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Advances in lithium-ion battery technology will boost the range of electric vehicles to 400 kilometers (248 miles) by 2015, the head of research and development at Nissan Motor Co. said Wednesday.

Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan's executive vice president for research and development, said advances in lithium-ion battery technology will dramatically boost the operating range of electric vehicles, potentially broadening their appeal. The breakthrough will come with so-called fourth-generation lithium-ion batteries that will be ready by 2015, he said.

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Labels: autos, batteries, electric-cars, hybrids, inventions

Whenone of the world’s mightiest corporations throws everything it’s got at a project, and when it shreds its rule book in the process, the results are likely to be impressive. Still, even for General Motors, the Volt is a reach. If it meets specifications, it will charge up overnight from any standard electrical socket. It will go 40 miles on a charge. Then a small gasoline engine will ignite. The engine’s sole job will be to drive a generator, whose sole job will be to maintain the battery’s charge—not to drive the wheels, which will never see anything but electricity. In generator mode, the car will drive hundreds of miles on a tank of gas, at about 50 miles per gallon. But about three-fourths of Americans commute less than 40 miles a day, so on most days most Volt drivers would use no gas at all.

Because it will have both an electric and a gasoline motor on board, the Volt will be a hybrid. But it will be like no hybrid on the road today. Existing hybrids are gasoline-powered cars, with an electric assist to improve the gas mileage. The Volt will be an electric-powered car, with a gasoline assist to increase the battery’s range.

Source: Electro-Shock Therapy

Labels: autos, electric-cars, electricity, hybrids

The 2-Mode Hybrid system uses a new, electrically variable transmission (EVT) that offers the best of both worlds: fuel economy and real SUV capability. The two modes consist of a continuously variable operation, for low-load driving situations and a fixed-gear operation, for high-load conditions such as towing or highway driving.

Drawing on experience gleaned in the development of hybrid bus propulsion systems, GM designed the two-mode EVT to provide the best combination of city and highway fuel economy; it is used in concert with the 6.0L Gen IV V-8 engine with Active Fuel Management. Furthermore, the EVT is designed to bolt directly to the standard four-wheel-drive transfer case found on the gasoline-only models for true four-wheel-drive capability.

The Escalade Hybrid’s drivetrain is made up of components, each of which works together to provide seamless, economical and comfortable operation that goes virtually unnoticed by the driver ...

Source: 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

Labels: autos, efficiency, electric-cars, hybrids

Lithium batteries ready for the 3rd Gen. Prius

Toyota's lithium batteries ready to go - May 11, 2007

The biggest issue regarding the third iteration of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive has been the lithium-ion batteries, and how soon those batteries could be available...
A Toyota executive recently announced today that Toyota's lithium-ion battery, under development with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., was technically ready to be mounted on hybrid cars "any time"...

Read the full report from here @ Hybrid Car Blog

Labels: batteries, electric-cars, hybrids, inventions

Mitsubishi to establish new company to manufacture Lithium-ion batteries

Tuesday, 08 May 2007

GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have begun collaboration on establishing a joint venture company to manufacture large capacity and high performance Lithium-ion batteries that can be used in electric vehicles (EV). The three partners aim to complete the details and set up the new company sometime within half a year.

Application of Large Lithium-ion batteries is expected to increase dramatically across a wide variety of industries, including automobiles. Construction of systems that can quickly meet these market needs has become a vital issue.

Read the full report from here @ Green Vehicle News

Labels: batteries, hybrids

Hybrids: Don't buy the hype

Sure, hybrids save gas but they won't save you money. There are smarter ways to go, says By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN/Money staff writer

With gasoline prices at a high, you might think it makes a lot of sense that hybrid cars are hot sellers.

They may make a social statement you're interested in, but if you want to save money because of rising gas prices, you're heading down the wrong road by buying hybrid autos, at least for now, says this report.

