Tesla Inside - To learn from each other and co-create

While Tesla is currently not producing electric vehicles by the thousands like Toyota, Tesla is recognised as one of the most players in the ekectric car market; more car manufacturers are opting for a little <a href="http://www.myhev.com/drive-train/drive-train-–-tesla-inside">Tesla Inside</a>, not just in the cars they produce, but also in their organisation.

Tesla's electric jitters: Tesla's electric jitters | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/12/teslas_electric_jitters

Tesla may well have a mountain to climb before it can become a volume carmaker, but some in the industry seem to think it knows how to wire up a battery well enough to get there.

Tesla pushing Toyota to be faster, better when it comes to electric cars
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/12/28/tesla-pushing-toyota-to-be-faster-better-when-it-comes-to-elect/

According to Greg Bernas, Toyota’s chief engineer for the joint RAV4 venture, “We are learning from each other… Hopefully we can collaborate to improve our (development) process in the future (by adopting the flexibility of Tesla).”

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Electric car conversion by ACPropulsion — everyday driving of a real EV

A nice example of a converted VW Golf to an electric vehicle and a nice video from Youtube describing the details of this '2nd generation' EV.

Check out the video on YouTube:

Electric car conversion by ACPropulsion — everyday driving of a real EV | Web Ink
http://www.webink.org/electric-car-conversion-by-acpropulsion-everyday-driving-of-a-real-ev/

While the Tesla might be considered the third-generation EV1, the Red Car could be considered the second-generation, perhaps a test article among that pack, and thus has a place in automotive history.

(via Instapaper)

Merry Christmas!

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Good, Clean Fun With a Home-Brew EV Go-Kart

Just skip all the discussions on how sustainable an <a href="http://www.myhev.com" >electric vehicle</a> can be, also focus on the sheer fun they can provide! Due to better torque of the electric motor, they are excellent for racing too, which is also illustrated by Fortin's project where he constructed a battery powered cart.

Good, Clean Fun With a Home-Brew EV Go-Kart
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/12/good-clean-fun-with-a-homebrew-ev-go-kart/

“It handles great, corners great and has a tight turning radius,” Fortin said. Top speed is 40 mph. Due to the limited range and suspension, the ZKart has stayed mostly on pavement. However, he said that a few jaunts on fire roads have been a gas, and without using a drop of the stuff.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Hybrid Vehicle - Fuel cell buses for Tokyo

Tokyo has implemented hybrid buses in their public transport systems, a nice hybrid vehicle fueles by hydrogen. The ambition is to promote sustainable transport on the crowded streets of Tokyo; they even added two hydrogen fueling stations in the mix.

Fuel cell buses hit the streets of Tokyo - Autoblog Green
http://i.green.autoblog.com/2010/12/22/fuel-cell-buses-hit-the-streets-of-tokyo/

The project is part of Tokyo’s shift to get alternative fuel sources moving more vehicles on the city’s roads. The government hopes that this demonstration project will lead to further adoption of fuel-cell vehicles and create a society that relies heavily on hydrogen as a major power source, thereby reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Hat tip to Roy!

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe and sustainable

Electric Vehicle - Tesla catches Christmas spirit, gives away hundreds of Roadsters

A very nice touch from electric vehicle maker Tesla, giving Christmas presents to its clients, how's that for awarding client loyalty?

Tesla catches Christmas spirit, gives away hundreds of Roadsters - Autoblog Green
http://i.green.autoblog.com/2010/12/20/tesla-catches-christmas-spirit-gives-away-hundreds-of-roadsters/

Seems Tesla Motors has caught a bad good case of Christmas fever. You know, that infectious spirit of giving that’s been known to strike ‘round about this time of year. In spite of being busy making deals, preparing the Tesla factory and watching the stock price shoot up, Tesla has still found time to remember the people who have helped get it where it is today – the Roadster-buying customers. And to share the good cheer, Tesla is giving them yet another Tesla Roadster.

