E-Car Posts

Add your E-car posts before our next lesson (will be on TUE 03-09-2010). This is a last call type of info!!!

Electrum Spyder Electric Car

The common knowledge that electric cars look weird will surely change once they get a chance to see this electric convertible car. With the sporty look that can only accommodate the driver and one passenger, people who emphasize on speed without emissions are sure to love this vehicle.

Using nickel zinc batteries to run on, it can be upgraded later on if the battery life of this electric car lacks the amount of useful life to keep the Electrum Spyder running.

The Electrum Spyder is an exciting 2 passenger convertible all electric freeway flier that will be available in limited production. Powered by a 300 vdc system, the Spyder provides an effective range of up to 150 miles on a full charge using nickel zinc batteries, standard in all of our vehicles. As with all of our Electrum series the Spyder can be upgraded to Lithium Ion batteries when available with a range of up to 300 miles on a single charge.

Ford Flexible Series Edge with HySeries Drive

Ford has done it again with its Flexible Series Edge SUV with HySeries Drive, another plug-in hybrid hydrogen vehicle from this automaker. The Ford Flexible Series Edge is a plug-in hybrid electric hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (PHEH2FCV) that uses the same HySeries Drive system as the Ford Airstream, yet is packaged inside a standard Ford Edge crossover body.

The Ford Flexible Series Edge was rolled on January 23, 2007 during the Washington DC Auto Show. As a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the Ford Flexible Series Edge can run the first 25 miles entirely on battery power.

Once the battery is 40-percent depleted, the Ballard fuel cell kicks in and recharges the 336-volt lithium ion battery pack, which in turn supplies current to the electric motor to drive the wheels. The 5,000 psi hydrogen tanks and fuel cell add 200 miles to the vehicle's range for a total of 225 miles when combined with the battery pack.
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This range is somewhat deceiving, however, as it may vary widely by individual driver and driving habits. For instance, someone who drives only 25 miles per day will be able to drive on battery power only and recharge the battery pack at night for 8 hours with a 110-v or 220-v outlet before doing the same thing the next day. Those who drive 50 miles per day will receive the equivalent of 80 mpg. Those who drive the entire range of the vehicle in one day will get a combined city / highway mileage of 41 mpg. The Ford Flexible Series Edge can reach a top speed of 85 mph.

The "flexible" part of the Ford Flexible Series Edge is that the fuel cell can be easily removed and replaced with a downsized gasoline or diesel engine. With this plug-in Ford Edge, the fuel cell size, weight and cost have been reduced by half and by using this type of hybrid system, the life of the fuel cell will be double the life of other fuel cells.

Lithium-ion battery technology remains a significant cost hurdle, however. Both Ford and General Motors have asked the Federal Government for as much as $500 million for additional research and development on lithium-ion technology in order to bring the costs down within the next couple of years.

NISSAN Leaf

NISSAN LEAF
Nissan LEAF is powered by laminated compact lithium-ion batteries, which generate power output of over 90kW, while its electric motor delivers 80kW/280Nm. This ensures a highly responsive, fun-to-drive experience that is in keeping with what consumers have come to expect from traditional, gasoline-powered automobiles.
Unlike internal-combustion engine (ICE) equipped vehicles, Nissan LEAF's power train has no tail pipe, and thus no emission of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. A combination of Nissan LEAF's regenerative braking system and innovative lithium-ion battery packs enables the car to deliver a driving range of more than 160km (100 miles) on one full charge*. (*US LA4 mode)
Extensive consumer research demonstrates that this range satisfies the daily driving requirements of more than 70% of the world's consumers who drive cars.
And, Nissan's approach makes charging easy and convenient. Nissan LEAF can be charged up to 80% of its full capacity in just under 30 minutes with a quick charger. Charging at home through a 200V outlet is estimated to take approximately eight hours - ample time to enable an overnight refresh for consumer and car alike

Slated for launch in late 2010 in Japan, the United States, and Europe, Nissan LEAF ushers in a new era of mobility - the zero-emission era. The car is the embodiment of Nissan's radical, transformative vision for the future and the culmination of decades of investment and research.
Nissan won’t say what the car costs until April, but it is shooting for a price in the $26,000 to $33,000 ballpark. The latest word is the car could be in the mid-20s after the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. That would seriously undercut the Volt, which General Motors is widely believed to be trying to keep under $40,000 before the tax credit.

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf is an electric car announced by Nissan in 2009. It is expected to be marketed in North America, Europe, and Japan, beginning in late 2010.

