Mar 10, 2010 05:16PM

Nissan Planning to Bring NV200 Van to America, Says Electric Version Might Follow

Nissan is planning to bring its recently launched NV200 compact van to the U.S. market, to take on Ford's new Transit Connect, and an electric version of the NV200 could follow.

So said Nissan Americas President Carlos Tavares earlier today at the Work Truck 2010 show in St. Louis.

The NV200 would join Nissan's new full-size NV commercial vans. Tavares didn't say when the van might appear in American showrooms.

Just as Ford has brought out an all-electric variant of the Transit Connect, Tavares indicated that an electric version of the NV200 could join the Leaf in Nissan's American zero-emissions lineup.

Nissan CEO first mentioned the possibility of an electric NV200 at the Tokyo Motor Show, but to date no photos of the vehicle have been released. A sketch (above) has been made public.

Mar 10, 2010 04:52PM

FEV Says It Will Introduce Innovative Electrically Assisted Transmission Next Month

Last month, FEV Inc. unveiled a component coupling an auxiliary power unit with a 3-cylinder engine in an effort to quell range anxiety.

Next month, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company will show off a manual transmission designed to eliminate torque-related concerns for those driving hybrid-electric vehicles with small engines.

The 7-speed transmission, which will be unveiled at the SAE World Congress exhibition at Detroit's Cobo Center April 13-15, can be installed in a transverse position, broadening the number of HEVs it can accommodate, FEV said in a statement today.

More importantly, the transmission, called a 7H-AMT, will be able to blend the torque curves from both the combustion and electric engines to eliminate the dropoff in torque once a small engine switches gears, according to the company.

The transmission also allows for all-electric driving in one of its gears, while the driver will be able to get more torque by properly slipping the clutch to engage the combustion engine, FEV says.

The transmission is the second product FEV has announced in the past month that's designed to improve the HEV driving experience by either extending the mileage range or smoothing out its power band. FEV said last month that it had paired an auxiliary power unit to a 3-cylinder engine, resulting in a range extension of about 10 percent.

Danny King, Contributor

Mar 10, 2010 04:13PM

White House Begins Final Review of Nation's Fleetwide Fuel Economy Rules

The White House has begun its final review of new auto standards that would increase the nation's fleetwide fuel economy and create the first-ever greenhouse-gas standard for cars and trucks.

The Office of Management and Budget received the final joint rulemaking from U.S. EPA and the Transportation Department on Monday, according to OMB's Web site. By law, the administration has until April 1 to set the standards that will govern model year 2012 cars and trucks, which are slated to arrive in dealer showrooms at the start of October 2011.

The proposed auto standards represent a White House-brokered compromise between carmakers and more than a dozen states that had pushed to create their own emission standards for cars and trucks.

The auto industry had long challenged such state efforts in federal court, arguing they would create a "regulatory patchwork" that would depress overall sales and put some dealers at a competitive disadvantage. But the litigation was unsuccessful and the automakers ultimately agreed to drop their legal challenges in exchange for a single set of federal emissions standards for cars and trucks.

The rules would kick in for model year 2012 and push the nation's fleetwide fuel economy average to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, four years ahead of the schedule Congress laid out in a 2007 energy law.

Mar 10, 2010 03:48PM

Alliance AutoGas Follows Ohio Propane Conversion Effort With Indiana Plan

An affiliate of the largest U.S. independent propane gas-distribution company is working with an Indiana-based propane delivery company at increasing the number of propane-powered vehicles in that state by both helping increase the number of public and private fueling stations and facilitating the conversion of conventional gas cars to propane.

Alliance AutoGas and Donahue Gas, along with automotive-conversion company Productive Concepts, will look to work with fleet owners such as municipalities, utility companies and taxicab companies at converting groups of vehicles and installing private propane stations, according to Alliance AutoGas spokesman Corey Munoz.

