Saturday, November 7, 2009
Green Fuels Forecast
Green Fuels Forecast: "Toyota expects retail sales of a plug-in Prius to begin in 2011-12."
ISA | Software will bridge plug-in hybrid, grid gap
ISA | Software will bridge plug-in hybrid, grid gap: "oogle is trying to figure out how to manage the impact of having millions of future electric vehicle owners plugging in their vehicles at the same time.
The company is in the early stages of looking at ways to write software that would fully integrate plug-in hybrid vehicles to the power grid, minimize strain on the grid, and help utilities manage vehicle-charging load.
“We are doing some preliminary work,” said Dan Reicher, Google’s director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. “We have begun some work on smart charging of electric vehicles and how you would integrate large number of electric vehicles into the grid successfully.”
In 2007, Google announced a program to test Toyota Prius and Ford Escape gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles that they converted to rechargeable plug-in hybrids that run mostly on electricity.
One of the experimental technologies that was being tested by the web search giant allowed parked plug-ins to transfer stored energy back to the electric grid, opening a potential back-up source of power for the system in peak hours.
“One of the great things about plug-ins is this opportunity for the first time to finally have a storage technology,” he said.
“We got to be careful how we manage these things,” Reicher said. “On a hot day in July, when 5 million Californians come home, you don’t want them all plugging in at the same moment.”
He laid out a scenario where power utilities, during a time of high demand, could turn on or off the charging of electric vehicles. The owner of these vehicles, who have agreed to such an arrangement, would get a credit from the utility in turn."
The company is in the early stages of looking at ways to write software that would fully integrate plug-in hybrid vehicles to the power grid, minimize strain on the grid, and help utilities manage vehicle-charging load.
“We are doing some preliminary work,” said Dan Reicher, Google’s director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. “We have begun some work on smart charging of electric vehicles and how you would integrate large number of electric vehicles into the grid successfully.”
In 2007, Google announced a program to test Toyota Prius and Ford Escape gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles that they converted to rechargeable plug-in hybrids that run mostly on electricity.
One of the experimental technologies that was being tested by the web search giant allowed parked plug-ins to transfer stored energy back to the electric grid, opening a potential back-up source of power for the system in peak hours.
“One of the great things about plug-ins is this opportunity for the first time to finally have a storage technology,” he said.
“We got to be careful how we manage these things,” Reicher said. “On a hot day in July, when 5 million Californians come home, you don’t want them all plugging in at the same moment.”
He laid out a scenario where power utilities, during a time of high demand, could turn on or off the charging of electric vehicles. The owner of these vehicles, who have agreed to such an arrangement, would get a credit from the utility in turn."
Reinking: electric cars "could threaten some manufacturers' survival" — Autoblog Green
Reinking: electric cars "could threaten some manufacturers' survival" — Autoblog Green: "Electric vehicle pessimist – or realist, depending on your POV – Guido Reinking is back with another critical look at EVs. Earlier this year, Reinking wrote that it'll take 15 more years for electric cars to become widespread; this time his target is explaining how EVs hurt the auto industry as a whole. Here's how he comes to that conclusion:
1. Developing all the parts that EVs need costs money.
2. That money 'will not be available for the additional development that the internal combustion engine requires.'
3. Since ICEs will be 'the definitive technology for individual transportation for decades to come,' EVs are sucking money away from where the OEMs need to be putting it – making better liquid fuel vehicles.
Reinking also says that, 'we are playing with fire if we bet solely on the electric car. It will remain insignificant in reducing carbon dioxide emissions for the foreseeable future because of low production volumes.' Right, and the way to avoid the low production/sales volumes is to not spend money on it?"
1. Developing all the parts that EVs need costs money.
2. That money 'will not be available for the additional development that the internal combustion engine requires.'
3. Since ICEs will be 'the definitive technology for individual transportation for decades to come,' EVs are sucking money away from where the OEMs need to be putting it – making better liquid fuel vehicles.
Reinking also says that, 'we are playing with fire if we bet solely on the electric car. It will remain insignificant in reducing carbon dioxide emissions for the foreseeable future because of low production volumes.' Right, and the way to avoid the low production/sales volumes is to not spend money on it?"
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Top 9 Green Viral Videos : Planet Green
The Top 9 Green Viral Videos : Planet Green: "Viral videos make the internet go round. Well known fact. Charlie biting fingers, bands on treadmills, dancing babies, Chris Brown infused weddings, and so on. The biggest viral videos are as much a part of culture as any hit TV show. And yes, there are green ones.
