The brand new Ford Focus Electric, which is scheduled to debut in the US late next year and in Europe in 2012, will take its power from a lithium-ion battery pack that uses heated and cooled liquid to maximise battery life and range.

The thermal management system is essential to the success of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars because without it extreme temperatures could affect performance, reliability, safety and durability. With an advanced liquid cooling and heating system the temperature of the lithium-ion batteries is regulated which keeps them working well in a range of conditions.

So how does it work?

The active liquid system will heat or chill a coolant before it is pumped through the battery cooling system. On hot days, chilled water absorbs the heat from batteries and disperses it through a radiator before pumping it through the chiller again. Then on cold days, the heated water warms the batteries and gradually brings the system’s temperature to a level that allows it to accept charge energy and provides discharge power for optimised performance.

In addition, the system helps to charge the vehicle. When the all-electric Focus is plugged in to recharge the vehicle control system automatically preconditions the battery. Meanwhile, if the battery is already at the optimal temperature the system will automatically accept charge and maintain an optimal temperature.

The Ford Focus Electric will have a range in the region of 100miles and will be available in late 2011.

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Both the Vito light van and the Viano large capacity van have received a revamp from Mercedes-Benz as it bids to slash both fuel consumption and emission levels.

Thanks to new engines and new transmissions, both vehicles will now comply with Euro 5 emission standards; and BlueEFFICIENCY technology with ECO start/stop will be provided as standard.

The revamped Mercedes-Benz Vito panel van.

In the case of the Vito, all diesel engines will be equipped with an oxidation catalytic converter as well as a particulate filter and cooled exhaust gas recirculation.  

A four-cylinder CDI will be at the core of the new generation of engines and represents an increase in power output and torque in comparison to its predecessors but also reduces fuel consumption and emissions by around 15 per cent depending on the engine variant. 

Also included are demand responsive auxiliary units with an oil pump that controls delivery rate automatically, which reduces power output and lowers fuel consumption. The ECO Gear six-speed transmission meanwhile, is available as standard for all Vito models with a four-cylinder diesel engine and with its broad gear ratio spread is one of the keys to better fuel economy.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz will make BlueEFFICIENCY technology available as an option for the Vito panel van. It includes an ECO start/stop function; battery management; minimum rolling resistance tyres; an ECO power steering pump; a shift point indicator; a controlled fuel pump; and internal engine measures. 

As for the new Viano, two engine variants will be made available with the new ECO Gear six-speed manual transmission offered as standard. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will fall by around five per cent.

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Global CO2 emissions are finally on their way down – despite strong growth in developing countries.

According to an addendum to an earlier study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, CO2 emissions fell by 1.3 per cent in 2009 – that’s the first decrease recorded this decade and this in spite of the fact that emissions in China and India leapt by nine per cent and six per cent respectively.

Gunnar Myhre, the senior research fellow at CICERO explained that the decrease in emissions followed a decrease in the global economy. While emissions from oil and gas fell, emissions from coal remained stable and the share of coal as a fuel has increased.

China and India increased their emissions with China now responsible for 24 per cent of global fossil emissions of CO2. According to Glen Peters, senior researcher at CICERO, Chinese emissions have increased more than economic growth as the country places large investments in infrastructure and export production. In particular, its investments in roads and buildings have caused large emissions as the cement and steel industries in particular are very emission intensive.

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The highly anticipated Nissan Leaf is now available to order for UK customers. The ‘world’s first mass-produced electric car’ opened for pre-orders yesterday to UK customers, ahead of deliveries set to start in March next year.

The first UK buyers or ‘motoring pioneers’ as Nissan calls them, will then get an opportunity to test-drive their prospective purchase by the end of this year, at which point they will need to formally confirm their order. A dedicated call centre has also been set up to assist customers with questions.

The LEAF will be priced at £23,990, taking into account the £5,000 Government incentive for electric vehicle buyers and the recently announced 20% VAT rate, both to be introduced from January. The price includes the battery.

Paul Willcox, Managing Director of Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said: “The LEAF is a milestone in Nissan’s history. Launching in Japan and the US in the coming weeks and UK, Portugal & Ireland early next year, Nissan is the first manufacturer to bring credible and affordable electric vehicle motoring to the mass market.”

Willcox goes on to explain: “The LEAF is generating huge interest across the world, with more than 25,000 customers already putting down deposits in the US and Japan. We know that the benefits of electric mobility have struck a chord with motorists in the UK and initial interest across retail and fleet channels could result in demand outstripping initial supply.”

