14 March 2010

Search

Poll

News Categories

Show categories | Hide categories

Pages

Show pages | Hide pages

Pininfarina – electric cars

For those who think that electric car concepts are only produced by new car manufacturers attempting to make an early impact in a yet-to-be established market, think again. The Pininfarina electric vehicle is proof that even some of the oldest manufacturers are ready to change their ways to keep up with demand for greener vehicles.

So what will the Pininfarina electric vehicle have to offer? This guide will explain.

Quick links:

History of the Pininfarina EV
Environmental credentials of the Pininfarina EV
Pininfarina EV statistics
Future of the Pininfarina EV

History of the Pininfarina EV

Pininfarina is an Italian car manufacturer founded in 1930 by Battista “Pinin” Farina. Over the years, the company has worked alongside numerous high-profile manufacturers including Ferrari, Maserati, Cadillac, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. The company attracted worldwide attention with its innovative Cisitalia 2002 design and has since worked on numerous well-established vehicles including the 1989 Ferrari Mythos, the 1982 Rolls-Royce Camarague, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, the 2006 Volvo C70 and the 2006 Ferrari P4/5.

Now Pininfarina has formed a partnership with the French Bollore Group to develop and build an electric car. Bollore is an industrial group that participates in a wide variety of businesses including battery development. According to reports, the company has developed a new lithium metal polymer battery and though it hasn’t revealed what the chemistry is, it is said to include no liquid electrolyte. It is thermally stable with a combustion temperature in excess of 200°C, which should make it safer than other lithium-ion battery designs.

The vehicle will be manufactured from 2010 and will be a four-seat car with a range of around 155 miles and a recharge time of just five hours from a standard 220V socket. For a quick 15mile run across town, the vehicle will need only a five minute charge.

Environmental credentials of the Pininfarina EV

As the vehicle that Bollore and Pininfarina plan to develop will be 100 per cent electric, it will produce zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. With an exceptional range it will be one of the most able electric cars on the market and with a number of roadside recharging electrical outlets already existing in some of the world’s major cities it should prove a cleaner and greener alternative to driving with a conventional car.

While there are no air pollutants produced directly from the vehicle – including nitrogen oxides and soot – there is still debate over the validity of classifying electric cars as ‘emission free’ when their power is often sourced from non-renewable energy production. It is a valid debate, but clearly the more that energy is sourced from renewable sources, the less of a problem this will become. In 2008, the UK Government adjusted its target stating that 15 per cent of energy must come from renewable sources. However, even at current energy mix levels the direct and indirect emissions of an electric car such as the Pininfarina EV are notably below those of a conventional vehicle.

Furthermore, the Pininfarina EV has numerous financial incentives – if present rules continue to stand on the time of its release then the vehicle will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge, will be eligible for free parking in numerous major cities and will be free from vehicle excise duty.