Green viral videos have the added charge of carrying a beneficial environmental message along with quirky, irresistible footage. When effective, they can transport valuable information across the web faster than just about anything else.
Here are 9 of the best--and one that's so bad, it might just be worth watching.
9. The MEATRIX"
Green viral videos have the added charge of carrying a beneficial environmental message along with quirky, irresistible footage. When effective, they can transport valuable information across the web faster than just about anything else.
Here are 9 of the best--and one that's so bad, it might just be worth watching.
9. The MEATRIX"
EV WORLDwire: Growth of Hybrid Cars to Drive Demand for Ultracapacitors
EV WORLDwire: Growth of Hybrid Cars to Drive Demand for Ultracapacitors: "Ultracapacitors, with their quick charging and discharging capabilities, are best-suited for short duration boost power applications in hybrid vehicles. Advancements in ultracapacitor technology are expected to displace the lithium-ion battery as the dominant automotive battery technology. The expected takeoff in hybrid electric vehicles sales will drive the demand for ultracapacitors in the automotive sector. Revenues from ultracapacitor applications in the transportation sector are expected to grow at a CAGR of 42.5% during the forecast period of six years, from 2009 to 2015. From 2010 onwards, in automotive sector applications, ultracapacitors are expected to experience an annual revenue growth of 50% or higher.
R&D initiatives for hybrid battery/fuel cell automobiles are gathering pace with automotive majors such as Honda and Toyota testing prototypes of hybrid fuel vehicles. Ultracapacitors, due to their higher energy efficiency and power density features, are ideally suited for fuel-cell based vehicles.
Utilities are looking for alternatives for battery banks as they move ahead with the modernization of the power grid. Battery banks have been the traditional choice of utilities for the short-term electricity supply needs during power outages. However, Utilities are increasingly using modern storage devices such as ultracapacitors to ensure the continuous supply of power during the period between a power blackout and the resumption of back-up power. The deployment of ultracapacitors in the power grid is expected to gain momentum with smart grid initiatives forging ahead in key economies of the globe.
The substantial increase in the peak power needs of modern vehicles, industrial applications, and consumer electronic gadgets is expected to offer opportunity for sales growth of ultracapacitors. Ultracapacitors provide quick, short-duration energy spurts for peak power applications such as elevators, forklifts, consumer electronic gadgets and robotics applications."
R&D initiatives for hybrid battery/fuel cell automobiles are gathering pace with automotive majors such as Honda and Toyota testing prototypes of hybrid fuel vehicles. Ultracapacitors, due to their higher energy efficiency and power density features, are ideally suited for fuel-cell based vehicles.
Utilities are looking for alternatives for battery banks as they move ahead with the modernization of the power grid. Battery banks have been the traditional choice of utilities for the short-term electricity supply needs during power outages. However, Utilities are increasingly using modern storage devices such as ultracapacitors to ensure the continuous supply of power during the period between a power blackout and the resumption of back-up power. The deployment of ultracapacitors in the power grid is expected to gain momentum with smart grid initiatives forging ahead in key economies of the globe.
The substantial increase in the peak power needs of modern vehicles, industrial applications, and consumer electronic gadgets is expected to offer opportunity for sales growth of ultracapacitors. Ultracapacitors provide quick, short-duration energy spurts for peak power applications such as elevators, forklifts, consumer electronic gadgets and robotics applications."
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tata envisioning big sales of Indica Vista EV? — Autoblog Green
Tata envisioning big sales of Indica Vista EV? — Autoblog Green: "Could it be that Tata is expecting to move lots of Indica Vista EVs when they bring them to the market, beginning with Norway later this year? If the tea leaves are being read properly, then yes. A short press release from the American offices of the South Korean battery maker Energy Innovation Group Ltd. (EIG) announces that they will supply their lithium polymer cells to Miljøbil Grenland AS, the Indian giant's Norwegian subsidiary until 2012. The agreement anticipates as many as two million of the large formats cells being shipped in that time frame which, we think, translates to thousands of cars.
Of course, Electrovaya is already a battery supplier to Miljøbil Grenland but according to that company they need a bit more time to put up a new factory in Norway where Indica gliders are currently being shipped for drivetrain integration. Eventually, at least some production of the car will shift to the UK which recently granted (after taking its sweet time) Tata a £10 million loan to enable it to build the car there. The EIG press release awaits your scrutiny after the break."
Of course, Electrovaya is already a battery supplier to Miljøbil Grenland but according to that company they need a bit more time to put up a new factory in Norway where Indica gliders are currently being shipped for drivetrain integration. Eventually, at least some production of the car will shift to the UK which recently granted (after taking its sweet time) Tata a £10 million loan to enable it to build the car there. The EIG press release awaits your scrutiny after the break."
