Tag Archives: Electric Cars

Ford Investing $135 Million In Michigan Plants

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Ford Motor Co. will be investing $135 million at two Michigan plants that will help introduce five new models by 2012. Ford said it will begin selling two electric vehicles and three new hybrids to meet the new U.S. fuel economy standards. Ford plans to introduce a gasoline-electric version of its Lincoln MKZ sedan and an electric versions of the Transit Connect van this year, and the Focus electric car in 2011.

The investment will result in 220 new jobs by 2012, Ford said, including 130 hourly jobs at a trans-axle plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., and 40 hourly jobs at a Ypsilanti plant that will build battery packs. Fifty engineering jobs will be added as well.

Ford has eliminated 47 percent of its North American workforce since 2006, and had 70,000 workers in the region at the end of the first quarter. The company has cut costs and overhauled its model lineup to become less dependent on sport- utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The automaker ended three years of losses with a $2.7 billion profit last year as the U.S. auto market fell to the lowest level in 27 years.

Good News For The Auto Industry In California

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An automobile plant recently close by Toyota in California will be opening up their doors again for Tesla Motors Corp. Backed by a $50 million investment by Toyota, Tesla will start making electric cars within the year, at the same plant that was shared by a Toyota/GM venture. “By working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making and flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business,” Toyoda said in a statement.

Restarting the factory is a major achievement for California’s economic development and a rare victory for a state that many business leaders say has become uncompetitive because of more regulations and higher labor costs than other states.

But not everyone is happy. The move is a disappointment for Downey officials who had been in talks with the automaker, hoping the company would set up shop in a closed facility that had once been used to manufacture the space shuttle.

Toyota’s investment in Tesla is particularly important because the electric vehicle company will be competing against better capitalized and larger traditional manufacturers. When an established manufacturer decides to partner with newcomers it will considerably increase the probability of success by giving them manufacturing know-how and access to a distribution network

Fords Electric Van The Transit Connect

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Fords “Transit Connect” all electric vehicle made its debut at the Los Angeles Petersen Automotive Museum this week. One of the first of four battery powered vehicles planned by Ford to hit markets by 2012. This electric powered version of a light duty cargo van has been available since 2003 on the global market and is a popular vehicle for government and corporate fleets. The vehicle can travel a maximum of 80 miles per charge, making it perfect for in town deliveries where there is a predetermined route. Both the brakes and the accelerator pedal incorporate regenerative technologies that extend the vehicle’s range by recharging the battery when the vehicle is slowing down. Production of the Transit Connect Electric will begin in the fourth quarter followed by the Ford Focus Electric passenger car next year.

California The First To See The Volt

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General Motors Co. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz announced that when their Chevrolet Volt rolls off the assembly line, California will be the firsts market to see them in the show rooms. GM will provide 100 Volts and 500 charging stations for California utility companies in early 2011 for road testing. California was chosen as the first “test site”, because of it’s tax credit offerings, and infrastructure to accommodate electric cars.

The volt will be designed to comply with all overseas regulations in the hope of making it an international car. “This is uncharted territory for us,” Lutz said, but we expect to sell between 100,000 to 150,000 plug-in hybrids each year.

Ford Shines At The Detroit Auto Show

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Based on the Detroit Auto Show, the automobile industry may be undergoing a huge transformation. There are dozens of hybrid vehicles and countless pure battery-powered cars. The market for energy alternative cars remains weak, but if strict emissions standards are imposed, demands could soar.

Ford Motor Company had a very strong showing, winning North American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year Awards. The car award went to the Ford Fusion Hybrid and in the truck category, Ford’s Transit Connect van. This is the sixth win in the truck category for Ford, the most of any automaker.

The awards recognize the vehicles that are “benchmarks” in their category based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. Vehicles must be new or “substantially changed” to be considered.

Some other memorable displays are: General Motors with their new Chevy Volt, Mercedes B Class pure hydrogen fuel cell car, Audis A8 which won the eyes on design and Chrysler’s Gem which has sold more than 40,000 since 1999 and reportedly owns about 70 percent of the electric vehicle market.

Make Your Car Run Better

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If you haven’t traded in your car with the governments cash for clunkers program and you don’t foresee yourself buying an electric car in the near future, there are still some things you can do to make your car run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

1. Use your cruise control whenever possible. In town this may not be feasible, but on the highway if you maintain a steady speed (less breaking and accelerations) your car will use less fuel. Avoid circling parking lots and rush hour traffic will also decrease your breaking and acceleration.

2. Don’t leave your car idling. Cars today don’t need to be warmed up before you drive. If you gently drive your vehicle until it has warmed up, your car will be running for a shorter period of time. If you’re sitting at a drive through, or just running in to the market to get something, always turn your engine off.

3. Use the highest gear possible for your speed. A higher gear means better fuel efficiency.

4. Use air conditioning as little as possible. Opening a window is often enough to cool down your car. On the highway however, the extra drag caused by having a window open will increase fuel consumption, so your probably better off using the a/c.

5. Don’t carry stuff you don’t need. The extra weight on the car and extra drag caused by roof racks will increase your gas mileage. Even snow on the car can increase your weight and drag.

6. Use your garage if you have one. (I could never understand why someone would have a garage and not use it.) The car will need less heating in the winter and less cooling in the summer. It’s more convenient for you and better for your car.

7. Keep your engine tuned and your tires inflated. A clean air filter and the right oil all contribute to better fuel economy. Take winter tires off when driving in good conditions they significantly increase fuel consumption.

8. Buy gasoline during coolest time of day – early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities.

I guess the best thing to do would be to cut down on your driving. Car pooling and planning your errands when your already out is a good way of reducing fuel emissions and saving yourself some money.

Cars That Run on Sunshine

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The electric car has been around for a long time. In the late 1930’s Robert Anderson (A Scottish inventor) built the first crude electric carriage. Over the years the car has been improved to a point where it could be a practical mode of transportation for many people. One of the main reasons we don’t see many on the roads is because charging a large number of electric cars will require huge upgrades to the nation’s infrastructure

SolarCity and Tesla Motors hope to change the amount of electric cars on the road by installing solar-powered car charging stations in Rabobank locations along California Route 101. These quick charging “gas stations” delivers up to 70 amps (240 volts) of electricity which would charge a Telsa Roadster in about 3.5 hours. SolarCity has also installed over 100 in home-charging stations throughout the state.

The Beautiful Earth Group, a solar and wind farms company started last year, has paired up with BMW and the mini, to build solar charging stations in the Red Hook, Brooklyn area. These stations are truly “green”. Built out of recycled shipping containers the station can provide enough energy to charge the Mini E in three hours. Lex Heslin, chief executive of Beautiful Earth, claims two firsts: He got the keys to the first electric version of the Mini Cooper in New York and his company is operating the city’s first solar E.V. charging station.

Silicon Valley based company, Coulomb Technologies, have been building charging stations around the world since 2007. Their recent partnership with Envision Solar has allowed them to integrate their ChargePoint technology into a “solar grove” at Dell headquarters in Round Rock, Tex. This system provided 131,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, and doubles as shade for 56 parking spaces.

With the environmental issues we face today, solar charging could become big business. Ideally, solar charging stations will be connected to the grid so they can feed electricity back when the power is not needed for car-charging. When the sun isn’t shining, cars can be charged on grid power.

Yes We Can!……Or Can We? One Million Plug-In Hybrids on U.S. Roads by 2015?

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green symbolPresident Obama’s goal of 1 million plug-in hybrids on U.S. roads by 2015 seems like a good idea for the environment, but is it really possible?

With new advances in battery technology, electric cars can go almost 100 miles on a charge. And for those who fear being stranded with a dead battery miles from a plug in, there is a gasoline engine as well. This range should be enough to suit up to 80% of U.S. drivers on the road. With federal government incentives for EV buyers, such as tax credits of up to $7,500 for buyers of the first 200,000 vehicles from each manufacturer, this could be true. According to Jason Wolf, an executive at Better Place, a Palo Alto firm aiming to provide charging services for plug-in drivers. “Over 70% of major manufacturers have some kind of mass plug-in coming in the next two years.”

This however, involves a huge change to the nation’s electric grid infrastructure. People charging cars in their garages may need to upgrade their home circuits, which often requires permits, building inspections and other headaches. Neighborhood upgrades like new transformers would also be needed. These upgrades would be expensive, and in the interest of encouraging electric cars, the utility companies would most likely pay for it through our electric bills. In the end we need to ask ourselves, “Would the emissions released by the utility companies making extra electricity really be less than the emissions from the car itself?”