Hybrid Cars

CleanFUEL USA has partnered with the City of Springfield, Ill., to convert 24 police patrol cars and pickup trucks to clean burning propane autogas. We estimate our fuel savings in the first year alone to be more than $82,000. Transitioning our fleet to propane autogas was an extremely easy decision to make because we are saving taxpayer dollars, improving the environment through cleaner auto emissions and supporting a domestically produced fuel source.—Bill McCarty, director of budget and management for the City of Springfield A recently installed on-site refueling station featuring a CleanFUEL USA CFT Pro 2100 autogas dispenser will fuel the vehicles, used by the City’s public works department. When compared with gasoline, vehicles fueled by propane autogas emit 20% less NOx, 60% less carbon monoxide and up to 25% less greenhouse gases. The project was funded in part by a grant from the US Energy Department’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Texas State Technical College serves as the lead grantee of the funds, which support the development of a national propane autogas refueling network, incentives to convert school buses and other fleet vehicles to alternative fuels, and training for green jobs. According to McCarty, savings from these initial 24 vehicles will influence the City’s decision to add more vehicles fueled by propane autogas to its fleet, including police patrol cars.

Total has approved a €1-billion (US$1.3-billion) modernization project for its Antwerp production facilities, Total’s largest European refining and petrochemical platform. Two major projects will be implemented in the near future: A new refinery upgrading complex, consisting of a solvent de-asphalting unit and a mild hydrocracking unit. Intended primarily to convert heavy fuel oil into desulfurized diesel and ultra low sulfur heating oil, the planned complex responds to the shift in demand toward products with a lower environmental impact. The facility is scheduled to start up in early 2016. A new plant to convert low value refinery fuel gases into low cost petrochemical feedstock, replacing expensive oil-based naphtha. By further enhancing the integration between the platform’s refining and petrochemical units, this project will increase the competitiveness of the latter. The facility is scheduled to start up in early 2017. In the framework of this modernization plan, two existing production facilities will be shut down, as they are no longer competitive in the world economic environment: The smallest and oldest steam cracker, currently idled for lack of markets, will be permanently stopped and dismantled. The smallest and oldest polyethylene production line will be closed at end-2014, once an investment in other polyethylene lines to produce a new range of innovative polymers has been completed. The Antwerp platform’s workforce will remain unchanged at around 1,700 people. Total has three production facilities in the port area of Antwerp that form an integrated refining and petrochemical platform. The platform produces various petroleum products, such as fuel oil, gasoline, LPG, diesel and jet fuel, as well as base chemicals including olefins, C4 fractions and aromatics, some of which are used to manufacture polymers like high density polyethylene.

Spark EV. Click to enlarge. Chevrolet announced a low-mileage lease on the new 2014 Spark EV 1LT (earlier post) for as low as $199 per month for 36 months, with $999 due at lease signing including security deposit (tax, title, license dealer fees extra), making the vehicle one of the most affordable EVs on the market. Payments are for a 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV with an MSRP of $27,495, with 36 monthly payments totaling $7,159.68. An option is available to purchase at lease end for an amount to be determined at lease signing. A mileage charge of $.25/mile is applied after 12,000 miles. With the full Federal tax credit, the net price of the Spark EV could be as low as $19,995, including $810 destination freight charge. Depending on their tax situation, California Spark EV owners may also qualify for other state and local tax credits and incentives ranging from $0 to $2,500, potentially reducing the price to $17,495. Spark EV owners in California are also eligible for High-Occupancy Vehicle, or carpool lane, access. Compared to the average new gas-powered vehicle, the Spark EV can save drivers, on average, about $150 per month in fuel costs based on EPA assessments. The Spark EV will be available at select Chevrolet dealers throughout California and Oregon beginning mid-June 2013. The Spark EV features a combined city/highway EPA estimated range of 82 miles (132 km) when fully charged and an EPA-estimated combined city/highway 119 MPGe fuel economy equivalent. The vehicle’s 21 kWh lithium-ion battery pack carries a limited warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Spark EV will also be the first vehicle on the market to offer as an available option compatibility with the recently approved SAE combo charger for DC Fast Charging. The capability, available shortly after launch, will enable the Spark EV to recharge up to 80% of its capacity in approximately 20 minutes at select DC Fast Charging stations when they become available. Unlike most competitors, the Spark EV’s battery system is capable of handling multiple compatible DC Fast Charges daily. Charging can also be completed in less than seven hours using a dedicated 240V charge. A 120V charge cord set comes standard.  Charging can be managed and monitored remotely using the Spark EV’s smart phone application, provided by OnStar, which is standard for three years. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will offer several forms of in-vehicle connectivity, including the MyLink infotainment system that includes a seven-inch touch screen and integration with third-party apps and features such as Siri Eyes Free, Pandora and BringGo navigation. These features require the user to purchase third party apps separately on a compatible smart phone. The Spark EV RemoteLink application is designed to enhance the overall ownership experience with fingertip interaction and control. The application, which requires compatible smart phone and active OnStar subscription: displays charge status – plugged in or not, and voltage; provides flexibility to “Charge Now” or schedule charge timing; displays percentage of battery charge level and total range; allows manual setting of grid-friendly charge mode for off-peak times when electricity rates are lowest; sends text or email for charge reminders, charge interruptions and full-charge notification; displays miles and odometer readings; and remotely starts the vehicle to pre-condition interior temperature. Because the Spark EV operates only on electricity, drivers will need to know if they can reach their destination on a single charge. The Spark EV Waypoint tab, which is integrated into the RemoteLi

Tesla Motors announced yesterday, May 22, that it has paid off the entire loan awarded to the company by the Department of Energy in 2010. In addition to payments made in 2012 and Q1 2013, Tesla said May 22′s wire of almost half a billion dollars ($451.8M) repays the full loan facility with interest. According to Tesla, following this payment, “Tesla will be the only American car company to have fully repaid the government.” Tesla may have badly chosen its words as this latest statement was quickly challenged by Chrysler. Gualberto Ranieri, Chrysler Group LLC Senior Vice President Corporate Communications, posted the following on the company’s blog: “The information is unmistakably incorrect. It’s pretty well-known that almost exactly two years ago – May 24, 2011 – Chrysler Group LLC repaid (in full and with interest) U.S. and Canadian government loans more than six years ahead of schedule. Question: short memory or short-circuit?” For the first seven years since its founding in 2003, Tesla was funded entirely with private funds, led by Elon Musk. Tesla brought its Roadster sports car to market with a 30 percent gross margin, designed electric powertrains for Daimler (Mercedes) and had done preliminary design of the Model S all before receiving a government loan. In 2010, Tesla said it was awarded a milestone-based loan, requiring matching private capital obtained via public offering, by the DOE as part of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. This program was signed into law by President Bush in 2008 and then awarded under the Obama administration in the years that followed. Tesla said this program is often confused with the financial bailouts provided to the then bankrupt GM and Chrysler, who were ineligible for the ATVM program, because a requirement of that program was good financial health. The loan payment was made May 22 using a portion of the approximately $1 billion in funds raised in last week’s concurrent offerings of common stock and convertible senior notes. Elon Musk, Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer and cofounder, purchased $100 million of common equity, the least secure portion of the offering. “I would like to thank the Department of Energy and the members of Congress and their staffs that worked hard to create the ATVM program, and particularly the American taxpayer from whom these funds originate,” said Elon Musk. “I hope we did you proud.” The post Tesla Repays DOE Loan Nine Years Early appeared first on HybridCars.com.

BMW UK revealed its network of dealers that will supply and support BMW i, the company’s new sub-brand featuring electric drive systems and premium mobility services. From launch, 46 sales agents across the UK will offer the BMW i range. Each will have specialist technical capabilities allowing them to carry out repairs to the vehicles’ high voltage batteries. A wider service network is planned to offer extended coverage for the general service, maintenance and repair of BMW i vehicles. Initially, two BMW i cars have been confirmed for production, the fully-electric BMW i3 megacity vehicle and the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 sports car. The BMW i3 is BMW’s first fully-electric production car and is due to go on sale in the UK in late 2013. Like the i8, the BMW i3 features an all-aluminum chassis combined with a passenger cell made entirely from lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic. BMW Group UK Managing Director, Tim Abbott said customer enquiries about BMW i are already “extremely high” with more than 6000 people registering their interest in the i brand. “With the announcement of our BMW i retail network we are open for business and taking deposits on the i3 and i8,” he said. “Our BMW i dealerships are located in the areas of the UK with the highest concentrations of population.” Potential UK customers can now register their interest with one of the BMW i agents or online at www.bmw-i.co.uk. As well as the vehicles themselves, BMW i will encompass a range of premium services for mobility aimed at optimizing the use of parking spaces, recharging infrastructure, ‘smart’ navigation systems, intermodal route planning and access to other BMW vehicles on an ‘on-demand’ basis. BMW said it is the first premium vehicle manufacturer to offer such a comprehensive ownership package surrounding electric mobility. The post First Group Of UK Dealers Confirmed For BMW i EVs appeared first on HybridCars.com.

