News - 2008 Archive

Expanding HEV Universe

A capsule of trends and developments that point to the future of hybrid and electric propulsion

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December 2008

New Heavy-duty Hybrid from Navistar

The market for Class 7 general freight haulage tractors (26,000 -33,000 lb; 11,800 – 150,000 kg) has a new entry from Navistar: the International DuraStar Hybrid, designed to achieve substantial (up to 25%) fuel savings whilst significantly trimming nitrogen oxides emissions in the urban delivery service duty cycles of such vehicles that are characterized by significant idling time. This model employs an electric motor/generator with parallel hybrid diesel technology featuring braking energy recovery, electric power boost during high torque requirements, and an automated clutch.

EV, PHEV Production to Start-up in Norway, Finland

Electrovaya Corporation of Canada has obtained a CD $1.3 million partial payment from Miljobil Corp. for the technology license to begin production of Lithium Ion SuperPolymer batteries and electric vehicles at a Miljobil plant in Norway. Also from Scandinavia comes news that production of the Fisker Karma 4-door PHEV sports sedan will begin in Finland in fourth quarter 2009, with planned eventual annual production of 15,000 units.

Toyota Displays CNG Camry Hybrid Concept at L.A. Auto Show

Toyota rolled out its compressed natural gas (CNG) Camry Hybrid concept vehicle at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show in late November. Establishing that Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive® system can utilize a variety of heat-engine fuels, this vehicle reduces still further the already low tailpipe emissions characteristic of gasoline hybrids, virtually eliminating carbon dioxide, non-methane hydrocarbons, and particles altogether, and further reducing dependency on imported oil, all at lower vehicle operating costs. At the same show, Hyundai unveiled the efficient new engine for its hybrid-electric Sonata, scheduled to debut in 2010, that will be coupled with lithium polymer propulsion batteries that are smaller and more powerful than current nickel metal hydride batteries, and cheaper and more durable than lithium ion batteries planned for use by other manufacturers.

Germany Wants One Million Electric Cars on the Road by 2020

In a conference on the future of electric transportation (Nationale Strategiekonferenz Elektromobilität, 25./26. November 2008), the German government has detailed a major plan to put one million electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles on the country’s roads within the next 11 years. The sweeping plan includes a large amount of funding for advanced battery development, investment in an electric car charging infrastructure, and tax credits for the adoption of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Conceived by four separate German government agencies, the plan is on track to be signed into legislation early next year.

Hybrids go Upscale to Limousine Market, while NYC Taxi Mandate Disappears

On-line hiring of chauffeured automobiles now includes the option to book a hybrid limousine through ElectriCar.com, whose founder claims that the company through its global partnerships offers the largest fleet of such limousines in the world. In other cars-for-hire news, a federal judge has granted an injunction against the City of New York's hybrid taxi mandate on grounds brought by plaintiffs (the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade) that hybrid taxicabs are unsafe and generally unfit for taxi use due to size constraints and lack of crashworthiness data when such vehicles are equipped with the standard driver/rear seat bulletproof partitions.

The New Lexus Hybrid

The next generation Lexus RX 450h hybrid features a 3.5-liter V6 Atkinson cycle gasoline engine married to a more efficient motor generator and inverter system that combined can deliver on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) at 295 rated horsepower, 27 hp above the current model. The rear-mounted generator eliminates most of the fuel efficiency losses of weight and friction experienced in today's mechanical AWD offerings. All four wheels can perform regenerative braking.

Ecological Drive Guidance to be New Selling Point on Honda, Ford Hybrids

Onboard displays and metered coaching to educate drivers how to achieve maximum fuel efficiency when driving will debut in the near future in hybrid models offered by both Ford and Honda (2009 Insight). When these ecological drive systems are activated, displays will cue a driver that adjustments should be made manually (or, in the case of auxiliary loads, automatically) to reduce fuel use for the required power demand. Honda will use a display color code and scoring scheme to inform drivers how effective their actions are in reducing fuel consumption, and will provide a history of several months' worth of trip fuel consumption that can reinforce the incentive to operate more efficiently.

November 2008

Production Model of Chevrolet Volt Rolls Out

Having achieved its target of 40 miles of city driving prior to kicking in the heat engine, General Motors has presented what it says will be the production version of its multi-fuel/hybrid Volt model, scheduled for the commercial market in 2010. The model's features will include a driver-configurable LCD instrument display; touch-screen vehicle information display, climate and entertainment/media control; an optional navigation system; and Bluetooth cell phone capability (standard). The production vehicle exterior will retain the closed front grille, rear design graphics, rounded and flush front fascia with tapered corners, and outside rearview mirror of its prototype.

