Detroit’s Big 3 have big plans for hybrid and electric vehicles. The Motor City was founded on the combustion engine and is striving to makes its return using exciting new battery, engine and powertrain technology.

As the world is becoming environmentally conscious, consumers are considering more than price and quality at the dealership lots. They are considering the environmental impact and financial energy efficiency of the car they take home. Sure Hybrid and EV cars are more expensive at the initial purchase, but with tax, rebate incentives and reducing or minimizing ever growing costs at the pump, Hybrid and EV cars will offer a return.

Ford Motor Company is bringing to market the Ford Focus plug in electric, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid and Ford C-Max Hybrid and the Transit Connect EV. This lineup of vehicles offers flexibility to the consumers depending on the needs. A local commuter, running around town in and out of an office, or a short 10-20 mile commute would run the Focus EV. The Focus EV is a battery electric car that offers projected 100 miles on a charge. This range would allow for daily travel and overnight charging. If the daily travels take you beyond the 100 mile mark the Hybrid options give you both battery and combustion engine power. Simply put, plug in and charge the battery at night, run around during the day. When the batteries run dry, the combustion engine kicks in power the vehicle while recharging the batteries.

General Motors has released the Chevy Volt, a 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year winner that offers the flexibility of a Plug in Hybrid vehicle. Charge the slightly smaller than mid-sized sedan in at night and run battery/gas all day long. The Chevy Volt runs on regenerative braking technology that assists in charging the batteries while you go about your business.

With availability, environmental awareness and potential financial return, the EV and Hybrid vehicles have the potential of taking over the car market in the United States.

Article by Mike LaJoice.

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What choice will consumers make? After attending the 2011 Toyota Sustainable Mobility Seminar in La Jolla, California (April 4-7, 2011), this is what I walked away thinking. In all respects, Americans are already asking themselves questions like this about the life they live. With regard to the cars we drive it is time to think hard about the way we drive and what we drive.

Presenters at the seminar addressed, and in many cases provided the current findings about fuel cells, hydrogen, electricity, the electric grid and electric cars. Economic forces, geopolitical forces and the DOE directed Future Transportation Fuels Study were explored in detail. The choices for a greener driving future are proliferating and each has its advantage and disadvantage.

The economic costs to our society in moving toward a greener driving future were reviewed in exploring the many mobility choices we must make as a society and as consumers. Again this year I loved being behind the wheel of the almost to market (Spring 2012?) Plug-in Hybrid Prius and with the announcement during the Seminar of the sale of the one-millionth Prius in the U.S., it’s easy to see that Toyota understands what the hybrid consumer is looking for.

Now a more focused approach to the spending of scarcer infrastructure/development dollars is warranted and the key to that approach will be all of us discussing what type of car we as consumers will pay a bit more for and how much it matters to us to be free to ”put the pedal to the metal’. It’s like turning out the lights when you leave the room, we all know we should do it but don’t always stop to think.

On Monday I drove the prototype test vehicle RAV4 EV as part of the launch of the demonstration program. The RAV4 EV I drove was converted from the V-6 model with Tesla power train system including motor, battery and additional Tesla parts. The specifications for this all-electric vehicle are 3,942 pounds, 37 kWh battery size, maximum V at 100 mph, acceleration 0-60 of 9.0 seconds, range of 80-120 miles and charge time of about 28 hours at 110V and 12 hours at 240V.

The vehicle will go to market sometime in 2010 as a collaboration of Toyota Motor Corporation and Tesla. It drove like any other SUV, I didn’t notice the sound, I didn’t get the sensation of anything different in acceleration or driving than an internal combustion engine, but at slow speed, coming to a stop I could detect a slight drag in the braking.

Standing around with the technicians I heard the vehicle will likely be built at the NUMMI Fremont, California location. There are sure to be many changes to the vehicle, not least of which was the novelty of the prototype-only, large, red “High Voltage Disconnect Switch” and caution with regard to letting us test drive it here in La Jolla while a gentle rain was falling.

There is always talk of range anxiety, and like most folks I can’t seem to walk too far away from the Prius Plug-in equivalent, but indeed for those looking for the feel of a regular SUV and the good green credentials, the RAV4 EV is their car. Getting out there and driving a VOLT in order to make the comparison is next.

