ev

Makers of lithium ion electric-vehicle batteries worldwide are outpacing EV automakers in terms of manufacturing capacity.

This is likely to result in a temporary idleness on the part of some factories by 2013, according to a report released today by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The report (only available to BNEF subscribers) shows it's simply a matter of doing the math based on manufacturers' reports and commitments worldwide from both the auto and battery industries.

Automakers are expected to produce roughly 839,000 plug-in EVs worldwide by 2013, which in turn will drive lithium ion EV battery demand to 18 … Read more

STOCKHOLM (Bloomberg)--Volvo Car and Siemens said they plan a partnership to develop electric vehicles and aim to start testing the autos by the end of this year.

Siemens, Europe's largest engineering company, will develop electric motors and charging systems with Volvo, of Gothenburg, Sweden. Siemens will try out as many as 200 Volvo electric cars under real-life conditions by late 2012 following test-track studies in coming months, the manufacturers said in separate statements.

"We are moving ahead quickly in this area," Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby said in the carmaker's statement. ''Our aim is to be … Read more

Japan's Nichicon says it has developed "the world's smallest and lightest quick chargers" with two units that take 35 to 60 minutes to charge.

The Kyoto-based capacitor maker says the NQC-A202 charger is about 5 feet tall and 13 inches wide, weighing 330 pounds.

It has an output capacity of 20 kilowatts. The NQC-A302 unit has a 30kW capacity but weighs 375 pounds. The output voltage is 50 to 500 volts DC.

The company says the chargers are half the weight and size of existing models but still meet standards set by CHAdeMo, a rapid-charge association led by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Japanese automakers.

The chargers will be aimed at car dealerships and other customers. They will hit the market in October and will sell for 1.89 million to 2.1 million yen ($24,500 to 27,220), the Nikkei newspaper reported.

As of last month, there were nearly 800 CHAdeMo rapid-charge stations on the road, with the vast majority in Japan.

Nichicon has also produced on-board chargers for the Mitsubishi i-MiEV as well as the Nissan Leaf. Both cars can be recharged with Nichicon's latest chargers.

(Via Nikkei) … Read more

General Motors and South Korean conglomerate LG today announced a partnership to jointly develop electric vehicles for sale in different countries.

LG supplies lithium ion battery cells and battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt and the European edition of the Volt, called the Opel Ampera. Although details in today's press release were scant, GM said it intends to expand that battery supply relationship to engineer new electric vehicles.

"Many solutions for tomorrow's transportation needs may be available more quickly by building on our partnership strategy," said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky in a statement. "Consumers … Read more

Hertz has decided to offer interested drivers a chance to test-drive electric cars, the company announced yesterday.

In November 2010, Hertz announced it would be adding EVs to its U.S. rental fleet throughout this year, mentioning a deal for 100 Coda EV sedans for the California area, as well as another deal with Nissan for its Leaf cars.

Hertz has now announced more details: it will initially offer EVs as a car rental option at two pick-up points in San Francisco: the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel and a Hertz Rent-a-Car office on Mason Street in San Francisco. … Read more

Whether an electric car or plug-in hybrid makes sense for an individual doesn't have to be based on gut feeling.

A small company called EV Profiler is trying to take the guesswork out of an electric car decision by creating a multiple-day virtual test drive. A piece of hardware tracks driving patterns, and then an online application generates reports to simulate how an electric vehicle would perform.

The company's business plan is to rent out its in-car device, called a Driving Data Recorder (DDR), to prospective plug-in car buyers, including fleet operators, and to make them available to … Read more

Despite raising $2.25 million last month, Aptera informed customers that it will be returning their deposits for a three-wheeled electric 2e, according to Greencarreports.com.

The Aptera 2e is one of the more visually striking electric vehicles on the horizon. Designed using computational fluid dynamics to achieve its egglike shape, its composite material body was reportedly so strong you couldn't dent it with a sledge hammer. However, Aptera has been waiting for approval of its Department of Energy loan to move forward with production.

The company is blaming its escrow account, administrative overhead, and a longer-than-expected road to … Read more

Clean transportation-focused company ECOtality says it still has openings for The EV Project.

The EV Project, which is being operated by ECOtality, is what the company calls, the "largest deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure" in the U.S. Only available in Tennessee for now, the Project is a pilot program that will measure how customers who own electric vehicles charge up their cars, where they do so, and other behaviors.

Charging stations are being deployed around several cities in Tennessee, including Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.

To help coax customers into participating in The EV Project, … Read more

Ford and solar-panel maker SunPower have created a solar-powered electric-car package.

Buyers of Ford's electric vehicles will have an option to have SunPower's rooftop solar panels installed for about $10,000 after a federal tax rebate. The companies estimate that the 2.5-kilowatt array will generate enough juice, about 3,000 kilowatt-hours a year, to fuel a car for about 1,000 miles a month of driving.

The "Drive Green for Life" program means drivers can cut the cord on fossil fuels by generating power during the day and charging at night, according to the companies. … Read more