Poland May Aim To Become Electric Car Producer

 

As I just wrote, two Polish cities (Kraków and Wrocław, where I live) are each planning to launch 200-car electric carsharing programs. Furthermore, a startup is aiming to launch electric carsharing in Poznan, Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Tricity, and Łódź; and I'm working with a few top-notch gents to launch one as well.

But that's just part of Poland's fast-rising electric car story.

The current government, despite being a right-wing extremist government (think: Tea Party takes control of the country), has expressed interest in making Poland a leader in electric cars. Part of that, though, is that the political promoters of this idea think Poland can become a leader in the production of electric cars … for Polish car companies (that don't yet exist).

Well, we are probably getting a bit dreamy here. Starting a car company isn't too hard, but getting it to scale (rather than quickly watching it crash and burn) is hard to do. Tesla Motors is still not out of the woods on this front, and in the process, it has made the challenge for others that much taller. Could a Polish startup become a major electric car producer? Well, anything is possible, but that's not something I'd bet on right now. And the challenge isn't just that Tesla is deep into the game — it's that Apple is getting into the game; Volkswagen is getting serious about the game; Faraday Future, NextEV, and Atieva have billions of dollars from China backing their development and growth; and all of the large automakers must see now that they have to move fast or collapse under their own out-of-date weight.

That said, there is at least one Polish startup with an electric prototype. Approximately 90% of the parts were reportedly built in Poland (but note that part of the "10%" is the batteries). The car can reportedly accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 6 seconds, has a range of 150 km (93 miles), has batteries weighing 1300 kg (2900 lbs), has a battery capacity listed at 159 Ah (no kWh listing…), seats up to 4 people, and has a max speed of 110 km/h (68 mph). Funding to develop the car came from the EU as well as an investor. My understanding from talking to a colleague here who knows more about the project than I do is that there's no viable business plan mapped out for turning this into a mass producer of electric cars, but we'll wait and see what comes of the effort before determining it's essentially as far as it's going to get.

Honestly, if they can offer a car at a decent price, and perhaps get the battery cost down, it looks like it would make a great little city car for electric carsharing programs across the country! (And for some consumers.) Have a look:

 

And, just for laughs (I presume) another Polish startup is planning to build a hydrogen fuel cell car. It looks cool, but that's obviously a pointless endeavor, and the concept car looks like a full-blooded concept car without capabilities to move anywhere on its own.

Aside from the electric carsharing programs and electric car startups, EU funding helped to get hundreds of EV charging stations installed in major Polish cities, which explains the surprisingly good network here in Wrocław (where I live).

Additionally, Wojewódzki Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej w Szczecinie (a regional environmental protection and water management fund for the province of Zachodniopomorskie) on July 1 started to grant preferential loans for electric vehicle buyers. The interest rate on the loans is just 2%. Aside from electric cars, the loans support the purchase of electric scooters and electric bikes. A loan will cover 100% of the cost of a car, but only up to 150,000 zł (~$38,000), so it certainly doesn't cover the full cost of a Tesla or even a BMW i3.

As a surprise to me, despite being a bit late to the game relative to leaders like Norway, the Netherlands, and China, it seems like the EV revolution is picking up here in Poland. With that being case, now is as good a time as any to announce that we are holding our next Cleantech Freakin' Revolution Tour conference here in Wrocław! It will be held October 8–9 — go sign up now! We'll announce more details as they are confirmed, but here's the preliminary agenda:

OCTOBER 8

10:30 amCoffee & Networking

11:00 amClimate & Cleantech Standup Comedyby Zachary Shahan, Director of CleanTechnica & President of Important Media

11:30 amState of the Electric Vehicle Industry Globally & in Polandby Zachary Shahan, Director of CleanTechnica & Founder of EV Obsession

12:00 pmEV Fleet Pros, Cons, & Managementby Tomek Gać, Founder & CEO of Quriers and Energia Słonća

12:45 pmLunch & Networking

1:45 pmElectric Carsharing & Robotaxi Deep Diveby Jacek Fior, Director of CleanTechnica.pl & Co-founder/Co-owner of Quest Translation

2:15 pmEV Sales Lessons 2008–2015by Jose Pontes & Viktor Irle, Co-founders of EV Volumes

3:00 pmCoffee & Networking

3:30 pmDenis RakcheevFounder & CEO of Versatile Energy Provider

4:00 pmEV Startup Pitches

4:40 pmEV Hackathon Workshop

5:30 pmEV Expert Panel Discussion: The Future of Transportation

OCTOBER 9

10:30 amCoffee & Networking

11:00 amState of the Solar Industry Globally + Communicating Cleantechby Zachary Shahan, Director of CleanTechnica & President of Important Media

11:30 amState of the Solar Industry in Polandby Roman Tabaka, Chairman of the Board, T&T ProEnergy

12:00 pmCombining Solar with EVs in Polandby Tomek Gać, Founder & CEO of Energia Słonća and Quriers

12:30 pmLunch & Networking

1:30 pmSolar Expert Panel: How to Advance Solar Energy in Poland

2:30 pmStartup Pitches

3:30 pmCoffee & Networking

4:00 pmSolar Hackathon Workshop

5:00 pmThe Future is Now

Photos via onet.pl and motoshow.krakow.pl

 

Don't forget to follow EV Obsession on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and/or RSS! Do it for electricity!

Tags: Cleantech Revolution Tour, EU, Europe, Kraków, Łódź, Poland, Poznan, Tricity, Warsaw, Wroclaw

About the Author

Zach is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy since 2009. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he's the founder and director of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.

Source: Poland May Aim To Become Electric Car Producer

Best used car deals are plug-in vehicles

There is one place where sales of plug-in vehicles are heating up: on the newly used car market.

Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids classified as 1 to 3 years old are some of the hottest sellers and best deals, according to a new study by used car aggregator, iSeeCars.com.

"The market may have hit a sweet spot where the pricing has dropped enough to make these cars more desirable," says Phong Ly, CEO of iSeeCars.com

The average price of near-new electric cars has dropped $3,830 on average year-over-year, whereas the average for gas cars has dropped just $242.

Automakers offer good lease incentives to move new plug-ins like a trial period for curious but cautious customers transitioning to the technology. The glut of off-lease plug-in and hybrid cars make the best value proposition on the near-new used car market.

Near-new plug-in vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf can cost less than half of the original $30,000 manufacturer's suggested retail price, which includes a $7,500 federal rebate incentive. A near-new Leaf averages $12,533, according to a study of over 2.2 million near-new cars by iSeeCars.com.

"The prices are so reasonable they are some of the best deals on the market," Ly said.

People are snatching up deals as the supply remains higher than demand.

Five of the top 10 fastest-moving cars are hybrids, plug-ins or electric vehicles. The average near-new car took 42.4 days to sell. The fastest mover, the limited release Prius Plug-In Hybrid, sells in just 19.7 days, more than twice as fast as the average near-new car.

The Nissan Leaf compact electric car is next at 24.3 days, followed by the Tesla Model S electric sedan at 26.1.

The Hyundai Veloster turbo sports coupe (27.8 days) and two Infiniti crossovers, the QX60 (27.9 days) and the full-size QX56 (29 days), which is now known as the QX80, were next. Ly says the fast-moving gas used cars mirror new car sales of the same models.

The Lexus CT200h (29.4) days and Toyota Highlander Hybrid (29.6) were relatively fast movers.

The Prius Plug-In Hybrid, the electric variant of the world's best-selling hybrid car, is a bit of an outlier, but it provides interesting insight into buyer behavior. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid is sold in only 15 states, and the majority of its sales are in California, where alternatively fueled vehicles qualify for relatively uncongested high-occupancy vehicle carpool lanes. Until now. The HOV "green" stickers reached their limit in late 2015, and solo drivers of existing vehicles with the stickers will have HOV access until 2019.

"(HOV access is) pushing up demand for used cars that already have that privilege," Ly said.

There was also a 17 percent decline in average price, to $19,057 in the first quarter of 2016 from $22,945 in 2015.

There has never been a better time to buy a used plug-in vehicle.

"Consumers who are ready to take the leap into a hybrid, plug-in or full EV have a great opportunity to get one at a price that is more affordable than ever," Ly said. "But they may face challenges finding the model they want due to lower availability."

Source: Best used car deals are plug-in vehicles

Electric Corvette Sets Shocking Top Speed Record – VIDEO

Watch out Tesla, Genovation has just broken the record for the fastest street-legal electric vehicle. The Genovation Extreme Electric (GXE), or electric Corvette, successfully reached 205.6 mph at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The run GXE laid out replaced the car's previous record of 186.8 mph earlier this year at the same location, according to Autocar.

