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Aug 12, 2017

ELECTRIC TRUCKS POWER * New Zealand - Infrastructures

* Auckland - Will soon have the infrastructure to keep EVs moving

--- To support NZ’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable electricity as a transport fuel, Chargemaster Limited is working with world leaders to bring market-leading technology to NZ... After a comprehensive global scan, Chargemaster has selected Dutch based company Heliox for heavy vehicle charging bus, mining and port-vehicle charging, and Austrian based Keba for intelligent residential, public and commercial charging to bring charging stations to NZ... Heliox is an established European market leader, with more than 85% of the total electric bus charging market... Keba is a proven AC charging solution for light vehicles, with more than 35,000 chargers sold globally... As the uptake of EVs increase, it is important to make sure that NZ’s infrastructure to support that uptake grows... Chargemaster is beginning to take the necessary steps to ensure that heavy EVs can make the long-haul and that civilian EVs get the necessary benefits of stable charging...
(Photo: Nissan's EV chargering point)   --  New Zealand - Future Five, by Jacques-Pierre Dumas - August 08, 2017

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Apr 13, 2016

TESLA's RECALLS * USA

* California - Tesla recalling 2,700 Model X SUVs for seat defect

-- Tesla Motors Inc. is recalling 2,700 Model X SUVs after the automaker’s own tests showed the third-row seats could snap forward in a crash... The recall involves SUVs made before March 26 and sold in the U.S... Tesla says the Model X passed 15 seat-strength tests before failing a 16th designed to meet more stringent European standards... The company has received no reports of seat failures from customers. But Tesla says customers shouldn’t use the third row until it’s repaired... Tesla will replace the seat backs in the affected vehicles. Customers will be notified when parts are available; the repair takes about two hours. Tesla says it will take five weeks to make parts for the repairs... The recall will be paid for by Futuris Group, which made the seats... 
(Photo: The interior of the Tesla Motors Model X SUV)   --   Palo Alto, CAL, USA - Associated Press/Detroit News - April 11, 2016

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Sep 3, 2013

ELECTRIC CARS * USA - Detroit Electric to build first cars overseas in Holland

* Michigan - Detroit Electric says it is trying to secure Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Certification

(Photo: A Detroit Electric SP0)
Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News, by Karl Henkel -August 29, 2013: -- Detroit Electric says it will build its first electric sports cars overseas in Holland — and not Southeast Michigan — but says it remains committed to building cars in the U.S... The European facility will begin production during the fourth quarter, the automaker said in a statement on Thursday. Previous plans had called for Detroit Electric to begin production at a factory in Wayne County this month... Detroit Electric says it is trying to secure Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Certification in order to start production in the U.S....


* California -  Nissan joins Tesla in selling green-car credits to boost revenue

(Photo by Rick Bowmer / APA - Nissan Leaf charging in Portland, ORE) 
Irvine,CAL,USA -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Alan Ohnsman -September 1, 2013: -- Nissan Motor Co., the most prolific electric-car maker, has begun selling green-car credits under California’s clean-air rules. The only automaker that had previously disclosed doing so is Tesla Motors Inc... California requires large automakers to sell electric or other zero-emission vehicles in proportion to their share of the largest U.S. state market for cars and trucks. Nissan has delivered enough of its all-electric Leaf hatchbacks that it has started selling excess credits, Executive Vice President Andy Palmer told reporters in Irvine, Calif., last week...

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Aug 13, 2013

CARMAKERS NEWS * Germany: The BMW i8 plug-in

* Germany - 362-hp BMW i8 plug-in speeds closer to production 


(Photo: The flying i8 from BMW)
Munich,BAV,Germany -Gizmag, by C.C. Weiss -August 8, 2013: -- Last week BMW revealed the i3, the first car in its "i" brand of sustainable vehicles. While we enjoyed the look at BMW's $42K electric, the reveal really left us wondering when we'll see the sportier i8. As if in answer, BMW held an event at its Miramas test track in France, showing the latest prototype... BMW's latest information concerns itself more with technology and performance than looks... The rear-mounted 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo 3-cylinder engine puts out 231 hp, a slight increase over the 220 hp we had last heard. That engine works through a 6-speed automatic transmission also mounted in the rear. Teaming with the 131-hp front electric unit and its two-stage automatic transmission, the combo offers both all-electric driving, for about 22 miles (35 km), and quick, sporty all-wheel driving. The system puts out up to 420 lb-ft (570 Nm) of torque...

