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CMU study indicates the Chevy Volt may be too expensive to be effective

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:04:00 +0000

Click above for a high res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt Electric vehicle proponents never like to hear news like this, but another study has indicated that plug-in vehicles with longer battery ranges are going to be too expensive to be cost-effective, even though they will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that the cost of the batteries required to support a 40-mile electric-only range far outweighs the incremental benefit compared to a shorter range plug-in or non-plug hybrid. The cost of a battery pack for a car like the Chevy Volt is estimated to be as much as $15,000, although no one at General Motors is talking about the specific number publicly yet. While there are certainly people who are willing to go plug-in regardless of the cost, the reality is that most people simply cannot afford to do so no matter how much they might like the idea of helping the environment. Beyond the up-front cost of batteries there also remains the issue of durability. Tesla Motors, for example, is offering a $12,000 battery replacement plan for the Roadster – which has a battery pack that costs around $30,000. General Motors officials have repeatedly expressed confidence that the battery management systems they have developed for the Volt will allow them to meet the 10-year/150,000-mile durability target for the battery. However, accelerated testing in the lab can only tell so much about battery life. Until these vehicles are in the field and exposed to the wide range of conditions that occur over a number of years, no one can be certain. Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt [Source: Bloomberg , Carnegie-Mellon University ] Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in CMU study indicates the Chevy Volt may be too expensive to be effective originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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CMU study indicates the Chevy Volt may be too expensive to be effective

Hybrid motorcycles come to America

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:13:00 +0000

If you happen to be in Indianapolis for the Dealer Expo 2009 powersports show you should be able to check out a trio of hybrid motorcycles on display there. The bikes, said to be developed jointly by Advanced Battery Technologies (ABAT) and Wuxi Angell Autocycle Co., Ltd are outfitted with lithium ion batteries that supply the power for electric-only operation at low speeds. A computer control switches on the gas engine at higher speeds to run the bike and charge the battery back up. The companies say the new design reduces pollution by 35 percent and increases fuel economy by 20 percent. Wuxi Angell Autocycle Co. has been producing hybrid scooters (above) that look remarkably similar to those offered in the U.S. by Veken and recently sold a majority 55 percent stake of itself to ABAT. The bikes are scheduled to begin production in April of this year and will be sold in the U.S. under the “co-brand” of Angell and ABAT USA. It’s not yet known where the bikes will be sold but we hope they decide to supply some pictures of their product when they make that announcement. Full press release after the break. [Source: Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. ] Continue reading Hybrid motorcycles come to America Auto Blog: Hybrid , On Two Wheels , China , USA Hybrid motorcycles come to America originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Hybrid motorcycles come to America

AFS Trinity updates PHEV crossover, applies for $2.5B loan from DOE

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid Click above for high-res gallery of the AFS Trinity prototypes AFS Trinity has been making some awfully big claims for its Saturn Vue-based PHEV since its debut last year. Since it launched, the company has touted its 150 mpg capability. As with all such combination plug-in/ICE vehicles your mileage will vary radically depending on your driving cycle. This particular vehicle is claimed to have a range of 40 miles on a battery charge before running the engine. The 150 mpg figure is based on driving 40 miles a day 6 days a week without starting the engine and then 100 miles one day a week. That may or may not be realistic for every driver but if it can actually meet that 40 mile electric range it will be impressive. AFS is continuing to work with Ricardo on developing the powertrain and has recently implemented updates to the new XH-150S prototypes (as opposed to the earlier XH-150 version , seen above) that add new driver selectable operating modes. The driver can force hybrid operation in either charge sustaining or charge depleting mode. The former will yield less performance and run the engine just enough to maintain the battery state of charge and yield about 35 mpge. The charge depleting mode relies more on the battery and can yield better acceleration. In more sedate driving, the reliance on the battery will apparently yield up to 65 mpge. The company has also applied for $2.5 billion from the DOE advanced technology vehicle program to purchase and retool an existing closed auto plant. In order to qualify for that amount AFS Trinity will have to come up with at least $500 million in matching funds. So far the company has not given any indication of the cost of its vehicle. Gallery: Detroit 2008: AFS Trinity XH-250 and XH-150 [Source: AFS Trinity Power Corporation ] Continue reading AFS Trinity updates PHEV crossover, applies for $2.5B loan from DOE AFS Trinity updates PHEV crossover, applies for $2.5B loan from DOE originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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AFS Trinity updates PHEV crossover, applies for $2.5B loan from DOE

Tesla offers laundry list of new options, $12k prepaid battery replacement

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:26:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors Click above for high-res image gallery of Jason’s Tesla Roadster One of the long-time keys to profitability in the car business is the up-sell. The extended warranties, under-coating, improved audio systems, wheels, pin-stripes and so on. It looks like Tesla Motors is no exception. The company has just sent out an update to owners and those on the waiting list outlining some of the new optional extras that are now available. There is the usual assortment of interior and exterior trim upgrades. There are also a couple of warranty options. One is a $5,000 extended warranty that covers everything but the battery for an extra two years or 24,000 miles. Considering that the mechanical simplicity of electric drive systems is considered one of the big selling points of EVs, one might be surprised that the original warranty on a Roadster is only two years to begin with. An extra two years of coverage for five grand seems rather steep. The other surprise is a pre-paid battery replacement deal. The current cost of replacing the Roadster battery pack is $30,000! That may be the first time that Tesla has publicly acknowledged the replacement cost of the battery. Owners can now pre-pay for a replacement battery pack at a cost of only $12,000. Tesla has previously said the Roadster pack should last five years, but is now quoting seven years. It’s not clear what kind of condition they expect the battery to be in after seven years. Considering these are laptop cobalt oxide cells and the pack is being cycled through most of its range, odds are it won’t be anywhere near full capacity. If the batteries need replacement before the cost can be driven down, this deal could end up costing Tesla a lot of money. Gallery: Jason Calacanis’ Tesla Roadster Gallery: Trying out Jason’s Tesla Roadster Photos copyright (C)2008 Drew Phillips , Sam Abuelsamid, Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: Jason Calacanis ] Tesla offers laundry list of new options, $12k prepaid battery replacement originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Tesla offers laundry list of new options, $12k prepaid battery replacement