Electric Mini to Debut at L.A. Auto Show

BMW Group's battery-electric Mini E is being introduced at November's Los Angeles Auto Show. BMW will deploy a fleet of 500 of the all-electric vehicles to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in California, New York and New Jersey, with possible later expansion to Europe. The vehicle, powered by a 204-hp electric motor, sports a lithium-ion battery pack offering a range of more than 150 miles (240 km) that can be extended by up to 20% with regenerative braking.

Canadian Auto Parts Company Developing Electric Hybrid Car

Magna International, a Canadian auto parts supplier, has purchased a Michigan-based company that focuses on propulsion and energy management for electric vehicles in continuing its quest to develop an entire range of components from electric engines to heating systems tailored specifically to hybrid technology. The four-door car being developed by the company and for which Magna is seeking an auto-manufacturing partner will demonstrate the sub-systems and components for electric and hybrid vehicles.

UPS to Deploy Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Technology Pioneered at U.S. EPA Ann Arbor

UPS has placed orders for seven hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHV), saying it is the first in the industry to do so. The technology stores energy by compressing hydraulic fluid under pressure in a large chamber and was developed in an EPA laboratory. The vehicle's fuel economy performance and emissions will be monitored when the first two HHVs are deployed in Minneapolis in early 2009. The remaining five will be deployed in late 2009 and early 2010. UPS and the EPA said the prototype vehicle achieved a 45-50% improvement in fuel economy compared to conventional diesel trucks during road testing on Detroit routes.

Australia to Become the Latest "Better Place" with Electric Car Charging Network

Australia will join Israel and Denmark as the latest proving ground for the Better Place electric vehicle/charging station deployment scheme. Better Place announced it is teaming with Australia's AGL Energy and financial advisor Macquarie Capital Group to set up a $660 million car charging network in Australia. AGL, the country's major electricity retailer, will provide electricity from renewable resources, including wind, solar and landfill gas, to power the electric cars, and Macquarie will assist in business development and helping to raise the cash needed for the network build. As in Israel and Denmark, the electric cars for the project will come from the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Britain to Spend £100M to Make Electric and Hybrid Cars Practical and Affordable

Britain's Department for Transport has announced a £100 million ($156 million) government spending commitment to make greener vehicles a reality by encouraging a mass market in electric and hybrid cars. The new initiative has the potential to create up to 10,000 new jobs. Part of the package is a £10 million project to run electric car and ultra low carbon vehicle demonstration projects. One hundred electric cars will be provided to UK motorists to garner feedback on the practical steps needed to make greener motoring an everyday reality. Another £20m has been dedicated to researching how to make electric and other green cars more practical and affordable.

October 2008

PHEV Boost from New Policies in USA Bailout Act

The massive U.S. financial bailout plan, signed into law October 3, renews existing tax credits for renewable energy and includes rebates for plug-in hybrid drivers. The law will give drivers of plug-in hybrid vehicles a tax credit of between $2,500 and $7,500, depending on the capacity of the battery. Larger vehicles, such as trucks, have larger credits. "The new tax credits for plug-in cars are higher than either presidential candidate has proposed. Now automakers and car buyers will no longer see higher up-front costs as a showstopper," Felix Kramer, founder, the California Cars Initiative, said in a statement. "And with this legislation, we'll also get more wind and solar energy that will make plug-in cars drive cleaner every year they're on the road."

Hybrids Still Top Clean Car Ratings

With a few exceptions, the most fuel-efficient, cleanest cars on the road in America today are hybrid cars, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) annual ratings. Topping the list of the cleanest cars available in America are the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid, both of which earn a perfect EPA greenhouse gas score of 10 based on carbon dioxide emissions. They're also the only vehicles to earn air-pollution scores of 9.5 for tailpipe emissions that create problems like smog, haze and respiratory health issues. The near-perfect combined score of 19.5 also earned both cars the EPA designation of SmartWay Elite Vehicle, which is only given to those vehicles that score 9 or better in both categories. SmartWay Elite vehicles are considered "superior environmental performers," according to the EPA. Three other hybrids earned a combined score of 18.5 (9.5 for air pollution and 9 for greenhouse gas) as well as the SmartWay Elite designation: the Toyota Camry hybrid, the Ford Escape hybrid and the Nissan Altima hybrid.

