Filed under: Electric Cars
First Electric Car
Oh that William Morrison! Hybrid car enthusiasts should remember the name William Morrison. A native of Scotland, William Morrison built America’s first electric automobile in his secret basement lab in Des Moines in 1892. His 4 horsepower front-wheel-drive vehicle required 24 battery cells, had a top speed of 20 mph and needed recharging every 50 miles. It was the talk of 1893’s Chicago World’s Fair. Just four years later, another inventing Morrison – William J. Morrison – a Tennessee dentist and civic leader, patented an electric candy machine. The machine spun sugar into what was first called Fairy Floss. Today we know it as cotton candy. Remember those names this summer when you cruise over to the county fair in your hybrid.
June 10, 2009
Are you trying to figure out which hybrid car to buy? HybridCars.com has a cool online comparison tool that lets you compare up to 3 hybrid cars side by side. Add or remove different cars from the dropdown menus at the top and compare their estimated fuel use and cost, greenhouse gas emissions, technology, and more, plus see photos of the interiors and exteriors of the cars you choose.
Only cars that are currently for sale are included in the comparisons. There’s no wishful thinking here of what may come. If you’re in the market right now, this is a great help in the decision making process.
June 10, 2009
On June 9, 2009 the House approved the Cash for Clunkers Bill with a vote of 298 to 119. The passing of this bill means that consumers may receive a voucher for up to $4,500 from the government in return for their fuel thirsty cars. The voucher will be good towards the purchase of a newer, more fuel-efficient car of the consumer’s choice. Car owners will qualify to receive a $3,500 voucher if their current vehicle gets less than 18 mpg, and they purchase a new car that gets at least 22 miles per gallon in it’s place. They could, instead, receive up to $4,500 if their newly purchased car gets at least 10 mpg more than their old vehicle.
In the Cash for Clunkers program, the government will essentially buy gas-guzzling cars and trucks from their drivers in order for them to purchase newer more fuel-efficient cars, stimulating our struggling auto industry. It is estimated that the program could lead to 1.3 million new-vehicle purchases.
Funding for this bill will be derived from the already existing $787 billion dollar stimulus package plan. Furthermore, the effects Cash for Clunkers program is expected to be grandiose as it will create job opportunities and will also put more hybrid and eco-friendly cars on the road. Lastly, it will help in minimizing the amount of cars that contribute to global pollution in the atmosphere.
June 10, 2009
Winning the mainstream All electric driving may gain a foothold among mainstream consumers in the future but for now national surveys of households reveal consumers don’t really understand or value the concept. That was one of the observations Dr. Ken Kurani from the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies made at this year’s SAE 2009 Hybrid Vehicle Technology Symposium in San Diego. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) such as the Chevy Volt will face stiff competition from alternative solutions, the researcher said, and manufacturers will need to reach beyond pioneers, advocates and experts to help PHEVs reach their potential. Recent studies, Kurani said, demonstrate that consumers still do not place the highest values of fuel economy or low emissions when purchasing a new car.
June 10, 2009
Volvo Car Corporation is sending a demonstration fleet of the new plug-in hybrid cars this summer, which feature two charging ports. There is one charge port under the fuel cap at the rear of the car to be used for public charging stations and one at the front for home charging. The cars use Lithium-Ion batteries and take up to 2 hours to charge.
“We want to reinforce electricity’s importance in society and its key role in solving climate issues. Through this cooperation, we hope to be able to speed up the introduction of electric cars. Together we are developing the next-generation technology based on plug-in cars and various charging alternatives,” Vattenfall president and CEO Lars G Josefsson said in a statement.
Vattenfall and Volvo launched a joint project in January 2007 to test and develop the new plug-in hybrid cars. The partnership will lead to a series of new production of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which will generate new jobs. The demonstration fleet will be used to gather information about consumer demands on performance, driving experience and fuel options.
These Volvo hybrid cars are port ready to be charged at home. The vehicles can be charged from a regular household wall socket. The automaker believes that electricity is a well-suited power source for cars.
Several automakers are coming out with similar plug-in hybrid technologies and the market is moving fast. Volvo uses a high efficiency electric motor which consumes one-fifth the energy needed to power a gasoline engine. The automaker plans to bring the new hybrid cars to market in 2012.
What’s not clear from Volvo is the purchase price for the new hybrids. They did say that the purchase price will be a bit higher than conventional automobiles. The batteries that drive these hybrid cars are still expensive, but its electric fuel costs will be cut to be roughly one-third in comparison to diesel power.
