AutoblogGreen

The Pininfarina / Bollore electric car project was said to be "going as planned" despite the tragic death of Andrea Pininfarina. who was overseeing the operation around which the Italian design company was being financially restructured. Addressing a press conference, Bollore head Vincent Bollore attempted to calm any fears saying, "We are in the condition to produce at industrial levels." Paolo Pininfarina was chosen to replace his brother and also reaffirmed the company's restructuring intentions last month.

Pininfarina buiilt the BlueCar (pictured above) for Bollore battery subsidiary Batscap in the recent past to showcase the firm's energy storage solution. Although the BlueCar never went into production, it seems Bollore is serious about this new project to the extent that it is already attempting to secure large amounts of lithium from one of the world's richest reserves of the mineral in Bolivia. A Bollore executive told reporters at today's conference that they would begin taking orders for the car next summer. The company is estimated to be capable of producing about 10,000 batteries a year. If everything is truly on schedule we should expect to see the new design at the Paris Motor Show in October. We hope it's a little sexier than their previous collaboration.

[Source: Reuters / Usine Nouvelle]

As part of the activities surrounding this past weekend's Detroit Grand Prix, General Motors hosted a panel discussion on biofuels. The panel consisted of GM VP Beth Lowery, Joel Valesco of UNICA (the Brazilian sugar cane industry trade group, Michigan State University Professor Bruce Dale, former World driving champion Emerson Fittipaldi and Randy Kramer, CEO of KL Process Design Group. We all know that GM is a big proponent of ethanol as an interim step toward energy Independence until electrically driven vehicles become mainstream. We're also equally aware of the issues with corn-based ethanol production. Clearly GM has a vested interest in promoting ethanol and didn't invite any biofuel critics to participate.

The panelists discussed the food vs. fuel question at length and Kramer and Valesco in particular downplayed the issue. Kramer's company is the first to operate a commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant, with a facility in South Dakota that uses wood waste for fuel production. Valesco noted that less than one percent of the arable land in Brazil is dedicated the production of cane for ethanol. He also noted that Amazon deforestation can't be blamed on ethanol because the region is too wet. Cane will grow in all tropical areas but needs sustained dry periods in order to produce the sugar necessary for ethanol.

Nonetheless a couple of very important themes emerged from the discussion. One was that a collective will is necessary in order to implement an ethanol distribution infrastructure. The second and more important is the idea of zero radius design. The idea is that ethanol (or other fuel production) needs to be close to the raw material source and distribution should be more localized. The implication here is that the types of fuels used would be more regional and based on what sources are locally available.

[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

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The whole point of what're called "alternative fuels" is that they offer a driver something other than gasoline to put into the tank. With that in mind, it makes sense that Proton is happy to announce the new dual-fuel ecoLogic GEN-2 in the UK. These new models can burn either standard petrol or LPG, which is much cheaper than petrol.

The two ecoLogic GEN-2 models - saloon (£10,995) or hatch (£10,795) - don't cost any more than the petrol-only versions and Proton proudly states that "Even allowing for the slightly increased fuel consumption when running on LPG, customers can save around 40% on their fuel costs" (see full release after the jump). LPG is actually a reasonable option in the UK thanks to over 1,400 stations that sell the fuel, according to Proton. Each ecoLogic GEN-2 is powered by a 1.6L engine and, for a limited time, a free leather interior upgrade. With all this, doesn't there seem to have to be a downside somewhere? Any readers want to report?

In any case, Malaysian automaker Proton is also working on electric cars with help from Zap and Youngman Automotive Group.


[Source: Proton]

During the recent Plug-in conference in San Jose CA, Matt Kelly of GMNext talked with Larry Nitz about the new PHEV version of the Saturn Vue. The PHEV Vue is still at least a year away and is based on the Two-Mode Vue that comes out late this year. The nickel metal hydride battery is replaced with a lithium ion unit and a plug-in charger is added. According to Nitz, who is the executive director of hybrid powertrain engineering at GM, the PHEV Vue will average about the twice the fuel efficiency of the regular two-mode Vue for the first 20 miles. GM isn't talking about the electric only range, because the ability to actually operate on electricity alone is limited by the motor power. As what's called a conversion PHEV, the motor is not sized for a significant electric only operational window. The Vue will go up to about 35 mph at light acceleration on electricity. Beyond that the engine starts. Even in around town driving the engine will start with anything other a very light throttle foot. Nonetheless, the plug-in Vue will likely achieve somewhere between 50-60 mpg for the first 20 miles. If you can drive lightly enough to keep the engine off, you should be able to get around 10 miles on the battery. Check out the video after the jump.