ChargePoint and National Grid unveiled May 22 the first of what will be many electric vehicle charging stations funded through a $1 million award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The ChargePoint EV charging station, which can charge two cars at once, has been installed at the Homewood Suites on Wolf Road in Colonie. It was unveiled at a ceremony featuring Pat Romano, president and CEO, ChargePoint; Bill Flaherty, regional executive, National Grid; Francis J. Murray Jr., president and CEO, NYSERDA; and Brian Straughter, vice president, Turf Hotels. This public/private partnership, which supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Charge NY program, will provide more than 80 EV charging stations throughout New York State, of which 67 will be located in National Grid’s service area in upstate New York. ChargePoint and National Grid will be providing an additional $550,000 for the cost of this program. ChargePoint said New York has one of the highest growth rates of electric vehicles in the country. With nearly 4,000 vehicles registered today, according to New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, the number of EVs in the state has tripled in the past year. “New York is laying the foundation to be the largest EV market for electric vehicles on the East Coast,” said Pat Romano, president and CEO of ChargePoint. “We are proud to be working closely with National Grid, the only East Coast investor-owned utility that has made this kind of commitment to EV infrastructure in the United States. NYSERDA continues to support Governor Cuomo’s visionary plan to ‘Charge NY,’ which calls for ramping up in The state expects the number of EVs in the state to increase to as many as 40,000 by 2018, and a million by 2025.vestment in EV charging stations around the state.” ”The collaboration among NYSERDA, ChargePoint, and National Grid is a model of a public-private partnership working for New York State and the environment,” said Bill Flaherty, regional executive of National Grid’s Eastern New York division. “Plug-in electric vehicles are more than just a new way to get around. They’re a major part of a cleaner, more efficient transportation future. At National Grid, we’re committed to making this new technology more viable and cost-effective for ourselves and our customers, and pleased to help make it happen in Eastern New York and across New York State.” Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo announced Charge NY, a new initiative to promote EVs through investing $50 million over five years. The program calls for installing 3,000 public and workplace charging stations by 2018, plus other steps meant to encourage the growth of electric vehicle ownership. “Governor Cuomo’s ‘Charge NY’ program is developing an EV charging infrastructure across the state that will encourage and accommodate consumers in the purchase of electric vehicles,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., president and CEO, NYSERDA. “The investment being made through this public-private partnership will not only lead to a reduction in emissions from the transportation sector but will help stimulate economic activity.” The post Electric Vehicle Charging Station Project Launched In Upstate New York appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Ford is seeing a strong demand for many of its products, including its hybrids, and will increase production accordingly. Ford said it will add an additional 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year. In addition, Ford said it will produce an extra 40,000 units by idling select plants for only one week during what has been the traditional two-week summer shutdown. “To meet surging customer demand for our top-selling cars, utilities and trucks, we are continuing to run our North American facilities at full manned capacity, and we will add 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year,” said Jim Tetreault, vice president of North America Manufacturing. “Approximately 75 percent of our plants are running at a three-crew, three-shift or four-crew pattern in order to ensure we’re getting more of our products into dealerships.” The 200,000 annual straight-time capacity additions this year will come from Chicago Assembly Plant, Flat Rock Assembly Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant, including increased production of some of Ford’s best-selling vehicles like the Ford Explorer, Ford Fusion (hybrid and non-hybrid) and Ford F-Series. The increased production at Kansas City Assembly Plant with the addition of a third crew, which Ford announced in early May, is included in the 200,000 increase. Additionally, 20 plants, including six assembly plants, will take a reduced summer shutdown this year. The assembly plants taking one week of shutdown are Chicago Assembly, Cuautitlán Assembly, Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly, Kentucky Truck, Michigan Assembly and Oakville Assembly. The Michigan Assembly Plant is the plant where the Focus, Focus electric as well as the hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the C-Max are assembled. The post Reduced Summer Shutdown To Answer Demand For Ford’s Products appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Infiniti While we had been told it was coming in 2014, the exact release date of the production version of the Infiniti LE concept might just might hinge on something you can't see and that the Japanese automaker can't control: wireless charging infrastructure. That's the word from Autocar, which talked to Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer, who admits that wireless charging "is this technology we want to shine a light on, so while there is no world standard on methods, the rollout will be dependent on region." In other words, if you want the latest luxury EV, you'd better hide those wires. They're so gauche. There's a good chance Infiniti will be the first OEM to sell a production inductive charging vehicle (companies like Mitsubishi and Audi are also working on the technology), which is likely to be a double-edged sword. Yes, it'll have bragging rights, but the wired infrastructure is proving difficult enough to put