Energy Grants Back Plug-In , Ethanol By Sholnn Freeman Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page D03 The Department of Energy announced yesterday $17 million in grants to support the development of battery technology for plug-in hybrid vehicles and ethanol, two areas in the energy debate where officials in Washington and Detroit are closely aligned. The money will be offered as two grants, one for $14 million for the plug-in technology and the other for $3 million for ethanol. The money for battery development is intended to improve the technology's performance. The $3 million in ethanol grants will support engineering advances to improve how flex-fuel engines use the blend… Foreign automakers are stepping up complaints that U.S. government policy is unfairly backing ethanol and plug-ins at the expense of diesels and traditional gas-electric hybrids, such as the Prius. Toyota is pushing to continue federal incentives for the cars. Diesel-engine makers and European automakers such as BMW and DaimlerChrysler are asking for more federal support for diesel technology http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012300870.html

Ford Edge plug-in hybrid concept does 41mpg Mobilemag.com – USA. That HySeries Drive concept that was making the rounds at the Detroit Auto Show has been unleashed on the public in the form of the Ford Edge, launching the venerable American automaker firmly into the plug-in electric market. The new vehicle, running on a flexible powertrain, can guarantee up to 41mpg with no emissions. The innovative HySeries Drive uses a combination of gas engine, , and to achieve that rather remarkable mpg figure, which increases to 80 if you don't top 50 miles a day and, in the best cases, 400 miles between fill-ups.

New Battery to last 10 times as long - available this year Slippery Brick - Portland,OR,USA A company named EEStor is claiming that it is close to commercially manufacturing a battery that will last 10 times longer than standard electrochemical batteries. If fact the company’s goal is to completely replace standard batteries anywhere they are currently found from cell phones to cars. EEStor is claiming specifically that their new battery will store ten times more power and cost half as much as current lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries are currently used in most automobiles. EEStor also claims it batteries will operate in conditions ranging from -4 below 0 to almost 150 degrees above zero. Not quite good enough for much of the northern United States in winter, but good enough for the southern parts of the country. The company claims they have produced a battery capacitor hybrid that will outperform most known battery types, including lithium-ion, without any of the toxic byproducts of tradition batteries. The battery is a composition of barium-titanate powders that allows for ultra dense, cheap and rapidly chargeable power.

Meeting analyzes future of plug-in hybrids A round table discussion raised hopes of the state of Minnesota and the University joining forces to become a leader in plug-in hybrid automobile technology. The University's Center for Transportation Studies, the Initiative for Renewable Energy and Environment, the Humphrey Institute State and Local Policy Program and the Center for Diesel Research held a round table discussion at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the St. Paul campus Jan. 18 about Minnesota's stake in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The University has the strength to analyze the economics of PHEVs, mechanical engineering professor David Kittelson said. This will lead to understanding what incentives businesses need to mass-produce the cars. "Universities can do fundamental research," Kittelson said. The University could also research intelligent plug-in hybrid vehicles, he said, such as vehicles with GPS on board that prepare for the road ahead. These vehicles would, for example, anticipate a hill and build a sufficient battery charge for the climb. Dr. James Eberhardt of the Department of Energy said a PHEV is similar to a gas-electric hybrid, but a PHEV can run on only electricity for about 20 to 60 miles. The PHEV's battery is recharged through an electrical outlet. Lynn Hinkle, co-chairwoman of the legislative task force on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, said Minnesota is open for "green business." Plug-in hybrids are important because they are energy efficient, contribute to better air quality and could bring economic development to Minnesota, he said. Hinkle said the task force is moving toward recommending incentives for using green technology. http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/01/22/70402

Ford mulls plug-in CNNMoney.com – USA DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) -- Ford Motor Co. is considering the development of plug-in hybrid vehicles in an effort to provide alternate energy sources, the director of the automaker's hybrid program said on Tuesday.Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress in Dearborn, Michigan, Nancy Gioia said the automaker is considering adding plug-ins products, but the biggest challenge in development is battery technology. "The biggest barrier is the battery," Gioia said. Plug-in hybrids use a battery as the main source of energy and can be recharged at electrical outlets. Battery technology is key to the next generation of hybrid vehicles as automakers seek ways to lower the cost of batteries and increase their power and storage capacity. http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/16/news/companies/ford_plugins.reut/?postversion=2007011619

AUTOSHOW - Mulling Plug-Ins, Sees US Sales Rise DETROIT - Honda Motor Co Ltd said on Sunday it is targeting a US sales increase of 3 percent in 2007 and is considering developing a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle to add to its lineup. Honda, which saw sales rise 3.5 percent last year, expects higher demand for its Civic mid-size sedan, Fit compact and CR-V sports utility vehicle to boost sales in 2007, President and Chief Executive Takeo Fukui told reporters on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show. ..The company is also looking into the development of plug-in hybrids but battery technology remains a significant barrier to successful development, Motoatsu Shiraishi, president of Honda Research and Development, told Reuters at the auto show. "We are studying what kind of conditions would enable a plug-in," Shiraishi said, adding that the two major challenges to introducing a hybrid is the current battery capacity, which has to improve significantly, and speed of recharging it. Plug- in hybrids, a favorite among many environmentalists, are capable of being charged with a standard electric outlet. Honda rival Toyota Motor Co is the leader in gas-electric hybrids. also announced a "concept car" at the show on Sunday called the Volt, which it says could be on the road in two or three years and run almost entirely on electricity. Battery technology is key to the next generation of hybrid vehicles as automakers seek ways to lower the cost of batteries and increase their power and storage capacity. GM said the Volt will be outfitted with new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold a charge longer than the nickel metal hydride batteries now used widely in automobiles. http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39708/story.htm

All the Technology Needed for 100 M.P.G. (Batteries Not Included) WHEN General Motors unwraps the Volt for the press today at the North American International Auto Show, it will be revealing much more than the latest fantasy from its styling studios. Beyond its striking coupelike lines, the Volt is also a declaration of G.M.’s intent to mass- produce a new type of hybrid-electric vehicle, one that can drive up to 40 miles on batteries alone and recharge itself with an onboard generator — or by plugging into a standard 110-volt household outlet. The Volt is also less than it appears. The batteries to make it roadworthy do not yet exist, a shortcoming G.M. acknowledges. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/automobiles/autoshow/07VOLT.html?_r=2&ref=automobiles &oref=slogin&oref=slogin

GM plans to develop new battery that will boost hybrid SUV mileage By DINESH RAMDE ASSOCIATED PRESS1/6/2007 DETROIT - General Motors Corp. announced it will team up with two automotive and battery manufacturers to develop a lithium-ion battery that would let sport utility vehicles get 70 miles per gallon. One manufacturer is Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions LLC, a joint venture between automotive-systems manufacturer Johnson Controls Inc. headquartered in Milwaukee and Paris-based Saft SA, which makes high-performance industrial batteries. GM's other partnership is with Cobasys, a joint venture between California-based Chevron Corp. and Energy Conversion Devices Inc. of Rochester Hills, Mich. Cobasys, based in Orion Township, Mich., will work with A123Systems, a technology group in Massachusetts. GM currently produces the Saturn Vue Green Line, a hybrid SUV that gets 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, company spokesman Brian Corbett said. The SUV's next generation, a so-called plug-in model, is expected to replace its current nickel-metal hydride battery with a lithium-ion battery, which would allow the vehicle to rely more heavily on electric power than on gasoline-based energy. "Based on simulation results, when the (lithium-ion) battery is fully charged, you'll be able to achieve 70 miles per gallon in short stop-and-go trips," Corbett said. http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070106/1053440.asp

Cobasys and A123Systems Announce Partnership to Develop Lithium Ion Hybrid Electric Vehicle Battery Systems ORION, Mich. and WATERTOWN, Mass., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cobasys and A123Systems announced today that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter into a partnership to develop, manufacture, sell, and service lithium ion energy storage systems for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications. The scope of the agreement will include joint development, marketing and supply of A123Systems nanophosphate lithium batteries and Cobasys systems integration and manufacturing of battery systems for HEV markets. http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20070103/CLW05303012007-1.html

Oshkosh creates gigantic hybrid truck for the Army Sci Fi Tech - New York,NY,USA Look for this electric/hybrid/ProPulse/whatever vehicle to roll on into the war on terror in the near future. — Adam Frucci. Here's a riddle for you: is an electric vehicle really electric if it generates electricity via an onboard diesel engine? Truck manufacturer Oshkosh seems to think so, as that's exactly how their new HEMTT A3 runs. I'm not so sure.