GXE is a masterful conversion of a Chevrolet Electric Corvette having dual high performance electric motors. These motors can produce 500 kW output and 600 lb of torque. It is said that the GXE has a range of 130 miles, when driving the car normally. The gasoline to electric conversion was able to maintain a 50/50 weight distribution making it well-balanced and fun to drive. A rarity to electric vehicles, this EV Corvette has six-speed manual transmission to make it a true driver's car, similar to the driving experience with a standard V8 under the hood.

However, it is not an easy task creating this super speed electric car. Studies and trials to match the battery, motor, inverter and other parts to create a drive line that operate seamlessly together was a big obstacle. Their works resulted in two IMRA (International Mile Racing Association) certifications as the top speed electric vehicle.

Genovation was founded in 2008 by Andrew Saul, Steven Rogers and Robert Kirby. Their aim is to reimagining the way people look at electric vehicles. In 2009, they started to pursue their mission by converting Ford Focus cars for fleet operation with electric motors. This car was also being used as a guinea pig for test fitting for technology developed at that time that would evolve into the electric Corvette.

Then they introduced G2 which is built from green composite with the concept of mixing performance, sustainability and efficiency. It is one of the most aerodynamic vehicle in the world. After that they started developing GSL cars which successfully blends luxury and sustainability.

In 2009, Genovation showed its masterpiece, the GXE. This car brings the spirit of Genovation for the record-breaking capacity of speed with American made engineering. In achieving the full speed, they realized that it would be impossible for single motor to produce sufficient amount of torque, power and RPM. Then, they came up with the idea for a twin motor with one common drive shaft setup.

However, they need couple of years to develop everything to make this electric Corvette as the fastest street-legal electric car. Today they continue to create advanced technology for electric cars, focusing on maximum performance and appealing design styles. For more CDA News, follow our tweets on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

By Nuryanda Akbar

Photo Courtesy Genovation Facebook

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Source: Electric Corvette Sets Shocking Top Speed Record – VIDEO

Here’s the stunning electric car Porsche is making to take on Tesla

Twitter/Porsche

Tesla will soon be getting some serious competition.

Porsche is doubling down on its electric car efforts and plans to roll out its first fully electric vehicle, dubbed the Mission E, by 2020. 

In fact, Porsche, which is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, said earlier this week that it plans to hire 1,400 people to bring its Mission E to life, according to a Reuters report. Previously, the company said it would be hiring about 1,000 people. 

Porsche originally revealed the Mission E as a concept car at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt last September. At the time, the company revealed that it would have a range of more than 250 miles and include a number of other innovative technologies. 

While the company has not yet revealed what high-tech features will be included in the production model, the Mission E concept that was shown last year does give us a glimpse of what to expect in the final product.

Here's a look at some of the coolest features in the Mission E concept that could end up in the production version. 

Source: Here's the stunning electric car Porsche is making to take on Tesla

Brookhaven Chemists Contribute to Effort to Make Next-generation Electric Vehicle Batteries

UPTON, NY—Imagine, on the streets of the United States, electric vehicles as affordable and convenient as gasoline-powered vehicles. Now imagine that scene taking place in just a few years.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory are working to make that a reality as part of a multidisciplinary "Battery500 Consortium" led by DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). As announced by the White House last week, the consortium will receive up to $10 million a year over five years from DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to work toward the goal of commercially-viable, next-generation batteries. Specifically, the team aims to develop batteries that can produce 500 watt-hours per kilogram, compared to the 170-200 watt-hours per kilogram in today's typical electric vehicle battery, at a cost of less than $100 per kilowatt-hour for a battery pack.

"Our goal is to extract every available drop of energy from battery materials, while also producing a high-performance battery that is reliable, safe, and less expensive," said consortium director and PNNL materials scientist Jun Liu. "Through our multi-institutional partnership, which includes some of the world's most innovative energy storage leaders, the Battery500 consortium will examine the best options to create the most powerful next-generation lithium batteries for electric cars."

By working closely with other members of this consortium team, we are confident that we will make great contributions to the overall project goals.

— Brookhaven chemist Xiao-Qing Yang

The team will design new electrode and cell architectures, pairing lithium metal as the negative electrode with two different materials for the battery's positive electrode. In this redesigned battery, the prevention of unwanted side reactions will significantly improve battery performance.

At Brookhaven Lab, most of the effort will be focused on determining the characteristics of the composite solid electrolytes and sulfur cathodes using intense beams of x-rays at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and other techniques including mass-spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy at Brookhaven's Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), another Office of Science User Facility. The Brookhaven team will also explore materials synthesis and crystal growth.

The images of elemental distribution for a novel solid-state electrolyte ceramic material sample collected at hard x-ray nano-probe beamline (HXN) at NSLS-II.

"We are very proud to be a part of this consortium," said Brookhaven principal investigator Xiao-Qing Yang. "The characterization and diagnostic techniques developed at NSLS-II and CFN offer great advantages for studying these materials. By working closely with other members of this consortium team, we are confident that we will make great contributions to the overall project goals."

Brookhaven is currently budgeted to receive $1 million a year, although the actual funding numbers will be determined in specific project planning discussions.

Battery500 Consortium members include:

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Idaho National Laboratory

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Binghamton University (State University of New York)

Stanford University

University of California, San Diego

University of Texas at Austin

University of Washington

IBM (advisory board member)

Tesla Motors, Inc. (advisory board member)

The consortium also welcomes ideas from others, recognizing that diversity in experience and opinions often results in better solutions. The team will set aside 20 percent of its overall budget for "seedling projects," or work based on proposals from throughout the battery research community.

Though the immediate goal is to make effective, affordable batteries for electric vehicles, Liu expects the consortium's work could also advance stationary grid energy storage.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy.  The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.  For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.

Source: Brookhaven Chemists Contribute to Effort to Make Next-generation Electric Vehicle Batteries

Apple puts the brakes on its car: Firm is instead focusing on developing self driving software to take on Telsa and Google

Project Titan has been reorganised under Apple veteran Bob Mansfield

iPhone maker has hired former head of BlackBerry's car software division

Now focused on delivering self driving software systems   

By Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:22 EST, 28 July 2016 | Updated: 15:52 EST, 28 July 2016

2

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Apple has scaled back on its plan to build a car, and is instead developing software for self driving cars, it has been claimed.

According to Bloomberg the iPhone maker has hired the former head of BlackBerry's  automotive software division - and is 'now prioritizing the development of an autonomous driving system'.

However, the site claimed Apple has not entirely abandoning efforts to design its own vehicle, leaving the door open for a future partnership or takeover.

Scroll down for video 

According to Bloomberg the iPhone maker has hired the former head of BlackBerry's automotive software division - and is 'now prioritizing the development of an autonomous driving system'.

STEVE JOBS AND THE ICAR 

Claims that Apple i s building a car may seem like a leap, but it isn't the first time such projects have been discussed by the Californian firm.

In an interview last year, Apple board member Mickey Drexler said that before his death in 2011 Steve Jobs had considered building a car.

He told Paul Goldberger: 'Steve Jobs was gonna design an iCar. 

'I think cars have an extraordinary opportunity for cool design.' 

Apple has recently been reorganising its car project, codenamed Titan, under Bob Mansfield, an Apple veteran bought of of semi-retirement to head up the team.

According to Bloomberg, he has now been joined by Dan Dodge, the founder and former chief executive officer of QNX, the operating system developer that BlackBerry acquired in 2010.

It built BlackBerry's latest pr oprietary mobile operating system, which it still uses in some of its smartphones, and makes the in-car entertainment and navigation software for Volkswagen, Daimler, Ford and others.

Apple has hundreds of engineers working on car design and has been targeting a release as soon as 2020. 

That has been 'affected by multiple departures, technical delays and confusion regarding the direction of the project, according to people with knowledge of the efforts,' said Bloomberg. 

Although Apple has never publicly acknowledged the project, in a conference call earlier this week Tim Cook hinted at it.

'The products that are in R&D, there is quite a bit of investment in there for products and services that are not currently shipping or derivations of what is currently shipping,' he told reporters.

'There's a lot of stuff that we're doing beyond the current products.'

The firm is believed to have several locations for its car team.

Local residents have complained of late night noise and being followed by security guards when walking their dogs near what is believed to be Apple's secret electric car lab in a nondescript garage in Sunnyvale, California, is where Apple is believed to be building its self driving 'Titan' cars.

Local residents say the building has late night deliveries, and loud noises 'almost every night'.   

This office complex is believed to be home to Apple's secret car project. The building is advertised as home to a mysterious company named SixtyEight Research

'At three in the morning, they have deliveries,' Joann Porter told CBS. 

'It's very dark, very secretive. 