(via Instapaper)

Check out the video on YouTube:

- Roelof

Drive safe and sustainable

Electric Vehicle - 6 Myths Every Investor Should Know About Electric Cars

This article I came across is aimed at investors, but this is also helpful for people who are in doubt how good an electric vehicle really is. In the end, buying a car is an investment, not just for your family (budget), but also in the environment.

6 Myths Every Investor Should Know About Electric Cars
http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/electric-car-myths/1359

End the tax payer support for oil and electric vehicles, and see which sells the best. I’ll give you a hint: When 87 Octane hit $4.00 a gallon, car buyers were paying above sticker price to get their hands on a Prius, Toyota’s hybrid superstar which now gets 50 miles per gallon.

What do you think will happen when we hit $4.00 a gallon again?

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe and sustainable

Hybrid Vehicle - How to build a hybrid engine

A really nice video showing you how the engine of a hybrid vehicle is made. Not only limited to cars, but the hybrid can (ofcourse) also be used for airplanes, boats abd trucks.

Have a nice weekend!

- Roelof

Drive safe and sustainable!

Hybrid Vehicle - Why you should buy a hybrid

A nice article on why you should buy a hybrid vehicle; a lot of people (wrongly!) assume buying a hybrid vehicle makes no business sense, but in the long run it may prove to be a very sensible investment. It even is versatile enough that whatever the outcome of technical developments and the case of "who will win?" (the hybrid or the electric car), you still have a large benefit.

Why you should buy a hybrid, Part 1 - Hybrid Cars and Plug-in Vehicles - Hybridcarblog
http://www.hybridcarblog.com/why-you-should-buy-a-hybrid-part-1/

If you have any worries about foreign oil dependence, buy a hybrid. It’s not about doing your part, it’s about saving money. Again, when gas hits $7.00 nobody will be laughing at your hybrid purchase.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe and sustainable

Hybrid Vehicle - KERS will give McLaren an edge in 2011

More news from the Hybrid vehicle change in the Formula 1; Button believes McLaren will have a competitive edge over the other teams with the (re)introduction of the KERS system. I can't wait to see these changes in effect, but also wonder: would a hybrid vehicle be able to overtake its petrol equivalent in a similar/easy way like the Formula 1 cars?

KERS will give McLaren an edge in 2011: Button | Electric Vehicle News
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/2010/12/kers-will-give-mclaren-edge-in-2011.html

Jenson Button is convinced McLaren will have an advantage over Red Bull and Ferrari at the start of the 2011 season thanks to KERS. The Kinetic Energy Recovery System was introduced in 2009 in attempt to aid overtaking

(via Instapaper)

Drive safe and sustainable!

- Roelof

Hybrid Vehicle - Volkswagen considering F1 Future

Following the recent changes in the Formula 1 to a hybrid vehicle event, it seems that Volkswagen is indeed interested to participate in this motorised sports event. The biggest European car manufacturer is interested after the change in the vehicle requirements; smaller engines and a bigger role for KERS like systems.

<a href="http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/36323.html">Source: ESPN</a>

Electric Vehicle - Tesla Inside for BMW as well

Tesla is getting a firmer grip in the Electric Vehicle market every day. This announcement by Benz Insider explains why the concept of Tesla is so attractive for other manufacturers to adopt: cost. Soon there will be Tesla Inside on a few more brands.

Source: Benz Insider

Hybrid Vehicle -

Earlier on I wrote on the changes that were discussed for the Formula 1, it appears they have decided to go with the changes for these new hybrid vehicles as they will now be officially labeled from 2013 on.

The goal is not perse to green the Formula 1, but this will drive the teams to design energy efficient systems that can still perform equally well. In a similar fashion to the space industry, technologies that are designed for this new Formula 1 may well find their way in your (future) vehicle.

Source

Electric Vehicle - "I'll be back!"

The electric vehicle is back. For revenge. In a local cinema near you soon. Go check out the trailer and have a nice weekend!

Report: VW design chief says new Microbus is in the cards - Autoblog

For all you retro fans out there; there are plans to bring back another classic from the VW bloodline and it might just become an electric vehicle this time. The plans concern the VW "hippy van".

Similar to the new Beetle this looks like a well done modern overhaul of the old design, spacious and comfy looking. It is expected to hit the market around 2012 and currently discussions are going on to decide on a power train. My guess is it will either be electric or hybrid, perhaps both types will be available even.

Source

Drive Train - Toyota announces the Solid State battery

A nice achievement from the Toyota lab: they developped the prototype of a solid state Lithium based battery for an electric vehicle, the holy grail in the drive train according to some.

The new design allows for more power to be stored and less weight to be carried along. On top of it, the battery is also said to be more stable. When the conventional lithium based batteries exceed a certain temperature, they boil and are irreversibly damaged. When the solid state Lithium is in its ideal state it can manage higher power flows more easily. Get us more of those batteries I'd say!

<a href="http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20101122/187553/">Source </a>

Drive safe and sustainable!

Charging - A Charge at no Charge

London has installed the first charging points where people can recharge their EV batteries for free! A nice demonstration they are taking the EV introduction seriously and want to fight the CO2 pollution in the city.

Part of the power used for charging is generated by solar panels, enhancing the sustainable aspect of the project, more to follow?

Source

Drive Train - Siemens shaves 30-40% off!!

Some nice news from Siemens on their Ecotram project, where they loojed at the drive train and the HVAC in particular.

Their system consists of smart controllers and proper insulation and can potentially reduce the HVAC power consumption by up to 10%.

"

According to the partners participating in the project, it should be possible to reduce energy consumption for HVAC systems by at least 10%. The objective is to develop a simulation model for the optimization of a tram’s climate control systems.

"

Source

BMW & Siemens to make public transport more sustainable

Siemens and BMW are going to design the new lightweight and recyclable subway car for Warsaw. The new public transport system in the Polish capital, which goes by the name of the 'Siemens Inspiro', will be 97.5% recyclable and are much lighter than the conventional subway cars. Lighter subway cars not only reduce the energy consumption of use, but will also cause less wear and tear on the tracks and thus reduce maintenance costs. 

The new Inspiro tram designed by BMW and Siemens

Source

Hybrid Vehicle - Norwegian Hydrogen Highway

Some nice news for hybrid vehicle owners in Norway, or people aspiring to become one: the Danish company H2 has added to the "Hydrogen Highway" in Norway, allowing people with a hydrogen fueled hybrid vehicle to fill up their vehicle with hydrogen.

A nice example in Norway which will probably be followed by other stations completing the highway, just in time before the big car manufacturers will roll out their hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles within a few years.

Drive safe and sustainable.

Source

Electric Vehicle - How to make a Leaf

For the weekend, a nice video on how the electric vehicle the Nissan Leaf is manufactured. A nice display of a quality production line for this nice car:

Electric Vehicle - Leaf Electric Car In Japan with 200 km range

The Nissan Leaf is the most covered electric vehicle these days, it is being rolled out in many countries for the next few months. So far nothing new. What a surprise to read that there is also a 200km range version, instead of the presented 160km one.

Will there be more ranges available later on?

Electric Vehicle - Electric Airplane Sets New Speed Record

Nice news from the people from the land of electric flight: a new speed record is set with these special electric vehicles. The French  pilot flew the electric airplane (a Cri Cri from EADS, the mother company of Airbus) and achieved 162 miles per hour. 

It is good to see electric flight taking off like this, achieving nice speeds and knowing that they will increase their field of application; currently they can only fly for about an hour or two, so don't expect big commercial airlines to pick this form of flight up soon. However, it is gaining popularity in the flight school industry and for the same reasons it might even be commercially attractive for parachutists.

Read the full report on the speed record here

Electric Vehicle - Trex1

A very nice electric vehicle in the shape of a 4x4 truck! It can scale nice offroad tracks and with the 100 kWh battery pack and 150 kW motor (continuous power) it has a range of 200 miles.

The last nice fact I'll share here is it runs using low voltage. Where normal high performamce vehicles run at voltages around 400 Volt, this truck runs at a lot lower voltage. The main benefit of this is the overall lower cost of the electrical parts and thus a cheaper vehicle. Go check out the link below:

http://bioage.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c4fbe53ef013489a67a31970c-popup

Sent from my iPhone