Although the purchase price is not cheap, the Japanese carmaker says that the car’s running costs could help its first UK customers save in the long term. Depending on an individual’s electricity tariff and time of charging, it will be possible to run the LEAF for less than 2 pence per mile. Additional financial benefits include reduced servicing costs, exemption from London’s congestion charge, zero vehicle tax and zero benefit in kind for company car drivers. 

Available in five exterior colours and one high-specification trim level, all models will come with air conditioning, satellite navigation and a parking camera as standard, plus smartphone connectivity that enables owners to check charging levels plus heat or cool the interior of the car remotely via their handset.

The car’s AC motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque, enough for a maximum speed of more than 90mph and it can travel up to 100 miles on a full charge.

Car buyers can register their interest at www.nissan.co.uk/leafreservation, by completing an online form and putting down a refundable £257 deposit.

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Nissan and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote electric cars within the country.

It is the first time such an agreement has been struck within the Arab region and will mean that the carmaker will be able to enhance the market for its electric car models in the country. The carmaker has already begun to take orders for its first electric car model, the Leaf, in selected markets including the UK and US.

The MoU was signed by His Excellency Hazem Malhas, Minister of Environment, and Nissan’s Corporate Vice President Gilles Normand at a formal ceremony, in the presence of His Excellency Samir Rifai, the Prime Minister of Jordan, and several other Ministers of the cabinet.

Under the agreement, the Japanese carmaker and Jordan’s government will promote electric vehicles as a sustainable mobility solution, which will help Jordan address the key issues of energy independence, CO2 emissions and environmental conservation.

According to H.E. Hazem Malhas, Minister of Environment: “I firmly believe we have an obligation to our future generations to take the necessary actions towards a greener and better world. The introduction of electric cars offers many advantages, not only for the environment, but also from an economic, social and national security perspective.

“In taking this bold and visionary step, Jordan will position itself as a leader in zero emission mobility within the Arab region.

“For a country that enjoys 330 days of sun per year, such technology will provide an excellent alternative to the conventional automobiles,” continued H.E.

The MoU will focus on ensuring all the necessary conditions for electric vehicle mass market are in place, particularly government incentives, charging infrastructure and public education. Jordan’s government will also consider purchasing up to 300 units of Nissan LEAFs for its public sector. The Government is also working to finalise it electric vehicle standards.

A working group will commence to study the implementation of an Electric Vehicle Pilot Program, potentially within the Greater Amman Municipality and other stakeholders. Taking a holistic approach to zero emission, the partners will also explore renewable energy for electric vehicle charging using solar energy, the use of second-life batteries, as well as other new mobility concepts such as car-sharing.

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Mini and Fiat have been found to be the cleanest car manufacturers in a league table which provides the first comprehensive analysis of overall emission performance rather than just focusing on CO2 emissions.

Producing by website, Clean Green Cars, the league table analyses the carmakers’ performances across three environmental factors; CO2 emissions, NOx emissions and particulate emissions to produce a more rounded conclusion of environmental performance.

Explains Richard Bremner, editor of Clean Green Cars: “CO₂ is hugely important, but it is not the whole story. A car that is good for CO₂ can be bad for other pollutants and vice versa.”

The website analysed the performance of every car sold in the UK so far this year to complete its findings, correlating sales and pollution data to produce a sales-weighted performance for all manufacturers.

Fiat and Mini came joint first in overall performance across the three pollution sectors, while Toyota lead in producing the least CO2 emissions and Suzuki came top in minimising NOX emissions. For particulates (small sooty particles, responsible for causing respiratory problems and long term lung disease), Mini and Fiat once again lead the way, proving two of the least harmful manufacturers.

Thanks to the car industry’s focus on CO2 emissions, the website found that while CO₂ performance varied by a factor of less than three from best to worst, NOx varies by a factor of seven and particulates by a factor of more than 50. In the hall of shame, Jeep and Land Rover were found to have the worst environmental performances overall.

Overall ranking was calculated by adding the positions for all three criteria and then dividing by three to obtain an average. The reason there is a ranking for pollution rather than a single overall figure is that there is no generally accepted way of comparing damage from CO₂ to damage from NOx or particulates. They cause different problems in different circumstances. By creating a ranking, Clean Green Cars combined manufacturers performance into a meaningful league table, but leave it open to people to concentrate on whichever measure they regard as the most important.

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It may have taken electric cars a long time to reach the point of breaking into the mainstream, but it now seems they are ready to sky rocket.

A new report from Pike Research suggests that worldwide adoption of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles will grow quickly over the next five years. Sales are expected to total 3.2million vehicles between 2010 and 2015, meaning a compound annual growth rate of 107 per cent and 106 per cent respectively. Sales of plug-in electric vehicles will top one million units in five years with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles accounting for 44 per cent of the total.

