Green Options

South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently hosted the country’s first solar car race. However, the department had a much more significant role in the development of the Joule electric Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV). The car was designed and built by Optimal Energy, a company born in 2005 with the help of the DST Innovation Fund. DST have contributed about US$ 4.5 million of the 6.2 million required to develop the car, which was launched at the Paris Motor Show last week.

The Joule is a 6 seater mini MPV with a top speed of 135 and the normal nippy acceleration of an electric car. It is designed to be able to accept a range of battery packs and can accommodate 1 or 2 packs giving it a range of up to 400 km. This range identifies it as a car suited to urban use.

This is a guest post by Dave Harcourt of Pretoria, who is active in information transfer for agricultural processing in Africa, mainly via the DIGIVU Blog.

South Africa, recently dogged by electricity shortages at the state-run generator (Eskom), is innovating strongly in the energy sector. I will be discussing examples of this innovation in future posts, but now for the first of several reports on newsworthy energy related events in South Africa.

South African Solar Challenge 2008

South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) was one of the supporters of the South African Solar Challenge 2008 solar car race, which ended at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria this week. Solar car races are by no means new, but this is the first time one has been run in South Africa. The race, which was noted in a recent post on solar cars, was organized by the Advanced Energy Foundation.

The French government announced today that it has earmarked a massive €400 million ($549 million) in state support for the development of electric and hybrid cars.

German car-maker Audi has confirmed that it plans to launch a small electric city car, most likely based on the VW Up! concept (pictured).

Speaking at last weeks Paris Motor Show, Audi management board member, Peter Schwarzenbauer, said, “we will offer a pure electric car.” He also revealed that the electric Audi “will not be based on the A1,” the firm’s premium supermini.

SSC, the producers of the world’s fastest production car, the Ultimate Aero, has announced plans for an all-electric version of the record breaking model. The Ultimate Aero EV (Electric Vehicle) is currently in development, with a 500 bhp version slated for release as early as late 2009 and a 1000 bhp 4WD EV also under consideration.

Sounds impressive huh? However, that’s not all… the press release also states “the drive train under development will feature a revolutionary power source allowing for extended time between charging intervals with the possibility of several years between charging.”

Uruguay has granted an acre of land to American-based electric car maker ZAP! for a factory. The country’s government hopes that ZAP! (Zero Air Pollution) cars will help improve Uruguay’s economy and also decrease air pollution. ZAP! had its best sales month yet in August and the push into Uruguay should only help the company broaden its market in South America.

Chrysler has announced that it is working on an electric powered version of its Voyager MPV, which could be put into commercial production as early as 2010. The model will most likely be based on the ecoVoyager concept (pictured), first seen at this years Detroit Motor Show. Details are limited at this stage, but it seems that the zero-emission car will have a 300-mile range - pretty impressive for an MPV capable of carrying an entire family and their luggage.

The company has already stated its intentions not to be left behind the competition when it comes to green and fuel efficient vehicle technologies. The electric MPV is the first in a series of three possible production electric cars that will be viewed by dealers later this month, with the one that’s best received going into production first.

In the fifties, beach goers could jet around in the Fiat 500 Jolly meant to be a zippy golf cart replacement when running to the yacht or out to the course. The hot Italian car design firm known for bringing the past into the present, Castagna, is building the Tender Two, a modern-day take on the Fiat 500 without the doors and back seat but keeping the zippy style and adding a few special features.

Work commenced at the site of a $175 million electric car factory in Franklin, Kentucky, according to officials for Integrity Automotive, a joint venture to expand electric vehicle manufacturing in the USA for ZAP.

The State of Kentucky has suddenly jumped into the world of electric cars.  First in early August Governor Steve Beshear signed an executive order that allowed low speed vehicles on Kentucky roads with speed limits of 45 mph or less.  Soon thereafter the state developed a $48 million incentive package to encourage ZAP to build an electric car manufacturing plant in Kentucky.

ZAP’s vehicles are currently manufactured in China, but according to the company’s CEO Steve Schneider, the costs of logistics for ZAP have risen in recent years, particularly to ship vehicles from California to the East Coast.  A Kentucky manufacturing plant would help reduce that cost, he said.

They sure didn’t waste any time.  Construction equipment arrived at the site of the Wilkey North Industrial Park on Thursday September 11th, and a site contractor with a work crew have been mobilized to prepare the 200-plus acre site for rough grading, according Randall S. Waldman of Integrity Manufacturing. The goal of the project is a one million square foot factory for electric vehicles, a project with an estimated value of $100 million. The factory is expected to begin producing electric vehicles within 12 months and employ up to 1,000 people initially with the possibility of more in the future.

The European Union decided pull of the accelerator of its fairly ambitious bio-fuel plans for the future.  Nearly two thirds of the European population feels that climate change is a big issue, yet the EU itself is not planning on holding up its end of the bargain.

Tesla Motors Inc. has selected BorgWarner Inc. for the production of a single-speed gearbox for the Tesla Roadster and is initiating a ramped-up production rate.

Tesla engineers developed the specifications for the new gearbox and provided them to BorgWarner. The new powertrain delivers about 30% higher motor torque on a single gear ratio, and it achieves a 10% higher EPA combined range.

The Roaster torque will be increased to 280 foot-pounds, while the EPA rated range of the car will increase to 244 miles, up from 221 miles. The quarter-mile time for the car is now in the 12.9 second range.