Tara International

Electric vehicle value chain is changing

Currently the key enabling technologies in electric vehicles are motors, batteries and control systems. For the next ten years, add to that energy harvesting, supercapacitors (ultracapacitors) and range extenders that replace internal combustion engines in hybrids, notably fuel cells and mini turbines.

Electric bicycles and ebikes - the next ten years

IDTechEx has issued another report in its series on the various types of electric vehicle - hybrid and pure electric - and their future entitled Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) Industry Worldwide 2011-2021 (www.IDTecHEx.com/LEV). Electric vehicles by land, water and air will be a market of over $210 billion in ten years from now. The segments of this market are very different in certain respects yet they increasingly share some technical challenges and vehicle and component suppliers. This report concerns electric bicycles, ebikes and other Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs) that constitute an important part of the overall EV business. Other reports in the series cover aircraft, marine, buses/taxis, military/police/security and cars.

Boxster E prototypes

The Boxster E, with one electric motor apiece on front and rear axle, runs on purely electric power with four-wheel drive and is equivalent to a Boxster S in terms of driving dynamics. Together with two other Boxster Es, in which an electric motor drives the rear wheels, the prototype is being used to explore the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles and how they are used, especially in terms of driving and battery charging. What the researchers are after is an understanding of the requirements facing future products, where to go next with Porsche Intelligent Performance and how to integrate electric vehicles into the infrastructure.

Amsterdam and car2go go electric

Car2go recently announced it will bring its innovative mobility program to Amsterdam before end of 2011 and decided to run one of the world's first large scale car-sharing fleets of pure electric vehicles there with 300 smart fortwo cars.

Can foreign EV makers prosper in China?

To understand the burgeoning electric vehicle EV industry, it is important to look at all forms of electric vehicle, land, sea and air. China has ambitions across all of them but none of the EV leaders are currently in China. It is bargaining access to its potentially large internal EV market in exchange for the intellectual property of aspiring foreign participants.

Comprehensive line-up for Electric Vehicles Land, Sea & Air

Analysts IDTechEx have added a number of carefully chosen best-in-class speakers to the lineup for their unique event that covers the whole subject for the first time. There are six on-road vehicle manufacturers plus two companies involved in off-road electric vehicles. Six organisations describe electric aircraft work and four speakers cover their inland and seagoing electric boats.

New GS Yuasa traction battery orders

GS Yuasa Corp has just announced that it has reached a broad agreement to supply lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles now under joint development by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Ultra fast bus charging

In April 2011, it was announced that Sweden will test the world's first fast rechargeable hybrid bus in Umeå City with a pantograph-based fast charging station, Bůsbaar, developed by Opbrid Transporte Sostenible S.L. It will be a Volvo 7700 diesel converted to hybrid.

Hybrids at no price penalty

IDTechEx forecasts of sales of hybrid cars presume that, as the decade progresses, more and more of them will be offered at no price premium.

Turkey to manufacture Renault's Fluence Z.E. this year

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show Renault revealed its pure electric Fluence Z.E. sedan. Now production is scheduled to begin this summer at Renault's Turkish manufacturing plant in Bursa.

Mercedes-Benz constructs a new fuel cell production facility in Canada

Burnaby, British Columbia is to be the location for a new Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facility, which will produce electric vehicle fuel cell stacks.

PARC Battery Electrode Breakthrough

Palo Alto Research Center PARC, developed laser printing, object-oriented programming, and personal workstations with graphical user interfaces. Now it is building a cleantech portfolio.

Land Rover's 4WD hybrid prototype

The recent Geneva Motor Show provided the platform for numerous manufacturers to exhibit their new environmentally friendly vehicles as such ranges become common-place in the lines of commercial car companies. One of these corporations was Land Rover who showcased their hybrid prototype from Range-e.

Energy harvesting for electric vehicles

Over twenty million electric vehicles produced in 2010 will employ on-board energy harvesting to help charge the traction batteries. That includes both hybrid and pure electric vehicles.

Tata Motors to boost UK engineering base with University of Warwick

The UK's technology base was given a major boost today when Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC), a wholly-owned UK-based subsidiary of Tata Motors, announced that it will be expanding its partnership with WMG at the University of Warwick. TMETC plans to increase their team of highly skilled engineers working on the campus by 40 per cent over the next two years.

Subsidy powers growth in Indian two wheel sales

Mr Sohinder Gill, director, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles in India has recently declared that, powered by an incentive package for electric vehicles announced by the Ministry of New and Renewable energy in November 2010, average monthly sales of electric two-wheelers in India has risen 20%.

Balqon Receives $15.9 Million Order from China

Balqon Corporatin reports receiving an order for 300 electric drive systems.

Ford to surpass Honda?

Ford may be about to overtake Honda to become number two on-road electric vehicle manufacturer in the world by numbers produced. It has recently has re-opened its Michigan Assembly Plant that has been re-vamped for the production of the new electric version of its Ford Focus model.

ABSL Power Solutions acquired by EnerSys

As lithium batteries become increasingly dominant in the market, EnerSys has recently announced the acquisition of ABSL from CIP Industries L.P. Inc in a bid to seek continuing growth in power supply sector.