Water purification could be the key to more electric cars

Humanity is going to need a lot of lithium batteries if electric cars are going to take over, and that's a problem when there's only so much lithium available from conventional mines. There may be an oddball solution for that, however: turn the world's oceans into eco-friendly mines. Scientists have outlined a desalination technique that would use metal-organic frameworks (sponge-like structures with very high surface areas) with sub-nanometer pores to catch lithium ions while purifying ocean water. The approach mimics the tendency of cell membranes to selectively dehydrate and carry ions, leaving the lithium behind while producing water you can drink.
While the concept of extracting lithium certainly isn't new, this would be much more efficient and environmentally friendly. You don't need to pump water or use harmful (not to mention inefficient) chemicals. Instead of tearing up the landscape to find mineral deposits, battery makers would just have to deploy enough filters. It could even be used to make the most of water when pollution does take place -- you could recover lithium from the waste water at shale gas fields.
This method needs considerably more study before it's ready for real-world use. The implications are already clear, though. If this desalination approach reaches sufficient scale, the world would have much more lithium available for electric vehicles, phones and other battery-based devices. It would reduce the environmental impact of those devices, for that matter. While some say existing lithium mining negates some of the eco-friendliness of an EV, this purification could let you drive relatively guilt-free. (Engadget)

Sweden steps up hunt for cobalt as electric cars boost demand

Sweden will step up efforts to find precious minerals such as cobalt and lithium, key battery components that are increasingly in demand among makers of

electric vehicles .

The government will invest 10m kronor (£892,483) over the next two years to map the existence of minerals deemed important for future growth. While Sweden has a history of mining for base metals, the Geological Survey of Sweden, a government agency, believes there’s potential for expanding the output of more uncommon minerals like tungsten and rare earths.

“Sweden has unique assets in its bedrock,” Enterprise Minister Mikael Damberg said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “Historically we have mainly explored minerals such as copper, iron, silver and gold. But the shift to green technologies means there’s an increased need for other minerals.”

The plan is part of a global push to safeguard the supply of critical metals and reduce the world’s dependence on the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt. The conflict-ridden African country currently produces the vast majority of cobalt, often in small mining operations where injuries and child labour are common.

The price of cobalt, a key component in the manufacture of electric vehicles, has more than tripled since the start of 2016.

If each of the 1 billion cars currently on the road were to be replaced with a Tesla Model X, demand for cobalt would equal 14 million tons -- twice the size of the current global reserves, according to a study by commodity analysts CRU Group. Even a more realistic scenario of 30 million electric cars by 2030 would require output to be more than trebled from its current levels.

As manufacturers position themselves for a post-fossil fuel world, Sweden’s Volvo Cars recently made global headlines with plans to make all of its new models electric from 2019.

In addition to the government-funded initiative, Sweden has also seen a rise in private investment in the exploration of minerals used in batteries. One is Australia’s Talga Resources, which runs exploration activities aiming to extract cobalt and graphite in northern Sweden. In a recent update, it said base metal deposits in Sweden have “significant potential” as a future supply of cobalt for batteries.

The Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) has a collection of 18,000 core samples, some of them dating back to 1858, that can be analysed for traces of materials that have previously been overlooked. It will also look at waste material from existing base metals mines.

Though Sweden has some known reserves of lithium and cobalt, their extraction has so far not proved to be cost effective. SGU experts believe that could change.

“Of course, countries like Chile and Peru have huge geological potential, and Sweden is not in the same league,” said Anders Hallberg, a geologist at SGU. “It’s not only about geology, though. We have active mining operations, which means that we have knowledge and research capabilities.” (Independent)

Why you should — and shouldn’t — buy an electric car

California was on track to meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s initial goal for putting 1.5 million environmentally friendly vehicles on the road by 2025, a new report says, but then Brown upped the target.

Today, the official state goal stands at 5 million “zero-emission” vehicles by 2030, and though Brown has laid out funding mechanisms that would put $2.5 billion toward promoting the spread of electric, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles through consumer rebates and development of charging stations and other infrastructure, significant hurdles remain.

The funding will depend on state budgets crafted after Brown leaves office in January 2019, on the economy remaining healthy enough to sustain the green-vehicle spending, and on the price and availability of cobalt and lithium for car batteries.

Other challenges confront the push for electric cars and other Earth-friendly vehicles, but a new report from San Francisco non-profit Next 10 and research firm Beacon Economics reveals significant increases in the use of so-called zero-emission vehicles (hybrids use electricity and petroleum fuels). As of October, more than 335,000 of the vehicles had been sold in California, and sales leaped 29 percent from 2016 to 2017, the report said.

This news organization spoke with F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, about the the future of green transportation in California. His comments have been edited for length and clarity. And yes, for the record, Perry drives an electric car.

Q: Why are electric vehicles a focus for Next 10?

A: Transportation emissions in California for the last year that we have statistics for, which is 2015, actually went up by 2.7 percent and within that sector the car emissions went up by 3.1 percent. As a state, we need to get those numbers going in the opposite direction.