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Apr 26, 2013

FISKER's BANKRUPTCY ? * USA

* DC - House panel presses Energy Dept., startup on OK of fed loans

(Photo)
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -April 25, 2013: -- Fisker Automotive Inc. and the Energy Department came under intense questioning Wednesday at a congressional hearing as the struggling plug-in hybrid automaker disclosed publicly it is considering filing for bankruptcy... New documents released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee show the Anaheim, Calif., based startup was facing deeper financial and quality problems than previously known... The documents show the Energy Department loaned Fisker $32 million of the $192 million it advanced after Fisker had said it had started building the $100,000 hybrid sports car in February 2011, when in fact it hadn't... As a result, the Energy Department halted payments in June 2011 — after only disbursing $192 million of the $529 million awarded — and has never resumed payments. By August 2012, Fisker had just $12 million on hand, according to an Energy Department document, and again warned it could run of money in months... Fisker faced quality problems, multiple recalls, battery problems and its battery supplier A123 was forced to file for bankruptcy. It hasn't been able to build a new vehicle since July and laid off 75 percent of its staff in recent weeks...


* Michigan - GM: Chevy's electric Spark will go 82 miles on full charge. Automaker says 119 mpg EPA rating  highest among EVs 

(Image from GM: Pricing for the 2014 Spark EV has not been announced, but GM has said it will cost less than $25,000 after subtracting the $7,500 federal income tax credit)
Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News, by Melissa Burden -April 25, 2013: -- General Motors Co. said Wednesday its 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will achieve an Environmental Protection Agency rated range of 82 miles of combined city and highway driving at full charge... The Detroit automaker said the Spark EV's fuel-efficiency rating by the EPA of 119 miles per gallon equivalent is the highest of any EV sold in the retail market... Because the Spark uses no gasoline, MPGe is an equivalency formula that EPA developed that calculates a value comparable to fuel consumption in a gasoline-powered vehicle. The rating allows car buyers to compare their vehicle's efficiency to other electric vehicles and gasoline-powered cars... Chevrolet spokesman, Randy Fox, said the Spark EV is not only the most efficient electric vehicle, but the most efficient passenger car, surpassing any mileage rating in today's marketplace...


* Michigan - Detroit Electric teams with China's Geely to build electric cars

(Photo from Detroit Electric: Under terms of the partnership, the first models — based on Geely’s Emgrand EC7 car, above, — will go on sale starting in 2014) 
Detroit,Michigan,USA -The Detroit News, by Karl Henkel -April 26, 2013: -- Detroit Electric, the rejuvenated automaker aiming to build a line of limited electric sports cars, said Thursday it has teamed with China-based Geely Automobile Group to develop electric vehicles and related motors and drivetrains for the Chinese market.... The partnership will allow Detroit Electric to have manufacturing locations on three continents: at a to-be-determined site in Wayne County; in the Netherlands in Europe; and in China. It hopes to sell a lineup of electric cars, starting with a $135,000 sports car and later a more affordable sedan and hatchback... Under terms of the partnership, the first models — based on Geely's Emgrand EC7 car, which is similar in dimensions to a midsize car — will go on sale starting in 2014... The vehicle will initially be sold in China to business users and public-sector organizations. The companies forecast sales of 3,000 units in the first year, growing to 30,000 within three years...


