Jan 28

Battery wars: automakers seek profits in supplying EV parts

Posted in: automobile, business, car, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, ev, green, industry, tesla, Today's Chili, Toyota

We already knew that Daimler was looking in Tesla’s direction for electric vehicle batteries, but we certainly didn’t know that those passing glances were only the beginning of an underground battle for supply chain supremacy. As automakers struggle to move cars from lots, it’s being reported that some — Toyota, Tesla, Daimler and Nissan, in particular — are looking to parts fulfillment for profit. Toyota already has an edge on its rivals by being one of the only companies to actually produce its own batteries, and if demand begins to outstrip supply, other car makers could come running in hopes of stocking up. Of course, you’ve also got Nissan ramping up production in order to equip some 200,000 electric / hybrid vehicles annually over the next few years, so who knows if all this scheming will eventually backfire. Though, if one firm can somehow figure out how to make their battery stronger, more potent, lighter and cheaper — well, we needn’t tell you how that would play out.

[Image courtesy of AutoBeYours]

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Battery wars: automakers seek profits in supplying EV parts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 23

Aptera rolls out first pre-production vehicle, promises shipments in October

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

Although the swoopy Aptera electric went up for pre-orders back in October of 2007, we haven’t really seen much of the futuristic car outside of the odd Star Trek cameo. Hopefully that’s about to change, though — the company just rolled out the first pre-production example its flagship model, the 2e. The three-wheeled car gets the equivalent of 200mpg, and the company claims the lithium-ion battery pack will last for 100 miles on a single charge. Aptera isn’t giving out final pricing information apart from “between $25,000 and $45,000” but it says over 4,000 potential customers have already signed up for a planned California-only October release. We’ll see how it goes — and we’d bet the folks at the Automotive X-Prize are keeping a sharp eye as well.

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Aptera rolls out first pre-production vehicle, promises shipments in October originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 14

Daimler taps Tesla’s battery know-how for electric Smart

Posted in: electric car, ElectricCar, ev, Today's Chili
Daimler taps Tesla's battery know-how for electric Smart

Daimler has been talking about electric Smart cars for about 10 years now, but the closest you’ve ever been able to come to a production model has been to go all KIRF-style and buy a knock-off CMEC City Smart. At the North American International Auto Show this past week the company again confirmed that a little Smart that runs on little batteries is still in the works, announcing plans to release 1,000 electric fortwos on lease here in the States by the end of the year. Now that the show is over, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is letting everyone know that his company will be producing those little batteries, a partnership the likes of which he must surely be hoping to develop with other manufacturers as they jump on the EV bandwagon. 1,000 cars is disappointingly few, but it’s better than the paltry 500 plug-in Prius models Toyota plans to pilot here.

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Daimler taps Tesla’s battery know-how for electric Smart originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 02

Lotus powersliding into the hybrid car market

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

Lotus powersliding into the hybrid car marketIf you want to make a car handle — and handle well — you call Lotus. Just ask Tesla; without the help of the gearheads in Hethel, the US’s hottest electric vehicle would probably still be just a concept. Perhaps dissatisfied with the relatively minimal PR love it’s been receiving from the Tesla relationship, Lotus has announced plans to develop its own battery-powered car. However, unlike the all-electric Roadster, this new offering will include a Volt-like supplementary fuel-burning engine to add a bit more range and, one would figure, rather a lot more mass. That’s not exactly good news for those who worship the Lotus mantra of “to add speed, add lightness,” but at this point we don’t have any idea about what the thing will weigh, cost, or indeed look like. If all goes according to plan we should get some answers when those international automotive powerhouses who are still alive bum a ride to the Geneva Auto Show in March.

[Via Autoblog]

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Lotus powersliding into the hybrid car market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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