The North East of England is soon to become the home of Europe’s most advanced quick-charging network for electric vehicles as the region begins the next stage of plans to introduce hundreds of charging points.

As part of plans to install a total of 1,300 charging points by 2013, regional development agency One North East is in the process of procuring 12 quick chargers and is now on the lookout for suitable locations to install them.

The 50KW stations can recharge cars like the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MiEV to up to 80 per cent of their capacity in 20-30 minutes, compared to eight hours for a full charge using a 3kw charge point or four hours using a 7kw charge point.

The agency hope that these advanced charging points will be a major weapon against so-called ‘range anxiety’ in drivers using electric cars and will provide reassurance for drivers that longer journeys beyond a full battery charge are possible.

Now the agency has issued a tender to secure a supplier of the quick-chargers and is calling on local businesses to come forward if they are interested in hosting one of the charging points. One North East is already in talks with a number of potential partners about the points, with roadside services among the most likely locations. However any business or organisation located on or near the major trunk roads and spine roads in the North East are also being invited to put themselves forward.

Because of the prohibitively high up-front costs for these charge points, the Agency will finance their installation, but partners will be expected to provide a parking space and fund the ongoing maintenance and electricity costs.

This infrastructure work is part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) ‘Plugged-In Places’ initiative, which is helping to establish electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in key strategic locations around the UK. The North East has been awarded a total fund of £7.8m for establishing a network of charging points. The 1,300 planned points will include residential charging points, along with the mixture of standard and ‘intelligent’ 7KW and 3KW charge points being installed at businesses and in public car parks.

Dr Colin Herron, Manufacturing and Productivity Manager at One North East, said: “We are now offering the opportunity to be one of the first locations in Europe for quick chargers which represent a real opportunity for businesses. As electric vehicles become more popular, these 12 sites will have the potential to attract significant numbers of drivers, who will be captive audience for a 20-minute period while they are charging up.”

Anyone interested in hosting a fast-charger or accessing the match-funding for charging points should contact John Lowes or Josey Wardle in the One North East Plugged-In Places team on Tel: 0191 2296497 or 0191 2296693.

Following hot on the heels of Porsche’s confirmation of its all-electric Boxster trials is the news that their spectacular hybrid the 918 Spyder will be developed in limited numbers for road use.

The mid-engined plug-in hybrid has CO2 emissions of just 70g/km with a corresponding fuel consumption of a staggering 94.1mpg.

The 918 Spyder concept was originally seen at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year and due to the enthusiastic response that the car received, the Board at Porsche has now decided to develop a production road version, albeit in limited numbers.

Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG, said; “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base.”

What we know about the 918 Spyder concept is that open topped two seater features a 3.4 litre V8 engine along with electric motors positioned on both the front and rear axles. With power transmitted by a seven-speed PDK double clutch transmission the car can run purely in E-Drive (solely using the electric motors) for up to 16 miles, yet has the kind of supercar performance expected from Porsche.

In the Hybrid mode, the 918 Spyder uses both the electric motors and the combustion engine as a function of driving conditions and requirements, offering a range from particularly fuel-efficient all the way to extra-powerful.

Police forces in the UK are advising motorists to fit a simple but effective safety screw to their car number plates to prevent them from being stolen and cloned by criminals.

Events are often organised by police forces to assist motorists to fix types of screws to their registration plates for a small fee. A police spokesperson said, “We would encourage motorists to attend these types of events because having simple screws fitted is an easy measure you can take to reduce your chance of having your vehicle targeted. We continue to look at new ways of getting important advice into the community. Events such as these are a perfect way for us to do this because you can also tell us about the issues concerning you and your community the most.”

There is usually information packs and advice given out at these events to highlight to motorists ways they can avoid having their cars broken into or vandalised. This advice includes leaving vehicles in well lit and secure parking areas and not leaving valuable items on view in their cars while they are unattended.

The recommended one-way fitting screws cannot be removed easily and once fixed, are covered with a security cap as an added measure to deter thieves.

Number plate theft can lead to criminals cloning other cars, often stolen ones, to change its identity with bogus registration plates. The majority of victims will be completely unaware that their number plate has been cloned until speeding fines and parking tickets start to arrive through the post or they receive a visit from the local police.

