Is Nissan making a mistake with an overly optimistic range estimate for the LEAF?

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan

2010 Nissan Leaf EV - Click above for hi-res image gallery

Let’s say right up front that we don’t know for sure if Nissan’s 100 mile range estimate for its new LEAF electric car is overly optimistic or not. No one outside of Nissan has actually tested the car to verify it one way or the other. However, based on what we do know, it’s not unreasonable to expect the range to fall short of 100 miles in real world use.

Ex-Tesla SVP Marketing Darryl Siry has real world knowledge of the correlation between the EPA city range estimate that Nissan is quoting and reality. He has previously penned missives on the dangers of EV makers over-selling and under-delivering on range and his warning still holds true.

It’s certainly possible that Nissan has created a particularly efficient EV that can actually get 100 miles per charge in normal, everyday use. At this point, we don’t know much about Nissan’s control strategy for the car and the battery. Based on what we do know, there is good reason to be skeptical. The LEAF’s 24 kWh battery pack is considerably smaller than the 35 kWh pack in the MINI E, a small car that struggles to get 100 miles. Of course, the MINI is far from optimized. The Tesla Roadster gets about 220 miles in similar testing from a 53 kWh pack. Tesla, however, is using almost the full capacity of its pack to get its range and that is expected to yield a shortened lifespan for the pack (approx. 5-6 years). If Nissan follows the same path with the LEAF pack, the type of customers it is aiming for will not be pleased with having to replace the pack prematurely. Nissan has not ruled out a separate battery leasing strategy, a move that could minimize customer dissatisfaction.

Only time will tell what Nissan is really planning on doing. However, as one of the leading proponents of EVs with very high-volume plans in the near term, Nissan should be wary of over-promising.

[Source: Darryl Siry]

Is Nissan making a mistake with an overly optimistic range estimate for the LEAF? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nottingham becomes first to impose parking tax

Nottingham is to become the first city to introduce a workplace parking levy (WPL), designed to encourage the use of public rather than private transportation to work.

The Government has given approval for Nottingham City Council to impose tax on companies based on the number of parking places they provide. Under the scheme, any firm with more than 10 staff parking spaces will be charged £180 a year for each. Employers are free to pass the cost on to their staff if they wish.

The introduction of the charge has been delayed however until April 2012, when the national economy is expected to be healthier. Nonetheless, the charge has attracted opposition from commuters and businesses alike.

The Association of British Drivers' (ABD) Chairman Brian Gregory commented:”Britain’s 33 million drivers are sick of these endless attempts by the government to impose further taxes on hard working drivers which clearly fly in the face of democratic opinion, they are looking forward to the next general election when they can remind all political parties who think these taxes are a good idea that democracy bites back.”

The Order for the scheme to be introduced was announced by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan during a visit to Nottingham on Friday.

The cash raised from the levy will be used to fund an extension to the city's tram network, and support the £67 million redevelopment of Nottingham's railway station and maintain the Link bus network, which transports people to and from some of the city's major employers.

Nottingham Councillor Jane Urquhart said: “The fact that we have over two years before the WPL is implemented gives us the opportunity to work with businesses to help them develop more sustainable transport policies, encourage behavioural change and reduce congestion, which has a significant impact on business.

“While we welcome all of today’s news, we appreciate that there are some residents who will have concerns about the impact the new tram lines may have on them. We will ensure that all affected residents are communicated with fully throughout the entire process to minimise any further concerns and disruption.”

Environmental groups welcomed the levy as an appropriate discouragement to car use.

Commenting, Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said:”This important and welcome initiative will cut congestion, fund expansion of the local tram system and help Nottingham play its part in tackling climate change.

“Councils across the UK must get serious about global warming by committing to cut carbon dioxide emissions in their area by at least 40 per cent by 2020 - we hope more local authorities follow Nottingham’s lead and develop plans for a greener future.”

Councils in Milton Keynes, Exeter, Cambridge and Oxford are also thought to be interested in imposing WPLs.

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Ford experiments with recyclable material

Researchers at Ford’s European Research Centre are investigating a new wood-plastic compound, also known as liquid wood, which could boost its recycling efforts.

The new material, which is being assessed as part of a three year project, had previously only been used for high quality household terrace building panels that do not have to be moulded. With a high portion of wood it became unsuitable for conventional injection moulding and this is one of the most prominent issues being examined as part of the assessment project.

The compound of wood and plastics prevents water absorption and increases the material’s durability. The new processing technology also improves the sealing of wood fibres and insulates unpleasant odours. As such it can be used in the vehicle interior, particularly for trim parts.

Tests have also shown that liquid wood is highly recyclable because the material can be reprocessed around five times and the overall CO2 balance is almost neutral.

Now Ford will look to further increase the portion of natural materials in the development of new models. Currently, around 290 parts are derived from renewable resources.