International Fervor for EVs Grows

Against a backdrop of generally gloomy sales forecasts and belt-tightening, a chorus of optimism rose from automakers at the Paris Motor Show as the technical hurdles of hybrids, plug-ins and electric vehicle development — primarily involving the cost and capacity of advanced-chemistry batteries — are gradually being overcome. "Two years ago nobody said an electric vehicle was even possible," said Pitt Moos, marketing manager for Smart USA. "Today everybody is saying, 'We're going to make one.'" At the show, Smart — the maker of those tiny two-seat city cars — announced plans to build all-electric vehicles for Europe by the end of the decade. And Renault Motor Corp. announced it would build a pure electric version of its Fluence, a mid-size sedan, and sell as many as 40,000 in 2011. Both Mercedes-Benz and BMW unveiled lithium battery-equipped hybrid full-size luxury models now entering production.

Toyota Looks Toward Natural Gas-fueled Hybrids

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, Inc., will display a compressed natural gas (CNG) Camry Hybrid concept vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Honda is currently the only automaker with an OEM natural gas passenger vehicle—the Civic GX—on the US retail market.

New EV Demonstration Venture in Berlin

Daimler AG and RWE AG have jointly launched a large-scale electric vehicle (EV) trial in Berlin: e-mobility Berlin. Daimler will provide more than 100 electric cars from Mercedes-Benz and Smart as well as vehicle service. RWE is handling the development, installation and operation of the charging infrastructure, accounting for some 500 charging points, and the supply of electricity and central control of the system. The partners are co-developing the interfaces between the vehicle and the intelligent charging points to enable effective, customer-friendly and convenient everyday operation. Payment is based on an exchange of data between an in-car communication system and the charging point. The project is being supported by the German federal government.

September 2008

Hyundai Makes it Official: PHEV as Early as 2014

Korean manufacturer Hyundai announced plans to launch an outlet-rechargeable hybrid vehicle sometime after 2013, in a bid to remain technologically competitive with its principal commercial rivals in Asia, Japanese hybrid vehicle manufacturers. The statement confirms Korea’s plan to move boldly into the arena of hybrid manufacture, and follows Hyundai’s earlier announcement that its Kia unit will market an HEV Sonata in the USA beginning in 2010.

Honda Seeks Hybrid Price Point Advantage over Toyota

Honda has set a specific target to beat Toyota pricing with the new hybrid it plans to introduce in April of next year. The new model, costing less than a Prius, will be smaller than Honda's Civic, but will be offered only in the hybrid configuration, according to officials of American Honda Motor Co.

Hybrid Buses Going Lightweight

The refinement of innovative lightweight materials, especially Nitronic stainless steel that has over three times the strength of regular (mild) steel with far greater resistance to corrosion and fatigue, has enabled Fisher Coachworks of Michigan to announce the impending manufacture of a 40-foot hybrid transit bus with half the mass and twice the fuel economy of currently-available hybrid buses. No launch date for this innovative product has yet been set.

Toyota Prius Production to Mississippi

Toyota Highlander SUV production originally slated for the company's manufacturing facility in Mississippi, USA, will actually be undertaken at Toyota's Indiana plant beginning in fall 2009, with Mississippi production being dedicated to the Prius line, a company release reveals. The Mississippi facility will be the first to produce the Prius on U.S. soil, and joins Toyota's Kentucky plant (Camrys) as the company's second USA hybrid production facility.

Sweden and US DOE Enter PHEV Memorandum of Understanding

The USA and Sweden will collaborate in an effort to accelerate consumer acceptance of PHEVs, an agreement made official by signing of a Memoradum of Understanding (MOU) by U.S. Department of Energy assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner and Director General of the Swedish Energy Agency, Tomas Kåberger. The MOU commits to a one-year, $1 million cost-sharing arrangement that will enable DOE's Argonne National Laboratory to work jointly with Test Site Sweden to develop PHEV proofs of concept, track and evaluate customer behavior, quantify benefits, and plan and deploy public charging stations in convenient locations.

Daimler Hybrid Truck Test Fleet Launched in London

Ten Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid (6,800-kg) trucks designed by subsidiary Mitsubishi and issued by Daimler AG are now on the streets of London, UK, in the largest pilot demonstration of diesel-electric hybrid drive technology now active in Europe. These units are expected to reduce fuel consumption about 15 percent relative to conventional counterparts and meet all Euro 4 emission standards. Eight different customer organizations are participating.

Center for Automotive Research: 100% of New Vehicles Micro- to Full Hybrids by 2020

Michigan's Center for Automotive Research, having interviewed 125 executives in 15 countries collectively representing 85% of the top auto companies worldwide and all of the top ten, has issued a study finding a consensus that all new vehicles produced by year 2020 will have some level of hybridization. Battery technology will be ubiquitous and, of emerging technologies, lithium-ion holds the most promise. Further, an all-electric, plug-in BEV with a range of well over 100 miles (160 km) will be a reality.