* Sweden - Siemens and Volvo bring EV charge times down to 90 minutes

(Image: The fast-charger system uses a three-phase outlet to bring about a 164 km -102 mi- range in 1.5 hours)
Goteborg,Sweden -Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -April 25, 2013: -- When it comes to electric vehicles, the conversation invariably diverts to concerns about vehicle range, infrastructure, and recharge times. To address the last of those issues, Volvo and Siemens have developed a new fast-charging system that cuts recharge times down to 90 minutes... The new 22-kW fast-charger system, fitted to a Volvo C30 Electric, is reported to be the world's first on-board charger that operates on a three-phase supply. The system, small enough to fit innocuously inside the vehicle, uses a three-phase outlet to provide enough charge for a range of 164 km (102 mi) in 90 minutes (based on a NEDC certification driving cycle). This compared to a 230-V single-phase household outlet that takes 8 to 10 hours to charge, depending on available current... A new Siemens electric motor develops peak power output of 89 kW (120 hp) and 250 Nm (184 lb.ft) of torque to the Volvo’s wheels. These figures give the EV a top speed of 125 km/h (78 mph) and a 0 to 70 km/h (42 mph) time of 5.9 seconds. Range is reported at 163 km (101 mi) on a full charge... Charging using a 400-V, 10A–32A outlet is where the quick turnaround comes from, but if only a standard socket is available then you’re looking at a 10-hour charge...

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Mar 8, 2013

ELECTRIC TAXIS in BRAZIL

* Brazil - With a new electric taxi program, Rio de Janeiro enters zero emissions era

Rio Janeiro,RJ,Brazil -Automotive World -5 Mar 2013: -- Beginning this month, the city of Rio de Janeiro enters the zero-emission mobility era with the launch of the electric taxi program, a partnership between the Rio de Janeiro City Government, NBA and Petrobras Distribuidora. In the first phase, two Nissan LEAF taxis, pure-electric vehicles that produce no tailpipe-pollution, will be available in Rio. By the end of the year, 13 more units will be added to the fleet...


* France - Muses offers very urban vans 

(Photo: Mooville the Muses are environmentally friendly, can contain up to 8 m3 and even take the highway)
Paris,France -Logistics Magazine/WK Transport et Logistique, by JS Scandella -8 March 2013: -- Sure, the Muses have Mooville looks a lot different than delivery devices that have been used to cross the city... But if they have a "head toy", these new vehicles have a very serious purpose: to ensure urban deliveries, the so-called "last mile" where the standard utilities are bitching by their lack of maneuverability and apparent contempt for environment...  These machines, which already existed in version 2 now available m3 and 8 m3, have instead of key assets for this job...  First, their four-wheel drive (these are electric wheel motors) guidelines and camped at each corner of the machine gives them a record turning radius, while ensuring travel 90 km (and exchanging batteries) without polluting the countryside and, more importantly, without losing a crumb of the volume of the vehicle. Then their central driving position offering a 180-degree vision is both more comfortable for the driver and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Finally, with a top speed of 90 km / h, they have nothing to envy to traditional truck and can even drive on the highway...

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Feb 28, 2013

1,000 km-range high-performance EV * Republic of Malta

* Malta Republic - Silex Power announces 1,000 km-range Chreos high-performance EV

    Valletta,Malta -Gizmag, by James Holloway -February 27, 2013: -- Alternative energy company Silex Power has announced its intention to enter the electric car market at the very top. The company intends to make a limited run of 300 units of its luxury Chreos EV by 2015, and, judging from the press release, the car boasts luxury, if perhaps aspirational, statistics to match – particularly with respect to range and charge times... The car, which Silex Power describes as an upmarket electric fastback sedan, will apparently be 5.42 m long, 2.16 m wide and 1.49 m high (17.78 x 7.09 x 4.89 ft) of carbon fiber... Silex says that the car will be driven by four electric motors (yes, one in each wheel) delivering 640 bhp (477 kW) and 4,400 Nm (3,245 foot pounds) of torque. The company reckons that this will see the Chreos from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 2.9 seconds. The Chreos will be limited to a comfortable top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph)... Clearly, renderings and numbers do not an EV make, and it's hard to tell to what extent we're looking at smoke and mirrors. Silex has pledged to reveal more information, including interior shots and technological specifics in April... Silex indicates that other non-luxury EVs may follow...

