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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

First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:57:00 +0000

Click above for high-res gallery of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrid The more things change, the more they stay the same. Once again, this time-honored dictum is proving true as pickup trucks regain their rightful place at the top of the U.S. sales charts following a precipitous fall from grace last summer. As you’ve undoubtedly noticed, the cost of gasoline has dropped to a more manageable level, with an average gallon of regular-grade fuel going for half the price it was less than a year ago. So is it back to business as usual? Not quite. As we found out (again) in 2008, the volatile nature of gasoline stocks means that the market price for a barrel of crude can and will change on a whim. Does anyone really think fuel is going to stay cheaper than bottled water forever? Not likely. However, America’s love affair with the pickup truck will continue to burn bright even though the status quo is changing. All vehicles, regardless of type, must travel more miles on each gallon of gasoline. Enter GM’s latest duo of fuel-saving pickups: the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids. Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids Photos Copyright (C)2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid Auto Blog: Hybrid , Chevrolet , GM , GMC , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , First Drive First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid

Nancy Gioia explains why Ford isn’t doing an ER-EV

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Chevrolet , Ford , GM Click the plug-in hybrid Escape for a high res gallery So far, the market for extended range electric vehicles in North America seems to be the exclusive province of General Motors, Chrysler and Fisker with Ford sticking to the parallel hybrid route – both with and without plugs. It’s not that Ford hasn’t investigated the concept of ER-EVs, they actually had a working example before GM did with the HySeries drive Edge in early 2007. For now, though, they are putting their focus elsewhere. Nancy Gioia, the director of sustainable mobility technologies at Ford explained that her engineers didn’t feel that an ER-EV (or series hybrid or whatever else you choose to call it) could provide the necessary sustained performance levels required for mainstream use. Because of the limitations of current battery density and the inability to predict what power demand might be five minutes down the road, the vehicle could end up in a situation where it has insufficient power. Toyota officials have cited the same issue with ER-EVs as reason for not going in that direction. GM clearly believes it has enough reserve power to meet the demands of the average driver with the Volt powertrain . We’ll just have to wait and see. Related : ABG First Impression: Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid w/Video AutoblogGreen Drives the HySeries Ford Edge and fuel cell Explorer Ford’s Nancy Gioia discusses hybrids and plug-ins GM’s Larry Nitz discusses Volt, Vue PHEV, 2nd Gen Two-Mode powertrains Gallery: ABG First Drive: Ford Escape PHEV Gallery: Washington 2009: Ford Escape PHEV [Source: GM-Volt.com ] Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sebastian Blanco, Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Nancy Gioia explains why Ford isn’t doing an ER-EV originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:37:00 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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Nancy Gioia explains why Ford isn’t doing an ER-EV

eBay Find of the Day: Electrified 1984 Honda Civic wagon

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Culture , Honda Click above for a gallery of the electric Honda Civic on eBay Tired of waiting for a major automaker to offer an electric vehicle ? We feel your pain. In the meantime, there are quite a few outlets that would be happy to build one for you using an existing vehicle as a platform to start with. Such is the case with this 1984 Honda Civic wagon . The car has been completely restored and it appears exactly as you’d expect a model of its vintage to look, on the outside at least. A quick glance under the hood, though, will reveal that it’s got no engine. Instead of a gasoline-burning four cylinder powerplant, this Civic has been converted to electric drive using a 6.7″ electric motor from Advanced DC, an 800 amp controller and 12 Energizer GC8 8-volt lead acid batteries. According to the team that performed the conversion, this electrified Civic can safely travel over 40 miles under decent conditions. The transmission is still hooked up, though it’s not really necessary to use all the gears. Judging from the images, everything looks like it’s been done extremely well, and it’s nice to see small shops like this jumping into the EV game. Gallery: Electric Honda Civic conversion on eBay [Source: eBay ] eBay Find of the Day: Electrified 1984 Honda Civic wagon originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:51:00 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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eBay Find of the Day: Electrified 1984 Honda Civic wagon