into place, and having the coolest tech doesn't mean much if you can't put it into use. Thankfully, the LE (or whatever it will be called) is also expected to come with conventional wired charging capabilities. Also, Infiniti is, at this point, trying to get induction charging technology to be open source, which could help a lot of players in the industry. The LE concept, based on the Nissan Leaf, has the same 24-kWh lithium-ion battery pack but a more powerful 100-kw electric motor good for 134 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque.Infiniti luxury electric sedan needs more wireless charging originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 22 May 2013 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flush with its recent $1.02 billion fundraising, Tesla Motors has paid off the entire loan awarded to the company by the US Department of Energy in 2010. In addition to payments made in 2012 and Q1 2013, today’s wire of almost half a billion dollars ($451.8M) repays the full loan facility with interest. Following this payment, Tesla will be the only American car company to have fully repaid the government. For the first seven years since its founding in 2003, Tesla was funded entirely with private funds, led by Elon Musk. Tesla brought its Roadster sports car to market with a 30% gross margin, designed electric powertrains for Daimler (Mercedes) and had done preliminary design of the Model S all before receiving a government loan. In 2010, Tesla was awarded a milestone-based loan, requiring matching private capital obtained via public offering, by the DOE as part of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program. This program was signed into law by President Bush in 2008 and then awarded under the Obama administration in the years that followed. The loan payment was made today using a portion of the approximately $1 billion in funds raised in last week’s concurrent offerings of common stock and convertible senior notes. Elon Musk, Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer and cofounder, purchased $100 million of common equity, the least secure portion of the offering. I would like to thank the Department of Energy and the members of Congress and their staffs that worked hard to create the ATVM program, and particularly the American taxpayer from whom these funds originate. I hope we did you proud.—Elon Musk Commenting on the loan payment, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz made the following statement: When you’re talking about cutting-edge clean energy technologies, not every investment will succeed—but today’s repayment is the latest indication that the Energy Department’s portfolio of more than 30 loans is delivering big results for the American economy while costing far less than anticipated. More than 90% of loan loss reserve Congress established remains intact, while losses to date represent about 2 percent of the overall $34-billion portfolio. The other 98% of the portfolio includes 19 new clean energy power plants that are adding enough solar, wind and geothermal capacity to power a million homes and displace 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year—roughly equal to taking a million cars off the road. The Department first offered loans to Tesla and other auto manufacturers in June 2009, when car companies couldn’t get other financing and many people questioned whether the industry would survive. Today, Tesla employs more than 3,000 American workers and is living proof of the power of American innovation. This is another important contribution to what the Obama Administration has done to preserve and promote America’s auto industry. Finally, this announcement is also good news for the future of America’s growing electric vehicle industry. While the market has taken longer than predicted to get going, sales of electric vehicles in the US tripled last year and are continuing to increase rapidly in 2013. Tesla and other US manufacturers are in a strong position to compete for this growing global market. Losses to date in the Department’s loan programs represent about 2% of the $34 billion portfolio and less than 10% of the $10 billion loan loss reserve that Congress set aside to cover expected losses in the programs.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Legislation and Policy It's official: A123 Systems Inc. is passing through its final phase. The bankrupt lithium ion battery maker, now going by the name B456 Systems Inc., has won court approval for its plan to exit bankruptcy that pays off creditors from proceeds gained by selling off virtually all of its assets. Objections previously made by creditors had been resolved prior to the hearing where US Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey approved the company's plan. Creditors had voted "overwhelmingly in favor of the plan," Caroline Reckler, a lawyer for B456 Systems, told the Washington Post. Now that the plan has been court approved, B456 expects to exit court protection in about three to four weeks. This will complete bankruptcy proceedings started by A123 last October, and which was the source of political jabs by then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The Republican candidate had condemned the Obama administration for failed attempts at financially supporting alternative-energy industries. The A123 name was removed in bankruptcy proceedings, which was required by the court in order to be purchased by Chinese company Wanxiang. The changeover to the B456 corporate identity was made in March as part of a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission when the company declared that its old assets were liquidated. The good parts of the old A123 live on under Wanxiang's new A123 Venture Technologies division. As the recovery plan was being executed, plug-in hybrid carmaker and former partner Fisker Automotive came to a settlement with former A123. Fisker agreed to reduce about $140 million in claims by 89 percent to $15 million.A123 Systems, now B456, wins court approval to exit bankruptcy originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 22 May 2013 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments