Nissan and Mahindra Reva tie-up?

Indiancarsbikes.in: Electric vehicle technology is in the mainstream now. Whether its something as primal as an engine start stop mechanism, a proper fuel cell hybrid or a full fledged electric vehicle that runs on nothing, but battery power. We got to witness the widest array of electric vehicle technology at the 12th Biennial Auto Expo and Mahindra was on the forefront of it all. The Halo Electric sports car, Verito Electric or the Reva, all models showed how serious Mahindra is about electric vehicle technology. Now, according to certain reports, Nissan may tie up with Mahindra for the joint development of electric vehicles.

Mahindra Halo Electric

The collaboration, to which both companies are open, could be in the backend of the electric vehicle (EV) business and mainly in the area of charging infrastructure/technology. “Nissan is open to collaboration with other EV manufacturers in India, in particular for the charging network,” says Andy Palmer, chief planning officer and executive vice-president responsible for Zero Emission Vehicle Planning & Strategy, Nissan Motor Corporation, when asked if Nissan would be open for a tie-up with Mahindra Reva in the EV space.

Nissan Leaf

The two main hurdles electric vehicles face are the cost of making them (Models like the Mahindra E2O cost around Rs 9 lakh once on road) and providing/developing batteries that last long enough. Not to mention the setting up of charging station network. Nissan, which already has collaborations with Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda in Japan, sees collaboration as a good way to build the EV business. “Charging infrastructure is one of the two prime movers for success of EVs,” adds Palmer. The other ‘prime mover’ is government incentive.


Mahindra Verito Electric

Dr Pawan Goenka, executive director, Mahindra & Mahindra and chairman, Mahindra Reva, also agrees with Palmer’s views on collaboration. In an interview with Autocar Professional, Dr Goenka said, “Yes, we are always open to talk to any OEM who wants to work with us and create the right kind of technology or infrastructure for electric vehicles. If Nissan is interested, we’ll be more than happy to talk to them.”

Number of EVs doubling every year

Treehugger reports that globally, electric car sales are growing a bit more than 100% p/a.

Many of us quite familiar with electric cars believe they will "disrupt" the automobile industry, replacing gasmobiles just as cell phones replaced landlines and smartphones replaced first-generation cell phones. Electric cars are simply much better... in numerous ways.

As manufacturing has gotten rolling and costs of lithium-ion batteries have fallen (quite sharply), overall costs for electric cars have dropped down to commercially competitive levels. In the US, you can now buy 11 plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars for under $30,000, which is less than the average new car now. There are similar stories in Europe, Japan, and China.

Furthermore, operating costs are several times lower than with gas- or diesel-powered cars, electric cars drive much more quietly and smoothly, and their acceleration is much greater. Then there are other things that appeal to many consumers: electric cars have zero tailpipe emissions, they help tremendously to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and they cut our addiction to oil, improving national energy security.

For these reasons and more, electric car registrations around the world have been growing by over 100% a year the past few years.

As you can see in the graph below, there were approximately 25,000 battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and extended-range electric vehicles registered globally at the end of 2010, then approximately 80,000 at the end of 2011, then approximately 200,000 at the end of 2012, and then approximately 405,000 at the end of 2013.

© ZSW

Such growth is the sign of a disruptive technology. In my opinion, an electric vehicle revolution is just beginning.

Clearly, the leading EV manufacturer at the moment is Nissan (see graph at top), thanks to the world-leading Nissan LEAF. Though, GM/Opel and Toyota aren't too far behind. Furthermore, Tesla has seen fast growth and is still "supply limited" rather than "demand limited," meaning that it is still working to get its manufacturing output up to consumer demand. And it plans to ramp up production capacity enough by 2020 to be able to sell a much more affordable electric carwith similar specs to its highly acclaimed Model S.

BMW and VW have just recently jumped into the electric car scene and have some cars selling relatively well, so expect to see their position jump at the end of 2014.

Will 2014 registrations double again? I'm not sure, but they will certainly continue the industry's fast growth.

Opel BEV on its way to the US (Spark?)

InsideEVs.com: Much like in the United States with CARB, the EU has their own emission targets that all large auto makers must achieve.

With Ad Spots Like This How Did The Ampera Not Sell Better?

According to a report by Automobilwoche on Sunday, General Motors plans to achieve those emission and fuel economy goals in part by introducing an inexpensive, fully electric compact car via their Opel brand no later than 2017.

This EV will be downstream from the poor selling Opel Ampera (~3,100 sold in Europe for 2013, good for 9th overall) which starts at around 38,000 euros ($52,000 USD),

The petrol version of this electric compact car would fit in as part of Opel’s new ‘city car’ offensive (below the Adam) - which is designed to be priced around 10,000 euros ($13,700 USD) and do battle with Volkswagen’s new Up subcompact.

Opel has yet to comment on those new developments, but we feel quite confident it is accurate.

Unfortunately for those looking for a new BEV offering from GM, it seems reasonable that the Chevrolet Spark EV - which was originally destined to fill the roll of ‘emissions savior’ for GM in Europethis year; and of which, has since been cancelled, is likely going to get the rebadging treatment as the Opel Spark EV.

Just looking at the stated timing of a new battery electric vehicle for Europe, the Chevrolet brand itself is scheduled to exit Europe by the end of next year, and the next generation Spark is expected to debut as the Opel Spark in early 2016.  So the Opel Spark EV all lines up fairly neatly in our minds.

However, on the positive side for those of us in the United States, it appears that the Chevrolet Spark EV will not strictly be a short-term, compliance offering from GM, but live on and get generational improvements..

Automobilwoche (via Reuters)

Tesla Model S convertible

Via InsideEVs.com: Turns out there’s huge demand for a convertible Tesla Model S. Too bad Tesla Motors doesn’t offer one.

Newport Does Cadillac ELR Convertible Conversions Too

In steps Newport Convertible Engineering (NCE).

NCE is widely known for its convertible conversions. It offers this type of conversion on countless high-end automobiles, including the Tesla Model S.

According to NCE, it received an order from one investor in China for 100 Tesla Model S convertibles. That’s from one investor.

NCE anticipates demand for the convertible Model S being so high that it claims to have contacted Tesla Motors in an effort to secure an order for 5,000 units

“Newport Convertible Engineering has officially requested Tesla Motors in a joint effort to build another 5,000 Tesla Model S convertible for a worldwide demand. Announcement will be made in April 18 2014.”

NCE says that it’ll begin work on the 100 Tesla Model S convertibles this July. Those vehicles will all be shipped to China. The conversion will take place at 3 NCE sites, including California, Dubai and Barcelona.


NCE Does Porsche Panamera Convertible Conversions Too

As for price, NCE says it offer two versions of a convertible Tesla Model S:
Ragtop conversion priced at $29,000
Hard tonneau cover conversion priced at $49,000

Plus the cost of the donor Tesla Model S.

So far, there have been no completed conversions, so the only image of the convertible Tesla Model S is the photo-shopped image found atop this article.

Source: Car Scoops, NCE

The end of free public charging for EVs

InsideEVs.com via Autocar:

BMW i3 in the UK

“The majority of electric vehicle charging points in the UK will move to become paid-for within the next year, making it harder to charge electric vehicles for free.”

Free charging is coming to an end in several countries around the world, so it’s no surprise that the UK is moving towards “paid-for”too.

What Autocar is specifically referring to though is Chargemaster’s decision to implement a fee for charging effective the first of this month.

“Chargemaster, which in April will become the first major electric vehicle charging point provider to start making motorists pay to use its sites, says the move has been prompted by the end of the Government-supported Plugged in Places scheme later this month.”

“The Plugged in Places intiative matched private funding to support the building and use of EV charging points. Its end means many more EV charging point providers will move to a paid-for plan over the coming year.”