I took a few snap-shot photos at the Seminar of both the prototype vehicles available for test driving and presentations by experts at the Hydrogen Panel and the Electricity Panel. To mention a few of the presenters, we heard from and asked questions of Dr. Peter Wells, Dr. Steven Kay, and Dr. Dawn Manley. Dr. Wells is an International Oil/Gas expert running his own firm. Dr. Kay is at University of California San Diego (Dean of Division of Biological Sciences) running a microbiology genetics lab on non-fossil based fuels and founding director of San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology. Dr. Manley is at Livermore Sandia National Laboratory working on transportation energy analysis. During the Hydrogen Panel portion of the seminar we heard from Dr. C.E. Thomas, H2Gen Innovations, Dr. Scott Samuelsen, University of California Irvine, who also directs the National Fuel Cell Research Center for the Department of Energy and California Energy Commission, and Dr. Alan Weimer of University of Colorado Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. In the Electricity Panel portion of the seminar Dr. Linda Capuano, Vice President of Emerging Technology for Marathon Oil Corporation spoke. She is the Chair of the Coordinating Subcommittee of the National Petroleum Council (NPC) Future Transportation Fuels Study (at the direction of Secretary Chu). The origin of the NPC is a continuation of World War II government/industry cooperation to advise the United States Secretary of Energy. The Fuel Study group is composed of 25% oil/gas industry, 23% transportation industry, 12% consultants/financial companies and the rest is government plus NGO, end users and academia.

Thanks again to Toyota for the Sustainable Mobility Seminar that afforded us the opportunity to listen and ask questions of these and other experts in an informal and open atmosphere.

Article by Kathleen Neil, appearing courtesy Environmental News Network.

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Tomorrow, the automobile industry will have yet another chance to roll out their latest and greatest concepts when the annual Qatar Motor Show kicks off in the nation’s capital of Doha. While there is no doubt that the show will feature some very interesting automobile concepts, one of the more exciting to debut on the showroom floor is what automobile enthusiasts have taken to hailing as the most fuel efficient car in the entire world.

The vehicle in question is Volkswagen’s XL1 plug-in hybrid concept car. According to the German automaker, the latest XL1 model is the third they have made after working for some time now to create a vehicle that would have the highest fuel efficiency possible. To this end, Volkswagen believes that have come even closer to realizing this dream with the XL1’s estimated fuel mileage of roughly one liter of fuel for every 100 kilometers traveled. Once the figures are converted, that leaves the automobile world looking at the astounding figure of approximately 235 miles per gallon.

To achieve the incredible fuel efficiency that the XL1 is supposed to be capable of creating, Volkswagen has married together the ideas found in both electric vehicles and highly efficient gasoline cars. The XL1, in its current state, sports a forty eight horsepower engine with an electric motor that is powered by electricity stored in a bank of lithium-ion batteries. While fully charged, the vehicle will be able to travel a little over twenty miles in all electric mode and will be able to achieve zero to sixty two miles per hour in around 11.9 seconds. Although the XL1 may not appeal immediately to those looking for speed and raw power, it must be remembered that it has designed with maximum fuel efficiency in mind.

While the XL1’s technical aspects are certainly interesting considering what they are capable of, the current concept design for the vehicle is impressive in its own right. Featuring sweeping lines and smooth curves, the XL1’s body appears as if it was molded to slide right through the air in order to ensure minimum resistance. Volkswagen has also mentioned that the vehicle will feature a variety of weight reducing features, including carbon fiber materials, in order to ensure the vehicle is light enough to allow maximum fuel efficiency.

Overall, the Volkswagen XL1 is one of the more exciting plug-in hybrids announced in recent memory. While there is no set date for when this vehicle could be hitting the roads, a working prototype will be debuted during the Qatar Motor Show in the next couple of days.

Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.

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It looks like the debate on fuel economy for plug-in hybrids rages on unabated. General Motors just announced that its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid car will carry a better efficiency rating that the Toyota Prius (long been recognized as the industry leader in the category). The fact that this is like comparing apples with trombones doesn’t seem to be of any major concern to GM, the EPA, or anyone else.

