California is yet again in the spotlight with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, announcing at a press conference that he will give his full backing to Tesla’s proposed manufacture of a 4-door, 5-passenger saloon. It had initially been thought that the new Tesla saloon would be produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but a program review established that the proximity of engineering and research development functions at the Tesla headquarters in San Carlos would prove extremely advantageous.

The Tesla battery pack, an important component of the Tesla Roadster is presently manufactured in California. Governor Schwarzenegger is adamant that Tesla remain in California stating that “Today’s announcement is incredible news for California’s economy and its environment. If California was a baseball team this would be like winning the first round draft pick and recruiting a player who is a perfect fit on our roster because Tesla Motors and its all-electric cars belong in California.”

This latest news comes on the back of the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority approving a new program that will lead to the exemption of zero-emission vehicle manufacturers from sale and use tax on the purchase of manufacturing equipment. Bill Lockyer, of CAEATFA, said “These vehicles can play a big part in helping California successfully implement its groundbreaking laws to fight climate change”.

The CEO of Tesla Motors, Ze’ev Drori, remarked that “Tesla has achieved an extraordinary accomplishment. We are the only automobile company today delivering full performance battery-electric vehicles to our customers. Make no mistake - we are not a niche player with a car only for the rich and famous. As our agreement with the state so clearly demonstrates, we are building a high volume ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE, manufactured in California for mid-range family use. And we aren’t going to stop there. We will continue on and build even more affordable cars.”

The Tesla saloon will begin production in late 2010 and will incorporate powertrain technology to develop a car that is both stylish and practical.

USA Today reported recently that two manufacturers are planning to lease batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles in the US in response to consumer concerns about the longevity of these expensive commodities.

Think Car USA plans to lease the batteries for its City electric vehicle which will go on sale next year in the US. They go on sale in the UK later this year yet there are no reports of a similar leasing schemes over here.

Nissan are also reported to be following suit when they launch their hybrid cars available from 2012 onwards.

The longevity and safety of lithium-ion batteries and the resale value of hybrids and electrics may for the immediate deter consumers these alternative vehicles. Signs are that manufacturers are eager to dispel our fears, and until the hybrid market is better established, leasing of batteries may become more widely available. While the US automotive market has been slower and more reluctant than the UK market to green up its act, it is possible that similar leasing scheme could start here too, in a bid to bolster the market for electric vehicles even further. TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk will keep you up to date with any battery leasing schemes if they become available in the UK.

USA Today news: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2008-06-19-hybrid-battery-lease_N.htm

Fionnan Sheahan of Independent.ie recently wrote about Eamon Ryan, the Green Party Minister, and his belief that electric vehicles will be seen as a mainstream option by 2020. Ireland is set to enter an era of lower carbon emissions as proposed changes to the Vehicle Registration Tax and motor tax become a reality. There is speculation mounting that the installation of the first ever electric vehicle charging point may not be far away, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are currently exploring the prospect that will make the running of electric vehicles viable.

To read more on this story, visit Independent.ie using the following link - http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/motoring/electric-cars-will–be-norm-by-2020-says-minister-1423189.html

FHI Showcases Its Subaru Plug-in STELLA Concept, a New Prototype Electric Vehicle, at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit

Tokyo, June 27, 2008 - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, today announced the successful development of its Subaru Plug-in STELLA Concept model, a prototype electric vehicle (EV). FHI will provide five units of the Plug-in STELLA Concept for use at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held July 7 through 9, 2008. Four of the five will be used to transport government officials and other participants at the summit, while one vehicle will be displayed at the Environmental Showcase, an exhibition and demonstration area in the International Media Center, and it will also be available for a test drive.

In addition, FHI will provide one STELLA Concept model to the Japan Post group for use in mail collection and delivery in the vicinity of Toyako during the summit.