Chargemaster’s David Martell stated:

“It’s simple.  This is happening not just in the UK but all over the world. In the Netherlands until last year charging points were free and now it’s chargeable. You can’t get away from it. If you want public charging points someone has to pay not only for the electricity but also for the maintenance and investment.”

“This is a positive step because it means there’ll be more and better-maintained charging sites.”

The only problem is that some of the pay-to-charge fees seem too high.  For example, Chargemaster’s Polar network will implement this fee structure, according to Autocar:

“Charges for the firm’s Polar network of EV charge points allow motorists to either pay a monthly direct debit or annual subscription or use a smartphone app. Using the app, prices for using a charging point equate to £1.20 per hour on a standard 13 amp tariff, £1.70 per hour on an advanced Type 2 tariff, and £7.50 per half hour for a rapid charge.”

For some, those fees will make driving electric more expensive than fueling an ICE vehicle.

Then there’s this statement by Autocar:

“Statistics seen by Autocar show that for every £1 spent on charging, 42p covers the cost of electricity while around 41p is needed to cover maintenance, provisions for new sites, spare parts and call centres.”

So, perhaps that charging station providers aren’t actually ripping off EV owners.  You know, a 17p profit per every £1 really ain’t a lot.

Leaf hits new UK sales high

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Nissan LEAF Sales In UK Surge To 630 In March

Nissan LEAF

Nissan announced that according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the number of LEAF registrations in the UK reached new heights – 630 units in March.

Almost 300 more than the previous record of 332 from September 2013 and up 155% over March 2013 (247 sold).

Nissan set a new record for quarterly results too – 898 LEAFs.  The previous record was held by Q3 2013 – 612 LEAFs.

“There’s just no stopping the 100% electric Nissan LEAF. The practical and affordable family hatchback has continued to hit the right note with Britain’s drivers, clocking up another bumper month in March, shattering yet another sales record.”

And this is not all. Nissan outsold all of the other pure EV competition combined 2 to 1 in March. So don’t expect more than ~300 new EVs other than LEAF to have been sold last month in the UK.

“The figures underline the LEAF’s position as the UK market leader and provide further evidence that the British-built model’s class-leading range and running costs, coupled with its everyday usability, are keeping it well ahead of the chasing pack. In fact, the SMMT statistics reveal the Nissan LEAF outsold all other pure electric models combined by more than two-to-one.”

With passenger car registrations at level of 464,824 unit in the UK, LEAF still grabs just 0.14%.

James Wright, Managing Director, Nissan Motor GB, said:

“The continued success of the Nissan LEAF comes as no surprise to those of us who have been involved with its development since the start. Designed from the wheels up as a 100% electric model, it blazed the trail for EV technology when it was launched and today it still leads the way.

As the LEAF becomes an increasingly familiar sight on the nation’s roads, word of mouth is spreading, and more and more drivers are being won over by its undeniable economic and environmental credentials.”

VW wireless charging option by 2017?

C-Zero-info.com: Volkswagen is on a plug-in car push right now, releasing several plug-in vehicles over the course of this year and the next.

It’s keen to invest in related technology too, hinting that wireless charging could be an option on its vehicles as early as 2017.

Speaking to Ecomento (via Autoblog), Herbert Ruholl, Volkswagen’s technical leader for electrified vehicles, said that Volkswagen has chosen to hold back the technology while standardization issues are worked out.

Essentially, Volkswagen doesn’t want inductive charging to replicate the issues seen with current wired charging systems–where several different vehicles usedifferent connector types.

It’s “not good for the customer”, Ruholl told Ecomento, saying that customers don’t want a different inductive charging system for every electric car they own.

It would also prove problematic at public charging stations–essentially limiting certain vehicles to certain parking spots.

VW sees value in the convenience of wireless charging, and says it could offer such a system as an optional extra as soon as 2017.

It isn’t known how much such a system would add to the price of a car like Volkswagen’s new e-Golf, launched recently in Berlin.

Existing off-the-shelf systems for cars like the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf run into the thousands of dollars–though it’s likely a production system would cost less based on higher volumes alone.