Q: Why should someone should go out and buy an electric car right now?

A: They can make a huge contribution to reducing carbon dioxide emissions —  that’s the most important reason. There are advantages in terms of going into the carpool lane. Electric vehicles are becoming (price) competitive with internal combustion engines. In our report we looked at the life-cycle cost of … electric cars, hybrid electric cars, gas-powered cars and we found that, for example, the Nissan Leaf and the Smart car are competitive right now even without (government) incentives. What’s driving down the cost of EVs is the reduction in the cost of the battery. Another important point is that the maintenance is minimal.

Q: And why shouldn’t someone go out and buy an electric vehicle now?

A: It really needs to suit their driving habits. The range that the car can go should fit with what they’re doing. For those that want to wait, the cost is going to be coming down. The range of the cars is increasing. Over time, the advantages of having an electric car are going to continue to increase.

Q: What are the obstacles to widespread adoption of electric vehicles in California?

A: The cost. That’s coming down. The range of the vehicles. There are more and more charging stations being created around California but in terms of a consumer deciding to buy an electric vehicle, they have to make sure that they’re going to be able to charge it when they need to.

Q: What changes need to be made by consumers, government and the private sector if electric vehicles are going to become an affordable and practical choice for the masses?

A: In terms of the private sector, we’re seeing some major investments in electric vehicles. Tesla is the best known. You have Chevrolet with their Volt and their Bolt. You also have BMW. There have to be more selection opportunities in dealerships and I think that’s coming. Policy is important in terms of helping to incentivize charging stations. On the consumer side, I think as the price continues to go down, as the range continues to get longer and longer for different vehicles, I think that will certainly help drive demand.

Q: Are government subsidies on electric cars necessary for widespread adoption?

A: Over time they are not going to be necessary. They’ll be cost-competitive enough so that a consumer won’t need that incentive.

Q: How important is Tesla’s role in the electric vehicle market?

A: Tesla was absolutely the leader in terms of the success that it achieved with coming out with an all-electric vehicle. They continue to play an important role as they bring out new models. In terms of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions because someone’s buying a Tesla and driving a Tesla, I think that’s absolutely good for our state and good for the world that someone’s driving an electric vehicle. (Mercurynews)

VW has been prepared for their electric car production in Novrmvr 2019

Volkswagen has been showing off its I.D. line of concept electric vehicles for a couple of years now, but we won’t have to wait long for them to actually enter production according to a new report. VW will enter production with the I.D., starting with the I.D. Crozz in the U.S. and the I.D. Golf-sized hatchback for the rest of the world.
We don’t know much about the specifics of the cars yet, beyond that they should offer all-electric driving ranges of around 300 miles, and autonomous features with at least a path towards full self-driving in the future. The I.D. and I.D. Crozz likely both have a street date of around 2020 with that production kick-off timeline, and VW has also committed to producing its I.D. Buzz all-electric microbus, with a target shipping date of 2022.
We’ll probably hear more about VW and its electrification plans at the Geneva Motor Show, which is coming up in just a few weeks. (Techcrunch)

Egypt opens country's first electric vehicle charging station

Egypt on Sunday opened the country's first electric vehicle charging unit, as countries around the world incrasingly move toward a battery-powered car market.

Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil oversaw the opening of the new unit, installed at a state-owned Wataniya gas station on the Cairo-Suez highway and owned by Revolta Egypt, a developer of electric charging infrastructure and other electric vehicle-related projects.

The minister said the opening of the new unit is the first step towards building Egypt's vehicle infrastructure.

Kabil said his ministry aims to back adopting electric vehicle technology, saying it is environmentally friendly and cost-effective in terms of maintenance.

Revolta said the project's first phase consist of the installation of 65 charging units across seven Egyptian governorates.

Egypt aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 22 percent by 2020 as part of efforts to achieve sustainable development.

The number of electric cars on the roads around the world rose to 2 million in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency.

China, the US and Europe are the world's three main markets, accounting for over 90 percent of all electric vehicle (EV) sales around the world.

China, the world's largest market in 2016, alone made up more than 40 percent of global EV sales.

Britain said last year it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars starting in the year 2040 in an attempt to reduce air pollution.

With the electric car market concentrated in a limited number of countries, a November 2017 study by global management consultancy firm Boston Consulting Group expected a slow rise of electric vehicles through 2030.

The study said that pure electric vehicles will not gain a serious foothold in most global markets until after 2025 and will likely make up only 14 percent of total global vehicle production by 2030. (Ahramonline)

Didi Chuxing starts EV car-sharing platform

The China-based on-demand taxi service provider Didi Chuxing is now working to start a new electric vehicle car-sharing platform in the country, according to recent reports.
This new electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing platform will reportedly be created in partnership with 12 of the top auto manufacturers operating in the country — including the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, BYD, BAIC BJEV, Chery, Zotye Automobile, Kia, and Ford.
This new follows on Didi’s consolidation of the local (China) on-demand taxi service market (the acquisition of Uber’s operations there in 2016, etc.), and showcased its plans to now further expand beyond it.
The plan is reportedly for this “open new energy car-sharing system” to provide users with an easy means of gaining access to so-called new energy vehicles (EVs, etc.) through a simple smartphone app.
Reuters provides more: “A person familiar with Didi’s tie-up with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance said the partnership was about looking at the possibility of supplying all-electric battery car models for Didi’s new service. The alliance, however, will also likely explore broader business opportunities with Didi’s new energy vehicle sharing service, the person said without elaborating.”
“This cooperation fits with the alliance’s expansion in vehicle electrification, autonomy, connectivity and new mobility services,” explained Ogi Redzic, the senior vice president of Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi.
As a side note to all of this, as of late 2017 Didi reportedly had more than 260,000 electric vehicles operating on its on-demand taxi service network. That already impressive figure is likely to rise substantially over the coming years as electric vehicle market growth in China continues increasing. (À

Electric Cars Threaten to Leave This European Nation Behind

Kia Motors Corp. churns out about 1,400 new cars every working day in Zilina, a city in Slovakia's northern industrial heartland. They all rely on gasoline or diesel.
Less than two hours away, PSA Group workers will reconfigure miles of assembly lines for Peugeots and Citroens to meet the impending electric car boom as long as the plan is approved by management. A Jaguar plant being built in the west of the country might produce batteries, though it wasn’t included in the original plan.
Slovakia makes more cars per person than anywhere else in Europe. It depends on automotive factories for about a third of its exports, yet the only e-cars are at Volkswagen AG's facility in the capital, Bratislava. Now there’s a growing sense that the country needs to keep up or it will lose out.
“It’s going to take a lot of power to transform this industry and if only for the sake of security -- national security -- we should have it,” said Peter Badik, who owns a company that has 27 charging points in the country. “We should be in the first row of the debate and we’re not.”
The region from Estonia in the north to Bulgaria in the south is home to a concentration of carmakers, auto parts suppliers and raw materials producers. They were attracted by relatively low costs and high skills following the fall of the Iron Curtain. They make everything from small cars for Toyota Motor Corp., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and PSA, to compacts for Kia and Skoda family saloons and Audi TT sports cars for VW.
The problem is that a conventional automobile needs more than 20,000 parts to run, while an electric car can use as few as 7,000, creating a more cut-throat market to feed factories, said Matjaz Schroll, head of private equity for central and eastern Europe at Franklin Templeton Investments.
“The Germans may try to protect their own suppliers and could cut off the suppliers in eastern Europe unless those suppliers will be able to make this transition, which I think is going to be extremely difficult,” Schroll said at a recent Vienna conference. “It could have a huge negative impact.”
Slovakia and its 5.4 million people have the most on the line. The auto industry helped cement the transition from communism to capitalism and turn the country from a backwater to euro member. The economy has now almost doubled in size since the year before Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004, to about $90 billion.
The e-car development is inexorable. Within two years, electric vehicles will represent as much as 8 percent of total sales globally, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report on Jan. 23. In 22 years, electric cars will make up 54 percent of total new sales, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
“If we don’t want to fall asleep -- and we don't -- we'll need to adapt,” Peter Ziga, the Slovak economy minister, said on Jan. 31. “Many carmakers have announced target dates for going completely electric, including those that operate here. We will not just passively watch the development, but we will be also active partners.” (bloomberg)

VW Scandal, Germany is Forced to Look to Electric Car

German government officials and representatives from the country’s biggest automakers touted their work on boosting the adoption of electric cars in the Europe and the U.S.

The talk, which took place at the Washington Auto Show on Tuesday, occurred on the heels of the prosecution of one of Germany’s biggest automakers, Volkswagen, for cheating on federal emission standards with its so-called clean-diesel cars.

Federal regulators have forced Volkswagen to spend $2 billion to speed the adoption of electric cars in the U.S. as part of its punishment for the diesel fraud. German officials now point to electric cars as the wave of the future.

Peter Witting, the German ambassador to the U.S., said during a panel that was hosted by the German Embassy that it has “simply become a necessity” for the U.S. and Germany to invest in electric transportation because they are countries “where cars and the oil industry play a crucial role.”

Electric-vehicle supporters fretted during the most recent tax debate in Washington about the Trump administration pulling the plug on a tax credit that is designed to boost the sales of electric cars in the U.S., although the credit ultimately survived the passage of the sweeping tax legislation.

Witting said Tuesday that Germany’s support for electric cars will not be affected by political transitions in that country. “The German political parties, that are currently forming a new government, will remain on this course and e-mobility plays and will play an ever more important and growing role in this,” he said.

Representatives for German automakers who participated in the discussion called for the U.S. and German governments to do more to boost the adoption of electric cars, such as increasing the number of charging stations that are available on public roads and taking steps to ensure that future self-driving cars are operated on electric battery platforms.

“Government needs to incentivize the autonomous vehicle to be zero-emission... not just electric vehicles, but fuel-cell vehicles need to be part of this conversation also,” William Craven, senior manager for regulatory affairs for Daimler of North America, said.

Craven also noted that customers will have to be convinced to buy more electric cars. “Customers are very happy with what they drive today, so it’s going to have be government policy that drives it,” he said.

Charlie Yankitis, director of business development of Bosch EV Soutions, added that policy makers will have to do more to increase the number of charging stations that are available on public roads, although he said most electric car owners will likely be charging their vehicles at home.

“That’s a big part of the puzzle to get the consumer interested in the electric vehicle, when they know that they can get a charging station at home at very reasonable price, or in some cases no cost,” he said. (TDN)

Tesla Model X: The First Electric Car to Cross the Sahara Desert

A Croatia-based team used a Tesla Model X to become the first to complete the Budapest-Bamako Rally, one of the largest amateur rallies in the world, using an all-electric vehicle and to cross the Sahara desert in the process.

As I often try to communicate, electric car range anxiety is not a real problem in most countries with charging infrastructure and a decent navigation.

Unless you are unable to do some minimum planning, it’s hard to run out of power.

But they are still plenty of places where charging infrastructure or even decent road infrastructure are nonexistent.

That’s why this is an impressive feat accomplished by ‘Team Tesla Powered by RWE’ in the Budapest-Bamako Rally.

Team members include Croatian entrepreneurs Saša Cvetojević and Oleg Maštruko driving the Model X, and Czech Tomas Kovicka driving the support vehicle.

Last month, they drove over 8,600 km in 16 days in order to successfully complete the rally. They documented their journey on their Facebook page.

Here a few images and moments that I found interesting.

Now, this was far from a “zero-emission” road trip. Like their gas-powered counterparts who relied on gasoline resupply, they had to partly rely on a gas generator to recharge the Model X:

Source: electrek

They say that the Model X performed remarkably well in those conditions.

It’s not exactly surprising with the vehicle and its dual motor all-wheel-drive powertrain being tested off-road in the desert before.

Why Choose an Electric Car?

Choosing an electric car means gaining its benefits. Here are some advantages of electric car with respect to fossil fuel car.

Gentler on the Environment: Driving an electric car means you will be driving a vehicle that produces zero emissions. With the impact of global warming becoming larger by the day, you would be doing your part in ensuring a cleanerenvironment for everyone and also creating a less polluted world for future generations to come. EVs also run silently, so there’s also less noise pollution.

Less Wear and Tear: Electric vehicles are propelled by batteries and do not require a mechanical engine to run. In addition, all the other mechanical trappings that come with an internal combustion engine are not needed in an electric car. This eliminates costs associated with things like spark plugs, oil filters, certain pumps, valves, and other associated engine components that can increase long-term costs. Battery maintenance is would be an EV driver’s main concern.

Ideal for Urban Driving: For city dwellers, stop-and-go driving is a norm. Gas-powered cars perform more efficiently on the highway, but electric vehicles excel in city driving. If you live in the city, having an electric car makes a lot of sense.

Save on Fuel Costs: It costs less to run a car on electricity than it is to on fuel. The cost per mile of running on electricity is significantly less than with gas and you can easily charge your vehicle right in the comfort of your own home without needing to visit a station of any kind. Many workplaces and shopping centers also offer free charging.

Charging point "ironic and beautiful"

AEV Bill Britain's new network of charging points for battery operated cars should be "iconic and beautiful" just like the telephone box, according the ex-minister in charge of working out their place in the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill.

This comes from the report and third reading debate of the AEV Bill, which took place in the Commons on Monday night.

John Hayes, former minister at the Department for Transport, said that "one should recognise a charging point, as we recognise a telephone box, a pillar box", and concluded that the points "should be beautiful, by the way."

The Lincolnshire Tory MP has previously suggested the charging points be named after him, in the same vein as London's "Boris Bikes".

After Shadow Transport Minister Karl Turner mentioned the points had already been dubbed "Hayes hooks" in committees, the former minister said he was "delighted that [Turner] has confirmed that they are going to bear my name, which I expect the Minister will also confirm."

Hayes reiterated his support for a nationwide design competition for charging points, and called for more "human infrastructure", such as technicians and engineers qualified to work with electric and autonomous tech, in order to get the programme off the ground - as well as the importance of on-street charging being consistent in form and payment method around the nation.

Later, just before the debate closed, Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay wanted to talk about software and vehicle ownership. After briefly mentioning a hypothetical accident involving "an errant sheep, a drunken cyclist and tin of paint falling from a white Transit van on the Thanet Way" as possible a future scenario a autonomous vehicle might have to deal with, it was then time for the Arnold Schwarzenegger references.

Mackinlay referenced Total Recall's JohnnyCabs as he outlined a vision of a future where private car ownership is almost non-existent.