August 2008

Volt/PHEV Development to get Tech Boost at GM

General Motors Corp. has opened its new $463 million powertrain development center in Pontiac, Michigan. The automaker said its global Powertrain Engineering Development Center will do much of the work that formerly required road testing and will bring advanced, fuel-saving powertrains to market faster and at less cost. A key project already underway at the lab is the power system for the plug-in Chevrolet Volt, set to hit showrooms in late 2010. The center has announced the intention to apply advanced math and computer modeling to chop 40% off the development time for its vehicle power systems.

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi in New EV Powertrain Partnership

As a component of its 2010-2015 Strategy and Ambition Plan for environmentally friendly cars, PSA Peugeot Citroen has entered into an exploratory agreement with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to collaborate in development of electric powertrains for future advanced technology urban vehicles. The two companies are already jointly constructing a vehicle production facility in Kaluga, Russia. For its own part, Mitsubishi reiterated its plan to introduce a new-generation electric drive mini-car into the Japanese market in 2009, with possible later extension to Europe and the U.S.

Houston, Texas Maintains USA Leadership in Hybrid Municipal Fleets

The city of Houston has welcomed its 500th hybrid vehicle and more are on the way as the city hopes to expand its fleet of hybrid vehicles to 1,500 by 2010. Houston's fleet includes 334 Toyota Prius models, 164 Ford Escapes and two Honda Insights. "Hybrid vehicles are economically and environmentally beneficial," Mayor Bill White said. "Houston is setting an example by improving air quality and making great savings on fuel costs." Officials estimate that the 500 hybrids will save 226,000 gallons of gasoline.

Toyota to Produce Hybrids in Thailand and Australia

Toyota Motor Corporation continues to expand the international manufacturing base for its popular HEV models. Two corporate announcements, one from Toyota Motors Thailand and the other from Toyota corporate headquarters, have described plans to begin production of the Camry Hybrid at Toyota's Thailand manufacturing facility as well as its Australian plant in Altona, Victoria. Production start time and annual projected output at the latter facility were announced, respectively, as early in 2010 and 10,000 vehicles.

July 2008

Toyota promises plug-in hybrid vehicle by 2010

Toyota is introducing a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries in Japan, the U.S. and Europe by 2010, under a recently-announced corporate energy strategy. The ecological gas-electric vehicles, which can be recharged from a home electrical outlet, will target leasing customers, Toyota Motor Corp. said. The joint venture that Toyota set up with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic products, will begin producing lithium-ion batteries in 2009 and move into full-scale production in 2010, Toyota said. "Without focusing on measures to address global warming and energy issues, there can be no future for our auto business," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters. The company announced it will start making the Camry hybrid in Australia and Thailand (in addition to its Kentucky USA plant) as part of its efforts to step up production of "green" cars around the world employing more environment-friendly manufacturing technologies.

Ford Delivers FlexFuel PHEV to DOE

Ford Motor Company delivered its first flexible-fuel capable plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Like the other prototype Escape PHEVs, this vehicle is equipped with a 10 kWh lithium-ion battery supplied by Johnson Controls-Saft that stores enough electric energy to drive up to 30 miles at speeds of up to 40 mph. The Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, which runs on gasoline or E85, is part of a demonstration fleet that Ford is developing in a partnership with Southern California Edison and the Electric Power Research Institute. The DOE will include the Escape Flexible Fuel Plug-in Hybrid in its fleet to obtain real world experience with the vehicle as it continues its support of advanced fuel technologies. When fueled by E85 ethanol, which has a lower energy content than gasoline, fuel economy can reach up to 88 mpg in urban driving and up to 50 mpg on the highway, according to Ford. Based on current estimates, the vehicle would emit 60% less CO2 than a conventional gasoline powered vehicle. The vehicle leased to the DOE also is equipped with an interactive vehicle display which shows the driver how efficiently the vehicle is operating and calculates the fuel savings for each trip.

DOE Awards $30 Million for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research

Under its PHEV Technology Acceleration and Deployment Activity plan, the US Department of Energy (DOE) will provide $30 million to fund three separate Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) research projects. Ford, General Motors, and General Electric will share the funds to develop and demonstrate PHEV technology over the next three years. The DOE says the projects will hasten the development of vehicles capable of traveling up to 40 miles without recharging, which includes most daily roundtrip commutes and satisfies 70% of the average daily travel in the U.S. The DOE has adopted a goal of making such cars cost-competitive by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016.