In addition to the conversions, which cost about $5,300 per vehicle, Alliance AutoGas will look to add an unspecified number of public propane filling stations throughout Indiana.

The state, which now has about 45 propane stations, according to the U.S. Energy Department, has about 5 million registered vehicles, though no statistics are kept on how many run on propane. About 15 million U.S. vehicles run on propane supplied by AutoGas.

The effort marks the second in the Midwest announced by Alliance AutoGas, whose affiliate Blossman Gas is the largest independent propane-gas company, in the past two weeks. Alliance AutoGas said late last month that it would work with nonprofit Clean Fuels Ohio at converting about 280 Ohio-based fleet vehicles - about of quarter of which are local cabs - to propane.

About 15 propane stations will be deployed throughout Ohio, Alliance AutoGas and Clean Fuels Ohio said last month.

Danny King, Contributor

Mar 10, 2010 02:15PM

Toyota Says Lexus CT 200h Compact Hybrid Will Be Available in the United States

Toyota officials have confirmed that the Lexus CT 200h, a premium hybrid five-door hatchback, is coming to the United States.

The Lexus CT 200h would be Lexus's first compact car, and the first compact hybrid sold by Toyota in America. The car (pictured) was unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show last week, but until recently the company insisted that the compact hybrid would only be sold in Europe.

According to a report in Automotive News, Lexus executives pleaded with Japan to bring to the car to the U.S., partly in hopes that the smaller Lexus would appeal to a younger demographic.

"When the all-new Lexus CT 200h enters the market it will be the only hybrid vehicle in the emerging premium compact segment," said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager.

The CT 200h features a 1.8-liter gas engine with Variable Valve Timing with intelligence, a "high-performance battery" (details have yet to be disclosed), a power-control unit, a transmission with an electric-motor generator, a power-split device to re-allocate power from the engine and electric motor generator according to operational requirements.

Mar 10, 2010 11:05AM

Stuck Accelerator Causes Prius to Speed Out of Control, Crash, N.Y. Police Say

A 56-year-old woman in the town of Harrison, N.Y., smashed into a stone wall and suffered  injuries Tuesday morning because of a stuck accelerator on a 2005 Toyota Prius, police said.

The woman was pulling out of her driveway facing forward when the accelerator stuck, acting Chief Anthony Marraccini said. The car "shot" across the street smashing into a stone wall (pictured), dislodging "some pretty big boulders," he said.

Marraccini said the floor mat - a part that has been blamed in other incidents of unintended acceleration in Priuses - was tied to the seat base with plastic ties and has been pretty much ruled out as a cause.

The car has been taken to police headquarters for further analysis. The driver, who did not wish to be identified, was being evaluated at White Plains Hospital Center. Harrison is located 30 minutes' drive from Manhattan.

On Monday, a 2008 Prius finally stopped after reaching speeds in excess of 94 miles per hour on a California interstate due to what its driver claimed was a stuck accelerator pedal.

That incident occurred in the same county - San Diego - where an off-duty CHP officer and three family members were killed last August in an incident that brought the issue to national attention and led to the first major recall over unintended acceleration.

Mar 10, 2010 10:38AM

Valeo Plans to Put Two-Thirds of Its R&D Funds Into Hybrid and Electric Powertrains

Valeo SA, France's second-largest car-parts maker, said today that two-thirds of the research budget will be spent on hybrid and electric powertrains, as well as on cutting carbon-dioxide emissions from conventional engines.

Valeo said it will double sales to $20.4 billion by 2020 and deliver a return on capital of about 30 percent within three years, the Paris-based company said in a statement. The company also said that 60 percent of its investments will be targeted at markets such as China and India.

"By focusing our investments in these two areas, I am convinced that Valeo will be able to return to organic growth and play an active role in the consolidation of the sector," Chief Executive Officer Jacques Aschenbroich said in the statement.

The manufacturer, whose products span windshield wipers, headlights and hands-free parking devices, said last month that it would make components for gasoline-electric hybrid powering systems as part of a program to develop fuel-saving technology.

