Category: Battery Electric Car

Posted on

Uber in deal with China’s BYD to test electric cars

Uber Inc said on Friday it struck a deal with Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd to test a fleet of electric cars for its drivers.

The test program, which kicked off a few weeks ago in Chicago and could eventually expand to other cities, is the Silicon Valley startup's first attempt to focus on an electric vehicle, said Uber spokeswoman Lauren Altmin."We've seen interest in the program already from current and potential Chicago partners (drivers)," Altmin said.

Uber, which allows users to summon rides on their smartphones, originally started with a luxury town-car service but in many cities has added UberX, a low frills service with nonprofessional drivers using personal cars. The BYD offering is aimed at those drivers.

The electric car is part of Uber's program to help drivers buy or lease new or used cars. The BYD e6 vehicles are available through Green Wheels USA, a Chicago car dealership that focuses on electric and hybrid cars and also builds EV charging stations.

About 25 BYD vehicles are currently being used by Uber drivers in Chicago, and the hope is to bring that number to a couple of hundred by the end of the year, according to Doug Snower, Green Wheels' president.

Uber began talking to BYD and Green Wheels late last year, Altmin said.

For BYD the deal with Uber could be a step toward the long-held goal of selling its cars to U.S. consumers. The company, whose name stands for "build your dream", is a major automaker in China, but its e6 vehicle has thus far only been used in pilot programs in the United States.

Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Tesla Motors Inc are better known in the United States for their electric cars, the Leaf and the Model S. Uber would not comment on why it had picked a company with a relatively unknown brand.

The e6 is larger than many other electric cars, however, and is being used in London by chauffer service Thriev.

BYD gained Warren Buffett's backing in 2009 and announced plans to sell its e6 electric car in the United States the following year. Since then, BYD's U.S. business has focused mainly on electric buses for public transportation.

BYD publicized the program on its Facebook page but declined to comment on the deal with Uber.

The Facebook post, which has a picture of the vehicle, says the e6 has a 186 mile range on a single charge. It also says financing is available from BYD-approved lenders.

Green Wheels is offering several options to drivers interested in the e6. The most popular program, Snower said, allows an Uber driver to pay $200 a week to use an e6 for his or her driving shift. The vehicle is then returned to a Green Wheels lot, where it is charged until it is used again.

Drivers can also enter into a more traditional lease or a lease-to-own program, Snower said.

Posted on

Plug-in Electric Car Sales Surge in Europe


Plug-in electric car sales have undergone a huge rise in many key European markets according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
The biggest gains came in the UK, where a 300 per cent rise in electric cars has taken place compared to this time last year.
In total 75,331 new electric cars have been registered according to the ACEA, with Norway leading the way with just under 20,000 new registrations.
In Germany electric car registrations are up by 70 percent, while in France they had climbed by almost 30 per cent compared to the 2013 figures.
Total Electrically Charged Vehicles = Pure Electric Vehicles + Extended-Range Electric Vehicles + Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Q4Q4% ChgQ1-Q4Q1-Q4% Chg
’14’1314/13’14’1314/13
AUSTRIA93983113.0%3,6413,22712.8%
BELGIUM59531191.3%2,032819148.1%
BULGARIA20n.a.21100.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC241109121.1%58347522.7%
DENMARK676225200.4%1,612650148.0%
ESTONIA10046117.4%402150168.0%
FINLAND1309241.3%440218101.8%
FRANCE4,2482,77353.2%12,4889,62229.8%
GERMANY3,9692,71546.2%13,1187,70670.2%
GREECE223633.3%6441500.0%
HUNGARY146133.3%4316168.8%
IRELAND197171.4%25650412.0%
ITALY492497-1.0%1,4731,17425.5%
LATVIA22045400.0%391132907.7%
NETHERLANDS3,24116,926-80.9%12,92022,495-42.6%
POLAND1,578571176.4%3,9681,900108.8%
PORTUGAL846040.0%28922130.8%
ROMANIA42100.0%7475.0%
SLOVAKIA453818.4%16913624.3%
SPAIN644261146.7%1,40588359.1%
SWEDEN1,203457163.2%4,6671,547201.7%
UNITED KINGDOM6,086676800.3%15,3613,833300.8%
EUROPEAN UNION24,55226,610-7.7%75,33155,14436.6%
EU1522,34825,834-13.5%69,76652,44933.0%
EU (New Members)2,204776184.0%5,5652,695106.5%
NORWAY4,6953,70926.6%19,7678,210140.8%
SWITZERLAND8187499.2%2,6931,71756.8%
EFTA5,5134,45823.7%22,4609,927126.3%
TOTAL EUROPE (EU+EFTA)30,06531,068-3.2%97,79165,07150.3%
WEST. EUROPE (EU15+EFTA)27,86130,292-8.0%92,22662,37647.9%

Pure Electric Vehicle
Q4Q4% ChgQ1-Q4Q1-Q4% Chg
’14’1314/13’14’1314/13
AUSTRIA34524043.8%1,28165495.9%
BELGIUM32720956.5%1,164500132.8%
BULGARIA20n.a.21100.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC10217500.0%19737432.4%
DENMARK676225200.4%1,612650148.0%
ESTONIA10046117.4%398149167.1%
FINLAND6114335.7%18350266.0%
FRANCE3,6322,46147.6%10,5618,77920.3%
GERMANY2,4752,18013.5%8,5226,05140.8%
GREECE00n.a.00n.a.
HUNGARY8560.0%3210220.0%
IRELAND2156150.0%22149351.0%
ITALY32727518.9%1,09886427.1%
LATVIA137113600.0%17644300.0%
NETHERLANDS1,2461,863-33.1%2,9822,61913.9%
POLAND231921.1%8131161.3%
PORTUGAL544035.0%18916613.9%
ROMANIA42100.0%7475.0%
SLOVAKIA195280.0%586866.7%
SPAIN473234102.1%1,07681132.7%
SWEDEN28118849.5%1,239432186.8%
UNITED KINGDOM2,448388530.9%7,4162,719172.7%
EUROPEAN UNION12,7558,41851.5%38,49524,58656.6%
EU1512,3608,32348.5%37,54424,34454.2%
EU (New Members)39595315.8%951242293.0%
NORWAY4,3433,63219.6%18,0907,882129.5%
SWITZERLAND501505-0.8%1,6591,15643.5%
EFTA4,8444,13717.1%19,7499,038118.5%
TOTAL EUROPE (EU+EFTA)17,59912,55540.2%58,24433,62473.2%
WEST. EUROPE (EU15+EFTA)17,20412,46038.1%57,29333,38271.6%

Electrically Charged Vehicles other than Pure Electric Vehicles = Extended-Range Electric Vehicles + Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Q4Q4% ChgQ1-Q4Q1-Q4% Chg
’14’1314/13’14’1314/13
AUSTRIA5945910.5%2,3602,573-8.3%
BELGIUM268102162.7%868319172.1%
BULGARIA00n.a.00n.a.
CZECH REPUBLIC1399251.1%386438-11.9%
DENMARK00n.a.00n.a.
ESTONIA00n.a.41300.0%
FINLAND6978-11.5%25716853.0%
FRANCE61631297.4%1,927843128.6%
GERMANY1,494535179.3%4,5961,655177.7%
GREECE223633.3%6441500.0%
HUNGARY61500.0%11683.3%
IRELAND41300.0%3513400.0%
ITALY165222-25.7%37531021.0%
LATVIA8332666.7%21592288.9%
NETHERLANDS1,99515,063-86.8%9,93819,876-50.0%
POLAND1,555552181.7%3,8871,869108.0%
PORTUGAL302050.0%1005581.8%
ROMANIA00n.a.00n.a.
SLOVAKIA2633-21.2%111130-14.6%
SPAIN17127533.3%32972356.9%
SWEDEN922269242.8%3,4281,115207.4%
UNITED KINGDOM3,6382881163.2%7,9451,114613.2%
EUROPEAN UNION11,79718,192-35.2%36,83630,55820.5%
EU159,98817,511-43.0%32,22228,10514.6%
EU (New Members)1,809681165.6%4,6142,45388.1%
NORWAY35277357.1%1,677328411.3%
SWITZERLAND31724429.9%1,03456184.3%
EFTA669321108.4%2,711889204.9%
TOTAL EUROPE (EU+EFTA)12,46618,513-32.7%39,54731,44725.8%
WEST. EUROPE (EU15+EFTA)10,65717,832-40.2%34,93328,99420.5%
Posted on

Audi Ask Sudents to Code Self-Driving Cars

Audi is taking Piloted Driving to a decidedly smaller level, giving 1:8-scale Q5s to 10 student teams who must program their tiny crossovers to compete in the inaugural Autonomous Driving Cup. The whole thing is sort of like DARPA’s off-road competition for (full-size) self-driving cars, only scaled down and conducted indoors.

Audi’s smart play here is asking students, the next generation of automotive engineers, to tackle the most pressing issues facing autonomous-car development—namely, programming the vehicle to not only recognize widely varied road scenarios but also to react accordingly. To ensure that whatever the German students figure out is applicable to Audi’s full-scale Piloted Driving experiments, the tiny Q5s’ software-development environment is said to be identical to that used on real-life Audi prototypes.

The student teams will program their donated micro Q5s to run a large indoor course, on which they’ll encounter traffic (as an awesome aside, this “traffic” consists of small-scale Audi race cars), have to complete parking tasks, avoid accidents, and avoid obstacles. Making things even trickier is speed—the Q5s will accelerate up to 25 mph during the competition—and the sheer volume of complex sensors, which work the same way as the sensors in Audi’s full-size self-driving vehicles.

Look closely, and you’ll see a bank of sensors sticking through the little Q5’s windshield; that’s the 2D/3D camera, which is used to help the car discern range, depth of field, and color. Four ultrasonic sensors (similar to parking sensors) located at each corner and six infrared sensors help the vehicle identify its proximity to surroundings and obstacles, while a six-axis gyroscope, wheel-speed sensors, and a steering-angle sensor help the car understand its own movements. Onboard, there’s a 1.7-GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, an SD-card slot, and an open-source Arduino control computer.

Posted on

Audi launch 2nd Generation Audi R8 e-tron @ Geneva

The second generation of the Audi R8 forms the basis for two models. Audi has made major engineering developments in its high-performance electric sports car, the R8 e-tron. The latest evolution of the vehicle takes up the multimaterial Audi Space Frame from the new series-production model.

The supporting structure was enhanced by a CFRP rear-section module comprising the luggage compartment. The walls of the CFRP luggage compartment well are corrugated. This way, in the event of a rear-end collision, more energy can be absorbed despite the reduced material weight.

Thanks to targeted modifications to the outer shell and on the wheels, the Audi R8 e tron achieves an aerodynamic drag coefficient (cd) value of 0.28. In terms of performance and range, the car enters entirely new dimensions.

The large T-shaped battery is structurally integrated into the center tunnel and behind the occupant cell – optimally positioned in the car. It supports the dynamics of the R8 e-tron with its low center of gravity. Audi produces the high-voltage battery itself, for the first time based on a newly developed lithium-ion technology which was specially conceived for a purely electric vehicle drive. In comparison to the first technology platform, the battery capacity has grown from 49 kWh to approximately 92 kWh. This progress was possible without changing the package.

The R8 e-tron achieves an electric range of 450 kilometers (279.6 mi) instead of a previous 215 kilometers (133.6 mi) with an energy density that has been increased from 84 Wh/kg to 154 Wh/kg and some other modifications to the car. The electrically powered high-performance sports car has the Combined Charging System (CCS) on board, which allows charging with direct and alternating current. Using this system, it is possible to fully charge the battery in significantly less than two hours.

The power is now twice 170 kW and the maximum torque twice 460 Nm (339.3 lb-ft). The R8 e-tron accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds on its way to an electronically restricted top speed of 210 km/h (130.5 mph) or 250 km/h (155.3 mph). Intelligent energy management and an electromechanical brake system enable high energy recuperation rates. Targeted torque vectoring – needs-based distribution of power transmission between the rear wheels – ensures maximum stability and dynamism.

Audi uses the electrical high-performance sports car primarily as a mobile high-tech laboratory. Accordingly, the findings from the R8 e-tron help in creating a vehicle with a sedan character. Upon customer request, the R8 e-tron will be available for order in 2015 as an electrically powered sports car in supreme hand-built quality.

Posted on

Aston Martin début all-electric all-wheel-drive DBX Concept

Aston Martin has surprise all at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show with the debut of an all electric DBX Concept.

Aston Martin is calling the DBX Concept a high luxury GT that fits the description of a crossover coupe. Far from a production ready vehicle, the concept is just a design study for the time being, but Aston does admit there is a market for such a vehicle.

The DBX Concept is an all-wheel drive crossover high luxury GT that uses in-board electric wheel motors at all four corners powered by lithium sulphur cells. Steering is a drive-by-wire system and both the driver and passenger have head-up displays surrounded by auto-dimming ‘smart glass’.

The DBX Concept can accommodate four adults and all the cargo they could ever want since there is a traditional rear cargo area as well as a front trunk occupying the place usually reserved for a ICE.

Souce: Autocar

Posted on

2015 Audi R8 e-tron confirmed with 450 km range

The 2015 Audi R8 e-tron electric supercar will have 340 kW of power and a remarkable 920 Nm of torque, sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and offer a range in excess of 450 km.

The second-generation of Audi’s halo product will have more than doubles the range over the original small-batch model thanks to an increase in battery capacity from 49 kWh to approximately 92 kWh. Energy density has increased from 84 Wh/kg to 154 Wh/kg apparently without affecting packaging.

The battery powered R8 has a Combined Charging System (CCS) on board, which allows charging with direct and alternating current. Using this system, it is possible to fully charge the battery in significantly less than two hours.

The rear wheels are powered by two electric motors with specs uprated from 381 HP (280 kW) and 820 Nm (605 lb-ft) to 462 HP (340 kW) and 920 Nm (679 lb-ft). It's enough electric power to provide the Audi R8 e-tron 2.0 with a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds before hitting an electronically-capped top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

Audi says the new R8 e-tron serves "primarily as a mobile high-tech laboratory" that will eventually feed into technology used in a high-volume sedan — but in the meantime, if you've got the time and the money, the Germans are willing to build you one by hand. Hopefully we'll see the car on display in Geneva next week.

Posted on

Electric Jaguar F-Pace crossover Due 2018

Jaguar Land Rover is developing an electric drivetrain that will debut in a future variant of the upcoming Jaguar F-Pace SUV.

Unnamed sources within the British automotive industry have told Autocar that Jaguar Land Rover is currently working on an electric vehicle with a range of around 480 kilometres.

A key rival for the electric Jaguar F-Pace will be the upcoming Tesla Model X and one of the key reasons behind the development of the car is increasingly changing legislation. In the United States for example, eight states including California have adopted new Zero Emission Vehicle legislation which stipulate that between 2018 and 2025, sales of zero emission cars will reach 15.4 per cent from 5 per cent. All told, it is hoped that the effort will result in 3.3 million zero emission vehicles being on U.S. streets in the next 10 years

With this in mind, it is speculated that the all-electric Jaguar could arrive for the 2018 model year. The British marque will apparently draw on its engineering experience from the hybrid Jaguar C-X75 supercar which was developed alongside Williams Advanced Engineering. The C-X75 combined a twin-charged (supercharged and turbocharged) 1.6-litre four-cylinder delivering 502 hp at 10,000 rpm and mated to four electric motors with one at each axle.

Source: Autocar

Posted on

Japan Has More EV Chargers Than Petrol Stations

There are more electric-car charging points in Japan than there are petrol stations.

That surprising discovery comes from Nissan Motor Co., which reported that the number of power points in Japan, including fast-chargers and those in homes, has surged to 40,000, surpassing the nation’s 34,000 gas stations.

The figure shows that in the relatively brief time since electric vehicles were introduced, the infrastructure to support them has become bigger than what the oil industry built over decades in the world’s third-biggest economy -- at least by this one measure.

Why that matters is obvious. Nissan’s battery-powered Leaf can travel 84 miles (135 kilometers) on a charge, and the anxiety of being stuck away from home without power has restrained consumer demand. As the charging network expands and batteries become more powerful, that concern will wane.

“An important element of the continued market growth is the development of the charging infrastructure,” Joseph G. Peter, Nissan chief financial officer, told analysts on a conference call.

As charging stations become more common, electric-car support services are also emerging. Open Charge Map, for example, operates an online listing of public charging points worldwide. A mobile app combines the data with GPS technology to guide drivers to the nearest site.

Of course, gas stations typically have multiple pumps and can serve more vehicles in a day than an electric-car charging point.

Private Chargers

Also, one criticism of Nissan’s number is that many of those charging sites are in private garages. Considering the emerging so-called sharing economy, such as the online home-sharing service operated by Airbnb Inc., homeowners may soon be willing to make their chargers available to other drivers.

And more charging locations are being built all the time. Automakers have recognized that oil companies are unlikely to install plugs next to gasoline pumps, and are building their own networks.

Tesla Motors Inc. has its own network of charging stations, and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Volkswagen AG announced in January that they are joining the network operated by ChargePoint Inc., and plan to build as many as 100 fast chargers along the busiest corridors of the U.S. coasts, from Portland to San Diego in the west and from Boston to Washington, in the east.

Free Charging

Utilities are joining in. Great Plains Energy Inc., the Kansas City, Missouri-based utility holding company, announced in January plans to build a network of more than 1,000 charging stations in the region by mid-2015. Charging will even be free to everyone for the first two years.

Given that there are only about 9,000 public charging stations in the entire U.S., the initiative gives Kansas City, the nation’s 29th largest metropolitan area, a chance to become the nation’s electric car capital with as much as 10 percent of the nation’s chargers.

Kansas City may not be able to retain that position. PG&E Corp., owner of California’s biggest utility, asked regulators Feb. 9 for permission to build a network of about 25,000 chargers in public areas over a five-year period.

Posted on

GM will build Chevy Bolt in Michigan in late 2016

General Motors Co plans to begin building its new Chevrolet Bolt electric car in October 2016 at an underused small-car plant north of Detroit, two supplier sources said.

Despite the hype surrounding the car's unveiling last month at the Detroit auto show, the sources said, GM's production target for the Bolt is relatively modest, at about 25,000-30,000 cars a year.

Last year, GM sold 18,800 Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric cars. The Volt, priced from around $35,000, uses a small gasoline engine to increase range.

GM has said the Bolt's target price was $30,000. A GM source familiar with Chevrolet's plans said the price would actually be "in the mid-$30,000s" but federal and state incentives to purchase "green cars" would reduce the consumer's final cost to $30,000.

The Bolt is expected to go on sale in early 2017 and will have a range between charges of more than 200 miles.

The Bolt will compete with Tesla Motors Inc's similarly priced Model 3, planned to debut in calendar 2017, as well as the Nissan Leaf, which sold just over 30,000 last year.

The supplier sources said the Bolt and a companion model for GM's Opel subsidiary in Europe will be assembled at GM's plant in Orion Township. The GM source said the company has not yet reached a final decision on whether the Opel model will be assembled in Orion Township.

The factory now makes the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano and has been operating at well below capacity as small-car sales have suffered from falling gasoline prices.

The Bolt is being developed on GM's Gamma global small-car platform, according to the supplier sources. The same basic set of components will provide the base for the next-generation Sonic, also due in late 2016, they said.

The GM source asked not to be named and an official company spokesman declined to comment.

Posted on

Kia Soul e-AWD concept to be unveiled in Chicago

Kia Motors America will unveil an advanced and capable electric all-wheel drive (e-AWD) concept vehicle at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show.

The off-roader was conceived by Kia's California design studio and built for city dwellers seeking the ultimate urban escape. Intended to enable a wide array of outdoor activities from skiing and snowboarding, to camping, hiking and mountain biking, this rugged runabout captures the essence of adventuring at higher elevations with the promise of surefootedness in the wild.