo...
Fisker Automotive to Buy Shuttered GM Assembly Plant for Project NINA Production
Fisker Automotive has selected the GM Wilmington Assembly plant in Wilmington, Delaware for production for Project NINA, the development and build of a family-oriented plug-in hybrid sedan costing about $39,900 after federal tax credits. (Earlier post.) Fisker Automotive has signe...
Tata Motors Selects EIG Lithium-ion Polymer Batteries for Indica Vista Electric Vehicle Program
In October 2008, battery supplier Electrovaya announced it was partnering with Tata Motors and Miljø Grenland/Innovasjon to manufacture batteries and electric cars in Norway, beginning in 2009, using Electrovaya’s Lithium Ion SuperPolymer battery technology for the Indica EV. (E...
Obama Announces $3.4B Investment in Smart Grid Technologies and Projects
An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimates that the implementation of smart grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4% by 2030. Higher grid reliability, reducing power outages that cost American consumers $150 billion a year.
Australia Begins PHEV Road Trials; Vehicle-to-Home Applications
CSIRO - SP AusNet PHEV. Click to enlarge.CSIRO engineers modified Toyota Prius hybrids by removing the OEM battery pack and installing a larger 6 kWh, 30 Ah NiMH battery pack (five times the capacity of the original 1.2 kWh, 6.5 Ah pack) and a battery charger to allow the cars to plug into and cha...
UK Manufacturer Axon Automotive Unveils Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
The Axon Automotive PHEV. Click to enlarge. UK-based Axon Automotive, a spin-off from Cranfield University, previewed a pre-production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of its lightweight city car at the Milton Keynes Science Festival. The Axon gasoline-powered city ca...
Monday, Oct 26
ARPA-E Awards $151M to 37 Projects for Transformative Energy Research
The Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 37 energy research projects for $151 million in funding through the recently formed Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). This is the first round of projects funded under ARPA-E, which is receiving total of... The Department of En...
Bright Automotive Launches Bright eSolutions; US Army Hybrid Vehicle Contract
The IDEA is a multi-purpose, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle aimed at commercial and government fleets. Bright eSolutions will offer clients expert guidance on a variety of strategies in the field of EV/PHEV vehicle development, from EV powertrain integration and conversions, to ae...
General Motors Developed Two-Mode Hybrid Powertrain With MathWorks Model-Based Design; Cut 24 Months Off Expected Dev Time
General Motors developed its Two-Mode Hybrid powertrain control system using Model-Based Design software from The Mathworks. Using math and simulation-based tools, GM designed the powertrain prototype within 9 months, shaving 24 months off the expected development time. The compl...
Sunday, Oct 25
SK Energy to Supply Li-ion Batteries to Daimlers Mitsubishi Fuso
As of June 2009, South Korea-based SK Energy had developed six lithium-ion cells: two targeted at hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications and four targeted at plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) applications. (Earlier post.)
Saturday, Oct 24
Quantum Introduces Advanced High Performance All-Wheel Drive Diesel Hybrid Electric Drive System
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. has introduced a fuel-efficient, high-performance diesel hybrid electric powertrain, “Q-Force”. In 2007, the US Army awarded Quantum a $4.88-million contract (earlier post) to develop a diesel hybrid electric version of its Altern...
The Business of Plugging In: Building the Full Ecosystem for a Successful Plug-in Vehicle Industry in the US
—Peter Darbee PG&E services the San Francisco area and Northern California. Darbee noted that although California has about 12% of the population, it has about 25% of the demand for plug-in hybrids. He said that they thought it very likely that California and Northern California wou...
Wednesday, Oct 21
Toyota To Place 10 Prius Plug-ins in SmartGridCity Project in 2010
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA will place ten Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHV) with Xcel Energy’s SmartGridCity project in Boulder, Colorado. The vehicles will be the focus of an interdisciplinary research project coordinated by the University of Colorado at... Toyota Motor...
Sunday, Oct 18
UK Studies Suggest New Business Models and Policies Required for EV and PHEV Uptake; Price a Critical Issue
A strategy based around battery leasing. In the short term the car club business model could be a viable means of introducing the public to electric vehicle technology. Market outlook to 2022 for battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (AEA 2009)
Tuesday, Oct 13
Clemson Researchers to Study Increasing Efficiency of PHEVs Through Integration with IntelliDrive Technology
The IntelliDrive taxonomy. Click to enlarge. Clemson University researchers were recently awarded a $470,363 National Science Foundation grant to study making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) more efficient through integration with a Vehicle Infrastructure Integration...