Vehicles that have been cloned will commonly be used to commit offences such as speeding, joy riding and robbery, especially filling up at petrol stations and leaving without paying, meaning the victim is faced with the difficult task of trying to convince the authorities they had nothing to do with it.

The Swedish Transport Agency, which manages the applications of personal number plates in Sweden have rejected an application from a man in Halmstad because the number plate he requested contained the letters SS, an apparent connection to Nazi Germany.

Any plates deemed offensive or obscene can be rejected by the agency if it is thought they could offend other road users.

An agency spokesperson said, “Personal registration plates captures the attention of others and are a good idea for you to show who you are. Proposals may not cause offence. If you want to use a combination which corresponds to a product or company name then you should contact the trademark holder and receive written consent.”

It seems there have been a number of cases of number plates being refused along with the Gestapo-themed plate. Names such as ‘My BMW’, ‘Come On’, ‘Beetle’, ‘HEINEKN’ and ‘Sexboy’ have also been declined permission in recent months.

The guidelines set out by the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) ask for plates to be between two and seven characters. This should include spaces and be made up of a combination of numbers and letters.

All applications are subject to approval, with the agency citing that the most common reasons for rejecting these plates are that they may cause offence. An agency spokesperson said, “We discuss why we think it is not a good idea and then if we agree it is rejected.”

Since 2000, when it became possible for motorists to extend a personal number plate in Sweden for the first time, the numbers of new personal registration plates and renewal applications have varied significantly.

In 2002, there were 1,308 applications made, but this figure rose to 2,661 in 2004. That number had fallen to 2,003 applications by the year 2008.

The process to apply for a new personal number plate can take around ten days to complete and cost 6,000 kronor ($784).

Yesterday we brought you details of the Nissan LEAF’s warranty (see article) and today we have more information about its roll-out in the USA.

Due to be launched in December this year, the electric vehicle will first be made available to consumers in California, Arizona, Tennessee, Oregon and Washington as the homes of the EV Project, the largest electric vehicle and infrastructure deployment to date.

Motorists in these five states currently represent around 55 per cent of total Nissan LEAF reservations and customers will be able to place firm orders for the LEAF beginning in August.

From January, the vehicle will be introduced in Texas and Hawaii; before making its way, in April, to North Carolina, Florida, Washington DC, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Alabama. By the autumn of the same year, the Nissan LEAF will be available in all markets nationwide.

Anyone who has reserved a Nissan LEAF online will be invited to place an order with their dealer in advance of market roll-out timing, allowing customers to assess which dealer they wish to use and look at their home charging needs.

Nissan has also gathered some information about those interested in the vehicle. It has found that around 67 per cent of Nissan LEAF reservation holders have indicated they will be ready to buy or lease the vehicle within a year of placing the reservation; while around 75 per cent own a single home family. Their primary interests include energy independence and environmental consciousness; while the favourite colour for buyers is blue, with silver a close second.

General Motors will establish battery electric vehicle demonstration fleets as part of its attempts to increase competitiveness in vehicle electrification.

The announcement was made as part of the Electrification – Plugging into the Future Forum at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. GM Vice President of Global Vehicle Engineering Karl Stracke declared that the demo fleets will appear in different regions around the world and use different vehicles.

It is hoped that the fleets will provide GM with real-world data looking into battery charging, market needs, driving patterns and customer acceptance.

So far GM has not announced is partners but no other car manufacturers are currently involved. We’ll bring you further details as soon as they are announced.

A pilot programme for plug-in electric vehicles will begin in autumn combining the skills of Clipper Creek Inc, a producer of plug-in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and Silver Springs Networks, a provider of smart grid solutions.

Sponsored by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the Electric Power Research Institute, the aim is to test and validate the security, scalability and functionality of smart charging technology with findings helping to establish the best practices for electric vehicle charging and utility integration.

The project will be based in the San Francisco area and will see ClipperCreek’s charging stations integrated with PG&E’s Smart Grid network. The charging stations will relay metered electricity usage data enabling the utility to monitor and meter the charging station separate from a house’s electricity load. This will help in forming an understanding of the different approaches to electric vehicle charging.

Silver Spring’s role will be to provide the hardware, services and software which should allow utilities to run a number of different applications.