'We don't know what's going on, but almost every night there is noise that wakes the dogs up,'

Neighbours on Bartlett Avenue near the facility said security guards tail them when they walk their dogs. 

One blog claims the address is the HQ for the project which could one day take on Tesla.

'Two people with knowledge of the project say Apple has been working on it and receiving shipments related to its development at a building just minutes from 1 Infinite Loop, in the town of Sunnyvale,' wrote AppleInsider.

'We can confirm that Apple does indeed have a large presence at the location, and that numerous automotive-related renovations, including an 'auto work area' and a 'repair garage,' have been constructed on the premises.'

The building is advertise d as home to a mysterious company named SixtyEight Research. 

Aside from a sparse website registered through GoDaddy less than a year ago that reveals virtually no information about the company, SixtyEight has no discernible online presence. 

'We are experts in market research; helping companies find the relevant market data and industry analysis required to make informed decisions,' its site says.

The building is apparently known as SG5 within Apple, and issues visitor passes identical to Apple's - minus the logo. 

Apple could have an electric car ready to go on sale by 2020, putting it in direct competition with rivals Tesla Motors and General Motors, according to an industry expert.

Evidence is mounting that the tech giant is gearing up to revolutionise the automobile market, just as it did with smartphones and tab lets.

Images taken over the past few weeks have shown a prototype car that suggests Apple is testing the water - ahead of a release in as little as five years. 

When AppleInsider visited SixtyEight's headquarters at building '175' earlier this week, its windows were a 'frosted' opaque, and security cameras were visible outside

Bloomberg has claimed that Apple could have a car ready by 2020, based on images of a test car. After the first mysterious camera-mounted car was spotted in California last week, further sightings of Apple's minivans have been posted online, with equipment on top (shown here)

According to Tim Higgins from Bloomberg, automakers 'typically spend five to seven years developing a car'.

And a 2020 timeframe would underscore Apple's 'aggressive goals and could set the stage for a battle for customer s with Tesla Motors Inc and General Motors Co.'

Both of those are planning to release a sub-£26,000 ($40,000) electric car in 2017 that can travel more than 200 miles (320km) on a single charge.

Steve LeVine, author of 'The Powerhouse,' a book about the automotive battery industry, said on Bloomberg TV Thursday: 'Was GM really going to be able to match Tesla? Apple can.'

This latest speculation follows sightings of mysterious camera-mounted cars registered to Apple in the US last week.

At least two videos - one recorded in California, another filmed in Florida - suggest the top-secret project is more widespread than first thought. 

And rumours range from a Street View-style mapping service to an electric car that will rival Tesla or a self-driving van to rival Google.  

The California n footage was sent to MacRumors and shows a silver people-carrier driving down a street in Palo Alto. 

The Florida recording was filmed on a highway in Coral Springs and uploaded by Apple Insider. 

This footage shows a white Dodge Caravan fitted with cameras on the roof. As the filmmaker pulls alongside the van, they wave at the two men inside. 

The passenger is seen concealing an iPad from view, while the driver points to the camera and drives off. 

The Florida recording (pictured) was filmed in Coral Springs. This footage shows a white Dodge Caravan fitted with cameras on the roof. As the filmmaker pulls alongside the van, they wave at the two men inside and the passenger is seen concealing an iPad from view  

Other reports have spotted the vans in Hawaii and Wisconsin. 

The latest vans haven't officially been confirmed as belonging to Apple, but the similarities with previous confirmed sightings suggests they are. 

The far-reaching nature of the project lends more weight to the claims Apple is developing a mapping service. 

With 12 cameras on top of the car, however, some have said that is too many for it to be a mapping car like Google's Street View. 

Plus, reports recently claimed Apple has several hundred employees developing an electric car at a secret lab. This project has been dubbed 'Titan'.

This Apple research lab was reportedly set up late last year - meaning any car could still be years away -  and is being overseen by Apple designer Sir Jonathan Ive. 

Apple could, of course, be using the vans for both projects.   

The Wall Street Journal added that hundreds of employees are working on the Titan project and boss Tim Cook approved the project close to a year ago.  

The Californian footage (pictured) was sent to MacRumors and shows a silver people-carrier driving down a street in Palo Alto  

These reports followed rumours that Apple was developing a vehicle as part of a project that 'will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.'

The claims were made in an email from an unnamed Apple employee.  

In an interview last year, Apple board member Mickey Drexler said that before his death in 2011, Steve Jobs had considered building a car.

An unnamed Apple employee recently hinted that the tech giant is developing a vehicle as part of a project that 'will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.' It followed sightings of an Apple-owned car fitted with cameras (pictured) in California

In particular, Apple may be working on an electric car to rival Tesla's range (the Tesla P85D is pictured) or the email could be referring to an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software

PUBLIC COULD HAVE SELF-DRIVING CARS IN TWO YEARS 

The head of self-driving cars for Google expects real people to be using them on public roads in two to five years.

Chris Urmson said the cars would still be test vehicles, and Google would collect data on how they interact with other vehicles and pedestrians.

But Mr Urmson wouldn't give a date for putting driverless cars on roads en masse, saying that the system has to be safe enough to work properly.

He told reporters last month at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit that he wants to reach the point where his test team no longer has to pilot the cars. 

He told Paul Goldberger: 'Steve Jobs was gonna design an iCar. I think cars have an extraordinary opportunity for cool design.'

Alternatively, the Apple employee's email could be referring to an advanced iPhone in-car control system that would rival Tesla's software.   

The original Dodge van with the equipment on the top was spotted by the blog Claycord in San Francisco. 

The blog owners apparently asked the driver what he was doing, but he refused to give an answer. 

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed the vehicle was leased to Apple.

La st year, footage emerged of a self-driving Dodge Caravan that looked like the current Apple minivans.  

When contacted by MailOnline, Apple declined to comment on the car in question or what its purpose was. 

With 12 cameras on top of the mysterious Apple car, some have said that is too many for it to be a mapping car like Google's Street View (pictured left). Google launched its Street View technology in 2007, and has refined the technology ever since (Street View screenshot near Trafalgar Square in London pictured right)

Alternatively, the vehicles spotted in California and Florida could be self-driving cars. The cameras on the mysterious vans could be used to scan the road and help engineers develop autonomous software, for example. If Apple was developing such systems, they would would rival Google's self-driving cars (pictured)

 

Source: Apple puts the brakes on its car: Firm is instead focusing on developing self driving software to take on Telsa and Google

Genovation GXE breaks own world record for fastest street legal electric car

Think fast electric cars, and Tesla is usually the first brand that springs to mind. Even though the Model S can be fitted with Ludicrous Mode, and even though it accelerates like a McLaren F1, it's not the fastest street legal EV in the world. That honor is reserved for the Genovation GXE, a reimagined Corvette Z06 that has now set a new land speed world record of 205.6 mph.

The Genovation Extreme Electric car looks like a 2006 Corvette Z06 on the outside, but underneath it's a much more sophisticated beast. Gone is the V8, and in its place are electric motors pumping out a combined 600 hp (447 kW) of power and 570 lb-ft (773 Nm) of torque.

Elon Musk is unlikely to lose any sleep over the GXE's 130-mile (209-km) claimed range, but we'd imagine its near-50/50 weight distribution and low center of gravity would allow it to show the Model S a clean set of heels in the twisties.

Genovation set the new electric land speed record at Space Florida's Shuttle Landing Facility, with the 205.6 mph (331 km/h) run comfortably outdoing the 186.8 mph (301 km/h) it managed in February this year.

"We are thrilled that after setting a record earlier this year, we were able to further enhance the GXE's performance and break our own record," says Andrew Saul, CEO of Genovation. "We have managed to create a car that is both exhilarating for drivers and gentle on the environment."

Anyone keen to get their hands on a GXE will have to wait. Although it's breaking "street legal" records, it's not actually out there on public roads just yet, with Genovation currently in the testing and development phase. However, order books are expected to open later this year.

A video of the GXE's record run can be viewed below.

Source: Genovation

Source: Genovation GXE breaks own world record for fastest street legal electric car

Apple Maps to help you park and charge your electric car

The Apple Maps app will soon show detailed parking space information, as well as the location of electric car charging points in 6,000 cities in 75 countries across Europe, the US and Latin America.

Apple has teamed up with Parkopedia to offer up the data inside the iPhone and iPad's default mapping app. In all, the Maps app will contain data for the 40 million parking spots currently tracked by Parkopedia worldwide.

More technology news from IBTimes UK

Data will include the location of car parks, as well as the type of parking facility, number of available spaces, payment options, height limits and opening hours, plus the availability of electric car charging points.

