Mazda2 to be Basis of Electric Vehicle Test Fleet

Until now, Mazda’s most notable alternative fuel programs have been the hydrogen-powered Wankel rotaries currently being used in an RX-8 test fleet. The "Zoom-Zoom" automaker has acknowledged plans to build new hybrid-powered vehicles in the coming years, but to date has avoided the battery electric vehicle arena.

That is about to change thanks to a newly-announced partnership with Itochu Corporation and Tsukuba City. Mazda and Itochu will convert three Demios (known as the Mazda2 outside of Japan) to plug-in battery power. Besides just testing the electric drives, the program will also test car sharing services using the EVs as well as using renewable energy to charge the vehicles. The program will also evaluate battery reuse programs that put used EV energy systems into use in fixed applications. The test program will launch in March 2010.

[Source: Mazda and AutoBlog.com]

Honda to Produce an Electric Car by 2015

Recently, Honda announced that it plans to introduce an electric car by 2015 to meet the growing demands for green and fuel-efficient cars.

Currently, Honda is the second biggest automaker in Japan. The company is in process of building and perfecting the prototype of an electric car. Most likely, the prototype will be revealed to the public at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. Honda plans to introduce the street version in the beginning of 2015.

Many automakers expect the U.S. environmental regulations to get stricter, therefore car manufacturers put a lot of effort into producing zero-emission vehicles.

Most automakers announced the production of such cars. Toyota plans to launch an EV in the next few years. Nissan just unveiled the electric LEAF, which will be in the showrooms at the end of 2010.

2009 smart fortwo Electric Drive

Daimler has announced today that the second generation 2009 smart fortwo electric drive will enter production at the Hambach plant in France. The 2009 smart fortwo electric drive is equipped with a lithium-ion battery and a 30 kW electric motor which is placed at the rear of the car. The car is able to output a maximum torque of 120 Nm. The 2009 smart fortwo electric drive can be re-charged at any house outlet with a full charge being priced in Germany at 2 Euros. On a full charge, the 2009 smart fortwo electric drive is able to run for 115 km.

At first, the 2009 smart fortwo electric drive will be leased to customers in Berlin and other European and North American cities. The company says that from 2012 the 2009 smart fortwo electric drive will be available to anyone.

Chrysler EV Concept – A Hybrid Minivan

Chrysler and its ENVI organization have new production-intent, advanced electric-drive technology packaged in three different vehicles – one for each of its brands, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

Chrysler will select one electric-drive model to be produced in 2010 for consumers in North American markets, and European markets after 2010. Additionally, approximately 100 Chrysler electric vehicles will be on the road in government, business, utility and Chrysler development fleets in 2009.

The Company said that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles, and that it will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms in the next several years.

At its World Headquarters here today, Chrysler revealed its electric-drive prototypes – Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV – and demonstrated the driving performance and capability of each.

"We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer," said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler. "The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market."

ENVI Organization

The development of Chrysler’s Electric Vehicles and Range-extended Electric Vehicles is led by ENVI – representing the first four letters of ‘environmental’ – the Company’s in-house organization that was formed to focus on electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technologies. The development of electric-drive systems for future Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles is maturing quickly.

"ENVI was created just over one year ago with the strategic intent to develop electric-drive vehicles quickly for Chrysler, and it is surpassing expectations," said Tom LaSorda, Vice Chairman and President – Chrysler. "With ENVI, Chrysler is developing technology to bring Electric Vehicles and extremely fuel-efficient Range-extended Electric Vehicles to market."

Electric Vehicle Technology

Chrysler’s Electric Vehicles utilize just three primary components. These include an electric motor to drive the wheels, an advanced lithium-ion battery system to power the electric-drive motor and a controller that manages energy flow. The electric-drive system is being developed for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive vehicle applications.

"This technology provides customers with a vehicle that has zero tailpipe emissions and a 150- to 200-mile driving range – far exceeding most Americans" daily commutes, as nearly 80 percent of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day, or 14,000 miles per year,’ said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President – Product Development, Chrysler. "Electric Vehicles provide the opportunity to fulfill social responsibility, reduce dependency on foreign oil, and eliminate monthly gasoline bills, while delivering performance and utility that our customers desire."

Range-extended Electric Vehicle Technology

The Range-extended Electric Vehicle combines the electric-drive components of the Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle with the driving range equivalent to today’s gasoline-powered vehicles – with no compromises in performance.

Range-extended Electric Vehicles offer environmental responsibility without giving up driving range, comfort or utility.

Chrysler EV

The Chrysler EV development vehicle is a Range-extended Electric Vehicle that demonstrates another possible application of ENVI electric-drive technology in the segment-leading Chrysler Town & Country minivan.

"With the Chrysler EV, we are able to blend seven-passenger capability and the luxury of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with electric-drive technology, demonstrating family practicality with zero compromise," said Rhodes. "ENVI’s electric-drive development vehicles showcase our accelerated application of electric-drive systems into a wide range of vehicles in Chrysler’s future product portfolio."

The Chrysler EV combines the electric-drive components of an Electric Vehicle with an integrated small-displacement engine and generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides all of the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle and extends the driving range to be equivalent to today’s gasoline-powered vehicles – without compromises.

The Chrysler EV uses a 190 kW (255 horsepower) motor, producing 350 N•m (258 lb.-ft.) of torque, providing 0 to 60 mph acceleration in approximately nine seconds. The Chrysler EV Range-extended Electric Vehicle can drive 40 miles on all-electric power, and boasts a range of 400 miles on approximately eight gallons of gasoline. This makes the Chrysler EV the perfect fuel-efficient family vehicle.

The knowledge and experience gained from the Chrysler EV will be applied to other front-wheel-drive applications in Chrysler’s portfolio.

Toyota to Buy Hybrid Car Batteries from Sanyo

Toyota will buy hybrid car batteries from Sanyo as the automaker struggles to meet growing demand for its hybrid vehicles due to a shortage of battery supply.

Toyota will begin buying lithium ion batteries for hybrid cars from Sanyo in 2011, as Toyota’s battery joint venture with Panasonic can’t keep up with demand.

The world’s biggest automaker plans to buy about 10,000 battery units per year from Sanyo, the Nikkei reported.

Late last year, Panasonic agreed to buy Sanyo in a deal valued over $9 billion, with a tender offer likely to take place once regulatory hurdles are cleared. Toyota holds a 60% stake in Panasonic EV Energy, while Panasonic holds 40%.

Demand for hybrid vehicles has surged in Japan, helped by tax breaks and subsidies under a government initiative to promote fuel-efficient cars, but Toyota has said production of its hybrids is being held back by a supply bottleneck for batteries.

The Prius hybrid was Japan’s best-selling car in July for the third consecutive month. Toyota also said this week it had received about 10,000 orders for the Lexus HS250h sedan, the premium brand’s first dedicated hybrid car, in its first month of sale in Japan. The company is targeting sales of 500 units in Japan and a month and 2,400 units a month in North America, despite a languishing auto market.

Toyota is the world’s biggest seller of hybrid vehicles and sold more than 400,000 last year and has already sold more then a million Prius hybrids globally. The company plans to sell one million gas-electric hybrids per year sometime during the early 2010s

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