Sep 09

To proceed another five miles, TXT ‘DESIGN FLAW’ to your Reva electric car

Posted in: electric, electric car, ElectricCar, Today's Chili
To proceed another five miles, TXT 'DESIGN FLAW' to your Reva electric car

Not long ago a motorcycle with a fuel gauge was basically unheard of and even “low fuel” idiot lights were rare. Riders used advanced (and generally inaccurate) mathematics to calculate remaining mileage and, when the engine inevitably sputtered, switched over to a reserve tank that would let them nervously motor along a few more miles. Reva, an Indian company set to start shipping electric cars next year, plans to resurrect that most irritating sequence of events in their two-door NXR — albeit with a modern spin. Now, instead of reaching down and turning a dial to get to that precious extra juice, drivers will need to call or text Reva HQ. Some overworked customer service agent will then remotely activate the “reserve battery,” which surely doesn’t even exist, to give a bit of extra range. We pity the fool who runs out of charge somewhere outside of cell range, but not quite as much as the designer who pitched this terrible idea.

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To proceed another five miles, TXT ‘DESIGN FLAW’ to your Reva electric car originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 06

Toyota moves its two millionth hybrid vehicle, Ma Earth tips her hat

Posted in: electric car, ElectricCar, ev, green, hybrid, Today's Chili, Toyota

It’s incredibly hard to believe that the original Prius went on sale a full dozen years ago, but as the debatable face of the hybrid reaches its third generation, Toyota as a whole is celebrating the sale of its two millionth hybrid. As of August 31st, global sales of the automaker’s hybrid fleet has surpassed 2.01 million, and as of now, there are 13 hybrids in the company’s lineup. Later this year, Lexus (the outfit’s luxury brand) is set to see its fourth hybrid hit the streets, and it’s been said that Toyota could have a hybrid version of every motorcar it sells by the end of the next decade. Not like it’ll matter — we’ll all be cruising around in Jetson-mobiles or Tesla Roadsters by then, anyway.

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Toyota moves its two millionth hybrid vehicle, Ma Earth tips her hat originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 27

Better Place tests its EV battery switching stations on Tokyo cabbies

Posted in: automobile, car, electric, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, green, Japan, Today's Chili, Transportation

Not long after establishing a prototype EV battery switching station in Japan, Better Place is now partnering with Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, to put the thing through its paces, swapping out batteries for up to four electric hacks scheduled to run from the Roppongi Hills shopping and office complex beginning in January next year. In Tokyo, cabs account for only two percent of the traffic, yet they produce twenty-percent of its CO2 emissions — a fact that further drives home the point that greening our public transportation is an important first step in cleaning up the environment. The study comes hot on the heels of other deals in the works for Israel, Europe, and the San Francisco. Albert Hockenberry would be impressed.

[Via PhysOrg]

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Better Place tests its EV battery switching stations on Tokyo cabbies originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 19

Ford’s vehicle-to-grid communications system charges plug-in whips on command

Posted in: charging, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, Ford, green, hybrid, power, Today's Chili, Transportation

If you’re dreaming of always plugging your future AC-friendly hybrid in during the wee hours of the morning in order to juice up for the lowest price, you’re certainly using your noodle. But what about instances where you can’t choose when exactly you’ll be plugging in? Fret not, as Bill Ford and Company has you covered. The automaker, in collaboration with a slew of utility partners, has today introduced an intelligent vehicle-to-grid communications system that would theoretically enable vehicle owners to plug their ride in and tell it precisely when to begin and / or end charging via the navigation screen. Users could also define the completion time for charging or the desired rates in order to better control spending, though all that planning could be ruined by some random prankster who decides to yank your cable when you’re not looking. And really, who cares about saving a penny or two on charging when you can get two hundred and thirty miles per gallon? Oh, wait…

[Via HotHardware]

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Ford’s vehicle-to-grid communications system charges plug-in whips on command originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 15

Nissan says its new electric car, the Leaf, gets 367 miles per gallon

Posted in: car, Cars, eco, electric, electric car, ElectricCar, Today's Chili, Transportation
Nissan’s gotten into a bit of a bragging contest on Twitter — possibly fueled by Chevrolet’s recent, shaky claim that the Volt will get 230 miles per gallon. The company is now saying that its new electric car, the Leaf, will get an astonishing 367 miles per gallon… even though it’s a 100 percent electric car, and runs on absolutely no fuel. So, isn’t that zero miles per gallon? Well, yes and no: all these massive numbers are based on both the Department of Energy and the EPA’s calculations for estimating equivalencies in electric cars. Why? Well, it seems that car companies are still giving us — the prospective buying public — MPG figures because they think that’s what we understand best. Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for Chevy’s Volt recently admitted to the New York Times that the miles per gallon matrix is “probably not the best measure of goodness” for a car that uses no gallons at all, but that it’s “what people are accustomed to.” We agree — he’s got a point — but people were also accustomed to the hi-fi, the corded landline, and the steam engine. We assure you: people understand that a car that runs on zero gas (and therefore gets an astonishingly low amount of miles per gallon) is really, really awesome. So the MPG matrix is useless when talking about electric cars — we’ll adjust!

