Autoblog

Can inductive charging save the EV?

Matt DeLorenzo — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:59:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Technology, Electric

Let's Face It, We're Just Plain Lazy

Recent news about the price cuts on the Ford Focus EV and Nissan Leaf are proof positive that despite all their eco-goodness, pure electrics as well as plug-in hybrids remain a tough sell to the American mass market.

There's no doubt automakers are committed to electrifying an increasing portion of their product offerings. The problem is that no one needs to buy an EV or plug-in hybrid. But with CAFE standards doubling to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 and California's mandate that major manufacturers sell zero-emission vehicles as a percentage of their overall fleets (a measure also adopted by 13 other states), carmakers have to sell EVs and plug-in hybrids to avoid costly penalties or face caps on the number of vehicles they are allowed to sell.

Matt DeLorenzo is the former editor-in-chief of Road & Track and has covered the auto industry for 35 years, including stints at Automotive News and AutoWeek. He has authored books including VW's New Beetle, Chrysler's Modern Concept Cars, and Corvette Dynasty.

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Can inductive charging save the EV? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EV owners in WA to pay extra $100 annual fee

George Kennedy — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Electric

Anyone purchasing an EV in the state of Washington will have to pay an extra $100 with their registration - a bit counter-intuitive, considering that the government generally promotes EV purchases with incentives. You see, owners of gasoline-powered vehicles in WA pay an annual gasoline tax, and this new EV fee ensures that all drivers pay for the annual upkeep of roads.

According to the new rule, vehicles powered by electricity and capable of speeds in excess of 35 miles per hour will have to pay $100 with their registration, starting on or after February 1, 2013. "$100 isn't that big of a deal, but it's not well-balanced policy," says Jay Friedland, legislative director of Plug In America. "EV drivers really want to pay their fair share," he continued,"but it seems ridiculous from a policy standpoint."

It does seem incongruous due to the fact that the state offers tax exemptions for the purchase of EVs. It should also be noted that the new fee provides for "evaluating the feasibility of transitioning from a revenue collection system based on fuel taxes to a road user assessment system." For us, it might be a moment of bureaucratic irony, but for EV drivers in Washington state, its $100 more out of their pocket.

EV owners in WA to pay extra $100 annual fee originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota RAV4 EV priced at $49,800

Sebastian Blanco — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:59:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Toyota, Electric

Announced almost two years ago, Toyota finally gave us some more details about the was the all-electric RAV4 EV will be sold to the general public during the 26th Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles today. The important number? The MSRP for what Toyota calls a "fully equipped" RAV4 EV is $49,800 and will be available before the end of the year.

Toyota says the RAV4 EV's range is 100 miles and that the car will charge from empty in approximately six hours on a 240V/40A charger. The new RAV4 EV has LED and halogen headlights and it has special "environmental blue" color emblems on the outside. The vehicle will be made at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc., plant in Woodstock, Ontario. The first generation of the new RAV4 EV was unveiled back at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Our First Drive report is here.

With a battery and powertrain designed by Tesla, the new RAV4 EV certainly appears to be one of the new breed of compliance EVs. We had heard that the RAV4 EV will be lease only, but the official press release says the car "will go on sale in late summer 2012 through select dealers, initially in four major California metropolitan markets." Those markets are Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County and San Diego and the news matches the rumor we heard last year, that sales about be limited to California. In all, Toyota hopes to sell just 2,600 units in the next three years. Nissan Leaf, you've got nothing to worry about.

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Toyota RAV4 EV priced at $49,800 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'All new' Toyota RAV4 EV coming to EVS26 next week

Sebastian Blanco — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:59:00 EST

There could not be a more bland teaser for the upcoming all-electric "all new" Toyota RAV4 EV than the one Toyota just released: silver sheetmetal with a badge that simply reads "Electric." To see the rest of the vehicle, we will have to wait until the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS) gets started in Los Angeles next week. Luckily, we will be in LA with a camera or two and will bring you the full details from the show Monday, May 7. For now, all we know is what we've learned about the prototype that Toyota and Tesla have been showing for a while. For example, it will likely only be sold in California. Read our Quick Spin here.

