Vanadium - The Best Thing Since Lithium

There is a lot of time and effort poured into making better batteries, where some aim to improve the current lithium based batteries, others go for totally new materials. The aims are all the same and have been discussed on my blogfrequently; more charge at less weight, less cost and longer lifespan.

After the graphene, the silicium and the air type batteries, now also vanadium has entered the race and it looks promising. Without having the full details on the materials availability and cost, I have yet to understand the claim that it allows for cheaper batteries.

Vanadium: The Best Thing Since Lithium
http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/the-best-thing-since-lithium/1531?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eacfeed+%28Energy+and+Capital%29

A lithium battery only lasts 3-5 years before it has to be replaced. A vanadium battery can be charged and discharged over 35,000 times, giving it a lifespan of over 35 years.

Vanadium can also charge and discharge simultaneously, can release energy instantly, and is ideal for both transportation grid applications.

In other words, it’s the new holy grail of battery materials.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - USD 25000 for a 350-mile-per-charge electric car could be reality by 2017 DOE says

It sounds promising to me if an electric vehicle with such specs can have such a price tag. It is the promise of Chu from the US Department of Energy and he outlined the plans to invest in the US, on one hand to get more sustainable, on the other to create more jobs and boost the economic recovery.

Let's see how cheap such a car can really go, feel free to share your thoughts on the matter.

$25,000, 350-mile-per-charge electric car could be reality by 2017, DOE says | Greenspace | Los Angeles Times
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/05/la-ev-charging-stations.html

Batteries are the ”heart” of electric vehicles, he said, adding that the Department of Energy is funding research that will drop the cost of electric-vehicle batteries 50% in the next three or four years and double or triple their energy density within six years so “you can go from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a single charge,” he said. “These are magical distances. To buy a car that will cost $20,000 to $25,000 without a subsidy where you can go 350 miles is our goal.”

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Purpose design vs. Conversion design

Sometimes you change a plan, other times you start off with a clean slate. In electric vehicle design these two approaches are used as well, you have most of the traditional car makers changing a current model, others are developping a totally new car.

An interesting article from my friends at Green & Energy on the topic is linked below, it is well worth a read on this design issue.

Purpose design vs. Conversion design
http://www.green-and-energy.com/blog/purpose-design-vs-conversion-design/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GandE+%28The+Green+%26+Energy+Consulting+Group%29

If you regard the Mini E in contrast to the SIM-LEI in terms of energy consumption you have about 18 kWh/100km for the Mini E and ca. 7,4 kWh/100km for the SIM LEI (both figures are rather optimistic). But this already shows what happend in a quite short time and I´m sure that there are still further potentials for reducing energy consumption of EV, which would also improve the economy of such cars.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - GM Volt an unexpected succes

GM is going to increase the production capacity of their electric vehicle assembly line, due to 'unexpected succes'. How can you make a great car and not expect the public to like it? Anyway, I think it is good news nonetheless, people are clearly more and more interested in sustainable mobility and electric vehicles.

Perdonally I think the unexpectedness is more based on caution from the manufacterers side than anything else.

GM Amps Up Volt Production
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/gm-amps-up-volt-production/

The Chevrolet Volt is selling faster than expected, so General Motors plans to pump up production — a move that will require shutting down the production line for one month to make some improvements.

The General says it will revamp the line at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant so it can increase Volt production to 16,000 units this year and 60,000 next year. That’s a significant bump over the original plan, which called for 15,000 cars this year and 45,000 next.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Volvo in project for inductive charging for EVs

Since the introduction of the inductive charging system for an electric vehicle many companies are involved in projects with this technology. There are buses fitted with this systrm for a few years in Italy and one in my hometown Utrech as well. Rolls Royce sees it as the option to charge their luxury EV and now Volvo is also participating in a Belgium projectto put this system to a real test.

Other participants are amongst others Flanders, van Hool and Bombardier. The system consists of a 20kW charger, capable of recharging the average EV battery (24kWh) in a little over 1 hour.

Volvo Car participating in project to develop inductive charging for EVs; 20 kW system
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/05/volvo-20110517.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greencarcongress%2FTrBK+%28Green+Car+Congress%29

Volvo will deliver a C30 Electric to Flanders’ Drive on 19 May to be modified for inductive charging. The charging system to be evaluated is dimensioned for 20 kW; charging a battery pack of the size fitted to the Volvo C30 Electric, 24 kWh, is expected to take about an hour and twenty minutes, if the battery is entirely discharged.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Chinese Commuters Charging to Cheap Shanzhai Electric Cars

The Chinese have access to a cheap electric vehicle and it can cost well below 3.000 USD. For the Chinese it is not an option to buy a vehicle many times their yearly income, as would be the case if they would buy a GM Volt or a Nissan Leaf. Their locally manufactured EVs are within their budget and are in popular demand.

Which leads to wonder, can those cheap EVs help the West as well? Provided those cheap EVs meet the local safety standards, they might. The main difference here with the Chinese situation, we compare the EV with how we use a conventional car. While the Chinese clearly improve their mobility, we tend to think we get less value for a higher price tag.

China's Commuters Charging to Cheap 'Knockoff' Electric Cars
http://inventorspot.com/articles/chinas_commuters_charging_cheap_knockoff_electric_cars

China’s car-crazy commuters are increasingly opting for an economical alternative to big-name, high-priced auto brands. Shanzhai (“knockoff”) electric cars charge up overnight, can be driven over 100 km per day, and cost well under $3,000.

Highways and biways in China’s big cities are flush with international auto brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Buick – a reflection of Chinese society’s upward mobility. Look beyond Beijing, Shanghai and other urban economic engines and you’ll find a different kind of mobility characterized by electric bicycles and tricycles. Don’t look now, but China’s boondocks are, like The Jefferson’s, “movin’ on up.”

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Electric cars take off in Norway

While Norway is still a large exporter of oil and gas, they have clear ambitions for the electric vehicle in their quest for sustainable mobility. They have chosen to do so by giving EV drivers a lot of privileges, ranging from free parking in a city centre that is off limits to combustion engines to allowing EVs to use the bus lane to avoid heavy traffic.

The expectations are good, with measures like mentioned above, the cheap cost to use and all the other facilities being setup; Norway is definitely moving towards an electric future!

Electric cars take off in Norway
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/2011/05/electric-cars-take-off-in-norway.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FpEcq+%28Electric+Vehicles%29

They speed past gas guzzlers in traffic, ignore congestion charges and get city centre parking for free. In a country whose wealth is fuelled by oil, Oslo has become the world capital of the electric car. “There are more electric cars per capita here than in any other capital of the world,” said Rune Haaland, the head of the electric car users association Norstart, standing in a city centre car park forbidden to other car users. Almost 4,000 of the small, clean and silent vehicles are on the roads of Norway, although they are found mainly in the cities, and the number is climbing as new models come onto the market.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Electric McRae Buggy to compete in 2012 Dakar Rally [w/video]

An electric vehicle to go around the world, an electric vehicle to go airborne and now news of an EV to enter the Dakar Rally in 2012. EVs are going everywhere and find many uses in our ecosystem.

The electric buggy will be driven by Dutch Tim Coronel and will be quick charged across the desert, where it charges towarda the finish as well with its 200 kW motor. 

A smiling Tim Coronel next to the buggy.

Electric McRae Buggy to compete in 2012 Dakar Rally [w/video]
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/09/electric-mcrae-buggy-to-compete-in-2012-dakar-rally-w-video/

The Dakar Rally traverses over 5,500 miles of grueling terrain in South America. It’s punishing on drivers and vehicles, requiring a machine that’s rugged, reliable and capable. Despite that, an Anglo-Dutch team, headed by Alistair McRae, will field an ultra-lightweight McRae Buggy equipped with a 54-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a robust 200-kW electric motor that features three power settings (eco, standard and full attack). Dutch driver Tim Coronel will attempt to navigate the electric McRae Buggy across the torturous terrain and on to the finish line at the 2012 Dakar Rally, which kicks off on January 1. The electric buggy features an aerodynamically optimized body and trick shock absorbers that convert kinetic energy from ruts and bumps into usable electric power. Support vehicles, equipped with DC quick chargers, will likely “refuel” the buggy during the race.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - All-electric garbage trucks to sweep French streets

Cleaning up just got cleaner: an electric vehicle that hauls garbage will be introduced in France. A lot of effort is spend on the engineering of the truck to make it truly the clean vehicle that it promotes on the flanks.

All-electric garbage trucks to sweep French streets
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/2011/05/all-electric-garbage-trucks-to-sweep.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FpEcq+%28Electric+Vehicles%29

The lumbering, polluting trucks that have collected garbage from French streets for years will soon become a noisy memory once a new generation of super quiet, all-electric vehicles starts making the rounds next week. The zero-emission, made-in France trucks are still large and bulky, but they promise to pack as much punch as their cousins with a vastly reduced impact on the environment and a relatively inoffensive, low humming engine sound. The Paris suburb of Courbevoie, with over 70,000 residents, will receive the first all-electric trucks on May 12.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Speeding Electric Camaro

An interesting branch in the electric vehicle sports are the sprints, or drag races. For the weekend, a nice video on a converted electric Camaro setting the bar higher, nice job!

Video: Electric Camaro tears down 1/4-mile in 11.253 seconds
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/05/video-electric-camaro-tears-down-quarter-mile-in-11-253-seconds/

The completely customized Team Haiyin EV Racing Camaro’s run of 11.253 seconds means that it can outgun factory-made vehicles like the V8-equipped 430-horsepower 2011 Chevrolet Camaro and the 550-hp 2011 Ford Shelby GT500.

(via Instapaper)

Have a nice weekend!

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Europcar to offer Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell electric van rentals

If you want to drive an electric vehicle without having to buy one, an option for those who live in Hamburg or Paris is to rent a Vito E-Cell. The Mercedes-Benz cargo van will be avaiable in the Europcar program for people to rent. Out of curiousity, or wanting to haul cargo in a sustainable manner, Europcar is first to offer this van.

Europcar to offer Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell electric van rentals
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/04/europcar-to-offer-mercedes-benz-vito-e-cell-electric-van-rentals/

The Vito E-Cell utilizes a specially developed front-wheel drive setup to save installation space for a 36-kWh lithium-ion battery pack housed underneath the van’s cargo area. The E-Cell forgoes the four-wheel drive system found on other models in the Vito lineup. The electrified cargo-hauling machine has a claimed range of 81 miles and a top speed of 50 miles per hour. The E-Cell’s electric motor pumps out a reasonable 60 kW (80 horsepower) and 207 pound-feet of torque.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Hybrid Vehicle - New York Names Nissan Van Taxi of Tomorrow

New York will get a new taxi and in the poll a hybrid vehicle was chosen as the winner! The van from Nissan beat the Ford Transit and the Karan, a promising entry from Turkey. At 25 mpg it is a lot more efficient than the old Crown Vic which makes up the majority of the current fleet. It also comes with a lot of really nice features, plenty of leg room and USB chargers for gadgets to name a few.

From an electric vehicle point of view, Nissan will eventually offer an electric drive train in the future as well, for the time being a few Nissan Leafs will be offered free of charge to be the first fully electric taxis in The Big Apple.

New York Names Nissan Van ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/new-york-names-nissan-taxi-of-tomorrow/

Although the taxi will use a 2.0-liter gasoline engine, Nissan says an electric drivetrain could be installed on the same platform beginning in 2017. The automaker also will deploy six Nissan Leaf electric vehicles in the fleet at no cost to the city.

Roughly 3,000 cabs are replaced each year, and the first Taxis of Tomorrow are expected to hit the streets of New York in 2013. They’ll be built in Mexico and cost about $29,000 a pop with all the taxi gear installed.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - EV development costs lower?

The recent news that Mitsubishi was interested in a F1 based on the electric vehicle is quite some news. What caught my attention was the claim of Mitdubishi's Osamu Masuko that an electric vehicle has much lower development costs. It makes sense if you look at the relative simplicity of the electric drive train compared to a conventional one with an internal combustion engine, but mostly you hear about the huge costs associated with EVs so this surprised me a little.

Not sure if this shift will make the F1 a bit cheaper to participate in, or if this news will help EVs achievea lower price tag soon, but a claim to remember for sure.

Mitsubishi "very interested" in electric F1 racing league
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/02/mitsubishi-very-interested-in-electric-f1-racing-league/

In early April, Jean Todt, president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), made it known that he hopes to launch a couple of racing events (electric car, go-kart and single-seat vehicles) that will eventually lead to an electrified Formula One series. Though Todt’s plans will likely be opposed by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, that hasn’t prevented Mitsubishi from declaring that it’s “very interested” in a racing series for electric vehicles. Japan Today reports that Mitsubishi president Osamu Masuko is intrigued by the notion of electric racecars. Masuko supposedly told the newspaper that:

The development costs for electric vehicles seem much lower than for gasoline cars, and it would also contribute to the technological development of cars that are already on the market. I’m said to be unenthusiastic about motorsports, but with electric vehicles, I want to promote them.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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Electric Vehicle - Revenge of the Electric Car - Everybody a Hero

The recent premiere of the big electric vehicle movie recently has got a lot of attention from electric vehicle enthusiasts. The movie from Chris Paine is seen as the follow up of his previous work; "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and details on the current increase in activities from companies to make it work. Unlike the previous movie, in this movie everybody is a hero. As with increasing the sustainability of our mobility; everybody  wins in the end.

Revenge of the Electric Car: Inevitable or Impractical?
http://www.technewsdaily.com/revenge-electric-car-review-2585/

The stories of those innovators form the heart of “Revenge of the Electric Car,” which had its first screenings at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City April 22-23. In it, everyone gets to be the hero by supporting the new technology, perhaps in part because “no one wants to be remembered as a bad or evil person,” as Dan Neil, automotive columnist for the Wall Street Journal, observes in the film.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

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