Electric Vehicles

Oxis Energy Ltd of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK has joined forces with Induct of France to spearhead the latest technology in electric vehicles.

This article shares some of the research carried out for the latest in the series of 18 IDTechEx reports on electric vehicles and their components.

The Latvian built OSCar eO has become the first range-extended electric-drive vehicle to complete the Dakar rally, an 8400 km long gruelling challenge through Argentina, Chile and Peru. The two week rally is arguably the toughest motorsport event in the world with less than half of the starters making it to the finish podium in Lima.

IDTechEx is currently in Silicon Valley having spent over a week in Tokyo at EV clients and events. Both are a bellwether of what is really happening on the ground with EVs because they have a relatively large number of early adopters.

Last summer Electric Vehicles International (EVI) announced the purchase of 100 electric delivery vans by UPS. The new e-vans are due to begin replacing the diesel versions early this year.

General Electric recently unveiled their WattStation electric vehicle charging stations; both pedestal and wall mounted.

PowerGenix, a developer and manufacturer of Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) batteries is entering a joint venture with China City Construction Corporation (CCCC), one of the largest infrastructure investment and development companies in China.

Wind power has been used by ships as a means of propulsion for thousands of years, but with the advent of the steam and internal combustion engines during the Industrial Revolution the use of sail power fell away sharply from around the mid-19th century. Today however there is a resurgent interest in the use of sails for commercial vessels as shipping companies seeks ways to reduce fuel costs and comply with new airborne maritime mission standards.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) recently granted a EUR 180 million loan to the Renault Group to contribute to R&D for a new generation of batteries and motors for electric vehicles.

More and more giant corporations are buying into printed electrics by acquiring companies partly or wholly in the field.

Old electric vehicle reports are useless: the subject is moving too fast. IDTechEx is the only analyst with 18 current reports forecasting sales of electric vehicles and their key components and they are kept up to date. Information is fed into these documents continuously as the PhD level IDTechEx analysts tour the world's companies, research institutes and conferences to spot the many changes in technology and business success and interpret them.

Toyota's established nationwide battery recycling system collects end-of-life Nickel metal hydride batteries safely from the market and makes sustainable use of limited resources possible.

The conference speakers were surprisingly blunt in their appraisal of batteries and motors for electric vehicles at last week's EV Japan conference. Batteries control the cost of pure electric vehicles by a big margin and they are the largest part of the cost of hybrids, though a lesser percentage.

You have to listen to the world leader in electric vehicles, Toyota, because it pulled even further ahead of number two in the last year. Its hybrid car sales nearly doubled to about 1.32 units in 2011, more than all other hybrid cars put together.

Sion Power Corporation, announced that BASF invested $50 million to acquire an equity ownership position in the company.

We have entered 2012 with an electric vehicle scene that is very different from that which was envisaged not long ago. There are now six key enabling technologies not three and vehicle makers increasingly make some of them, so suppliers increasingly have to compete with their largest potential customers. Precious metals in EV components are being removed remarkably rapidly.

EV Japan is proceeding here in Tokyo with about 89 EV Japan stands in a massive set of co-located exhibitions of about 600 stands in all from lighting to home solar and mainly electronic and electric materials, components and systems. There are quite a few electric cars on display including the plug- in Prius, Tesla, Volt and many less known models and concepts. The one below promoted TORAY products.

SK Innovation and Continental Corporation announced recently their intention to team up for powering electric vehicles worldwide: Both corporations sign a Heads of Agreement that describes the formation of a joint venture with which both companies want to develop, manufacture and market Lithium Ion battery systems for automotive applications.

A new federal grant aims to make the University of Utah home to first-in-the-nation transit buses of the future — electric shuttles that recharge without wires from underground pads while they wait for passengers.

Drayson Racing Technologies and Lola Group today unveil the much-anticipated electric-powered Le Mans prototype racing car, the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV.

Of course, as markets mature, one can make excellent enduring profits as a niche player, not just as volume leader such as those Chinese e-bikes and scooters on display at very affordable prices of around Euros 1000 upwards but are those cheaper batteries safe?

The name "E-Bugster" is a combination of "E" for electric, "Bug," the American nickname for the Beetle, and "speedster," which typically describes an open-top two-seater. The E-Bugster concept sports the typical speedster profile of shallow windows and a dramatically cut-down windshield.