He concluded his remarks on a apocalyptic note, by bringing up a potential Terminator future where the driverless vehicles turn on us due to "Taxinet", or more likely hostile hacking action by another state causing mass accidents.

The amendments

Aside from making amusing comments, MPs were there to discuss proposed amendments from the second readingthat the Bill Committee decided to keep and discard, followed by a final summary of the new laws before the Lords get their chance to look at it.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling's proposed amendment to send data from electric vehicle charging points to the National Grid and electricity providers was approved by the bill committee. Concerns from Labour MP Helen Goodman about privacy and personal data were answered by Oliver Letwin of the Conservatives, who said that any data sent would be "highly aggregated", and repeated that sending data was crucial to ensure electrical systems are used effectively.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Transport department, Jesse Norman MP, said tasking "public facility operators" – such as supermarkets, public car parks, airports, train stations – with installing and maintain charging points was too wide a group to legislate for.

He said an amendment that would order Grayling to publish a nationwide strategy on electric charge point was unnecessary, as his department plans to produce a new report on the matter by the end of March, and to add such a requirement into the bill would be "disproportionate and unnecessary".

Third Reading

The third reading was more general in scope. Many MPs thanked Hayes for his work on the bill as transport minister before he was reshuffled in January to the back benches. There was also discussion of air pollution, and how electric cars alone would not solve a problem caused by HGVs, public transport and power stations.

Labour MP Richard Burden quizzed Grayling on the government's preparedness for the tech, referencing the "Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index", which puts the UK at fifth for tech and 10th for infrastructure, roads and networks in the world, he asked the transport secretary if he could "give any indication of how we can start to turn that around?"

Grayling, who had turned up to take over from Norman, didn't really address this, instead saying that Matt Hancock and DCMS were doing great work in preparing 5G tech, while funding pledges in the Budget combined with the new legislation were exactly what was needed to secure the country's preparedness.

There was also talk of the bill's effect on insurance by former insurance broker Tory MP Craig Tracey, which would allow owners' policies to cover vehicles while operating autonomously as long as they keep their cars' systems up to date. He questioned the decision that owners be responsible for updates instead of manufacturers, as well as asking by what means the transfer of data to insurers concerning autonomous crashes would be guaranteed.

The final debate of the AEV Bill was interesting, both for the details of our electric and autonomous car future, but also for what happens to MPs when you make them stay in Parliament until after 9pm.

(Source: The Register)

Engineering students from will be showcasing their designs in a hybrid car

Engineering students from across the Arabian Gulf will be showcasing their designs in a hybrid car competition later this month.

The 2014 Taqa Hybrid-Electric Challenge takes place on January 30 and 31 at the capital’s Al Forsan racetrack.

“This event gives engineering students the opportunity to try out what they have learned in the classroom in a competitive environment,” said Dr Saif Al Sayari, executive officer and head of energy solutions for Taqa, Abu Dhabi’s national energy company.

At an official launch on Monday, the rules of the contest and number of competitors were announced.

The 11 competing teams have been provided with all the components needed to build their cars. They were allowed to augment any design aspects except its electric batteries, generator and charger.

The winner will not be the car that goes the fastest but the vehicle that travels the furthest using only a limited amount of energy and fuel.

The cars will be what are known in the industry as series hybrids, in which the electric motor can receive energy from either a battery or from a generator run by a petrol engine.

“This is a lesson in energy management which they then carry into any job they take,” said Dr Nabih Bedewi, the managing director of Global EEE, a US-based non-profit organisation that has arranged similar races across the globe for the past two decades.

The students come from UAE University, Abu Dhabi University, Khalifa University and the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, Oman’s Nizwa College of Technology, the College of Technological Studies in Kuwait and Qatar University.

Also taking part are three teams from The Petroleum Institute University and Research Centre in the capital, which is hosting the event with the support of the Emirates Foundation.

On day one of the race, each of the 11 cars will be charged with 1.5 kilowatt hours of electricity before they hit the track. On the second day, the cars will have to rely on whatever is left in the electric battery, as well as 3.8 litres of petrol.

The students will have to decide between two design options for their cars – placing the electric generators and chargers on board the vehicles, or opting for the off-board option with the equipment in the pit.

The first option means cars need only short pit stops to add fuel, while the second will require pit stops as long as 15 minutes to charge the car batteries. It will mean, however, that the cars are lighter and require less energy to run.

Dr Bedawi said series hybrid cars were incredibly efficient.

“A series hybrid, which can run as an electric car or a hybrid, can have four to five times better fuel economy than a regular vehicle,” he said.

Electric Race Car Debuts on Las Vegas Strip

A new kind of race car made its debut Monday with cartoonishly loud revving, the smell of burning rubber, and not a trace of exhaust.

That's because the new FIA Formula E Championship car is all electric. The championship is the first series exclusively for electric cars.