The Subaru Plug-in STELLA Concept combines the EV system employed in the R1e with the mini car, Subaru STELLA. The resulting vehicle represents an optimized model that features the compact packaging and superb utility that the STELLA offers to meet a wider array of market needs. FHI plans to use the Plug-in STELLA Concept in the development and test-marketing of the next generation of EV in Japan in the near future.

FHI has jointly developed the Subaru R1e with Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TEPCO), a leading utility in Japan, and the vehicle’s performance has been tested since June 2006. Forty units of the R1e model, equipped with lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries, have been used by TEPCO as part of its corporate fleet and by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, providing performance results that further advance FHI’s EV development work. Such data collected under real-world conditions have helped FHI to refine the concept of the next-generation EV and make further improvements in convenience and comfort under everyday driving situations.

FHI has placed emphasis on its mission to pursue the perfect integration of a pleasant and reliable driving with environmental considerations. While seamlessly improving the power units design and introducing such cleaner engines as the Horizontally-Opposed diesel engine in Europe (available since March of this year), the company has positioned EVs as another viable solution for environmental preservation, and it plans to accelerate its EV development work.

 How green are electric cars? Environmentalists have been quick to point out that while electric cars certainly have their merits over petrol guzzling alternatives, they aren’t truly ‘green’ until the energy they use comes from renewable sources.

Well now there is more weight to the argument that supports electric cars with Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing in a speech that renewable energy will supply 15 per cent of the UK’s energy mix by 2020. Mr Brown also highlighted the importance of the role that both electric and hybrid cars will play in this strategy.

With less reliance on fossil fuels, electric cars become even greener. Even with the current energy mix, they produce less than half of the greenhouse gases of traditional cars, and Evert Guertson, co-founder of the London-based NICE electric car company, believes this is a positive move by the Government.

“In the drive towards truly sustainable transport, the Government has taken a significant step forward,” he said. “There is now a clear understanding that the environmental benefits of electric vehicles will develop hand-in-hand with an increase in renewable energy supply.”

According to a report published by the World Wildlife Fund in April this year, all electric vehicles are far cleaner than those that are conventionally fuelled even with the UK’s current energy mix. The increased reliance on renewable sources will move electric cars even closer to that threshold of being true zero-emission vehicles.

 One of the major stumbling blocks stopping drivers from ‘going green’ has been the issue of price - most hybrid and electric cars are simply too expensive for the average motorist. However, according to a recent survey motorists are actually willing to pay up to 30 per cent more in order to take up zero-emission driving.

The findings were discovered during in-depth interviews carried out by Liberty Electric Cars, among visitors at the Eden Project’s Sexy Green Car Show. Incredibly, 65 per cent of those surveyed said they were willing to pay up to 30 per cent more for a zero emission car which is friendly to the environment.

Perhaps a larger barrier to the take-up of electric cars is that car buyers are less willing to compromise on factors such as space, performance and utility. Around 45 per cent of those surveyed said they would not be willing to downsize their vehicle to go green.

The product development message supports Liberty Electric Cars’ ideals - the company is investing £30million in the re-engineering of larger luxury cars and 4×4s into emission free, electric vehicles.

The company is also behind the Liberty Electric Range Rover, which will travel for more than 200 miles - 55 per cent of those surveyed stated that an electric car should have a range of at least 100 miles.

The results of the survey send a stark message to car manufacturers - money isn’t everything to the nation’s environmentally conscious motorists. They simply want designs that don’t compromise the performance they are used to, in order to go green.

What about you? Would you be willing to pay more for a green car? Let us know how much extra you’d be willing to pay by leaving a comment below.

The Independent reported this week that Dyson, the vacuum cleaner manufacturer, is designing and developing motors for electric cars. They could run on solar energy thus being both pollution-free and renewable.

Although only in early development stages, Dyson aim to produce an advanced electric motor to supersede the current generation of electric vehicles which are still very limited in maximum speeds and driving ranges.

Dyson hope to produce a lightweight motor which could allow electric vehicles to operate without mains electrics and yet still travel for hundreds of miles at higher speeds than currently possible.