The company until recently focused on "micro-hybrid" devices that deliver more modest efficiency gains at lower cost, in preference to electric cars and "full" hybrids, which couple an electric motor with a combustion engine and recover energy from braking to charge a battery.

Production of hybrid vehicles, excluding those that recharge from electricity networks, will more than quadruple to 2.73 million cars and vans by 2015, the forecasting firm IHS Global Insight predicts.

Toyota Motor Corp., whose Prius hatchback was the first mass- market model, has said falling costs will let it extend gasoline-electric engines across its line-up, starting with the Auris compact this year.

Mar 10, 2010 08:39AM

Porsche: We'll Build 918 Spyder Hybrid If Enough Prospective Buyers Step Forward

Porsche is committed to building the 918 Spyder Concept plug-in hybrid, the British publication Autocar reported today, citing remarks by CEO Michael Macht.

The supercar can reach 62 miles per hour from a standstill in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 198 mph, according to the German automaker.

Taken from drawing to 2010 Geneva Auto Show in less than five months, the 918 mixes a 500-horsepower gasoline V8 with two electric motors for a combined 718 hp. Porsche has calculated that it could be quicker than the old Carrera GT around the Nordschleife.

Porsche has yet to commit to producing the car, but speaking to Autocar, Macht admitted that the positive reaction to the 918 had already swayed opinion within the firm.

"There is no one inside Porsche who doesn't want to build the 918," he said. "The response has been marvelous; we will ask buyers to sign letters of intent.

"The 918 Spyder provides the answer to whether there can be high-performance cars in the future," he added. "Many have said they are finished. This car shows they are not."

Insiders say the production 918 is likely to go on sale within five years. However, like all Porsches, it will need to make money, despite its halo status within the firm's range.

Macht also denied that a hybrid version of the Cayenne would damage sales of the diesel variant, which made its world debut at Geneva.

"The Cayenne hybrid will account for about 15 percent of sales," he said, "and appeal to customers who use their cars mostly in urban areas. We believe the hybrid sales will be incremental, and the diesel will be better at rural and highway use, where people need its cruising economy and high gearing."

Mar 10, 2010 08:08AM

Treated Nanotubes Said to Yield 100 Times More Power Than Conventional Battery

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that nanotubes covered with chemical fuel can produce an electrical current as they burn, yielding up to 100 times more power by weight than a conventional battery.

The phenomenon, dubbed "thermopower waves," could eventually have energy applications, say the researchers, who published their findings in Nature Materials this week.

One benefit of the nanotubes is that they do not lose stored energy over time, said Michael Strano, an associate chemical engineering professor at MIT.

Scientists could eventually develop a system that repeatedly replenishes the fuel around the nanotubes to continue providing electricity more efficiently than a conventional battery, Strano said.

"The conventional fuel cell has been around since the 1800s but corrosive fuels, catalytic deactivation and complexity have been a hurdle," he said. "From an engineering standpoint, thermopower waves could be a very simple alternative."

The MIT researchers have used lasers and electric sparks to start the reaction, which requires only a small amount of energy. The minuscule nanometers are coated in cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, a chemical also called RDX and used as a military explosive.

Mar 10, 2010 07:40AM

BYD Auto Considering California for Factory to Build e6 Plug-in Electric Crossover

China's BYD Auto is considering establishing an assembly plant and North American sales headquarters in California.

The state is seen as a good base for the company in the U.S. following the planned commencement of sales of its e6 all-electric crossover model (pictured) in the U.S. market from early 2011.

BYD executives told reporters at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show last week that it is thinking ahead to overseas assembly facilities in regions where it will be selling cars - including Europe and North America.

The company, which was founded in 2003, also used the Geneva show to announce plans to work with Daimler on a new electric model to be sold in China. And just this week BYD announced its intention to sell EVs in Israel next year.