This kind of gets me thinking about the prices of various alternative energy sources right now...and in almost every case, the prices are higher than what we get from conventional sources and fossil fuels.

For instance, in the case of hybrids, I understand that they don’t save much at highway speeds, and many Americans commute at highways speeds. The capital costs on hybrids are higher as well. And it is not just with hybrids...I live in a hot (not sexy, but 105 degree F hot) city in India, and may be I can simply capture all the sun's heat and convert into electricity...maybe, but solar panels aren't cheap. Geothermal perhaps, way too costly.

You go across the spectrum, and analyse other alt energy sources - wind energy, wave energy, biofuels, all these cost relatively more right now...

Now don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, just stating a fact. This does not unduly worry me though, the prices are higher but not unaffordable, which in itself is great...when you consider that we are just on the threshold of exploring new sources of energy, I am optimistic the prices will fall quickly, and all the time, the prices of fossil fuels will be rising...

Back to hybrids. A further search on the cost of ownership of hybrids landed me on an interesting post on hybrids which said, "The Time for Hybrid has Come". The author cites an Edmunds.com report which gives the following reason why the hybrids are more economical now:

1. Now is the time when the prices and expenses on hybrid vehicles are at its lowest because there is now more supply than demand.
2. Incentives are now being offered on most of the popular hybrid vehicles.
3. Tax credits would be way lower especially later in the spring.
4. Gas prices are going up again.

So, perhaps right now hybrids might be more attractive than what they could be a couple of months lower, especially if gas prices go down again (optimistic thinking, I admit), but we need a far more stable price differential than that. Overall, I am not sure the time for hybrids has come, but perhaps what that day is not far into the future.

If I write a similar post perhaps a couple of year later the title in all probability will be, "Of course Hybrids save you money".

Read the full post here @ Hybrid Cars News

Labels: autos, costs, hybrids

Toyota to be 100% hybrid by 2020?

A short TreeHugger post informs about a Toyota executive saying that the company has seen some success in reducing the cost of the electrical components used in it's hybrid powertrains, and that Toyota ultimately aims by 2020 to have all Toyotas to be hybrid.

Not sure if this is just the company's ambition or a strategy...

Read the original TreeHugger post from here

Labels: autos, costs, hybrids

China’s Automakers, With Beijing’s Prodding, Show Alternative-Fuel Cars

By Keith Bradsher, April 21, 2007

SHANGHAI, April 20 — Chinese automakers, under pressure from the government to produce more fuel-efficient cars, unveiled an unexpectedly broad array of prototypes for fuel-cell cars, gasoline-electric hybrid cars and electric battery cars at the Shanghai auto show recently.

The variety and sophistication of the cars showed a striking improvement not just since the last Shanghai auto show two years ago

Read the full report from here @ NY Times

Labels: autos, electric-cars, events, fuel-cells, hybrids

Chrysler to build a Sprinter-based plug-in hybrid

March 29, 2007, by Auto123.com

Chrysler has announced plans to build a plug-in hybrid vehicle for their customers. It's an environmental commitment which is now also scheduled to roll on the next-generation Sprinter platform. Sprinter is a large utility van ideal for businesses, and its' currently available with a diesel engine. Up to 20 of the new hybrid models will be placed in use within the USA as a test-fleet project to gather real-world data from real-life use.

Read the full article from here @ Auto 123

Labels: batteries, hybrids

New buses drive transportation to next level

By Mike Westervelt

09 Mar 2007

Purdue, USA - A new type of CityBus is driving the company into the realm of alternative energy.

CityBus bought six new buses, two of which use hybrid technology. The company considers the purchase an investment considering the hybrid buses cost an additional $195,000 than regular diesel buses.

The buses are expected to reduce fuel consumption somewhere between 25 and 30 percent, and the fuel savings could also translate into less emissions.

Read more from this report @ Purdue Exponent

Labels: buses, conservation, hybrids, transportation