Better Infrastructure needed for Green Car

There may be few electric cars on the roads in Singapore at the moment, but experts said that number is on the rise as demand and infrastructure picks up in the region.

Research house Solidiance has forecast that sales of electric vehicles in China will rise to between 2 million and 3 million in 2020, and to 25 million in 2030.

But in the short term, growth in markets such as Singapore is expected to be more tempered.

"It will be a test-bedding type of growth, where certain (vehicle) models that are ready, will start to come in and they will be test-bedded in Singapore. It's up to the manufacturers when their models will be ready... (whether) they are going to be range extended electric vehicle or hybrid," said David Chou, MD of evHUB.

Supply of electric vehicles in Asia, as well as the battery-recharging infrastructure required to run them, are still challenges for the industry.

Greenlots is one company that homed in on the battery-recharging business opportunity two years ago - and has seen exponential growth.

Oliver Risse, MD of Greenlots said: "We started this business a little more than two and a half years ago. We started as a Singapore based company to create and develop charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, not only for Singapore, but also for international markets. And this is where we are right now - we have one of the most advanced networks for charging electric vehicles.

"We are doing our market entry in Asia, in Europe, and we are already planning for the North American continent (in) Q1or Q2 next year. So the opportunity is there, you just need to tap into it."

At the moment, Greenlots has 10 to 15 charging points available in Singapore. The network is expected to expand to over 60 by the end of 2011 on the back of initiatives by the Singapore government.

According to some estimates, there are about 10,000 charging stations globally. hat number could reach 5 million by 2015.

And there's something in the works for those who want to make their petrol-guzzling cars more environment-friendly.

With increasing demand for alternative energy vehicles, evHUB is looking to bring a new option to consumers here in Singapore next year - which is a service to convert combustion engines in existing vehicles to electric.

Amazing, Ford shows off green car in R.I.

A first of its kind electric vehicle came to Rhode Island Monday and the Eyewitness News Green Team was fortunate enough to give it a test drive.

It's very quiet and very green. This vehicle is a purely electric version of the Transit Connect van now sold at Ford dealers.

In collaboration with Azure Dynamics Corporation, the transit connect electric is only the beginning of Ford's desire to go greener. There's no gasoline needed. It's powered by a 28 kilowatt hour lithium ion battery. Just plug it in!

This vehicle has an 80 mile range. A maximum speed of 75 miles per hour. It's charged on a 110 or 240v charge station.

This vehicle has an 80 mile range.... a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour. It's charged on a 110 or 240v charge station.

"The van came to New England Tech in Warwick. Steve Kitchin of New England Tech says they're committed to the sustainability portion of their curriculum." he said.

Students will learn about the van's technology on its stop here in Rhode Island. In the coming months, the school will be adding geothermal heat to the automotive school and offer solar technology courses.

The whole goal is for Ford to bring an electrical strategy to the marketplace starting with the ford transit connect, introducing the Ford Focus and other models in the next 3-5 years.

The Transit Connect electric will be available in the Spring of 2011

Undergreduate Students won international British Racing

Students who have built two Formula 1 style vehicles from scratch won third and fourth place in an international competition last month at the home of British racing.

The team of Imperial College London undergraduates were taking part in the Class 2 design section of the Institution of Mechanical Engineering’s 13th Annual Formula Student competition. Their all-electric single seat Imperial Racing vehicle, which won third place, consists of a light weight steel frame with two electric motors that are powered by batteries, positioned on either side of the driver.

Their IC06 combustion engine vehicle just missed out on a podium place, coming fourth. This vehicle also consists of a light weight frame, like the all-electric car, but it is powered by a 550cc Aprilla motorcycle engine.

The Formula Student competition is Europe’s biggest annual student motorsport event. This year, approximately 2,000 students from 23 countries took part in the contest, which was held in mid-July at Silverstone race track. The competition enables students to design, build and race Formula 1 style cars. They also gain valuable project management, business and presentation skills in the process.

