Electric Car possibilities
Check out these electric cars that look good and may have a market.
http://www.think.no/content.php?id=1 Think cars just need investors....is that up your alley?
A123 Systems - Lithium-ion Battery Developer
Companies like A123 Systems are key to our future energy security. They are developing lighter, safer and more powerful batteries for use in vehicles. Read about them here:
A123Systems Receives $30 Million Investment to Increase Production and Expand its Battery Product Portfolio into New Markets, including Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Current round of financing brings total investment to $62 Million since founding
Watertown, Mass. – February 6, 2006 – A123Systems, developer of a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries, today announced it has completed its third round of private equity funding totaling $30 million.
New investors in the company are GE, Alliance Capital Management and FA Technology Ventures. Also participating in this round are existing investors, including Motorola, Qualcomm, North Bridge Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, OnPoint, YankeeTek and Desh Deshpande, the company's Chairman of the Board.
A123Systems will use its new capital infusion to increase manufacturing capacity, to continue support for its current customer base and revenue growth, to accelerate the development of batteries for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and to continue development of products for other markets demanding improved power technology.
“A123Systems' advanced batteries have the potential to drastically lower the weight and cost of batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, bringing a new level of performance to automobile manufacturers,” said David Vieau, CEO and president of A123Systems. “An A123Systems battery is projected to be 80% lighter than batteries used in current HEVs and will offer superior life and durability.”
Announced in November of last year, A123Systems’ battery technology delivers up to 10X longer cycle life, 5X power gains and dramatically faster charge time over conventional high power battery technology, as validated by independent testing at commercial and government research labs.
“The level of interest and excitement surrounding A123Systems clearly illustrates the momentum behind creating a new generation of batteries that will promote the development of clean technology applications,” said Mark Huang, Senior Vice President of GE Commercial Finance – Technology Lending.
A123Systems is already supplying batteries to the Black & Decker Corporation for use in a heavy-duty, 36-volt line of portable power tools. The company is also working with the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a major undertaking to develop battery materials for future use in hybrid electric vehicles. Preliminary performance results show a technology with great promise for the future of electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
About A123SystemsA123Systems is the developer of a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries that deliver previously unattainable power levels, safety and life to a wide range of applications. These batteries enable manufacturers to eliminate the power technology constraints they face in developing and building new products. Founded in 2001, A123Systems’ proprietary nanoscale electrode technology is built on initial developments from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For additional information please visit
http://www.a123systems.com/.
EDTA ( Electric Drive Transportation Association ) Conference and Exhibition
EDTA Conference November 28-20, 2006
Officials in Washington are urgently looking to reduce our nation’s dependence on oil. The EDTA Conference & Exposition 2006 will be held on Capitol Hill to guarantee that electric drive solutions are adopted and its benefits maximized. EDTA’s timely platform will bring key experts together to examine federal policy options to accelerate the adoption of electric drive. Come to Washington to hear and be heard by the policy makers that make critical program and funding decisions for electric drive technologies. The EDTA Conference is the perfect place to:
- identify federal policy trends
- seek out funding opportunities
- pursue key markets for electric drive
This year's conference also offers the exceptional learning opportunities and networking that you expect from EDTA. The exposition offers the latest in electric drive technology, and the signature Ride 'n' Drive puts you behind the wheel of the latest battery, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.
Make Washington work for you this November! Mark your calendar and make plans to attend the EDTA Conference & Exposition 2006 from November 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The conference program features industry leaders in six unique forums covering critical aspects of the industry:
**Electric Drive Technologies: Federal, State and Local Solutions for Energy Security and the Environment**Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Industry Status Report and the Path to Commercialization**Defending Our Future: Preparedness and National Security**Latest Achievements in Fuel Cell Vehicles: Milestones in Petroleum-free Transportation **New Trends in Advanced Transportation**Beyond Cars: Building Sustainability into Heavy & Medium duty Markets, Mass Transit and Off-Road Vehicles
The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) is the preeminent industry association dedicated to advancing electric drive as a core technology on the road to sustainable mobility. As an advocate for the adoption of electric drive technologies, EDTA serves as the unified voice for the industry, and is the primary source of information and education related to electric drive. EDTA’s primary function is to increase the profile for electric drive among policy makers and opinion leaders and foster greater collaboration between industry and government. All of these facets will be represented at the 2006 EDTA Conference & Exposition as part of an exciting program aimed at educating a variety of electric drive customers to ensure that the market is mobilized to embrace sustainable transportation.
Hammacher.com sells Electric car
This car is interesting and timely and good for some....but doesn't move the electric car into the realm of "mainstream". It does create some awareness so that is a good thing. At $108,000 it is not practical but maybe more of a luxury item.
Some Specifics
This is the electric car that can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds to a top speed of 120 mph in one gear with no shifting thanks to its two electric motors -- smaller versions of the same kind found in diesel-electric locomotives -- that combine to produce over 1,000 lbf ft. of torque. No wider than most motorcycles at 39", it can fit in a 6' half-lane with more clearance than a semi-truck in a full 12' freeway lane, enabling you to negotiate traffic congestion where lane splitting is permitted. Its small size eliminates the need for parallel parking as it can park perpendicular to a curb without the need for a full space. The driver and passenger sit in tandem front and back seats that use four-point pilot seat belts with iner tia reels, similar to harnesses found in race cars, yet are easy to use. The cars chassis is made of stainless steel, and the chrome moly roll cage meets Sports Car Club of America racing standards for safety. The body panels are made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass, and its side impact bars offer four times the protection found in typical SUVs. The cars unique stability is derived from its low center of gravity, created by 1,100 lbs. of batteries under the floor, giving it a rollover threshold equivalent to a 5-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rating found in the lowest-slung sports cars. It has front and rear disc brakes and coil-over shock absorbers. The car generates no emissions and operates from a set of lead-acid batteries that can recharge using any service up to 50 amps, providing enough power for a range of 40-80 miles, up to four times the average commute in the U.S.
Visit Hammacher.com here
Hammacher Schlemmer
Alexandra Paul article post: Who killed my electric car?
Paul: Who killed my electric car?
By Alexandra PaulSpecial to CNN
Monday, July 31, 2006
Editor's note: Alexandra Paul is an actress best known for her four years starring in the television series "Baywatch". She has been driving electric vehicles since 1990 and is a founding member of
Plug in America . Paul can be seen in the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" in theaters this summer.
Alexandra Paul is pictured here in her Toyota RAV 4 EV, an electric-powered vehicle no longer in production.
-- I drive an electric car. Not a hybrid -- a gasoline-powered car that gets some help from an electric motor -- but a full electric vehicle. I plug it in at night and can drive 100 miles the next day and go faster than 80 mph on the highway.
So don't think "golf cart"; these cars have power and pick-up.
While you won't see many electric cars on the road, they've been around longer than you might think.
In 1900, electric cars outsold both gasoline and steam vehicles because electric cars didn't have the vibration, noise and dirtiness associated with gas vehicles. But soon afterward -- with the discovery of Texas crude oil that reduced the price of gasoline, the invention of the electric starter in 1912 that eliminated the need for a hand crank, and the mass production of internal combustion engine vehicles by Henry Ford -- the electric vehicle went the way of the horse and buggy.
The energy crisis in the 1960s and 1970s revived interest briefly. There was another push in 1990, when General Motors Corp. unveiled the (ineptly named) Impact, a sporty, aerodynamic electric car prototype.
In 1998 the California Air Resources Board decided that if a car company could make such a car, it should, and mandated that 2 percent of vehicles sold in the state in 1998 must be emission-free, with that number rising to 10 percent by 2003.
Since California is a huge market, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Chrysler, Ford and GM started building electric vehicles -- about 5,000 were manufactured. But by 2005 the mandate had been eviscerated because of pressure from those same car companies, and 4,000 perfectly good electric vehicles were crushed.
But did car companies really want electric cars to succeed? The success of electric vehicles would have threatened the status quo and core business models of two of the world's biggest industries -- oil and automobile. It is more expedient for these companies to give lip service to hydrogen in an attempt to appear "green." But hydrogen is a technology that experts say is decades away.
Because the small print in California's mandate allowed for car companies to manufacture only as many cars as there was interest in them, the game became to pretend there was no interest. Virtually no advertising money was spent to let you know electric cars existed, and even if you did find out about them salespeople actively dissuaded you from getting one.
As with any new technology, an electric vehicle was more expensive than its gas counterpart. Also, the limited range scared off customers, even though the average American drives only 34 miles a day and every electric car could go at least twice that far on a full charge.
These cars had great potential, but no media covered their subsequent crushing. It is only with the release this summer of the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" that the full story comes out. This film chronicles the rise and fall of the General Motors EV1, an electric car I leased on the day it was released in 1996. Zero to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, a top speed of 140 mph and a range of 120 miles. GM discontinued this car just a few years later. No car company today makes a mass-production electric vehicle.
My current electric vehicle, a Toyota RAV4 EV, also was discontinued a few years ago. This car costs me the equivalent of 60 cents a gallon to run. I never need to get a tune-up, change spark plugs or add water to the batteries or oil to the motor. The only maintenance for the first 150,000 miles is to rotate my tires. This car is quiet, fast and emission free. I plug it in every night at home, and it charges on off-peak energy.
Even if it were getting power solely from electricity derived from coal -- a common criticism of electric cars -- my vehicle uses 50 percent less carbon dioxide than a 24 mpg gas car (for a summary of more than 30 studies on the emissions of electric cars, hybrids and plug in hybrids, go to www.sherryboschert.com/FAQ.html). When I have to get new batteries, which I expect I'll will be when my car is 10 years old, the old ones will be over 90 percent recyclable.
The concern I hear most often about electric vehicles is their range. Well, at 100 miles per charge, my electric vehicle fulfills 98 percent of my driving needs, and I live in a city where everything seems to be 40 minutes away.
When I want to go further, I borrow my husband Ian's Toyota Prius. I don't like driving it. Am I supposed to be amazed when a car gets 43 miles per gallon? The average fuel economy mandate for cars in 1985: 27.5 mpg. For 2006: 27.5 mpg. No wonder our expectations are so low. Progress in fuel efficiency has been glacial compared to improvements in computers and cell phones.
There is a solution: The plug-in hybrid. This vehicle will run on pure electric power for up to 60 miles, and then automatically switch to gas (or a biofuel) if you drive farther. Because around 85 percent of Americans travel less than 50 miles a day, this means that most people who charge their cars at home each night would hardly ever dip into their car's gasoline tank.
The infrastructure to charge is already in place (electric outlets are everywhere), and the technology (batteries) has been tested in the field and greatly improved upon for over 15 years. National security experts, including former CIA Director James Woolsey, are advocates for these vehicles because they say these vehicles can help break our dependence on foreign oil. Environmentalists support them because plugging in means getting an average of more than 100 mpg. Consumers like them because they will be saving thousands of dollars in gasoline costs.
Once you have known the quiet smooth speed and the clean efficiency of an electric vehicle, you will never think "golf cart" again.
Tesla Motors Will Help
While only a hundred or so of the Tesla Roadsters will be produced, they will help accomplish two of the needed steps that have to happen in order to advance the use of electric cars. The first is to get electric cars viewed as "mainstream". The second is to get electric cars in the news.
In order to get widespread acceptance for electric cars they will have to be practical and they will have to appeal visually to the public. Well, the Tesla Roadster accomplishes one of those ! At $100,000 or so it is not exactly practical. But it is a looker ! And that is important.
We do not believe that electric cars should become the primary type of vehicle used in the US but we do believe it can and should in the mix ( whether it is 5%, 10% or 20% ). Electric cars are one piece to the puzzle to allow us to reduce our "all or nothing" strategy with oil.
Electric Car Insider shocks the world!
Not really. But it should be shocking that more people haven't heard about and aren't doing more about the production and value of electric cars. We hope to change that.
Companies like A123 Systems are key to our future energy security. They are developing lighter, safer and more powerful batteries for use in vehicles. Read about them here:
