Will Toyota ever put a foot wrong in the hybrid vehicle category?

Having already established itself as the market leader with the iconic Toyota Prius, the Japanese company is now enjoying further sales success with its latest model – the Sai hybrid-only luxury compact saloon car.

Just one month after its introduction, the vehicle has received around 14,000 orders with a monthly sales target for Japan now set at 3,000 units.

The Sai is based on the platform used for the Lexus HS250h and will go on sale in Japan from December 7. It includes a 2.4litre Atkinson four cylinder engine with variable valve timing with intelligence, as well as a 105kW motor and reduction gear. As the intake valve closure is delayed, the engine is capable of a high expansion ratio at low pressure, which in turn raises heat efficiency.

The Toyota Sai Hybrid has fuel efficiency of 54mpg on the 10-15 cycle, and under the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism test cycle its fuel efficiency is rated at 46.6mpg.

Fans of fuel cell technology can rejoice – despite being in the shadow of electric cars over the last 12 months, there is still life in this new technology.

Nissan North America is now leasing its X-TRAIL Fuel Cell Vehicle to the Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Company.  Previously, Nissan, which actually began developing fuel cell vehicles back in 1996, had only used the technology in demonstration fleets – this represents the first commercial Nissan fuel cell vehicle lease in North America.

The lease will last for one year, with an option for two additional years, with the X-TRAIL FCV to be used for sales calls and public events.

As for the vehicle itself, it is based on the X-TRAIL SUV, which is available in Mexico, Japan and Europe. It is fitted with a Nissan-developed 90kW compact fuel cell stack, as well as a compact lithium-ion battery and high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder. Its performance is reportedly close to that of a similarly sized internal combustion engine with versions of this generation capable of more than 95mph. 

Nissan has also announced that it is testing a next-generation fuel cell stack. The new fuel cell unit is 25 per cent smaller than the previous model and offers 1.4 times the power output.

A UK-based transmission technology specialist has received a huge boost after it was awarded a project by the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board to develop a high efficiency two-speed transmission for electric vehicles.

The project has been awarded to Antonov Plc, in association with Jaguar and MIRA, and will run for 12 months with the aim of demonstrating the transmission in a vehicle application.

Currently, Antonov’s main product is the TX6 transmission – a six-speed, electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated and transverse automatic gearbox. The company is also involved in the development of two-speed automatic gearboxes that optimise the performance and efficiency of engine accessories including alternators.

The two-speed mechanical module technology is based on a mechanical shift for an automatic transmission that was invented 20 years ago by Roumen Antonov. The principle is to control a gear shift from a speed increasing ratio between 1:1.2 and 1:1.9 and a direct drive 1:1.

As the input speed increases, the axial force overcomes the other two forces and the technology shifts from over-speeding to direct drive. Then, as the input speed decreases, the force created decreases until it can no longer overcome the spring and gear axial forces and it shifts to the over-speeding ratio.

It is believed that in addition to optimising engine accessories, the technology could also be used in all-terrain vehicles and boats.

Not a car you usually find on TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, however things are about to change as BMW announce details of their sixth generation iconic 5 Series which includes a variant with a fuel economy figure above 50mpg and CO2 emissions of around 130g/km.

BMW 5 Series hybrid deals on TheHybridCarWebsite.co.uk

While the whole range benefits from fuel efficiency gains through use of BMW’s innovative EfficientDynamics – such as low rolling resistance tyres, regenerative breaking, optimal gear shift indication, and active aerodynamics – the BMW 520d will be the first BMW to utilise an engine start/stop system.

Powered by a 2.0 litre four cylinder common-rail direct injection and a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry diesel engine the car is capable of hitting 141mph yet with a fuel economy figure of 56.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 132g/km it will be one of the greenest executive models available when it is launched in late March 2010.

As you would expect from a car aimed at the corporate world the 5 Series saloon comes with a plethora of technology and the highest level of standard specification yet seen on a 5 Series car.

The Green Piece Article, Tuesday 24 November 2009

The Chinese government and businesses have been making a big deal about electric cars over the last few years with a number of upstart companies emerging that could yet put China on the automotive manufacturing map. Meanwhile, the US is determined to play catch-up after its leading brands, including General Motors and Chrysler, were left teetering on the edge of peril earlier this year in part because they had failed to move with the times and embrace fuel efficient cars.

So perhaps a partnership between the two countries, as was announced last week (see article), is only natural and promises to be mutually beneficial. However, some critics have hit out at the so-called US-China Electric Vehicle Initiative – so what do the proposals involve and how will they affect the future of electric cars?

What does the partnership entail?

According to the US Department of Energy, the two countries will explore the development of joint products and testing standards for electric vehicles including common design standards for the plugs to be used in electric vehicles; and common test protocols. The initiative will also link more than a dozen cities with electric vehicle demonstration programmes in both countries – the paired cities will share data on charging patterns, grid integration, consumer preferences and more.