According to Sharon Terlep, writing for the Wall Street Journal:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) handed down three different mileage ratings for the Volt, based on how it is driven. This marks the federal agency’s first attempt to hand down a miles per gallon equivalent or MPGe rating. The Volt sticker prominently displays 93 as the miles-per-gallon equivalent when the car is driving on the battery alone; 37 miles-per-gallon is the figure when the gas engine is delivering power to the electric drive system. In smaller letters, 60 miles per gallon is listed as the comparable to other compact cars.

93 miles per gallon – when driven in a mode that doesn’t use any gasoline? Doesn’t this require clarification?

If I were writing the charter for the EPA, it would include the notion of elucidating and to trying help consumers wrap their wits around a new area of technology — not further confusing them. Maybe that’s why I didn’t get the job.

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The Obama administration has proposed adding new labels to showroom vehicles that give letter grades based on their fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. The new labels, which U.S. officials hope to introduce for 2012 models, would provide consumers with more complete information on efficiency and environmental performance, including associated air pollutants. “From electric to plug-in hybrid vehicles, we think a new label is absolutely necessary to help consumers make the right decision for their wallet and for the environment,” said Gina McCarthy, an EPA assistant administrator.

Under the proposal, the average vehicle would receive a grade of B- for fuel efficiency and emissions, federal officials say. Electric vehicles would get an A+, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would receive an A, and gas-electric hybrids, such as the Ford Fusion and Toyota Prius, would receive an A-. Meanwhile, many luxury vehicles, such as the Mercedes-Benz Maybach 57 would get a D+ or D, the lowest grade. The agencies are asking for public comment on two label designs, which can be viewed online. The second design omits a letter grade but has information on greenhouse gas emissions and a graph showing how the vehicle compares with others.

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The new generation of electric cars that are set to hit the market promise to help end the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and clean the air. However, they are not without flaws. One particular flaw in their charging system may even make them less environmentally friendly than the most fuel efficient conventional cars.

First of all, charging an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle requires remembering to charge it when you go home. Beginning the day with a dead cell phone battery, or leaving the house without charging your laptop can cause frustration. Now imagine having to leave for work and forgetting to charge your car.

A new technology by the company Evatran, uses induction charging to automatically keep the car’s batteries at full charge. Drivers would just have to park over the base unit that is fitted to the floor and an intelligent control system in the vehicle will request charging.

The induction charging would use a coil in the base unit that creates an electromagnetic field. The coil in the vehicle would pick up
the field and convert it back into electronic current which the vehicle could store and later use. However, this does not have the same level of efficiency as plugging the car directly to the power source.

Representatives of this new technology believe the wasted energy is minimal enough, and is worth it in exchange for greater peace of mind in knowing that your car will always be charged. “We believe that our system will eliminate a barrier to electric vehicle adoption and increase the adoption of electrified transport,” says Rebecca Hough, Evatran’s marketing director.

Others believe that the wasted energy of induction charging negates the most positive aspect of electric vehicles, that they are environmentally friendly. This is especially true if the power source produces high pollution like a coal-fired power plant. Compared to efficient diesel-engine cars on the road today, plug-in vehicles may be only slightly better. However, with a ten percent loss in efficiency from induction charging, the scales could tip towards the efficient diesel engine.

On the other hand, this new technology may be a blessing in disguise. For prospective buyers, having an automatic induction charging system may be a major selling point which could boost electric vehicle sales. With more electric vehicle owners, the attention would turn to how these vehicles get their power. Then perhaps there would be a greater public demand for renewable energy such as wind or solar. With renewable sources, the ten percent drop in efficiency would then be much less of a concern.

Article by David A. Gabel, appearing courtesy Environmental News Network.

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Last week, White Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) staff traveled to SBE Inc. in Barre, Vermont, where a $9.1 million Recovery Act grant is helping the company build a new electric drive component factory. As we toured the construction site with the company leadership, it truly felt as though we were witnessing a brand new American industry rising from the ground. We were happy to be joined by Governor Douglas and representatives from the Vermont delegation as well as members of the community who have been involved in this project since the April 2010 groundbreaking.

