2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

The latest Volkswagen will unveil the 3rd and latest iteration by its roadster diesel-electric hybrid concept serial, the fresh XL1 Super effective Vehicle (SEV) at these week’s Qatar Motor demo, which runs by January 26 to 29. The latest 2011 Volkswagen XL1 Hybrid Concept are motivated by a diminished 800 cc TDI two-cylinder basic rail diesel engine breaking 48 HP.

Vision becomes reality – Volkswagen’s “Formula XL1”:  Volkswagen XL1 prototype consumes just 0.9 l/100 km! Wolfsburg / Doha, 25 January 2011 - Future mobility is one of the most stimulating topics of our time. The key question here: Just how much could the energy consumption of cars be reduced if all the stops were pulled out for efficiency? There is now an answer to this question, and Volkswagen is delivering it in the form of the new XL1. Combined fuel consumption: 0.9 l/100 km. No other hybrid car powered by an electric motor / internal combustion engine combination is more fuel efficient.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Volkswagen will build small run of XL1 plug-in hybrid in two years. “We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013,” Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech told Automotive News Europe on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2011 Qatar auto show where Volkswagen unveiled an XL1 prototype. Pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging all play a part in allowing the new Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) to return 260 mpg on the combined cycle to set a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency.

The most efficient car in the world. The new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept shows the way forward for extreme economy vehicles and clean technologies. It also demonstrates that such cars can also be fun.  The feeling when driving the XL1 is truly dynamic - not based on pure power, rather on its pure efficiency. Two examples: 1) To travel at a constant speed of 100 km/h, the prototype only needs 6.2 kW/8.4 PS – a fraction of the performance of today’s cars (Golf 1.6 TDI with 77 kW and 7-speed DSG: 13.2 kW/17.9 PS). 2) In electric mode, the XL1 needs less than 0.1 kWh (82 Wh/km) to complete a one kilometre driving course. These are record values.

Powering the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 47 hp. It's linked to an electric motor producing 27 hp, resulting in a total of 74 hp - a modest output yet more than enough when the low kerb weight of 1753 lbs (795 kg) of the vehicle is taken into account. Two-cylinder TDI uses mass production technology: The 0.8 litre TDI (35 kW/48 PS) was derived from the 1.6 litre TDI, which drives such cars as the Golf and Passat. The 0.8 TDI exhibits the same data as the 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine in terms of cylinder spacing (88 mm), cylinder bore (79.5 mm) and stroke (80.5 mm).

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

In addition, the Volkswagen XL1 Concept's two-cylinder and the mass produced four cylinder share key internal engine features for reducing emissions. They include special piston recesses for multiple injection and individual orientation of the individual injection jets. The excellent, smooth running properties of the common rail engines were transferred to the two cylinder engine. within addition, a balancer shaft that is driven by the crankshaft turning at the same speed optimises smooth engine running.

When the full power of the hybrid system is engaged, the Volkswagen prototype accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 11.9 seconds; its top speed is 160 km/h (electronically limited). Yet these numbers alone do not tell the whole story: Since the XL1 weighs just 795 kg, the drive system has an easy job of propelling the car. When full power is needed, the electric motor, which can deliver 100 Newton metres of torque from a standstill, works as a booster to support the TDI engine (120 Newton metres torque). Together, the TDI and E-motor deliver a maximum torque of 140 Newton metres in boosting mode.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) the ideal material for the body of the new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept because of its light weight. The 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Conceptweighs only 795 kg. Of this figure, 227 kg represents the entire drive unit, 153 kg the running gear, 80 kg the equipment (including the two bucket seats) and 105 kg the electrical system.

That leaves 230 kg, which is precisely the weight of the body - produced largely of CFRP - including wing doors, front windscreen in thin-glass technology as in motorsport and the highly safe monocoque. A total of 21.3 percent of the new Volkswagen XL1, or 169 kg, consists of CFRP. In addition, Volkswagen uses lightweight metals for 22.5 percent of all parts (179 kg). Only 23.2 percent (184 kg) of the new XL1 is constructed from steel and iron materials. The rest of its weight is distributed among various other polymers (e.g. polycarbonate side windows), metals, natural fibres, process materials and electronics.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Design for a new era: The VW XL1 is 3,888 mm long, 1,665 mm wide and just 1,156 mm tall. These are extreme dimensions. The Polo has a similar length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 m), but it is significantly taller (1,462 mm). The height of the new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is about the same as that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder (1,184 mm). So, it is easy to visualise just how spectacular such a Volkswagen would appear on the road – as long and wide as a Polo, but with a low profile like a Lamborghini.

The styling of the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is borne out of functional requirements - easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. The XL1's overall length and width are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height is more akin to that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Although the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid is still very much a concept, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone.

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

2011 Nissan 370Z is a hybrid sports car, with a 3.7 liter engine performance and fuel economy to about 50%. 2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid is equipped with  interior features a very nice and will soon release in late 2010. For 2011, Nissan is taking a giant leap with the 370Z with the release version of a hybrid for both coupe and convertible stylings.

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

Z is still like a roadster. Puritans can not ignore, but the opening of Z is supported by an equally strong manual 3.7-liter V6 and six-speed gearbox or seven-speed automatic, like a coupe. suspension settings and the same increase in weight only 200 pounds to help roadster retains most of the quick reflexes and acceleration.

But 370Z coupe is not without flaws. V6, while strong, does not feel the sophistication and high-speed machines. This may be the reason, but significantly reduces the implementation races living on the open road, coupe is quite noisy, especially when equipped with larger wheels and tires are optional. In addition, performance cars such as the Z machine records verdien’n refreshing, and some protection against the motorway route will not run heavy throughout the roar.

The 2011 370Z from Nissan has the same 3.7-liter , V6 engine with 332 hp at 7,000 rpm, just like that of the previous model year. Optional manual transmission features six speeds, while the automatic transmission is a 7-speed with a manual shift assist.

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

Falling far short of the fuel efficiency figures for Nissan’s drawing board hybrid model, the 2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid reports 18 mpg in traffic and 25 mpg on the highway, manual or automatic alike. These high-performance vehicles use high-test fuel as well. The NISMO 370Z delivers an upgrade in power, with 350 hp and 270 pound feet of torque in a 3.7 liter V6.

The 2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid will not be sacrificing any of the previous power and performance to a new hybrid engine in accordance with the Nissan, but it remains to be seen how they will achieve it by using the same gasoline motor vehicle weight while improving significantly with lithium-ion battery and a second motor.

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

Nissan is offering three models of the 370Z convertible roadster: the standard entry level model, the Touring car, and the 370Z Touring with Sport Package option. The price range extends from $37, 520 to $43,890. The 370Z Coupe series features three model options plus the NISMO 370Z. The price span extends from $30,610 for the base model to $39,990 for the NISMO.

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

The interior of the 2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid is always wide enough for vehicles in its class, and the addition of a new battery for the car will hopefully not impact important features. Standard features for the Nissan 370Z interior will remain almost identical to those available in models 2010 and includes keyless ignition and entry, climate control, tilt steering wheel, and auto-dimming rearview mirror.

2011 Nissan Sports Cars 370Z Hybrid

Lamborghini Sports Car Concept for 2016 Madura Hybrid

The Lamborghini Madura concept car was imagined by Slavche Tanevsky, a student at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. He has created this futuristic Lamborghini sports car design concept, in partnership with Lamborghini and Audi designers for Lamborghini’s Raw Materials Project.

Slavche Tanevsky has designed a model with the classic, aggressive lines of a Lambo, but with a hybrid engine. This concept vehicle carries the name of an island in Indonesia, well known for its bull races. Dubbed the Madura (named after an Indonesian island famous for bull races).

Although it slightly resembles the Reventon and the Estoque, the overall design of this hybrid concept car is more aggressive and more focused. The front-mid placed hybrid drivetrain is “hidden” under the curvy hood. In the front side the Madura has huge air intakes and slim headlights, oriented in such a way to accentuate the cars’ width.

According to Tanevsky, "The Madura is a proposal for the first hybrid Lamborghini scheduled for 2016. Doing a car more efficient and more nature-friendly, doesn't mean it shouldn't be exciting, good-looking and fast. (But) in my opinion this new propulsion system should be represented on the looks of the car.

TNR Gold Corp. Updates Meeting Date for Approval of Spin-Out of International Lithium Corp. and Record Date TNR.v, CZX.v, NG.to, WLC.v, CLQ.v, RM.v, F

"TNR Gold Corp. Updates Meeting Date for Approval of Spin-Out of International Lithium Corp. and Record Date

Press Release Source: TNR Gold Corp. On Wednesday May 26, 2010, 8:27 pm EDT
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - May 26, 2010) - TNR Gold Corp. ("TNR" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:TNR - News) is pleased to announce that further to its news release on April 12, 2010, we have changed our meeting date to June 22, 2010 for shareholder approval of the previously announced (April 27, 2009) spin-out of TNR's lithium and rare metal assets into its wholly-owned subsidiary, International Lithium Corp. ("ILC") under a court approved plan of arrangement. TNR shareholders of record on the date of the spin-out, planned for July 2010, will receive one share and one fully tradeable warrant of International Lithium Corp. for every 4 shares of TNR held.
The spin-out is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the B.C. Supreme Court and shareholders of TNR. TNR shareholders were mailed an information circular today describing the key terms of the proposed spin-out with a planned completion within 60 days of the meeting date. The documents, including the signed Arrangement Agreement, were filed on SEDAR on May 25, 2010. We encourage all interested parties to review the Arrangement Agreement and Information Circular in their entirety on our website or SEDAR. A link for this information is as follows:

http://www.tnrgoldcorp.com/i/pdf/TNR-InfoCirc-May2010.pdf

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL LITHIUM CORP. / TNR GOLD CORP.
International Lithium Corp., currently a wholly-owed subsidiary of TNR, is a mineral exploration company diversified geographically and by resource type. With projects spanning the globe from Argentina, USA, Canada, and Ireland, ILC will offer investors the potential upside of rapid advancement of ILC's lithium brine projects and recognized valuation of ILC's rare metals pegmatite projects.
TNR is a diversified metals exploration company focused on identifying and exploring its existing properties and identifying new prospective projects globally. TNR has a total portfolio of 18 projects, of which 9 will be included in the proposed spin-off of International Lithium Corp.
The recent acquisition of lithium and other rare metals projects in Argentina, Canada, USA and Ireland confirms TNR and ILC's commitments to generating projects, diversifying their markets, and building shareholder value.
On behalf of the board,
Gary Schellenberg, President
Statements in this press release other than purely historical information, historical estimates should not be relied upon, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, are forward-looking statements. News release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business, including risks inherent in resource exploration and development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
CUSIP: #87260X 109
SEC 12g3-2(b): Exemption #82-4434
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

International Lithium Corp. Spin off: management information circular posted TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v,

TNR Gold has posted on May 25th, 2010 Management Information Circular with International Lithium Corp. plan of arrangement:

http://sedar.com/

Electric Cars' adoption rate: Washing Machines or Mobiles with iPods Squared? TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, F, BYDDY, NSANY,

CS. The time has come for Electric Cars: we are sure about it, but how fast will they be adopted, will we be able to capitalise on Green Mobility Revolution - these questions are still open. Recent research paper from Deloitte "Gaining traction. A customer view of electric vehicle mass adoption in the U.S. automotive market" has sparked a lot of discussions. We will join it with a few pictures and charts, not as good as one from Nicholas Felton below, but always providing food for thoughts. Please do not hesitate to click on charts to enlarge the images.

The main open question is: will Electric Cars' adoption rate be correlated with Washing Machines' one or will it enjoy more explosive growth like Mobiles with rate of acceleration like iPods on the chart below? First, we will strike brutally and cynically (the way the Wall Street works): how can you compare washing machines and Cars? Even Electric ones? Cars are all about men, their personal social security space with a statement. How many of us discussed washing machines even the best ones? Brutal history about washing machines is that it was for the "best part" - to make her life better, it was not about status and not about statement - so it took 80 years to get to the 80% adoption rate. On a more serious note time has changed: it will not be about him all the time this time and it is not about U.S. only this time, but first back to iPod Moment.

"Ideal market situation for the new disruptive technology to create a life time investing opportunity is when Demand for product or service is already there and you are able to deliver it in a new way, which will be more appealing to Existing consumers of this product or service. You have a dramatic shift in consumer preference and are gaining a market share in a tidal wave fashion by shifting consumers from existing providers to the new product or service place. You do not have to teach the market and prove that they need this product - you just need to prove that the new technology you are putting in place is viable to deliver the Better Experience.
We have always loved our music. Sony made a Revolution in the way we consume the music with its Walkman - we were able to take our music with us as we go. CDs made the quality of music more appealing and record companies sold us our music one more time.
Steeve Jobs made another Revolution by providing the means to consume what we exactly want with iTunes and means to Store and Retrieve All Our Music as we go in iPod. He sold us our own music one more time and we were happy to buy it. He has brought us a new Experience of how we consume the same music: it is convenient, easy, Searchable, high quality and with us - all of it. We have moved in droves to the new source of Joy."

"With Electric Cars all market estimations that we saw so far (apart from quote from Warren Buffett) looks like a drop in the bucket at a time. Will it be 2%, 5% or 10% claimed by Nissan in 2020? It is not a Revolution - it is like a tea party. We dare to differ and think that Electric Cars will provide to us a new Experience how we consume Mobility: energy efficient, environment friendly and cheaper with all cost accounted. And yes - they will sell us our cars one more time, this time in Electric version.
Is it bad - not at all if you will be investing in Electric Cars value chain. Even if not, we will all gain from it more than from iPods - after all we have never heard about somebody being killed by CD, but those, who still do not believe that cars pollute and kill our environment including us, can try to breath from exhaust pipe for a while to be sure.
We expect consumers to shift on a mass scale from CVs to EVs with prove that technology is viable and can provide the same utility with a Better Experience. Emotional Drive will be the driving force of this switch of consumer preferences."


Do not rush to buy every stock we are writing here about: we are biased. Our value in this very important education process is our own experience which we are ready to share. Who knew about Google short ten years ago? Chart above shows another Next Big Thing from the very recent past: Growth of Internet Advertising revenue. We did not understand the magnitude of change in the market space which Google has provided. We was not able to see the new and coming on the rubbles of previous market collapse in NASDAQ and assumed that Hype goes automatically with every Internet player claiming to take the world. Google did it. Company's valuation has collapsed in the end to our projected price of USD250 during the market crash of 2008, but the growth of the sector and Google's domination was astonishing. That is why we are so biased and you should never take anything as an investment advise on this Blog: we are in a constant search for the Next Big Thing and new Bull which will be built on the rubbles of this Economic Collapse. We have found Gold and Silver Bull before and now it is time for new exiting journey.



As you can see above, explosive growth in some sectors can happen even when economy is slowly growing as a whole. Authors of the Deloitte study very carefully took into consideration a lot of different aspects for adoption of the new technology like Electric Cars. Have they missed something? Maybe not when we are talking about U.S. in a "normal situation", but we are living in a "New Normal" according to PIMCO. Charts above and below bring us some more dimensions for thoughts. It is growth of Oil consumption in China from 1965 and below is Rate of this Growth compare to other countries. We will bring a new factor into the growth valuation for EVs - what if there is no more Cheap Oil left and how it feels to be grounded? We will address you to the Life After Oil and other thoughts on the Peak Oil.




Two charts below show the dynamic of China's expansion into auto space reflecting the explosive Oil Consumption Rate of Growth above.


This is why it will be not about only U.S. this time, but every move in China will affect U.S.

Chart below with vehicles per capita is very sobering: China and India have not even started Mobility Revolution by Western world standards.

Two most important points from here: Oil Consumption will go up dramatically with declining production, without major State level shift in technology China and India will not be able to bring mobility to its population without suffocating its own people and along the way they will drive prices for Oil above USD150 again.

Remember these faces above and these new brands coming from Asia. BYD has attracted Warren Buffet and has produced China's wealthiest man already. More to come.

"America needs to catch up with the rest of the world in Electric Space. U.S. is years away from recent advance in lithium batteries and electric cars compare to Japan and China. Nissan spent 5.5 billion dollars and 16 years developing electric cars based on lithium ion technology. Competition is heating on and it is very positive to see DOE supporting at least production of Electric Cars in U.S. developed in another countries. Green Leaf growing in the Homeland is better than nothing even if it is from a foreign tree.
Our main take from U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu Video :
"Price of Lithium batteries is in access of 1000 USD/kWh at the moment, with mass production it will drop to 300-400 USD/kWh ( S. GM is aiming now for 450 USD/kWH in a near term) and with recent technological advance we can talk about 100 USD/kWh as possibility."
As we have wrote before, lithium battery price of USD 25o per kWh will make production of Electric Cars cheaper than a comparable CV - you do not need automatic transmission as part of your power drive.
This is why we are calling it Green Mobility Revolution. Make a step back and look at the big picture. With electricity being the most convenient form of energy known to us, stable pricing and ready availability from existing source infrastructure - we have a transformation technology in place: you can store energy on board of your vehicle Produced Somewhere Else. It means that that energy could be produced thousand miles away using mass scale and most economical production method including Nuclear power, Hydro power generation, Geothermal, Wind, Solar and other renewable sources of energy available today.
Our conventional vehicles did not move far away from steam powered trains. They still carry fuel and power plant on board with very inefficient conversion cycle technology from fuel to mechanical power. Power source is restricted to mobility application and it is very expensive, it can not use economy of scale or different sources including renewables (think about tidal wave generator on board) and you are caring exhaust pipe with you everywhere you drive.
It is time to start thinking about Electric Cars as means to transform our Energy Diet nation wide - you do not need to have power generation plant on board (which will be always expensive and inefficient compare to Industrial Scale version even of the same technology) - you need just most effective storage system and power delivery system: Lithium ion batteries and Electric Powertrain.
This is where you can start thinking with us: that all current estimations about Electric Cars adoption rate could be blown away once technology will be proven to be viable in a mass sale applications."

This stuff above in the bag will be at the heart of this Green Mobility Revolution. It is Lithium and auto industry has adopted the standard battery chemistry based on Lithium for EVs. There is enough Lithium in the world to let Electric Cars go for another one hundred years and it could become the Next Big Thing if our projection on Electric Cars explosive growth will be proven actually taking place within next years. Chart below is Byron Capital Lithium Index with the most leveraged Lithium exploration and development plays to the Electric Cars adoption rate and EV market development as a whole.

EV World:

"The Wringer Washer Vs. The Electric Car

By Bill Moore
When Deloitte Consulting came out with their study, Gaining Traction: A Customer View of Electric Vehicle Mass Adoption in the U.S. Automotive Market earlier this month, the media made much of the fact that electric cars were likely, in Deloitte's view, at least, to be adopted by consumers at about the same rate as washing machines through the Twentieth Century, taking some 80 years to reach just over 80% of households [See the chart they used above]. Do a Google search for "Deloitte study electric cars" to see all the various media reports emphasizing the slow growth of the market for electric cars. For example, "Major Study Predicts Electric Car Adoption Will be Low," reads the headline on GM-Volt.com, pretty much mirroring the view of the likes of Reuters, Economic Times, Fast Company, Wired, etc. Even here on EV World, we dutifully posted links to these reports, as well.
But then I got to thinking about Nicholas Felton's chart, especially the plots for washing machines, stoves, clothes dryers and refrigerators, and it suddenly occurred to me what I was seeing. Can you spot it? Let me help you. Take a look at the graph below tracking the rise of women in the workplace.
Notice any similarity? The rate of adoption of labor saving appliances for the wife would appear to track fairly closely with their entering the workplace. The more hours they worked away from home, the less time they had to engage in the very tedious and time consuming job of washing and drying clothes. Which also raises a second issue of why it took so long for the clothes washer to reach the 80 percent level: lack of innovation.
If you look at photographs and advertisements of washing machines from the 1930's, they are little changed from machines first advertised in 1908. The only real difference was the introduction of the electric motor to run the pump, turn the agitator, and cycle the wringer or mangle, as it was also called. In fact, it would take half a century to see the wringer disappear off the washing machine, replaced by a mechanically-timed spin dry cycle, as manufacturers finally figured out that women didn't want to spend all day squeezing their wet laundry between rubber rollers... twice: once to remove the dirty soap water, and a second time to remove the rinse water.
Not only was the pace of innovation painfully slow when it came to women's labor saving devices, but middle American appliance manufacturers hadn't yet caught on to the idea of planned obsolescence introduced into the auto industry in the 1950s. There are households across America that are still using 1950-era wringer washers 60 years later, some in the name of the new "green frugality" movement. You can even buy working replicas for $899. Those Maytags, Amanas, Hotpoints and Speed Queens were built to last and last, unlike computers, cellphones and television sets, where the pace of technological innovation and fickle fashion makes such devices obsolete in 18 months or less, fostering continual churn in the market and even more innovation.
But back to the central question of the rate at which electric cars will be adopted by society, the rate of consumer acceptance chart above also seems to suggest that the pace of adoption is also driven by gender. As a general rule, men have not, historically, at least, done the laundry or cooked the meals. We -- and I include myself in this -- do tend to take a far keener interest in technology, be it automotive or electronics. Look at the pace of purchases of radios, reaching 50% of the market in less than 10 years. It took just about the same period of time for color television to reach the same 50% of households. It took even less for the Internet.
I contend that an electric car is far closer to a piece of electronics than a kitchen appliance; and, as such, it will appeal to men far more than to women, initially. If I look at the percentage of men reading EV World versus women, it is something around 75 % male versus 25% female; and in our early days it was more like 90-10, which was a function of who was using the Internet back in the late 1990s. Still, this suggests that it will be men who will be shopping for that first electric car; and that means that the decision making process won't be driven by logic, but by emotion.
Much as we'd like to view ourselves as logical, hard-nosed, count-the-cost creatures, men aren't really Vulcans; and neither are women, for that matter. There's a ying-yang quality in our reasoning powers that is strongly influenced by emotions that include aesthetics (styling and creature comforts) and the perception of risk (vehicle performance). The classic example is the Harley Davidson motorcycle and the "logic" that goes into buying what is probably a far cry from a necessity for most owners. It's a grown boy's toy, plain and simple, and one that is used few times year. Of the more than 6.5 million motorcycles registered in America, less than 10% are driven seasonally, and just over 4% are used on a daily basis as a primary form of transportation. The rest sit for that occasional weekend romp, usually by aging baby boomers (1) with discretionary income to spend.
Take a look at this next chart. It accompanied the original Nicholas Felton chart from the New York Times that Deloitte uses in their study. It depicts American household spending by category and income level. After housing, transportation is the highest consumption item on the graph for all three income groups.
"Where does the plug-in and battery-powered car fit into this picture?" I asked myself. "Is the electric car more washing machine or computer?" Here is my hastily jotted list bullet points. The electric car is:
Novel and new
Has perceived economic value with lower daily operating costs than its gasoline competition
Like buying a Harley Davidson motorcycle, it's appeal goes beyond the pure, cold logic of "when will it pay-for-itself" ROI (return-on-investment).
Offers 'beyond petroleum' guilt-free performance and fun
With these four alone, I could easily make the case to the Mrs. -- who is likely to be much more logical and pragmatic about this decision than I would be -- that we really do need that Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt or CODA or Think or... take your pick.
Of course, there are also the imponderables: range, charging time, battery life, cold weather performance, but each of these can be "reasoned/rationalized" to my satisfaction. I don't drive more than 30 miles a day. My car sits in the garage 23 hours a day. Prius NiMH batteries are going strong at 100,000 miles, so why not lithium? I can pre-warm the batteries overnight or drive my back-up gas-banger on really cold days.
Even cost is becoming less of an issue with the introduction of the Nissan Leaf at US$32,850 prior to federal and state incentives.
Yes, being guy who is as subject to our own form of "irrationality" when it comes to "big boy toy" purchases, as our female counterparts are to theirs, I can come up with as many arguments in favor of buying that grid-connected electric car (GEV), as those against. How about you, brother?
Taking this perspective into consideration, it is my view that the electric-drive vehicle -- in all its guises -- isn't going to take half a century to reach 80% of the market. Depending on the rate of impact of a whole series of social, economic, political, technological, military and environmental drivers, it could come a lot more quickly than we might assume. That, by the way, also happens to be the perspective of the International Energy Agency, as depicted in the final graph below.
So, washing machine or cellphone? Which do you think it'll be?
This isn't my first look at the parallels between washing machines and electric cars. Check out Of Front-loading Washing Machines and the Aptera 2e.
(1) According to a new study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the number of motorcyclists 45 and older killed in crashes nearly quadrupled from 2001 to 2005 (the last year for which data is available). Crashes among this age group increased more than 60 percent during that time, compared with a 6 percent drop in the number of crashes for younger motorcycle riders."

Please visit the original article at the headline link for more graphics.

Toyota and Tesla: games around Lithium: Why the Japanese automaker is looking for an electric boost. TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC

"It is a very significant development not only for Tesla, but for Toyota and EV mass market evolution. Tesla has gained more credibility with this move and it is all about Tesla S model mass production. Roadster was making headlines, but not sales numbers. Tesla S promised to be a 5 seater with more than 200 miles range and price tag of 50000USD. It will not be able to compete with Nissan Leaf at USD25000 after federal tax rebate, but it is the move into right direction. Now apart from Mercedes, Tesla can count on Toyota's expertise in safety, mass production and cost control. Toyota way into EV space is not straight forward, it is the case when actions are more significant than words and sometimes words could be misleading. Toyota announced last September that after years of research they do not see Lithium batteries as a commercial choice for Hybrids at the moment. Lithium juniors crashed with the news hitting the wires. After that surprisingly Toyota place on display a few advanced models of Hybrids and plug-ins with lithium batteries an Frankfurt Motor show 2009. Toyota engineers at the show were talking about clear advantage for use of Lithium batteries. Later 2009 Toyota trading house took a stake in upcoming Lithium developer Orocobre Resources with lithium brine salar in Argentina. Now they have quickly moved into Tesla buying the time and expertise on lithium battery side and controlling systems. It has happen just weeks after the usual bashing of EVs and that Hybrids are the only way in the future."

Now we have another EV in the picture - it is Toyota's concept Plug-In EV with lithium battery. Lithium based battery chemistry is an industry adopted standard now in EV space and Nissan Leaf is the price leader with its price as low as 20000USD after federal and state rebates in some markets. Nissan spent more than 16 years and 5 billion dollars developing with NEC lithium batteries and Electric Cars - Toyota was concentrating on soft hybrids with small batteries and has lost advantage of first mover into the hybrid space. Tesla could bring the battle back close to the US market - where place will be for Tesla S and Toyota EV following the market leaders (as we think) Nissan Leaf and GM Volt.

Forbes:

Inside Toyota's Tesla Play

Joann Muller, 05.21.10, 06:32 PM EDT
Why the Japanese automaker is looking for an electric boost.

It's tough to say which company will benefit most from the new partnership between Japanese automotive giant Toyota Motor and American electric car upstart Tesla Motors.
In a surprise announcement the companies said they will cooperate on the development and production of electric vehicles and components, and that Toyota will buy a $50 million stake in Tesla when it goes public in the near future. Tesla also said it had purchased Toyota's former NUMMI factory near Silicon Valley.
The partnership undoubtedly boosts the credibility of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla. Despite lots of hype about its battery-powered sports cars, many people have doubted whether Tesla has the capital or know-how to become anything more than a niche manufacturer. "Toyota must have conducted substantial due diligence before making this investment," said John O'Dell, senior editor of GreenCarAdvisor.com.
Toyota, meanwhile, gets to tap into Tesla's "coolness" factor--a quality sorely missing from the maker of stodgy Camrys and Corollas--and recapture some of its entrepreneurial legacy. "Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has," said President Akio Toyoda, who has said one reason for Toyota's current quality woes is that the company has grown too big and sluggish. "By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that 'venture business spirit,' and take on the challenges of the future."
Odd as it might seem for the world's leading manufacturer of hybrid vehicles, Toyota also has some catching up to do when it comes to fully electric cars. Both Nissan and General Motors plan to introduce plug-in EVs in the U.S. before the end of this year. Toyota, meanwhile, intends to offer a short-range, electric commuter car and a plug-in Prius hybrid in the U.S. in 2012. By teaming up with Tesla, whose current roadster can go 245 miles on a single charge, Toyota said it will have more options. Like other large automakers, Toyota is required in places like California to offer some vehicles that emit little or no tailpipe pollution.
Perhaps even more important, however, is how the Tesla deal helps Toyota politically.

First, it softens the public relations blow Toyota suffered in California when it closed the NUMMI factory last month. The plant used to be a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, but Toyota got stuck with it after GM filed for bankruptcy and a judge terminated their contract. Toyota said it could no longer afford to operate the factory alone.
"Toyota obviously made a wise political move there," said Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research.
United Auto Workers President Ronald Gettelfinger applauded the decision to revive NUMMI, which once employed nearly 5,000 people. "Our union's hope is that this venture will give first hiring preference to former NUMMI employees who are already trained and highly skilled," said Gettelfinger.

Of course, a few thousand electric cars won't make up for the 400,000 Toyotas and Pontiacs that used to come out of that factory annually under the GM-Toyota joint venture, but it's a start. "The new Tesla factory will give us plenty of room to grow," said Chief Executive Elon Musk, without indicating whether UAW workers would get first dibs on newly created jobs.
Musk said Tesla will ramp up to about 1,000 jobs when it starts production in 2012.
Toyota's deal with Tesla ought to play well in Washington, too, where the carmaker is under siege for its handling of sudden acceleration complaints.
U.S. policy makers have been pushing electric-car technology as a way to reduce the nation's oil use and its dependence on foreign energy sources. By giving a hand up to an American maker of EVs, Toyota is furthering that objective."

China goes Electric: BYD electric car to be sold in US for $40,000 TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, HEV, AONE, VLNC, F, BYDDY,

BYD claim a very impressive range on one charge with 300 km. "Super-iron battery is a Lithium Fe one. Nissan Leaf with price around 25000USD after federal tax rebate seems to be the leader on the pricing side. Its range will be around 160 km.

Competition for Oil is heating up and aggressive move by China into Electric Cars leaves no other options for US than to follow. In order to keep power China needs gradually improve standard of living, it will bring upside pressure on labor cost. Electrification will not only provide Energy Security to China, but will significantly reduce the cost of its transportation element and provide another opportunity to stay among low cost producers. Situation is completely different to U.S. - they have capital to invest in Electric Mobility CAPEX now and rip the rewards of lower cash cost on transportation side later.

People's Daily Online:

BYD electric car to be sold in US for $40,000

Chinese automaker BYD Auto officially delivered 30 pure electric E6 vehicles to the Shenzhen-based Pengcheng Electric Taxi Company on May 17, 2010. As the world’s first pure electric taxis, BYD E6 taxis have attracted wide attention and support from the public. BYD will start selling the E6 in the United States in 2010 for around 40,000 U.S. dollars.
A BYD E6 electric taxiXia Zhibing, general manager of BYD Auto, said preparations for the BYD E6's entry into the U.S. market are well under way. One of the tasks of the recently-established BYD North American sales headquarters is to sell the alternative-energy vehicles. Du Guozhong, BYD’s public relations manager, said that BYD E6 has passed all necessary tests including battery safety tests in the United States, and will go on sale in U.S. markets in 2010 for around 40,000 U.S. dollars.BYD E6 is a high-performance SUV-MPV crossover vehicle independently developed by BYD. The car is 4,560 millimeters long, 1,822 millimeters wide and 1,630 millimeters in height, with a wheelbase of 2,830 millimeters. There are only five seats in the spacious car body to ensure passengers plenty of room to sit comfortably. BYD E6 can run up to 300 kilometers on one charge, taking the lead among electric vehicles. Meanwhile, it is the pioneer of eco-friendly vehicles using a rechargeable super-iron battery and a starter battery. The super-iron battery will not cause any harm to the environment and all its chemical substances can be decomposed and absorbed harmlessly in nature, solving environmental problems including secondary resource recovery. Therefore, it is an eco-friendly battery. The super-iron battery can be charged in slow-mode with a 220V power adapter and a 3C adapter in fast charge, filled to 80 percent within 15 minutes. In terms of energy efficiency, BYD E6 consumes around 20 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometers, making it only one-third to one-fourth the cost of fuel-powered cars. In security, the super-iron batteries installed in the E6 have been proven to have excellent safety and will not cause an explosion in high temperatures, high pressure and accidents. Using penetrable side rails, it has good anti-collision performance. In terms of performance, it has a start-up time of less than 10 seconds and its maximum speed is 140 kilometers per hour.Its entry into the U.S. market in 2010 will be a historic moment for BYD Auto. The selling price is expected to decrease once the production and sales volume increases. By People's Daily Online"

Lithium: First All-Electric Truck for Obama TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, HEV, VLNC, F, SNE, AONE, GM, NSANY, BYDDY, RNO,

"Recent Oil Spill shows the real price for Oil and leaves no doubt for us that there will be no more cheap oil: offshore drilling is costly now, it will be even more costly later. Relatively cheap Oil is in the hands of state owned companies in not so friendly to U.S. places. Oil squeeze will come from diminishing production rates and rising Inflation. The move will be even more explosive than in the Gold market - in the end only minority of people is effected by the gold price even now, Oil is the underlining of all Western Energy Diet. It is not sustainable. Emerging markets are taking more and more share of world wide production, oil producing countries are spending more at home. If you account all cost to produce, deliver and protect Oil supply to U.S. corp the price is already above 150 USD/barrel.
"Peak Oil and Lithium: Joint Operating Environment 2010
Please pay attention, this report is written by those who knows the Real Price of Oil. If you account all military needed to protect Oil supply lines and cost of wars to get more oil, price will be well above 150 USD/barrel already. Now we all have another problem: there is simply no more oil enough for all. Will future wars for oil be the only answer?"
Another "liberation" operation like Iraq, this time against Iran will break the camel's back with no return point. Competition for Oil is heating up and aggressive move by China into Electric Cars leaves no other options for US than to follow. In order to keep power China needs gradually improve standard of living, it will bring upside pressure on labor cost. Electrification will not only provide Energy Security to China, but will significantly reduce the cost of its transportation element and provide another opportunity to stay among low cost producers. Situation is completely different to U.S. - they have capital to invest in Electric Mobility CAPEX now and rip the rewards of lower cash cost on transportation side later. We will refer you to the Economics of Electric Cars.
Recent Ash Cloud events in Europe brought a very sobering sense of the feeling to be grounded. It is amazing how many things are taking for granted. This time it is Ash Cloud - what will happen with oil above 150?
Electric Cars is the only commercially viable technology today to sustain mobility world wide with rising Oil prices. Lithium is at the heart of Green Mobility revolution - it is an industry adopted standard for batteries and billions of dollars are invested into battery technology and upcoming by the end of this year Electric Cars on a mass market scale. This Bull market is still very young - only a year or so from the beginning after the crash of 2008.
We will provide you with few links to study the subject further:"

Vice President Joe Biden calls the Navistar Electric Truck Team to congratulate them on shipping their first vehicle as a result of Recovery Act funding, from his home office in Wilmington, Delaware,

The Recovery Act:

First Recovery Act Electric Vehicle Delivered Today
Posted by Liz Oxhorn on May 13, 2010 at 04:04 PM EDT
For months now, a team at an Indiana plant has been hard at work preparing to manufacture electric delivery trucks that are entirely powered by plug-in power. They’ve been installing equipment, retrofitting an old manufacturing facility, assembling parts, testing the new technology – and today they became the very first Recovery Act recipient to deliver an electric vehicle with the advanced battery and electric drive grants the President announced last year as they unveiled their new truck today and handed the keys off to the customer.
Perhaps the President was on to something last year when he chose Navistar’s Wakarusa plant as the location to announce these awards – because that Indiana team marking this important milestone today is none other than the fine folks at Navistar. You may remember some of them from this video of the President’s visit there last year. Their community was hard-hit when a local employer, RV manufacturer Monaco Coach, went bankrupt during the economic downturn. Like communities across the country, they’re still making their way to back to economic recovery – but they’re starting to see a brighter future thanks to the Recovery Act. The electric truck being unveiled today? It was manufactured at one of Monaco’s old facilities - which is today Navistar’s new electric vehicle facility. And it was made with the help of some former Monaco employees – who, thanks to the Recovery Act, are now on the job at Navistar.
The folks at Navistar took a few minutes in the middle of their busy launch day to take a phone call from a special guest Vice President Biden congratulated the team not only reaching this important milestone, but on playing a leading role in putting Recovery Act dollars to work manufacturing smarter, cost-efficient vehicles and helping build an industry that will create good middle-class jobs for years to come. This is just the beginning for Navistar’s electric vehicle program – they plan to eventually develop and deploy 400 of these trucks and put sixty people to work in the process thanks to the Recovery Act investment.
And this wasn’t just an accomplishment for Navistar, but for the entire advanced battery and electric vehicle industry. In fact, the battery that is powering the new electric delivery truck unveiled today was built in Michigan by Michigan workers at A123 Systems – also thanks to a Recovery Act award announced last year.
It’s easy to get a look at this electric delivery truck and the other advanced technology the Recovery Act awardees are producing and think this is just about the future. But Navistar and companies like it are bringing the future to market today. In fact, this truck isn’t a model or test vehicle – it’s going to be immediately put on the road by the customer making deliveries in a smarter, more cost-efficient way. A plug-in powered vehicle that can carry in excess of 2 tons a distance of up to 100 miles per charge – that’s not the future, that’s today.

And because of the advances the more than 40 recipients of the Recovery Act’s $2.4 billion investment in electric vehicles are making today, we’re going to go from two advanced vehicle battery factories last year to 30 by 2012. We’ll go from two percent of the world’s advanced vehicle battery market share to 20 percent by 2012. And we’re not just making the parts here at home, we’re also helping plant the power stations to fuel electric cars all over the country. So while Navistar’s customer will hit the road with a brand new electric vehicle soon – it may not be long before you do too.
Liz Oxhorn is Recovery Act Communications Director