In separate news, ClipperCreek has also announced the shipping of its 3,000^th electric vehicle charging station after enjoying a significant increase in business over the last few months as we move closer to market roll-outs of electric vehicles.

July 28, 2010

Electric car grants show support for low carbon future

Leading green car guide, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has warmly received the news that the subsidies of up to £5,000 for purchasing an electric car will go ahead as planned.

Commenting on the news, the website’s editor, Faye Sunderland says: “This fund is a very important part of the move towards low carbon transport. It is essential that the market for electric cars is supported to help push the industry forward beyond a gas-guzzling past.

“These grants will make a real difference to consumers and will allow motorists to make, what to them remains, a seismic shift in their mode of transport. It is great news that even in these times of financial austerity, the government is showing confidence in the role that electric cars can play in reducing transport-related pollution and it is this confidence that will influence car buyers,” she adds.

                                               -END-

Notes to Editors:

About TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: The award-winning definitive guide to green cars, providing a wealth of information on everything from electric cars, efficient petrol and diesel cars to biofuels and hydrogen technology. The green car advisory website is also the best place for all the latest news and events relating to green cars. Since its launch on 16^th June 2007, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has experienced a tremendous growth in traffic and now attains more than 150,000 page views a month.

TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk is owned and maintained by Really Good Domains Ltd, which run more motoring websites than any other company in the UK. As the UK’s largest internet advertising and marketing company for the motor industry, Really Good Domains also run the popular websites ContractHireAndLeasing.com, SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk, TheVanWebsite.co.uk, RoadTestReports.co.uk, CarSupermarkets.co.uk and FleetDirectory.co.uk to name a few.

For further comment or interview, contact: Faye Sunderland on 0161 482 7650 or email fayes@reallygooddomains.com. Really Good Domains, Domain House, 4 Watchgate, Newby Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 5DB.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/greencarwebsite

BMW is the latest in a string of carmakers to fall foul of advertising rules relating to environmental claims as the industry cracks down on misleading claims.

Industry overseer, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that a press ad for BMW’s concept ActiveE electric vehicle was misleading as it claimed the car produces ‘0% emissions’. The ad which read that the car offers ‘electrifying performance and zero CO2 emissions when driving’ broke advertising rules relating to the substantiation and environmental claims.

While the carmaker argued that the car produces no tailpipe emissions, its reliance on electricity means that the car is still likely to be recharged from the National Grid, where most of the power is produced from fossil fuels.

The industry has recently been given new advertising guidelines to help carmakers produce accurate advertisements (see story) and make fair environmental claims. BMW meanwhile has been instructed not to use the advert again in its current form.

Six successful bidders will share £660,000 match funding for gas refuelling or electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects.

A private business in Essex, three councils across Yorkshire and the West Midlands, a public body co-ordinating transport in Merseyside and a community group on the Isle of Lewis are all winners in the latest round of support from the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme (AFIGP).

The six new projects will install infrastructure to support public and private sector fleets in trialling a wide range of natural gas, bio-gas and electric vehicles. The projects offer the potential for fleet users to demonstrate cost and carbon savings as well as making significant local air quality improvements.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said:"I welcome this addition funding to support low carbon vehicle infrastructure.  Low carbon vehicles provide significant benefits – reducing CO₂ emissions and improving air quality – but we need adequate refuelling points if the market for these vehicles is to grow. These projects will help to make low carbon vehicles a viable alternative for businesses and individuals."

The AFIGP supports the installation of refuelling or recharging stations for a range of alternative fuels – natural gas, biogas, hydrogen and electricity.  The scheme is run by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and has been running for 3 years, bringing alternatively fuelled cars to be trialled in the UK and making cost effective contributions to carbon abatement.

The scheme was launched in 2005 and in the three years to 2008 funded 77 electric vehicle stations (including 82 charging points), 5 natural gas stations and 20 bio-ethanol stations.  Since 2009, funded projects include 2 Hydrogen refuelling stations, 5 biogas stations, and 4 electric vehicle projects.

The winning bids for the cash, provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) come from Howard Tenens, Sheffield City Council Leeds City Council, Galson Estate Trust, Coventry City Council  and Mersey Travel.

The announcement of the successful bids for the funding come as the government confirms that its £5,000 incentives for electric cars will go ahead as planned in January 2011 (see story).