Electric cars roll into WC

WEBSTER?CITY?- Two large auto transporters arrived in Webster City Friday night, carrying the first shipment of Electric Motor Car Co. bodies, or gliders.

AMS Inc., a division of Eagle Manufacturing of Webster City, will soon begin the finishing assembly of the electric autos, according to AMS?owner Joe Fleming.

"These are going to be European auto bodies with American guts," Fleming said of the autos. "What makes it even better is the fact that these are going to be assembled by Iowa workers."

The "gliders" -?the car chassis that have no engine or transmission - were rolled, coasted and then towed into a space at the Kenco warehouse on Des Moines Street. Workers at the Webster City plant will be responsible for placing the electric power train in the gliders. Many local residents stopped to watch Friday night as the cars came off of the transporters.

Fleming said he was excited about the new venture. Eagle Manufacturing has been a subcontractor for Electrolux. With the announcement of the closing of the appliance manufacturing plant, Fleming said he had been searching for new business opportunities.

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Car rental companies to offer electric Nissan Leaf

Beginning as early as January, electric cars will be available at the nation's two largest auto rental companies.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, North America's largest car rental firm, unveiled plans last week to offer about 500 Nissan Leaf all-electric cars, initially at dealerships in Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland and Seattle.

The announcement came a few months after Hertz , the world's largest car rental company, said it planned to offer Nissan Leafs at a handful of locations in the U.S. and Europe, including New York, Washington and San Francisco, next year. A fully charged Leaf has a range of about 100 miles.

Hertz and Enterprise already offer hybrid models such as theToyota Prius.

But some questions about renting electric cars have yet to be answered.

For example, representatives for each company say the price of renting a Leaf will probably be higher than the rates for traditional gas-burning vehicles. But they have yet to announce exact rates.

"The details are still being worked out," said Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise.

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Electric vehicles still face obstacles to adoption

평지서 시속 60㎞ 거뜬 … 오르막선 힘 달려 August 09, 2010

Kang Byong-chol drives CT&T’s electric vehicle e-Zone in central Seoul last month. By Kim Hyung-soo Go out on the streets of Seoul and see if you can spot an electric vehicle. You might be waiting a while. Although Korea is eagerly trying to promote green growth and reduce the overall volume of carbon emissions, electric vehicles are still an uncommon mode of transportation in the country. It was only in March of this year when the government finally permitted electric cars in Korea after a bill was passed by the National Assembly. Read this news @

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Electric cars: Gaston charging up for change

It won’t be getting any speeding tickets, but Gaston County is on the road to gasoline-free transportation.

All over the country this summer, media stories have been anticipating the release of two electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Even in cities where the new EVs won’t be available until next year, such as Charlotte, plans to install public charging stations have been accelerating.

In Gaston County, there will be at least one EV available for test drives by 2011 and – maybe – one public charging station by 2012.

Customers are asking about the Leaf on a regular basis at Gastonia Nissan, said senior salesman Greg Oates.

Oates, who has been learning more about the plug-in model at Leaf-specific training sessions, estimates that the first test drive will take place in February. Preparations to install a charging station at the dealership will begin next month.

Though a few people in the Gaston County area have showed interest in buying the vehicle through non-committal “hand-raise” reservations, hesitance to invest in new technology right away is natural, said Oates.

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W2 Energy Acquires Manufacturer of Solar Bug Electric Vehicle

Source: EVWorldwire
Class: EVWORLDWIRE

SYNOPSIS: The Solar Bug can travel up to 10 miles per day on solar power alone.

TORONTO -- W2 Energy, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: WTWO), a greenenergy company, is pleased to announce that it has finalized its purchase of Free Drive, Inc., (www.freedrive-ev.com) the Bozeman, Montana-based manufacturer of The Solar Bug.
The Solar Bug is a solar-electric vehicle which travels more than 30 miles on a full charge at speeds up to 35 miles per hour, and can carry two passengers and a small amount of cargo. It has 200 watts of roof-mounted solar power and a proprietary regenerative braking system which converts braking energy into battery storage.
Steve Titus, the Founder and President of Free Drive remains with Free Drive as Vice-President of Technical Development.
"I am thrilled to be working with W2 Energy," says Steve Titus. "It is my dream for everyone to drive cars that are powered by the sun. W2's ownership of Free Drive will bring that clean energyconcept to reality."

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NEC to Start Testing EV Rapid Charger in US

NEC Corp announced Aug 6, 2010, that it will start testing a rapid charger for electric vehicles (EVs) in collaboration with Portland General Electric Co (PGE).

The rapid charger manufactured by Takasago Ltd, a subsidiary of NEC, was installed at the headquarters of PGE, which is located in Portland, Oregon, the US. The two companies had a demonstration of charging Nissan Motor Co Ltd's Leaf electric vehicle.

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