FedEx to Expand its Hybrid Truck Fleet

FedEx will add 75 more hybrid-electric (HEV) trucks in California, New York City, and Europe to its current worldwide fleet of 95. Trucks currently in FedEx's HEV fleet have travelled over 2 million miles (3.2 million km) and saved 83,000 gallons of fuel, by company estimates, improving fuel economy by 42% (i.e, consuming 70.42% of the fuel that conventional models would have used).

June 2008

Natural Gas Hybrid Bus for San Diego

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) had placed a 40-foot standard transit bus with a compressed natural gas (CNG) hybrid-electric drive system developed by ISE Corporation into service. The $1-million CNG hybrid prototype bus will further cut emissions and fuel consumption of the CNG buses already in the MTS fleet, but with more power and a quieter ride. The CNG hybrid system features a Cummins ISB Gas Plus engine, a Siemens 165 kW electrical generator, two Siemens duo inverters, two Siemens 85 kW drive motors, and Cobasys-developed NiMH batteries. The addition of the new CNG hybrid bus to the MTS fleet comes in conjunction with the recently authorized MTS purchase of up to twenty 35-foot gasoline hybrid buses for delivery this fall.

Hybrids Integral to Big Brown Going Green

United Parcel Service (UPS), North America's most prominent private package and parcel delivery service, has expanded its commitment to cleaner propulsion technologies for its units in service by growing its original fleet of 50 hybrid electric trucks to 250 (200 trucks being the largest commercial order of these trucks by any company). The hybrids join the almost one thousand CNG-powered trucks in UPS service, and thus constitute a growing proportion of the company's Green Fleet.

Nissan CEO, Once a Skeptic, Says Company Now Will Go Electric

Nissan Motor Company plans to sell an electric car in the United States and Japan by 2010, and may base the design on the vehicle involved in the joint venture with Israel (see Horizons news stories for 2007). The commitment would be the first by a major automaker to bring a zero-emission vehicle to the American market since California's Zero-Emission Vehicle programme was essentially discontinued several years ago. Nissan also expects to sell a lineup of electric vehicles globally by 2012. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, once an EV skeptic, said Nissan has decided to accelerate development of battery-powered vehicles because of high gasoline prices and environmental concerns, not just because of the need to meet stricter fuel-economy standards. Nissan envisions a broad range of electric vehicles, starting with small cars but later complementing them with small commercial vehicles and possibly a crossover.

It's Official: Prius Sales Top One Million Globally

Toyota has underlined its dominance of the hybrid vehicle market by announcing that Prius has passed the one million sales mark worldwide. The company said that, as of the end of April 2008, it had sold approximately 1,028,000 units globally since the car was first launched in Japan in 1997. According to Toyota, these vehicles have contributed to a reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 4.5m short tons when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class. In recognition of this market success, the company is planning to address increasing demand with three new hybrid battery factories, including one dedicated for next-generation lithium ion packs. It is reported that the company is likely to spend around $673.1 million on the planned plants to facilitate an annual battery output of one million units by 2011. A new nickel-metal hydride plant is scheduled to start production in 2011 with an estimated output of around 300,000 batteries a year, while the lithium ion plant is likely to start production in 2010.

May 2008

Tesla Roadster Hits the Market

First orders have been taken and deliveries made for the all-electric roadster from Tesla Motors, which boasts highway-quality performance (0 to 100 km in 3.9 seconds, redline 13,000 rpm) and an impressive 220 miles (355 km) full-charge operating range. The roadster's base price of US $109,000 has apparently not dissuaded enthusiasts and other interested parties, who have bought out the entire 2008 model year production and created a reservation/orders backlog of 900 units.

GM Seeks to Accelerate Volt Introduction

General Motors has announced its intention to place the pHEV Volt on the market before the end of 2010. Round-the-clock testing is apparently accelerating the pace of systems development that strives for a goal after vehicle startup of 40 miles (64 km) of 100 percent electric operation with 10-year battery pack durability and a 400-mile (640-km) operating range between (gasoline) fill-ups. Design modifications continue to lower the Volt's coefficient of drag (now 30 percent better than the original concept) in a redesigned four-passenger body.

China Company Announces Marketing Plan for Long–range EV, pHEV

BYD Auto of Shenzhen, China has targeted the year 2010 for mass marketing (in China) of a 4- to 5-passenger EV capable of a 300-km (185-mi) range that will be priced at the approximate equivalent of US $28,500 and aimed (initially) at the taxi fleet. Subsequent offering to the U.S. market is possible. BYD has already slated 2008 introduction for a pHEV powered by patented lithium-ion battery technology that employs an iron phosphate electrode. This F6DM ("dual-mode") hybrid can be plugged into a home outlet for recharging and should achieve 100 km (60 mi.) in all-electric mode. It was unveiled at this year's Detroit Auto Show and will sell for the Yuan equivalent of about US $21,460 in China.

Capstone will Produce Micro-turbines for Italian and North Carolina-manufactured HEV Buses

Capstone Turbine Corp. has announced receipt of purchase orders for 15 of its micro turbines, to be deployed in 12 eight-meter hybrid-electric buses in the Abruzzi region of Italy and in three buses for the Italian Ministry of the Protection of the Environment, as well as for 150 C30 micro turbines for installation in EcoSaver IV hybrid electric buses to be built at the new North Carolina manufacturing facility of DesignLine International.

Quebec City Research Consortium and Duke Energy Join the Drive to pHEVs

Two new players in the rapidly-developing world of pHEVs are a (1) Quebec City, PQ (Canada)-based consortium (Université Laval, Desjardins Group, EnerSys—a supplier of Li-ion batteries that use Redundant Cell Array Technology--and the Quebec City government) that will conduct a major field study of pHEVs in use in the city (up to 50 may be deployed); and (2) Duke Energy Corp. of North Carolina which, with its partner GridPoint Inc. has conducted the first successful commercial test of utility-controlled "smart charging" for pHEVs. In "smart charging," recharging of a plugged-in vehicle commences only after peak transmission hours, about 10 p.m., in order to gain maximum benefit of cheaper base load supply.

Volvo's Hybrid Wheel Loader Prototype

Volvo Corp. Construction Equipment Division of Asheville, NC has rolled out the prototype of its parallel hybrid wheel loader (the L220F): off-road equipment featuring an Integrated Starter Generator module placed between the engine and transmission to provide instant spin-up power (up to 50 kW of instant mechanical energy) if the diesel engine has been turned off to limit idling. Deliveries are expected to begin late next year.

Sales of Toyota's High-MPG Hybrids Remain Strong despite Overall Cooling of Market

USA sales of HEVs rebounded to 38,214 units in March, up 19% over March 2007, whilst the combined total sales of Toyota Division cars and light trucks declined slightly relative to values of one year before. These sales are second only to May 2007 sales of 45,892 units. Toyota Prius accounted for 54% of the March sales (20,635), and Camry hybrid recorded the highest ever monthly sales of 6,930 and is the fastest to cross the 100,000 total sales mark (within 24 months). Total 2008 sales of Toyota hybrids through March were 50,204.

April 2008

Hybrid Sales Slowing May be Related to Economic Downturn

February and March 2008 sales of HEVs in the U.S. trailed those of their 2007 counterpart months, leading to speculation that the car market overall is cooling off along with the American economy. Despite the continued and in most cases still-climbing high prices of gasoline, only about 11 percent of prospective U.S. car buyers in a J.D. Power & Associates survey expressed a preference for hybrid versus traditional power in a new car purchase. Many of those interviewed pointed to comparable fuel economy gains achievable by purchase of a new-generation light-duty diesel vehicle (although diesel fuel prices at the pump can be up to 20 cents per gallon higher than gasoline's).

GM Making More News in Both Light and Heavy HEV Applications

General Motors Vice Chairman Robert Lutz has indicated that doing the math tells him that 80 percent of vehicles sold in the United States by the year 2020 must be hybrids in order for his company to meet the 35 mpg (6.72 l/100 km) average fuel economy standard of the recently-adopted federal fuel economy rule. However, Lutz included only the hybrid technologies currently employed by GM in his calculation, not those such as plug-in hybrids that may be at or near maturity by 2020. Meanwhile, transit agencies in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul have placed orders for over 1,700 of GM-Allison's full-size series hybrid buses, with the largest single order (952) coming from the Washington Metro Area Transit Agency.

New EVs Coming to Market, but Supply may not meet California ZEV Requirements

As Subaru went forward with plans to roll out its all-electric R1e with fast-charge Li-ion battery technology and 50-mi (81-km) range (top speed 65 mph—105 km/h) at the New York International Auto Show, the State of California through its Air Resources Board was announcing that it was cutting required sales of zero-emission automobiles--ZEVs (generally conceded to be EVs as the only capable technology available)--by 70 percent for the 2012 to 2014 period. The original target for that period, set in 2003, was 25,000 ZEVs, and is now 7,500. Shortcomings cited by manufacturers in both production capacity and technological advance by 2012 played a key role in the decision. It is now expected that the gap in emission reduction goals that was to be closed by the 17,500 now-deleted ZEVs can be closed by mandates for partial ZEVs, such as plug-in hybrids and CNG-fueled cars, if partial ZEV fleet additions total about 60,000 over that period.

