The Light Is Green

Renault-Nissan: big plans for electric cars

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, has made a firm commitment: Renault-Nissan will be the world leader in the electric vehicle industry, and their efforts will be far-reaching and profitable.

And hopefully world-changing.

Renault-Nissan has teamed up with Silicon Valley-based electric vehicle startup Project Better Place. These are their plans:

• 2010: Nissan will launch a battery-powered car in the U.S.
• 2011: Renault-Nissan will introduce all-electric vehicles and a network of charging points in Israel and Denmark.
• 2012: Renault-Nissan will offer a complete range of electric vehicles in every large car-market.

Ghosn highlights these major points:

Electric cars will be less expensive

Renault-Nissan's electric cars will be less expensive than equivalent gasoline-fueled models.

Only better batteries are missing

Technically, everything is in place for electric vehicles to become mainstream, except for the batteries. He says that Nissan and NEC are investing massively in this industry, in order to improve range and recharge times.

A new way business model

Renault-Nissan's business model will be very different: car owners will subscribe to a battery-replacement and charging plan based on anticipated mileage. Recharging will be done at Project Better Place-built stations.

To summarize his commitment, Ghosn has said,

"We must have zero-emission vehicles. Nothing else will prevent the world from exploding."

Read more at the Economist.

Tags: Renault, Nissan, Renault-Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, Project Better Place, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, alternative energy, sustainable energy, electric cars

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China plans: GM

General Motors is looking at increasing its stake in their current joint venture with local automakers Shanghai Automotive and Wuling Automobile, called SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. Ltd., as part of its strategy to start focusing on small cars that can compete with Tata's Nano, a.k.a. the People's Car. GM owns 34% of this venture.

The SGMW joint venture currently produces minivans and other small commercial vehicles under the Wuling brand, and as such they are China's largest minivan manufacturer (they sold 550,000 units in 2007). They also make one GM branded model, the low-cost Chevrolet Spark minivan. GM is trying to lower production costs on the Spark.

A noteworthy offering from the SGMW joint venture is the tiny Xingwang (a Wuling brand model), the smallest, cheapest offering from SGMW. The Xingwang may in fact soon carry the GM brand name.

Shanghai General Motors is also pushing a green philosophy in its marketing message. They unveiled two hybrid vehicles at the Beijing International Auto Show, the LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid (to be sold in June 2008) and the Cadillac Escalade 2-Mode Hybrid (2009).

Tags: GM, General Motors, GM Spark, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp, SAIC, SAIC Motor, Shanghai Automotive, Shanghai General Motors, Shanghai GM, Wuling Automobile, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, China, Chinese auto industry, Chinese automotive industry, alternative energy, hybrids

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Formula 1 goes hybrid

Formula 1 chief Max Mosely recently announced that all Formula One cars will go hybrid by 2013.

According to Gas 2.0, the hybrid system that will be phased in is known as KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which doesn’t store as much energy as a traditional hybrid system, but weighs just 55 pounds, has sufficient energy storage capacity, and is twice as efficient as a standard hybrid system.

Tags: Formula One, hybrids, Max Mosely, KERS

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China plans: Audi

Audi is doing very well in China, having sold over 100,000 units in 2007 (after Germany, China is now Audi's second largest market). Audi's success in China is based on their higher-end cars, most notably the A6.

Audi's big announcement at the China Auto Show in Beijing was the new Audi Q5 SUV, which is being introduced to compete against the BMW X3.

Autoweek reports that the Q5 will be Audi's first hybrid model, and will be based on the latest lithium-ion-battery technology. The Q5 hybrid version will be available in early 2010. Gas and diesel versions will go on sale, in the U.S., in early 2009.

Tags: Audi, Audi China, Audi Q5, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, China, Chinese auto industry, Chinese automotive industry, hybrids

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China's emissions paradox

Heads: The Chinese government is pressuring automakers to improve energy efficiency, by demanding that automakers produce electric and hybrid (gasoline-electric) cars.

Tails: Chinese government price controls on gas are spurring interest in large SUVs and luxury cars. This trend is also being driven by rising incomes for China's elite.

China is already the world's second largest car market, with 8.8 million units sold in 2007, 10 million expected for 2008, and double-digit growth projected for the next five years. China is also the world's second largest oil consumer.

And of course, automakers go with what the market wants. Though some manufacturers, like Daimler, GM and local BYD are showing electric and hybrid prototypes at the Beijing Auto Show, the models truly being focused on are of the gas-guzzling variety.

"... many auto executives are skeptical that Chinese consumers will be willing to pay considerably more for cars with hybrid engines... while hybrids still account for less than one percent of the far more affluent American market. So unless the government heavily subsidizes vehicles with new technologies, their sales may be limited along with their effect on oil imports and emissions of global warming gases."

And the NYT finally points out the paradox:

"... price controls on fuel have had the effect of stimulating sales of big vehicles, despite other government policies intended to discourage such sales. Liu Shijin, a vice minister for the powerful State Council Development and Research Center, acknowledged Thursday that the government had missed a chance to raise fuel taxes earlier in this decade and now faced a difficult decision on what to do in the face of inflation. "If the fuel is priced right, consumers will use energy more carefully,” Mr. Liu said at the conference."

Tags: emissions, electric cars, hybrids, BYD, BYD Auto, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, China, Chinese auto industry, Chinese automotive industry

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Geneva show boasts green

The EU is about to make official their proposal that will force carmakers to cut average carbon dioxide emissions by 25%; current levels stand at 160 grams per km.

That's why most automakers will be showing off their environmentally friendly vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Standouts include:

• Saab 9-1X, a compact, ethanol-powered crossover
• Toyota  iQ concept car
• Audi A3 convertible
• Kia Soul

New SUVs will be on display as well, most notably:

• Toyota Urban Cruiser, based on the Yaris
• Volvo XC60, a smaller XC90, based on the Land Rover Freelander platform
• Renault Koleos, their first SUV, based on partner Nissan's X-trail

Diesel electric hybrid SUV concepts will be shown by BMW and Mercedes Benz, the latter with their GLK model.

Tags: Saab, Saab 9-1X, Toyota, Toyota iQ, Audi, Audi A3, Kia, Kia Soul, Urban Cruiser, Volvo, Volvo XC60, Renault, Renault-Nissan, Renault Koleos, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes GLK, GLK, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, alternative energy, renewable energy, sustainable energy, electric cars, hybrids, hybrid technology, flex-fuel, diesel

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China’s BYD to beat Toyota and GM?

General Motors and Toyota are working to launch plug-in hybrid cars by 2010.

But China’s BYD Auto has just announced that they’ll be the first automaker to commercially release a plug-in hybrid, the F6DM, and they’ll do it by mid 2008.

They’re showing their F6 Dual Model plug-in hybrid at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

BYD also plans to launch two more two electric cars, the F3e and F6e, in two or three years.

The F6DM will have a top speed of 62 miles per hour (100 km/h), travel 60 miles (100 kms.) on electric power alone (250 miles on five gallons of gas), will need nine hours for a full recharge by home power mains (10 minutes for a 50% recharge with a special power station), and will have a price tag of around $27,000 dollars.

Tags: automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, alternative energy, sustainable energy, electric cars, hybrids, flex-fuel, BYD Auto, BYD F6, BYD F6DM, BYD F6 Dual Model, BYD F3e, BYD F6e, BYD, Detroit Auto Show, GM, Toyota

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Chrysler green cars

Chrysler is showing off three eco-friendly concept cars at the Detroit International Auto Show:

1. ecoVoyager. A 4-seater with a single electric motor alternately powered by a lithium-ion battery pack and hydrogen fuel cell. The battery has a 40 mile (64 km) range, the fuel-cell “range extender” adds 260 miles (418 km).

2. ZEO. A a 4-seat sport wagon powered by a lithium-ion battery pack with a 250 mile (400 km) range. Its 200 kw (268 hp) motor does 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in under six seconds.

3. Jeep Renegade. Has two electric motors powered by a lithium-ion battery, with a range of 40 miles (64 km). Also has a 1.5 liter Bluetec diesel engine that adds 400 miles (644 km), for an overall fuel-economy rating of 110 mpg (2.13 liters per 100 km).

Tags: concept cars, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, alternative energy, sustainable energy, electric cars, hybrids, flex-fuel, diesel, Chrysler, ecoVoyager, ZEO, Jeep Renegade

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Super-efficient gas guzzlers

Johnathan Goodwin is a  37-year-old professional car hacker out of Kansas that's making a name for himself by taking muscle cars and doubling their horsepower, and at the same time quadrupling their mileage and cutting emissions by 80 percent.

His latest project: creating a super-efficient electric hybrid Hummer H3 by putting in an electric motor plus a military-grade 60,000 rpm turbine modified to run on biodiesel, doubling horsepower from 300 to 600, getting 60 miles per gallon, and doing zero to 60 in five seconds. It'll also have a hydrogen-injection system that will cut the already low emissions by half.

He's currently converting a 1987 Jeep Wagoneer to biodiesel for Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a 1960 Lincoln Continental into a biodiesel-electric hybrid for Neil Young.

Read more at Fast Company.

Tags: auto industry, electric cars, hybrid cars, Hummer, Johnathan Goodwin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Young, alternative energy

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Green Car of the Year finalists

The L.A. Auto Show has named its five finalists for the Green Car of the Year Award established by Green Car Journal:

• Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
• Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
• Mazda Tribute Hybrid
• Nissan Altima Hybrid
• Saturn Aura Hybrid

"The fact that all five Green Car of the Year nominees are hybrids this year is a clear indication that the auto industry's significant investment of time and resources into gasoline-electric hybrid technology is paying off," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal.

"Hybrids were not a specific focus during our nomination process. There are many pathways to achieving efficiency and emissions goals, and hybrids, while popular, represent just one of these."

Among the jurors: Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; and Jonathan Lash, President of the World Resources Institute.

Tags: automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, alternative energy, hybrids, sustainable energy, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Saturn Aura Hybrid

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