Speaking of EVS, what's kind of surprising is that this year is the 26th edition of the show. Yes, even as we're just seeing the dawn of the modern EV era, some groups have been working on these vehicles for decades. It's a long road to get off of gasoline.

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'All new' Toyota RAV4 EV coming to EVS26 next week originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global auto execs don't see electric cars making big inroads for at least a decade

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Electric

A new survey by audit powerhouse KPMG suggests auto executives don't see electrified car sales passing 15 percent of global sales until at least 2025. Yet despite the slowly developing market, these same execs foresee substantial increased investment in electric and hybrid car production along with research and development. Given very limited consumer acceptance of hybrid cars since their U.S. introduction back in late 1999 (gas-electric new car sales are still around two percent), cautious sales estimates seem like par for the course.

Among the many highlights of the survey that polled 200 executives is word that 83 percent expect an increase in electric motor production, 81 percent think automakers will increase investment in battery technology, 76 percent see more power electronics investment, and 65 percent see increased investment in fuel cells. The survey results didn't show any conclusive winner as to which sort of alternative fuel technology might win out, with 20 percent choosing fuel cell vehicles, 16 percent picking battery-powered electrics, 22 percent choosing hybrids, 21 percent weighing in on plug-in hybrids, and 18 percent opting for battery-powered electrics with range extenders.

Perhaps the most interesting nugget we see is that 61 percent of the executives surveyed agreed that "the optimization (so-called downsizing) of internal combustion engines (ICE) still offers greater efficiency and CO2 reduction potential than any electric vehicle technology based on the current energy mix."

Click past the jump to read the full press release results.

Continue reading Global auto execs don't see electric cars making big inroads for at least a decade

Global auto execs don't see electric cars making big inroads for at least a decade originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too!

David Kiley — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Sedan, China, Crossover, Electric, MISC

BYD E6 at 2011 Detroit Motor Show - Click above for high-res image gallery

China automaker BYD is in no hurry to launch in the States, and it shows in its plan.

BYD has been displaying cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit for three years now, and it originally planned to launch an electric car by the end of 2012 to consumers. Now that's looking like 2013, according to Mike Austin, vice president of BYD's U.S. division.

In the meantime, BYD is testing some cars in a fleet with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles.

The plan is for the company to find at least five dealers who are willing to not only sell a BYD e6 electric and a plug-in hybrid, called the f3DM, but also BYD LED lights, solar panels and other products related to "green" living. "We aren't pursuing the typical sales and distribution model," says Austin.

BYD has gained notoriety for its rapid rise in China and for the investment in the company made by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which owns 10 percent of the company best known for lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones and other consumer electronics.

Last year, BYD sold 520,000 vehicles in China - impressive but well short of its stated goal of 800,000 units.

Austin says the company has not selected dealers yet, but acknowledged that the business model for selling BYD's other products will not appeal to some dealers. "That's okay, because we are doing something unique here. We are in not in a hurry to launch in the U.S.," says Austin, who noted the growth in the Chinese market that BYD is trying to manage.

The five dealers BYD is looking for at launch is the start of a network planned to grow to 20, and according to Austin, not all of the dealerships at launch will be in California.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: BYD E6

BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too! originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: China forcing foreign automakers to give up EV secrets?

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, China, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Electric

So you want to sell your foreign cars in China? If you're an automaker, it might cost you a whole lot do so. A report in The Wall Street Journal claims that the Chinese government wants to force foreign companies to divulge their electric vehicle technology secrets in order to sell their products in China.

China wants to become a global power in the development and production of electric cars and hybrids. Apparently, they want to skip the whole research part and go right to utilizing technology developed and tested by others. This would be fine if they wanted to pay for said tech, but simply bullying manufacturers into handing it over is not the way to go.

From the WSJ:

"The car executives are joining a chorus of companies criticizing China's industrial policies. Business people and government officials say Beijing's so-called indigenous-innovation efforts discriminate against them and are aimed at gaining control of foreign intellectual property."

China is a very important market for automakers, as it's the world's largest purchaser of automobiles. China's current proposal says that any foreign automaker wishing to produce new-energy products there must establish joint-venture agreements with Chinese companies. The foreign automaker would then only be allowed to hold a 49-percent stake in the newly formed alliance. Obviously, this isn't sitting well with companies that have invested massive sums of money developing new energy-efficient solutions.

Forcing a so-called "alliance" that all but hands over highly-valuable intellectual property to the Chinese party is not an example of China "playing nice" with others. Hopefully, a more workable solution can ultimately be agreed upon. Unfortunately, China has a lot of leverage here. It knows exactly how important its market is to every other automaker on Earth, and it's obviously not afraid to twist arms to get what it wants. Thanks for the tip, Sea Urchin!

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Report: China forcing foreign automakers to give up EV secrets? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen reconfirms EVs for 2013, next-generation vehicles to reduce weight

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Hatchback, Volkswagen, Electric

Speaking outside its Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto, California, Volkswagen chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn reconfirmed the automaker's commitment to bring electric vehicles to market in 2013, beginning with the eGolf compact and eUp! city car.

Drawing a faint parallel to the original Beetle, Winterkorn told the assembled media that "Volkswagen is working on the electric car for everyone." And one of the first electrified V-Dubs will be its bread-and-butter Golf hatchback.

"The automotive industry is reinventing itself," Winterkorn continued, "and Volkswagen will be the first automaker to mass produce the electric car for everyone." VW believes that electric vehicles are the next great revolution in the automobile, and in order to achieve its goal of becoming the world's top automaker by 2018, it believes it has to dominate the EV segment.

In addition to bringing two EVs to market in the next three years, the Touareg Hybrid (shown above) is being produced, with the hybrid Golf and Jetta due later that year and the hybrid Passat following in 2012. All of which VW considers to be interim products.

Although current battery technology has limited the eGolf to a 100-mile range when fitted with a 26.5 kWh battery pack, Winterkorn asserts that "Our customers are not willing to compromise. They expect the same thing from a standard [internal-combustion engine] Golf as they would from an electric Golf." But until its partnerships with Samsung, Toshiba and other battery manufacturers pan out and develop lighter, smaller, less expensive and higher capacity batteries, they'll have their work cut out for them.

When asked what VW plans to do about vehicle weight, Winterkorn rattled off a litany of advanced materials - from carbon fiber to magnesium - and told Autoblog that the next generation of Volkswagen products will undergo a weight loss program.

[Image: Sean Gallup/Getty]

Volkswagen reconfirms EVs for 2013, next-generation vehicles to reduce weight originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Washington to require that 'quiet' cars get alert sounds

Zach Bowman — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Government/Legal, Technology, Electric

Brabus High Voltage EV concept - click above for high-res image gallery

Hands down, one of the few pleasures of driving a hybrid is cruising around in all-electric mode. There's just something that's undeniably cool about silently whisking along, but if a new auto safety bill makes its way into law, we can kiss even that one pleasure goodbye. A coalition of automotive manufacturers and advocacy groups for the blind have joined forces to make sure that silent-running vehicles will make more noise in the future. The logic is that the blind and other pedestrians are at risk of being struck by quiet hybrids and EVs. We can't really argue with that one.

If passed, the bill would have the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration propose regulations for an "alert sound" within a year and a half, and finalize the rules within three years. Drivers would not be able to turn off the noise. So far, there's no word as to how loud the noise would be or what it will sound like, but the technology already exists to make that sound signature variable - concept cars like the Brabus Smart High Voltage EV shown above can simulate the sound of everything from a buzzing bee to a good ol' American V8 with hidden speakers inside and outside of the vehicle, with the sound varying according to engine speed. If we absolutely have to be making a racket while we drive on all-electric power, we vote for sounding like George Jetson's daily commuter, but we're not exactly crazy about user-selectable EV 'ringtones,' lest one's daily commute become an auditory assalt of Star Wars Tie Fighters and clydesdales.