On top of all this, users will be able to tap on the parking space to open up either the Parkopedia website or iOS app (if installed), to see user reviews, special offers and more accurate, real-time space availability. Available as a beta to developers and select consumers now, iOS 10 will be released to the general public later this year.

The feature will be a useful companion for a new Maps tool which remembers where you park. New for iOS 10, coming later this year, the feature recognises when you park up, then sends a notification to your phone offering to remember where you have parked. A photo and note can be added to make sure finding your car again is easy.

Although the service has not been formally announced by Apple, Parkopedia revealed the partnership in a press release. The company's head of marketing, Christina Onesirosan Martinez, said: "This is a very important milestone for Parkopedia. Our combined footprint in the consumer and automotive space is huge and this opens the doors to delivering a world of innovative solutions."

The Maps update is being rolled out now and should be available on iPhones in the UK soon.

Source: Apple Maps to help you park and charge your electric car

Enthusiasts, Policymakers Weigh How To Juice Electric Car Sales

California, Oregon and Washington state have lofty goals for increasing the number of non-polluting vehicles on the road. To achieve those goals, you and your neighbors will need to buy electric cars at a higher rate that we're seeing now.

Hundreds of electric car enthusiasts and policymakers gathered this week in Portland to weigh how to accelerate consumer demand.

As part of a focus group commissioned by the trade association Drive Oregon, a consumer research company gathered a cross-section of local drivers on Wednesday to gauge their interest in going electric.

The moderator asked the panel, "Electric vehicles. First thing that comes to mind?" Among the responses:

"Expensive."

"Gas saver"

"Too small."

"They're kind of a punch line, aren't they?"

Many of the participants had a hard time naming even one electric car model. And the majority told moderator John Horvick they would not consider a plug-in car for their next vehicle purchase.

"My family is all in Sacramento," a millennial woman said. "That would mean stopping six times from 20 minutes to an hour waiting just to charge to get down there."

"The biggest thing is that replacement battery," said a substitute teacher. "I've heard so much bad stuff about that. That's a factor."

'It's still early in the game'

Attendees at the EV Roadmap Conference watched this unfold via a live video feed to an auditorium big screen. Drive Oregon Executive Director Jeff Allen said it was a reality check about how little the average car shopper knows about driving electric.

"That's a little bit depressing after five years of the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt and dozens of other models available that we're still there," he said.

Allen's nonprofit is prioritizing consumer awareness activities to help sell electric cars.

"It's pretty basic. It's just doing 'ride and drive' to get people exposed to the cars," Allen said. "There haven't been nearly enough of those with new electric cars, but there have been almost none with used electric cars."

And he thinks that could make a difference. Allen said a lot of electric cars are coming off leases this year and going on the used car market at "affordable" prices.

Mass market plug-in cars first appeared at Northwest dealerships in late 2010. Half a decade later, sales of fully electric and plug-in electric hybrid cars account for less than two percent of all new car sales in Oregon and Washington and virtually none in Idaho.

Tonia Buell with the Washington State Department of Transportation said, "It's still early in the game."

"The state of Washington has a goal of 50,000 electric vehicles on our roads by 2020. We're well on our way to reaching that," Buell said. "Right now, we have more than 16,000 electric vehicles registered in the state of Washington."

Buell said it was helpful that the Washington Legislature earlier this year expanded the range of plug-in models that qualify for a sales tax break.

New models, lower costs

At the Portland conference, major automakers gave a pre-release look at some new battery-powered models. Those included a plug-in hybrid minivan from Chrysler (2017 Pacifica model), a longer range, upscale plug-in hybrid Prius (the 2017 Prius "Prime") from Toyota and the fully electric Chevy Bolt, a compact advertised to have a 200 mile range.

Nissan North America Director of Government Affairs Tracy Woodard said one thing that should help sales is that the plug-in cars are getting cheaper.

"Battery costs are coming down. Different models are coming out," Woodard said. "I think right now incentives still do matter. We still have the federal tax credit. You've got a state incentive in a lot of these states. I think that definitely helps. I think small things like signage for charging infrastructure would go a long way."

Lawmakers in Oregon and California, but not in Washington state, have given environmental regulators the authority to fine automakers who fall short of a complicated "zero emission vehicle" sales threshold. Automakers are meeting the current targets, but the mandate ramps up to a much higher sales volume over the coming decade.

"It is going to be challenging," Woodard said diplomatically.

Boosting EV infrastructure

Similar to Wednesday's focus group, an analysis of consumer attitudes by researchers from the University of California-Davis published earlier this year highlighted "lack of awareness" as the leading barrier to wider adoption of electric vehicles.

That reason was accompanied by a host of secondary concerns and questions that cumulatively led the surveyed car buyers to pass over plug-in models. Among the other barriers were range, cost and the availability of charging stations.

Buell said plug-in vehicle infrastructure is getting attention in Washington state. She said an increase in the annual EV registration fee will fund grants to organizations to subsidize new charging station installations along major roadways. At the beginning of July, the cost to renew license tabs for an electric car in the Evergreen State went from $100 to $150.

A pending multi-billion dollar national settlement with Volkswagen to make restitution for its cheating on emissions controls may include significant set asides to promote transportation electrification and charging station deployments.

Source: Enthusiasts, Policymakers Weigh How To Juice Electric Car Sales

Tesla's next move could cost the electric-car maker 'tens of billions' of dollars over the long term

Founder and CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk speaks during a media tour of the Tesla Gigafactory, which will produce batteries for the electric carmaker, in Sparks, Nevada, U.S. July 26, 2016. REUTERS/James Glover II

SPARKS, Nevada (Reuters) - Tesla's next strategic turn could cost the electric car maker "tens of billions" of dollars over the long term, but will likely require only a "modest" capital raise, Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday.

Musk's comments during a media open house at Tesla's sprawling, battery "gigafactory" outside Reno, Nevada, come at a time when the automaker is losing money and dealing with investigations into a crash that killed a driver using its Autopilot driving-assist software.

Musk seemed unwilling to let such speed bumps slow him down.

Last week he unveiled an ambitious plan to expand the company into electric trucks and buses, as well as car sharing.

On Tuesday, Musk said because the plan will roll out over a number of years, it could be mostly funded from sales of vehicles, particularly the Model 3 sedan due to launch in 2017.

While some analysts have questioned how profitable the Model 3 will be, Musk on Tuesday said he expects the car to generate $20 billion in revenue per year and $5 billion in gross profit once it is up to full production of about 500,000 vehicles a year.

"It's possible to fund quite a bit with that," Musk said, adding that not all the proposed new vehicles will happen simultaneously.

Musk said Tesla has finished engineering the Model 3 and he is confident it can launch production next summer.

On Tuesday, Musk turned his attention to the $5 billion battery plant being developed with Japan's Panasonic. 

A prototype of the Tesla Model 3 is on display in front of the factory during a media tour of the Tesla Gigafactory which will produce batteries for the electric carmaker in Sparks, Nevada, U.S. July 26, 2016. REUTERS/James Glover II

Musk said the factory could ultimately support 1.5 million electric vehicles a year and he was confident the partners could eventually lower battery costs to $100 per kilowatt-hour by 2020.

Rival General Motors has said it expects to achieve battery costs of $145 per kilowatt hour with the LG Chem batteries used in its $35,000 Chevrolet Bolt. That vehicle is due to launch later this year, nearly a year ahead of Tesla's similarly priced Model 3.

Tesla will release its second quarter results Aug. 3. The company said earlier this month that its deliveries for the quarter fell short of its forecasts. Analysts will be looking for signs that the company is containing its costs and slowing its cash burn.

Tesla took another hit June 30 when U.S. highway safety regulators disclosed they were investigating the fatal May 7 crash involving Tesla's Autopilot system, which takes partial control of steering and braking.

Musk on Tuesday again defended the technology, describing Autopilot as "unequivocally" a good thing. He said Tesla took a number of steps to "reduce complacency" among Autopilot users.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said the Tesla involved in the fatal crash was exceeding the 65-mile-per-hour speed limit.

Musk's broad new strategy for Tesla outlined last week also calls for combining with solar energy company SolarCity, ramping production of Tesla vehicles to 500,000 a year by 2018 from 80,000 vehicles projected for this year, and expanding Tesla's vehicle product lineup to include pickup and semi trucks.

Members of the media tour the Tesla Gigafactory which will produce batteries for the electric carmaker in Sparks, Nevada, U.S. July 26, 2016. REUTERS/James Glover II

Overhaul in Fremont plant

Tesla is also gearing up for a substantial overhaul of its vehicle assembly plant in Fremont, California. Model S sedans and Model X sport utilities are currently built using two separate lines of welding robots. Tesla said earlier in July production, which also fell short of targets in the second quarter, is now averaging about 2,000 vehicles a week. 

