EV Digest 5675
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) EVLN(ex-GEM's join FGC)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) EVLN(Tech'd-out '64 VW hippie bus being used as PR tool)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) EVLN(Chinese hybrid production slowed)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) EVLN(Phoenix wants to make EVs competitive)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) EVLN(UK's battle of the bubbles)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) EVLN(National park gets EVs, but the public can't)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) EVLN(Phoenix orders UQM guts)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) EVLN(EcoV nEVs)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) EVLN(Phoenix orders Altairnano's nano-lithium batts)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) EVLN(GM the EV killer-LONG)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(ex-GEM's join FGC)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=143214
Feel Good Cars Corporation 'FGC' Continues to Build Momentum:
Additions to Leadership Team.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- July 11, 2006 -- FGC has
added the following strategic members to its leadership
team;Michael Bergeron,Vice President of Engineering; Sylvain
Rivet,Director of Procurement and Ghislain Courtois,Director of
Human Resources and Production Accounting. These individuals
bring industry and functional expertise to FGC,adding to FGC's
existing core skills.
Michael Bergeron Eng. (Bsc-MBA) brings to Feel Good Cars over 20
years of experience in the automotive sector. For the past four
years he held the position of Director of Engineering for Global
Electric Motorcars, a major Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle
producer and a subsidiary of Daimler Chrysler. Mr. Bergeron also
possesses strong engineering knowledge and insight regarding the
EEStor energy storage technology and will be a key executive in
the commercialization of this emerging technology for the
Corporation's products. Furthermore, he has extensive experience
in the implementation of engineering and manufacturing
infrastructures in the development and release of automotive
platforms and products which will substantially contribute to the
success of Feel Good Cars.
Ian Clifford, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation says:
"With the addition of Michael Bergeron as our new Vice President
of Engineering and his experience in bringing vehicles through
engineering into production and then market, we are in a strong
position to seize the great opportunities ahead of us and the
ability to achieve new levels of success."
Sylvain Rivet joins the company as Director of Procurement. Since
1993 Mr. Rivet has been working for Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers
to General Motors, Paccar, Volvo and Corbeil School Bus. During
his career he has been responsible for business development and
implementation of many new material contracts and new product
line design and services for OEM manufacturers. His expertise and
knowledge will facilitate the Corporation's future ISO
certification, cost reductions programs and continuing
improvement in material management and production control.
Ghislain Courtois CMA, has been a Certified Management Accountant
since 1997. His professional background includes working in the
automotive, aviation, distribution and retailing sectors. As the
Corporation continues its rapid growth, Mr. Courtois will be
responsible for corporate human resource programs and production
accounting.
Leaving the Company effective July 21st is Mr. Probyn Gayle, an
FGC founder and the initial Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Gayle
has spent five years with FGC building the initial concept and
numerous prototypes, paving the way for FGC's current success.
Mr. Gayle will continue to provide the Corporation with his
technical and industry expertise.
In connection with Mr. Bergeron's appointment, subject to
regulatory approval, FGC has agreed to grant 30,000 options to
Mr. Bergeron under its stock option plan. The options will vest
in three equal tranches on the anniversary date of the grant and
will have an exercise price in the context of market at the time
of grant.
ABOUT FEEL GOOD CARS (FGC)
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Feel Good Cars is dedicated to
producing zero-emission transportation solutions for global
markets, including the revolutionary ZENN, a perfect new urban
vehicle. The ZENN recently won the gold medal for urban vehicles
in the coveted Michelin Challenge.
Contacts:
Feel Good Cars, Inc.
Ian Clifford
Chief Executive Officer
(416) 535-8395 ext. 202
(416) 535-4043 (FAX)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.feelgoodcars.com
SOURCE: Feel Good Cars Corporation
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EVLN(Tech'd-out '64 VW hippie bus being used as PR tool)
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http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/060711/0142928.html
Press Release Source: Hybrid Technologies, Inc.
Hybrid Technologies, Inc. with Volkswagen ERL Produces Lithium
Powered Type 2 Bus Tuesday July 11, 7:30 am ET
MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA--(MARKET WIRE)-- Hybrid Technologies,
Inc. www.hybridtechnologies.com, emerging leaders in the
development and marketing of lithium powered products worldwide,
is pleased to announce the result of its partnership with the
Volkswagen Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), located in Palo
Alto, Ca.
Together, the two companies developed a new version of the
traditional 1964 Type 2 Bus, symbol of the hippie era and the
American independent spirit. The updated bus has been transformed
in a lithium battery powered electric vehicle and includes
various new technologies to explore novel design concepts for
tomorrow's cars.
Hybrid Technologies replaced the original air-cooled VW engine
with an electric drive, integrated lithium polymer batteries in
the floor of the vehicle, and included a new battery management
system. An optional array of solar panels located on surfboards
on the roof of the vehicle can provide an additional source of
energy to the vehicle.
The Volkswagen ERL intends to use the vehicle as a public
relations tool to showcase the potential future of automotive
electronics in this favorite old-timer. The common theme is
centered on hidden technologies and illustrates features such as
a 40-inch rear seat entertainment screen, an active sound system
and LED systems for exterior lighting.
The updated 1964 bus will be a great tool for Hybrid Technologies
and the Volkswagen ERL to demonstrate the potential of these new
technologies and they will be proud to present the vehicle in
public events throughout North America.
About Hybrid Technologies: www.hybridtechnologies.com
Hybrid Technologies Inc. is an emerging leader in the development
and marketing of lithium powered products worldwide. Superior
technology coupled with aggressive marketing positions Hybrid
Technologies to lead the world into pollution free, zero
emissions living.
About the Electronics Research Laboratory: www.vwerl.com
The Volkswagen of America, Inc. Electronics Research Laboratory
(ERL) focuses on providing customers with smarter cars, sooner.
It aims to identify new technologies and accelerate their
development into future production vehicles. Located in Palo
Alto, California, the ERL is a high-profile think-tank
representing the Volkswagen Group in North America. Its presence
in the heart of Silicon Valley allows the Volkswagen Group to
work directly with the world's leading high-tech companies,
start-ups, and universities. Working closely with these partners
allows the ERL to design and develop innovative features and
applications, which are then integrated with Group vehicles for
evaluation and testing. For additional information please visit
www.vwerl.com.
About Volkswagen of America, Inc: www.vw.com
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in
Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG,
headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the
world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest
automaker. Volkswagen of America and its affiliates employ
approximately 3,000 people in the United States and are
responsible for the sale and service of Audi, Bentley, and
Volkswagen products through retail networks comprising in total
more than 900 independent U.S. dealers.
Forward-Looking Statement This press release may include
forward-looking statements [...] Contact: Contacts: Hybrid
Technologies Inc. Media Contact 1-888-HYBTECH (888-492-8324)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Hybrid Technologies Inc. Investor
Relations 1-888-669-1808 (702) 926-9508 (FAX)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.hybridtechnologies.com
Source: Hybrid Technologies, Inc.
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EVLN(Chinese hybrid production slowed)
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http://english.people.com.cn/200607/11/eng20060711_281844.html
Home >> Business UPDATED: 08:34, July 11, 2006
Chang'an steers into hybrid car market
Chang'an Motor Corp, the Chinese partner of Ford Motor and Suzuki
Motor, said it will enter the increasingly popular hybrid sector
in the world's No 3 vehicle market by offering its own-brand
petrol-electric cars.
The nation's fourth-biggest auto group based in Chongqing
Municipality told China Daily that it plans to embark on
commercial production of hybrid cars in 2008.
The company expects hybrid cars will contribute 10 per cent of
its own-brand sales annually by 2010, it said.
Hybrid cars twin a conventional engine with an electric motor to
improve fuel efficiency and mileage.
Chang'an said it will spend 250 million yuan (US$31 million) on
hybrid cars as part of its total investment of more than 5
billion yuan (US$620 million) to develop own-brand cars in the
years to 2010.
It began petrol-electric car development in the late 1990s.
The group said hybrid cars would also be available for its
overseas expansion.
It announced last month that it aims to lift overall sales from
630,000 vehicles in 2005 to 1.5 million units by the end of the
decade, with more than half from its own nameplates. It said it
hoped overseas sales would account for 25 to 30 per cent of
own-brand sales by then.
The group's hybrid car push comes after a slew of foreign auto
giants and other domestic producers began, or announced they
would start, making petrol-electric cars in China, where oil is
in short supply and fuel prices are growing rapidly.
Japan's Toyota Motor began production of its 1.5-litre Prius
hybrid sedan at the end of 2005 with another Chinese auto group,
First Automotive Works Corp. The move made the world's No 2
carmaker the first producing hybrid vehicles in China.
Maple, the Shanghai-based unit of China's biggest privately owned
carmaker Geely Automobile, also plans to enter the hybrid car
sector in 2008 with an initial output of 5,000 to 10,000 units a
year.
However, analysts said there are many obstacles in China to the
growth of hybrid cars, despite huge potential in the long term
due to their capacity to save fuel.
The biggest hurdle is that hybrid engines are still much more
expensive, which drives up the cost of petrol-electric cars.
Source: China Daily
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_188200947.html?keyword=topstory
Altairnano gets order for batteries By LEE NOBLE
Published: July 07, 2006 08:09 pm
Altairnano gets order for batteries
Phoenix Motors wants to test for powering electric vehicles
An Anderson company will be put to the test this fall to see
whether or not its product can supply the power needed to make
electric cars competitive in an industry still dominated by
gasoline.
Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc., which supplies ceramic
nanomaterials and high-power battery systems technology,
announced a $750,000 initial order for its cutting-edge battery
packs from Phoenix Motorcars, an Ojai, Calif., company involved
in the effort to mass produce full-function, freeway-ready
electric automobiles.
We have to prove our capabilities, said David Lynch, site
manager for Altairs Anderson facility. Phoenix likes what
theyve seen in the performance tests so far, but we have to
integrate our product into a system that would demonstrate it is
capable of powering an entire car.
The battery packs will be created at Altairs facility in the
Flagship Enterprise Center, and make use of their nano-lithium
ion battery technology. Phoenix Motorcars is using the
engineering services of Boshart Engineering, Inc., based in
Ontario, Calif., to develop the battery integration, validation,
certification and regulatory testing, according to an Altair
press release.
The same press release said that Boshart and Altair proposed an
integrated drive-train and battery system to Phoenix which met a
battery specification Phoenix had previously been unable to
fulfill in terms of vehicle range, speed, weight, recharge time
and price/performance.
However, according to Lynch, Altairs Anderson facility is not
guaranteed a part in that production.
Because they are only contracted to build 10 of these battery
packs, which will be integrated into vehicles and tested for
competitiveness from September until December, neither are they
guaranteed that the venture will produce new jobs or even a
contract until the testing phase is complete.
A lot of it depends on what we can do here in the next month or
two, said Lynch, referring to the refinements Altair has to make
in its product before the test phase begins. Its still too
early to tell if well get future business because of this.
But if the batteries do pass muster, Lynch said they will have to
depend on other sources for certain components of their product
until they develop the facilities to become independent.
We would have to purchase cells until such time that we could
manufacture them ourselves, Lynch said.
Such manufacturing would require the development of new
facilities, but Lynch said he is not at liberty to project when
and where that development might take place.
With much work ahead, officials at Altair remain confident they
have developed a competitive product and are ready to enter the
market.
In another statement included in Altairs press release, its
President and CEO Alan J. Gotcher said, Our proprietary
technology has the potential to deliver a safe, long-life, and
high-performance battery, which is one of the hurdles that has
prevented the electric vehicle from being commercially successful
in the past.
Additionally, Lynch alluded to further developments that speak to
Altairs potential to exercise Andersons once powerful but now
atrophied industrial muscle.
I can say that we are going for state and federal funding for
military applications (for our products), but it can also be used
in developments for the commercial market, Lynch said.
Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/cars/story/0%2C%2C1815719%2C00.html
Rivals face off in electric car capital of the world
John Vidal, environment editor Saturday July 8, 2006
The Guardian
They're small, eccentric and as quiet as Paris in August. But
Britain, obsessed as it is with speed cameras and petrol prices,
has unexpectedly become the world capital of electric cars.
Next week two models will be launched at the London motor show,
bringing to at least six the number of carmakers competing for a
slice of the emerging "zero emission" market.
None of them knows how many people may be tempted to go electric,
or how the motors will develop, but all are preparing for what is
being called the "battle of the bubbles".
On the surface, relations between the micro carmakers are
harmonious. "There's room for everyone. We are all helping each
other," says Julian Wilford, one of a team of ex-Lotus men that
has developed the Mega City Nice car. Nice is short for No
Internal Combustion Engine.
The congestion charge, high price of petrol, parking incentives
that some councils give for electric cars and the government's
road tax exemption all mean London is at the forefront of the
electric car boom, he says.
But it's the mood as much as the incentives on offer that makes
Britain attractive. "People have talked about electric cars for
years without anything happening, but now it is all changing," Mr
Wilford says.
"We find a lot of people who are really concerned about
sustainability and who want genuinely different solutions. The
mainstream car companies just can't deliver that."
The Nice, built in France, can range about 50 miles on one
charge, claims to reach nearly 40mph and believes it is the
cheapest electric car to own (about £8,000) and to run (1p a
mile).
Also launching in London next week is the Smart EV. This is the
battery version of the minuscule petrol car which has sold more
than 40,000 models since 1998 and still attracts stares. But the
maker says that its model is far higher up the evolutionary
ladder.
"These [others] are not cars," says Jeremy Simpson of Daimler
Chrysler, which owns Mercedes and Smart cars. "They are
officially classed as quadricycles. They don't have to meet the
same standards as we do. People reject them because they are ...
odd. Ours is iconic, a proper car," he says.
The electric Smart may be flea-like , but Mr Simpson says it does
0-30 in 6.5 seconds. "It's more powerful than the petrol
version," he says. "And all you need is a plug."
The snag is that the Smart EV won't actually be for sale. The
company hopes to lease them for about £375 a month, mainly to
large companies wanting to use them as pool cars.
But the talk in electric vehicle circles is of supercars now
emerging in California. The founders of Google have invested
heavily in the Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors, which will
soon launch its first model.
It is expected to be able to run several hundred miles on one
charge, go as fast as a Porsche and look like a Lotus. It won't
be the end of the micro, but it will certainly force the
evolutionary pace.
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EVLN(National park gets EVs, but the public can't)
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http://www.ptreyeslight.com/cgi/news.pl?record=122
Park gets electric cars, but you cant
Jonah Owen Lamb 2006-07-06
Although most electric cars have been crushed by their
manufacturers, the Point Reyes National Seashore has quietly
increased its fleet of electric vehicles. Five of its 65 vehicles
run on electricity and five new charging stations which run on
solar power have been placed across the park. Although the
public can use the chargers for free, few people own electric
cars.
As the Point Reyes National Seashore moves closer to energy
self-sufficiency, the public was never given the same option.
Much of this story is illustrated in a new film, Who Killed the
Electric Car? The film opens this Friday in Mill Valley at the
Sequoia and in Santa Rosa at Rialto Cinemas Lakeside. The story
begins in the mid-90s when everyone seemed to be talking about
the future of the electric car, which is different from a hybrid
car that use electricity and gas. An electric car runs completely
on battery power. In the 90s, they were the thing.
General Motors launched a new electric car, the EV1, in 1996,
when unleaded gas in California cost around $1.30 a gallon. In
June 2006, regular unleaded cost about $3.25 in much of the
state, but there were few electric cars left on the road. In
fact, you cant buy a totally electric car from any of the
nations largest manufacturers today, even though more than 500
charging stations still litter the state. How did this happen?
The downfall of the electric car
In 1990, California enforced the Zero Emissions Mandate. It
dictated that by 1998, two percent of all cars sold in the state
must have no emissions, and by 2003, 10 percent of cars must have
zero emissions. In an effort to comply, auto manufactures began
leasing electric cars to the public. Toyota built more than 1,500
RAV4s, and charging stations were set up across the state.
But by 2002, the mandate had been attacked in the courts by GM
and other carmakers, and the next year the California Air
Resources Board relaxed the mandates requirements. Automotive
companies were no longer forced to make cars with no emissions,
so car makers began repossessing the electric cars and destroying
them. The companies claimed that they could no longer make parts
or maintain this small fleet.
A group of owners and leasers protested, and a small number of
the vehicles were either re-leased or sold, but manufacturing had
come to a halt.
A bunk argument?
Sherry Boscher, the president of the San Francisco Electric
Vehicle Association, explains the story as if she were betrayed.
What I think is really going on is that they dont want people
to experience driving an electric car, she said. Boscher added
Electric cars hardly have any moving parts, so the companies
argument about maintenance was bunk. What they really didnt
want were two cars sitting in a dealership, she said, one with no
emissions that runs on electricity and another with a gas
engine.
Toyotas senior strategic planner, Jaycie Chitwood, disagrees.
She said that car companies stopped manufacturing electric cars
because they werent selling. In order for any vehicle to have
an impact it has to be sold in large numbers, she said,
fingering the consumer. Many people said they want a car that is
greener but they dont want to compromise anything else. They
dont want any limitations.
PR advantages
The National Seashores fleet of seven electric and hybrid cars
may constitute a small number of their 65 vehicles, but park
officials say the automobiles are part of a plan to move into a
more ecologically sensitive park. The park paid $2,200 for each
of their five charging stations with Clean Cities grants. In 2005
the US Department of Energy gave out $5.4 million in Clean Cities
money to fund similar projects across the country.
The whole idea is to reduce emissions, said John DellOsso, a
spokesman for the park.
The park bought its first hybrid in 2005 and was funded by a
Clean Cities grant of $24,000. The park leased five electric
RAV4s from Toyota in 2005.
I suppose they get really good PR. Theyve got their vehicles in
a place that is highly visible, in a national park, said
DellOsso. Toyota was excited enough about showcasing their cars
that they paid for shiny brochures about the vehicles that the
park gives out to the public.
But when asked if the public relations advantage Toyota gets from
showcasing automobiles that they no longer make was odd,
Dell'Osso said, Its a little ironic.
Despite the cars discontinued status, there are enough people in
the area with electric cars that Freeman Toyota in Santa Rosa
still services them.
The chargers in the park are free and open to the public. They
are accessible at the following locations: Bear Valley Visitors
Center, Pacific Coast Learning Center, Lighthouse Visitors Center
and the Kenneth Patrick Visitors Center
All site content ©1995-2006 by the Tomales Bay Publishing Company
/ Point Reyes Light.
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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060706/lath037.html?.v=59
Press Release Source: UQM Technologies, Inc.
UQM Technologies Receives Propulsion System Order From Phoenix
Motorcars for Electric Pickup Truck Program
Thursday July 6, 8:30 am ET
FREDERICK, Colo., July 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UQM
TECHNOLOGIES, INC. , a developer of alternative energy
technologies, announced today that it has received an order from
Phoenix Motorcars, Inc. of Ojai, California for a UQM® PowerPhase
100 propulsion system. The system is being evaluated for use in a
freeway-speed all electric pickup truck program currently being
developed for the fleet market by Phoenix.
The UQM® PowerPhase 100 propulsion system delivers 550 Newton
meters of torque and 100 Kilowatts of peak power in a
lightweight, compact and energy efficient package that is ideally
suited for battery electric vehicles where the system's high
energy efficiency can improve vehicle range.
"The integration of an optimized electric drivetrain from UQM
Technologies with nano-lithium battery technology from Altair
Nanotechnologies, Inc. could provide the
impetus to rejuvenate and realize the promise of the electric
vehicle vision," commented Daniel Riegert, Chairman of Phoenix
Motorcars. "We are preparing for the manufacture and distribution
of several thousand vehicles over the next few years."
"We are excited that Phoenix Motorcars is evaluating our
PowerPhase 100 propulsion system for use in their all electric
pickup truck program," said William G. Rankin, UQM Technologies'
President and Chief Executive Officer. "We expect that the
pairing of our propulsion system with Altairnano's nano-lithium
batteries will provide outstanding performance and range. Through
the implementation of these industry leading technologies,
Phoenix is rapidly establishing themselves as a leader in the
introduction of commercially viable, high performance, all
electric freeway-speed vehicles."
Phoenix Motorcars, headquartered in Ojai, California, has been an
industry leader in the development of battery electric freeway
speed vehicles since 2001. The mission of Phoenix Motorcars is to
manufacture zero emission vehicles to reduce the toxic emissions
of the largest contributor to air pollution, personal
automobiles. For additional information on the Company, please
visit its worldwide website at www.phoenixmotorcars.com.
Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. is an innovator and supplier of
advanced ceramic nanomaterials. With a skilled team of scientists
in its 100,000 square foot facility who, coupled in collaborative
ventures with industry partners and leading academic centers,
have developed a unique portfolio of intellectual property and
novel products. These researchers are complemented by a seasoned
management team with substantial experience in commercializing
innovative, disruptive technologies.
Altairnano focuses on nanotechnology applications to enable new
high-growth markets. In alternative energy Altairnano is
pioneering new battery materials and systems. The company is
applying nanotechnology to the development of drug candidates for
humans and companion animals, coatings materials for implants,
and materials for dental applications. Its high performance
nanomaterials have applications in paints, coatings, and the
treatment of water and air. The Altairnano Hydrochloride Pigment
process, the first new patented pigment process in 50 years, is
an environmentally friendly method for manufacturing white
pigment used in paints, paper and plastic. For additional
information on the Company, please visit its worldwide website at
www.altairnano.com.
UQM Technologies, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of power
dense, high efficiency electric motors, generators and power
electronic controllers for the automotive, aerospace, medical,
military and industrial markets. A major emphasis of the Company
is developing products for the alternative energy technologies
sector including propulsion systems for electric, hybrid electric
and fuel cell electric vehicles, under-the-hood power accessories
and other vehicle auxiliaries and distributed power generation
applications. The Company's headquarters, engineering and product
development center, and motor manufacturing operation are located
in Frederick, Colorado. For more information on the Company,
please visit its worldwide website at www.uqm.com.
This Release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking
statements" [...] Source: UQM Technologies, Inc.
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EVLN(EcoV nEVs)
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--- {EVangel}
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060706%2FAUTO01%2F607060319%2F1148
Thursday, July 06, 2006 David Coates / The Detroit News
David Coates / The Detroit News
Grosse Pointe Woods' Richard Marks and his EcoV electric vehicle
won the Next Energy Innovation Award.
Local spotlight Electric car may spark sales
Mich.-made prototype can go up to 40 miles a day on '50 cents of
electricity,' creator says.
Christine Snyder / Special to The Detroit News
Marks says the styling of his EcoV vehicle gives him an advantage
over his competitors. See full image
GROSSE POINTE WOODS -- Richard Marks spends his life counting on
the future. But as president of EcoV Electric in Grosse Pointe
Woods, he has put his past to good use.
After 35 years working in the automobile industry, Marks has
spent the last three and half years developing the prototype for
the EcoV Electric Vehicle. Now his mission is to see these
vehicles in production and in use.
The EcoV is a low-speed, street-worthy vehicle that uses six
eight-volt batteries. It is noiseless and emission-free. "For 50
cents of electricity out of a standard wall outlet, you charge it
and are ready to go another 25 to 40 miles day in and day out,"
Marks says.
The vehicle goes 25 miles an hour -- the top speed legally
allowed for vehicles termed "low-speed." Industrial fleets,
master plan communities, and urban roads where the speed limit is
25 mile per hour or less are some of its expected uses.
Marks says he got "bit by the electric bug" as an engineer at
General Motors, where his last position was spent on its electric
vehicle program.
Marks left, gained some additional automotive experience at Tier
One suppliers, worked with a couple of partners interested in
developing an electric vehicle, and finally broke off on his
own.
The first vehicle Marks developed was more of a golf cart. "The
problem with golf carts is that no matter what you do to them,
they still look like golf carts," Marks says. "Talking with
potential customers we got a sense of the things important to
them and the second generation product is the vehicle we came up
with."
Marks describes the current Eco-V prototype as similar to a
smaller residential postal truck with more windows "and a lot
more style."
Marks had the Allison Brothers race car builders in North
Carolina build the frame for the Eco V.
"We built the existing vehicle in about two and a half months.
The primary use is to show it to customers, show it to suppliers,
but most importantly to show it to investment people," Marks
says. "In the automotive world you need a set of tires to kick
you can describe it in words and pictures, but until you drive it
(you don't understand)."
The result is a more comfortable, safer ride, Marks says. "None
of our competition does that. Most of our competition comes out
of either the golf cart vehicles or the golf carts on steroids."
Marks recently won the Next Energy Innovation Award through the
Ann Arbor-based Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Club, and is in the
competition for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's
21st Century Jobs Fund, which is allotting $20 million to create
jobs and technologies in Michigan.
The $12,500 he won from Great Lakes is his first equity
investment. "It is money that we will use to continue moving our
program forward."
Marks has an agreement with the College of Creative Studies in
Detroit to redesign the vehicle's interior and exterior.
Christine Snyder is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.
-
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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EVLN(Phoenix orders Altairnano's nano-lithium batts)
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informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/07/05/013717.html
Altair Nanotechnologies Receives Initial Order for Electric Car
Batteries
RENO, Nev.--July 5, 2006--Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. , a
leading supplier of ceramic nanomaterials and high-power battery
systems technology, today announced that it has received a
$750,000 initial order for its fast charge, high powered
batteries from Phoenix Motorcars, an early leader in the effort
to mass produce full function, freeway ready electric automobiles
based in Ojai, California. The battery packs will be engineered
and manufactured at Altairnano's Anderson, Indiana facility and
will utilize Altairnano's proprietary nano-lithium ion battery
technology. Phoenix Motor Cars is using the engineering services
of Boshart Engineering, Inc., based in Ontario, California, to
develop the battery integration, validation, certification and
regulatory testing.
"Altairnano's nano-lithium battery technology, when integrated
with an optimized electric drive train could provide the impetus
to rejuvenate and realize the promise of the electric vehicle
vision," commented Daniel Riegert, Chairman of Phoenix Motorcars.
"We are preparing for the manufacture and distribution of several
thousand vehicles over the next few years."
Altairnano's President and CEO Alan J. Gotcher, PhD. said, "Our
proprietary technology has the potential to deliver a safe,
long-life, and high-performance battery, which is one of the
hurdles that has prevented the electric vehicle from being
commercially successful in the past."
"The combination of Boshart's engineering, Phoenix's electric
vehicle expertise and Altairnano's battery technology bring
together the necessary skill sets to build a viable electric road
vehicle. We look forward to working with our partners on this
exciting program," said Boshart President Ken Boshart.
In early 2005, Altairnano announced that it had developed
innovative battery electrode material that in independent testing
exhibited very fast charge characteristics. In September 2005,
the company announced it had taken additional steps to
commercialization by acquiring a leading-edge battery design and
implementation group which it co-located in Reno, Nevada and
Anderson, Indiana. On February 1st, 2006 Altairnano announced
that it had started the manufacture of battery cells in its
Anderson facility, and on May 23rd, Altairnano announced that
these battery cells had passed key safety tests conducted by
Altairnano. All of these were necessary technical steps to
entering the electric vehicle market.
The next step, before engaging with an electric vehicle supplier,
was to partner with an expert in electric drive-trains and a
company who had an established track record in vehicle roadworthy
compliance. On May 8th, 2006 Altairnano announced it had signed
an agreement with Boshart Engineering.
Together Boshart and Altairnano proposed an integrated
drive-train and battery system to Phoenix Motorcars. The
recommended solution met a battery specification Phoenix had
previously been unable to fulfill in terms of vehicle range,
speed, weight, recharge time and price/performance. In addition
Altairnano was able to provide a safety specification for the
battery unmatched in the industry.
"We have a carefully thought out plan for commercializing our
innovative nano-battery program, and we are executing to plan,"
said Alan J. Gotcher, Ph.D. "I am delighted with the partnerships
we have formed with Phoenix and Boshart. Together we believe that
we can open up new markets for electric vehicles."
ABOUT PHOENIX MOTORCARS, INC.
Phoenix Motorcars, headquartered in Ojai, California, has been an
industry leader in the development of battery electric freeway
speed vehicles since 2001. The mission of Phoenix Motorcars is to
manufacture zero emission vehicles to reduce the toxic emissions
of the largest contributor to air pollution, personal
automobiles. For additional information visit
www.phoenixmotorcars.com. All information in this press release
regarding Phoenix Motorcars and its plans and operations has been
provided by Phoenix Motorcars and has not been verified by
Altairnano or Boshart.
ABOUT BOSHART ENGINEERING
Boshart Engineering, headquartered in Ontario, California, with
offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Seoul, Korea has years of
experience in automotive engineering. The company's engineering
team specializes in vehicle homologation services. Boshart
Engineering is an expert in emission certification, vehicle
homologation, vehicle & technology integration as well as many
testing programs including over-the-road durability, competitive
vehicle testing, ADP testing, brake testing, remote site testing,
and procurement activities for OEM's and aftermarket
manufacturers. Boshart Engineering has extensive experience in
working with vehicle OEM's and tier-one suppliers around the
world as well as working with the California Air Resources Board
and the Environmental Protection Agency. For additional
information visit www.boshartengineering.com. All information in
this press release regarding Boshart Engineering and its plans
and operations has been provided by Boshart Engineering and has
not been verified by Altairnano
ABOUT ALTAIR NANOTECHNOLOGIES INC.
Altairnano is an innovator and supplier of advanced ceramic
nanomaterials. With a skilled team of scientists in its 100,000
square foot facility who, coupled in collaborative ventures with
industry partners and leading academic centers, have developed a
unique portfolio of intellectual property and novel products.
These researchers are complemented by a seasoned management team
with substantial experience in commercializing innovative,
disruptive technologies.
Altairnano focuses on nanotechnology applications to enable new
high-growth markets. In alternative energy Altairnano is
pioneering new battery materials and systems. The company is
applying nanotechnology to the development of drug candidates for
humans and companion animals, coatings materials for implants,
and materials for dental applications. Its high performance
nanomaterials have applications in paints, coatings, and the
treatment of water and air. The Altairnano Hydrochloride Pigment
process, the first new patented pigment process in 50 years, is
an environmentally friendly method for manufacturing white
pigment used in paints, paper and plastic. For additional
information visit www.altairnano.com. All information in this
press release regarding Altairnano and its plans and operations
has been provided by Altairnano has not been verified by Boshart
Engineering or Phoenix Motorcars.
Forward-Looking Statements
-
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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. http://geocities.com/brucedp/
. EV List Editor, RE & AFV newswires
. (originator of the above ASCII art)
===== Undo Petroleum Everywhere
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EVLN(GM the EV killer-LONG)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/entertainment/view.bg?articleid=529641
Leading the charge for electric car By Ed Symkus
Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - Updated: 10:02 AM EST
You may have seen electric cars driving in your town.
GM gave two of them to Newtons Environmental Affairs Department
in 2003. City inspectors used them on business calls, and Elaine
Gentile, director of the department, regularly visited schools
where, she says, kids were fascinated by them.
But last November, Gentile was told the cars had to be returned
because the program was over. A series of e-mail conversations
went back and forth, with Gentile offering to buy the cars from
GM. In the end, her requests were refused, the cars were
returned, and were then destroyed.
In one of the last e-mails I sent to them, recalls Gentile, I
said, You people are really doing a disservice not just to
yourself, but to energy, to conservation. Why junk them? What
kind of a name is this giving General Motors? I still have a bad
taste in my mouth about this.
===
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=343570
Powerful Interests Stifle Innovation
Government, business conspire to kill electric car technol
(nauben (netizen2) Published 2006-07-05 12:04 (KST)
General Motors Corporation and its offspring parts operation
Delphi are currently laying off more than 50,000 unionized
workers in the U.S. The companies claim that their North American
operations are not profitable, and GM claims that it has to do
the layoffs since it is losing market share for its cars.
Given the problems that GM claims it is having in its North
American operations, the newly released film "Who Killed the
Electric Car?" offers a helpful framework from which to view the
automaker's current actions.
The film tells a little-known but significant story about
corporate America and the U.S. government's failure to support
innovation. Few in the U.S. or elsewhere know that GM had
produced and leased 800 electric cars, which dotted the roads of
California in the second half of the 1990s.
This was a new and functioning technology, the charged-at-home
battery operated automobiles. The EV1 proved not only a viable
technology but also a joy to the drivers. Yet, by 2006, all the
cars, with the exception of a few hidden away in some museums,
had been sent by GM to a crushing station in the Arizona desert.
By this time, though, a set of activists who had leased the cars
and had come to love them, were monitoring what GM was doing. The
fact that GM chose to destroy the cars rather than welcome the
support of and enthusiastic reception by their users, highlights
the disdain with which GM treated a new technology that could
have revolutionized its industry and the corporation.
The film was released June 30, 2006, for viewers in New York and
California, and will be shown throughout the U.S in the coming
months. It raises some serious and important questions about the
nature of corporate-government collusion in the U.S. when it
comes to the ability of a society to transition to a new
technology. This was similar to a problem that plagued the former
Soviet Union. The story of what happened when a functioning
electric car was introduced in the U.S. helps to show the forces
at play that are hostile to a society's ability to embrace a new
and needed technology.
The story starts in California in 1990. Plagued by high levels of
smog that were very damaging to the health of its residents, the
California Air Resource Board (CARB) adopted a regulation called
the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. This government entity
set a series of goals for automakers selling cars in the state.
It required them to produce a percentage of cars with zero
emissions. The regulation would require that automakers sell 2
percent ZEV's in 1998, 5 percent in 2001 and 10 percent in 2003.
In January of 1990, GM introduced a car powered by a battery at
the Los Angeles Auto Show. The car was later called the EV1
(Electric Vehicle). By December 1996, GM made cars available on
lease for US$400-$500 a month. Later the lease rate was reduced
to $250-$300 a month.
By 2000, GM was leasing 800 of the EV1s it had produced. Those
leasing them found them enjoyable to drive and that they needed
much less maintenance than older model cars. The batteries could
be charged in one's garage overnight. There was no need to
purchase gasoline or to do maintenance like oil changes. Though
GM did not yet mass-produce the cars nor provide favorable
publicity to let people know that they were an option for
drivers, there were a number of people who learned of the cars
and were willing to go through the hurdles put up by GM to be
able to lease a car.
The reluctance of GM to advertise the cars and offer them to
drivers, however, is part of a larger story. The California
regulations were an incentive for GM and other automakers to
invest in and develop new technology. The state of California
subsidized each EV1 leased in California. The automakers,
however, did not welcome such incentives. Instead, they formed a
trade organization, the American Automotive Manufacturing
Association (AAMA) and set out to try to stymie the regulations.
In March 1995, the AAMA circulated a confidential proposal to
develop a "grassroots education campaign" to repeal the CARB ZEV
program. Andrew Card was then the president of the AAMA and would
subsequently become chief of staff in the George W. Bush White
House, when the U.S. Department of Justice would join the GM and
DaimlerChrysler lawsuit to end the CARB ZEV requirements.
In January 2002, GM, DaimlerChrysler and several auto dealerships
sued CARB in U.S. District Court in Fresno, California, to repeal
the ZEV mandate. In October 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice
filed a "friend of the court brief" supporting the auto
companies. The auto companies claimed that California could not
require zero emissions, as this was an interference with the
right of the federal government to regulate fuel economy
standards.
Also, the Bush administration gave support to fuel cell vehicle
technology, providing big financial incentives for research. Such
technology, however, will take many years to develop, while the
electric car technology was already functioning.
In 2002, Alan C. Lloyd, the chair of CARB, was named chair of the
California Fuel Cell Partnership. This meant that Lloyd had a
conflict of interest with regard to providing support for
electric cars, as he headed an organization promoting a competing
technology. Yet, Lloyd chaired the April 2003 CARB meeting, which
decided to revise the ZEV mandate. Automakers no longer had the
incentive to produce electric cars.
With this change in the regulation, GM announced that it would
not renew the leases on the EV1 cars. It reclaimed the vehicles
and towed those it had trouble reclaiming because of opposition
to the removal of the EV1s from operation.
The disappointed former lessees of the cars used the Internet to
form a group of activists hoping to save their cars from
destruction. They offered to buy the cars and release GM from any
obligation to repair them, or other liability, but GM refused the
offer.
In March 2005, the cars were loaded onto trucks, despite the
efforts of some of the activists to block the final trip of the
cars to the crusher.
The film is important since it documents the powerful forces that
came together in the U.S. to thwart the development and adoption
of a vitally needed new technology. It sets out to understand how
an automobile that didn't pollute and that didn't rely on oil
could be destroyed by the company that successfully produced it.
Though not a typical detective plot, the film offers the viewer a
cast of suspects to consider when trying to understand how the
crime was committed.
Not surprisingly, GM, the Bush Administration, and Bush's former
Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, are among the suspects. So is Alan
Lloyd, who presided over the hearing where the ZEV mandate was
butchered. Another suspect is the oil industry. The film
documents how the oil industry bought up the battery technology
that made the EV1 work, not to develop it, but to suppress it.
The film offers other suspects. It fails to indict the press,
however, and the fact that there was little media attention to
the fight by the activists against the destruction of an
important new technology. There was little media attention to the
question, "Why was GM gutting a potentially highly profitable
component of its operations?"
GM and its offspring Delphi are currently the subject of various
federal government investigations about their questionable
accounting practices, which have misrepresented expenses and
unsold cars, thus inflating profits. The opportunity that GM had
to pioneer a new and desired technology was thrown into the
crusher.
At a time when the U.S. government is occupying Iraq in order to
control its oil, among other geopolitical aims, the promise of an
automobile not dependent on oil is all the more desirable to the
many Americans who oppose the war in Iraq.
Just as the Bush administration conducted a disinformation
campaign to deceive public opinion about its reasons for invading
Iraq, so GM has conducted a disinformation campaign to deceive
public opinion about its reasons for destroying the electric car
it had produced and successfully put into operation.
The film helps to highlight the great need for media that will
shine a light on corporate and government plans to subvert the
public interest. In the absence of functioning mass media doing
the needed investigative journalism, it is a welcome event to
have the production and showing of a film like "Who Killed the
Electric Car?"
-
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
' ____
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. http://geocities.com/brucedp/
. EV List Editor, RE & AFV newswires
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