Thursday, Oct 8
City of Inglewood Chooses REV to Transform New Fleet Ford Escapes to EVs
The City of Inglewood, California has chosen REV, a Vancouver, Canada company that converts Ford fleet vehicles into highway capable battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (earlier post), to transform new Ford Escapes that they purchase into the REV 300 ACX—a... The City of Ingle...
Tuesday, Sep 29
National Labs Developing Methodology for Estimating Real World Fuel and Electricity Consumption of Plug-in Hybrids Based on Dynamometer Data
For the Hymotion Prius PHEVs, NREL’s method estimated fuel consumption of 4.2 L/100 km (55 mpg) and electricity consumption of 5.5 kWh/100 km (89 Wh/mi). This represents an average decrease in gasoline fuel consumption of roughly 20% relative to the comparable HEV Prius window sticker va...
FPL Group and Duke Energy Pledge 10-year, $600M+ Commitment to Transition Fleets to PHEVs and EVs
Duke Energy and FPL Group will begin this transition in the coming years with the goal that 100% of all new fleet vehicles will be plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by 2020. In announcing their partnership, FPL Group and Duke Energy called for a w...
Monday, Sep 28
Volvo Car Corporation to Introduce Diesel Plug-in Hybrid in Europe in 2012
A V70 plug-in hybrid demonstrator. The series-production PHEVs will feature “somewhat different” technology. Click to enlarge. V70 PHEV Demonstrators. In January 2007, Volvo Cars and energy supplier Vattenfall launched a joint project with the aim of testing and developing plug-in te...
Sunday, Sep 20
BYD Reportedly Has Sold Less Than 100 F3DM PHEVs in 8 months
Gasgoo. BYD Auto reportedly has sold less than 100 of its F3DM (dual-mode) plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (earlier post) through August. Morgan Stanley projects that actual F3DM sales will fall far behind the goal of 3,000 to 4,000 units for... Gasgoo. BYD Auto reportedly has sold less than...
Ener1 Establishes European Division
Ener1 is teaming with Volvo Cars to provide lithium-ion packs for the C30 Battery Electric Vehicle (earlier post). This follows on from the recently announced collaboration with Volvo on the plug-in hybrid V70 demonstration vehicles being tested in Europe this fall, which also featur...
Wednesday, Sep 9
PECO Expanding Fleet with NGVs & PHEVs
PECO is expanding its fleet with new natural gas and hybrid electric models. The utility is participating in a national consortium that recently was awarded a federal stimulus grant to purchase plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and the company is... PECO is expanding its fleet wit...
Friday, Sep 4
Toyota to Unveil Three Hybrid Concepts at Frankfurt: Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept, Plug-in Prius Concept, Lexus LF-Ch Full Hybrid Concept
Toyota will stage the world premiere of three hybrid concepts at the Frankfurt Motor Show: the Auris HSD full hybrid, the Prius plug-in hybrid concept, and the Lexus LF-Ch premium compact full hybrid concept. Toyota says that the Auris hybrid... Toyota will stage the world premiere of three...
Sunday, Aug 30
BMW’s “CO2 Champion” Performance Concept is a Plug-in Diesel Hybrid; 50 km/31 mile All-Electric Range; Thermo-electric Generator for Waste Heat Recovery
The rear axle comes with a second-generation full-hybrid system corresponding to the technology introduced for the first time in the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 production model. (Earlier post.) Running as an electric motor, the compact electric power unit positioned between the combustion e...
Saturday, Aug 29
Ener1 to Take 31% Stake in EV Maker Think Global; Think City Production Moves to Valmet in Finland
Initially developed for the Think City electric car, the complete system is the first of its kind to provide off-the-shelf availability combined with made-to-order performance in a wide variety of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicle (EV) applications, according to the partn...
Wednesday, Aug 19
GM Pulls the Plug on New Buick Compact Crossover; Plug-in System to Be Applied to Another Vehicle
GM has cancelled its recently announced compact Buick crossover, which would have offered the plug-in hybrid system originally targeted for the Saturn VUE. (Earlier post.) In a post on GM’s FastLane blog, Tom Stephens, GM Vice Chairman, who announced the... GM has cancelled its recently an...
UC Davis Study Finds That Ultracapacitor-based Micro-Hybrid Systems Can Deliver Substantial Fuel Economy Improvements
All the simulations used powertrains in the same mid-sized vehicle. The engine map used in the simulations of micro-hybrid, charge-sustaining hybrid, and plug-in hybrid was for a Ford Focus 2L, 4-cylinder engine. The rated engine power was 120 kW for the conventional ICE vehicle and the...
FEV, Inc. Partnering with EIG on Li-Ion Pack Development for Range-Extended Electric Vehicle Project
At the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference 2009 (AABC 2009) earlier this year, EIG described a prototype lithium-ion battery system targeted at a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) application. The system shows 58 kW discharge power output at 50% depth of discharge (DOD), wit...
Saturday, Aug 15
Eaton to Support Project to Develop and Deploy Medium-Duty Plug-in Hybrid Systems; Stimulus Funding to Support Largest Commercial PHEV Demonstration to Date
The development and deployment of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and accompanying charging infrastructure will take place over 18 months. Vehicles will be evaluated over a two-year period. — Mark Duvall, director of Electric Transportation at EPRI
Converted Plug-In Hybrid Electric Terminal Tractor to be Tested at Port of Long Beach
US Hybrid Corporation performed the conversion which uses a 33 kWh Li-ion battery pack from GAIA. The truck is equipped with a 6.6 kW charger. EPRI expects the plug-in to have about 4 hours of electric operation, depending upon the duty cycle, said Andra Rogers, senior project manager of Ele...
Wednesday, Aug 12
Bright Automotive To Convert VW Transporters to Plug-ins
The converted Transporter, which will come in cargo, cab-chassis and passenger versions, will have a 22-mile all-electric range (AER), with fuel economy of 57 mpg based on a 50-mile daily cycle. By way of comparison, the IDEA is designed to have a 30-mile AER with fuel economy of 100 mpg.
GM Expects Chevrolet Volt to Deliver 230 mpg in City Driving Based on EPA Draft Methodology
While the fuel economy (FE) for combustible fueled vehicles (such as gasoline, diesel, compressed natural gas, or an ethanol blend) can easily be expressed in mpg, and fuel economy for an all-electric vehicle can be expressed in miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (mpge), the arri...
Sunday, Aug 9
Ford Exec Cites US Energy Policies As Critical Factor in Shaping Future Vehicle Fleet, Calls for Cap-and-Trade Program
Ford has doubled the number and production of its hybrid vehicles and announced an aggressive strategy to bring four new electrified vehicles to market over the next three years. They include a battery-electric Transit Connect commercial van in 2010, a battery-electric Ford Focus pas...
Saturday, Aug 8
UMTRI Agent-Based Simulation Study Concludes US PHEV Annual Sales Could Reach 4-5% With Fleet Penetration of 2+% by 2020 If Subsidies Are in Place
our simulations show that large increases in gasoline prices, whether induced by higher taxes or higher petroleum costs, result in consumers moving toward more fuel-efficient vehicles and a few agents being forced out of vehicle ownership. However, the trend toward purchasing more f...
Toyota Advanced Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Achieves 431 Mile Estimated Range; Toyota Targeting Commercialization Within Six Years
Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology has advanced rapidly over the last two years. In 2015, our plan is to bring to market a reliable and durable fuel cell vehicle with exceptional fuel economy and zero emissions, at an affordable price.
Wednesday, Aug 5
DOE Award Supports Largest Single Deployment of EVs and Infrastructure Yet; Up to 5,000 Nissan LEAF EVs in 5 Regions
70 million to Chrysler to develop, validate and deploy 220 plug-in hybrid electric pickups and minivans$45.4 million to California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to develop a production plug-in hybrid system for Class 2-5 vehicles and to demonstrate a fleet o...
President Obama Announces 48 Projects to Receive $2.4B in Grants for Next-Generation of Batteries and Electric Vehicles; To be Combined with $2.4B in Industry Cost-Share
ApplicantDOE Award ($mil.)Project locationsTechnologyGeneral Motors$30.5Manufacturing: Michigan; Deployment: several utility partners’ fleetsDevelop, analyze, and demonstrate hundreds of Chevrolet Volt Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs) --125 Volt PHEVs for elect...
Thursday, Jul 30
EnerDel Teams With Nissan on Electrolyte Research at Argonne Lab
Lithium-ion automotive battery producer EnerDel and Nissan Motor Co. are teaming up to co-fund research at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) on a new electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. EnerDel, Nissan and ANL are not disclosing a great deal of information about... Lithium-ion autom...