Toyota Announces HEV Production and Sales Plans

According to the Nikkei, Toyota Motor has announced in will increase Japanese domestic output of its Prius hybrid model to 450,000 units by the end of 2009, and expects to be selling on its own 1 million hybrids per year worldwide after 2010. The company will also inaugurate sales of Li-ion battery-powered pHEVs in 2010, to which end it is seeking with joint-venture partner Panasonic EV Energy to convert the Omori plant in central Japan to mass production of lithium-based hybrid batteries.

Lithium-ion HEV Battery Production Gets Rolling

The first mass-production facility for lithium-ion hybrid vehicle battery systems has come on line. Operated by the Johnson Controls-Saft joint venture discussed in prior Expanding Universe items, it is located in Nersac, France and was brought in at a cost of about € 15 million. Other facilities of this joint venture that will be integrated in some measure into the li-ion production process are located in Bordeaux, France; Hanover, Germany; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; and Shanghai, China.

March 2008

Production of Chinese GM Hybrids Launched

General Motors Corp. has unveiled its first China-made hybrid vehicle. Shanghai GM, GM's largest joint venture in China, unveiled the Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid in Shanghai and said it would introduce three more green vehicles this year to the world's second-largest market. The new Buick hybrid promises 15% better fuel economy than the standard model and is equipped with a so-called mild hybrid system, such as the one available in the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. The company said one of the new offerings this year would be a two-mode hybrid that provides 50% better fuel economy than a traditional gasoline-burning engine. Until now, GM has built and sold all of its hybrid vehicles in North America.

More Inroads by Light HEVs in Urban Transport

This month, the enviroCAB Company, with operations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, will have placed into taxi service 50 hybrid vehicles, making it the first all-hybrid taxicab fleet in the USA. As an inaugural promotion, enviroCAB offered free rides to polling stations for the February 12 primary election to up to 100 residents of Arlington County, Virginia. The company's fleet consists of Toyota Priuses, Camry and Highlander hybrids, and Ford Escapes that provide regular taxi service at conventional fares and, according to company spokespersons, will "remove the emissions of two regular cabs for every replacement enviroCAB we put on the street."

Segway on Board! New Dual EV Concept Vehicle Shown

General Motors has partnered with Segway Inc. to roll out a demonstrator that combines the Saturn Flextreme concept car built on GM's global E-flex electric drive architecture (debuted by Opel) with two onboard Segway PT personal mobility devices charged by the car's E-flex battery system. The Flextreme's FlexLoad cargo bay has been configured with ramps to accommodate loading and unloading of the Segways, which themselves have undergone compatibility redesign that includes optimization of tire diameter and track width and refitting with retractable handlebars to fit comfortably in the cargo area. Once fully charged (8 to 10 hours) by the E-flex system, the lithium-ion battery equipped Segway PTs can travel up to 24 miles at an electric power consumption rate of 0.052 kWh/mi (0.032 kWh/km).

Vehicle-to-grid Applications will be Key in Achieving Denmark's Renewable Energy Goals

The Danish government has embarked a new energy strategy with a long term vision to win independence from fossil fuels. It is the specific goal of the government to at least double to 30 % by 2025 the current 15% share of energy utilisation accounted for by renewables. Within that mix, it is possible that up to 50% of electricity will be produced by wind turbines, through expansion of the total wind generation capacity from 3,000 MW to about 6,000 MW. This will necessitate much greater flexibility in electricity consumption in which battery-, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles could play a very important role. Central to the realization of the energy strategy are near- and medium-term demonstration projects involving plug-in electric vehicles and development of vehicle-to-grid technologies, in which vehicle batteries charged at night by wind power provide electric power to the national grid when not in transport use during the day.

February 2008

HEV Production to Mexico

Production of the Saturn Vue HEV has begun at a General Motors plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, according to official GM corporate communications. The plant's production, with an output capacity of 6,500 HEVs per year, is targeted at the U.S. and Canadian markets.

ESCAPE PHEVs to Southern California Edison

The first of 20 research plug-in hybrids (PHEV) on the small SUV Escape HEV platform has been delivered to Southern California Edison by Ford, five months after the announcement that the two organizations would collaborate to advance PHEV commercialization. The customer testing (under likely aftermarket conditions) that will employ these prototype units seeks to improve the cost, durability, and reliability of PHEV technology prior to mass production of vehicles.