[Source: GMNext]

Just the other day we were asking ourselves if the price of the most expensive component of electric cars, the lithium ion batteries, will ever come down. As if to answer our query Charles Gassenheimer, Chief Executive over at battery maker Ener1, has come back with the answer we hoped to hear. Yes! And we're not talking about a small fraction of a reduction but rather a full 50 percent. Of course this kind of sea change in price will require a huge increase in volume. Gassenheimer says they will need to have volumes in the hundreds of thousands to achieve this price drop but silver-lines that cloud by saying, "But the important point of this here is the demand side of this equation doesn't seem to be the problem." He says demand is "off the charts in Europe and Asia" and expects American demand to keep increasing as well.

Ener1, who already make batteries for plug-in Priuses and have a $70 million supply deal with Th!nk, are pressing to reach this kind of output and are chatting up 24 (!) different auto makers. Of these, two may soon ink development contracts which could, because of the size of these companies, lead to Ener1 actually becoming cash flow positive in 2010. If they can achieve their cost-reduction goals, the pay-back period for all-electric cars may be reached in as little as two years instead of the current 7 or 8 if the price of oil stays around $100 a barrel.

[Source: Reuters]

There is no shortage of online carpooling or rideshare websites -
PickupPal, Ridester, 511 Rideshare, to name just three. What might set the new "carpool community" Zimride apart is a tie-in with Facebook (it's also a Facebook app) that will give users an easy way to find out a thing or two about their potential ride partners before hopping in the car with them. Through Facebook, users can check out pictures and see what hitchhikers/drivers are into and pick a ride based on compatibility (or looks, if you wanted).

Aside from Zimride, another new online rideshare application (whose name I forget right now) is available on the iPhone/iPod Touch. You know, just in case you want to ride with someone who shares your sense of Mac style.

[Source: Zimride]

We remember when Zap revived the name Detroit Electric, a classic, last year but the details haven't been coming very fast and furious since then. Zap announced late last week that the U.S.-Chinese partnership (with China Youngman Automobile Group) is now headed over the Atlantic to find both money and tech help. In a statement, Detroit Electric CEO Albert Lam said that partners in Europe (unnamed) would help with the electric drive system, capital financing and vehicle distribution. More details - like the names of those partners - will be announced in the future. Zap and China Youngman will give up their ownership interest in Detroit Electric, but both will remain involved in the future of Detroit Electric: Zap with North American sales and distribution, China Youngman by providing "vehicle platforms to Detroit Electric for pure electric transit buses and coaches." Zap also got $750,000 U.S. for giving up its ownership interest.

[Source: Detroit Electric]

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With work halted at the factory that is to build the Tata Nano, the future of the world's cheapest car is uncertain. Well, we're still pretty certain that it will be built somewhere, but the details are much more hazy now that people in the West Bengal region have spoken out against the way Tata Motors got the land to expand their plant. Tata might pull out and move to a more-friendly region, but what does the whole kerfluffle mean for cheap motoring in India and the world?

Writing in Automotive News Europe (subs req'd), Jesse Snyder makes a clear statement: "No matter who "wins" in the protracted protest over land in India's impoverished West Bengal region, the innovative Tata Nano will lose." Snyder's article is a fair look at the situation and says that the main problem here, for Tata Motors, is lost time. Ultra-cheap cars are coming for the masses, and if Tata wants to be in the game (a game they helped create), then they need to find a solution fast. Of course, if you're of the mindset that ultra-cheap cars are not what the planet ordered, then perhaps one siege isn't enough for you...


[Source: Automotive News Europe]

Following the examples set down by New York and San Francisco, Boston is now requiring that all its taxis be hybrids by the year 2015. The fleet currently boasts about 50 of the gas saving cars but most of the rest of the fleet of 1825 people movers are Crown Victorias. Although the hybrids can save owners $1,000 a month in fuel costs and halve emissions, change is not always welcomed and there is some resistance to switching over. The upfront cost of hybrids approach $30,000 when outfitted with the complete taxi kit while the old rear-wheel drive guzzlers might be less than half of that when picked up second hand from city auctions. Of course, we might argue that brand new Ford Escape hybrids and Priuses would be twice as nice to drive and ride in as previously ragged-out police cars but perhaps we're biased. In any case, the decision has been made and so hybrids it will be...eventually. The seven year grace period is supposed to help out the owner-operators compete with large cab company fleets while the transition is made.

[Source: The Boston Globe]

Not to be outdone by those Coors ethanol vehicles at the DNC, Republicans will get their own ethanol-dose during their national convention this week. On Tuesday night in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council will host a "celebration" called AgNite (because you know that farmers are the first to ditch old school and correct spellings of words like night). The self-styled non-partisan AgNite will celibrate "America's food and agricultural industry with key policymakers, convention delegates, media, and top industry leaders" and will feature an ethanol angle thanks to the sponsorship of the Renewable Fuels Association.

Ethanol promoters have a lot of work to do to get Republican delegates on the same page. The National Review's Corner says that the GOP's party platform recently voted against strong ethanol mandates, following strong discussion.

[Source: AgNite via Domestic Fuel, National Review]