The Imperial Racing Green team at the Formula Student competition

The Imperial undergraduates who took part of the event are part of the Imperial Racing Green (IRG) initiative, which draws on the expertise of more than 100 students from across eight different departments in Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering. The IRG project enables students to manage the design, testing and construction process of small scale Formula 1 style vehicles, giving them valuable experience before they begin their careers.

The class 2 category of the Formula Student competition is a static event that does not involve racing the vehicles around the track. Students gave presentations about their vehicles to a panel of industry experts, talking through their business plan, outlining production costs, and vehicle design specifications, plus an environmental impact statement for the all-electric Imperial Racing Vehicle.

Dr John Sheldrake, Project Manager of the Imperial Racing Green team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, added:

“Apart from being great fun, the Formula Student competition gave our students the chance to swap notes with students from other universities and see what exciting innovations they’re coming up with in vehicle design. It was really great experience for our students to have to give presentations about all the work that they have been doing in front of industry professionals. We are really pleased that the IRG team did so well in the contest. They were up against some stiff international competition and they managed to hold their own – well done to all involved!”

The Imperial Racing Green project is an initiative of the Energy Futures Lab, which is the College’s hub for interdisciplinary energy research.

Taiwan Electric Car Entrants Aim to Build Ties with U.S. Automakers at June Event

Taiwan companies, which have supplied many of the key components used in the world’s first electric cars and are emerging as important players in this infant industry, are aiming to build closer ties with U.S. automakers during an event taking place during June 21-25.

“EVs are a new game for everyone”

To help build links between Taiwan and the U.S. in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has organized the Taiwan Automotive International Forum and Exhibition (TAIFE) taking place in the U.S. cities of Detroit, Indianapolis and Los Angeles during June 21-25. The event will provide a unique opportunity for U.S. and Taiwan companies to build alliances.

Taiwan companies such as Chroma, Whetron and Molicel have provided key parts such as batteries, inverters and electronic systems that have been used in electric cars from BMW, Mitsubishi and Tesla. The Taiwan companies aim to combine their expertise in IT and electronics to enter the fledgling EV industry that’s expected to take off around 2015.

“EVs are a new game for everyone,�?? says William Chang, senior manager of corporate marketing for Chroma. “There are a lot of opportunities for Taiwan companies to support U.S. automakers.�??

One of the companies joining the TAIFE event, Taiwan’s Yulon Group, is preparing to launch its own electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) within the next 12 months. Most of the components for Yulon’s 100 percent electric Luxgen SUV, including information technology and other electronics systems, are also from Taiwan suppliers.

“Taiwan has excellent integration capabilities,�?? says Chun-Chung Lee, executive vice president of Haitec, the R&D unit of Yulon Group.

Taiwan’s production of auto electronics will be worth NT$100 billion (US$3.2 billion) in 2010 and increase to NT$300 billion by 2015, according to Taiwan’s MOEA. The main products include telematics systems, automobile lights, light-emitting diode (LED) headlights, reverse parking systems and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). Taiwanese companies also have huge potential in airbags, car alert systems, keyless entry, engine lock chips, navigation systems and infotainment systems.

Taiwan has many companies entering the electric car industry. E-One Moli Energy Corp., supplied the lithium-ion batteries used in BMW`s MiniE electric car. Fukuta Elec. & Mach. Co. supplies electric motors for the Tesla Roadster, BMW`s MiniE and the Luxgen electric car.

Production of electric vehicles is predicted to soar in the next few years. Approximately 1 million EVs are expected on the road in the U.S. by 2015 with five times that many expected by 2020, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a U.S.-based research group.

Markets in Asia and Europe are expected to grow at a similar pace. Billions of dollars are being invested globally to develop and promote electric vehicle technology, including almost US$3 billion from the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

Earlier this year, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), a world leader in product safety testing and certification services, signed a letter of intent with Taiwan’s globally renowned Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop testing technology and specifications for power systems in electric vehicles. UL and ITRI also aim to develop safety tests for long-term aging of lithium batteries and solar power generation systems.