The SBE grant is a great example of what the Recovery Act is doing for American communities. Before they received it, SBE was planning to build its plant in China. Now, this American company is going to manufacture its state-of-the-art battery components here, in America. That means that not only is the company helping build a home-grown clean-energy industry — it is also creating or saving more than 100 Vermont jobs over the next three years.

We were inspired and encouraged by what we saw at SBE Inc. and look forward to the day when we can peer inside a plug-in hybrid or electric car and find a battery part that reads Made in the USA.

Article by Jess Maher and Kira Mesdag, White House Council on Environmental Quality.

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With the United States of America’s ever-mounting trade and budget deficits, unemployment above 10 percent (and, dependent on counting, un- and under-employment above 20 percent), looming peak oil and other resource (water, for example) limitations, environmental challenges, and ever-mounting climate chaos , America faces a very serious situation.

In fact, to one degree or another, these same intertwined challenges (with the exception of trade/budget deficits for some countries) are those face by societies and nations throughout the globe in our networked, systems-of-systems global community.

These serious challenges are a networked system-of-systems that interact and reinforce each other. As we strive to stop digging the holes deeper and climb our way out, we can seek to deal with these challenges in a stove-piped manner or address them with W6 solutions that have wins across multiple arenas:

• Move toward sustainable energy system
• Create and protect jobs
• Foster economic activity (cost effectively)
• Strengthen long-term economic prospects
• Address negative environmental impacts (from local pollution to acidification of the oceans)
• Help mitigate climate change

As some are wont to say, crises create opportunities. One good piece of news, amid all the serious concerns that that list above should create for all of us (the US and globally), is the reality that many Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-Win (Win to the Sixth) opportunities lie before us, if we choose to seize them.

Very briefly, here are eight examples that meet these criteria:

Energy Efficiency: The “negawatt” and “negagallon” is the least expensive incremental power source available in the United States (and much of the world). At a cost of less than 4 cents per kilowatt hour, the United States could cut its power demand by over 20 percent over the coming decade (at less than half the cost of the cheapest new power source options).

A serious focus on energy efficiency would improve business competitiveness globally, reduce fossil fuel usage (and health impacts Greening Public Schools represents one of those ‘no-brainer’ actions that we should all embrace as it is potentially the only path to improve educational performance, improve youth health, improve community and global environment, create jobs, and strengthen local government financing (enabling money to spent on true educational costs (teacher salaries, supplies) rather than on over-paying to heat poorly insulated structures.

Financing Net Zero (& Lower Energy Demand) Building : As discussed here, Architecture 2030 developed The 2030 Challenge Stimulus Plan that would create roughly nine million (yes, 9,000,000) jobs and several trillion dollars of building activity through a two-year, $192.47 billion program focused on using financial instruments to spark investment in energy efficiency in private buildings throughout the nation. Buildings account for roughly 40 percent of America’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This program would put a serious dent into that figure while skyrocketing the United States in a global leadership position in building energy efficiency.

Rail Electrification: A $100 billion federal commitment over the coming decade could spark a matching private sector investment that would cut perhaps ten percent of America’s oil use, more than paying for the total cost via reduced imported oil costs (without even considering the benefits through reduced pollution, etc …).

Rail electrification is occuring throughout the globe with the notable exception of the United States. More cargo can be moved with less energy and less pollution as a rail system is moved to electricity from diesel.

Plug-In Hybrid Electric School Buses : Current school buses get about 5.5 mpg of diesel. Conversion to PHESB improves this to about 11 mpg. Diesel fumes from school buses are a top threat to the health of America’s K-12 population. PHESBs cut diesel fume exposure by half or more.

In addition to helping cut America’s oil addiction (by 2020, a decent PHESB program could lead to a 0.5 day reduction in US oil demand (about 11 million barrels, year), PHESBs offer the opportunity for improved disaster services (imagine 5000 mobile generator / storage systems ready to move into the Gulf Coast from surrounding communities post Katrina), improving electricity energy efficiency (through having distributed power storage in PHESB parks).

DESERTEC: One of the most powerful images for a renewable energy future, a burning hot one we might suggest, is TREC, which is a grand vision for connecting solar power in North Africa, wind power from the Eastern Mediterranean to the North Sea, bio-mass, and hydropower with a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system of power lines to provide assured renewable electricity for the Mediterranean basin and Europe.