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VIDEO: Before you weld a Volt, you have to stamp out the bodies

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Chevrolet

Volt body panels being stamped - Click above to watch the videos after the jump

The other day we pointed you at a video produced by General Motors that is part of a series on the building of the pre-production Chevy Volt prototypes. That video showed the IVER (integration vehicle engineering release) bodies being assembled, welded and painted in the body shop at the pre-production operations center in Warren, Michigan. However, before you can weld and paint, you have take sheets of steel and stamp them into the right shapes. It turns out that there were other videos that came ahead the body shop video that we missed.

In the stamping video, you can see how the engineers go from the mathematical models of the parts to machining the prototype dies. Unlike the production dies, these prototypes are not as tough and are only useful for producing a limited number of parts. Because the steel springs back somewhat after it comes out of the press, the dies don’t have the same shape as the final part. As a result, there is often some trial and error in creating the dies.

Once the final die shape is determined, it is scanned and the data is sent to the production tool and die shop. All this to make us a Volt. Check out the videos after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading VIDEO: Before you weld a Volt, you have to stamp out the bodies

VIDEO: Before you weld a Volt, you have to stamp out the bodies originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Fortune 500 firms field first fuel-free freight fetchers

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA

Click above to watch the video after the jump

What do Coca-Cola, Staples, Frito-Lay, AT&T, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) all have in common. We’re not even going to make you work for this one: they all just took delivery of electric trucks from Smith Electric Vehicles US (SEVUS). The four Fortune 500 companies and two utilities took possession of all-electric additions to their respective fleets at a reflecting pool-side presentation in Washington D.C. Fittingly, a senator for the electric truck builder’s home state of Missouri, Kit Bond, was on hand as well as former EPA head Carol Browner, now known officially as the “Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change”.

Since SEVUS is setting up its assembly shop in an former TWA hanger at the Kansas City airport, the trucks for this deal were sent from Smith Electric in the UK, part of a consignment of 30. The Newton models are said to have a range of 100 miles with a top speed of 50 mph. The CEO of the American electric vehicle company, Bryan Hansel, also spent some time at the television studios of Fox Business where we did a great job representin’ for his company and product. Hit the jump to see the video of that interview and the official press release.

[Source: Road Transport / Smith Electric Vehicles US / YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Fortune 500 firms field first fuel-free freight fetchers

VIDEO: Fortune 500 firms field first fuel-free freight fetchers originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth -- and U.S. bound

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan

2010 Nissan Leaf EV - Click above for hi-res gallery

It would be easy to paint Nissan as late to the burgeoning U.S. green party, as the company essentially only counts the Altima Hybrid to sell among its alt-fuel offerings - and that sedan utilizes technology borrowed from Toyota, and it’s only sold in a few states in small volumes. While that may be the case, Nissan says their near-term prospects are really quite different. While the company has admittedly been cautious in marketing alt-fuel vehicles in North America, they have been hard at work developing electric vehicles - as well as the advanced lithium-ion batteries to support them - since 1992. What’s more, officials say they are now singularly well-placed to leapfrog “transitional” powertrain solutions like gas-electric hybrids in favor of genuine zero-emissions vehicles, and they are promising that their first pure-electric car will reach U.S. shores late next year.

That car, the Nissan Leaf shown here, is the reason we find ourselves in the company’s brand-new Yokohama headquarters today. Designed as a four-to-five seat, front-drive C-segment hatchback, Nissan says the Leaf is not just for use as a specialty urban runabout, but rather, it was designed as an everyday vehicle - a “real car” whose 160-kilometer+ (100 mile) range meets the needs of 70% of the world’s motorists. In the case of U.S. consumers, Nissan says that fully 80% of drivers travel less than 100km per day (62 miles), making the Leaf a solid fit for America’s motoring majority, even taking into account power-sapping external factors like hilly terrain, accessory draw, and extreme temperatures.

We were afforded an advance look at the Leaf ahead of the car’s unveiling today, and while it was a hands-off affair, we did have the chance to formulate some in-the-metal first impressions and take a deep dive into the car’s technology. Click through to the jump to learn all about it.

Continue reading 2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth — and U.S. bound

2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth — and U.S. bound originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Nissan Qazana and Nuvu could join EV lineup

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan

Nissan Qazana Concept - click above for a high-res image gallery

The new Nissan EV that is debuting this weekend is just the first of a whole series of electrically-driven vehicles from the Japanese automaker. Among the future additions to the lineup may be a production crossover based on the Qazana concept that we saw at the Geneva Motor Show last March. According to Autocar, a production Qazana could arrive as soon as 2013 from Nissan’s UK plant in Sunderland. No powertrain was identified for the Qazana at its launch, but Nissan has shown an electric Rogue which is only slightly larger.

Nissan has already announced plans to build lithium ion battery plants in the U.S. and Europe in addition to Japan. Those batteries will be used in a variety of vehicles from Nissan, Renault and possibly other automakers as well. In addition to the compact Qazana, another recent concept that may get to production with those batteries is the Nuvu that appeared in Paris last year. Because of the Nuvu’s diminutive size, that is likely to be more a shorter range city car than an all-around EV.

[Source: AutoCar]

Report: Nissan Qazana and Nuvu could join EV lineup originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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