Pike has also made a forecast about regular hybrid vehicles, suggesting they will remain important over the next few years as manufacturers look to meet increasingly tight fuel economy and emission regulation standards. It predicts growth of 12.7 per cent between 2010 and 2015.

According to senior analyst Dave Hurst, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles will complement rather than displace the present conventional hybrid electric vehicle market. Electric vehicles are expected to be launched in the small car segment initially with the small SUV market close behind. As they have low weight and good aerodynamics they are far more efficient and will better extend the electrically powered driving range.

Sales for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market are predicted to reach 472,612 units in 2015 with 204,110 to be sold in the US followed by Japan with 62,143 units. Meanwhile, battery electric vehicles are expected to take off in China and reach 262,203 vehicles sold in 2015.

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Nissan North America has formed an electric vehicle partnership with the state of Hawaii as it bids to introduce an electric vehicle charging network in the area.

The partnership was confirmed at the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo in Honolulu and is the first definitive agreement reached by the company in the United States.

As part of the agreement, the Nissan LEAF will be made available in the state in January 2011. Hawaii will provide a $4,500 state tax credit towards the purchase of an electric vehicle and a $500 state tax credit for the purchase and installation of a home charging system. When this is added to a $7,500 Federal tax credit, the price of the Nissan LEAF could be slashed from $32,780 to as little as $20,780 for customers in the state.

In addition, Nissan and Hawaii will develop plans to promote charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. They will co-ordinate the establishment of policies and help streamline the deployment of an electric vehicle infrastructure.

According to US Senator Daniel K Inouye the partnership personifies the state’s commitment to a future powered by clean and sustainable sources of energy.

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Just a week after we looked at China’s potential to be the new electric car super power (see article) another alliance has formed for the deployment of electric vehicles in the country.

The Eaton Corporation is teaming up with vehicle manufacturer Beigi Foton Motor Company; NESTIA the New Energy Sustainable Transportation International Alliance; AECOM; IBM; electric motor provider Broad Ocean; and lithium-ion battery manufacturer MGL; as announced at the third annual China Green Energy Auto Development Summit Forum.

NESTIA is expected to play a lead role in the alliance placing special focus on the deployment of green vehicles in taxi, bus, refuse and sanitation fleets as well as introducing the accompanying charging infrastructure. It is also part of a broader global alliance with Eaton, AECOM and IBM to advance the adoption of green cars from plug-ins to full electric.

The new alliances will combine expertise helping the preparation of a master plan for public and private electric vehicle battery swapping and charging station networks; the design and development of plug-in and electric vehicles; the implementation of public electric vehicle charging station network infrastructure; a review of a utility company’s grid infrastructure to support new load requirements; and assistance for utility companies in preparing a portfolio of business applications for electric vehicle specific systems.

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A newly discovered form of chlorophyll could be the secret to producing cheaper biofuel.

Scientists at the University of Sydney have stumbled upon a new type of chlorophyll-the substance plants use to harness solar energy-which is capable of using lower light energy than any other known form of the protein.

Its the first time in over 60 years a new form has been found, and rather ingloriously the new form now called chlorophyll f was discovered entirely by accident.

Scientists stumbled upon the f strain of the organism in stromatolites (rock-like structures built by photosynthetic bacteria, called cyanobacteria) found Western Australia’s Shark Bay.

Chlorophyll is the essential molecule in oxygenic photosynthesis – the process that enables plants, algae and some bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen by using free energy from sunlight. Until recently, oxygenic photosynthesis was thought only to occur in light that is visible to human eyes, between 400nm to 710nm, as chlorophyll was strictly limited to absorbing light in this range.

Now the rules of photosynthesis are rewritten, with the discovery of a fifth type of chlorophyll that can absorb light of even lower photon energy – 720nm – making it the most red-shifted chlorophyll to date.

Because the new strain is able to use light which other forms cannot utilise, it is hoped that someday the molecule could help develop new types of algae which can harness a larger part of the light spectrum to mass produce biofuel and make it more cost-efficient compared to fossil fuels.

The new f variant allows organisms with limited access to light (such as within cave structures) still use photosynthesis to provide energy for its survival.

The historic study into the new chlorophyll is published online in Science journal and details the findings of an interdisciplinary scientists headed by lead author Dr Min Chen from the University of Sydney

"Discovering this new chlorophyll has completely overturned the traditional notion that photosynthesis needs high energy light," Dr Chen said.

"Chlorophyll f, and its ability to absorb infrared light, can have numerous applications to industries like plant biotechnology and bioenergy,” she added.

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