The systems have proven their worth in real-world applications though. Some electric bus routes in Turin, Italy, have used wireless charging for over a decade–topping up the buses’ batteries at stops, terminals and hubs.

Will it work as effectively in passenger cars? That remains to be seen–but it could at least be an option in the near future.

POLAR follows Charge Your Car with app that let's you charge

EVFleetworld.com: New app offers charging point access without a membership card

POLAR Instant offers easy access to the network's charging points.

18 months after Charge Your Car (CYC), now electric vehicle charging point manufacturer Chargemaster has launched a smartphone app which allows access to its POLAR network without using an ID card.

Available for iPhones and soon to launch for Android smartphones, POLAR Instant allows users to locate the nearest vacant point, download pricing information and then unlock and begin charging the point without requiring membership of the local scheme or an access card.

Billing for charging points which require payment can be e-mailed to the user or accessed online, and the app is free to download offering compatibility not only with the nationwide POLAR network but any units using the Open Charge Point Protocol.

Like CYC, Chargemaster also provides a free RFID card, as backup for areas with low mobile phone coverage.

Alexander Castel, general manager of POLAR Instant said: ‘Our service provides access for all EV drivers to the largest public charging network, with the widest reaching geographical footprint in the country. We are confident that our customers are going to find charging their electric vehicles easier and more efficient than ever before with POLAR Instant. Our app has been specially designed to be functional and easy to use.’

The toxic truth about air pollution: a lethal scandal of British inaction

The City of London shrouded in smog. 'Slowly, it is dawning on people that the risks from air pollution are far greater than previously thought or understood.' Photograph: Barcroft Media


TheGuardian.com: Blame the Sahara desert for the present air pollution. Blame Europe. Blame climate change – or even the spring sunshine, or the hole in the ozone layer. But if you are in government please don't mention the fact that the toxic air much of Britain has been breathing is mostly of our own making.

Don't look on the front page of Defra's website for an explanation of its composition, or expect ministers to admit this is a public health emergency. And certainly don't expect local or central government to take action, such as reducing car numbers in the streets or closing down factories. That's what the Chinese and French governments do when the air in their cities is unbreathable and their people are choking. Not us.

What we are not being told is that the milky, hazy skies shrouding southern Britain are the result of tiny particulates, or aerosols, that scatter sunlight and come from our own traffic, power stations, farming, construction sites, central heating boilers and industry. Our own bad air is mixing with pollution drifting in from mainland Europe and a bit of Saharan dust, picked up by unusual weather conditions that have trapped the foul mix over a wide area. It will take until Thursday at the earliest before westerly winds begin to disperse it, the Met office says.

But the results of this will be seen over the coming months as hospitals report increased admissions from people suffering respiratory diseases, strokes, heart attacks and worsening lung conditions. Last year, according to the government's own figures, more than 29,000 people died prematurely from air pollution in Britain, with 4,300 in London alone.

But premature death is just the tip of the iceberg. In the short term, polluted air leads to irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, nausea, bronchitis and pneumonia; and over a longer period it results in heart attacks, lung diseases, cancers, and damage to the brain, nerves, liver, and kidneys. We now know that children living near busy roads can show reduced lung capacity by the age of five, and that the poor are most affected as they live in the most polluted areas.

Slowly, it is dawning on people that the risks from air pollution are far greater than previously thought or understood. Last week, the extremely cautious World Health Organisation revised its figures and reported that nearly one in eight of the world's deaths – more than 7 million people a year – are now the direct result of air pollution, and that for every person who dies, there are many more whose health is impaired long term. Put bluntly: every year air pollution kills more people than Aids, smoking, road accidents and diabetes combined, and is the world's single biggest environmental health risk.

Last week, even as Paris banned some traffic to reduce air pollution, London played down the problem, even though our air was just as polluted. London's mayor, Boris Johnson, has several times warned the vulnerable to avoid outdoor exercise, but he is accused of doing virtually nothing to reduce the causes of pollution. As the London assembly member Jenny Jones, Friends of the Earth and others point out,Europe's most polluted major city has no emergency plans to deal with air pollution and no powers even to restrict traffic during periods of smog.