USCAR Argues for Continued US Funding of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Research
—Hydrogen Research for Transportation: The USCAR Perspective The whitepaper recaps some of the recent developments and successes in four areas fundamental to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles: fuel cells; hydrogen storage; hydrogen source pathways; and infrastructure.
University of Calgary Study Finds Large-Scale Adoption of PHEVs in Alberta Could Support Wind Power; PHEV GHG Benefits Range from 40-90% in Emissions Reduction
The environmental benefit of a large-scale deployment of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the Canadian province of Alberta could vary significantly, ranging from a 40% to a 90% reduction in greenhouse gases, according to a study by electrical engineers... The environmental...
Think and Ener1 Supplying Electric Drivetrains and Battery Packs to Japan Post for EV Conversions; Potential New Line of Business
Initially developed for the Th!nk City electric car (earlier post), the complete system is the first of its kind to provide off-the-shelf availability combined with made-to-order performance in a wide variety of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicle (EV) applications, accord...
Friday, Jul 17
Third Phase of SDGE In-Use Study Shows PHEVs Excel on Fuel Economy and GHG Emissions Reductions Compared to Gasoline ICE and Hybrid-Electric Vehicles
SDG&E tested the performance of two 2007-model Prius hybrids and then converted them into plug-in hybrids, using a Hymotion 5 kWh lithium-ion battery conversion kit. In the most recent study, the prototype battery was replaced with a production-model battery. The same pool of driv...
Ontario Announces Rebates of Up to C$10,000 for Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicles
Ontario (Canada) Premier Dalton McGuinty announced several measures in support of that goal, including rebates of between C$4,000 and C$10,000 (US$3,575 to US$8,938) for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles purchased after 1 July 2010, based on the vehicle’s battery capac...
UK Publishes Strategy for Low Carbon Transport
The UK’s Department for Transport has published a strategy designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from the transport sector by around 14% (17.7 million tonnes) by 2020 compared to 2008. The document, entitled “Low carbon transport: a greener future”,... The UK’s Department for Tra...
Thursday, Jul 9
Report: Mitsubishi, Peugeot to Extend Partnership to Plug-In Hybrids
In addition, Mitsubishi Motors will supply large-capacity lithium ion batteries to Peugeot Citroen through an affiliate. The carmakers will also consider supplying plug-in hybrid vehicles to each other...The firms also plan to jointly manufacture cars in Russia.
Quantum Signs $10.2 Million Phase III Plug-in Development Contract with Fisker Automotive
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. has signed a $10.2 million contract for Phase III development of plug-in hybrid powertrains for Fisker automobiles. This contract will enable Quantum to manage production validation of the Q-Drive plug-in hybrid system and ready... Quan...
Market Forecast Projects Cumulative 1.7M PHEVs Globally by 2015, 36% in the US
A new report from cleantech market intelligence firm Pike Research forecasts that by 2015 a total of 1.7 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will be on the road worldwide. Pike Research forecasts that the United States will be the leading... A new report from cleantech market intellige...
Wednesday, Jul 8
Zipcar Launches Car Sharing Club with Hybrids, PHEV and EV in London
Car-sharing operator Zipcar and the Westminster City Council in London have launched a new car sharing club fleet that will initially include 20 hybrid vehicles and will offer members access to the country’s first all-electric car club vehicle, a Citroen... Car-sharing operator Zipcar...
Sunday, Jul 5
SAIC Motor to Invest US$1.76B Over 3-5 Years for New Energy Vehicles
2010 launch of Roewe 750 mild hybrid sedan with a boost in fuel economy of about 20%Proving nearly 1,000 units of new energy vehicles (all electric, ultracapacitor, fuel cell and hybrid) for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai2012 launch of plug-in hybrid version of the Roewe 550 mid-class sed...
Thursday, Jun 25
GAO Report Concludes Plug-in Vehicles Offer Potential Benefits, but High Costs and Limited Information Could Hinder Integration into the Federal Fleet; Recommended Actions
However, the GAO notes, “new nuclear plants and renewable energy sources can be controversial and expensive.” In addition, the report says, research suggests that for plug-ins to be cost-effective relative to gasoline vehicles the price of batteries must come down significantly and...
UK SMMT Creates Industry-wide Electric Vehicle Group
Participation in SMMT’s Electric Vehicle Group is limited to SMMT members with exceptions by invitation only. The Group will report into the Environmental Strategy Group which advises SMMT’s Executive Board and includes organizations involved in the research, development, design...
