Archive for Hybrids, Electric vehicles, fuel cells, alternative fuel

Detroit Electric issued this FAQ at the signing ceremony today aimed at clearing some doubts about the feasibility of electric cars, or at the very least why they think electric cars are feasible. Their product and marketing roadmap is also unveiled.

Sales will begin with the e46 GEN2 and e63 Persona in the first year with 40,000 units. By the third year they hope to hit 210,000 cars with 3 models, but of course this third model might not be a Proton. They are flexible to source vehicle platforms from any manufacturer and prefer working with that model but it so happens that their first two cars are Protons. By the 5th year of sales operation, they hope to be selling 315,000 vehicles from a total of 5 models.

Look after the jump for the FAQ document.

Click here to read the rest of Detroit Electric FAQ: a background on electric cars

Detroit Electric and Proton Holdings Berhad signed an agreement today for a supply and manufacturing agreement related to Detroit Electric’s upcoming range of electric vehicles. Detroit Electric is manned by ex-Lotus Engineering CEO Albert Lam and used to have a joint venture with ZAP and Youngman which didn’t happen.

Interestingly Detroit Electric’s ex-partner Youngman is Proton’s customer in China, where it buys the Proton Persona and GEN2 to rebadge as its own cars. Detroit Electric’s deal with Proton is similiar. It will buy the Proton Persona and Proton GEN2 from Proton to fit with an electric motor instead of the CamPro engine, and rebadge them as the Detroit Electric e63 and the Detroit Electric e46 respectively.

The deal is expected to take in RM 2 billion of revenue for Proton over the next 4 to 5 years, with expected volume to be 40,000 cars a year, potentially to grow up to 100,000 cars a year, if Detroit Electric does well in marketing its EVs. They will work with Proton engineers and assemblers to optimise the assembly line. The cars will be built alongside the regular Persona and GEN2 at Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant. The installation of the electric motor and battery and etc will be done off line.

Detroit Electric said it picked Proton as its partner after discussing with a few others because it allowed Proton an easy entry into the market. Given that Lotus Engineering, the company that Albert used to work for, had a part to play in the development of the GEN2 and Persona should clear up any doubts that Detroit has with the capability of the car’s chassis.

More details on the cars to come in a post following this, but the specifications for the cars seem impressive at first sight but because of an extended teh tarik session between the VIPs there, the press conference was extremely delayed and we ended up having less than half an hour to ask questions, so we’re not sure if these specs are finalised or not. If they are finalised, looks good.

The first production cars will hit the road in Q1 or Q2 2010, and target markets are UK, Europe and China. No mention of Malaysia, apparently that is still under study Detroit Electric are targetting markets with incentives for zero emission vehicles or at least fines and taxes for polluting vehicles.

A US market entry is expected towards end-Q3 2010 or beginning Q4 2010 because of the additional work needed to get the Persona and GEN2 homologated in the US. Apparently Detroit Electric will be paying for this, so no expenditure from Proton in that sense.

Detroit Electric is also exploring the possibilities of locating its battery and electric motor plant here. Albert Lam says Malaysia is an attractive place for them because of the availability of engineers as well as the relatively low labour costs.

Coming up next – some specs of the cars. In the meanwhile look after the jump to watch some videos that Detroit Electric gave us.

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If immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Jaguar must be grinning ear to ear now. The above is not a facelifted Jaguar XF but is in fact the eagerly awaited Tesla Model S electric car, which has been unveiled to world press today.

Tesla claims a maximum 300 mile (483 km) range, but the baseline model will come with a battery pack capable of 160 miles and there is also a 230 mile version. These battery storage systems range from 42kWh to 70kWh and greater, made out of 8,000 cells. These batteries are housed in the car’s floor. Power from the batteries are channeled to the road via a 9-inch liquid-cooled electric through a single-speed transaxle gearbox.

The 9 inch motor can take the Tesla Model S from 0 to 100km/h in under 6 seconds, and will have an electronically limited top speed of 210km/h. Stopping power is provided by Brembo Monobloc calipers with 6 pistons and 4 pistons for the front and rear respectively. The front discs are floating slotted 405×34mm 2-piece discs while the rear are 380×28mm slotted discs.

The batteries can be charged via either a 120V, 240V or 480V power outlet, with the 480V taking only 45 minutes to a full charge. There is of course no country in the world with a 480V system, so this requires a special QuickCharger.

Unlike many electric sedan cars which batteries take up the bootspace, because the Tesla Model S was designed ground up to be electric-powered, there is a proper boot space. Tesla claims a 50 inch LCD TV, a mountain bike and a surfboard can fit in the car all at once.

The in-car entertainment system centers around a 17 inch touchscreen in the center dash area which also shows various vehicle information. You can also surf the internet via the built-in 3G data system and access HD and satellite radio.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the Model S is priced at US$49,000 (nearly RM180,000) after a US tax credit of US$7,500 for the baseline model. 160 miles would cost only US$5 in terms of electricity! The company also claims the car’s floor-installed battery packs can be swapped out in less than the time it takes to fill a full tank of petrol, so in the future you could actually go to “battery stations” and swap out your batteries for a freshly fully charged new set instead of stopping and waiting for a full charge.

While now we’ve seen photos and read the details, there is still quite some time to go before the first Model S rolls off the production lines in late 2011. Looking at the gloom and doom in the US, Will Tesla still be around? Their press release says the company “believes” it is close to receiving US$350 million in federal loans to build the Model S assembly plant.

Future production models will come with an all-wheel drive option. One good thing is that right hand drive models will be available, so those with money (and refuse to drive an electric Persona) can start looking at the AP dealers in 2012!

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Model S.

Click here to read the rest of The Tesla Model S Electric Car unveiled!

It appears that Detroit Electric has finally settled on Proton for its partner in producing its electric cars. According to a release by Detroit Electric, the company is set to sign a RM 1.2 billion (US$331 million) agreement with Proton to produce pure electric cars based on protons, beginning with the Proton Persona.

When we attended Detroit Electric’s press preview back in September 2008, we got to sample some electric cars converted by the company, such as an electric Lotus Elise. There were also various prototype electric cars there such as a Persona and a Savvy.

According to Detroit Electric head Albert Lam, a 100% electric powered Persona could be available in the regions of RM 80,000. Detroit Electric will use a production line at Proton’s Shah Alam manufacturing plant to produce the electric Protons.

Read our previous write-ups on Detroit Electric for more info.

Related Posts:
Detroit Electric’s emissions-free Lotus Elise driven!
Detroit Electric to base electric cars on Proton cars?

Hyundai’s BLUE-WILL concept is scheduled to be displayed at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show this year, which will start on the 2nd of April 2009. Looks like Hyundai decided to create some kinda 4-door CRX of sorts.

Under the hood is a hybrid powertrain much like the Kia Forte LPI Hybrid, but much more beefed up, since its a concept. The electric motor alone puts out 100kW, or 134 horsepower, and this is addition to a 1.6 liter engine that has gasoline direct injection, which should be good for another 120 horses or so.

Like the Forte LPI Hybrid, power for the electric motor is stored in a Lithium Ion Polymer battery pack neatly bundled with the fuel tank under the rear seat in order to maximise luggage space. The upcoming Elantra LPI Hybrid will also feature a Li-Po battery.

Hyundai has also incorporated dye-sensitized solar cells in the panoramic glass roof to generate power for the batteries.

More details at the Seoul 2009 show, look after the jump for two more photos of the BLUE-WILL (Blue Whale?!).

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First of all, what’s with the bicycle wheels??? Actually this is more like an extreme example of retro-futurism as all the first few cars including Henry Ford’s had wheels that looked like this. In actual fact its a modern reenactment of the Benz Patent Motorwagen. This is Mercedes-Benz’s F-CELL Roadster Concept.

It’s powered by a fuel cell located at the rear producing just 1.2 kilowatts, or 1.6 horsepower. It has a range of 350km and a top speed of 25km/h. Perfect for navigating golf courses in style? Check out more hi-res shots after the jump.

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Click for enlarged image

The Koreans just keep getting better and better. Kia has simultaneously unveiled two things today, its Eco Dynamics green brand and the new Kia Forte LPI Hybrid for the Korean domestic market.

Eco Dynamics is Kia’s equivalent to BMW efficient dynamics, Volkswagen bluemotion, Toyota Optimal Drive, and etc. Hyundai has its own called Blue Drive. Vehicles that incorporate hybrid technologies as well as other fuel saving features will wear the Eco Dynamics badge. Kia has already demonstrated its own Idle-Stop-Go system in a Kia c’eed in Europe.

The Kia Forte LPI Hybrid runs on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (used in Korea, we use CNG here in our NGVs) and its 1.6 liter Gamma LPI HEV engine is assisted by an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the CVT gearbox. Power output is 114 PS and a peak torque of 148Nm. The electric motor draws power from a lithium-polymer battery, which is the first use in a production hybrid car. Li-Po is lighter and more compact compared to NiMH batteries.

Kia claims a fuel efficiency of 17.2 km per liter for the Forte LPI Hybrid, or an estimated 21.5km per liter if the engine used gasoline for combustion instead. As LPG is roughly two thirds the price of petrol in Korea, Kia says the Forte LPI Hybrid would save its owner 980,000 Korean won a year, or RM2,600+ if driven 20,000km a year.

No shots of the interior have been released by Kia PR but the interior uses a Super Vision cluster to display hybrid system data and a navigation display. The Super Vision cluster is essentially Kia’s word for an EL self-illuminating meter panel.

Look after the jump for more photos of the Kia Forte LPI Hybrid!

Click here to read the rest of Kia Forte LPI Hybrid 1.6L unveiled for Korea!

GS Yuasa and Honda have announced the name of their new JV company – Blue Energy Co Ltd. It will be established on the 1st of April 2009 and will focus on the manufacturing, sales and R&D activities for high-performance lithium-ion batteries aimed at hybrid vehicle usage.

Blue Energy will be based in Minami-ku, Kyoto and will have 3 billion yen of capital, with a possible increase of capital and capital surplus to 15 billion yen. The investment will be 51% GS Yuasa and 49% Honda Motor. Its president and CEO will be Masahiko Oshitani from GS Yuasa.

A factory for Blue Energy wlil be built next to GS Yuasa’s existing site in Osadano, Kyoto. Blue Energy’s first manufacturing job will be the GS Yuasa EH6, a lithium ion battery that has already been developed.

Bavarian auto maker BMW has revealed its plans to produce a compact or small sized hybrid vehicle via BMW’s Chairman Norbert Reithofer at BMW Group’s Annual Accounts Press Conference. This project, which is called the Megacity Vehicle project, is part of BMW’s Project-i.

According to the chairman, “This vehicle will be the first of a range of near-zero emission vehicles. Customers will have the choice between a fully electric drive and a high-efficiency combustion engine. Large-scale production could start in the first half of the next decade. With the Megacity Vehicle project, we are also pursuing a radical approach toward establishing a truly sustainable value chain-from development to production and sales.”

We not sure if there would be two types of vehicles (fully electric or with a high-efficient combustion engine), or the chairman is actually referring to one particular hybrid that would offer both. Reithofer also went to mention that this vehicle will not carry another badge, meaning it should be sold either as a MINI or a BMW.

The first vehicle which is part of the Project-i is the MINI E, that is currently performing customer testing via public leasing trials. Can recent reports regarding BMW’s plans to co-produce platforms for small sized vehicles with Fiat have anything to do with this?

Nicolas Stone, a recent graduate from the College of Creative Studies has designed the concept you see above, dubbed as the 2020 City Car Concept with the help of Korean-based auto maker, Hyundai.

Featuring a naturalist theme, the futuristic 2020 Hyundai City Car Concept seems to feature a front end that looks a little like the Mitsubishi i MiEV.

The “green” theme can also be seen in the airy interior, with a design that mimics “leaves growing off a stem”. Electricity is obtained via transparent solar panels mounted on the car that will then channel electricity into a water tank to split hydrogen molecules from oxygen molecules (Hydroxene anyone?). Just like a plant, the eco-friendly car uses stored hydrogen to power to vehicle while oxygen is released into the atmosphere (this is the plant part). This method is in fact called “artificial photosynthesis”.

Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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