Central government, too, has tried to wash its hands of the problem although it knows that air pollution is costing the NHS billions of pounds a year, and that the supreme court has ruled that the state has a legal duty to protect us from it. Last month the EU finally, after 15 years of warnings, extensions and postponements, launched legal proceedings against Britain for failing to reduce "excessive" levels of air pollution. The government now faces fines of £300m a year, but we can expect it to try everything to reduce pollution – bar restricting traffic.

The need to clear the air is just as great today as in the 1950s when peasouper smogs killed thousands. In 1956 a brave government passed the first Clean Air Act that banned coal burning and reduced pollution spectacularly. Today we have the laws from Europe that would do the same, but no government seems prepared to implement them.

[So what is the best solution? A switch from ICE to EVs of course! Now we need to see local and central government work together to make a real difference.]

London's pollution not a natural phenomenon

BBCNews.com: I've covered London's scandalous poor air quality for years and over that time not much has changed.

In 2008 I wrote: "For those who suffer from pollution. More action's needed... quickly ". That hasn't happened.

I've always been amazed how widely poor air quality is accepted as being part of living in a city - and how little coverage it gets.

We have a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) now, and proposals for an Ultra Low Emission Zone in which older cabs have been banned.

We have seen trials of green walls and dust suppressants come and go, with mixed success and we have constantly seen the threat of European fines, but the reality is the scandal of poor air quality is still there and it is not even disputed.

In 2010 in the mayor's air quality strategy he says 4,300 deaths per year in London are partly caused by poor air quality.

This week Saharan dust caught everyone's attention, in part because everyone could see it, while its arrival also coincided with a change in who did the pollution warnings.

Unprecedented levels

The Met Office took over pollution forecasts on 1 April. They have a huge influence over broadcasters as a data provider and suddenly it was all over our screens.

Compare that to the high pollution readings just two weeks ago which got very little coverage.
In the mayor's 2010 air quality strategy, he says 4,300 deaths per year in London are partly caused by poor quality

In fact according to King's College - the leading authority on London's poor air quality - in 2013 there were seven episodes of High or Very High levels of pollution and in 2012 there were 11 - all pretty much unreported.

Timothy Baker, of King's College London, told The Independent: "The Met Office has taken over and been leading its TV weather forecasts with pollution. Overnight this has pushed public awareness of pollution up to unprecedented levels - the only time it came close was in the 2003 heat wave."

Another point is that air quality campaigners also say the Saharan dust is a red herring and actually most of the pollution during the episode was man-made.

They're quoting sources that say just 5% of the pollution actually came from the Saharan dust itself. The official scientific breakdown of the dust's contribution will take longer to emerge.

'Natural phenomenon'

Environmental lawyers Client Earth though said: "The prime minister's remarks that the smog is a 'natural phenomenon' was at best shamefully ignorant, at worst downright dishonest.
People with lung and heart problems have been advised to avoid strenuous outdoor activity

"The smog that is choking large swathes of the country is the result of man-made pollution, much of it home-grown traffic fumes."

The lawyers added: "Having already been found by the Supreme Court to have failed to protect us from harmful air pollution, the very least our government can do is be honest about the problem so we can take steps to protect ourselves and our families.

"Instead of making excuses, we need a plan to rid our towns and cities of diesel fumes. Boris's idea of an ultra low emission zone is the way forward but it needs to be bigger and happen sooner. Downing Street must back Boris on this one."

There are now whispers of a similar campaign to that of the cyclists during the last mayoral elections. The cycling lobby, with help from The Times, obtained policy change and segregated lanes by getting all the candidates to back their plan.

Clean air campaigners certainly hope this dust is a game changer and has raised the profile of poor air quality.

Whether it leads to changes in government and mayoral policy now depends on political will and a considerable financial outlay to speed up the shift away from polluting vehicles. Will it happen?