The Volvo V70 will be the demonstration model used this summer. I am actually looking forward to the demonstration, and we’ll provide videos and other content about the plug-in hybrid cars later this summer.
June 9, 2009
Wired reports, “The first electric sedan you’re likely to see in showrooms could come from a company you’ve never heard of and cost more than you’re willing to pay.” Coda Automotive plans to begin selling its compact sedan to fleets early next year, and to retail customers by the third quarter of 2010. “The four-door, five-passenger” Coda “features pedestrian styling, a range of 90 to 120 miles and a whopping $45,000 price tag. It will be available only in California to start, but the company plans to roll it out nationally by 2012.”
The company, which had developed the car under the name Miles EV, will use an existing Chinese small car as the base for its new sedan. Autoblog explains, “Coda sedan will be assembled in China by Hafei under the direction of staff from Coda. The new car is based on an existing Hafei chassis that has been heavily re-engineered by Porsche Engineering. The car is powered by a UQM electric motor driving the front wheels with energy storage via lithium iron phosphate battery pack.” The company believes the car will pass U.S. crash tests.
Motor Trend has been behind the wheel. They report that its “sub-11 second 0 to 60 mph time isn’t much to write home about,” but “the Coda feels quicker than the numbers indicate.” What “will hold the Coda back,” they write, is “the quality. While the interior materials are soft to the touch and appear to be of decent quality, the build quality leaves much to be desired.” To that point, they note, “On the outside, the panel gaps around the new hood were large and uneven.”
For $45,000, it’s a lot to ask buyers to accept.
Posted: Jun. 04, 2009 10:06 a.m. from US News.
June 6, 2009
Aston Martin’s debut in the LMP1 class at Le Mans this year coincides with a number of rule changes – posing another challenge to the British team as it gears up for its campaign at the La Sarthe circuit on the 13-14 June.
Aston Martin Racing will enter three Gulf-liveried LMP1 prototypes, powered by the same production-derived V12 engine that has given the Aston Martin DBR9 victory in the GT1 class at the 24 Hours for the last two years.
Some even more far-reaching changes are set to be introduced for the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010, allowing homologation of hybrid technology cars, encouraging further use of hybrid technology such as KERS and reducing carbon emissions.
KERS is the acronym for Kinetic Energy Recharging System. Best known in the Prius which uses the technology under braking to recharge the hybrid battery packs.
Aston Martin Racing Team Principal George Howard-Chappell commented: “The changes to the rules mean that the emphasis has switched to getting more out all aspect of the car. In the end these new rules just provide another set of numbers to compute: they don’t make a fundamental difference to the unique challenge of the race.”
June 5, 2009
Every day I drive by the local Tesla Dealer and slow down to look at a candy store of colorful electric roadsters. Last week I noticed something new on the showroom floor and had to stop in. It was a beautiful luxury sedan. It was Tesla’s Model S.
This marks the electric automaker unveiling its long awaited introduction of its seven passenger vehicle. Really it is a 5 passenger sedan with a couple of kid seats in the back that face rearward. It is a very creative configuration, but I am not sure how the kids will do when fully loaded and have to look out the rear window on long trips.
Tesla is aiming high with a limited production and very expensive model starting at a base price of $57,400. The base car has a range of 160 miles. Though the battery can be upgraded to extend the range to 300 miles between charges. Tesla would not discuss the additional cost over the base price to do this. You can charge this car pretty much anywhere at 120, 240, or 480 volts. Tesla also mentioned a quick change battery swap which sounded a bit more like marketing than reality at the moment.
According to the specifications the car weighs almost 2 tons and is expected to have a zero to 60 acceleration time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 130 MPH. Acceptable , but certainly not stellar performance for a lux-sedan in this price range.
I must say the car is drop dead gorgeous with a hint of Maserati in the front lines which are fluid. Definitely first impressions are that this is a luxury car and expensive. There is an aura of go fast and expensive in the same breath.
Considering making this car really functional for family use it would need a battery upgrade to 300 mile capacity. My estimate with current battery technology and cost is that this would add upwards of approximately $30,000 dollars to the price point. Thus making the entire car cost upwards of $80,000 to $90,000.
Tesla is taking deposits now and the production cars probably will not hit the streets for at least a year or so. This is a great sign of things to come from Tesla and other automakers. We are looking forward to having some auto accessories for this and other electric vehicles.
Get yours now!
priusaccessories
June 1, 2009
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