The 600,000 visitors to Brussels Motor Show this week will have some surprises if they look at the electric vehicles on display. World number one in electric vehicles, and specifically electric cars, Toyota, should be challenged by Honda, Ford and others in the pecking order but, on this evidence, it is pulling ahead.

A123 Systems to supply advanced lithium ion battery packs for extended-range electric trucks

Pellion Technologies, an MIT spin-out company, will develop inexpensive high-energy-density rechargeable magnesium-ion batteries with the potential to disrupt current energy storage technologies for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.

A century ago, more automobiles were powered by electricity than by gasoline. But the need for longer travel ranges, the availability of a more affordable fuel source and a reliable power infrastructure soon turned internal combustion engines into the predominant means of motor transportation.

McAllen project will demonstrate a zero emission green transportation solution, the effective use of enroute-charging technology to create an effective electronic roadway, as well as the cost-effective conversion of diesel buses to electric vehicles.

The city of Palo Alto is accelerating its green initiatives in a bid to cement its standing as a highly eco-friendly area according to a Palo Alto Online news report.

They have a saying in India that the British Empire is coming back - only the headquarters will be in New Delhi this time.

N.E. Chemcat Corporation Licenses Brookhaven Lab's Electrocatalyst Technology for Fuel Cells in Electric Vehicles.

Kohl Department Stores will install ECOtality's EV charging stations in 14 locations nationwide to establish a rich EV charging infrastructure that encourages EV adoption.

Japan and the USA are considering the introduction of a legal requirement for EVs to have a virtual engine sound, and Kia has taken the first step to commercialize this system in their newly released Kia Ray in order to anticipate the global industry's trend.

PolyPlus, a developer of high-energy, lithium metal batteries, has had its lithium battery named one of TIME Magazine's 50 best inventions for 2011.

SunPower Corp has announced that the company is providing solar cells to the Solar Impulse project.

At first glance, Liotech's $413 million Siberian factory that plans to churn out a million batteries a year appears to be a showcase of Russian industry, innovation and expertise.

RMIT University researchers have developed Australia's first hydrogen fuel cell truck, demonstrating how vehicle design and new sustainable technologies can make freight transport clean, green and silent.

From July 2011, Nissan began efforts to widen the EV range into the LCV sector, with the launch of global proving tests for the NV200 based EV.

Charging electric cars without an electric cable - how does that work? Daimler AG is about to test inductive charging for the first time on a vehicle in everyday use in the form of a technically modified Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL.

Energy department awards more than $7 mllion for inovative hydrogen storage technologies in fuel cell electric vehicles.

As part of its strategy of developing solutions to reduce CO2 emissions, Valeo has acquired the Variable Torque Enhancement System (VTES) business of British automotive technology development company Controlled Power Technologies (CPT).

Bosch Software Innovations GmbH and Mennekes Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co KG have signed an agreement sealing their cooperation on charging infrastructure systems for electric and hybrid vehicles.

The United States Marine Corps recently purchased two all-electric Smith Newton trucks, the first military organization to order Smith Newtons off the Government Services Administration Coast training facility, and home of the First Marine Expeditionary Force.

It is now urgent for the good manufacturers of lithium-ion traction batteries and their systems in electric vehicles to be distinguished from those encountering problems.

It always was strange that nearly all of the focus for charging on-road and off-road vehicles has been on the awkward concept of a plug when we all have contactless electric toothbrushes and widespread contactless charging of laptops and mobile phones is being planned under global standards.

BAE Systems has delivered a zero-emissions bus for SunLine Transit, a Southern California regional transit agency, this week.

Plug Power Inc. recently announced its intent to join forces with Axane, an Air Liquide subsidiary, to create a joint venture in order to meet growing demand for GenDrive® fuel cell products across the European material handling market.

The Network of Automotive Excellence (NoAE) is going into its 5th year in 2011 with its cross-sector and transnational NoAE Innovation-Competition.

The Experimental Power Grid Centre (EPGC), one of the largest experimental power grid facilities in the world was officially opened in Singapore last month, by Mr. S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry.

Stanford researchers have used nanoparticles of a copper compound to develop a high-power battery electrode.

Elaphe is a startup in Slovenia that has just demonstrated axial flux, permanent magnet synchronous traction motors of unusually high power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratio.