AvailableGreenEnergy

Posts Tagged ‘European’

Quebec is an obvious place to introduce electric cars on a large scale. Its power mostly comes from hydroelectric facilities and, culturally, it’s more European than North American in many ways. It’s little surprise then that Mitsubishi has chosen to team up with Hydro-Quebec on a large electric-vehicle trial that will see 50 of its i-MiEVs tested in a variety of conditions, particularly cold and snowy winter conditions. The estimated cost of the project is $4.5 million, and the vehicles will be integrated into existing commercial fleets operating in the City of Boucherville. The project, to launch this fall, is “the first of its kind to include the participation of a car manufacturer, a public utility, a municipality and local businesses that will integrate the vehicles into their existing fleets,” Hydro-Quebec said in a statement, adding that the trial will help the utility plan for the charging infrastructure required in homes, offices and public spaces. Would love to see a trial of this size announced in Ontario, though I’m guessing something is in the works. BTW: Just to get it on the record, Tesla Motors said today it has built its 1,000th vehicle, an impressive milestone. The company, meanwhile, has its new Model S on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Tesla will start producing the lower cost Model S (roughly $50,000 after government rebates) in 2012.

The European Union is on the cutting-edge of green technology; already ahead of many nations through its introduction a ban of incandescent light bulbs that began on September 1, 2009. The ban of these incandescent light bulbs has a goal of reducing region-wide energy costs through use of the more eco-friendly compact fluorescent light bulbs instead. Read more of this story »

Recessionary economies naturally encourage investors to put their money in safe investments such as bonds or cash management funds. Recently, however, European investors have been returning to cleantech stocks. Those promoting energy …

Peugeot has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi to begin building and marketing a new electric car in Europe based on Mitsu’s i-MiEV platform . The agreement builds upon a previous memorandum of understanding and solidifies the two companies as partners in next generation car technology. The car is set to begin production and sale in Europe by late in 2010. Peugeot expects to sell 25,000 of the cars to the European market per year. Citroën, Peugeot’s sister company, will also sell the i-MiEV-based electric car under the Citroën brand. Read more of this story »

Opel has begun testing two development cars (mules) of the Ampera extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) ( earlier post ) at its Dudenhofen proving ground, keeping the four-seater on schedule for a late 2011 production date. Ampera and mule. Click to enlarge. The Ampera is based on the Voltec electric propulsion system applied in the Chevy Volt. A 16 kWh Li-ion battery pack provides all-electric range of up to 60 km/37 miles (MVEG). An on-board gasoline/E85-fueled engine-generator extends the Ampera’s range to more than 500 km (311 miles). The battery can be charged by a standard European household 230v outlet. Engineers in Rüsselsheim are testing the Voltec system’s performance and the overall driving impression. In addition, engineers in Mainz-Kastel have developed and are further testing the lithium-ion battery pack. Opel is analyzing the requirements for standardization and a recharging infrastructure for plug-in electric cars with energy companies, including Iberdrola of Spain. The Ampera is being developed in three distinct phases. The first stage analyzes the behavior of specific subsystems and gets them to work together. These are not complete vehicle tests but work to prove individual subsystems. In the next phase, “design-intent” integration cars are built. In the final development stage, cars look and operate for all intents and purposes nearly exactly the same as the production cars.

Annual global sales of TMC hybrids. Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has cumulatively sold more than 2 million hybrid vehicles since the launch in 1997 in Japan of the Coaster Hybrid EV in August and the Prius in December. As of 31 August 2009, cumulative sales of TMC hybrid passenger vehicles reached 2,014 thousand units and sales of commercial hybrid vehicles reached 2.7 thousand units, for a total of 2,016.9 thousand units. On May 31, 2007, the global cumulative sales of TMC’s hybrid vehicles had topped 1 million. ( Earlier post .) Cumulative sales of TMC hybrid passenger vehicles by model. Click to enlarge. Cumulative sales of the Prius represent 71% of the global total, at slightly more than 1.4 million units. Camry hybrid is the second-most popular, with 8.3% of total sales, or slightly more than 167,000 units, followed by the RX400h/450h, with 7.3%, or more than 146,000 units. In the US, Toyota has sold more than 1,041 thousand hybrids, and in Japan, some 615.8 thousand hybrids. The news also coincided with Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) report that cumulative hybrid sales in Europe have topped the 200,000 mark, with 50% of sales recorded in the last 24 months. TME has sold a total of 202,126 Toyota and Lexus hybrids since introducing Europe’s first commercial hybrid in 2000. The third generation Toyota Prius, which is currently being launched in Europe, has generated more than 17,000 additional customer orders since June 2009. Lexus remains the only premium brand in Europe to offer three full hybrids as part of its range: the GS 450h, the LS 600h and the newly-launched RX 450h. Together, these models comprise more than 40% of Lexus sales in Europe, and as much as 52% in Western Europe alone. Toyota has a global target of one million hybrid sales per year by the early 2010s, with European sales representing up to 10% of this target. In July, TME announced that it would manufacture a hybrid version of its C-segment hatchback, Auris, in the United Kingdom from mid-2010.

