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Harley-Davidson Reveals Project LiveWire EV Concept [VIDEO]

Innovation, meet heritage. Today, Harley-Davidson reveals Project LiveWire – the first Harley-Davidson® electric motorcycle.

In keeping with the company's customer-led product development approach, starting next week select consumers across the country will be able to ride and provide feedback on the bike, helping to shape the future of Harley-Davidson's first-ever electric motorcycle.

While not for sale, Project LiveWire is specifically designed for the purpose of getting insight into rider expectations of an electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

"America at its best has always been about reinvention," said Matt Levatich, President and Chief Operating Officer, Harley-Davidson Motor Company. "And, like America, Harley-Davidson has reinvented itself many times in our history, with customers leading us every step of the way. Project LiveWire is another exciting, customer-led moment in our history."

Spurred by this heritage, the Project LiveWire Experience invites customers to test ride, provide feedback and learn more about the story of the motorcycle. Even those who don't yet ride will have the opportunity to feel the power of Project LiveWire through Jumpstart – a simulated riding experience.

A 2014 U.S. tour – kicking off with a journey down Route 66 – will visit more than 30 Harley-Davidson dealerships now through the end of the year. In 2015, the Project LiveWire Experience will continue in the U.S. and expand into Canada and Europe.

"This builds on many recent reinvention successes for Harley-Davidson," said Levatich. "In just the last few years, we've broadened our reach to serve an increasingly diverse society, as well as reinvented our approach to product development and manufacturing. This has resulted in cutting-edge products like the recently launched Project Rushmore touring bikes, Harley-Davidson Street 500 and 750 models and this reveal of Project LiveWire."

An Innovative Approach to Advance the Possibilities of Personal Freedom This exciting new ride blends the company's styling heritage with the latest technology to deliver a new expression of the signature Harley-Davidson look, sound and feel.

"Project LiveWire is more like the first electric guitar – not an electric car," said Mark-Hans Richer, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Harley-Davidson Motor Company. "It's an expression of individuality and iconic style that just happens to be electric. Project LiveWire is a bold statement for us as a company and a brand."

The bike offers a visceral riding experience with tire-shredding acceleration and an unmistakable new sound.

"The sound is a distinct part of the thrill," said Richer. "Think fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. Project LiveWire's unique sound was designed to differentiate it from internal combustion and other electric motorcycles on the market."

Longer term plans for retail availability of Project LiveWire will be influenced by feedback from riders along the Project Livewire Experience tour.

"We offer a no excuses riding experience in everything we do and we are led by what our customers tell us matters most," said Richer. "Because electric vehicle technology is evolving rapidly, we are excited to learn more from riders through the Project LiveWire Experience to fully understand the definition of success in this market as the technology continues to evolve."

Helping Preserve and Renew the Freedom to Ride for Generations As riding in the great outdoors is one of the best elements of motorcycling, sustainability remains a core strategic focus at Harley-Davidson.

"Preserving the riding environment is important to all of us," said Levatich. "Project LiveWire is just one element in our efforts to preserve and renew the freedom to ride for generations to come. As a company that has seen success for 111 years, we think in generational terms about our great riding environments for the next 111 years."

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Partnership to Develop Dual Carbon Battery for Racing [VIDEO]

Racing group Team TAISAN and materials engineer Power Japan Plus have formed a partnership to develop an electric racing vehicle, which will be the first in the world to use the Ryden dual carbon battery.

Under this partnership, Power Japan Plus will provide Ryden cells and Team TAISAN will leverage its vast experience in international racing to optimize the battery and develop a battery pack and management circuit. A go-kart powered by the Ryden dual carbon battery will begin test driving August of this year.

“We have faced a number of issues with electric vehicle batteries up until now. The Ryden battery from Power Japan Plus is the solution we have been searching for,” said Yasutsune Chiba, owner of Team TAISAN. “We will first develop a battery capable of withstanding the rigorous demands of racing, before advancing the technology for use in commercial applications."

Team TAISAN has faced many roadblocks with conventional battery technology, the danger of thermal runaway being the most prevalent. Intense heating prevented other electric vehicle (a Tesla Roadster) racing cars used by TAISAN from running continuously. In searching for a solution to this problem, Team TAISAN discovered the Ryden dual carbon battery developed by Power Japan Plus.

The Ryden dual carbon battery wields an energy density comparable to lithium-ion batteries, with a much faster charge time. In addition, Ryden is resistant to heating during operation, mitigating the threat of thermal runway and yielding a simpler battery pack cooling system.

"Team TAISAN has profound experience in automotive technology, especially with the high demand world of motorsports,” said Dou Kani, CEO and co-founder of Power Japan Plus. “I am confident that by working together with Team TAISAN, we can produce an irreplaceable electric vehicle battery unlike any ever made.”

Development will start with a go-kart powered by the Ryden dual carbon battery, which will undergo endurance testing in harsh summer heat conditions this August. The team will then build a full scale EV racing car driven by a Ryden battery pack. Team TAISAN will conduct endurance and safety tests on the electric racing vehicle at its facilities in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, with a goal for the vehicle to debut in a Japanese EV racing competition.

Established in 1983, Team TAISAN is recognized as one of Japan’s most prestigious racing teams, with a total count of 72 victories. Among these victories, Team TAISAN has won 13 Japanese national racing championships – eight during the last 20 years – at the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) / Super GT (SGT). The team has also won six overseas championships, including The 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GT class in its very first attempt, going on to complete the race a total of six times. The team has also been actively involved in EV endurance racing in Japan. Team TAISAN was an early adopter of the Tesla Roadster, champion at the 2011 ALL JAPAN EV-GP SERIES, as well as the modified EV Porsche 916 model, which completed four, one-hour endurance races hosted by the EV Club, with third place honors in the lead-based battery class.

The partnership was announced publically prior to the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race this past Saturday in Le Mans, France.

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Nissan & BMW keen to collaborate with Tesla on Supercharger standards

We recently reported that BMW is keen to collaborate with Tesla on creating possible global vehicle-charging standards, and now Nissan is also interested according to sources.

“It is obviously clear that everyone would benefit if there was a far more simple way for everyone to charge their cars,” said one executive, who declined to be named as the plans are not yet official.

Between them, Nissan, the world’s biggest electric-car manufacturer, BMW and Tesla account for about 80 per cent of the world’s battery electric-car sales.

Tesla has risen from an ambitious San Francisco start-up to account for about a quarter of the world’s electric-car market, and defy naysayers at some of the world’s largest carmakers that said that the vehicles were not commercially viable.

BMW, which has invested heavily in its electric i range, said that it and Tesla were “strongly committed to the success of electro-mobility”, and used their meeting to discuss ways to “further strengthen” the global electric-vehicle market.

BMW was informed of Mr Musk’s patent decision at the Wednesday meeting, but both companies stressed that the meeting’s timing was coincidental.

“Nissan welcomes any initiative to expand the volumes of electric vehicles,” the Japanese manufacturer said. “Nissan is the market leader in EVs and has worked with other manufacturers to help proliferate the technology.”

Source: FT

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BMW + Tesla superchargers a strategic move?

On Wednesday Tesla and BMW met, but what specifically was discussed was not published.

“Both companies are strongly committed to the success of electromobility and discussed how to further strengthen the development of electromobility on an international level,” a BMW spokesman said today in a statement.

On Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company has been in talks with BMW and other automakers on the topic of promoting EVs and making better use of its German Supercharger charging stations.

Musk said that Tesla’s intent wasn’t to create a walled garden around it's supercharger network and that the company is more than happy to allow other makers to use its fast chargers.

There are number of preconditions, though. Firstly, other makers’ cars would need to be able to accept the 135kW output of the Supercharger. Secondly, rival manufacturers would have to contribute to some of the capital cost of the fast charging network.

The Germany market for long range EVs has some unique requirements. Not only is Tesla offering a special tune-up so that its Model S is capable of 130 MPH to compete against the local Porsches, BMW,s Mercedes and Audis on Germany’s unrestricted, high-speed autobahns. But the extra aerodynamic load resulting from sustained Autobahn speeds means that a huge network of very high powered (read Fast) EV charging stations is essential for the long range EV market to be viable in Germany.

With BMW, Audi, Porsche & Mercedes all having leaked plans for 400-600km BEVs there will definatly be future demand for a fast charger network in German. Establishing the Tesla fast charger standard in Germany now in partnership with BMW, the undisputed leader in EV investment, could be seen as a strategic move.

If Tesla doesn't build it, then someone else will!

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 830 KM Test Drive

The Swiss Mitsubishi importer has demonstrated that a plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can travel 830 km (518 miles) on a single tank of petrol.

Mitsubishi Motors claims the plug-in hybrid Outlander PHEV has a range of 824 kilometers (512 Miles) in the combined hybrid mode. The Swiss Mitsubishi importer wanted to know whether this is feasible in practice so hired Felix Egolf - a pioneer in the field of ultra-efficient driving over long distances.

Egolf departed on 12 May in a hybrid Outlander from the headquarters of the Swiss importer Härkingen and drove through Basel and the Vosges to Metz. From there he went through Luxembourg and Belgium in the Netherlands. End of the journey was the Dutch Mitsubishi importer in Amstelveen, where Egolf arrived on May 14. The route began in hilly area and 38 percent of the journey performed over highways.

Upon arrival in Amstelveen odometer gave 729 kilometers and the remaining range was further than 90 kilometers. Egolf then drove the Outlander PHEV for a photoshoot to Amsterdam and Utrecht. The onboard computer gave a mileage of more than 830km to when the Outlander PHEV was refueled. For the first time since leaving again There was 45.14 liters of petrol in the tank, which means that consumption 5.44 liters per 100 km. The electricity was approximately 1 kWh/100 km.

Mitsubishi Motors gives the official standard has a range of 824 kilometers. So that, in practice, is actually feasible. Of course, the rider must anticipate well in traffic and clever use of the plug-in hybrid techniek. That is, charge the battery while driving (CHARGE) or save energy (SAVE) and continuous regeneration system utilization, which produce electricity, which is stored in the battery during braking.

EV News will be picking up a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for a test drive next week so perhaps we can also test the 800+ km range.