Read – Nissan claims 367 miles per gallon for electric Leaf
Read – The Chevy Volt: mileage numerology

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Nissan says its new electric car, the Leaf, gets 367 miles per gallon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 11

Chevy Volt nabs shaky 230 MPG rating, might not ship in 2010

Posted in: electric car, ElectricCar, ev, green, Today's Chili

We’ve always heard that you’ve got to take the bad with the good, but who said it had to be done at the same time? This morning, Government General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson had some rather sensational news to share about Chevrolet’s Volt, but according to a report over at Autocar, that very vehicle is looking at some serious (potential) issues. As for the good news, we’re told that the Volt has snagged a staggering 230 MPG rating in the city, but we should caution you that it’s not as cut and dry as GM would have you believe. The EPA has released “a new methodology for determining a draft fuel economy standard for extended-range EVs like the Volt,” and it’s that murky measurement system that has blessed Chevy’s wonder child with a triple digit MPG rating.

Now, for the bad news. This past Sunday, GM reportedly submitted a regulatory filing with the US Treasury, and while it can’t be taken as official word per se, it does provide reason to believe that the promised November ship date will slip to an undisclosed month and year. The report also noted that there is “no assurance” that it will qualify for any remaining energy loans to develop advanced fuel technology automobiles, and if you needed more reason to doubt the whole ordeal, have a look at this zinger: “Our competitors and others are pursuing similar technologies and other competing technologies, in some cases with more money available; there can be no assurance that they will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do.” Ah well — at least we know the four or five prototype models destined for eBay will do Ma Earth proud, right?

Update: CNN has a nice look at this incredibly large MPG figure, and — surprise, surprise — it’s not nearly as fantastic as it looks at first glance.

Read – Chevy Volt gets “230 MPG” rating
Read – Chevy Volt may be delayed [Via AutoblogGreen]

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Chevy Volt nabs shaky 230 MPG rating, might not ship in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 06

Eberhard’s RFMC rapid charger for Tesla Roadster now up for order

Posted in: electric car, ElectricCar, tesla, Today's Chili

If you’re one of the lucky few who own a Tesla Roadster, this will certainly be of interest to you. And, for the rest of us — well, let’s indulge ourselves in a bit of vicarious living for a moment, shall we? Eberhard’s just made its rapid charger — the Roadster Foundry Mobile Connector (or RFMC) — available to order. The RFMC comes with adapters that will allow charging at 12, 16, 24, 32 or 40 amps, and a fully depleted battery will charge overnight when charging at 40 amps. All you need to do (owning a Roadster is the hardest part, no doubt) to get the newer, faster charger is send the standard MC120 charger the car came with, plus $960 to EV components, wait for the new RFMC to show up, then go back to your normal life — you know, sitting on a desolate beach in your insane car watching the sun go down.

[Via Autoblog Green]

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Eberhard’s RFMC rapid charger for Tesla Roadster now up for order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 27

Nissan shows off latest electric car prototype with battery monitoring system, iPhone app

Posted in: car, eco, electric, electric car, ElectricCar, ev, green, prototype, Today's Chili

Nissan’s started showing off its latest prototype electric car, based on the Versa. This one will house a 108 horsepower / 206 pound-feet electric motor to drive the front wheels, and a 24 kWh, lithium ion battery pack will be fitted under the floor for storing electricity, with an expected range of 100 miles. To top things of nerd-style, the newest prototype will have a navigation system which will show the current life of the battery, and the mile range its current amount of juice will support, and will boast the ability to download info about nearby charging station locations. And need we say, “there’s an app for that?” That’s right, Nissan also has a working prototype of an iPhone app making the rounds in Japan which would allow users to communicate with their car remotely and find out the state of the battery’s charge. Can this get any cooler?

Read – Nissan shows off new Versa-based electric vehicle protoype
Read – Nissan dials iPhone for car remote control

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Nissan shows off latest electric car prototype with battery monitoring system, iPhone app originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 23

Video: MIT working on rapid recharging for electric vehicles

Posted in: concept, electric, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, mit, prototype, tesla, Today's Chili

MIT’s electric vehicle prototype may be a long way off from being completed, but if we let that stop us from discussing EVs, we might never talk about them. The headline ambition of this project is a full recharge within 10 minutes, which would eliminate somewhere between four and ten hours of waiting. Speedwise, the Electric Vehicle Team is aiming for a 100 mph top speed from a 250-horsepower / 187 kilowatt AC induction motor, and a not unheard of 200-mile cruising range. To achieve their rapid juicing aim, the students will strap 7,905 lithium iron-phosphate cell batteries from A123Systems to a gutted 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid body. The batteries’ low internal resistance is what makes things possible, but further hurdles, such as finding a sufficiently powerful energy source, would have to be overcome before any sort of widespread use may occur. Video after the break.

[Via PC World]

Continue reading Video: MIT working on rapid recharging for electric vehicles

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Video: MIT working on rapid recharging for electric vehicles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 20

Nissan looking to give an inductive charge to its upcoming Zero Emissions Vehicle

Posted in: electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, Today's Chili

It won’t be quite the same as putting a Palm Touchstone under your tire — although that’s quite the mental image — but Nissan’s thinking big and planning to apply that same inductive charging technology for its upcoming five-seat Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV). As envisioned by the company, the ideal scenario would be to drive into a compatible charging bay and power up without the need to haul around a plug like current EV owners do — Nissan Europe’s Larry Haddad estimates a 25 minute shopping trip could be enough to refill the battery back up to 80 percent. In an admittedly more far-fetched case, the company said it’s scientifically feasible to have charging plates buried just under the surface of the road for on-the-go charging. With realities like money and practicality in the way, we can’t imagine that example to fruition anytime soon. In the meantime, we’ve still gotta wait until August to even gather a glimpse of the ZEV — maybe by then we’ll get a better idea of Nissan’s plans for the technology.

[Via Autoblog Green]

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Nissan looking to give an inductive charge to its upcoming Zero Emissions Vehicle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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