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Sep 11, 2012

ELECTRIC VEHICLES PLANS * WORLDWIDE

* India - $4B plan for electric, hybrid vehicles

(Photo: A rare Reva spotted in Delhi) 
New Delhi,India -Gigaom, by Katie Fehrenbacher -Aug 30, 2012: -- The Indian government has announced an aggressive $4B plan to get 6 million electric and hybrid vehicles on its roads by 2020...  Reuters reports that 4 to 5 million of these vehicles are expected to be electric and hybrid two-wheelers (scooters, commuter cars, electric bikes)... The proclamation could provide a new market for all our electric and hybrid vehicle-focused entrepreneurs looking to find new markets...


* Bulgaria - To Have 200,000 Electric Vehicles by 2025

(Photo by BGNES: Bulgaria is expected to have some 200 000 electric vehicles in 15 years) 
 Sofia,Bulgaria -Novinite -August 21, 2012: -- At least 200,000 electric vehicles will be on Bulgarian roads by 2025, according to a forecast of the Bulgarian Electric Vehicles Industrial Cluster (EVIC) presented by the Bulgarian Industrial Association... This will account for a total of 3% of all cars in Bulgaria, the EVIC report predicts, stressing that the users of electric vehicles must get a lot of tax breaks and other incentives from the state... Some of the proposed measures include a state grant equal to 30% of the vehicle's worth, exemption from traffic taxes, and parking fees...

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Feb 16, 2012

TECHNOLOGY on TRUCKS * USA

* Connecticut - Opinion: Truck makers show commitment to alternative fuel-powered vehicles

(Photo: A Canter eco hybrid light-duty truck)

Cheshire,CT,USA -Fleet Equipment, by Seth Skydel -February 14, 2012: -- For a good part of the past decade, the evolution of alternative fuel-powered light- and medium-duty trucks has steadily brought an increasing number of new vehicles to market. Today, with a host of technologies available, commercial vehicle manufacturers appear to be on the brink of a revolution... A global effort is leading toward the introduction of Class 3-5 hybrid trucks by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (MFTA). For a good part of the past decade, the evolution of alternative fuel-powered light- and medium-duty trucks has steadily brought an increasing number of new vehicles to market. Today, with a host of technologies available, commercial vehicle manufacturers appear to be on the brink of a revolution... The hybrid technology to accomplish that goal is available, according to Todd Bloom, president and CEO of MFTA’s parent company, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., a part of the Daimler Trucks Division of Daimler AG, unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show the second-generation model of its light-duty Canter Eco Hybrid. Set for release this spring, the new model is reportedly 40% lighter than the original design introduced in 2006. Test results, according to the manufacturer, show 30% better fuel economy than comparable diesel-powered models... The first tests of the vehicle under real-world conditions, according to the OEM, indicated an increase in fuel efficiency of as much as 10% compared to conventional diesel-only powered vehicles...


* California - Tesla will help develop new electric Mercedes-Benz

(Photo from Tesla Motors Inc. - Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model X crossover vehicle is unveiled at the automaker's design studio in Hawthorne last week. The Model X will be built at the company's Fremont, Calif., plant)
Palo Alto,CAL,USA -Los Angeles Times, by Jerry Hirsch -February 15, 2012: -- Electric car company Tesla Motors Inc. announced that it has a deal to provide the powertrain for a new Mercedes-Benz vehicle, even as it moves closer to manufacturing its own vehicles later this year...  The Palo Alto automaker also said that for the new Mercedes model, Tesla will provide battery packs, motor, gearbox, inverter and all related software. It will start to record sales for the contract starting in the second quarter. Mercedes has not released details about the new vehicle. Tesla has previously provided Daimler with battery packs and chargers for its experiments with electric car production...