Analysts say that California has been hard-hit by the recession and the planned closure of NUMMI - the state's last remaining car plant - may mean that local authorities are especially keen to woo BYD. California is also likely to be a sales hot spot for the firm's electric cars.

Some reports suggest that officials from the Los Angeles area have already met with BYD officials, but other potential locations in the state remain very much in the mix.

According to BYD's Website, the zero-emissions e6: can receive a quick charge (presumably from a 220/240-volt outlet) to 50 percent capacity in just 10 minutes; is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour in 8 seconds; has a top speed of 100 mph; and can travel 249 miles on a single charge.

The Website also says that four power offerings are planned for the e6: 75 kilowatts (101 horsepower), 75+40 kilowatts (101+54 horsepower), 160 kilowatts (215 horsepower) and 160+40 kilowatts (215+54 horsepower). The "+" signs indicate the presence of two electric motors.

The five-seat e6 is expected to sell for about $40,000 in the U.S.

Renowned investor Warren Buffett has invested $230 million in BYD - his Berkshire Hathaway investment company owns a 10 percent stake.

Mar 09, 2010 05:47PM

Ryder Europe Signs First Electric Truck Leasing Customer

We've long maintained that electrifying intra-city delivery trucks makes tons of sense because range - a concern for long-distance trucking and for many consumers - shouldn't be much of a problem for battery-electric trucks that wend their way along city streets dropping goods off at convenience stores, restaurants and retail shops.

Now comes some proof.

Truck rental company Ryder Europe says tests of a 10-ton Smith Newton electric truck in central London showed that the delivery truck, used on a route serving the catering and hospitality trade, not only didn't deplete its batteries during the course of a day's work but, with an estimated range of just 80 miles, usually could go three days before needing an overnight recharge.

Based on that test, Ryder customer Bunzl - a distribution company - has become the first to lease a Smith Newton battery-electric truck from Ryder.

Aside from the freedom from range anxiety, the electric truck from Britain's Smith Electric Vehicles promises lower fuel and maintenance costs, relief from central London's daily congestion tariffs, and, for people who live and work along the delivery route it will serve, less noise and no diesel fumes.

A Bunzl spokesman said that if the truck is a reliable as expected, the company plans to add more electric delivery vehicles to its U.K. fleet in 2011 as part of its "sustainable distribution initiative.".

Mar 09, 2010 04:59PM

Lexus Hybrid Marketing Campaign Launches Amid Big Drop in Lexus Hybrid Sales

Lexus is launching a new marketing campaign across the U.S. that will span its current hybrid line-up: the RX 450h SUV, GS 450h sports sedan, LS 600h premium luxury sedan and HS 250h entry-level luxury sedan.

The recently-announced Lexus CT 200h, not yet on the market, will not be included in the campaign, which will include numerous print ads as well as the television commercial "Milestones" that kicked off several days ago and highlights a series of advancements and changes that the world has seen since the first Lexus Hybrid launched.

And what would those milestones be? "Milestones" says than when Lexus built its first hybrid, YouTube didn't exist, more people had land lines than cell phones, and gas was $1.75 a gallon.

The commercial adds, with only a hint of smugness, that "while other luxury carmakers are building their first hybrids, Lexus hybrids have traveled 5.5 billion miles. And that's quite a head start."

Toyota's luxury division launched its first hybrid in 2004. There are now more than 190,000 Lexus hybrids on the road.

"We are very proud of our leadership in luxury hybrids and have created a campaign that lets consumers know that at Lexus, hybrids aren't just a concept for a future car, but vehicles that have been on the road for five years," said Dave Nordstrom, vice president of marketing for Lexus.

Nordstrom must be less proud of how his hybrids are selling: February sales of the RX 450h - Lexus' top-selling hybrid - were down 12.4 percent from January and off 40.7 percent from February 2009; February sales of the GS 450h were down 46.3 percent from January and unchanged from February 2009; February sales of the new HS 250h were down 42.9 percent from January (there are no February 2009 sales to compare it with).