Sir James Dyson, founder of Dyson Ltd told the Independent on Sunday that he believed electric vehicles are the future for the car industry.

The full article can be read on the following link:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/dyson-working-on-new-generation-of-fast-green-cars-852023.html

News that the City of London is to end free parking for electric vehicles because the scheme has become ‘too successful’ has been branded barmy by electric car company NICE. The U-turn comes in the week government is expected to publish its renewable energy strategy, which will point to the benefits of boosting the market for electric vehicles.

‘The reasons for scrapping this incentive are plain daft,’ said NICE co-founder Julian Wilford. ‘The City’s Department of Environmental Services has said that free parking encourages people to use electric cars; surely that’s the point?

‘Electric cars emit no air quality pollutants or carbon dioxide; they are far cleaner than conventional cars, buses and taxis. We think the City’s decision has nothing to do with improving the environment and everything to do with short-term financial gain.’

The NICE Car Company has welcomed moves by forward-thinking authorities like Westminster Council. Working with EDF, the Energy Saving Trust and Transport for London, Westminster recently introduced 10 new ‘juice points’ across the borough. These are on-street recharging sockets for electric cars like the NICE Mega City.

More local authorities are now following Westminster’s lead, offering incentives like residents’ parking concessions and free re-charging facilities.1 The City is the first to introduce a concession - and then scrap it.

‘Car makers are moving mountains to bring electric models to market, but we have cars on sale now,’ added Wilford. ‘Removing this incentive creates uncertainty at a time when consumers need clear, long-term signals on the benefits of clean, electric motoring. The City’s approach is the worst kind of green wash.’

 Electric cars have been slow to catch on with the general public despite being deemed the future of motoring by many experts. However, now the French have established a scheme that may give them the push-start they need.

The city of Paris’s socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoë made an announcement declaring that from late 2009, 4,000 electric cars will be made available at self-service stations throughout Paris and on its outskirts. The idea is that the cars will be used by drivers who are only making short trips in and around the capital.

It is the first electric car programme of its kind in any European capital and Delanoë believes it could revolutionise transport. He is so keen on the concept that he doubled the original number of vehicles outlined for the scheme (2,000) and stretched it beyond the ring roads of Paris.

There will be a total of 700 pick-up points across the area, with 200 of them situated underground. Drivers will be able to pick up an electric car from any of the points and return it elsewhere after completing their journey. Recharging points will also be placed throughout the city and users will be able to subscribe annually, or hire a car when they choose.

It’s not the only green scheme to be implemented in the French capital. Within a year, the city will also have a number of bicycles for hire called Vélib’, which aim to change the transport habits of a number of locals.

 Turn the clocks forward some 17 years to 2025 and how do you think our roads will look? Will petrol and diesel cars still rule the highways or will green cars be the new standard? Well, in the Netherlands at least, more than a quarter of the vehicles on the road are expected to be electrics.

Electric Cars Europe (ECE), a Dutch consortium, has predicted that 1.8million of the seven million vehicles on Dutch roads (that’s 26 per cent) will be powered by electricity. To make this dream a reality, it is investing €100m to purchase 200 electric vehicles and has started to develop an electricity distribution system.

The consortium is made up of InnoSys, the company of the consortium’s initiator; an energy firm; a green project developer; and the Dutch importer of Lotus sports cars.

Just last year, as part of a demonstration, a Lotus Elise was refitted to show that electric cars have the potential to be status symbols too and not just something for those who want to keep things cheap and small.

More retrofits will take place of both the Lotus Elise and the Volkswagen Golf, changing them into electric vehicles. The company will also work on the development of a so-called Mobile Smart Grid, which will be spread out as demand increases.

The ECE believes it is already addressing the technical issues associated with electric cars and is working on increasing their range and battery recharge times. It expects the first mass-produced electric cars to be available at dealerships within five years.