Bosch moves quietly into solar
Bosch moves quietly into solar: "Very quietly, with hardly a press release, the huge German automotive parts maker Robert Bosch is setting up to be a major player in both PV and EV.
Bosch is at least a $50 billion company. It's been selling solar water-heating equipment for several years. Last year Bosch bought controlling interest in Ersol, a leading German maker of solar cells and modules, in silicon and thin-film formats. A couple of days ago the company bought a controlling share of Aleo, a leading German thin-film module manufacturer. This latest announcement suggests that Bosch will make controllers and other circuitry for EVs and possibly make inverters for its own PV modules.
Bosch is a unique company and does things in ways that would be considered odd in any other corporation. It's the world's largest maker of electrical parts for cars and trucks, and so it's been hurt badly by the downturn in the automotive business. Setting up for EVs would be a normal reaction to this situation - the company will naturally be the major supplier of components for European-built EVs, including products from VW, Mercedes, BMW and Fiat.
Bosch is 92% owned by a charitable foundation -- it's as if the Ford Foundation got 92% of the profits from Ford Motor Co. The company is run by a board of trustees who themselves hold less than 1% of the stock but vote the 92% of shares owned by the foundation - and the Bosch family owns the remaining 7%. So the company makes decisions quickly and based on long-term planning, not on short-term stock price considerations. One result is they spend twice as much on R&D, as a percent of their budget, as anyone else in the automotive business.
A little historical background: Founder Robert Bosch was a farmer's son who trained as a technician and then went to America, where he worked for Thomas Edison for a few years (he also helped found a Siemens division in the UK). Back home in Germany, in 1897 he invented the first commercially successful magneto for motor vehicles; five years later his firm marketed the first reliable spark plug. He set up factories around the world, including in the United States. During the Depression, instead of pulling in his horns, Bosch expanded and diversified; he had a reputation for very progressive labor and social policies, which didn't do him much good after the Nazis came to power. Bosch died in 1942, and after the war the family restructured the company's finances to support charities worldwide.
I think Bosch is going to be huge in solar and electric transport, and very quickly. Those of us who grew up tinkering with old cars and motorcycles have deep respect, if not warm fuzzies, for Bosch. When the Triumph or Fiat wouldn't start, you could blame Joseph Lucas or Magneti Marelli. But no one ever cursed the name of Robert Bosch."
Bosch is at least a $50 billion company. It's been selling solar water-heating equipment for several years. Last year Bosch bought controlling interest in Ersol, a leading German maker of solar cells and modules, in silicon and thin-film formats. A couple of days ago the company bought a controlling share of Aleo, a leading German thin-film module manufacturer. This latest announcement suggests that Bosch will make controllers and other circuitry for EVs and possibly make inverters for its own PV modules.
Bosch is a unique company and does things in ways that would be considered odd in any other corporation. It's the world's largest maker of electrical parts for cars and trucks, and so it's been hurt badly by the downturn in the automotive business. Setting up for EVs would be a normal reaction to this situation - the company will naturally be the major supplier of components for European-built EVs, including products from VW, Mercedes, BMW and Fiat.
Bosch is 92% owned by a charitable foundation -- it's as if the Ford Foundation got 92% of the profits from Ford Motor Co. The company is run by a board of trustees who themselves hold less than 1% of the stock but vote the 92% of shares owned by the foundation - and the Bosch family owns the remaining 7%. So the company makes decisions quickly and based on long-term planning, not on short-term stock price considerations. One result is they spend twice as much on R&D, as a percent of their budget, as anyone else in the automotive business.
A little historical background: Founder Robert Bosch was a farmer's son who trained as a technician and then went to America, where he worked for Thomas Edison for a few years (he also helped found a Siemens division in the UK). Back home in Germany, in 1897 he invented the first commercially successful magneto for motor vehicles; five years later his firm marketed the first reliable spark plug. He set up factories around the world, including in the United States. During the Depression, instead of pulling in his horns, Bosch expanded and diversified; he had a reputation for very progressive labor and social policies, which didn't do him much good after the Nazis came to power. Bosch died in 1942, and after the war the family restructured the company's finances to support charities worldwide.
I think Bosch is going to be huge in solar and electric transport, and very quickly. Those of us who grew up tinkering with old cars and motorcycles have deep respect, if not warm fuzzies, for Bosch. When the Triumph or Fiat wouldn't start, you could blame Joseph Lucas or Magneti Marelli. But no one ever cursed the name of Robert Bosch."
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