IPOs Likely to Slow Ahead of Fourth of July Holiday

If you blinked last week, then you missed seeing the busiest five-day period that the IPO market will likely experience this month.

A total of five initial public offerings of stock began trading from Tuesday through Friday, and that is about as good as it is going to get for a weekly count in June. With just eight business days left in the month, things are expected to be slower through this week and the first half of next week, with more companies waiting to see what the market looks like after the Fourth of July holiday before launching their deals.

"I would expect that was our busiest week this month," said Bill Buhr, head of research at Morningstar Inc. "There's still a lot of uncertainty in the markets."

Although there isn't much data to go on—just six deals in total for the month so far—IPO performance in June is actually shaping up to be a better month than May.

Only one company, Nobao Renewable Energy Holdings Ltd., pulled its IPO after failing to be priced, compared with a half dozen in May. (Other deals also got shelved in May and June, but they had been sitting around for months and hadn't been scheduled to be priced.)

Three deals out of six traded higher on their debuts in June, compared with four out of 11 in May; two deals ended their first day essentially flat in May, while one did so in June. CBOE Holdings Inc. rose 12% after pricing at the high end of its range last week, the first deal to price that well and then trade higher since PAA Natural Gas Storage LP in April.

Despite the CBOE's success and a gain of 19% from banking company Higher One Holdings Inc. during its debut on Thursday, no one is expecting a rush of new offerings for the rest of the month.

"Favorable performance of IPOs from [last] week may help to improve the tone of the market but will not be enough to impact deals in June," said Scott R. Cutler, head of listings in the Americas for NYSE Euronext. "However, it will help to try and push deals out the door in July," with as many as 10 companies trying to access the market.

Ten deals in a month would have been a pittance in 2007 before the economic downturn, when it wasn't uncommon to see twice that number in a busy month. But it is definitely an improvement over last July, when only one company made it out the door, or even June 2009, when three did.

Looking ahead, there is some positive chatter about electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc.'s debut next week, but not much else. This week, just one deal is expected, from optics-manufacturing specialist Fabrinet, which first filed to go public in July 2007.

German and China invested in manufacture of electric car

Automakers BYD of China and Germany's Daimler agreed last month to invest a combined 600 million yuan to form a joint venture to manufacture electric cars. It is BYD's second green car joint venture, after partnering with Volkswagen in May 2009. In April of this year BYD debuted an electric car called the E6 that can be recharged at home. Because of its achievements, BusinessWeek magazine ranked the Chinese company at the top of its Tech 100 list of the world’s most promising IT companies.

Last month, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced that his company intends to become the world's leading electric car maker. He made the comments at a groundbreaking ceremony in Tennessee for a US$1.7 billion plant that will produce electric cars and batteries. Staring in 2012, the plant will roll out 150,000 Leaf electric cars a year, gaining a major foothold in the U.S. green vehicle market. The Leaf can travel up to 160 km on just one charge and hit speeds of up to 145 km/h. Nissan has already received some 20,000 advance orders in Japan and the U.S. for the car that is planned to hit showrooms at the end of the year.

Competition is intensifying in the global market for electric cars, and Japanese and Chinese carmakers are leading the way. Around 158 Japanese companies, including Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, recently established the CHAdeMO Association, which aims to increase quick-charger installations worldwide and standardize charging formats.

Tokyo and Beijing have rolled up their sleeves to develop their green auto industries. China's Finance Ministry has begun offering a subsidy of 60,000 yuan for each electric car purchase in five cities including Changchun, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The Chinese government has set aside 10 billion yuan to subsidize electric car purchases and plans to set up 6,209 charging stands in 27 cities by the end of this year. Japan is offering 70,000 yen in subsidies to buyers of low-speed electric cars with speed limits of up to 60 km/h, and 1.39 million yen for faster ones. Korea's e-Zone low-speed electric car, which is being exported to Japan, is subject to these programs.