Organizers gave racing aficionados their first glimpse of the car in action at a makeshift racetrack behind the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

A setting sun illuminated the towering casino's gold-tinted windows as Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi showed off the capabilities of the Spark-Renault SRT—01E, pulling off tight turns, breathtaking accelerations and sudden stops.

The car, designed by Spark Racing Technologies, can reach more than 150 mph.

"We are a championship on a mission, and the mission is to have more electric cars on the streets all around the world," said Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag, looking sleek among the nerdy tech crowd in an elegant blue sports coat and slightly unbuttoned white dress shirt. "People love motorsport, but now they also care very much about the environment. So together, it's a great combination."

The unveiling of the high-tech car was timed to coincide with the annual Consumer Electronics Show, a giant gadget expo that began in Las Vegas on Monday.

Organizers took the car on a trip down the Strip at dawn Sunday to capture the first footage of it in motion, surprising the few tourists who happened to be staggering out of casinos at 4 a.m.

Formula E is slated to begin next September and run through June 2015 on street courses that cut through major world cities, including Beijing, London and Los Angeles.

The series is expected to consist of one-hour races. The car batteries will last up to 25 minutes at a time, so drivers will have to switch cars during the race while their batteries recharge.

Last month, actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced that he was getting into the environmentally friendly race-car business. The leading man is partnering with Venturi Automobiles to enter a team in the championship.

Other teams include IndyCar's Andretti Autosport and Dragon Racing, ex-Formula 1 team Super Aguri, Audi-backed Abt and Richard Branson's Virgin.

Teams will have two drivers and four series-provided, single-seat cars in the first season. Renault has signed on as the car manufacturer, but series officials expect three to five manufacturers in the second season. Michelin is the tire supplier.

Fox Sports has signed a multi-year deal with the FIA Formula E Championship and the International Motor Sports Association.

Gloucestershire industrial design student Dave Cullimore (19) wins Greenpower Electric Car Challenge

Building an electric car in his father’s garage was enough to win teenage engineer Dave Cullimore a national competition.

But now he’s getting help from a university’s engineering and design department, he hopes it will become a real world beater.

Dave, 19, won The Greenpower Electric Car Challenge last year with his car Jet, which he drove himself after building it from scratch at home in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, where he lives with his parents, Dave and Rana.

He has also qualified for the national finals next month at Goodwood speedway.

And his hope for next year is that a radically-improved version of Jet will really blow all his competitors away.

Dave, an industrial design student, has been working with the WMG, formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group, at Warwick University to get their help in using computer-assisted design tools.

He said: "I built Jet on my own in my dad’s garage using my own intuition and a bit of basic theory about how to make it as aerodynamic as possible."

Nevertheless, Dave’s car won the racing challenge last year and is well-favoured to win again this.

But Dave said: "You can’t stand still in racing and all the other teams will be updating their designs for next year and I need to do that too."

The team at WMG have helped their teenage colleague by scanning his car, which allows him to understand the precise size and shape of it in three dimensions.

Dave said: "I want to rebuild it next year in carbon fibre and I need to have the 3D scans for that. It will also allow me to do virtual wind-tunnel testing and other computer tests like that." But for October’s finals at Goodwood, it’s the old faithful plywood Jet that Dave, who is just completing a six-week placement with Jaguar-Land Rover’s research team at WMG, will drive against more than 20 other electric cars.

He said: "We have two sets of ordinary batteries, which works out about one third of a horsepower.

"We have an hour and a half to go as far as possible. Last year I went 60 miles, which is the equivalent of travelling about 3,000 miles per gallon."

Having won four out of seven races this year already, Dave is bullish about his prospects about defeating opposition from the UK and even Poland and the United States at the challenge finals.

He said: "I think I’m definitely one of the favourites."

And, with the hi-tech help he’s getting at WMG, Dave is even thinking about a triple victory.

"I hope that, with the help of WMG, I’ll be able to develop my design and Jet Mk II will deliver even better performance and help me win next year," he said.

Santa Monica High School Students Convert Vintage Volkswagen Bug into Electric Car

It has been four years since a team of Santa Monica High School students went to work converting a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle into an all-electric car.
Last week, the years of work finally paid off when Team Marine -- a group of students from 14 to 18 years old -- finished replacing the red convertible's combustion engine and gas tank with an electric motor and a 30-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery pack.

The project's lead engineer Patricio Guerrero has been working on the car -- known as the “Volts Watson” by the team -- since he was a junior at Santa Monica High School.

Last week, the “Volts Wattson” took to the highway for the first time and it was “freaking beautiful,” said Guerrero, now in his second year at Santa Monica College.

“It was really nice because I've been with this thing for three years and every time I saw it... it was never really moving,” he said. “Once it moved, it brought life into it. It gave (the car) a whole new personality.”

Volts Wattson's first ride took the team from West Coast Electric in Hyde Park -- where the car was assembled -- to the eastern boarder of Santa Monica.

But that's just the beginning, said Guerrero. “We estimate that the car could go 100 miles,” he said, “but we still haven't tested it.”