Hybrid autos save money in long run, study finds By John O'Dell, Times Staff Writer January 8, 2007 Hybrid vehicles are proof of the old saw that you've got to spend money to save it, a new study shows.In recent years, studies by Consumer Reports and others have shown that most hybrids won't save owners enough money on fuel alone to make up for their higher initial prices. But a new study by Los Angeles-based Intellichoice.com, which specializes in automotive cost-of- ownership data, says that hybrid buyers are still the winners when you factor in costs of financing, fuel, insurance, state taxes and license fees, repairs, maintenance and depreciation. "Across the board, we found that all 22 hybrid vehicles have a better total cost of ownership over five years or 70,000 miles than the vehicles they directly compete against," said James Bell, Intellichoice.com's publisher. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi- hybrid8jan08,0,2452416.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Dodge Sprinter Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle with Lithium-Ion ... Autochannel (press release) - USA AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 19 -- More than 20 Sprinter Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) will be placed in the Untied States between now and the first quarter of 2008 as part of a test fleet program. Four of the vehicles are already in operation with customers. DaimlerChrysler is the only auto manufacturer currently evaluating a variety of plug-in hybrid powertrain configurations under customer-operation conditions in real-world service.

This BBC video (on YouTube) showing a one-of-a-kind GM-built salt water-derived hydrogen- powered vehicle of the future that can be converted from a car to a pickup truck in 30 minutes. OK, at $5M, it’s a little steep for my budget. But, seeing this video and hearing about how it may only be 10 years off before these are reality gives me hope that our children might have a world to look forward to.

Gentlemen, Start Your Plug-Ins How does 500 miles a gallon sound to you? BY R. JAMES WOOLSEY Monday, January 1, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST An oil and security task force of the Council on Foreign Relations recently opined that "the voices that espouse 'energy independence' are doing the nation a disservice by focusing on a goal that is unachievable over the foreseeable future." Others have also said, essentially, that other nations will control our transportation fuel--get used to it. Yet House Democrats have announced a push for "energy independence in 10 years," and in November General Motors joined Toyota and perhaps other auto makers in a race to produce plug-in hybrid vehicles, hugely reducing the demand for oil. Who's right--those who drive toward independence or those who shrug? http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009464

Revolutionary electric-propulsion car coming from GM Canada.com - Hamilton,Ontario,Canada DETROIT - General Motors says work on an electric car capable of driving 500 miles (800 km) on a single U.S. gallon of gasoline is so advanced, the car could be on sale by 2010. A concept GM electric propulsion system called e-Flex uses the same high-power lithium-ion batteries found in laptop computers. They can power a small car up to 64 km on a single charge then keep going as a tiny gasoline engine kicks in to drive an on-board generator. No major technological barriers remain in the way of producing such a vehicle, company officials said Sunday, only the means of producing the batteries at a low enough cost. http://www.canada.com/topics/finance/story.html?id=4adec548-a654-4000-8b3c- aff0354600aa&k=45978

Size still matters in local automotive world Simi Valley Acorn - CA,USA Hybrid owners earn an average of $113000 per year, and 40 percent of them have an advanced college degree, Riddell said. Studies show that people say they're environmentally conscious when they look to buy a car, Riddle said, but when the rubber meets the road, environmental concerns are among the least important factors. Hybrid sales tend to increase when gas prices go up and slow down when costs dip. http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2007/0105/Community/017.html

Nissan may sell lithium-ion battery to others MarketWatch - USA DETROIT (MarketWatch) -- A lithium-ion battery company that Motor Co. (NSANY) will establish may sell automobile batteries to other auto companies if demanded in an effort to increase production volume and cut costs, a senior vice president at the auto maker said Sunday. "Basically, we will be open," Minoru Shiohara, a Nissan Senior Vice President in charge of electronics engineering operations, told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview. Nissan, Japan's No. 2 car auto maker by sales volume, plans to create the battery making company and has said that it's in talks with Japanese electronic-equipment maker NEC Corp. (6701.TO) on a joint-venture for the project. The battery company will develop, produce and sell lithium-ion batteries that will be used in electric vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrid cars as well as fuel-cell vehicles. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/nissan-may-sell-lithium-ion- battery/story.aspx?guid=%7BEC6EA699-4005-49A7-B058-CEC70EC1CBB4%7D

Hyseries Drive Ford Concept Features Battery-Powered, Plug-In ... HSPN News (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA The new HySeries Drive™ powertrain featured in the Ford Airstream Concept is a battery- powered, plug-in hybrid with a hydrogen fuel cell that operates as an on-board charger. The HySeries Drive powertrain delivers a combined city/highway gasoline equivalent fuel economy rating 41 mpg. A version of this innovative powertrain already is on the road in a Ford Edge prototype created by scientists and engineers at Ford’s Research & Innovation Center in Dearborn, Mich. The vehicle will be shown for the first time at the Washington, D.C., Auto Show on Jan. 23.The plug-in hybrid is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack at all times and has a range of 25 miles on a full electric charge. With the hydrogen-powered fuel cell, the range increases another 280 miles for a total of 305 miles.

Subaru's electric accolade 's pioneering work with electric vehicles has attracted a top award from Japan's Minister of the Environment for helping prevent global warming. Parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, received the 2006 Commendation For Global Warming Prevention Activity award for developing its Subaru R1e electric vehicle. The R1e was built in conjunction with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and NEC Lamilion Energy. Fuji was commended in the technological development and commercialisation category for the jointly-developed Subaru R1e electric vehicle and its high-speed charger. Subaru's 2+2 city car is light, efficient and designed for metropolitan use with a battery that can be recharged in just 15 minutes, much less than the usual several hours needed for conventionally charged electric cars.

Ready for Plug In Cars 6abc.com - Philadelphia,PA,USA Malcolm Bricklin feels U.S. auto-buyers are ready for plug-in luxury cars built in China. In an interview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday, Bricklin said the new cars will be offered in 2009. He says his Visionary Vehicles will produce an upscale hybrid car that can get 100 miles to the gallon. Bricklin says the gas-electric technology will be similar to that used in the Toyota Prius.

Groups Petition Department of Energy to Create Plug-in Car Market ... Center for Biological Diversity (press release) - Tucson,AZ,USA SAN FRANCISCO , Calif.– Reducing energy use to slow global warming is suddenly at the top of the nation’s agenda. Because emissions from vehicles sold in the United States account for six percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, creating a market for alternative-fuel cars is a crucial part of any plan to curb climate change. Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity today made a major push for plug-in hybrid electric cars, petitioning the Department of Energy to allow federal and state agencies to purchase plug-ins and count them as alternative- fuel vehicles under the Energy Policy Act. The move would create an instant market for these cars.

Lithium Technology Corporation Powers US Hybrid Electric Vehicle Project UC Davis Hybrid Electric Vehicle Group Re-engineers GM Equinox Using LTC’s Lithium-ion Cells MEETING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lithium Technology Corporation ("LTC") (OTC: LTHU), a global provider of large lithium-ion rechargeable power solutions, is powering the Chevy Equinox being re-engineered by the University of California, Davis Hybrid Electric Vehicle Group as part of the Challenge X: to Sustainable Mobility engineering competition. LTC provided a series of high power lithium-ion cells to power the University’s demonstration vehicle entry for the contest sponsored by General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). LTC delivered 95 cells used by the UC Davis team to build the battery for the converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Each cell has an output of 3.6 V (nominally) and a capacity of 45 Ah. The nominal battery pack voltage is 342 V, and with each cell limited to 4.2V, the maximum pack voltage is approximately 400 V. The converted Chevy Equinox is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). This means that the battery can be charged by either a generator driven by the internal combustion engine (ICE) or a standard AC household electrical socket. The PHEV can drive over 40 miles on the overnight electrical charge and has a fuel economy of 36 mpg in the city, and 38 mpg on the highway in hybrid mode, as compared to the original range of 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. This is an improvement which reflects a reduction of approximately 68% in city and 39% for highway fuel consumption and release of pollutants. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=2007 0122005377&newsLang=en

Bayh, Lugar Introduce Bill to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil Inside INdiana Business (press release) - Indianapolis,IN,USA Provides a tax credit for consumers to purchase plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. --Provides a tax credit for large private fleets for purchasing more ...