The only plus sign in the Lexus hybrid line-up was for the long-wheelbase, extremely low volume $103,000 LS 600h L, whose 15 sales in February represented a 66.6 percent increase from 9 sales in January, but a 31.8 percent decline from 22 sales in February 2009.

Total Lexus February 2010 hybrid sales were 1,636, down from 2,313 in January but up from 1,507 from February 2009, when the HS 250h (with 712 in February 2010 sales) wasn't in the mix to add to volume.

Mar 09, 2010 03:42PM

KB Home's Newest Option: Pre-Wire Your Built-to-Order House for Plug-in Vehicles

KB Home will start giving buyers of its built-to-order homes the option of getting the houses pre-wired to handle electric-vehicle charging.

The national homebuilder will pre-wire homes to make it easier to add charging stations in garages to facilitate overnight electric-vehicle charging, the company said in a statement today. The cost for the option, which is available now, will vary by location but will average about $250, according to KB Home spokesman Craig LeMessurier.

"It's a great feature for homebuyers who currently drive electric cars, or for those who want to build their new home to accommodate these cars in the future," KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger said in a statement today.

The option marks the company's effort to appeal to a group of plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicle owners that's likely to grow as the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the all-electric Nissan Leaf come on the U.S. market later this year.

KB Home, which is working with U.S. utility companies to provide the new feature, is looking to rebound from the effects of a U.S. housing slump that cut the company's 2009 revenue by 40 percent from a year earlier to $1.82 billion. The company built about 8,500 homes last year, down 32 percent from the previous year.

Danny King, Contributor

Mar 09, 2010 01:50PM

Japanese and South Koreans Scramble for Lithium as Demand for Metal Intensifies

Japan and South Korea are competing hard for international lithium reserves to feed a growing demand for the metal for use in batteries for mobile phones, laptops and, increasingly, plug-in  vehicles, according to an article in the subscription-based Financial Times.

Seoul has set aside $12 billion for acquisitions in the raw materials business this year and last year sent the president's brother to seal a preliminary lithium deal with Bolivia, holder of the world's biggest reserves.

Japanese rivals are snapping at Korea's heels, the Times said, with Mitsubishi Corp and Sumitomo Corp, two of the biggest trading houses, seeking rights to extract lithium from Bolivia's Uyuni salt flats, believed to hold the world's biggest deposits.

Toyota Tsuho, a trader partly owned by Toyota Motor, has agreed to buy a 25 percent stake in Argentina's Olaroz lithium-potash development, partly helped by low-interest loans from Tokyo. Not to be left out of the scramble for Latin America, South Korean conglomerate Posco is buying into lithium extraction projects in Mexico and Chile.

In spite of such efforts, Samsung Economic Research Institute, one of Korea's main think tanks, published a paper arguing that Seoul was trailing rivals in the pursuit of rare metals. It recommended the bulk of the nation's aid be linked to countries with such reserves and called on pension funds to play a bigger role in resource diplomacy.

Experts are divided on the question of how quickly the world will burn through recoverable lithium reserves. The arguments hinge not only on recoverability at higher prices but also on geopolitical security.

Mar 09, 2010 01:18PM

Carpuccino Proves Car Can Run on Coffee, but It's Costly at 56 Expressos Per Mile

The BBC science program "Bang Goes The Theory" has the answer to the question we've all been too afraid to ask: Can our cars be fueled by the same stuff - coffee - that turns over our own motors every morning?

With "Carpuccino" we have the answer. The converted 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco allows drivers to pour coffee granules directly into a gas cylinder attached to the car, where it is heated up and broken down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. That gas is fed into the engine, where it burns and powers the vehicle.

There's only one problem: The Carpuccino goes through coffee like a herd of truck drivers, or approximately 56 espressos per mile. That's some pricey fuel. Click here for more details.