PHEV Future Looks Promising Along Many Fuel Total-energy Pathways

A study by a team at Argonne National Laboratory has concluded, employing a "total energy cycle" methodology, that the superior charging option for future PHEVs, with respect to distance traveled per unit of electric power feedstock, is combined-cycle electricity generation and vehicles operating in charge-depletion (CD) mode. Moreover, "…regardless of which abundant domestic fuel one would wish to use, use of the fuel to serve a PHEV in CD mode would provide more kilometers of service than (all) competing options evaluated," including fuel-cell vehicles powered by hydrogen produced by the same types of electric power plants.

Hybrid Bus Orders Received by Daimler Trucks Top One Thousand Mark

New York City Transit and OC Transpo of Ottawa, Canada have combined to place orders for over 1,000 hybrid buses from Daimler Trucks, manufacturer of the Orion VII Next Generation diesel-electric hybrids which are claimed to deliver up to 30 percent better fuel economy than conventional counterparts whilst emitting 90 percent less particulate matter, 40 percent less oxides of nitrogen, and 30 percent less carbon dioxide. The orders will send 850 buses to New York and 202 to Ottawa.

Update on the Chevrolet Volt

Development of GM's multi-fuel Chevrolet Volt HEV/PHEV, currently targeted for mass production as early as 2010, has entered the stage of refinement of aerodynamics, for which optimization will be critical to achieve the planned fuel savings targets for the vehicle. So far, body redesign to improve aerodynamic slickness has reduced the original Volt concept's drag coefficient (CD) by over 30 percent. Aerodynamic drag is usually responsible for about 20 percent of an average vehicle’s fuel consumption.

January 2008

USA Light-duty Hybrid Sales officially top 1 Million

Total HEV sales in the U.S. in December 2007 were 30,871; resulting in cumulative USA light-duty HEV sales total passing the one million mark since the introduction of the Honda Insight in December 1999. Cumulative sales as of the end of 2007 were 1,007,348. Toyota Prius leads the pack of 13 HEV models (including Saturn Vue, for which information directly from General Motors in unavailable) with sales since its 2000 introduction of 515,944 (accounting for 51.2% of the 1,007,348). Honda Civic is second with cumulative sales of 151,183 (15%) and Toyota Camry is third at 85,818 (8.5%). Toyota Highlander (71,526 -- 7.1%) and Ford Escape/ Mariner (67,657 -- 6.7%) are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Nissan Altima Hybrid Qualifies for AMV Income Tax Credit

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has announced that the 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid is officially certified as a hybrid motor vehicle qualifying for a US$2,350 income tax credit under the Alternative Motor Vehicle Act. This credit puts Altima in the upper echelon of earned credits, along with Toyota Prius and Honda Civic. As of the end of September 2007, over 2,600 qualifying Altimas had been delivered to Nissan retailers.

Israel Looks to More EV-Intensive Future

The Israeli government has announced support for a broad effort to promote the use of electric cars, which will rely heavily on a joint venture between American-Israeli lithium-ion battery entrepreneur Shai Agassi and Renault and Nissan Motors, currently chaired by Carlos Ghosn. The scheme applies principles of cell phone purchase/leasing to EVs, which enclose a much larger array of Li-ion batteries than a cell phone. The EV buyer will obtain an Israeli government purchase subsidy (for the Renault/Nissan-made vehicles) and pay a monthly fee for expected total distance travelled—similar to cell phone minutes. Such a plan anticipates significant operating and long-run cost savings relative to running a vehicle on gasoline, which currently retails at well over US$6.00/gallon in Israel. Meanwhile, the government will significantly increase the availability of public recharging infrastructure across the country. Spent battery packs can be swapped out at service stations. The private principals behind the scheme are looking to Israel as the test bed from which can be launched similar programmes in congested cities and comparably-sized entities such as Denmark and Singapore. Even China and India, for which petroleum demand has become an economic issue, could be eventual targets for this concept.

Chrysler Previews 2009 Model Year HEV Offerings

The Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango pick-ups (LDTs) will retain a HEMI powerplant in their 2009 two-mode CVT full hybrid versions, according to an announcement from Chrysler Corp.'s Executive Vice President of Product Development. These first Chrysler hybrids will be equipped with a 5.7-liter engine rated at 385 hp (285 kW) and be capable of towing 6,000 lb (2,700 kg). Number of engine cylinders operating will vary in use from four to eight depending on load, which may be all-electric at low speed; net fuel savings of about 25 percent relative to the conventional truck model are expected.

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