Govt floats green mission

The government is setting up a new body, with a corpus of up to Rs 200 crore, that will help companies develop environment-friendly technologies for hybrid and electric vehicles, joint secretary at ministry of heavy industries said.

The National Electric Mobility Mission will try to promote eco-friendly technologies as an alternative to use of non-renewable fuels such as petrol and diesel that dominate the Indian car and two-wheeler market. This will also help control air pollution in the country.

Electric vehicles offer lower running cost and maintenance, but have failed to catch the consumers fancy despite various tax benefits due to higher product prices and other factors influencing their cost of ownership. “There are several players in India making different kind of electric vehicles, but lack of infrastructure to charge these vehicles and the high-price of hybrid cars has prevented growth,” said Ambuj Sharma, joint-secretary, ministry of heavy industries.

The electric two-wheeler industry, with over three-dozen manufacturers, has an installed capacity of around 10 lakh units a year, but annual sales are restricted to around a lakh units only. Bangalore-based Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles has managed to sell only a few hundred electric cars in India so far. The cost of electric cars and hybrids are almost double that of petrol-fuelled vehicles due to expensive battery and intricate technology. Global car makers like Toyota and Honda had launched their hybrids in India, but could barely sell few hundred units due to the high price tag.

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Lights seem brighter in Paris auto show

TWOSOME: A model sits at the wheel of the Nissan NuVu electric concept car during the Paris Auto Show 

The Paris Motor Show, the world's first auto salon, is shaping up to be perhaps the most notable show this year.

Organisers are promising more than 100 world premieres when the doors open at the Paris Expo site on September 30 for two days of press previews. The public show dates are October 2-17.

All told, the number of product introductions at the Mondial de l'Automobile could exceed those at the auto shows in Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York combined during last year.

The growth of the biennial Paris show — at the last event, in 2008, the wraps came off 80 new cars — suggests that the world's automakers are increasingly comfortable with the prospect of parading their debutantes down a runway in front of the fashionable French.

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BMW unveils Mini Scooter E ahead of Paris show

BMW today unveiled the Mini Scooter E, an all-electric concept vehicle that was originally scheduled to make its debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show next week.

The German automaker apparently decided to give a preview of the vehicle during London Fashion Week, employing model Agyness Deyn to make the introduction.

As predicted, the scooter is an all-electric plug-in vehicle with an onboard cable that can be plugged directly into a standard household outlet.

BMW also incorporated some quirky high-tech gadgets into the compact gadabout vehicle.

For starters, the scooter has an enclosed docking station for a smart phone. Instead of using a key, or an electric key fob, owners unlock their Mini Scooter E by securing their smartphone into the docking station on turning it on.

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Arrival of Chevrolet Volt in China

First electric vehicles with extended-range capability with lithium ion batteries. Available in domestic market in 2011.

General Motors celebrated the arrival of the first drivable Chevrolet Volt in China today. China is one of the initial markets outside the United States to receive the Volt. GM’s landmark electric car with extended-range capability will go on sale locally next year.

“GM has made a long-term commitment to bringing our industry-leading technology to China,” said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group. “This is enabling us to provide the best mobility solutions for addressing the transportation challenges associated with the growth in demand for personal mobility. With GM taking the lead, the development of electric vehicles is opening up entirely new industries.”

During today’s celebration, GM delivered two Chevrolet Volts to the Shanghai Expo Bureau for use as part of its VIP transportation fleet at World Expo 2010 Shanghai. The Volt will shuttle special guests to and from Shanghai’s Expo Park and demonstrate GM’s pathway to its vision of sustainable urban transportation.

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Electric Car: Is It Right For You?

This year may just go down in history as the year of the electric vehicle as the nation's first mass-produced EVs come to market. One of the new electric vehiclescoming out this year is the Nissan Leaf. With a 100-mile driving range, many Americans are asking themselves if a vehicle like the Nissan Leaf will be a viable alternative to a hybrid or gasoline powered car. Unfortunately some may be scared off by the limited driving range, but consumers may be surprised that a 100-mile range is more than sufficient to meet their daily commuting needs.

GE has created a new tool to help Americans better understand their driving needs. After entering your ZIP code, you're asked to enter how many miles per day you think you drive. You will then be brought to a map where you mark your home, your place of business, the gym, the grocery store and any other locations that you drive to on an average day. The GE So Near, So Good tool will then map out your day and determine how many miles you travel during your typical daily commute.

The results may be surprising as the average American drives less than 30 miles in a typical day. This means that an electric vehicle with a 100-mile driving range is more than sufficient to meet your daily commuting needs.

Current studies predict that there could be 14 million electric vehicles on the road by 2020. If this prediction comes true, owners of the new EVs will save a combined $14 billion on fuel and maintenance costs each year. The reduced driving costs of an electric vehicle are just one of the many benefits of switching from a traditional gasoline-powered internal combustion engine to an electric vehicle.

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LG Chem Strikes Battery Deal with Mitsubishi

LG Chem will now advance into the Japanese market for secondary batteries for electric vehicles. 

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Sunday said Mitsubishi Motors and LG Chem are jointly developing a lithium-ion battery system for electric vehicles. Mitsubishi was the seventh largest maker of finished sedans in Japan last year.   

LG Chem already has similar deals with GM and Ford in the U.S., Volvo in Europe and Changan Automobile in China.   

According to an industry insider, the two firms are developing a technique of installing power control and crash safety devices on the lithium-ion batteries made by LG Chem. 

The new batteries will most likely be used for electric vehicles that Mitsubishi will release in 2012 or some models of new plug-in hybrids it will introduce in 2013.


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