With a €21million funding boost from the German Ministry of Education and Research, eighteen partners from industry and science, headed by the BASF Future Business GmbH have established the HE-Lion consortium.

The goal of the group is to bring safer and more affordable high energy lithium-ion batteries to market over the next four-six years for use in both plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. The move comes after the German federal government announced plans to put one million electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on to German roads by 2020.

Lithium-ion batteries are seen as a key technology for a more climate friendly energy supply. With existing generations being used in laptops and smart phones, it is hoped that third and fourth generations can achieve two-five times more energy density than previous battery systems.

In order to achieve this, there will need to be an improvement in the cathode of the battery according to BASF. The company is developing a portfolio of cathode materials that use metal oxides from high-temperature synthesis.

The batteries will undergo around 10,000 different tests before being used in a Volkswagen Golf. By today’s standards a lithium-ion battery for the Golf would be as expensive as the vehicle itself and modern production processes are needed to ensure a significant reduction in costs.

Commercial leasing has begun with the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid making Mazda the first manufacturer to begin commercial leasing of such a vehicle.

The car is a hydrogen hybrid with improved performance compared to traditional hydrogen vehicles. It includes a series-hybrid drivetrain that combines Mazda’s rotary engine with an electric motor. The engine output is converted to electricity which in turn powers the motor and drives the wheels.

With the addition of a hybrid system, the hydrogen fuel range is boosted to 124 miles – twice that of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The maximum output is also increased by 40 per cent to 110kW.

The car includes a dual-fuel system enabling it to run on petrol if hydrogen is unavailable. It has a lithium-ion battery pack that provides energy storage and its interior parts are made from plant-derived biomaterials.

There will be five newly developed and modified engines available with the new E-Class Coupe that offer more power, lower fuel consumption and lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than their predecessors.

There are four-, six- and eight-cylinder diesel and petrol power plants with outputs that range from 150kW/204hp to 285kW/388hp.

Let’s take a look at what’s available:

- New four-cylinder engine: A 2.1 litre four-cylinder diesel engine that features the latest common-rail direct injection as well as enhanced exhaust gas recirculation and twin turbochargers. The E250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY coupe has an output of 150kW, a torque of 500Nm and produces around 36 per cent more power than the outgoing model. It also consumes around 17 per cent less fuel at 46mpg with emissions at 135g/km.

- New six-cylinder diesel engine: At the top of the diesel range this is a 3.0 litre E350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe that has an output of 170kW and a torque of 540Nm. Fuel consumption is considerably less than the previous model at 35mpg with emissions at 179g/km.

- New four-cylinder petrol direct injection engine: The new E250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe model has a direct gasoline injection displacement of 1.8 litres with a 150kW output. Fuel consumption is a meagre 33mpg with CO2 emissions cut to 167g/km.

- Six-cylinder spray guided petrol direct injection engine: The E350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe uses a 3.5 litre petrol engine with spray-guided direct injection. Fuel consumption has been cut to 27.7mpg which is 14 per cent less than the previous model.

- V8 petrol engine: The E500 Couple includes a 5.5 litre eight-cylinder engine that develops 285kW with fuel consumption at 21.2mpg.

As green car technology develops, manufacturers no longer have to sacrifice performance for economy – and this is exemplified in the new diesel-powered Golf GTD.

The vehicle, which was unveiled at the Leipzig Motor Show this week, can accelerate from 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 136mph. However, its average fuel consumption is exceptional at 53.3mpg meaning it has a range in excess of 650 miles on a single tank of fuel.

The sixth generation version of the GTI has sharp responses, an agile chassis and substantial torque from as low as 1,750rpm. It boasts a refined 2.0 litre common rail TDI engine that produces 170PS and 258lb ft of torque and can be driven either with a six-speed manual or automatic DSG gearbox. Its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a mere 139g/km.

The arrival of the Golf GTD also marks a change in appearance from the traditional Golf as it gains a honeycomb grille, badge-style and front-end design with the addition of chrome rather than red headlights. At the back are full body coloured bumpers that make the GTD appear lower and wider than it really is. The standard wheels are also replaced with unique 17″ Seattle Black alloys.

The new Golf GTD also boasts class-leading levels of safety with ABS, ESP and seven airbags. It was recently awarded the maximum five-star rating from Euro NCAP.

There will be support for job creation in the automotive industry after the European Parliament adopted a resolution to encourage the development of green technologies by a vote of 413 to 44.

The automotive industry is seen as key to the EU economy as it employs 12 million workers directly and indirectly – this makes up six per cent of the employed population of the European Union. The industry has been hit by the global economic crisis and has seen demand slump prompting a decrease in production with the UK hit particularly hard – the number of new car registrations fell by 30.9 per cent in January.

The specifics outlined in the resolution include: asking the European Commission to ensure best use of European funds available in support of jobs; reaffirms the industry’s needs for continuous investment in research and development programmes; calls on the Commission to outlines recommendations for measures that encourage a co-ordinated approach to fleet renewal; confirms the need to deepen dialogue and ongoing discussions with third countries and EU trading partners.

There is also some concern about short-term measures adopted by some member states such as France which is contemplating moving production out of other countries and into France which would lead to a distortion of competition.

The member states have been called on to make sure that all future measures are coherent, efficient and co-ordinated.