Saturday, Jun 20
French Environment Agency Demonstrator Awards 57M to 11 Lower-CO2 Vehicle Projects
HYDOLE, proposed by PSA, Freescale and EDF, is working on a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with an all-electric range of 50-70 km (31-43 miles). DHRT2 (Démonstrateur Hybride Rechargeable Toyota II): Toyota, EDF, Ecoles des Mines, and the INES are fielding a test fleet of plug-in hybri...
Friday, Jun 5
Toyota to Lease 200 PHEVs in Japan Starting at End of 2009, 500 Globally; Gen3 Prius Plus Li-ion Pack
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will begin leasing approximately 200 plug-in versions of its third-generation Prius (earlier post) equipped with lithium-ion battery packs in Japan starting at the end of this year. This will be the first time a lithium-ion battery... Toyota Motor Corpora...
Saturday, May 23
ANL Project on Actively Coupled Ultracapacitor-Battery System for PHEVs Attracting OEM Interest
Energy-optimized Li-ion batteries with thicker electrodes. A thick electrode in Li-ion cells could save up to $285/kWh, Bohn said. GM has verbally committed to apply this technology on the Chevy Volt energy storage system and to perform lab evaluations.
Saturday, May 16
Argonne Lifecycle Analysis Calculates WTW Petroleum Energy Use and GHG Emissions for PHEVs Fueled With Petroleum, E85 and Hydrogen
Compared to an internal combustion vehicle fueled with gasoline, PHEVs that employed petroleum fuels (gasoline and diesel) offered a 40-60% reduction in petroleum energy use and a 30-60% reduction in GHG emissions. PHEVs fueled by E85 offered a 70-90% reduction in petroleum energy us...
Friday, May 1
UK Collaboration Develops Plug-in Hybrid Retrofit for Conventional Vehicles
This transformed the van into a hybrid vehicle capable of achieving an all-electric range of more than 20 km (12 miles) on one charge. Affordable Add-on, Zero Emissions Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle for Commercial Urban Applications, using Valve Regulated Lead-Acid Battery Techno...
Friday, Apr 24
SAE Hybrid Standards Committee: Works In Progress For 2009
Active standards work. Click to enlarge.During the SAE 2009 World Congress in Detroit, Gary Kissel of General Motors presented an update of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicle standards being revised or developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Hybrid Standards...
Wednesday, Mar 18
New Legislation Would Require Half of US New LDVs in 2012 to be Alcohol Flex-Fuel, 80% by 2015
The legislation would allow exemptions for manufacturers under certain conditions, including if the application of the fuel-choice enabling technology to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) caused such vehicles to fail to meet state air quality requirements.
Friday, Mar 13
Siemens Highlights Prototypes of New Drive Systems for Electric Cars
Within the scope of this research, Siemens Corporate Technology has developed an integrated system consisting of a motor/generator, power electronics and an interface with a battery connection for electrically-powered cars.
Thursday, Mar 12
Think Planning US Factory; Initial Production in 2010
—Richard Canny, Think CEO Think’s subsidiary, Think North America, plans to apply for low-interest loans from the US Department of Energy’s $25-billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVMIP) program. Think is also collaborating closely with battery makers Ener1, Inc....
Thursday, Feb 26
Study Concludes That Smaller Capacity PHEVs Would Be a Robust Option for Minimizing Fuel Consumption, Cost and GHG Emissions
When charged frequently (every 20 miles or less), using average US electricity, small capacity (i.e., lower all-electric range) plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are less expensive operationally and release fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs) than hybrid-electric (HEVs) or conv...
Friday, Feb 13
Stimulus Bill Provides Major Increase in Plug-in Vehicle Purchase Credit Program
Tax Credits for Plug-ins A 10% credit, up to a maximum of $4,000, for the cost of converting any motor vehicle into a qualified PHEV. Minimum capacity of a qualified battery is 4 kWh. Plug-in conversions made after 31 December 2011 are not eligible.
Monday, Feb 9
Ford Launching Transit Connect in US Starting This Summer; Battery-Electric Version Due in 2010
Battery Electric Transit Connect. At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford unveiled an accelerated plan to bring next-generation hybrid-electric (HEV); a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV); and battery-electric (BEV) veh...