The US and China will also create a multi-year roadmap that will identify research and development needs in addition to issues that relate to the manufacturing and introduction of electric cars. The roadmap will not only boost the US and China but will also be used to assist the global industry.

In addition, the countries will develop and disseminate materials aimed at improving public understanding of electric vehicle technologies. This will build on the success of the US-China Electric Vehicle Forum that was established in September.

So what’s the problem?

Certainly the proposals sound good in theory, but there are criticisms aimed at the initiative’s ambition and how it will be prioritised.

Speaking to the New York Times, Lee Schipper, an energy and transportation specialist at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford, commented that creating zero-emission cars for China won’t solve the much bigger problems of urban congestion, traffic fatalities, and paving over once beautiful cities to make room for more cars. He described energy as just a means to an end – and questioned what the end is – urban access and mobility, or cars for a small minority?

Writing in The Energy Collective, Simon Donner highlighted that the clean energy initiative also puts a clear emphasis on coal. He suggests that any climate change initiative can only be embraced if the source of the electricity is substantially less carbon intensive than oil, but the two sides are, according to the Initiative, “working in both countries to promote 21st Century coal technologies”. They have agreed to promote, on a large scale, “carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) demonstration projects and to begin work immediately on the development, deployment, diffusion, and transfer of CCS technology. The two sides welcomed recent agreements between Chinese and US companies, universities, and research institutions to co-operate on CCS and more efficient coal technologies.”

This is then followed by a brief paragraph on renewable energy – seemingly suggesting that coal will remain the king for the foreseeable future.

So what does this mean for electric cars?

Head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance Carlos Ghosn believes that uptake for electric cars will be a gradual process, predicting that around 10 per cent of vehicles sold worldwide will be powered by electricity in 2020. Ghosn has been one of the most vocal supporters of electric cars and has positioned the Nissan LEAF to be a potential market leader when it is mass produced by 2012.

During these formative years, electric cars need as much support as possible and while co-operation is good, the initiative seems to stop short of really throwing both countries’ might behind this new technology.
It appears that electricity is emerging as the leading choice ahead of hydrogen or other alternative fuels in the race to power the automotive vehicles of the future. However, if electric cars are to truly drive down emissions more investment is needed in renewable energy and in resolving the bigger picture of how and where we take our energy from.

So perhaps the US-China partnership can be seen as one small step for electric cars – but not yet a giant leap for vehicles of the zero emission kind.

Faye Sunderland

The Chevrolet Volt may grab most of the headlines, but General Motors has other exciting products ready to enter dealerships in 2010.

From the first quarter of the new-year, GM Europe will launch the Chevrolet Spark, an all-new mini-car. As the fastest growing segment of the market globally, the mini-car segment represents almost 10 per cent of the total European passenger car market – up from 6.5 per cent in 2008 and less than five per cent in 2005.

So what does the Spark have to offer?

The vehicle will have a choice of two petrol engines – displacements of 1.0 and 1.2litres. They use a cast-iron block and alloy head, as well as a double overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder. They also feature multi-port fuel injection and are both Euro V emissions compliant.

Both engines include advanced features such as port deactivation which improves exhaust gas recirculation and leads to optimal fuel efficiency and idle stability. It also helps ensure low maintenance and running costs with the Spark consuming as little as 5.1litres of fuel per 100km and producing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at a meagre 119g/km. 

The smaller of the units can power the car from 0-62mph in 15.5 seconds, with a top speed of 96mph. The 1.0lite Chevrolet Spark has a fuel consumption rating of 46mpg and it produces 93Nm of torque at 4,800rpm. The larger unit, meanwhile, achieves 111Nm at 4,800rpm and accelerates from 0-62mph in 12.1seconds. It can reach a top speed of 102mph and its fuel consumption remains the same as the 1.0litre version.

In addition, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) versions of both engines will be rolled out in select European markets beginning with Italy in February and followed in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Poland and a handful of additional countries.

Expect some significant changes to China’s approach to new energy vehicles, beginning in March, 2010.

According to a report in Gasgoo, citing the National Development and Reform Commission, regulations on the development of new energy vehicles have been submitted to China’s State Council for approval and are expected to be in place by March next year.

The news follows on from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reclassifying new energy vehicles into three categories earlier this year: start-up technology, such as fuel cell vehicles still at the research level; developing technologies, such as hybrids with lithium-ion batteries; and mature technologies, such as lead-acid battery hybrid vehicles.

According to the report, the current annual production capacities of China’s nickel-hydrogen batteries and lithium-ion batteries will exceed 0.14billion and 0.9billionWH by the end of the year; they are then expected to read 0.36billion and four billion WH by 2010. If each electric vehicle is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 30,000WH, the annual output will meet 150,000 vehicles by 2010.

In addition, the Nikkei reports that Nissan is considering building the LEAF electric vehicle in the city of Guangzhou having signed an agreement with the government in the city to set up an electric car programme.

Later today, our latest Green Piece Column will look at the US-China agreement on electric cars in more depth – so be sure to check back for that.

Anyone who thought that the petrol price hikes of 2008, which prompted many US motorists to reduce the number of miles they drive, would have a permanent impact on driving habits will have to re-evaluate.

Preliminary reports from the State Highway Agencies show that total vehicle miles travelled on all roads and streets in the US increased by 2.5 per cent (5.8billion vehicle miles) for September 2009 compared to the previous year.

The results, featured in the Traffic Volume Trends report from US Federal Highway Administration, show that total vehicle miles travelled for the month is estimated at 240.7billion miles – this total includes 83.9billion vehicle miles on rural roads and 156.8billion vehicle miles on urban roads and streets.

The Traffic Volume Trends report is issued monthly and is based on hourly traffic count data. This is collected at approximately 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations across the USA and is used to determine the percentage change in traffic for the month compared to the same month in the previous year.

Meanwhile, cumulative travel for the year has changed by +0.3 per cent to 6.7billion vehicle miles. The estimate for the year in total is 2,208.5billion vehicle miles travelled.

In the quest for further improvements in fuel efficiency one key area of concern to all carmakers is the aerodynamic ability of the car – and it appears that tiny helium bubbles are playing a key part in making cars cut through the air with the minimum of effort.

Independent automotive engineering, testing, and consultancy organistation MIRA is now able to track these 3mm bubbles as part of airflow simulations inside their full-sized automotive wind tunnel – the only one in the UK. This is all down to the Vicon T40 motion capture camera.

Amazingly this type of technology is used in the entertainment industry, where actors are transformed into computer animated characters on film.

Bubble tracking has always been a fairly manual process, limited by small capture volumes and the labour intensive task of processing the data. MIRA’s technique is completely new. It utilises a high-end motion capture system from Vicon that is accurate enough to be able to track each bubble in a 3mx2mx2m volume, giving engineers precise flow data in hours, rather than months.

“MIRA chose Vicon’s T-Series cameras for its innovative helium bubble flow visualisation technique because of its unique mix of high resolution, fast capture rates and proven motion tracking abilities,” said Angus Lock at MIRA.

“The technical support from Vicon during the Technology Strategy Board funded project enabled us to exploit these class leading technologies in a completely new application area, as well as rapidly getting to grips with the capabilities of the system. We’re looking forward to continuing our technical partnership with Vicon, and are sure that it will allow us to deliver a truly world class aerodynamic flow visualisation technique.”

“MIRA uniquely demonstrates the true capabilities of the T-Series camera. Something that was previously extremely time consuming and provided limited results is now one of the most innovative airflow visualisation techniques in the world,” said Imogen Moorhouse, managing director at Vicon. “It’s inspiring that two British companies are leading the way for precision technology and engineering world-wide. We’re proud to be partnered with MIRA and look forward to working closely with them in the future.”

And that’s how the humble helium bubble is helping improve fuel efficiency in the car industry!

Efforts to increase fuel economy and lower emissions show no signs of losing pace as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report revealing a fifth consecutive increase in new vehicle fuel efficiency with a corresponding decrease in average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The annual report, entitled Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2009, showed that for 2008, the last year for which the EPA has final data from car manufacturers, the average fuel economy value was 21.0mpg with a small improvement expected in 2009 to 21.1mpg.

In addition, the report confirms that average CO2 emissions have fallen while fuel economy increased in each year beginning in 2005. Over that time period, average CO2 emissions have fallen by 39g/km, or eight per cent, while average fuel economy has increased by 1.8mpg, or nine per cent. 

The report also found that light trucks, which include SUVs, vans and pick-up trucks, have accounted for 50 per cent of the US light duty vehicle market since MY2002. Yet after two decades of constant growth, the light truck market share has been relatively stable from 2002-2009 and is projected to be 49 per cent based on pre-model year production projections.

Automotive engineers are developing more advanced and efficient technologies and seven of the nine highest selling marketing groups increased fuel economy from 2007-2008. Preliminary values suggest four of the nine marketing groups will increase fuel economy, and lower emissions, in 2009, with one marketing group remaining at current levels.

Hybrids are projected to have a 1.8 per cent share of MY2009 sales and Honda is expected to have the lowest fleet-wide CO2 emissions (and highest fuel economy) followed closely by Hyundai-Kia and Toyota. Chrysler, meanwhile, is projected to have the highest CO2 emissions, reversing most of its gains from the previous year; while Ford is expected to show the largest CO2 reductions with its MY2009 projections being 37g/mile lower than in 2007.