In last week's edition of The Green Piece Column, we looked at the leaders in the green car race including the likes of Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen and Nissan. However, it's not just the 'big boys' of motoring that are having an impact as we enter a new automotive era.
Instead, there are a host of emerging contenders, many of which did not even exist five years ago, that are threatening to knock the big names off their perch. Here we offer some insight into these newcomers and their potential impact on the future of green motoring.
Tesla Motors
Founded in 2003, Silicon Valley based Tesla Motors is currently the only car manufacturer in the US or Europe manufacturing and selling highway capable electric vehicles in serial production.
Its first model, the Tesla Roadster, was the first production car to use lithium-ion batteries and was the first electric vehicle with a range greater than 200miles. It accelerates from 0-60mph in a mere 3.9seconds, and, according to Tesla's analysis, is 'twice as efficient' as the Toyota Prius. The company had already delivered more than 700 vehicles by the end of September, 2009 (see article).
In January this year it also began taking orders for the Tesla Roadster Sport, a higher performance version of the Roadster which can reach 60mph in 3.7seconds. It is also working on production of the Model S saloon car, which is planned for release in 2011 and has already received 1,500 pre-orders. The company also announced in June that it will build electric family sized minivans, SUVs and fleet vans with DOE funding (see article) and it has formed a partnership with Daimler to provide powertrain components for the electric Smart car. Of all the 'upstart' green car companies, Tesla is the closest to breaking out into the mainstream.
BYD Auto
Chinese automaker BYD may have been founded in 2003, but it wasn't until 2008 that it garnered mainstream attention when Berkshire Hathaway, led by Warren Buffet, bought a 10 per cent stake in its parent company.
In December last year, BYD began selling the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle, the F3DM, which is slated to go on sale in Europe in 2010 with a 62mile all-electric range. Other models in its fleet include: the e6, an all-electric crossover with a 250mile electric range; and the F6DM, a planned plug-in hybrid midsize saloon car with a 62mile electric range.
BYD is noted for producing models that look like those of foreign automakers and as a home-grown manufacturer it may be best positioned to have a serious impact on the developing Chinese market and beyond.
Fisker Automotive
A joint venture between Fisker Coachbuild and Quantum Technologies, Fisker Automotive was founded in 2005 with headquarters in Irvine, California, and has made the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car its centrepiece.
The company hopes to begin selling the Fisker Karma in mid 2010 in Europe. It has a 50mile all-electric range and features the Q-Drive technology, a series hybrid system that mates the engine with a generator to provide an electrical connection and recharge the batteries (see article). Fisker is also working on a hardtop convertible, planned to be introduced in 2011, and the Fisker Karma Sunset which was named North American Production Preview Vehicle of the Year. Thanks to a $528million Federal loan the company will also begin work on 'Project NINA' to design and assemble a second-generation saloon car for sale in 2012.
Here are some other important names that may yet have an impact in the green car race…
REVA: An Indian company that markets the G-Wiz in the UK. It has recently built a new 30,000 capacity assembly plant in Bangalore, the world's largest operational plant specifically designed for electric vehicles.
Bright Automotive: Has launched the Bright IDEA, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and recently signed a contract with the US Army (see article).
Aixam-Mega: The French automobile maker has actually been around since 1983 and is Europe's largest producer of microcars. It has garnered more attention in recent years thanks to a collaboration with NICE to produce electric vehicles such as the NICE Mega City.
Coda Automotive: Founded this year, the company has created the Coda Sedan, which is an all-electric four-door saloon car expected to have a range between 90 and 120 miles. It plans to deliver 2,000 all-electric cars to California in 2010 and has the ability to scale up to 20,000 cars in 2011 depending on market demand.
Tata Motors: Most people know Tata Motors because it acquired Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008. However, the company, which has already produced the world's least expensive production car the Tata Nano (see article), has set its sights on a green future having unveiled electric versions of the Tata Indica and Tata Ace in India; and having worked with Motor Development International of France in developing the world's first prototype of a compressed air car, named OneCAT.
Faye Sunderland
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