Category: Electric Car News

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Tesla Will Make Cars in China in Next 3-4 Years

Tesla Motors Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who’s preparing to begin deliveries of the Model S electric vehicle in China, forecast the company will be making cars in the country in the next three to four years.

The company is also building a “big” network of battery-charging stations in China, including superchargers in Beijing and Shanghai, the billionaire CEO said at a packed Geekpark Conference in the nation’s capital yesterday. Musk is scheduled to host an event tomorrow to mark the beginning of Model S deliveries in the country.

“At some point in the next three or four years we’ll be establishing local manufacturing in China,” Musk said. “China is very important to the future of Tesla. We’re going to make a big investment in China in terms of charging infrastructure.”

Local production in the world’s biggest auto market would allow Tesla to sell cars at cheaper prices by avoiding China’s 25 percent import tariff. While entering the country presents an opportunity for Tesla to sell as many vehicles there as in the U.S. by as soon as next year, Musk, 42, will attempt to accomplish what the Chinese government has struggled to do: get people to buy electric cars.

“I think they can sell quite a few here in the market,” said Finbarr O’Neill, president of J.D. Power & Associates. “There’s a lot of talk about Tesla but, you know, their numbers are not huge. Mr. Musk has been successful in many fields. I wish him luck, but there’s a limit to every market.”

Source: Bloomberg

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UK motorway to charge electric cars on the move

The Highways Agency intends to equip an English motorway to test wireless charging of moving electric cars.

The Highways Agency (HA) has yet to give details of the trial site or dates. But it has issued criteria for system adoption, including a lifecycle comparable to that of asphalt (typically around 16 years), cost-effective maintenance, resistance to vibration and weather, and efficient charge collection at high speeds.

Static inductive charging experience to date in the UK involves test cars parking at existing plug-in stations in London and an electric bus service launched in January 2014 in Milton Keynes, where vehicles top up their overnight charge during drivers’ rest breaks. Managing this five-year demonstration is the eFleet Integrated Service joint venture between Mitsui Europe and consulting engineers Arup.

Arup helped create a wireless power transfer system branded HALO in Auckland, New Zealand in 2010. US wireless technology developer Qualcomm, which bought HALO in 2011, is running the London static car trial and planning a dynamic test track in Auckland.

For operational experience, the HA can look to Asia, where the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is running two online electric vehicle (OLEV) buses on a 12km continuous charging route in the city of Gumi. It claims 85 per cent maximum efficiency in power transfer.

The HA will also be monitoring the semi-dynamic charging trial highlighted by Transport Scotland chief executive David Middleton at a Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation conference in March 2014. A halfway house between static and dynamic technologies, it will enable a hybrid bus to pick up charge from a series of modules installed under the road surface at strategic points along the route so it can run for long periods in fully electric mode.

A Transport Scotland spokesman explains that the approach “is likely to cause less disruption than, for example, installing dynamic charging along the length of a road”.

A similar technique is being used in Braunschweig, Germany, where a bus fitted with Bombardier Primove fast-charge technology went into passenger service on 27 March.

Source: E & T

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Audi unveil TT plug-in hybrid SUV concept car

The Audi TT offroad concept breaks the mold, combining the sportiness of a coupe with the lifestyle and utility of a compact SUV. The four-door model, which Audi is presenting at the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition, adds an entirely new expression to the Audi design language. Its plug-in hybrid drive with two electric motors and a system output of 300 kW (408 hp) provides for dynamic performance, yet consumes on average just 1.9 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (123.8 US mpg).

“The Audi TT offroad concept provides a glimpse of how we might imagine a new model in the future TT family,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “It combines the sporty genes of the TT with the strengths of a compact Audi SUV. Its plug‑in hybrid drive with the option of inductive charging is a major step toward the mobility of the future. We chose to present the Audi TT offroad concept in China, our second domestic market, because it represents the urban mobility of tomorrow: It is sustainable, dynamic, intelligent and connected.”

The plug-in hybrid drive

The plug‑in hybrid drive in the Audi TT offroad concept delivers 300 kW (408 hp) of system output and 650 Nm (479.2 lb‑ft) of system torque. The show car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 5.2 seconds and reaches the electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.3 mph) without any trouble. It consumes just 1.9 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (123.8 US mpg), a CO2 equivalent of 45 grams per kilometer (72.4 g/mile).

The Audi TT offroad concept can drive over 50 kilometers (31.1 miles) solely on electric power and thus with zero local emissions, and has a total range of up to 880 kilometers (546.8 miles).

The combustion engine is a 2.0 TFSI producing 215 kW (292 hp) and 380 Nm (280.3 lb‑ft) of torque. The two-liter, four‑cylinder unit with the large turbocharger is packed with Audi's potent efficiency technology. At part load, indirect injection supplements gasoline direct injection for lower fuel consumption. The exhaust manifold is integrated into the cylinder head – the foundation for the high-performance thermal management system.

A separating clutch links the transverse 2.0 TFSI to an electric motor producing 40 kW and 220 Nm (162.3 lb‑ft) of torque. The slim, disc-shaped electric motor is integrated into the six-speed e‑S tronic. The dual-clutch transmissions sends the torque to the front wheels. Mounted on the rear axle of the Audi TT offroad concept is a second electric motor independent of this drive unit. This produces a maximum of 85 kW and 270 Nm (199.1 lb‑ft).

In front of the rear axle is a liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery comprising eight modules. It contributes to the balanced 54:46 weight distribution between the front and rear axles and to the low center of gravity. The battery stores up to 12 kWh of energy, enough for an electric range of 50 kilometers (31.1 miles). An Audi wall box, which manages the energy feed conveniently and intelligently and can deal with a variety of voltages and outlets, is used for stationary charging.

The show car is also designed for use with Audi Wireless Charging technology for contactless inductive charging. The infrastructure side – a plate with a coil and an inverter (AC/AC converter) – is placed on the parking spot of the Audi TT offroad concept and connected to the power grid. The charging process begins automatically when the car drives onto the plate. The alternating magnetic field of the infrastructure side induces a 3.3 kW alternating current across the air gap in the secondary coil, which is integrated into the vehicle. The current is inverted and fed into the electrical system.

Charging stops automatically when the battery is fully charged. It takes about as long as charging via a cable, and the driver can interrupt the process at any time. The Audi Wireless Charging technology is more than 90 percent efficient, and is not affected by weather factors such as rain, snow or ice. The alternating field, which is only generated when a car is on the plate, is not harmful for people or animals.

The intelligent plug‑in hybrid concept of the Audi TT offroad concept really shines when driving, making the show car every bit as efficient as it is sporty. The Audi drive select management system offers three driving modes. EV mode gives priority to electric driving. In this case, the front drive unit is inactive, and the electric motor at the rear axle with its powerful torque can rapidly accelerate the four‑door car to a maximum of 130 km/h (80.8 mph). In Hybrid mode, all three drives work together in various ways as necessary. In many situations the front electric motor assumes the role of a generator.

Powered by the engine, it recharges the battery and thus extends the electric range. Full system output is available in Sport mode. During “boosting,” i.e. strong acceleration, the rear electric motor works together with the 2.0 TFSI. The same thing happens when the hybrid management system decides that all‑wheel drive is appropriate. In such situations, e.g. on a slippery road or in light off-road conditions, this essentially makes the Audi TT offroad concept an e‑tron quattro.

When the driver takes his or her foot off the accelerator, free-wheeling or “coasting” is activated. Recuperation occurs here at low speeds and when braking. The driver can use the “Hold” and “Charge” functions in the MMI system to specifically influence the battery's charge state, e.g. to increase storage of electric energy so that it can be used over the final kilometers to the destination.

Chassis

The Audi TT offroad concept shows its strong character on any road surface and in any terrain. On asphalt the show car is sporty and composed, and it can easily handle light terrain thanks to its high ground clearance, short overhangs and e‑tron quattro all-wheel drive. 255/40-series tires are mounted on 21‑inch wheels, whose delicate five-arm design draws on the look of the Audi e‑tron models. Dark trim provides contrast.

Many of the components of the McPherson front suspension are made of aluminum; the four‑link rear axle handles longitudinal and transverse forces separately. The ratio of the progressive steering changes with the steering input. The Audi drive select system allows the driver to modify the function of various technical modules in multiple steps.

Driver assistance systems

The Audi TT offroad concept show car features two Audi driver assistance systems that are almost ready for production: the intersection assistant and online traffic light information technology. The intersection assistant aims to help to avoid side-impact collisions, or reduce their severity, where lanes merge and at intersections. Radar sensors and a wide-angle video camera scan zones to the front and sides of the car. If the system detects a vehicle approaching from the side and assesses it to be critical, graduated warnings are displayed in the Audi virtual cockpit.

Online traffic light information is a technology that connects the Audi TT offroad concept via the cell phone network to the central traffic computer, which controls the traffic light systems in the city. Based on the information from this system, the Audi virtual cockpit shows the driver what speed to drive in order to reach the next traffic light while it is green. The cockpit displays the time remaining when waiting for the light to turn green.

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New Record: 431 EVs in the quietest parade in the world

The Québec electric-car group has set a new world record for plug-in electric cars gathered in one place.

431 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars gathered in a car park near the Jacques Cartier Bridge along the Saint Laurence River, in Montréal Canada.

The cars included not only the usual Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and Ford Focus, but also a variety of other plug-in vehicles including a VIA V-Trux Plug-in Hybrid truck, a BlueCar Bolloré (the car in car-sharing AutoLib Paris' ), a Porsche EV conversion and hundreds of Tesla S and Roadster,

They also consider applying for the world's quietest parade!

Source: AVEQ

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Electric Car sales set to take off in South Korea

In 2010 the South Korean government unveiled a plan to produce 1.2 million electric vehicles a year by 2015, or 21 percent of the domestic automobile market, and a nationwide goal of one million registered electric vehicles by 2020.

The South Korean government’s Ministry of Environment is providing a 15 million won ($13,900) nationwide subsidy for EV purchases, and 10 major cities or provincial jurisdictions are providing additional subsidies ranging from 3 million to 8 million won ($2,800 to $7,400).

The semitropical island of Jeju, which is located about 60 miles (100 km) south of the Korean peninsula in Korea’s East Sea, Plans for all cars to be electric by 2030.

The Jeju government adds a hefty 8 million won subsidy to the federal incentive for EVs purchased on the island. The combined price abatement of 23 million won ($21,000) nearly halves the EV’s purchase price in some instances, dramatically reduces it in all others and makes the Chevrolet Spark EV less than the cost of a gasoline-powered Spark.

While the federal subsidy is open-ended and applies nationally, there is a limit to the number of subsidies Jeju will grant. For 2014 Jeju has a cap of 500 subsidies, but officials say they are swamped with thousands of applications.

Jeju is a natural fit for EVs because it has been a smart grid test bed for years, which included building public charging infrastructure. Also, Jeju is a relatively small, oval-shaped island (about 70 km by 30 km), so drivers can easily get around the island on a single battery charge.

There are currently only about 360 electric vehicles amongst the population of about 607 000, a figure that the province wants to expand to more than 500 this year. The provincial government expects about 370 000 total cars on the road in Jeju by 2030 compared to about 300,000 today.

This will be achieved in steps, with the initial subsidy phase adding 500 new EVs this year, then more subsidies to boost the number to 29,000 by 2017 and to 94,000 by 2020. The island has 500 easily accessible 240V recharge stations, said to be the highest density anywhere in the world. More stations are being added every month.

South Korean buyers, who buy almost exclusively cars made in the country, have several Korean-made electric cars from which to choose. The current sales champion on Jeju is the Samsung SM3, which is a clone of the Renault Fluence ZE sedan.

Kia's Ray EV, Samsung/Renault's SM3 EV and General Motors Spark EV got off to a modest sales start in 2013. Nissan will begin selling the Leaf in South Korea in the second half of this year along with BMW's i3 and Kia's Soul EV. Hyundai Motor to launch first battery-powered electric car in 2016.

South Korea has installed 1,510 charging stations for electric cars across the country, including 110 quick charge stations. Currently, about 1,100 electric cars are being used mostly by government agencies and public corporations across the country.

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Li-Sulfur Batteries with Metal-Organic Frameworks offer 800 km Range

Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) added a kind of nanomaterial called a metal-organic framework, to the battery’s cathode to capture problematic polysulfides that usually cause lithium-sulfur batteries to fail after a few charges.

A paper describing the material and its performance was published online April 4 in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

“Lithium-sulfur batteries have the potential to power tomorrow’s electric vehicles, but they need to last longer after each charge and be able to be repeatedly recharged,” said materials chemist Jie Xiao of the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “Our metal-organic framework may offer a new way to make that happen.”

Today’s electric vehicles are typically powered by lithium-ion batteries. But the chemistry of lithium-ion batteries limits how much energy they can store. One promising solution is the lithium-sulfur battery, which can hold as much as four times more energy per mass than lithium-ion batteries. This would enable electric vehicles to drive farther on a single charge, as well as help store more renewable energy. The down side of lithium-sulfur batteries, however, is they have a much shorter lifespan because they can’t currently be charged as many times as lithium-ion batteries.

The reason can be found in how batteries work. Most batteries have two electrodes: one is positively charged and called a cathode, while the second is negative and called an anode. Electricity is generated when electrons flow through a wire that connects the two. To control the electrons, positively charged atoms shuffle from one electrode to the other through another path: the electrolyte solution in which the electrodes sit.

The lithium-sulfur battery’s main obstacles are unwanted side reactions that cut the battery’s life short. The undesirable action starts on the battery’s sulfur-containing cathode, which slowly disintegrates and forms molecules called polysulfides that dissolve into the liquid electrolyte. Some of the sulfur—an essential part of the battery’s chemical reactions—never returns to the cathode. As a result, the cathode has less material to keep the reactions going and the battery quickly dies.

Researchers worldwide are trying to improve materials for each battery component to increase the lifespan and mainstream use of lithium-sulfur batteries. For this research, Xiao and her colleagues honed in on the cathode to stop polysulfides from moving through the electrolyte.

Many materials with tiny holes have been examined to physically trap polysulfides inside the cathode. Metal organic frameworks are porous, but the added strength of PNNL’s material is its ability to strongly attract the polysulfide molecules.

The framework’s positively charged nickel center tightly binds the polysulfide molecules to the cathodes. The result is a coordinate covalent bond that, when combined with the framework’s porous structure, causes the polysulfides to stay put.

“The MOF’s highly porous structure is a plus that further holds the polysulfide tight and makes it stay within the cathode,” said PNNL electrochemist Jianming Zheng.

Metal-organic frameworks—also called MOFs—are crystal-like compounds made of metal clusters connected to organic molecules, or linkers. Together, the clusters and linkers assemble into porous 3-D structures. MOFs can contain a number of different elements. PNNL researchers chose the transition metal nickel as the central element for this particular MOF because of its strong ability to interact with sulfur.

During lab tests, a lithium-sulfur battery with PNNL’s MOF cathode maintained 89 percent of its initial power capacity after 100 charge-and discharge cycles. Having shown the effectiveness of their MOF cathode, PNNL researchers now plan to further improve the cathode’s mixture of materials so it can hold more energy. The team also needs to develop a larger prototype and test it for longer periods of time to evaluate the cathode’s performance for real-world, large-scale applications.

PNNL is also using MOFs in energy-efficient adsorption chillers and to develop new catalysts to speed up chemical reactions.

“MOFs are probably best known for capturing gases such as carbon dioxide,” Xiao said. “This study opens up lithium-sulfur batteries as a new and promising field for the nanomaterial.”

This research was funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Researchers analyzed chemical interactions on the MOF cathode with instruments at EMSL, DOE’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at PNNL.