EV-11 prototype:
The EV-11 prototype electric car was based on the Nissan Tiida platform, but uses an all-electric drive train including an 80 kW (110 hp) electric motor, 24kWh lithium-ion battery pack rated to have a range of 100 miles (160 km).
Production:
The U.S. Department of Energy has granted $99.8 million to Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation for the EV Project, involving the installation of up to 11,210 charging stations in strategic markets.
Price:
Although an exact price has not been announced, the car is expected to cost 34000-45000€. The Leaf's pricing will be announced in April 2010

Venturi Fetish

One of the stars of the 21st International Electric Vehicles Symposium (EVS21) to be held in Monte Carlo next week will be the world’s most exclusive electric car – the Venturi Fetish. Assembled by hand in Monaco and made to order, the Fetish has an asking price of 450,000 Euro (US$583,000) - not bad for a vehicle which can legitimately claim the title of being the first production electric sports car in history.

The Venturi Fetish concept car was first unveiled at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, and went on to be one of the stars of the 2002 Paris Motor Show and 2003 Detroit Motor Show - an electric sportcar concept of French design. Buoyed by public enthusiasm and the brand's 20th anniversary, Venturi took the Fetish one step further in 2004, putting the car into production and first selling the car in the Japanese market in November.

Having integrated the standards for Europe, Japan and the USA from conception, the Fetish went on sale in the United States in January 2005 - the company having identified Tokyo and Los Angeles as the markets most sensitive to environmental issues. Paris, London and Monte-Carlo have been selected as the main target markets in Europe where the car can be ordered now.

Similar to other electric-powered concept/show cars, the new car is designed to overcome the public's perceived opinion that electric cars lack performance, style and range, though with a maximum speed of just 170kmh, the Fetish is unlikely to start cutting into supercar sales any time soon.

The Fetish does however offer outstanding acceleration thanks to the linear torque curve of the 180Kw electric motor, accelerating from 0 to 100Km/h in less than 5 seconds, just like that other electric car we were so excited about, the Tango. The engine spins to 14,000rpm and has adjustable engine braking.

Venturi has also gone to great lengths to ensure a healthy 350 Km range with a rapid battery recharge (with 80 Amps) of 1.6 Km a minute or 10 minutes recharge for every 16 Km.

Under the technical direction of Gerard Ducarouge, chief engineer of the project, Venturi has taken a different approach to most other companies in the electric car business in designing the Fetish. Most such vehicles use an electric motor to drive each wheel, whereas Ducarouge has opted for a single centrally-positioned engine and a monocoque carbon chassis, to keep weight to 1100 Kg.

Ducarouge has placed the 350 kg Lithium-Ion battery unit at the epicentre of the automobile and Venturi, renowned for the superb handling of its cars, has apparently achieved precision, sports car handling with the vehicle.

Nissan Leaf

Nissan will start taking reservations for the Leaf electric vehicle in April, start building them by October and have the first of them rolling into driveways in December.

Specifications

The Leaf uses a front-mounted electric motor driving the wheels, powered by a 24 kWh/90 kW lithium ion battery pack. The expected cruising range is the same as the EV-11 prototype, as is the motor. The battery pack is made of air-cooled stacked modules.

Price and sales

Although an exact price has not been announced, the car is expected to cost US$25,000–33,000. The Leaf's pricing will be announced in April 2010, and Nissan will sell or lease the Leaf only with batteries included, forgoing the initial idea of leasing batteries to reduce the price of the car.

Nissan LEAF - Technische Daten

• length: 4.445 Millimeter
• width: 1.770 Millimeter
• height: 1.550 Millimeter
• wheelbase: 2.700 Millimeter

Motor

• Type: electromotor (AC)
• power: 80 kW
• torisional: 280 Newtonmeter
• range: 160 Kilometer / 100 Meilen (US LA4)
• maximum speed: over 140 km/h (90 mph)

Chevrolet Volt

Volt is an electric car that can create its own electricity. Plug it in, let it charge overnight, and it’s ready to run on a pure electric charge for up to 40 miles — gas and emissions free. After that, Volt keeps going, even if you can’t plug it in. Volt uses a range-extending gas generator that produces enough energy to power it for hundreds of miles on a single tank of gas.

Technology
Volt is an electric vehicle with a range extender. Well, what does that mean? It means Volt runs on electricity from its battery, and then it runs on electricity it creates from gas. Let's assume you have a fully charged battery. Now, depending on the weather, the electrical features that are turned on and how you drive, you can drive up to 40 miles on the electricity stored in the battery — totally gas and emissions free. After that, its gas-powered, range-extending generator automatically kicks in to provide electrical power. So Volt can go for several hundred additional miles, until you can plug it in or fill it up again.

Power Grid
The power that you use for heating, cooling, cooking, refrigeration, light, sound, computers and entertainment comes to your house from the power plant through a network of transmissions and distribution power lines called the power grid. Various sources generate this power: wind, sunlight, water, natural gas, coal, oil and biofuels. You can see evidence of the power grid every time you drive past an electricity pole and see power lines. To put it simply, the power grid is the system by which electricity is brought to your home.