That's still about half the rate of a conventional auto assembly plant. During a tour on Monday, cars went past welding robots on carriers, with one empty carrier between each vehicle. 

Soon, company officials say, the current models will be built using one line of welding robots, so the other line can be reconfigured to build the Model 3. 

A new paint shop installed in the plant will be capable of processing 10,000 cars a week. Assembly of the powertrains for Tesla cars will be moved to the Reno gigafactory, Tesla officials said.

(With additional reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit and Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016. Follow Reuters on Twitter.

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Source: Tesla's next move could cost the electric-car maker 'tens of billions' of dollars over the long term

Hingham electric-car 'ride and drive' set for Saturday

HINGHAM – If you're curious about electric cars but haven't test-driven one yet, a regional organization of "E-vehicle" enthusiasts will give you the chance on Saturday.

The New England Electric Auto Association will hold a free "ride and drive" demonstration from noon to 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the Hingham Public Library, at 66 Leavitt St. off Route 228.

Organizer Jesse Rudavsky, who grew up in Hingham and lives in Providence, said the event will include hybrid models along with all-electric Teslas, BMWs and Chevrolet Volts.

"We want to make sure the public is aware of the electric options available," Rudavsky said.

He said "at least three or four" private electric-car owners will be on hand to talk about their own experiences with the vehicles.

The association hosted a similar event on July 23 at the Braintree solar-power array off Union Street. Rudavsky said that demonstration included four dealerships and drew 100 people.

Massachusetts has 5,000 privately-owned electric vehicles on the road, not counting all-electric and hybrid vehicles that towns and cities use. There are more than 470,000 all-electric vehicles in use in the U.S.

Saturday's "ride and drive" in Hingham comes five months after the South Shore's first Tesla showroom opened at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. The town's only electric-power charging station is there.

Hingham zoning board planner Emily Wentworth said several planned new residential developments will feature chargers for residents, "but none of them have been built yet."

The South Shore's handful of public charging stations are at Hanover Mall, South Shore Plaza in Braintree and Braintree town hall – though the town hall station is for residents only.

Three local Nissan dealers also offer charging stations – Quirk in Quincy, Coastal in Norwell and Sullivan Brothers in Kingston. Nissan's electric car is the Leaf.

More information on the New England Electric Auto Association is available at the group's web site, neeaa.org, which has a link to the group's Facebook page.

Source: Hingham electric-car 'ride and drive' set for Saturday

EU's priorities! Brussels will spend £112m on ELECTRIC CARS - and just £41m on anti-terror

GETTY

Scientific projects and innovative designs will take precedent under Horizon 2020 funding

Despite the issues gripping Europe and the growing migrant crisis, the European Commission has announced its intention to spend FOUR TIMES more on researching and developing electric car batteries than it will on learning more about the long reach of Islamic State.

The Horizon 2020 work programme, the biggest ever EU research funding project, will oversee the spend of £65bn over seven years.

The aim of the programme is to fund science and innovative projects, to place Europe ahead of other world powers.

But the huge cash spends reveal, rather than focusing on fighting terror, joining up the EU approach and controlling the migrant crisis - the Commission is looking at becoming a scientific superpower.

Yesterday, the next two years of spending was announced revealing Jean Claude Juncker's group remains focused on becoming a global player in growing industries which could be profitable in the future, like renewable energy.

This has seen millions of pounds earmarked for the development of electronic cars.

The report states: "Research to support the future development of a production base for next generation Lithium battery cells or post-lithium battery cells would enable Europe to compete with world leaders in this sector. 

"The €133million (£112m) call for Green Vehicles includes around €20million (£17m) for the development of a new generation of cells and their integration in competitive batteries.

"The ambition is to allow Europe to recover competitiveness in the production of future cells and batteries for transport and energy applications."

GETTY

The European Union wants to become a major player in the electrical car industry

GETTY

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A budget of £10m has been allocated for the 'Greening the economy' initiative which looks to unite water research and innovation efforts across Europe and a further £70m will be spent on developing energy storage systems.

These investments will bring the total spend on the "Energy Challenge" which includes the spend on batteries, to almost €200 million.

According to the Commission the main priority is to "get Europe growing again" through the creation of jobs and spending on research and innovation.The report states there is an "immediate need to engage the re-industrialisation of Europe" and a longer-term objective of "building solid knowledge needed for the next wave of innovative breakthroughs". 

A massive £525m has been earmarked for spending on electronics, computing, networking, robotics and photonics, with a further £47m on digital security.

The Commission's report reveals a focus on ensuring EU residents do not "miss out on" goods and services which are bought online and funding will also go to internet companies and start-ups so they can expand as fast as possible.

But while Europe looks to become a global leader, research on terrorism under the horizon project will receive less than half of the spend on cars.

Money has also been set aside to help the Union become a "leader on immigration policy" despite the Union repeatedly failing to control the crisis.

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Over the last year the Schengen zone across the main bloc has all but collapsed as millions of refugees and migrants crossed freely over borders.

In a desperate bid to end the horrific deaths of Syrians and Africans Europe agreed to pay £4bn to Turkey to take migrants back when they land in Greece.

Under the Horizon programme the Union will spend money on vital research to understand migration - but it will be less than half the spend on lithium battery research.

A package of £9m will be spent on migration research and mapping - comparing asylum laws and identifying ways to "harmonise" them.

This week's announcement also reveals the security teams have been allocated a budget of £41m to develop new ways of "fighting and preventing organised crime and tackling terrorist ideas and beliefs" while allowing all EU citizens to protect their rights and beliefs.The announcements also makes clear the Union is looking to bring member states ever closer in terms of policy.

One one the major changes this year is the announcement of the Open Research Data Pilot to improve transparency and allow funded researchers to check they are not duplicating the work of others.

But this will not apply to all projects, which will all be given the option to "opt out" of the programme.

UKIP defence spokesman Mike Hookem said the spending "showed the low priority the EU has for security of law abiding citizens if it places batteries above anti-terror projects."

"The EU, along with other leaders like Angela Merkel, is responsible for allowing jihadi fighters to come to the continent causing more blood shed and horror.

"Surely the European Commission should be satisfied with the sterling (or euro?) work of the wind turbines covering the countrysides of Europe, chomping birds and subsidising millionaire farmers whilst pensioners have to choose between heating and eating?"

"If they want the continent to grow there is one thing the European Commission could do to help that: quit.

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GETTY

Lithium batteries will eat up millions of pounds of funding so scientists can research them

The Horizon 2020 Work Programme directly reflects the ams of the Commission with the aim of boosting the EU's "global competitiveness".

A further £190m will contribute to boosting and renewing Europe's industrial capacities and £279m is to be spent on "personalised medicine" which funds research into the elderly, diseases and effective prevention, diagnosis and treatments.

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Source: EU's priorities! Brussels will spend £112m on ELECTRIC CARS - and just £41m on anti-terror

PNNL picked to develop better, cheaper electric car battery

A more affordable electric car might be in your future, thanks to research Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland has been picked to lead.

The White House announced recently that the Department of Energy lab in Richland will guide a $50 million effort over the next five years to come up with an improved electric car battery — one that is small, light and powerful.

"Our goal is to extract every available drop of energy from battery materials, while also producing a high-performance battery that is reliable, safe and less expensive," said Jun Liu, a PNNL materials scientist and director of the PNNL-led consortium.

The Battery500 consortium will work to come up with a battery pack with a specific energy of 500 watt-hours per kilogram. Specific energy is the amount of energy packed into a battery based on its weight.

Today a typical electric car battery has 170-200 watt hours per kilogram, less than half of what DOE would like.

"This is extremely difficult but extremely worthwhile," Liu said.

Not only would it have applications for electric car batteries but for better rechargeable batteries for other uses, such as mobile phones and laptops and eventually for storing energy until it is needed on the electric grid.

Battery500 will examine the best options to create the most powerful next-generation lithium batteries for electric cars.

Jun Liu, consortium director

The consortium plans to focus most of its effort on replacing the graphite used on the negative electrode in a typical electric vehicle with lithium metal, which can store more energy for the same amount of weight.

However, several problems must be overcome to allow the switch, Liu said. Unwanted side reactions in the battery can weaken the battery's performance.

The consortium also must find a solution that is economical and practical for manufacturing the batteries to meet President Obama's goal of making electric vehicles an attractive and affordable option for American families.

Some work is expected to be done at PNNL's new Advanced Battery Facility, which has the capability to make and test new types of batteries. The specialized scientific equipment at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory on the PNNL campus also could be used to characterize materials.

PNNL's partners in Battery500 include the University of Washington, Stanford University, among five universities in total; Brookhaven, N.Y, and Idaho National Laboratories; and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

IBM and Tesla will be represented on the advisory board.

The consortium also will welcome ideas for solutions from others. It is setting aside 20 percent of its budget for "seedling projects," or work based on proposals from throughout the battery research community.

Source: PNNL picked to develop better, cheaper electric car battery

SMF Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Sacramento International Airport and the SMUD have officially launched the opening of a new public electric vehicle (EV) fast-charge station in the Free Waiting Area at the airport.

The station features one of the only direct current (DC) fast chargers in the area that can accommodate most types of EVs manufactured by domestic and foreign automakers. Drivers can charge up to 80 percent of their car's battery in less than 30 minutes. 

The equivalent "cost-per-gallon" of an electric vehicle on a fast charger is almost 30 percent less, or around $2 per "gallon" at current gasoline prices in the Sacramento area. Cost for an electrical fill-up is $10 or less for most vehicles.

The airport stations also have two L2 chargers for electric or hybrid vehicles without a fast charge connection who want to top off their batteries for extended range.

"This is a great benefit not only for drivers of EVs here to pick up passengers, but to any EV user who needs a place to recharge," said Sacramento County District 1 Supervisor Phil Serna.  "The Free Waiting Area lot is open to the public 24 hours a day, and is conveniently located near I-5."

The project exemplifies a ground-breaking concept in EV charging: an electric "fueling station" where EV drivers can fuel their vehicles quickly and easily, similar to that of a conventional gas station. The DC fast-charge station accepts most major credit cards. The level 2 chargers require a Greenlots app for payment.

The station is SMUD's third EV fast-charge station in the region. The partnership calls for Sacramento International Airport to provide lot space to SMUD at no charge. SMUD owns the equipment and will be responsible for maintenance.

Source: SMF Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Audi plans three electric car models by 2020: CEO

Audi aims to have three electric car models by 2020 and for electric vehicles to account for 25 to 30 percent of its sales by 2025, Chief Executive Rupert Stadler told a German newspaper.

Audi's electric cars push, reported by Reuters earlier this week, is part of a strategic overhaul following the emissions scandal at parent Volkswagen.

Under the plan, which Stadler presented to Audi managers this week, the group will focus more resources on electric cars, digital services and autonomous driving.

Stadler told daily Heilbronner Stimme in an interview published on Saturday that Audi's offering of electric cars would also include small vehicles in the A-segment.

The company also plans to set up a subsidiary, to be called SDS Company, to develop an autonomous car.

"This is about a robot car that may not even need a steering wheel or pedals, so it's ideal for urban traffic," he said, adding Audi was still looking for joint venture partners who would help with the technology.

In return for stepping up its focus on electric vehicles, autonomous driving and digital services, Audi will seek to reduce complexity in other areas, Stadler said.

"We have discussed what would happen if we dropped the two-door version of the A3. I think we would barely lose any customers. We'd rather invest the money that is freed up in new models and other derivatives," Stadler said.

A company source told Reuters that management would also reduce orders assigned to external development service providers and shift funds from that area towards electric cars, autonomous driving and digitalisation.

Weekly magazine Automobilwoche had earlier reported that Audi was cutting budgets for external projects.

In addition, CEO Stadler said fuel cell cars were a "must", though he said he could not yet say how large demand would be.

"That is less a question of technology, we are already quite good at that. It's rather going to be a question ofinfrastructure," he said.

Audi's technical development chief Stefan Knirsch told Stuttgarter Zeitung in a separate interview published on Saturday that he expected Audi would not start serial production of a fuel cell car before 2020 because of the lack of charging stations.

Source: Audi plans three electric car models by 2020: CEO

Seattle to install hundreds of charging stations for electric cars

PORTLAND — Since 1910, Seattle City Light has provided electricity to power buildings and light the streets. In the public utility's second century, there is a new ambition — to provide fuel for fleets of cars, buses and trucks now dependent on gasoline and diesel.

Next year, utility officials will take a step in that direction. They will launch a pilot program to install charging stations for electric cars in several hundred homes and also foot the bill for 20 fast-charging stations around the city where motorists can charge their vehicles in as little as 30 minutes.

The utility's move comes as auto manufacturers are expanding their lines of electric cars and the distances those cars can go between charges. In Seattle, electric car batteries — even at a time of lower crude prices — provide power at less than a third the cost of gasoline, and utility officials expect there will be 12,000 electric vehicles in the city by 2020, triple the current number.

"We think we have a tremendous resource that can be leveraged for transportation," said Brendan O'Donnell, energy planning supervisor for the utility. "We think there is a huge opportunity."

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O'Donnell spoke about Seattle City Light's plans last week in Portland at EV Roadmap, a two-day conference that drew nearly 400 regional and national leaders in the electric-car industry. They test drove new models, shared stories of progress and challenges, and debated the future.

Many in the industry believe that electric cars — fed by a grid with more clean energy — will play a big role in helping the U.S. make steep cuts in fossil-fuel use that are needed to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. That accord — signed by the U.S. and more than 170 other nations — seeks to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

The vast majority of Seattle City Light's electricity — nearly 90 percent in 2014 — comes from carbon-free hydropower.

To encourage sales of less-polluting electric cars, the federal government offers up to $7,500 in tax credit for each purchase. And in Washington, where Gov. Jay Inslee has embraced electric vehicles as part of his plan to reduce greenhouse gases, the first $32,000 of cost is exempt from the state sales tax.

But as of June, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars still represent only about 1 percent of U.S. automotive sales and leases. And analysts aren't predicting a near-term tipping point where the benefits of a cleaner technology, cheaper fuel and some snazzy performance turn the vehicles into mass-market favorites.

John Gartner of Navigant Research, a research and consulting firm that focuses on emerging technologies, forecasts that even by 2025, annual U.S. sales of electric cars will remain a modest share of sales in an automotive industry dominated by petroleum fuels.

"There are definitely upper bounds, and this may be a little bit of a damper to some of the true believers in the room," Gartner said at the conference. "It's going to be in the 15 percent (annual sales) range, at best, barring some really unforeseen technology breakthrough."

For consumers contemplating the switch to electric cars, range anxiety continues to be a major barrier. If they take a road trip, where will they find a place to plug in, how long will the recharge take and will the charger offer reliable service?

Mobile phone apps — as well as those incorporated into electric vehicles — can help ease those concerns by offering drivers maps that pinpoint charging stations. On a test drive of an all-electric Volkswagen Golf through downtown Portland, some 200 potential plug-in sites showed up within a 15-mile radius of the car.

The electric-vehicle industry, along with utilities such as Seattle City Light, are trying to speed up recharge times by expanding investments in a network of stations that can quickly replenish a battery.

For those who don't want to worry about recharging on the road, there are more plug-in offerings, such as the Chevy Volt, that operate on electricity and then switch over to gasoline for longer distances. The latest-model Volt goes more than 50 miles on a charge.

Meanwhile, the options for longer range all-electric vehicles are increasing.

Most of the midpriced all-electric vehicles top out at about 100 miles per battery charge.

Tesla sometime in 2017 is expected to start selling a new model priced at about $35,000 that will get 200 miles or more to a charge. In March of this year, hundreds of people lined up at company stores in Seattle and Bellevue to place $1,000 down payments on those vehicles.

But Chevy is expected to be first to the market with a midpriced, 200-mile range vehicle. The Bolt will go into production by the end of the year and be at auto dealerships within the first six months of 2017. It will sell for around $37,500 and feature new battery technology and an aerodynamic design, said Shad Balch, a General Motors product manager who showed off the vehicle last week in Portland.

Balch said the Bolt reflects a push by the company chief executive, Mary Barra, to mainstream electric cars.

"Our CEO is hot on EVs," Balch said. "She made a commitment to bring electrification to more of the GM vehicles, and the Bolt is an example of that."

A Seattle city official, Chris Bast, says the Bolt would make a good addition to the municipal fleet of 89 electric and plug-in vehicles, which represents just under 20 percent of the city's passenger sedans. In the years ahead, that percentage is expected to escalate substantially, and the city will install some 400 charging outlets for the fleet.

This will be part of a broader electrification of the transportation fleet that eventually would include more trucks and other types of vehicles. City officials also want to see more battery-powered electric buses taking over Metro routes where overhead wires for electric trolley buses are not available.

The goal of this Drive Clean Seattle plan is to reduce polluting emissions. And electrification, along with other steps such as bike paths and improved mass transit, are viewed as a means to that end, said Bast, who serves as the city's climate policy adviser.

But for utilities, such as Seattle City Light, the electric vehicles also could represent a significant new source of revenue.

An analysis by the Northwest Power Planning Council looked at what would happen in 2035 if electric vehicles represented 25 percent of the total cars and trucks on the road in the four-state region.