Gallery: Brabus Smart High Voltage

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: Washington to require that 'quiet' cars get alert sounds originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 May 2010 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silent electric vehicles to cause new problems for NVH engineers?

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, Renault, Electric

A researcher at Renault said customers surveyed last year about what they want in an electric car responded, "silence, peace of mind and comfortable riding, a windy sound quality, a fluid driving experience like a skipper enjoying a sailboat." That sounds dreamy, until you realize how loud a car really is underneath all of the regular drivetrain noises we've come to expect from an ICE-powered ride. For instance, when we drove the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe two years ago, we heard nothing - and that's absolutely nothing - of the world outside, but that meant we could hear the windshield wiper motors mounted on the bulkhead.

Electric cars are going to bring many more and much greater challenges than that, and engineers are beginning to discuss how to overcome them. The noise, vibration and harshness culprits in an electric vehicle include battery cooling systems, HVAC fans and ducts, coils for the power electronics, and switching on range-extending engines on vehicles so-equipped. These are the kinds of noises covered up easily by engine and other low-frequency noises, but in an electric car, they can make one feel strapped into a curious contraption.

Of course, there is also the question of what to do for others who depend on the sounds of cars, such as blind pedestrians and cyclists. Sound engineering is the most talked about approach right now, but no one knows what shape this will take. Lotus Engineering created a Safe & Sound system that used a waterproof speaker to emit an make engine noise - but wasn't part of the promise of electric cars meant to be quieter cities? It's all still to play for when it comes to the future of NVH, but please please, no ringtones...

[Source: Ward's Auto | Image: Lotus Engineering]

Silent electric vehicles to cause new problems for NVH engineers? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't Be Duped by the EV Hype - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

John McElroy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:56:00 EST

Filed under: Autoline on Autoblog, Electric

With all the attention being lavished on electric cars, you'd think the salvation of the planet is nigh at hand. But don't be duped by all the EV hype. It's going to take decades before they catch on - if ever.

I'm not anti-EV. Just the opposite. I am completely in favor of pursuing electric car technology. In fact, I'd even like to buy an electric.

But I don't let my enthusiasm for EVs cloud my analysis on how long it's going to take for them to sell in large numbers. And I would caution any automaker or supplier or dealer that wants to invest in the EV business to take all those enthusiastic sales projections with a grain of salt.

Why these words of caution? Because EV's face a mountain of problems: technical, social, economi, and environmental. And there are other emerging alternatives that could kill the electric car before it ever catches on. That's exactly what happened 100 years ago.

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.

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Don't Be Duped by the EV Hype - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plug it in, plug it in: Nissan to sell electric car in 3 years

John Neff — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 15:04:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Nissan

Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun is reporting that Nissan is developing an all-electric subcompact car that it plans to sell by 2010. The electric car is being developed completely in-house and will use lithium-ion batteries to store its charge, which should last long enough for about 120 miles of travel. AutoblogGreen tells us that the car will have twice the range of the Nissan Hypermini EV (shown above), a small fleet of which were leased to the city of Pasadena, California back in 2000 but have since been "killed" by the company.

Nissan will also end its short alliance with Toyota, the only fruit of which was the use of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive in the recently unveiled Altima Hybrid. In the future, Nissan will use a hybrid system of its own, developed in-house. The new hybrid-system should be ready by 2010 also and be used in compact cars, as well as likely replacing the Hybrid Synergy Drive in the Altima Hybrid.

[Source: AutoblogGreen and GreenCarCongress]

Plug it in, plug it in: Nissan to sell electric car in 3 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Nov 2006 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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