Green Options

-Above: the Nissan “Leaf” Electric Vehicle (learn more on the Nissan/eTEC partnership).

With $99.8 million from the Federal Government, ECOtality is on a mission to make America plug-in ready.

There’s been a tremendous flurry of activity in recent weeks with President Obama’s announcement of $2.4 billion in grants to accelerate the manufacturing and deployment of the next generation of U.S. batteries and electric vehicles. We at ECOtality and our subsidiary Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec) are thrilled to be a part of that activity as the recipients of $99.8 million grant for the largest electrification transportation project in history.

Our history in electric transportation dates back to 1989 and we have worked on every EV initiative in North America since then. Today, through our grant from the federal government, we’re embarking on an exciting project to truly make America plug-in ready: we are partnering with Nissan to deploy 5,000 zero-emission battery electric vehicles and 12,750 charging stations in five markets across the United States.

British Manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs), Modec, has announced a joint venture with U.S. based Navistar International Corporation, a $15 billion per year truck manufacturer. The announcement comes at an ideal time as earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced the largest grant ever to develop and bring to market electric vehicles. Obama made the announcement at the Navistar premises in Elkhart County, Indiana. As part of this funding, Navistar was awarded a grant of $39 million, which will be used to accelerate EV production.

“The all-electric delivery vehicle is a concrete example of what business and government can do when we work together,” said Daniel C. Ustian, Navistar Chairman, President and CEO. “The future is now with this electric vehicle. In fact, we already have interested customers, including some of the most respected names in the industry.”

There has been one benefit to having the American auto companies bankrupt, and that is that many companies and ideas for cars that would have otherwise never had a chance now do. One such idea is from CT&T United, newly based in the United States. The company has announced plans for a proprietary manufacturing, sales and service model called RASS or Regional Assembly and Sales System. This system will help to support the companies U.S. market launch of their all-electric vehicles and each RASS will cost between $8-$10 million to build.

“Just as just-in-time parts delivery from Toyota revolutionized the auto industry, we believe the RASS system from CT&T has the potential to do the same by regionalizing manufacturing and sales and allowing us to offer EVs at an incredibly reasonable price point,” said Young Gi Lee, Chairman and company founder. “RASS will also speed up our national rollout so that we an stay on the leading edge of the EV market.”

Car companies like Tesla, Toyota and Nissan are all scrambling for a piece of the EV market. Heck, even cities like San Francisco and Portland want some.  But they all just got pwned by these kids. These vehicles run on everything from solar to soy!

Texas Teen Buys Car Off eBay, Makes It Electric

Luke Laborde turned a 32 mpg gas-burning Bradley GT II kit car into a [...]

In a somewhat suspect interview that was posted to the web and then subsequently removed (but not before being turned into a transcript), Dick Weir — the clandestine CEO of the even more secretive EEStor — was caught on tape in a 30 minute interview covering many topics that fervent followers of the company have been curious about for a long time.

Toyota has revealed that its eagerly anticipated iQ-based all-electric car will receive its own individual body-style makeover, to create a stand-alone model set to become Toyota’s first all-electric car.

It appears that the electric iQ, due for launch in 2010, will not be pushed in the same market sectors as the original. Speaking about the strategy Hiroki Nakajima, chief engineer for the iQ said, “We wanted to position the iQ as premium, but not so the BEV (battery electric vehicle).” Perhaps they think that your average EV user is a little more low-rent than other drivers?

A team of Japanese scientists have developed a new type of lithium-air battery cell with an ultra-large capacity, and say that it holds great potential for the next-generation of electric cars.

Researchers at the country’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) predict that at a filling station, the driver of a vehicle equipped with the new battery could make use of a revolutionary new cassette refill system, and then continue driving without waiting for batteries to be recharged.

Nissan has unveiled the technology platform of its eagerly anticipated all-electric car, scheduled to be revealed next Sunday prior to going on sale in Japan and the US in next year.

The new kit was debuted on a Tiida-based prototype, which features an in-house developed electric motor capable of delivering 107bhp and 206lb ft of torque. Power is supplied by a 24kWh laminated compact li-ion battery situated beneath the car’s floor so it doesn’t interefere with cabin or cargo space.

Take a look at the future of urban motoring. At least, that’s what UK car manufacturer Lotus would have us believe after revealing an exciting new all-electric car concept that it says most city cars might look like five years from now [video].

After a challenge by car magazine Automotive Engineer, the British design and engineering firm developed a concept some 3.74 inches shorter than a Smart ForTwo and nearly 16 inches shorter than the new Toyota iQ. Amazingly, Lotus reckon there’ll still be enough space for four adults (more photo’s after the jump).

Holland has announced plans to install five electric car charging bays, the first of their kind ever seen in the country.

To move to set up five Electromotive Elektrobays follows a government drive to improve air quality. The stations will be located at strategic points across the country, including Schipol International Airport and central Rotterdam. Another will be based at Amsterdam’s Centraal Station railway hub, where it will power-up the city’s spanking new fleet of all-electric Tuc Tuc taxi vehicles.

It seems we just can’t move these days for news of Nissan’s EV strategy. Well, today’s no exception, with news of Nissan’s plan to develop wireless charging technology to make charging electric cars easier and faster.

The system, based on the principle of inductive charging, employs the same electromagnetic field technology used to charge an electric toothbrush.

Nissan has already adapted the system for use in its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) electric car, which can charge wirelessly in a suitable parking bay, but the latest report suggests that the major Japanese outfit has more expansive plans for its system. The Guardian reports that Nissan hopes to lay a series of plates into the surface of designated electric vehicle lanes on highways, enabling drivers to charge as they travel.