The study found that electric vehicles would generate about $300 million in electricity sales for utilities, and account for 4 to 5 percent of the region's total power demand, according to Massoud Jourabchi, a power council staffer.

That demand would be unevenly spread through the region, with the urban hubs of Portland and Seattle expected to draw the biggest loads to charge electrical cars.

O'Donnell, Seattle City Light's energy planner, says the utility would be to able to meet this demand.

During the past five years, despite the city's construction boom, the overall load demand for Seattle City Light has taken a modest dip due to conservation and other efforts.

"We think this is a real success story," O'Donnell said.

Source: Seattle to install hundreds of charging stations for electric cars

Volkswagen could build electric vehicles in North America by 2020

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Source: Volkswagen could build electric vehicles in North America by 2020

2020 Electric BMW 3 Series To Compete With Tesla Model 3?

Cars

Published on July 22nd, 2016 | by James Ayre

July 22nd, 2016 by James Ayre 

The new BMW 3 Series chassis with CLAR technology has been designed with the intention of allowing for the easy inclusion of an electric drivetrain, according to recent reports.

In addition, reports published in Auto Express seem to suggest that the company is planning to release an all-electric version of the new 3 Series — featuring a 90 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack — sometime around 2020.

A 90 kWh battery-pack would presumably allow for a pretty impressive single-charge range — according to the rumors, it would get 300 miles per charge (presumably on the European testing circuit, not the US EPA's). That would make the (rumored) all-electric version of the 3 Series a direct competitor to the Tesla Model 3 — so long as BMW doesn't jack up the price ridiculously.

If true, these rumors shouldn't be too surprising — if BMW does lose significant 3 Series market share to Tesla, the company will be facing serious financial problems, after all.

It should be remembered, though, that even if the rumors are true, the Tesla Model 3 will beat the all-electric 3 Series to market by several years. There's also the question of whether BMW will really build an electric car as compelling as a Tesla for the same price (for a large number of the market, not just a small percentage of buyers)

Our sister site Gas2 provides a bit of background, noting that, "the next generation 3 Series (non-electric) is expected in 2018. It will feature an all new chassis using CLAR technology, which stands for Cluster Architecture. BMW used CLAR to introduce carbon fiber structural components to the latest 7 Series sedan introduced earlier this year. The use of carbon fiber in a mass-produced car was accomplished for the first time in the BMW i3. When applied to the new 3 Series, it is expected to shave almost 200 pounds from the weight of the car. The lighter components will be found in the pillars, door frames, and transmission tunnel, says AutoExpress."

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Tags: BMW, BMW 3 Series, BMW 3 Series Electric, BMW 3 Series Plug-in, BMW carbon fiber, carbon fiber, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Motors

About the Author

James Ayre 's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.

Source: 2020 Electric BMW 3 Series To Compete With Tesla Model 3?

Apple's electric car introduction target moved back to 2021

July 22, 2016 - 17:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Project Titan news, the name given to Apple's electric vehicle project, has been relatively quiet lately despite the expected introduction in 2020 inching closer by the day. That may be because the introduction target for Apple Car has moved back one year to 2021, 9To5Mac reports.

Included in a profile of three brothers who are said to have worked on the Apple Car project, The Information includes this nugget:

"One person who worked briefly with the Titan team was told during their tenure at Apple that the company had been trying to deliver a vehicle by 2020 but the target slipped to 2021."

Prior to this report, it was widely believed that Apple was targeting the year 2020 to unveil its electric vehicle in some form, although that was over a year ago. There have since been multiple signs that Project Titan could have roadblocks along the way.

The last big piece of news around Apple's electric vehicle ambitions came in the form of Apple looking into its own charging solutions that would essentially replace gas stations for EV drivers. Apple also made a billion dollar investment in Didi Chuxing, China's Uber, which many see as a sign that it's interested in the car space.

Tesla's Elon Musk, however, already jabbed that 2020 could be too late for Apple to enter the electric car market. For EV fans, though, Musk has given plenty of specifics to anticipate.

Source: Apple's electric car introduction target moved back to 2021

Anxiety-free electric car journeys goal of $4.5B U.S. loan program

The Obama administration plans to spend as much as $4.5 billion to build electric-car charging stations, creating a network stretching coast-to-coast to reduce "range anxiety" and potentially improve consumer acceptance of the lower-polluting vehicles.

The initiative will release the Energy Department loan guarantees to support a commercial-scale roll out of charging stations, with federal, state and local governments partnering with automakers like Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Tesla Motors Inc.

Automakers are betting big on electric cars, in part to meet aggressive U.S. fuel-economy standards that project the vehicle fleet will average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. Ford is investing $4.5 billion to add 13 new electrified vehicles by 2020. GM is rolling out the Bolt, billed as the first affordable long-range electric car, later this year.

More electric cars are sold in California than the Midwest, Northeast and South combi ned. Zero-emission vehicle mandates have been a fact of life in the Golden State for decades, and electric utilities have worked with the state to build charging stations. A climate ideal for batteries has also helped.

Fast-charging stations

The administration aims to complete a national network of fast-charging stations by 2020 to make "coast-to-coast, nationwide zero-emissions travel" a reality. State, county and local governments will be encouraged to buy electric cars for their fleets, lowering procurement costs while expanding the market for the cars.

Charging infrastructure has been "one of the obstacles" to widespread adoption of electric cars, said Lynn Orr, undersecretary for science and energy at the Energy Department.

Drivers routinely check fuel levels while getting to and from work, Orr said. "The kinds of things we're talking about today make it possible to provide the same kind of service for electric vehicles."

Electric uti lities like Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., Consolidated Edison Inc., Duke Energy Corp. and Southern California Edison Co. are also involved. SCE is already working on a customer-financed pilot project to install 1,500 charging stations in southern California.

Longer battery ranges will probably do more than building charging stations to boost electric-car numbers, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with Kelley Blue Book in Irvine, California.

"It takes 20 minutes to charge, even with a Tesla fast charger," Brauer said. "It takes hours on a regular charger. Range anxiety is still a big issue."

Source: Anxiety-free electric car journeys goal of $4.5B U.S. loan program

Tesla's next moves: trucks, home energy storage, and cars that make you money

Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday revealed an overarching strategy that lays out the electric car company's plans for the coming decade.

It is the second time Tesla has released such a strategy, which the company calls a Master Plan, and while it serves as a handy distraction from the current woes surrounding an Autopilot death, missed production targets, quality issues and some serious cash outflows, it does provide an interesting and somewhat surprising view of where Tesla is headed.

The original Master Plan was announced almost exactly 10 years ago and laid out plans for the Roadster, Model S, Model 3 and zero-emission power generation products. With its recent moves to acquire SolarCity, Tesla is close to completing its original stated goals.

Part two of Tesla's Master Plan can also be broken down into four main goals. They include offering solar panels and battery storage for the home, launching electric vehicles in all majo r segments, developing extremely safe autonomous technology, and creating a system where a car can generate income when not in use by its owner. Below is a more detailed description of each goal.

Integrate energy generation and storage: Tesla is already well underway in achieving this goal. With the successful acquisition of SolarCity, Tesla will be able to provide customers with a one-stop shop for home energy generation and storage. Solar panels will collect the energy which can then be stored in Tesla's Powerwall.

Expand to cover the major forms of terrestrial transport: This is probably the most surprisingly element of Tesla's latest Master Plan. Tesla says that to really convince the world that electric power is the way to go, the company needs to drastically scale up the volume of electric vehicles it builds—and that means entering high-volume segments. Tesla says this will mean entering commercial vehicle segments including semi and pickup truck segments as well as buses, and the company could be ready to unveil some concepts as early as next year.

Autonomy: Despite the recent Autopilot death, Tesla still sees its autonomous technology, which is still in a beta phase, as being safer than a human based on the number of deaths per miles driven. As the technology matures, Tesla sees its Autopilot system becoming much safer. Tesla's stated goal in its Master Plan is to develop an autonomous system that is 10 times safer than a human.

Even once the software is highly refined and far better than the average human driver, there will still be a significant time gap, varying widely by jurisdiction, before true self-driving is approved by regulators, according to Tesla. The company expects worldwide regulatory approval will require something on the order of 6 billion miles to be completed. Current fleet learning is happening at just over 3 million miles per day, the company says.

Sharing: Th e last goal of the Master Plan involves taking advantage of the previous three to help you generate income. When true self-driving is approved by regulators, Tesla says cars will be able to travel without a human onboard. It means that when you are not using your car, you can add it to a shared Tesla fleet so that others, for a small fee, can use it for rides. Tesla predicts that this would lower the cost of ownership so that more people could potentially own one of the cars.