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Jan 28, 2012

EV MAKERS BANKCRUPTCY * USA

* Indiana - A big bet on electric vehicle manufacturing goes bust

(Photo by Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune - This Think City electric car and many others await additional assembly at a plant in Elkhart, Ind.)
Elkhart,IND,USA -Los Angeles Times, by Julie Wernau -January 27, 2012: -- Production of electric vehicles and batteries was supposed to create high-tech jobs in Indiana. Think City and Ener1 set up shop, enticed by government incentives. But soon they filed for bankruptcy... For politicians betting on electric vehicles to drive job growth, the view from inside Think City's plant here is their worst nightmare: 100 unfinished vehicles lined up with no word on whether they will be completed... Only two years ago, the tiny Think cars (two can fit in a regular parking space) were expected to bring more than 400 jobs to this ailing city and a lifeline to suppliers who once made parts for gas-guzzling recreational vehicles... Indiana's foray into electric vehicles is a cautionary tale for states in hot pursuit of high-tech manufacturing jobs. Think's story illustrates how politicians so badly wanted to stimulate job growth that they showered the automaker and the battery supplier with tax benefits and incentives while at the same time failing to determine whether there was a market for the car: a plastic two-seater with a top speed of about 65 mph and a price tag approaching $42,000... The situation is a far cry from what was envisioned in 2009: a bustling plant building cars that would be part of the American dream of a gasoline-free future. Every level of government, from city to state to federal, pledged millions of dollars in incentives and tax benefits to Think, which promised to build those cars...

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Dec 10, 2010

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA - All-Electric Vans

Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News - December 8, 2010: Ford Motor Co. expects commercial plug-in vans and trucks to be as important to the emerging electric vehicle market as sales to consumers in dealer showrooms... That's why the automaker is getting in early...

(Photo: Ford's Transit Connect van)

* Ford Targets Fleets shipping all-electric version of Transit Connect priced at $57,400 and has range of 80 miles... Ford estimates 50% of total electric market will be in fleets over next 10 years, only small percent will be pure EV w/ rest plug-in or gas-electric hybrids... Ford to produce 600 to 700 electric Connects in 1st year, that compares to 30000 gas-powered Connects already built... Electric Connect production starts next summer in Europe...

* GM focusing on consumers, but analysts say EVs too it's well suited for fleets. Chevy looking hard at retail market for its Volt plug-in hybrid, will work w/ Bright Automotive to produce IDEA plug-in commercial vehicle...

* Mercedes plans plug-in version of Sprinter van in U.S. by 2013...

* Renault plans all-electric commercial vehicle there called Kangoo


* GM Developing Next Generation of Urban Vehicles

Detroit,MICH,USA -PR Newswire - December 2, 2010:  -- Rapid urbanization, aging populations, demand for personal mobility present challenges. Today's vehicles will be hard-pressed to meet...  Electric Networked Vehicle, or EN-V, concepts take advantage of enabling technologies developed within GM. Including powertrain electrification, sensing, automation, telematics...  Vehicle-to-infrastructure communications technology and vehicle-to-vehicle communications. Driver could summon autonomous vehicle using smartphone application...   EN-V major step forward in GM's leadership in development of advanced vehicle technology...  Creating new automobile DNA through convergence of electrification and connectivity...   EN-V offers promise of eliminating traffic congestion, crashes, vehicle emissions... (Photo GM's Bright IDEA van)

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Nov 15, 2010

OPINION: ELECTRIC VEHICLES * USA - The need for EVs

Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -November 15, 2010: -- Frederick Smith, chairman, president and CEO, FedEx Corp., believes the wholesale electrification of light-duty commercial vehicles is an absolutely vital transportation strategy the U.S. needs to embark on right away, for the most fundamental of reasons... It’s not because all-electric vehicles (EVs) would help the U.S. transportation sector be “greener” (although that’s nice) by reducing vehicle exhaust pollution, nor is it because EVs can cost a lot less to operate while delivering significant life cycle cost savings for fleets (which is even nicer)... No, Smith boils the needs for EVs in the country down to one single word: survival... “Over half of the oil used by our country is now imported, with most of it coming from unstable regions of the world, from countries that don’t share our values,” he said... Smith said that the biggest benefit with EVs is that the production and distribution infrastructure for this alternative fuel – electricity – already is well established in the U.S., with a number of all-domestic sources of energy able to generate it in the necessary quantities... (Photo: a FedEx Modec truck)

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