Moving forward on their earlier Memorandum of Understanding ( earlier post ), Osamu Masuko, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), and Philippe Varin, CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën, in Paris signed a cooperative agreement that signifies a new step in their partnership on electric vehicles (EV). The main points of this cooperative agreement are: The development of an EV for the European market based on MMC’s Japanese i-MiEV model The vehicle is to be sold in Europe, with both Peugeot and Citroën versions Production is planned to commence in October 2010 for commercial launch in the European market by the end of 2010. MMC first launched the new-generation EV i-MiEV in Japan in June, and will begin global sales of the right-hand drive vehicle this year. MMC has plans to expand rollout of the i-MiEV in left-hand drive markets in fiscal year 2010. For PSA Peugeot Citroën this new EV will further expand its range of future low-emission vehicles, including the hybrid diesel technology to be launched in 2011 on the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 and Citroën DS5 HYbrid4, and a Plug-In HYbrid4 diesel in 2012.

The ix-Metro is a hybrid-electric CUV for the European sub-B segment which promises CO 2 emissions of 80g/km. Click to enlarge. Hyundai will stage the world debut of the ix-Metro—a new hybrid-electric CUV concept for the European sub-B segment which promises CO 2 emissions of 80 g/km—at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show. The other world debut Hyundai will be making at Frankfurt is the i10 Electric, an electric urban commuter vehicle which will see limited series production beginning in 2010 with the Korean market. The fifth in a series of concept cars to be created by the Global Design Team in Namyang Korea, the ix-Metro is powered by an inline three-cylinder, 1.0-liter gasoline engine. Direct injection, dual CVVT, turbocharging are all combined with a six-speed dual clutch transmission. The i10 Electric will debut in Frankfurt. Click to enlarge. Powered by a 49kW motor and a 16 kWh battery, the i10 Electric promises a driving range of 160 km (99 miles) and top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph). It features x-by-wire systems for steering, air conditioning, water pump and brake vacuum pump. The i10 Electric will be sold to government ministries, state corporations and utilities in the first stage. The retail sales date is not decided. Europeans will also get their first chance to see two other Blue Drive vehicles, which made their world debut earlier this year at the Seoul Motor Show. ( Earlier post .) The Frankfurt Blue Drive Zone will include the Elantra LPI Hybrid which emits just 94 g/km of CO 2 (European combined mode) and the Blue Will Plug-In Hybrid Electric concept vehicle. The Elantra LPI HEV is the world’s first hybrid electric vehicle to be powered by liquid petroleum gas (or autogas) and the first production car to be powered by advanced lithium-ion polymer batteries (LiPoly). Hyundai is also using the occasion of The Frankfurt show for the European unveiling of its ix35, the European version of the all-new Tucson which made its debut in the Korean market earlier this month. It’s fitted with the all-new R 2.0 diesel and six-speed automatic transmission. Also on display will be the updated Santa Fe which will provide fresh momentum to the CUV sector. It is fitted with a 2.2 version of the all-new R diesel and comes with the option of the new six-speed automatic. A new Blue edition of Hyundai’s highly popular i30, designed in Germany and built in the Czech Republic, will also debut in Frankfurt. It features fuel-saving stop-and-go emissions reduction technology. The i30 1.6 CRDi with ISG generates 113 g/km of CO 2 .