In cities where demand exceeds the supply of customer-owned cars, Tesla plans to operate its own fleet, suggesting that you wouldn't even need to own a car. Of course, Tesla is not alone in this thinking. Most of the major automakers, ride-sharing firms and tech firms are also making moves to offer autonomous ride-sharing.

While it's easy to get carried away with Tesla's grandiose plans for the future, the earlier stated woes afflicting the company shouldn't be overlooked. Furthermore, Tes la has repeatedly missed deadlines and it doesn't appear the situation will be changing anytime soon. Recall, Tesla has a goal of building 500,000 cars by 2018, up from just 50,658 in 2015, and the company is already behind its goal for 2016, with its second-quarter deliveries target missed by about 2,600 cars and its 80,000 to 90,000 unit target for the year likely to be missed as well. Couple this with the fact that many established automakers are racing to offer rival products and it's easy to see why many are skeptical of Tesla's latest Master Plan.

Source: Tesla's next moves: trucks, home energy storage, and cars that make you money

Musk sees Tesla as an energy company - plus cars

Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at the Model X launch event in Fremont, Calif.(Photo: SUSANA BATES, AFP/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO – Watch out, fellow automakers: Elon Musk announced Wednesday evening that Tesla Motors, known for pricey electric sedans, hopes to expand into small SUVs, a pickup and even heavy-duty semis and buses in a bid to revolutionize transportation as we know it.

That bombshell was just part of Musk's long-touted Tesla master plan, a follow-up to one issued when the company was just starting out, outlining a strategy that pivots the company from a builder of niche automobiles to a producer of a broad range of passenger and commercial vehicles that eschew fossil fuel.

Also noted in the plan, which Musk published on the company's website, is the company's more well-known pursuit of the consumer solar business through its planned acquisition of SolarCity.

Tesla will "create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage, expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments, develop a self-driving capability that is 10 (times) safer than manual via massive fleet learning, (and) enable your car to make money for you when you aren't using it," reads Musk's "Master Plan, Part Deux."

The sheer ambitiousness of Musk's missive was both typical and controversial.

"If Part One of Elon Musk's master plan was like putting a man on the moon, Part Two is a lot more like colonizing the galaxy," said Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analytics for Edmunds.com, She called the plan "overly ambitious for now, especially considering that there there are already doubts about whether Tesla can meet its goals for the next two years."

She noted, however, that Tesla's goals are different from that of other automakers because of the goal of eliminating the need for fossil fuels.

Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs was more blunt.

"As is typical, Elon Musk has laid out a grandiose plan for the future with no timeframes and few specifics, and no mention of how and when Tesla will be profitable," she says. "Tesla's latest Master includes expanding its electric vehicle product line to cover all major segments, when it hasn't been meeting production targets with the limited product line it has now and in the next couple of years."

USA TODAY

Is semi-autonomous driving really viable?

Digging into the intriguing details, Musk says that to not only succeed as a company but also revolutionize clean transportation, Tesla must expand its product line beyond the forthcoming and lower-priced Model 3 (starting at $35,000 compared to the Model S and roughly twice that price). So look for Tesla's drawing board to include plans for a compact SUV and a pick-up truck.

In a true departure from the realm of the luxurious Model S sedan, Musk sees a future filled with Tesla-branded, electric-powered cargo trucks and buses.

"In addition to consumer vehicles, there are two other types of electric vehicle needed: heavy-duty trucks and high passenger-density urban transport," he writes. "Both are in the early stages of development at Tesla and should be ready for unveiling next year. We believe the Tesla Semi will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate."

Musk also reiterated his commitment to making Teslas -- eventually -- fully self-driving vehicles that can always be taken over by the driver. This stands in contrast to Google's plan for its self-driving cars, which will not have a steering wheel or pedals. But that could be a while.

"It is important to emphasize that refinement and validation of the software will take much longer than putting in place the cameras, radar, sonar and computing hardware," writes Musk, adding that worldwide regulatory approval of such tech (not to mention consumer comfort) will require 6 billion miles of on-road testing.

Musk's plan calls for Tesla owners to be able to tap a button on the Tesla app and signal to other drivers that their vehicle is available for short-term rental. Presumably that's for a time when Teslas don't all cost $100,000; few owners might want to loan out size tech treasures.

But, Musk adds, "in cities where demand exceeds the supply of customer-owned cars, Tesla will operate its own fleet, ensuring you can always hail a ride from us no matter where you are."

Aiming beyond the garage, and for the roof

The master plan also makes clear Tesla hopes to become a player in the home solar game. And integral to this goal is Tesla's recent $2.8-billion bid for SolarCity, the nation's largest solar energy concern.

Tesla announced a new lower-cost version of its "falcon-winged" Model X SUV on Wednesday, less than a year after its debut. Is demand for Tesla's high-priced current models starting to slip? (Photo: Tesla Motors)

The deal is being scrutinized given Musk's 22% stake in SolarCity and the fact that it is run by his cousin, Lyndon Rive. Musk told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday that he expects a vote on the acquisition will be approved by more than two-thirds of shareholders.

Tesla shares dropped to $193 when the deal was announced in late June, but have since rebounded to $238. Tesla's market cap is $33 billion, astonishing for a high-end electric-vehicle automaker when considering General Motors' $49 billion market cap.

Musk stumped for the deal in the plan, noting that the company can't tackle solar efficiently "if Tesla and SolarCity are different companies, which is why we need to combine and break down the barriers inherent to being separate companies."

From Musk's point of view, Tesla can do for the solar-install experience what it did for the long-derided electric car: Make it cool.

Tesla will "create a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar-roof-with-battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world. One ordering experience, one installation, one service contact, one phone app," he writes.

Also currently clouding the air of Musk's ambitious vision for Tesla is the first death related to Tesla's new Autopilot feature.

Federal regulators are investigating the May crash that killed tech enthusiast Joshua Brown, 40, and Musk has tweeted that he is working with suppliers on retooling the feature, which allows Tesla Model S and X vehicles to drive themselves while staying clear of other cars.

USA TODAY

Tesla shares tumble as it makes offer for SolarCity

Tesla's response to the crash included a post on its website titled "A Tragic Loss," which lamented Brown's death and reiterated that the system is meant to be used with driver oversight. "The data is unequivocal that Autopilot reduces driver workload and results in a statistically significant improvement in safety when compared to purely manual driving," the post noted.

Components critical to the new Tesla master plan are efficient and plentiful batteries, which both power Tesla vehicles and allow consumers to store energy at home in so-called Tesla Powerwalls.

That's especially true as Tesla aims to ramp up production tenfold – from 50,000 vehicles a year to 500,000 – beginning in 2017 with the introduction of its mass-market Model 3 sedan. Musk has promised that the in-construction Tesla Gigafactory east of Reno, Nev., will produce, in cooperation with Panasonic, a new generation of lithium-ion batteries at a lower cost than traditional batteries.

Tesla is building a massive Gigafactory east of Reno, Nev., where the company will produce low-cost lithium-ion batteries that will power its Model S, X and forthcoming 3 vehicles. (Photo: Tesla)

Tesla has already faced challenges meeting delivery timetables, most recently falling 3,000 vehicles short of its 17,000-car second quarter goal. Some delays related to the intricate design of the Model X's falcon doors, which open up instead of out, a feature Musk insisted on. Waiting on batteries would only exacerbate productions issues.

Writing plan while summoning Gatsby

For weeks, Musk has been teasing about the new plan via his hyper-active Twitter account. The Tesla master plan was delayed was due in part to Musk's focus on the launch earlier this week of his Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Besides heading Tesla, Musk is CEO of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.

One recent tweet opened a window on just how driven and hands-on Musk is with his companies, which also include the against-all-odds success of SpaceX. The rocket payload company had hurdles that included not just technology but also the deep pockets of competitors from governmental agencies in the U.S., China and Russia.

After initial launch failures, SpaceX has gone on to reap lucrative private contracts and is now valued at $12 billion. Musk himself is said to be worth $12 billion, a fortune that started with the sale of PayPal to eBay.

"Will be working at Tesla on Autopilot & Model 3 today, then aiming to pull an all-nighter and complete master product plan," Musk tweeted after the launch earlier this week.

Other tweets revealed that Musk was finishing his plan to the soundtrack from The Great Gatsby, to which he added: "Not easy to convey irony in a tweet." Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby is a self-made tycoon who constructs a rich but ultimately dark and tragic life for himself.

Musk's original Tesla plan, written three years after the company's founding in 2006, cited a desire to "help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution."

Master plan 2.0 would seem to tackle that revolutionary challenge head on. The issue now is simply executing on that bold vision.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter: @marcodellacava

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Source: Musk sees Tesla as an energy company - plus cars