“Must do more” is the message from Franz Fehrenbach, chairman of the Bosch board of management, when talking about how business approaches climate protection even during tough economic times.

According to Fehrenbach, the “green economy” offers opportunities to overcome the current crisis and every third euro of sales generated by Bosch now comes from products that conserve resources or protect the environment. In 2008, the company boasted sales of $61billion.

Addressing climate issues, he believes, should not be put on the backburner because of the economic problems as he believes this would be a breach of trust. The continuing financial crisis has already lost not only money but a great deal of trust he states – and only by pursuing climate protection more earnestly does he feel it can profit in terms of both finance and trust.

He believes the ecological globalisation works to the company’s benefit with examples including not only efficient vehicle drive systems but systems for utilising renewable energies from gearboxes for wind turbines, photovolaics, solar collectors and ground-source heat pumps.

In the future he hopes that the company will provide technological answers to ecological questions. Indeed more than 40 per cent of the company’s research and development budget – which in 2008 amounted to $5.3billion – goes to products that protect the environment and conserve resources.

He points out that since 1990, the amount of energy consumed by household appliances has fallen significantly yet the average age of these appliances is still more than 10 years old. If all these old appliances were replaced with new ones, the carbon dioxide emissions would be cut by six per cent – the amount to which the EU committed itself in Kyoto.

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been awarded a $1.6million grant to create new technology and processes for the faster and more cost-effective manufacturing of fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies from the US Department of Energy.

The assemblies consist of a stacked proton exchange membrane, a catalyst and electrodes – they are also the core of a fuel cell. Cost is currently seen as one of the barriers to their widespread adoption.

According to Ray Puffer, principle investigator of the project and programme director for industrial automation, the new system will be a high-speed, high-quality assembly process and if successful it will yield a major reduction in the time taken to make membrane electrode assemblies. The end result will be cheaper and more reliable fuel cells.

Another main objective is to reduce the time it takes to press and assemble the membrane electrode assemblies. So the team will work on a robust ultrasonic bonding process for assembling and fusing the different components.

The $1.61million will be spread out over 42 months with an additional $870,000 in cost share by project participants bringing the total budget close to $2.5million.

Key executives from General Motors held a media briefing last week to discuss the Chevrolet Volt and its current Gen One pack as well as subsequent generations destined for its platform.

Executive director of global engineering – hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries – Robert Kruse; director of global battery systems Denise Gray; and Volt Vehicle Chief Engineer Andrew Farah; took turns talking about the work that has been completed to date and the next steps for the project.

It was noted that more than 30 similar sized Chevrolet vehicles have been modified to accept Volt powertrains with another 50 expected to be built by the summer. The team expressed its commitment to the Volt’s 40 mile all-electric range especially when comparing costs to a battery pack that can achieve several hundreds of miles on all-electric range. No commitment has yet been made however, on the business model to be employed when the 16kWh battery pack goes on sale in November 2010.

They emphasised that they are satisfied with the chemistry, controls, performance and thermal management of the current battery pack but costs per kWh remain high and development beyond the current pack is focused on cost reduction.

According to Bob Kruse, the company is thinking long term with its electric vehicle strategy and is making significant investment in vehicle electrification in the Volt, the Voltec powertrain and the battery itself. The company believes that vehicle electrification is the future of the industry and that mastering battery technology is the key to success.

Consequently the company already has resources working on generation two and three battery packs.

Does driving a green car mean you have to forget all about style and good looks? Well, not if you’re driving the latest concept from French car designer Mayeul Walser.

He has made sure that you can keep your style intact with a green car called the Saab Fashionista. The vehicle is designed for an upmarket customer for whom style probably holds more relevance than environmental conservation.

The vehicle would be built on General Motors’ hybrid platform – the same used in the Chevrolet Volt. It includes a hybrid engine that can run on either petrol or clean electricity and that reduces the car’s emissions but yet still offers the power you would expect from a traditional high performance vehicle.

Its style is straight out of a science fiction movie – a futuristic look that is forward thinking and yet well within the boundaries set by environmentalists.

However, those hoping to get behind the wheel of a Saab Fashionista in the near future are likely to be disappointed. The designer concedes that it will not make it on to the streets any time soon.

The city of Austin in Texas is going green thanks to a new partnership with Daimler – makers of the Smart car – which could save thousands of dollars.

Mayor Will Wynn has announced a car-share pilot programme with Daimler – the first car share programme from the company in the western hemisphere.

The car manufacturer will supply 200 Smart cars while the city will lease car share parking spaces across the downtown area. However, instead of collecting money it will collect driving time. Daimler will allow the city’s employees to use the Smart cars for work-related driving.

The intention, according to Austin City manager Mark Ott, is to compare whether it is more economical to rent or use these vehicles rather than purchase or replace vehicles as part of the city’s future fleet decisions.

According to Mr Ott, Austin spends $6-7million on fuel and maintenance for more than 1,800 light duty vehicles. He hopes that the Smart cars can save the city anything from 5-10 per cent of these costs which would make the lease agreement financially and environmentally worthwhile.

The move has been welcomed by residents with Kristina Stefka stating that it is “good for the city leaders to be out front on environmental issues”.

If the pilot programme proves to be a success, Daimler will bring in 100s of Smart cars that will be made available to the general public. However, before that the proposal must get the green light from the city council at a meeting next week.