Eco Tech: IBM To Develop Smart Batteries To Enhance EV Range To 500 Miles - Ecofriend: "IBM has kicked off its Battery 500 Project, which if successful will result in the development of next-gen batteries which could boost the range of electric cars to as much as 500 miles on a single recharge. The project commenced at the company’s Alamaden Laboratory in San Jose, California and will require the resources of 40 of the world’s best engineers and scientists.
The technology will be based on the use of lithium-air batteries, which instead of being a sealed system, harness atmospheric oxygen in the air as the cathode of the battery. In addition to a ten times larger storage density than conventional lithium-ion batteries, the lithium-air batteries will weigh considerably less, which will better the performance of the car in which they’re installed."
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Biden sets new stimulus goals - National Politics Blog - Political Intelligence - Boston.com
Biden sets new stimulus goals - National Politics Blog - Political Intelligence - Boston.com: "Batteries for Vehicle Electrification: By the end of the year, the Department of Energy will have put in place funding for battery manufacturing plants that can power 400,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, each year."
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Silicon Valley warning: Detroit still doesn't get it | U.S. | Reuters
Silicon Valley warning: Detroit still doesn't get it | U.S. | Reuters: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - From Detroit's union halls to its boardrooms, the consensus belief is that billions of dollars in federal investment and loans kept the American auto industry from collapse.
But drive up Silicon Valley, and you hear a sharply different -- and far darker view -- from some of the world's most prominent venture investors.
The U.S. auto industry, they warn, remains too wedded to a dying business model and too out of touch with the sources of innovation to become competitive again.
Instead, they look for a new group of upstart companies to shoot to prominence and profitability, eclipsing the automakers once known as the 'Big Three' just as Google Inc came from nowhere a decade ago to eclipse established technology companies.
'I do not believe that the U.S. auto business can be competitive,' said Ray Lane, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. 'I don't see any of these new car companies based in Detroit.'
Lane, who is backing plug-in hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive that is planning to launch a $39,000 model, said Detroit has lost its entrepreneurial spirit.
'For years they have been led by accountants and lawyers, not engineers and entrepreneurs,' Lane said. 'That's OK if the industry isn't changing.'"
But drive up Silicon Valley, and you hear a sharply different -- and far darker view -- from some of the world's most prominent venture investors.
The U.S. auto industry, they warn, remains too wedded to a dying business model and too out of touch with the sources of innovation to become competitive again.
Instead, they look for a new group of upstart companies to shoot to prominence and profitability, eclipsing the automakers once known as the 'Big Three' just as Google Inc came from nowhere a decade ago to eclipse established technology companies.
'I do not believe that the U.S. auto business can be competitive,' said Ray Lane, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. 'I don't see any of these new car companies based in Detroit.'
Lane, who is backing plug-in hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive that is planning to launch a $39,000 model, said Detroit has lost its entrepreneurial spirit.
'For years they have been led by accountants and lawyers, not engineers and entrepreneurs,' Lane said. 'That's OK if the industry isn't changing.'"
PRICE ANNOUNCED OF THE NEW REVA NXR - AN ELECTRIC CAR THAT CAN BE ORDERED TODAY - With Photos
PRICE ANNOUNCED OF THE NEW REVA NXR - AN ELECTRIC CAR THAT CAN BE ORDERED TODAY - With Photos: "Wednesday September 16th 2009. 63rd Frankfurt International Motor Show (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) /PRNewswire/ — Today sees the world launch of the REVA NXR (NeXt Reva), a new lithium-ion powered electric car from REVA Electric Car Company (REVA), which is scheduled to go into production early 2010. Also being unveiled for the first time is REVA's showcar, the REVA NXG (NeXt Generation), which is the company's 2011 model.
REVA NXR is an M1 category three-door, four-seater hatchback family car that is suitable for urban driving. Top speed is 104 kph (65 mph) with a range of 160 kms (100 miles) per charge. If using the 90 minute fast charge (normal charging is eight hours), the REVA NXR offers an effective range of 320km a day. A fast charge for 15 minutes will provide a 40 km (25 mile) range."
REVA NXR is an M1 category three-door, four-seater hatchback family car that is suitable for urban driving. Top speed is 104 kph (65 mph) with a range of 160 kms (100 miles) per charge. If using the 90 minute fast charge (normal charging is eight hours), the REVA NXR offers an effective range of 320km a day. A fast charge for 15 minutes will provide a 40 km (25 mile) range."
Fisker to launch $39,000 electric car in 2012 | Small Business | Reuters
Fisker to launch $39,000 electric car in 2012 | Small Business | Reuters: "SAUSALITO, California (Reuters) - Fisker Automotive Inc, a builder of luxury plug-in hybrids, will launch a sedan car in 2012 that will sell for $39,000, a major investor in the automaker said on Tuesday.
The privately held startup would likely refurbish a factory in the United States to build the vehicle and is aiming to produce 100,000 of the lower-cost plug-in hybrids, Ray Lane, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, told Reuters in an interview.
U.S. and many global automakers are betting that battery technology will make electric cars the environmentally friendly transportation of the future, and the switch to electric engines has drawn a wave of new companies into the auto industry, including Fisker and Tesla in California."
The privately held startup would likely refurbish a factory in the United States to build the vehicle and is aiming to produce 100,000 of the lower-cost plug-in hybrids, Ray Lane, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, told Reuters in an interview.
U.S. and many global automakers are betting that battery technology will make electric cars the environmentally friendly transportation of the future, and the switch to electric engines has drawn a wave of new companies into the auto industry, including Fisker and Tesla in California."
Audi e-tron: An Electric Supercar Concept - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com
Audi e-tron: An Electric Supercar Concept - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com: "The German automaker has been one of Europe’s most strident champions of diesel technology and has repeatedly voiced its doubts on battery electric power and hydrogen fuel cell technology. But at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday, Audi unveiled the e-tron, an electric-car concept.
The e-tron, which looks to be a cross between a TT and an R8, carries four electric motors, one at each wheel (which makes it four-wheel drive, of course) and a horsepower equivalent rating of 313.
The e-tron uses lithium-ion batteries developed with Sanyo, and Audi says the car will be able to travel nearly 150 miles on a charge, even with the air-conditioning — actually, a heat pump — running. Accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour will take 4.8 seconds.
Audi says the car is very much a concept, although some prototypes are expected to be on the road next year and there will be “a small build” of series production models in 2012."
The e-tron, which looks to be a cross between a TT and an R8, carries four electric motors, one at each wheel (which makes it four-wheel drive, of course) and a horsepower equivalent rating of 313.
The e-tron uses lithium-ion batteries developed with Sanyo, and Audi says the car will be able to travel nearly 150 miles on a charge, even with the air-conditioning — actually, a heat pump — running. Accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour will take 4.8 seconds.
Audi says the car is very much a concept, although some prototypes are expected to be on the road next year and there will be “a small build” of series production models in 2012."
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blind leading the blind? « evchels
Blind leading the blind? « evchels: "Cleaner, quieter transport means higher property values in often economically depressed neighborhoods adjacent to freeways and high-traffic roadways, to say nothing of the health of the families living there and public dollars saved from not building sound walls and other noise abatement measures. Electric drive technology has attendant benefits beyond the obvious environmental and energy concerns that we haven’t begun to analyze- but should, before we go adulterating it."
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