But Hyundai Motor, Korea's largest car maker, is lagging behind in the race. The Korean company will roll out a mere 30 units of its i10 electric car this year and plans to produce only around 300 to 500 next year. That pales in comparison to Nissan, which aims to sell 50,000 Leaf electric cars in the U.S. starting at the end of this year, and Mitsubishi, which is targeting sales of 9,000 i-MiEV electric cars in the U.S. and Europe. The Korean government plans to let high-speed electric cars go through a trial period in August before offering subsidies for buyers. But such subsidies will not be available until after next year. At this rate, experts say, local small and mid-sized electric carmakers will end up going bankrupt, pushed out by rapidly-expanding Chinese and Japanese rivals.

The global market for electric vehicles is expected to rise from 740,000 units last year to 1.29 million by 2020, according to JP Morgan. But if the Korean government and businesses continue their lukewarm approach, their aspirations to claim a 10 percent market share and emerge as one of the world's top four producers by 2015 will fall flat.

Customers prefer price to range

What’s the most important factor that could influence the uptake of electric cars – well, according to a new survey, most customers rate price as more important than range.

Electric car maker THINK found that 50 per cent of potential buyers would be willing to accept range of 70-80 miles if it meant that the cost of the electric car was reduced by $5,000.

An online survey, conducted by a team of MBA students from University of Michigan Ross School of Business, found that whereas 100mile range had long been considered a customer requirement, buyers were willing to accept less. It also indicated however, that customers could be willing to pay more for extended range with 55 per cent stating that they would pay a $5,000 premium for an electric vehicle with a 150-160mile range. Only nine per cent said they were interested in reducing their range below 50miles for a larger discount.

According to Richard Canny, the company’s CEO, offering different sizes of batteries for different customers could be an intriguing idea.

Currently, the THINK City electric car has a range of 100 miles on a single charge

Nissan has confirmed this morning that the LEAF will go on sale in the UK from next March

The order book for the Nissan LEAF may open tomorrow for reservations from US customers but here in the UK the LEAF has given its clearest indication yet of just when we can expect to get our greasy mitts on it.

Nissan has confirmed this morning that the LEAF will go on sale in the UK from next March, just three months after the UK begins to give out subsidies worth up to £5,000 to buyers of electric cars.

The Japanese carmaker made the announcement as it broke the news that it is to become the new sponsor for the O2 arena-one of the country’s top entertainment venues.

As part of its new status as the official automotive partner for the arena, the carmaker will also open a new Nissan Brand Centre within the arena, designed especially to promote the carmaker’s new green direction in the launch of the LEAF. Opening in July, the new centre will showcase the carmaker’s vision for an environmentally sustainable future for road transport, featuring an array of interactive programmes and activities designed to engage consumers.
The LEAF, Nissan’s all-electric hatchback dubbed the ‘world’s first affordable electric car’ has yet to have its retail price for the UK confirmed. In the US the model will retail for $32,780 (around £21,500). However the model will be eligible for $7,500 worth of federal tax credit as a greener model, meaning that buyers can drive home the innovative model for as little as $25,280-equivalent to just under £17,00. The first models will be delivered in the US by the end of 2010 while the retail price for the UK is expected to be announced soon.

With a top speed of 90mph and a range of the 100miles, the four seater LEAF is expected to be a practical driving proposition too. Nissan had previously announced it would retail the LEAF in the UK by 2011, but failed to announce when exactly leaving the industry concerned that the model might miss the best part of the first year in which it could qualify for a £5,000 subsidy. The grants were confirmed to start in Jan 2011, back when the Budget was announced last month. Under the scheme, motorists who buy either an electric or plug-in hybrid car can qualify for 25 per cent of the value of the vehicle off capped at £5,000. When the scheme opens in the New Year, it is expected only two models which qualify will be initially available; the LEAF and Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV.

It was an eventful week for General Motors Co. and the Chevrolet Volt

Early in the week, GM's Hamtramck, Mich., assembly plant rolled out the first pre-production Volt, which is scheduled for its official launch Nov. 11. A few days later, General Motors announced that sales of its four brands were up 43 percent in March, compared with the same month a year earlier.

For the Volt, the pre-production assembly process is used to validate the system that will be called upon to churn out mass-produced cars at rates that could eventually run into the thousands per week. The pre-production cars are not sold at dealerships but are used for testing and other purposes.

"We have a very experienced workforce at this plant, and through all of their preparation and training workers here have been given the privilege to take GM into the future with this car," said Teri Quigley, Hamtramck plant manager, in a news release issued by the company.

The Volt is a plug-in extended-range vehicle. It will offer about 40 miles of driving in electric-only mode, but also has a 1.4-liter gas engine that will start up automatically when the battery pack is depleted. The engine will charge the battery pack – it won't power the wheels – to permit the car to go another 300 miles or so. At that point, it will need either refueling or recharging.

In the days before the start of the New York International Auto Show 2010, which opened Friday, most media members who test-drove the Volt in New York published very favorable comments. The most common refrain was that the car worked very well, with its gas engine starting and operating almost unnoticed when the battery ran down.

The biggest complaint seemed to be that the car's styling is not flashy or distinctive, like that of the easily recognizable Toyota Prius. But General Motors is betting that the Volt buyer will prefer a technologically advanced sedan that looks and drives almost exactly like a conventional car. It is aimed at a demographic that may sometimes forget to plug the car in but will be able to use it anyway.

In the Los Angeles area, the metropolitan region where the greatest number of Volts are likely to be sold or leased, the cars' drivers must be able to commute reliably in heavy daily traffic at low cost using electricity and flawlessly complete occasional 250-mile drives to Las Vegas and 370-mile trips to the San Francisco Bay Area.

GM's Hamtramck plant, in a city that is almost completely encircled by Detroit, is said to have a production capacity of about 200,000 cars a year, far greater than the initial reported plans for Volt production volume. Although Chevrolet also may use the plant to assemble the Malibu sedan, the Volt, if well received, may siphon off some potential buyers of that model.

If the Volt should catch on quickly, GM appears to have considerable assembly capacity in reserve. Pricing has not yet been announced, but the car is expected to command a relatively modest premium over the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric car with a range of about 100 miles. The Leaf's suggested retail price is $32,780 before a $7,500 federal tax credit and any state incentives are applied.

The Volt will have a 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack, smaller than the Leaf's 24-kwh battery. It's expected that a Volt will fully recharge from a standard outlet in about eight hours, meaning many buyers will not need to install special higher-voltage charging equipment or rewire their garages.

Cornwall Council will get funding for electric car

Cornwall Council is confident its plans for a rural epicentre for electric car transport will get funding.

The council's original bid failed to get funding in the first round of the Government's plug-in car grant scheme.

However, Councillor Julian German said that government representatives had "expressed enthusiasm for supporting a project in a rural area like Cornwall".

He added that work had begun to ensure the council met the criteria and were successful in the next round of funds.

'Huge issue'

According to Stephen Cirell, director of the council's Green Cornwall programme, the government is "very excited" at the council's proposal to develop and promote electric transport, including a network of charging points and fleets of electric vehicles.

"The government recognises that transport is a huge issue in rural areas like Cornwall," he said.

"Staff and elected members drive millions of miles each year on council business and this project would see the council switching to using electric vehicles.

"If other public sector organisations such as the NHS and colleges then followed our example, together with the voluntary and private sectors, we could remove over half a million tonnes of Co2 each year."

The council also wants to create a solar energy park in the county to provide the energy to support the proposal.