This concept, which has seemed ever so Renewable Energy COOL to me from the first time I encountered it, looks to be moving down a path from fantastic innovative concept to potential reality as Europe is beginning investments that might total into the $100s of billions in the coming decades to make this a reality.

This system won’t necessarily just produce clean power, but a ‘waste’ product will be clean water than can support agriculture and local jobs. If connected to a serious bio-char/agro-char program for enriching the soil, this could lead to ever-increasing agricultural productivity in employment and water-starved regions while sequestering serious amounts of carbon. (Thus lowering emissions due to clean energy production and lowering CO2 levels via enhanced-natural sequestion: attacking the GHG problem from two ends.)

Imagine this in employment starved and conflict prone areas like Israel-Palestine or along the US-Mexico border.

Trent (OMEGA) Algae: This a developing OMEGA effort , led by Jonathan Trent of NASA, to make algae biofuel in a renewable energy process that will clean up sewage currently being dumped into the world’s oceans. There is also the potential that electrical power generation could be connected to the fuel production. (OMEGA Algae is still in testing, but is a great example of the looming Win to the Sixth opportunities there for the taking … if we would only choose to seize them.)

Concepts to provide multi-faceted solutions were core to Energize America from its earliest moments. How to ‘make the right choice, the easy and preferred choice’ with paths that would address energy, environmental, and economic challenges in a systems fashion rose to the top above stove-piped concepts. We must, as individuals and as a nation, pursue such Win to the Sixth opportunities or risk stove-piped approaches that seemingly solve one problem while exacerbating others.

Article by A. Siegel appearing courtesy of Celsias

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Just as your mileage varies by where and how you drive, so might the performance of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid’s batteries.

The batteries in the GM vehicle due out in a year (November 2010) will have at least 10 years of life, according to company representatives who briefed the media on Tuesday. But vehicle owners who live in temperate climates are likely to see their batteries last much longer.

According to Andrew Farah, Volt chief engineer, after many months of tweaking battery cells (provided by supplier LG Chem) to optimize performance and lifespan, the lithium ion manganese spinel chemistry has been finalized. While customers will be guaranteed 10 years of satisfactory battery performance, Volt owners in Arizona or Michigan may get considerably less out of their batteries in the long run than someone who lives in more temperate areas, such as the Pacific Northwest or Bay Area.

“10 years is the target life, but depending on where you live, you could see significantly more than that,” said Farrah. “In more benign conditions — if you do more city driving — and if you are in a more temperate area, the battery would last significantly longer.”

When exposed to extremely high temperatures for extended periods, some lithium ion batteries (such as the chemistry GM chose) will lose storage capacity. So parking an electric vehicle in desert heat for hours at a time would slowly reduce the amount of energy that can be stored, which eventually translates to fewer miles driving in between charges. “Local weather is important,” said Farrah.

GM will be very careful in rolling out these first of their kind production vehicles so that they can monitor vehicle performance and expectations. Battery suppliers whose products give any indication of underperforming may find themselves losing customers. The automotive OEMs are likely to multisource their battery contracts so that they could switch suppliers as needed.

GM has also signed off on the charging equipment that will come with the vehicle. The charge unit is recommended for ground fault protection (GFP) to prevent vehicle owners from getting shocked in places where moisture may be present.

A strong negative reaction by consumers to any model could jeopardize demand across the board for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Automakers will proceed with caution, and may delay product launches if any uncertainty about reliability or safety presents itself in final testing.

The company has assembled 300 battery packs so far and has tested them without any cell failures, according to the company. GM will start taking delivery of the production cells in the beginning of 2010 and is expected to ship its first Volts by the end of the year.

Article appearing courtesy of Matter Network

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Honda is now offering a $500 rebate to customers who purchased a Civic Hybrid between 2003-2007 but aren’t happy with the gas mileage they are getting. This offer, which must be used towards the purchase of a new Honda (alternatively you can take $100 cash) is the result of a lawsuit by musician and disgruntled Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH) owner John True. True said he was only able to achieve 32 miles per gallon on his vehicle.

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