That's partly because there's still more work to be done, he said.

Still, he considers the project, which cost about $30,000, a triumph.

“The new thing about our project is that it's an educational tool,” Guerrero said. “We designed the car so that the parts are clearly visible so that everyone can see how it's put together and how it works.”

Benjamin Kay, a science teacher at Samohi and Team Marine's coach, said that this project was perhaps one of the most ambitious in the seven year history of the student-founded environmental advocacy group.

““We’ve built solar boats, and even watercraft made from plastic straws and bottles, but never anything like this,” Kay said. “This was a prodigious mission, and as a teacher, I am proud beyond words of the students’ achievements and so thankful to our many community partners.”

Among those partners are the City of Santa Monica, Alliance for Climate Change, Trexa and Wells Fargo, which provided the bulk of the project funding, Guerrero said.

For Guerrero, the project's significance is far-reaching. Team Marine showcased Volts Wattson at the Santa Monica Alternative Car Exposition on September 20 and 21 and the students have plans to take the car on tour throughout Southern California.

“Electric cars are more than about helping us save money,” he said. “They help us to be sustainable.”

And Guerrero, who splits his time between his classes at SMC and an apprenticeship at Left Coast Electric, hopes that he can take what he's learned on this project and apply it in his future.

“I feel like, as an engineer, I want to work on the inventions that help people survive and help us go further and further,” he said. “I've always loved technology and how it can benefit people in the community.”
(www.surfsantamonica.com)

VW Fights the 2025 CAFE Law

Of all companies, it’s Volkswagen (home of the Beetle) that’s fighting the recently acclaimed-by-all-hands 54.5 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard for 2025. Why? VW makes mostly cars and diesels, and the proposal as loopholed favors trucks and disses diesels.

Surely, VW will sell a lot of fuel-efficient Jettas and Passats with this deal, right? Sure, but it also won't get much credit for the green diesels it produces. I’ve got some respect for VW’s stance here, which reminds us that the process isn’t over just because automakers, regulators and Obama held hands and sang “Kumbiya” at the White House. The actual final number won’t be announced until September, and then there’s a comment period.

VW’s U.S. CEO Jonathan Browning told Ward’s that the company has “a dialogue going with the administration in terms of how we think the policy needs to be adjusted.” Something tells me that other automakers, some of whom (looking at you, Ford) fought down to the wire to get the best possible deal, won’t like the idea of backroom negotiations after everyone agreed to the current loopholes and adjustments.

In a statement, Tony Cervone, a VW vice president, was pugnacious, “Volkswagen does not endorse the proposal under discussion,” he said. “It places an unfairly high burden on passenger cars, while allowing special compliance flexibility for heavier light trucks.

"Passenger cars would be required to achieve five percent annual improvements, and light trucks 3.5 percent annual improvements. The largest trucks carry almost no burden for the 2017-2020 timeframe, and are granted numerous ways to mathematically meet targets in the outlying years without significant real-world gains.”

That’s actually totally true, and it’s the price Obama paid to get a deal with the Big Three. VW is coming at this from the left, claiming that it wants the proposals to be greener, encouraging more diesels and closing truck loopholes. It seems to be calling for all vehicles, including trucks, to make a five percent fuel economy improvement. Those tweaks would totally encourage automakers to produce more hybrids and electrics, since they’d find it harder to reach 54.5 any other way with the loopholes closed.

Some VW models in the U.S. market are 80 percent diesel, and a Passat so-equipped gets 43 mpg. But VW complains that the laws as written offer “no consideration” for offering diesels. That shows how U.S.-centric the CAFE rules are, since European governments (especially France, where they’re 70 percent of the motor pool) bend over backwards to encourage diesels.

It wouldn’t surprise me if some kind of diesel incentive comes out of these smoke-filled-room discussions. But the incentives for the trucks and SUVs, those are going to stay in place. It’s a loophole big enough to drive a gas guzzler through, and that’s just what Detroit is going to do.

There are other things that need reforming as part of CAFE, including the fact that the test procedures date, incredibly, to the 1970s, and actually give cars credit for 25 percent more fuel economy than they actually offer. It's confusing, because the window sticker tests are separate, and actually much better than they used to be. For CAFE, they have cars running at a steady 48 mph (on the highway!) with no stopping and no air conditioning or radio. It's simulated in the lab, so the conditions are even better than that indicates.

The Sierra Club is incensed about the testing procedures, though it may have a hard time getting much traction on the issue. Congress would have to approve any reform, and that's the furthest thing from its collective mind at the moment.

Northwest group convertes cars to electric power

Why should it be any surprise that the nation's biggest club of guys like Al Swackhammer is in the Pacific Northwest?
Visiting his home in Edmonds, with a 220-volt plug hanging from the garage ceiling, he proudly shows off the metal baby that he put together himself.
It's a car that packs 60 lithium-ion batteries that weigh in at 410 pounds total. There are 48 stacked in the back seat and 12 more in the trunk.
It's a gas-to-electricity conversion project that has set him back $23,000.
Sure, these days you can buy yourself the showroom electric $35,270 Nissan Leaf (with a $7,500 tax credit), the $48,700 electric-gas hybrid Chevy Volt or the $100,000-plus Tesla. Not for guys like Swackhammer.
For decades, they personally have put together all kinds of electric moving vehicles — cars, bikes, pickups, tractors.
They've done it by stringing together old-fashioned and heavy lead acid batteries; or by using lighter, but more expensive, lithium-ion ones.
In 2005, they even put electric motors on half a dozen La-Z-Boy recliner chairs and raced them at Pacific Raceways in Kent.
Steve Lough, 67, has seen it all up close for 30 years as president of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association. The club has 140 members, the largest chapter in the country of the group.
On the first Tuesday of every month, at 7 p.m., some 60 to 80 club members meet at the Seattle First Church of the Nazarene. The church parking lot is right behind the Dick's burger joint in Wallingford, an appropriate place for electric-car buffs as they begin gathering at 6:30 or so to show off their cars.
This area does like technology, Lough says, what with Microsoft and Boeing.
"We love things new and unique," he said.
And they're conservation-minded.
"We want to show our neighbors and the world in general how to get around cleanly on one-fifth the amount of energy or money to move around in a gas-powered vehicle," Lough said. "There are white papers out there that show that making those batteries in no way compares to what has happened to our environment with fossil fuels over the last 100 years."
Being at the forefront often means dozens, if not hundreds, of hours tinkering in the garage.
It means ordering and putting in several hundred pounds of stacks of batteries; and often not having a back seat in the vehicle, because, well, all those batteries are occupying that space.
"I've lived, breathed and loathed these things," Swackhammer said of his electric car. "It's a passion."
Hours that he spent on the project?
"I never attempted to count them," said Swackhammer, 60, a hospital maintenance mechanic. "Three full years of working every weekend. My vacation a couple of years."
He finally completed the conversion last year.
Besides the $23,000 that Swackhammer spent on the electrical conversion, he also spent another big chunk — $19,000 — to restore the body of the German-make 1960 Auto Union 1000S that has become his electric car.
He started out as a fan of Audi, the company that absorbed Auto Union, when he lived in Anchorage in the 1980s; he loved how well the cars handled in the elements. He had picked up the skills to restore the body of a car.
But Swackhammer didn't know anything about electric conversion.
"I had to go to the Internet and research it, and find manuals, and blogs from people who had done them," he said.
The finished conversion resulted in a car that, on a full charge of eight hours, could go for 60 miles, reaching speeds of 75 mph on the freeway.
Like just about every electric-car owner, Swackhammer talks about the silence of driving to and from work.
"And I pass by gas stations every night, and I don't have to stop," he said.
Asked again to explain all the time and money he spent, Swackhammer said, "One person at a time. My effort, although it cost me more than it needed to, is going to make a difference. It's a passion knowing that I have made a small contribution to not using fossil fuel. I sleep good at night. I want to leave this world knowing that I tried."
Oh, about the La-Z-Boy recliner chairs that were raced with electric motors.
"You have enough people with disposable income and they do crazy things," Steve Lough said.
He says the electric recliner chairs were doing 60 mph near the finish line. And he says the chairs were safe enough.
"One had roll bars, and they all had seat belts, steering and brakes," Lough said. "I don't think they had directional signals."

Govt set to promote cheaper ‘green’ cars

The government is working on a policy to promote low-cost environmentally-friendly cars.

The “low-cost and green car” policy will be issued in the form of a government regulation, Coordinating Economic Ministry industry and trade chief Edy Putra Irawady said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“We will continue to deliberate [on the draft regulation] and streamline it with existing programs and policies next week. Hopefully the regulation can be issued in April,” Edy said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Among points to be deliberated, he said, were fiscal and luxury goods sales tax incentives that would likely be provided for the cars to boost their competitiveness in the market.

Reportedly a number of automobile manufacturers had already expressed their interest in the plan.

Annual River Classic Car Show coming to IRSC

Car enthusiasts will want to put their best polish and shine on their custom or classic ride and get ready for the eighth annual River Classic Custom Car Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 13 on the IRSC Main Campus in Fort Pierce.
Participants in the competition may register between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission and parking for the public is free.
Car enthusiasts can enter cars and trucks for competition in 32 categories including: classic, muscle cars, ladies ride, low riders, trucks and the newest green cars category. The event will also include a Sound Challenge from noon to 3 p.m. Those wanting to display their car or truck in a non-juried competition can participate in the Park-n-Shine display with a $15 entry fee. All proceeds from the event go towards funding IRSC Automotive Technology scholarships.
The rain date for the show is March 20. For information on vehicle registration or for a complete list of juried competition categories, visit www.irsc.edu, call 1-866-792-4772 or e-mail acordary@irsc.edu.
© 2011 TCPalm. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

just help to announce it to the world

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.