Category: Transportation

The self-proclaimed king of electric vehicles is welcoming General Motors Co. to the party, saying the more the merrier. Nissan -Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn , speaking to media at the Detroit Auto Show Monday, said the auto maker’s Leaf electric car is in line for an upgrade. Currently capable of traveling less than 100 miles on a charge, the Leaf is far behind what’s coming — GM’s Chevy Bolt, for instance, is slated to launch in 2017 with a 200-mile range. Mr. Ghosn said there are big things in store for the little Leaf, but didn’t elaborate on details. “You can expect us to come along with a lot of enhancements.” The Leaf has been on the market for several years, selling over 75,000 units in the U.S. since 2011. Mr. Ghosn expects sales to grow in 2015 by double-digit margins. In the meantime, as BMW AG, Audi […]

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ENLARGE GM promises that its redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Volt will go 30% farther on an single electrical charge than the current model. Bloomberg News General Motors Co. is readying a one-two punch in the electric-car market, hoping to emerge from the shadow of Tesla Motors Inc. Later this year, GM plans to introduce a next-generation Chevrolet Volt that sports a new exterior design and room for five passengers. More important, it promises that the redesigned 2016 Volt will go 50 miles on a full charge, 30% farther than the current model. Like its predecessor, the new Volt automatically switches to gasoline when its charge is depleted. The total range of the new model, using gas and electricity, will be 420 miles. The auto maker also intends to launch a $30,000 all-electric vehicle in 2017 called the Chevrolet Bolt, which would be capable of driving 200 miles on a single […]

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ENLARGE Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, shown last year, is pushing hard to sell 500,000 vehicles a year by 2020. Getty Images When Elon Musk , who loudly disdains the traditional auto industry, makes his first public appearance in Detroit in two years on Tuesday, it will be easy to see how much has changed since then. Mr. Musk’s Tesla Motors Inc. is worth six times more in stock-market value. He is pushing hard to sell 500,000 vehicles a year by 2020, up from 90 a day in the third quarter. And giant auto makers are on a collision course with Tesla like never before, with General Motors Co. showing off a new electric car at the Detroit auto show on Monday. Mr. Musk’s response? He says he doesn’t plan to change a thing, from his proclivity for F-bombs to double duty as chief executive of rocket maker Space […]

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« BNL/Stony Brook study provides insight into optimized electrode architectures | Main | VW unveils Cross Coupe GTE plug-in hybrid concept SUV at Detroit show; 70 mpge; previewing 7-seater SUV in 2016 » The new Chevy Volt has a decidedly more sculpted look than its predecessor. Click to enlarge. Chevrolet unveiled the second-generation Volt extended range EV at the North American International Auto Show. With a sportier design and an entirely new drive system ( earlier post ), the 2016 Volt electric car features a higher capacity battery pack and 50 miles of all-electric range (MY 2015 = 38 miles); greater efficiency; and stronger acceleration. GM estimates fuel economy to be 41 mpg combined (MY 2015 = 37 mpg) with 102 mpge (MY 2015 = 98 mpge). The 2016 Volt goes on sale in the second half of 2015. The new propulsion system will offer a General Motors’-estimated total […]

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As oil prices have plunged, US gas demand has soared, something that seemed unlikely just a few years ago. According to Morgan Downey, CEO of  Money.net , “A few years ago people were saying that US oil demand had peaked and would never recover — some called it ‘peak demand.’” In an email to Business Insider, Downey said the recent surge in demand is unusual because oil has a low price elasticity of demand, meaning demand is not very sensitive to changes in price. “Now with gasoline at almost $2/gallon on average nationwide, US gasoline demand has not only recovered, but is at all-time seasonal highs and likely to be at a record high throughout 2015,” he wrote. “This 2014 demand rally is a little unexpected and shows that oil consumer behavior changes during 2008-2013 were temporary and not permanent like many claimed they would be.” Here is Downey’s chart […]

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In 2013, there were about 70,000 battery electric vehicles (EVs) and 104,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)—small numbers compared to around 226 million registered vehicles in the United States. Total U.S. sales of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have increased in recent years, but still represent only about 0.7% of new vehicle sales in 2014 so far, up from 0.6% in 2013 and 0.4% in 2012. California is home to almost half of all of the nation’s PEVs, but even in California, only about 5 out of every 1,000 registered vehicles are PEVs. Several states offer tax incentives to reduce the upfront cost of PEVs to consumers. These incentives are in addition to a federal (nationwide) tax credit, which ranges from $2,500 to $7,500 depending on battery capacity and gross vehicle weight. Examples of incentives include the following: California offers rebates of up to $2,500 for EVs that run only […]

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« Availability of total electrification option for components used with Allison H 40/50 EP hybrid system | Main | Volkswagen providing e-Golf to Stanford for research » Print this post In his remarks made at Stanford University during the award of the third Science Award for Electrochemistry to Dr. Vanessa Wood ( earlier post ), Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen noted again the challenges of energy density, cost, reliability and lifespan for batteries enabling longer range electric mobility. In that context, he said that he sees “ great potential ” in solid-state batteries, which possibly could boost EV range to as much as 700 km (435 miles), representing a volumetric energy density of about 1,000 Wh/l. Current Li-ion batteries, with about 260 Wh/l are enabling a range of some 190 km (118 miles), he said. He then added that, with a higher […]

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4666 Votes You won’t find the 300 MPG Volkswagen XL1 in an American showroom, in fact it has even been denied a tour of America because it is too efficient for the American public to be made widely aware of, and oil profits are too high in America with the status quo in place. No tour has been allowed for this car because the myth that 50 mpg is virtually impossible to obtain from even a stripped down econobox is too profitable to let go of, and when it comes to corporate oil profits, ignorance is bliss. Years ago I had calculated that it should be possible to get a small car to exceed 100 mpg by putting parallel direct to cylinder water injectors side by side with the fuel injectors, and using the exhaust manifold to preheat the water so it would enter the cylinders as dry steam, […]

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Westport Innovations Inc. unveiled the first generation of its new, proprietary enhanced spark-ignited (ESI) natural gas system. The new approach to natural gas combustion technology is designed to provide vehicle and engine original manufacturers (OEMs) with a “downsized” natural gas solution that is cost competitive while providing similar levels of power, torque, and fuel economy to a larger diesel engine. Using 100% dedicated natural gas as fuel, Westport’s new technology optimizes the combustion and thermal efficiencies of the engine by taking advantages of the positive properties of natural gas. The Westport ESI combustion system is targeted at sub 9L engines for Class 6 and 7 trucks applications and is also adaptable for sub 2L applications for use in automotive and non-automotive applications. Mercedes-Benz 7.7L mono-fuel gas engine Mercedes-Benz has also developed a new all natural gas engine for medium-duty applications that delivers the performance of diesel but with the […]

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A factor limiting natural-gas-powered sales is the arrival of new, more efficient diesel engines. Pictured, a trucking firm’s fuel pump in Florida. Edward Linsmier for The Wall Street Journal In the midst of the strongest market for commercial trucks in eight years, North American sales of natural-gas-powered haulers are just crawling along. Higher purchase prices compared with diesel trucks, improved diesel fuel economy and continued scarcity of fueling stations are damping natural-gas-powered truck demand. About 10,480 of the heavy-duty trucks are expected to be sold this year, up 20% from the 8,730 sold last year, according to Power Systems Research. However, some forecasters had expected sales to about double to 16,000 vehicles this year amid the trucking industry’s enthusiasm for natural gas a year ago. What happened? A big roadblock remains the premium for a heavy-duty gas truck—$50,000 more than the about $150,000 for a new diesel-powered truck. In […]

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