Wednesday, Feb 4
EcoCAR Teams Roll Out Architectures; Plug-in Li-ion Packs and Renewable Energy Common Attributes
Fuel Cell Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FCPHEV). Two of the seventeen EcoCAR teams, including University of Waterloo and Missouri University of Science and Technology, have designed a Fuel Cell Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle which uses an onboard hydrogen fuel cell to either pro...
Tuesday, Feb 3
Ford Selects Johnson Controls-Saft for PHEV Battery Supplier in 2012; Adds 7 Utilities to PHEV Test Program
Ford has into a partnership with Johnson Controls-Saft (JCS) to develop advanced lithium-ion battery system to power Ford’s first production plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) beginning in 2012. Also, seven regional electric utility partners are joining Ford and the Electric...
Monday, Jan 12
Chrysler Introduces New 200C EV Concept, New Jeep EV Concept and Update on Three Earlier EV Concepts; Production to Begin in 2010
The Chrysler 200C EV. Click to enlarge. Chrysler unveiled the 200C EV Concept, the newest Chrysler ENVI electric-drive vehicle , at the North American International Auto Show. The 200C EV, based on a shortened version of Chrysler’s rear-wheel-drive platform, features... The Chrysler 200C...
Sunday, Jan 11
Ford Rolls Out Accelerated Plan for HEVs, PHEVs and BEVs; To Partner with Magna on BEVs, First One Due in 2011
In June, Ford delivered the first flexible fuel capable plug-in hybrid electric SUV to the Department of Energy. (Earlier post.) The Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, capable of running on gasoline or E85, is part of the demonstration fleet Ford is developing in partnership with Southern Cali...
Thursday, Dec 11
Study Finds That Without a Price on Carbon, Regular Hybrids Can Lower Lifecycle CO2 Emissions As Effectively as Plug-in Hybrids, and At Lower Cost
If a $40-per-ton CO2 price is present, then a 56% plug-in hybrid penetration results in an additional 132 TWh of coal generation, 75 TWh of nuclear, 14 TWh of wood biomass, and only 5 TWh of natural gas generation by 2030. Both coal and natural gas generation are lower with a $40-per-ton CO2 p...
Monday, Jul 9
Ford and Edison Partner on Plug-In Hybrids
The Ford/Edison announcement comes less than a month after Google announced that it had partnered with Pacific Gas and Electric to demonstrate plug-in hybrid and vehicle-to-grid technology (earlier post). by Jack Rosebro The 2008 Escape Hybrid will serve as the base for the PHEV conve...
Friday, Jun 8
CMU: Plug-in Hybrids “More Sensible” Use of Coal Than Coal-to-Liquids
Plug-in hybrids look more promising as a pathway for reduction of GHG emissions. Even if coal electricity without CCS is used, plug-in hybrids could lead to a GHG emissions reduction of almost 25%. This demonstrates the worst case for plug-in hybrids, as GHGs would be further reduced with...
Tuesday, Jun 5
GM Awards Advanced Development Battery Contracts For Chevrolet Volt E-Flex System
FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership 2006 Highlights of Technical Accomplishments General Motors has awarded two separate contracts for advanced development of lithium-ion batteries and packs for the electric drive E-Flex System used in the Chevrolet Volt. One contract will go to lith...
Sunday, Jun 3
The Plug-In Hybrid Comes to Europe
The conference included several presentations on plug-in hybrids by researchers from around the world, as well as a plug-in hybrid roundtable hosted by Ron Gremban of CalCars, who was the technical lead for the first PHEV conversion of a Toyota Prius in 2004.
Sunday, May 27
GE Introduces Hybrid Locomotive Prototype to Public
The hybrid battery system for a locomotive thus needs to provide both high energy and high power. GE’s hybrid prototype has a power/energy (P/E) ratio of about 2. By contrast, the Camry hybrid has a P/E ratio of 19, the GE/Orion V prototype hybrid transit bus a P/E ratio of about 5, and the Spri...
Wednesday, May 23
DOE to Provide up to $19 Million for Research Projects on Plug-Ins, EVs and Fuel Cell Vehicles
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected five next-generation vehicle research projects which will receive up to $19 million in DOE funding to further the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).
Tuesday, Mar 13
GM’s View on Battery Technologies for Hybrids, Plug-Ins and E-Flex
GM held a media briefing yesterday, along with its battery partners from Johnson Controls-Saft, A123Systems, and Cobasys, to provide some perspective on the development of lithium-ion battery technology for its plug-in and E-Flex efforts.