VIDEO: All aboard the Aptera tour with co-founder Steve Fambro

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:03:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Lightweight , Aptera , USA Click above for a high res gallery of the Aptera 2e Josh , the Aptera 2e fan who has been recently hanging out in parking garages and generally going camera crazy in his quest to slake the thirst of his ApteraForum friends, hit the devotee motherlode the other day at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design). Yes, he got chauffeured about Long Beach, California by Steve Fambro, co-founder and current CTO of the start up vehicle company, who not only answered his questions without swearing him to secrecy, but even let him record the whole event on video. Steve talked a lot about the Automaptics system installed in the 2e and said it was something they were evaluating, as he repeatedly touched the screen and talked about various vehicle to grid ( V2G ) options and accessing the 2e through the internet. From this drive, as well as from a hastily-called meet-and-greet with future Aptera owners held the next evening, we were able to learn the vehicle is set to undergo even more changes before it starts production. For one, the wheelspan is set to be reduced by six inches. The suspension geometry is also set to undergo some revision and some changes may be made to the body to better deal with crosswinds. Hit the jump for the video. Gallery: Aptera 2e Gallery: Aptera 2e at TED [Source: ApteraForum ] Continue reading VIDEO: All aboard the Aptera tour with co-founder Steve Fambro VIDEO: All aboard the Aptera tour with co-founder Steve Fambro originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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VIDEO: All aboard the Aptera tour with co-founder Steve Fambro

Ford picks Johnson Controls Saft for PHEV batteries, adds 7 utility partners to test program

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:35:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Ford Click the plug-in hybrid Escape for a high res gallery Ford has announced that when it starts building its first series production plug-in hybrid in 2012, the lithium ion battery packs will be supplied by Johnson Controls-Saft. JCS has already been supplying the prototype packs for current test fleet of PHEV Ford Escapes as well as packs for some of Ford’s experimental vehicles such as the HySeries drive Ford Edge. Johnson Controls-Saft is also one of the two development battery suppliers for GM’s Saturn Vue PHEV program which has been delayed to 2011. JCS will supply complete battery systems including the cooling and management electronics. Ford has committed to building a minimum of 5,000 plug-in hybrids annually for five years starting in 2012. Until production launches, Ford will continue its field test program that started last year with EPRI and Southern California Edison. As Nancy Gioia told us last November at the LA Auto Show , eight additional utility and government partners are joining the test program. The broadened testing will allow Ford and its partners to further evaluate smart charging and vehicle to infrastructure communications. Related: ABG First Impression: Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid w/Video AutoblogGreen Drives the HySeries Ford Edge and fuel cell Explorer Ford’s Nancy Gioia discusses hybrids and plug-ins Gallery: ABG First Drive: Ford Escape PHEV [Source: Ford] Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Ford picks Johnson Controls Saft for PHEV batteries, adds 7 utility partners to test program Ford picks Johnson Controls Saft for PHEV batteries, adds 7 utility partners to test program originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Ford picks Johnson Controls Saft for PHEV batteries, adds 7 utility partners to test program

Mitsubishi shifts future focus to eco-friendly auto development

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Mitsubishi Click above to view a high-res gallery of the Mitsubishi i MiEV For an automaker such as Mitsubishi , which makes most of its profits from the sales of four-wheel drive SUVs, times are especially tough. Market realities have forced the Japanese automaker to reprioritize its research and development spending; anything without a decidedly green tint has got to go. Taking the place of large gas-guzzling SUVs will be plug-in hybrids, small cars and fully-electric machinery. Unfortunately, such sweeping changes will take until 2013 to really take effect, so don’t expect to see Mitsubishi drop SUVs and large cars entirely from its lineup any time soon. Instead, the automaker seems likely to add fuel-saving features to its existing models as quickly as possible. Mitsubishi’s first foray into electric vehicles will be the production version of the i MiEV , which should be ready for sale in Japan and various European countries in 2010. Sales in the United States should begin in 2011. Gallery: Mitsubishi i MiEV – LIVE [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd] Mitsubishi shifts future focus to eco-friendly auto development originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:39:00 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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Mitsubishi shifts future focus to eco-friendly auto development